I need to rant.

[rensahannou]

Hmm. No angry icon to go with a rant. Ah well.

I don't rant as well as KY does, but I just. Have. To say. SOMETHING.

Topic: Arbitrary pairings and lack of decent characterization, specifically in TeniMyu RPS.

A disclaimer first, because I'm excessively paranoid about offending someone -- I don't mean this as a personal attack in any way, shape, or form. I'm just frustrated and confused, and it has to get out somehow. So, here we go.

Okay. I understand the appeal in just sticking two guys together because you think it'd be cute or hot or funny, I really do. And I understand crack for its own sake.

What I don't understand is completely ignoring the actors themselves just to make them fit into an arbitrary pairing. They aren't your characters -- they aren't characters at all. They're PEOPLE.

And yes, all fanfiction is fiction, that's why it's called that, yes, I know this. But what's the point in writing fanfiction if you're just going to make up personalities for the people involved?

But that's not even what bothers me, really. What bothers me is claiming to love these actors, and then...just writing whatever you want about them. They're not just pretty faces and nice bodies, they have personalities and lives and histories, friends and families, likes and dislikes, quirky habits and interesting hobbies. They are not their characters, they are not cardboard cut-outs or paper dolls -- they are real, living and breathing people, and if you claim to truly love them, truly respect them, how can you feel good about ignoring them as a person when you write them?

And yes, we don't know everything about any of these guys. That's what's fun about it, imagining and pretending and saying what-if. But at the heart of all of this are the actors themselves.

If you think the pairing you're writing actually has merit, show it. Show us why you can see these two guys together, why we should see your side of things, even if we can't bring ourselves to agree.

I just -- I don't know. Maybe I'm spoiled. Until very recently, I really hadn't read much in the way of RPS other than TutixNagayan, and that fandom was built pretty much from the ground up by a few very dedicated, very talented girls. The foundation has already been laid for the pairing now, so it's easier for new fans to start writing fics.

Or maybe I'm just weird. I just...can't imagine writing one of the actors I love without wanting to get it as right as possible. I was nervous about writing TxN for a while, because I didn't want to disappoint the fandom, or disrespect the actors themselves. I want my TxN fics to celebrate and explore their relationship, to show how perfect I think they are for each other. And I started writing a fic about Setomaru -- I got a few paragraphs in and stopped. I want to finish it eventually, but it will probably take a while, because I so desperately want to do the boy justice. I want that fic to let everyone else see why I love him so much, and maybe show them why they should love him too.

Maybe...that's just the way I see writing? As feeling strongly about the characters, and wanting to get those feelings across to the readers. That doesn't change, no matter what I'm writing -- something original, fanfiction about anime characters or real people.

*sigh* I don't know. It's probably a hopeless cause, but, I just...wish...everyone would try, really and truly try, when they write fics. I realize for a lot of people it's nothing more than a simple hobby, a way to pass the time or share something they thought of. But...even if it's something you're not serious about...

Hmm. It's like -- like drawing stick figures and trying to pass them off as serious art. Stick figures have their place, and they can be excellent ways to show humor and such. I ♥ stick figures.

"Stick-figure fics" have their place as well. But...don't expect people to appreciate, respect or love a pairing you write if all you're doing is drawing stick figures.


Moral of the story -- if you love your pairing, show it. If you love the actors, act like it. And if you love writing, put some effort into it.


Phew. Okay. I think I feel a little better now. ♥

Comments

[akahannah.livejournal.com]

Very well said.

[fencer-x.livejournal.com]

I love this rant so much I want to weep ;____;

"I just...can't imagine writing one of the actors I love without wanting to get it as right as possible."

Yes yes yes yes yes. There are, I admit, pairings being posted lately that I WOULD read, that really intrigue me, and that if I could be assured they had decent characterization I WOULD click on and enjoy. I'd be interested to see Ruito/Doori in the hands of a skillful author, or Saitou/Doori even, but...everything posted for them lately is crap crap crap crap CRAP, and it kills me ;_; Not because I really wanted to read it, but because I can't stand to see these guys thrown around this way.

They deserve better than this. I completely agree: if you love them, if you REALLY support these pairings, then give it a little more effort, gals.

