"Good" fanfic

[wesleysgirl]

What makes "good" fanfic?

I'm not interested in a discussion of any fic in particular -- in fact, I think in an attempt to keep things as civil as possible, it would be best not to mention or even refer to any specific story

Comments

Questions about MPREG

[hardlyfatal]

Ok, I've just got to know: where did you find the good MPREGs? Every single one I've ever read, in my quest to understand this fictional phenomenon, reduces me either to hysterical laughter or curling up in the corner, whimpering.

I'd also like to know why you enjoy MPREG stories. I'm not trying to make fun or belittle you, either-- I'm honestly baffled how anyone could like them. How do you get past the utter physiological impossiblity? Doesn't that wreak having on your suspension of disbelief?

I mean, men don't produce ovums-- there's nothing there to be fertilized. And there's no connection between the reproductive and ingestion/elimination systems-- the two ways semen get into a male's body would not allow for meeting with an ovum even if a male could produce one

Re: Questions about MPREG

[wesleysgirl]

As someone who has read limited MPREG and doesn't consider herself a fan of the genre, I can answer a few of these questions based on the couple of stories I've read that *did* work for me.

In one, a male was magically transformed into a woman via a spell, and got pregnant. In another, I think Anya was pregnant with Xander's baby and got killed, and Willow did some kind of spell to transfer the baby (presumably with accompanying womb etc) into Xander (who, I think, ends up dying at the end of the story because even with the help of magic his body couldn't tolerate the pregnancy.)

Personally, I think magic, described in the right ways, is a reasonable explanation for MPREG, which is to say, I can buy MPREG if the effort made to sell it to me is sufficient, I suppose. For the most part, it's a genre that I avoid.

Re: Questions about MPREG

[hardlyfatal]

[nodding as she reads]

Those two instances make a certain amount of sense. Thanks, I appreciate your reply.

Re: Questions about MPREG

[djinanna]

No, I'm not offended at all. But the answer is just getting so long, and so off topic to the original post here, that I'm moving the answer to my own journal.

I'm still working on it but will be posting it a little later -- I need to go eat lunch now. I'll post a link here after I've finished and posted the essay over there, so you'll know it's up.

And I have to thank you. I've been meaning to write this essay for a long time and you just sparked my inspiration. So, thanks.

Re: Questions about MPREG

[djinanna]

Okay, here's my answer to your questions: The Question of MPREG. Thanks for the thoughtful questions, if you have more, I'd be happy to try to answer them, too.