Why would we 'ship, and write about, two characters that haven't even had any on-screen time together? With such an age-gap? What would make us think they'd be good together? There seems to be so many reasons not to 'ship Wesley/Dawn, but there are also many reasons on the opposite side as well. What are they?

First of all, you have Wesley, who has undergone quite a metamorphosis in the last few years. Then you have Dawn - and hey! she's changed a lot as well. They both are mature, confident individuals right now. They both have grown so much. They started out both being insecure, sadly comical in their many mistakes, but came out of their many trials better people.

What about the age thing? That seems to be the issue that most opposers come out with. Well, if fic takes place the summer after "Chosen," Dawn is seventeen. It's possible that in only a few months she will be eighteen. Eighteen equals legal in the United States, does it not? Besides that, much fic takes place in the future - future means that Dawn will be older. Once she's in her twenties, the age difference really stops mattering. Age is not an issue with 'shippers - there are many ways around it, such as future fic, or even friendship fic. Yes, friendship fic. A lot of the Wes/Dawn fic out there falls into the 'friendship' category. Many 'shippers are content at simple friendly interaction between the two.

But, you may be wondering, why? If it still doesn't make sense to you, that's cool! Here are some reasons I believe they would be good, as well as some I've heard from other 'shippers. First of all - "Watcher junior to the library" ring any bells? It was a line Dawn uttered in "Chosen," in case it doesn't. Many people overlooked it, but all Weda 'shippers' ears perked up at that. It was the closest we've had to a 'shippery moment, okay? But anyway, what I'm saying is, they share a love of research, and, strangely enough, translating. As Jennifer-Oksana put it, and I'm completely paraphrasing, they would laugh at each other's obscure Turkish jokes.

Other than that, there are some other things they can bond over. Both have been discounted by others who have not considered their opinion worth listening to for various reasons - consider much of season five and six for Dawn, and season three of Buffy for Wesley. Both, to steal a line from a Vanessa Carlton song I used for a Wes/Dawn video, have been 'stained with a role,' Dawn as key and Wes as watcher. Both seem to have strained relationships with their fathers - we've never really seen any indication that Hank has any fatherly interest in Dawn, and Wesley hardly hesitated in (thinking he was) killing his own father when he thought he had to. Both have had intense lonliness they have sought to correct in various ways - Dawn acted out, stealing items from the mall, friends, and family; Wesley began an empty relationship with Lilah (which, of course, later became more, but that's besides the point). And speaking of Lilah, right there is an indication that Wes likes tall brunettes with smart mouths (Cordelia is another example) - and Dawn is a tall brunette with a sarcastic streak, is she not?

So, now that why Wes/Dawn is taken care of - let's focus on how to write them in good fic.

Like mentioned before, there's a lot of good fic, and some bad fic. How are these fics different? Well, besides some grammar/spelling errors, which can make the best fic horrible, all the bad fic shares one thing - it's not realistic. Either it's not in-character, or the situations are not presented in believable ways. How can you make sure your fic is believable?

Characterization is important. We offer essays on writing Wes and Dawn on this site, and you can also find more essays on the characters on other sites, such as Doll Eyes and Deconstructing Wesley. Once you get a hang for the characters, your writing will improve. However, you can't improve unless you write. The best advice I can offer on characterization is to study the episodes the characters appear in, and then practice, practice, practice. You can't get better unless you try.

I will specifically mention one thing that bothers me about some Weda fic - Wes or Dawn trying to seduce the either after knowing the current versions of each other for only a short amount of time. No matter how well they hit it off, they are not very likely to jump into bed so quickly, especially if your fic takes place in the nowish time frame. I don't believe age should matter in the context of 'shipping, but it is an issue in fic. Dawn is younger than Wes, and he's not likely to persue her sexually without at least a little reserve - so a fic in which Wes macks on a fifteen-year-old Dawn without the slightest thought to her age is not only unrealistic, it's creepy.

It's my personal opinion that if Dawn is not over eighteen, their relationship in fic should be limited to friendship or crush (even better if it's Dawn crushing). However, done right, fic in which she's underage can be done well. It's just very difficult, and no matter how well you do it, be aware that your fic is more likely to squick even those that count themselves as 'shippers.

Some things, little details you don't even think about, can make readers cringe. False information provided as fact in the fic not only draws your reader out of the story, it reflects very badly on you as a writer. For instance, talking about how great Wes gets along with his father or how much Dawn liked it in San Diego before her family moved to Sunnydale, is jarring and does nothing but show how little you actually know about the characters' histories. Most of the time you can prevent things like this by watching the show, reading transcripts (try Buffy World), and reading essays. But sometimes you don't catch your mistake - that's cool. Every writer is prone to making mistakes. What's important is that you make sure your mistakes are corrected before you post your fic. A beta reader is invaluable for this, and so many other reasons.

I'd highly suggest getting a beta reader that knows the characters, and the 'ship, very well - try any of the people listed in our beta readers section. A good beta is something a good writer cannot live without. Trust me on this.

So here's to good characterization, realistic premises, beta readers, and most importantly, Weda fever. Get sneezing writing!