Re: Re: OT fics?/Threesomes

[danspector@xxxxxxxxx]

(Actually, there was a B/W/T group, called "magickal_three" as far as I
can recall, but it seems to have been deleted.)

I quite agree with most of what Jenny has to say. Certainly, the
prominence of the OT fics would be reduced if we were to write more B/W.
And I'm not saying that B/W/Ts can't be enjoyable or that authors should
make an effort to limit their work. It just seems to me that a certain
amount of on-topic work is polite--I wouldn't go to a W/T list and post
*only* B/W/T, and I'd like to think that the reverse also applies. (Can
you even post B/W/T on a W/T list? I know certain W/T outlets are
somewhat doctrinaire about anything other than the "soulmates" concept,
but I don't know the policies of the various lists).

Since I've received a mail from the ex-member whose objections I had
previously cited, I feel it's only fair to clarify that this particular
person did not in fact object to B/W/original character, as in Jennifer
DuBoe's fic (and isn't it amusing that we now have *two* "Jenny D"
authors? Well, perhaps that's just me :) ), merely to the B/W/T influx.
I omitted this info previously because I didn't want to turn this into a
specifically B/W/T issue (since, as far as I know, the "topic" versus
"non-topic" pairing issue goes back to when Pat Kelly started writing
B/F for the list, at least), but neither do I want Jennifer thinking
that she'd been criticized by people who had actually done no such
thing. 
Yeah, I'm tightroping here. Please pardon me if I make a mis-step--I'm
really trying not to offend.

I do feel that B/W/Ts may cause a certain greater sensitivity than B/W/C
or B/W/F or whatever, since these mix canon with UC 'shippage, with
perhaps a certain tendency of the author to assume that everyone reading
is a fan of the canon pairing and therefore Willow and Tara's love
should never be doubted. For those who have been suffering on the
subtextual crumbs of UC 'shippage, this can be a sensitive point,
particularly since every B/W/T I can recall opened with W/T already
together and Buffy merely being added to the mix--implicitly
downgrading B/W to just an adjunct of W/T perfection, which is a
viewpoint that many a B/W fan would care to argue.

Put another way, in an all-UC triadfic, the emphasis may be anywhere.
For example, I'm noodling the idea of B/W, coupled, giving Giles a
birthday present he'll never forget, whereas there are also stories
extant where the primary relationship is between the G-man and one (or
both) of the girls, and the B/W element is secondary. But since it's
all UC, all interpretations are equally subject to the author's whims.
Whereas, as stated above, B/W/Ts tend to be somewhat W/T-centric, in
general.  

In addition, since the past season of BtVS made rather much of elevating
Tara to a "wise woman" role (character development, or an attempt to
manipulate the audience in anticipation of her death? Opinions will,
naturally, differ), there is a tendency to cast Tara as the linchpin of
the triad, which some B/W 'shippers may not enjoy, for an obvious
reason.

All this is to say that I understand why OT fics, and B/W/T in
particular, sometimes rankle list members. (I have gotten other
complaints that seem to be in line with this, as well.) Once again, I'm
not asking that B/W/T authors cease writing--I'm simply appealing--and
nothing more than "appealing"--for some on-topic work as a balance.

A couple more specific notes for Jude:

Count me as a big fan of the "Round Robin" concept, despite what was
said above. A B/W/T fic makes for an excellent opportunity for
collaboration between writers in the various 'ships, allowing authors
like the Rainbow Writers (whom to my knowledge have never written B/W)
and Stefan Akerblom (whom I know only as a B/W author) to spread their
respective wings and work with variations on their preferred 'ship.
Again, I see this as an original collaborative project, and not an
example of what I was discussing previously.

As to the question of hostility towards Tara in some fics, bear in mind
that many of them were written in the 10-month period (from "Goodbye,
Iowa" through "Family") where the show was implying that Tara was a
demon, and not "one of the good guys". Working off of plot points
already present in the show isn't an attempt to attack fans of the Tara
character or anything like that--it's simply away to resolve every UC
ficcer's dilemma, namely, how to remove the canon-couple obstacle? Lord
knows there have been trillions of Buffy/Xander stories over the years
that result in Angel meeting a dusty end, and very few of them were
meant to be personal attacks on B/Aers or fans of Angel in general. (In
an ironic twist, both B/A and B/X writers now devote long stretches of
time to introducing Spike to Mr. Pointy. Finally, common ground! <g>)

Different couples require different mindsets. When I read
Willow/Xander, I have no problem with the idea that bisexuality was,
like Oz, simply another adventure for Willow before she found her way
home to her oldest, dearest love. But when I read Buffy/Willow, I
conceive of her as primarily lesbian in orientation, since her soulmate
is female. And I find it odd that W/Ters object to the fact that Tara
dies in some B/W fics, given the large number of works where W/T live
and love for decades after Buffy has inevitably met the Slayers' End.
But, like everything, it's all a matter of opinion. (I would point out
that Riley and Spike have come out of this list much worse over the
years, so it's not like there's a special animus against Tara, or
anything.)

Anyway, that's all I'm saying. I just ask that these points be
considered and I'm certainly not attempting to impose any new rules. 

Thank you.

Dan