the best way is to try and put it to the back of your mind and forget it

I tried. My problem was that I couldn't forget. I couldn't stop thinking about fandom, about different perceptions of the same character. It would have been so easy to make Spike soulless in this fic - but it was writer's whole point to portray souled Spike as a very bad person.

I wonder if Spike-bashers squirm when\if they read Spuffy fics with noble and nice soulless Spike (hopefully they don't read it). :)

I just hope that putting my thoughts into words will somehow help me to get rid of them and forget it.

(BTW, adore your icon. You put me in a certain mood, but the only slashy pic I have is a very subtextual Spander. Hope you don't mind... :)