Mini-FAQ
[aka "questions nobody actually asked yet but might"]

Why is the site called Oakpark Street?
The Watcher's Guide Vol. 2 cites Giles' address as 523 Oakpark Street, Apt. B, Sunnydale, CA 90211 (which is a Beverly Hills zip code, but I won't quibble ;p). Several episodes, however, showed the number 4616 on the outside of his building. But whether at 4616 or 523, Oakpark Street is where Giles lives in Sunnydale.

What's your submission policy?
Oakpark Street is currently an invitation-only archive. Much as I hate to admit it, with all the other sites I run, I just don't feel I have the time to take submissions, but many of the sites listed in my links are willing, able, and eager to accept them.

Can I post ___ on my site?
If it's something I wrote (I'm Liz, btw), then please just ask me - I'd be honoured. If it's something by another author, please use the contact info included with each story to ask them directly.

Could you send me a copy of __?
If it's something I wrote, you're welcome to snag a copy from here, but please ask before you post it anywhere else (that way I'll know to come and visit your site!). If you do email me about posting something I've written, I'll be happy to send you a Word file if that's easier for you to work with. And as above, please contact the stories' authors directly about copying or posting their fics.

What's with all the smut?
Short answer? I likes it. A good smutfic warms the heart and puts a smile on my face. But a good smutfic should be about more than just inserting tab A into slot B - it also needs to have something in the characters, setting, and situation that will make the encounter unique and exciting. Even a PWP, for my money, needs to be about more than copulation-by-the-numbers. If the part of Giles could just as easily be played by some guy named Dirk, then no matter how tingly the naughty bits are, I'm not going to be very intrigued. Along these same lines, no matter now deliciously a story might be written about, say, Mulder and Scully or Xena and Gabrielle, it just won't have the same impact for me because I don't know those characters well enough to have any real context for the naughty bits.

I actually resisted fanfic for years, figuring it was just a bunch of juvenile fantasies about make-believe people getting nekkid together, but that was before I gave it a chance and discovered some of the genuinely talented fic authors out there. And I think it's a testament to the talents of the writers and actors involved in the Buffyverse that I can get so absorbed in a good fic about these characters. Giles in particular continues to reveal new depths, and his destiny is so entwined with Buffy's that the show's subtext can rapidly become some highly erotic text in the hands of a good writer. Also, Giles and Buffy are both so well-defined and multi-faceted that they are easily separated (for me) from the actors who play them (I find the very notion of real-person smutfic highly distasteful to say the least).

Basically, I enjoy all kinds of Buffyverse fanfiction, but as a mature reader (on most days, anyway ;p), I particularly enjoy stories that explore the romantic and erotic potential among some of these original, intriguing characters. And even if they have to to slog through the occasional angst to get there, it's nice to see those crazy kids work it out once in a while.

Plus, the hot sex? Kind of its own reward. (^_-)

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