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

[ebailey140@xxxxxxx]

I haven't been around in ages, but I figured I'd comment, anyway...

I suppose this ship has cooled a bit due to events on the show. 
We've had Willow in a very loving relationship, we like Tara, and are 
having trouble picturing a permanent break between them. Meanwhile, 
we've got Buffy finally consumating things with Spike. 

When this all really got rolling, we'd just found out Willow was bi 
(Doppelgangland), and knew that Buffy/Angel was reaching it's end. 
We also didn't warm to Riley, and Faith was in a coma. Then, Oz 
left. Buffy and Faith's relationship was so ambiguous it seemed 
deliberate. It was also difficult to picture Buffy without her 
Willow, and vice versa. Making the relationship physical (It's 
always been romantic) was pretty easy to picture. 

Things are different, now. Buffy's a mess. Willow's a mess. Buffy 
still loves Willow, but is having trouble standing her. Buffy's also 
slipping more and more away from her humanity. But then, she's not 
quite human anymore, is she? Their relationship is in a very bad 
place, right now, probably the worst it's ever been. 

Can they pull each other out of the dark places each are in? Willow 
seems in the most danger of being consumed. Is a Slayer something 
one can't stay too close to for too long a time without getting 
burned?

E