even if you're going to write a fic in which he's already gay and out of the closet, even if it's not an issue you want to deal with in a fic, one should think about it, in order to be able to write Xander in character as he should be once your story opens.

Good point - and that explains why good stories with really out of canon premises work so well, because the author really knows the characters.

This discussion inspired me to really think about a fanfic I'd finished writing but hadn't edited yet. As a result, I realized there were still things missing from the story (and this is probably why I hadn't done my edit before getting it beta'ed). So, yay for this discussion helping with writing!!!! :)