It's an interesting question, especially since I do run into it with both Xander and Faith quite a bit. It's either them who are "just a step to the left" or "just a step to the right" of where I think they should be; or it's everyone around them who's just that step off.
So, from a reader's perspective, I agree with you to a certain extent. I've always argued, "Send the character you dislike out of town on a bus." Or at least de-emphasize them in some way. One way to do that is to set your story in a time and place where disliked character would either be: 1) absent or 2) not around as much. Granted, it limits the time and place in which you can set your story, but personally, I don't take it personally when something "organic" like that happens.
On the other hand, if you're gathering all the "old gang" together to deal with something, but manage to leave out just one or two characters using that same excuse, even though there are several other characters there who should be absent because of that same excuse, I do tend to get my back up.
For example: You want to write a rockin' B/A story that's post-Chosen. I don't think it's a stetch to set it one year later so it's set post-NFA. Spike could've been dusted in the final battle. Or maybe he's all-human William now and has no memory of ever being Spike. Plenty of excuses not to have Spike around, or have his presence limited. I would think it would be palpable.
On the other hand, say you've got a middle-of-NFA story where "the cavalry" arrives. I've already read several stories where everyone from Sunnydale shows, from Giles to Buffy to Willow to Dawn to Faith to Robin to Andrew, to Potential No. 43, yet Xander is completely absent. Usually his absence is explained in a throw away line (when the writer even bothers) that he's not there because he's "in Africa." Like you said, it's almost bashing (but not quite) just by omission. If you can yank Cho Ahn into an NFA fight, how hard is it to at least mention that Xander is there with several Slayers from Africa?
Yet I actully do feel guilty about disliking well-written stories where past relationships or existing emotional bonds between characters, as well as the characters themselves, are slightly twisted off what I perceive to be canon.
I actually do have some flexibility in how all the characters are portrayed in fanfic. Differing points of view and all that. It's like I have this line in my head. If Character X is on this side of my mental line, it's all cool. However, one or two steps beyond that turns me right off. It's the difference (I think) between portraying Xander as someone who knows is his comic books and genre television vs. an all-Star Trek all-the-time fanboi, for example. One side I can buy. The other side sets my teeth right on edge. It's becuse the writer came this close to getting him right, but only went as far as they needed to so they could slap some broad brush-strokes into the story (at least from my point of view).
Also, as a fanfic writer, while I tend to fall on the "set your story in a tme or place where you don't have to deal with certain characters" and "send them out of town on a bus," at the same time, trying to write the characters you dislike in a way that's sympathetic and well-rounded is also a challenge that's too good to pass up. See, I want to be able to write a character I sincerely dislike in such a way that fans of that character figure I've nailed them.
Reply 1
So, from a reader's perspective, I agree with you to a certain extent. I've always argued, "Send the character you dislike out of town on a bus." Or at least de-emphasize them in some way. One way to do that is to set your story in a time and place where disliked character would either be: 1) absent or 2) not around as much. Granted, it limits the time and place in which you can set your story, but personally, I don't take it personally when something "organic" like that happens.
On the other hand, if you're gathering all the "old gang" together to deal with something, but manage to leave out just one or two characters using that same excuse, even though there are several other characters there who should be absent because of that same excuse, I do tend to get my back up.
For example: You want to write a rockin' B/A story that's post-Chosen. I don't think it's a stetch to set it one year later so it's set post-NFA. Spike could've been dusted in the final battle. Or maybe he's all-human William now and has no memory of ever being Spike. Plenty of excuses not to have Spike around, or have his presence limited. I would think it would be palpable.
On the other hand, say you've got a middle-of-NFA story where "the cavalry" arrives. I've already read several stories where everyone from Sunnydale shows, from Giles to Buffy to Willow to Dawn to Faith to Robin to Andrew, to Potential No. 43, yet Xander is completely absent. Usually his absence is explained in a throw away line (when the writer even bothers) that he's not there because he's "in Africa." Like you said, it's almost bashing (but not quite) just by omission. If you can yank Cho Ahn into an NFA fight, how hard is it to at least mention that Xander is there with several Slayers from Africa?
Yet I actully do feel guilty about disliking well-written stories where past relationships or existing emotional bonds between characters, as well as the characters themselves, are slightly twisted off what I perceive to be canon.
I actually do have some flexibility in how all the characters are portrayed in fanfic. Differing points of view and all that. It's like I have this line in my head. If Character X is on this side of my mental line, it's all cool. However, one or two steps beyond that turns me right off. It's the difference (I think) between portraying Xander as someone who knows is his comic books and genre television vs. an all-Star Trek all-the-time fanboi, for example. One side I can buy. The other side sets my teeth right on edge. It's becuse the writer came this close to getting him right, but only went as far as they needed to so they could slap some broad brush-strokes into the story (at least from my point of view).
Also, as a fanfic writer, while I tend to fall on the "set your story in a tme or place where you don't have to deal with certain characters" and "send them out of town on a bus," at the same time, trying to write the characters you dislike in a way that's sympathetic and well-rounded is also a challenge that's too good to pass up. See, I want to be able to write a character I sincerely dislike in such a way that fans of that character figure I've nailed them.