Haha thanks, it's nice to debate but also nice to agree!
I didn't really think about the AIDs epidemic. The "safe sex = abstinence" has always seemed so ubiquitous (in my small town Catholic school, it referred to teen pregnancy since we never learned any kind of protection… which is so insane. I wonder if it's still that way. Probably.) so I've heard it both in reference to STDs in general as well as pregnancy, depending on the context. Though taking into account this was based in the mid 90s, AIDs was more at the forefront than today of course.
I did however like when you point out the safe sex comment doubly references to the story itself and how they saved themselves, I hadn't read into it that much and that makes perfect sense to me. I like that it worked as a joke but also an unconscious reference to what they'd both forgotten.
I definitely agree there was a meta aspect to the ending. Both to fanfic and the show in general. As an aside, I always liked times when the show winks at fans also. I can still remember seeing the fox preview for "Small Potatoes" on TV. It very frankly featured the almost kiss part, they knew that was a hook to draw ratings, not to mention eventual ire of shippers everywhere. And it made me tune in with more excitement than usual that night. Only to be disappointed. But not really, because it was such a funny episode.
Anyways, back to this story. The little dig at the end works so well both because it's barely there yet so relevant, yet it does nothing to deter from the entire piece being a really solid work of story telling. I think it's my favourite of hers. That or Fata Morgana. Or maybe… just kidding (but seriously).
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winterfish
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Date: 2015-09-01 02:12 am (UTC)I didn't really think about the AIDs epidemic. The "safe sex = abstinence" has always seemed so ubiquitous (in my small town Catholic school, it referred to teen pregnancy since we never learned any kind of protection… which is so insane. I wonder if it's still that way. Probably.) so I've heard it both in reference to STDs in general as well as pregnancy, depending on the context. Though taking into account this was based in the mid 90s, AIDs was more at the forefront than today of course.
I did however like when you point out the safe sex comment doubly references to the story itself and how they saved themselves, I hadn't read into it that much and that makes perfect sense to me. I like that it worked as a joke but also an unconscious reference to what they'd both forgotten.
I definitely agree there was a meta aspect to the ending. Both to fanfic and the show in general. As an aside, I always liked times when the show winks at fans also. I can still remember seeing the fox preview for "Small Potatoes" on TV. It very frankly featured the almost kiss part, they knew that was a hook to draw ratings, not to mention eventual ire of shippers everywhere. And it made me tune in with more excitement than usual that night. Only to be disappointed. But not really, because it was such a funny episode.
Anyways, back to this story. The little dig at the end works so well both because it's barely there yet so relevant, yet it does nothing to deter from the entire piece being a really solid work of story telling. I think it's my favourite of hers. That or Fata Morgana. Or maybe… just kidding (but seriously).