I do think this can be applied to lots of character-shippers. Thing is, I like meta fic, but I don't really like apologist meta fic, if that makes any sense. Although I am certain that I am guilty of writing same. I mean, I don't like it when something horrible someone has done is repackaged as noble and selfless. It's...boring.

I don't really have a dog in the fight about Xander. Sometimes I like him, sometimes I don't. However, it does seem that he is more easily blanderized than some other characters. And that's not for me. It's probably why I am fonder of slash fic for Xander than for most other characters. The possibility that he has been hiding something huge (even from himself) makes him more interesting to me. But that's also a cheat, in some ways. IDK.