Well, I come from a discussion list culture where debate about the show becomes very intense. Any claim you make has to be rigorously defended or people will shred it apart. So you have to stick with canon, or assumptions that are heavily supported by canon. If you start throwing fanon in there, no one's going to buy your argument.
I can understand how fanfic writers who write Buffy would be more sympathetic to her. If you have to get inside the character's head and humanize her, you'll probably be more likely to feel for her. But that's still not the kind of evidence that you can use in a debate--I think some writers start to identify with Buffy because they write her so often, but their Buffy isn't the Buffy on the show. And I'm arguing about the Buffy on the show.
As far as the divide coming down to fanfic writers vs. non-fanfic writers--I don't think it's that easy. Maybe it's "fanfic writers who write Buffy" vs "people who don't write Buffy but may write other characters or not write at all." miggy writes great Spike/Anya and Spike/Xander, and she can't stand Buffy. chenanceou doesn't like Buffy, but she writes Spike fic. I suspect that if you already dislike Buffy you'll be a lot less likely to write her, but if you're ambivalent and then you start writing her, maybe you'll start to like her more.
I will say, though, that the fanon/canon divide is very sharp in my mind, and I don't mix the two. When I'm debating the character, I debate what I saw onscreen, not what I may have speculated without evidence or read in fic. I understand that for some people that line is more blurred; I'm not making a value judgement in general, but I do think if you're actually debating (vs just stating your opinion) you should stick to canon. Otherwise people could just make up anything and use it to defend their position.
Re: My take on Season 7 Buffy
Date: 2003-08-05 06:18 pm (UTC)I can understand how fanfic writers who write Buffy would be more sympathetic to her. If you have to get inside the character's head and humanize her, you'll probably be more likely to feel for her. But that's still not the kind of evidence that you can use in a debate--I think some writers start to identify with Buffy because they write her so often, but their Buffy isn't the Buffy on the show. And I'm arguing about the Buffy on the show.
As far as the divide coming down to fanfic writers vs. non-fanfic writers--I don't think it's that easy. Maybe it's "fanfic writers who write Buffy" vs "people who don't write Buffy but may write other characters or not write at all."
I will say, though, that the fanon/canon divide is very sharp in my mind, and I don't mix the two. When I'm debating the character, I debate what I saw onscreen, not what I may have speculated without evidence or read in fic. I understand that for some people that line is more blurred; I'm not making a value judgement in general, but I do think if you're actually debating (vs just stating your opinion) you should stick to canon. Otherwise people could just make up anything and use it to defend their position.