[rensahannou.livejournal.com]

Based on what KY said about Ruito and Doori not really getting along, they probably would be pretty interesting to read if done well. And I'm, honestly, not the biggest fan of Saitou, and it's easy enough to joke about him being a pervert with a thing for little boys, but just from reading a few things, I was getting really irritated at the insinuation that he'll just make out with any 16-year-old boy that walks in front of him. Regardless of whether he would want to, I think Saitou is more than intelligent enough to know of the implications involved with something like that. Just -- gah! REALISM, people! It won't hurt to try it, I promise!

They deserve better than this.

Exactly.

[kooriyoukai.livejournal.com]

That you for putting so elegantly into words what I have failed to do ♥

I'm actually a very open person when it comes to pairings. Because I love these actors I would never pass up the opportunity to read a fic that explores their characterization, that unearths a nugget of information about their personality or strives to explain some obscure fact that may have been stumping fans for the reasons behind it. When done plausibly, realistically, carefully and with respect to the actor, some beautiful fiction can be created. Even if the pairing isn't "mainstream", if you as the author can creatively develop a way to show how these two people work despite what preconceptions people might have about who they're best paired with... there's no better feeling in the world that a fic well done and an idea well and thoroughly explored.

But this rash of bad fic lately has me incensed and ashamed of this fandom. There is no decency or love within a few hundred words of badly written text that resembles nothing like the men it's claiming to be writing about. Facts are wrong, characterization is off, the simple aspect of human interraction is wrong, misconstrued, so doped up on angst and bad attempts at romance that it makes me want to weep to see that people actually consider this to be good writing. It's not. It's terrible writing. It isn't anything that a fan can be proud of, that the author should be proud of, and if they still feel this need to share their drivel with the world, leave it on your personal LJ/writing community and spare the fandom your failing attempts at RPS.

This isn't to say that everyone writing these unconventional pairings lately are in the same category, and in fact I've said repeatedly that there are a few individuals who I have sincere hope for becoming something more in the fandom. They show promising talent, plots that have more thought to them than whatever a random IM converation managed to inspire in them, and appear to have taken the time to try and develop backstory and reason for the character's behavior. Unfortunately they still fall short of the mark, and seem to be victim of incorrect information and people around them who aren't supplying the necessary feedback to help the author better understand the men they're writing about. Still, I have hope that if they're the passionate the type of author who cares about their work and their subject matter, they'll learn and grow and become better writers for the experience.

And I've clearly outdone myself here, so I'm going to stop and say again that I completely agree with everything you've said, and I'm truly, very happy that you took the time to say something, and to say it so well ♥

[rensahannou.livejournal.com]

Aw, I love your rants~ ♥ But yeah, I just couldn't stay quiet, after yesterday's chat conversation, and then reading a few things this morning. It turned out better than I was expecting, though, I think. :)

I'm...on my way to becoming more open about pairings. A lot of it is that I only really care about pairings involving actors I really like, and I'm in the process of trying to pay more attention to other actors :D But I agree completely. As people in countless fandoms have said, I'm sure -- a well-written fic can make the reader believe just about anything. Or at least want to. :D

The lack of quality in the writing has really been getting to me, too. It wouldn't be so bad if they were asking for help, asking for criticism -- I love to edit, almost as much as I love to write, and I would be more than happy to take the metaphorical red pen to someone's fic. But it's extremely rare to find someone who wants that. It's when authors think and act like they know what they're doing when they really couldn't be further from the truth -- that's what gets to me.

I'd rather help them than get irritated at them. But they have to want the help first. And even before that, they have to realize they need it.

[cavechan.livejournal.com]

(Hey! Guess where I found a link here! :D)

I definitely agree; that is all very well said. When KY had made that post on TxN about how we came to love TxN, I had mentioned I never wrote a TxN fanfic. Suddenly I thought, "Why haven't I?" and I realized that I really don't think I'd be able to write them as actual people with their personalities. And even more so, all we really know about TxN are the little hints they leave around, what they say in their blogs. We don't know much about their personal lives otherwise. But I guess making assumptions as to what they are truly like is some of the fun of making a fanfic.

And there are some RPS couples out there that exist solely because of their characters' interactions. Blegh. TxN survives because Tuti and Nagayan are actually friends IRL. Not just because they played Golden Pair.

[yami-jay.livejournal.com]

I have the same feeling about all of this. I personally don't write RPS for this reason; I'm scared to NOT give justice to the actors that I've come to love and admire. Just like you.

I think they are pretty rare the authors that can write good RPS fics because those few managed to find good grounds and good characterization of the people. And yes, I think speculation is a plus.

