RE: Essay: The Decline of B/W Fan Fiction

[Jim_D_Means@xxxxxxxxxxx]

> ** Original Subject: RE: ::BuffyWantsWillow:: Essay: The Decline of B/W Fan Fiction
> ** Original Sender: "Cilia" <cilia@xxxxx>
> ** Original Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 17:25:18 -0500

> ** Original Message follows... 



> 
> I know I'm straying from my subject, but perhaps not. Has it become so that
> we are more concerned with bulk then quality? When stories are posted just<
> hammered out and immediately posted without a thought to structure or form.
> Is this for the better? Are we witnessing the decline of B/W fan fiction?
> Has our *Silver Age come at last?

I think you misunderstand the Silver Age. The Golden Age of comics began with the release of Action Comics #1(the first appearance of Superman), and ended in the early fifties, when horror titles like "Tales from the Crypt" supplanted superheroes in sheer popularity. Then came the anti-communist fears of the fifties, and the book 'Seduction of the Innocent' by Fredrick Wortham, who basically blamed all crime, evil and juvenile delinquency on horror titles. He also indicated that Batman and Robin were gay, to say nothing about Wonder Woman and her magic lasso! This lead to the Comics Code Authority, a censoring body that monitored comics for questionable content. 

The Silver Age started in '62 and '63, when a new breed of comic creators breathed new life into the superhero titles. The earliest Silver Age titles are generally regarded to be; DC's Showcase #4, the first appearance of the modern Flash, the Brave and the Bold #28, the first appearance of the Justice League of America; Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four #1; and
Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man.

The reason I'm bringing this up is, we're not in what you would call a Silver Age, but the transitional period between the two ages. Yes, the storyline on the show has been turning against Buffy and Willow as a couple, or even as friends. But change is what this show has always been about. I think that the writers who are worth something will be able to write good stories that reflect current storylines, and still maintain the link between Buffy and Willow.

Whether they are lovers or friends, the relationship between Buffy and Willow has been one of the cornerstones of the series. One of the few constants in Buffy's tumultous life. I don't see that ending, no matter how much either of them change on the show. 

As for writers and feedback, I'm afraid I may be forced to agree with you. Me, I enjoy fanfic, but my main pleasure is in the writing. I think the best writers are the one who love to write.

So I'm not worried about any decline of Buffy/Willow fanfiction. The best of us will still be there, as long as the two characters are worth our attention. And as long as Joss is helming the show, I suspect that that will be for a long time.

Kirayoshi




"Once, years ago, I saved the life of a wise old priest. 
Grateful, he made a gift to me of these few precious words:
If you find yourself on a cliffside, trapped, 
with a hungry tiger waiting above 
and a hungry tiger waiting below, 
and by chance you spy a single strawberry 
growing from the cliffside...
pluck the strawberry...
and bite into it...
and taste it."
--Frank Miller
"Ronin"

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