If your plot requires your characters to act out of characcter, it's not a good plot.

I like Regency romances.  I particularly like P&P fanfics, having been an avid Austen fan for many years.  Contrived plot devices where there's a huge misunderstanding/whatever keeping the two lovebirds apart and everything could be solved with a little direct communication are a staple of the genre (indeed, of any romance), and normally I don't mind that much.

But.  If Elizabeth Bennet knew she was being slandered, and knew there was bribery involved to fabricate a tale to ruin Mr. Darcy's good opinion of her, and knew there were several people ready, willing, and able to get to the bottom of things who knew she was innocent, would she sit at home going "Woe is me!" and swearing anyone who might possibly help to secrecy, and go way far out of her way to ensure that Mr. Darcy never figures out that people are lying to him about her?  No.  No, she would not.  And the writer's efforts to convince me of this only convince me that the writer is not a very good writer and doesn't know the characters at all, and that there's no point in finishing the story even to find out what the slander actually is.

This is not the Miss Elizabeth I know and love.  And if she were an original character, I'd like her even less.  I know melodrama can be fun, but really?  Really?!?

Fic: To Serve and Protect

Title: To Serve and Protect
Author:beatrice_otter
Fandoms: Buffy: the Vampire Slayer/Stargate: SG-1
Characters: Rupert Giles, Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg; Jack O’Neill, Daniel Jackson, Sam Carter, Teal’c
Pairings: None
Wordcount: 3,699
Rating: G
Spoilers: All of TV Buffy (no comics), SG-1 seasons 1-7
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Buffy and Stargate belong to their respective creators.
A/N: Beta’d by jedibuttercup 

Summary: When two secret organizations intersect, the results aren’t always pleasant. Both the IWC and the SGC protect Earth, but in very different ways.

( To Serve And Protect )