Re: OT: Xander ambivalence and his place in B/W Life?

Buffy the Slayer, Willow the Witch, Xander the....

Human.

Actually they're all human; a fact that many people tend to overlook.

But Xander, in a world filled with the mystical and the powerful, is defined by the very thing that makes him unique. He's a normal average human (that's not exactly true but that's a matter for another day and quite possibly another board).

A human is a mish mash of angel and devil, hero and coward, darkness and light. The measure of a human is where the balance lays.

Yeah, he can be a bit of an asshole. But you look at Buffy and Willow's track record and you'll find that he's in good company (Spike however could teach Advanced Asshole at Oxford).

But on the balance, he?s a good guy.

The Lie ::bangs head on brick wall::; normally I don?t take any notice of what the writers say (they tend to be full of shit). But this is what Joss had to say on the matter:

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The Xander betrayal issue... hasn't come up with us, and here's why. Xander made a decision. Like a general going into battle, he had to keep Buffy's fighting spirit strong and he felt telling her the truth would blunt it. And Angel needed to be stopped. It was a tough decision, and an unpopular one, but I'm not sure it wasn't the right one.

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The only thing I fault Xander on in this matter is telling Buffy that Willow said ?Kick his ass?. Better to just not say anything. As an officer with experience of leading my people into combat, I judge he made the right call.

I don?t wanna go into the details of all the good and bad things about our Scoobies; it?s been done to death a million times before (although that fact isn?t stopping the XanderZone at the moment).

Buffy, Willow, and Xander are a MAJOR part of each other?s lives. They share the bonds of love, friendship, experiences, and history. A lot of people (of all ships) forget that.

Now, Xander in a B/W world.

First thing to remember is that Xander loves both of them more than anything or anyone else, especially himself. Whether you believe it?s sibling love ::shudders::, or friendship love, or the big L *in Love* (you all know where I stand on the matter), the simple fact is he loves them both.

After the complete fucking disasters that constituted Buffy?s love life (and to a lesser extent Willow?s too), Xander would positively cheer when he finds out about B/W. He?d know that they?d be good for each other. He may worry that they might inadvertently shut him out of their lives (al la season 4) however. When Buffy and Willow treat him as their best guy friend and respected equal, then it would be hard to find a happier Xander.

Hell, if he thought they were attracted to each other Xander would probably play cupid for them (or at least try).

Mmmm... That gives me a fic idea...

Writing Xander in B/W fics.

I hate fics that have two Scoobies getting together (usually B/X or B/W) and trash or ignore the other Scooby (Willow in the case of B/X, Xander in the case of B/W). Thankfully there aren?t too many fics that do it.

Another crime against humanity is the continuation of Xander/Anya. For the love of all things holy, the average fic writer is better than Marti Noxon so there?s no excuse to keep perpetuating the pathetic joke that is X/A! Xander/Cordy was interesting, Willow/Xander was interesting, Xander/Anya was a boring, long running sex joke that did nothing for either character. If you?re gonna ship Xander with somebody then make it somebody interesting like Tara, or Dawn, or even Faith. X/A is a just place that writers park Xander when they don?t know what to do with him or want him out of the way.

The time frame of when the fic is set will determine Xander?s lovable goofball/ mature adult ratio. Yes, he will make the occasional joke/comment and go to a happy visual place every now and then, and no, it won?t be every 5 seconds.

As the two most important people in his life he?ll take an interest in their relationship and he?ll want it to be as happy as possible. If Buffy and Willow fight he?d try to avoid taking sides and be the peacemaker. If he did take a side it would probably be Willow?s (unless Willow had done something majorly bad to Buffy).

He?ll be protective of them, especially their relationship. Remember when Larry made a comment about Buffy being fast and Xander?s reaction? Imagine Xander?s reaction if Larry (or anybody else) made a comment about B/W, or worst still, started abusing B/W.

A couple of examples of fics that make good use of Xander are the ?Repercussions, Reactions and Retaliation? series by TheBear, and ?Where do we go from here?? (amongst other fine fics) by Kirayoshi.

To wrap it up.

Xander in a B/W world can (if used properly in a supportive role) enrich a fic. He can be a source of humorous moments, tender moments, and dramatic moments that add an extra layer to a fic. He?s human, and as such acts as a ground to the normal human world for the super powered Buffy and Willow. He?s a good guy, he?s a Scooby, and he?s their best friend.

Tony McD