I actually think Illyria would find Lilah a MUCH more entertaining pet than Xander. *G*
As to the fanfic discussion--and, speaking for my own writing only, not for how anyone else write--I don't see the process the same way as the author of the post does. That is, for me, writing pre-canon or post-canon doesn't have any more, or any less, constraints than writing during the canon run of the series. Anything pre-canon still has to lead to canon, and anything post-canon still has to arise, logically, from canon. All fanfic--and I here I do mean ALL fanfic, not just mine--is a game of "what if?" Even the pieces that do nothing more than go into a character's inner monologue during a scene we watched on the screen, fics that change nothing about what was on the screen, still play the "what if?" game: "what if" we knew what Angel was thinking when Buffy was eating ice cream off his chest? And, of course, there are the far bigger "what if's" that most fics explore. Again, I can't speak for the majority of the fandom or the writers in the fandom. The shows are over, and it is logical that some writers have moved on to other, newer, interests. Equally, some people are just finding the fandom, just finding the show(s) on DVD. I can only speak for myself: I am not at all interested in moving on to writing in other fandoms. I am still fascinated by what was shown in the 7 seasons of BtVS, the 5 seasons of Ats, still inspired by many of the things said and unsaid in all the seasons. I expect to be writing in the fandom for years.
no subject
As to the fanfic discussion--and, speaking for my own writing only, not for how anyone else write--I don't see the process the same way as the author of the post does. That is, for me, writing pre-canon or post-canon doesn't have any more, or any less, constraints than writing during the canon run of the series. Anything pre-canon still has to lead to canon, and anything post-canon still has to arise, logically, from canon. All fanfic--and I here I do mean ALL fanfic, not just mine--is a game of "what if?" Even the pieces that do nothing more than go into a character's inner monologue during a scene we watched on the screen, fics that change nothing about what was on the screen, still play the "what if?" game: "what if" we knew what Angel was thinking when Buffy was eating ice cream off his chest? And, of course, there are the far bigger "what if's" that most fics explore. Again, I can't speak for the majority of the fandom or the writers in the fandom. The shows are over, and it is logical that some writers have moved on to other, newer, interests. Equally, some people are just finding the fandom, just finding the show(s) on DVD. I can only speak for myself: I am not at all interested in moving on to writing in other fandoms. I am still fascinated by what was shown in the 7 seasons of BtVS, the 5 seasons of Ats, still inspired by many of the things said and unsaid in all the seasons. I expect to be writing in the fandom for years.