But I think what makes those people (half of the time) write about some couples is because of the character they did; I mean, there's a lot of ZukkiAdachi, ShirotaAiba, SaiRui... I could list a few. It's not hard to say that they aren't their characters, but some people don't see that.

Sorry if I've blabbed and don't make sense.

[shy-violette.livejournal.com]

I think that the rant you've given applies to just about every fandom out there. There are always bad fic writers; go check a Harry Potter fandom list and NOTE some of the squicky things you'll find there. And the claim could be made that RPS is different, because the people actually exist, and it's true. There are living, breathing people out there, and we write about them, and it is a disrespect to them when we write them OOC. (Unless, of course, it is NOTED that it is such. XD)

I suppose my point, meandering though it is, is that when we write any sort of fanfiction, RPS or otherwise, we owe it to ourselves, and everyone else in the fandom, to do the research. It is partly because of the world they come from, their context, their friends and their landscape, that we love them, and that deserves to be done justice.

I don't say that to intimidate people away from attempting to write. I'm saying, if you do the research, people will respect the work that you do all the more. (And if you love the fandom, the research is a pleasure!)

But there will always be people who make your fandom cry. It just sort of comes with being a fan of anything, I've decided. To illustrate my point: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/24159419/

Okay, I'm done. @.@ Bedtime for me...

[chaosmyth.livejournal.com]

Sorry for barging in like this...I was directed here from KY's journal. XD

However, I just wanted to say that I agree with everything you said above. ._.
I almost never read Tenimyu slash (mostly because my favourite pairing isn't very popular), but I have exactly the same problem as you when it comes to my favourite RPS pairing ever (points at icon). 90% of the fics I see is utter crap, and I've got no problem saying it, because it IS. I'm not asking for something awesome, but I'd like to see at least a decent characterization. I often ask myself "Am I really reading a JaeHo fic? Or did I just step into another fandom by accident? Because these two sure aren't anything like Jae and Yunho". Aside from the fact that you probably don't know the pairing, it's exactly the same thing. There are times I could cry, I swear. u.u

I'd like to write fics myself, even if I suck at it, but I never do because I feel I don't know them well enough to write them IC and do them justice....so it annoys me to no end seeing other "fans" who don't even bother with characterization. <.<

Sorry for the rant. ;__;

[hibimaosuki.livejournal.com]

Would this have anything to do with the Seto fic you pointed out to me earlier today?

Anyway.

That's probably the reason why I haven't been able to put out a fic in so long. Lately, I've just been playing catch-up with Tuti and Nagayan, I don't have much time to actually keep up with them. By the time I've started writing a fic on the latest info I've gotten, there's already something new out and I have to start over. (And it doesn't help that I'm a perfectionist. >_<)

Writing is an artform, and like you said it's about feeling strongly about the characters, and wanting to get those feelings across to the readers. And it's best if you KNOW what you're talking about.

But that's the tough thing about RPS -- who knows how well we know them? It's kinda unavoidable (I refuse to use /inevitable/ for this one) to mess up characterization every once in a while, since I think none of us will ever, ever, EVER be spot-on in writing any of the boys -- unless, of course, we're personally acquainted to them and have been for a LOOOOONG time.

Which probably means I should stop writing RPS and focus on GP.

[rensahannou.livejournal.com]

No, actually; this was brought on by more recent stuff.

And you're completely right -- there's absolutely no way to attain perfect characterization unless you're writing your own original characters. All I'm asking, really, is that people try a little harder. :(

[dria-uesugi.livejournal.com]

I was going to come home and rant about this but you've said everything (and I really mean everything) I was intending to and more besides so now I can drink my tea and feel relieved that I'm not the only one ♥

Thank you!

[vanillacat.livejournal.com]

Everything that I've ever wanted to say, and came kind of close to saying in a comment-rant on one of KY's posts. ♥ J'adore le post.


It's just the character rape that's killing me, and the fact that... well, the people who are commenting on this fics are only gasming over the opportunity for more boyslash, no matter how bad it is.

I'm a fairly open-pairing shipper, as long as it doesn't directly interfere with an OTP, but some things were only meant to happen through crack. Writing one of those crappy paperback fictions for something like SaiAi is like fandom slaughter. I've been through many a slaughtered fandom before (FMA, a good section of PoT, KH..) and I don't want that happening to Tenimyu. D:

But what can one do to stop this? I'm not sure, and I'm not so sure I want to try my hand at writing my own RPS for the very reason that we're ranting about - I'm afraid of killing these boys we care so much for.