I normally don't bitch about this stuff, but...

[asael]

I really shouldn't read D18 fics. Every once in awhile I think it might be a good idea, but it never really is, mainly because I really dislike how a lot of D18 writers characterize Hibari. I guess it's no secret that I don't really like how a lot of the fandom characterizes Hibari, but... yeah. I mean, everyone's free to like what pairings they want, I have never been interested in pairing wars (at least, not since I was a wee thing in fandom), but...

I just don't understand the drive that so many authors have to change Hibari's character so he'll work better as an uke. It's not just D18 I've seen this in, but 6918, 8018, basically any Hibari-uke pairing. I'm not saying he can't be - I'm generally of the opinion that seme/uke distinctions don't really matter (it just comes down to personal preference for each fan). And in fact, I much prefer fics where pairing order only matters when there's actually sex involved (despite the fact that I do have preferred orders in most pairings - that usually applies to sex alone, not character relations in general). I don't really want to be able to read a fic and have it blatantly obvious who is 'seme' and who is 'uke' when the characters in question really shouldn't fit the stereotypes. I think that generally is a disservice to the characters, as it sacrifices their characterization to make them more... well, whichever.

I'm sure you know what I mean. Mukuro gets more rapey than he is in canon, Hibari gets weaker. Dino gets more butch and less faily (I love Dino in canon, for the record, fail and all). Hibari turns tsundere and secretly longs for someone to dominate and take care of him (...were we reading the same manga? Is this the same Hibari who, when beaten by Mukuro, spends the rest of the manga wishing for nothing more than to smash his face in and make him crawl on the ground? That desire to be dominated must be buried REAL deep).

Don't get me wrong, I think it's pretty much okay to play with characterization to write the fic you want to write. It's just... there needs to be a point where you look at it and say "Why am I writing them this way?" If it's just for personal wank fodder, hey, go for it - write what you like, even if I'll shake my head and write rants like these, because I'm sure in that case you know how far you're deviating from canon. But... I don't know. I read these fics and end up feeling like people think this is what Hibari's character is ACTUALLY like. Tsundere uke slut? For reals? Maybe you need to sit down and review canon.

I mean, Hibari in a dress...? Well, I'll leave my rant about feminization of 'ukes' for another day, and condense it to this - although I do have set pairing orders I prefer, IF I WANTED TO READ HET, I WOULD. I don't want male characters I like so thoroughly feminized that I barely recognize them. If I wanted to read strong rapey seme/weak girly uke (or bitchy girly uke, in Hibari's case), there are a million yaoi manga just like that. And I am on record as really, really hating that dynamic. It's one of the reason I hardly read any yaoi manga - I LIKE set pairing order, but I also really don't like pairings that aren't somehow equal when it comes to strength of personality and characterization.

And hell, as a feminist, even calling it 'feminization' is fucked up. Most women are more interesting and stronger than stereotypical ukes (of the weepy OR bitchy persuasion) any day.

Buuuuut I said I was going to leave that for another day. (whoops)

And I'll stop now because, well, I think I've said enough. This is why I should not rant, and why I hardly ever do except to close friends. I have strong opinions and I get wordy, but I generally have no desire to insult other people's interests, even if I personally really dislike/don't get them. So I try to say nothing.

But hey, I'm on my period AND I've got a gross cold, if ever there was a time to be bitchy, I suppose this is it. Journals are for ranting, anyway.

Comments

I kept having to stop to do other things so this may come out disjointed

[nonoji.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Maybe I've been lucky. So far for this fandom, I haven't had the pleasure of reading something so OOC that it would bother me to sickness.

But now I'm tempted to read something awful for the hilarity.

Personally, what bothers me more than the commonly written glaring seme-uke dynamic is when the writer makes one character vaguely IC with the other being interpreted in an extremely idealistic light (the writers favourite). I read one particular fic in my old fandom where one character is portrayed as moody, rude and frustrated which was actually very close to canon, while the other seems to know all the rules and can just do everything effortlessly. It was not how canon portrayed him (they were rivals. They both had their good and bad points equally)and the difference made my skin itchy with NO THATS WRONG. I found it worse than everyone being out of character. At least then, I would have stopped reading right away.

The things that especially annoy me are usually ones that are relevant to my own writing in one way or another. Inaccurate Japanese, cliches and predictable outcomes I am extra sensitive to because I want to avoid them in my own fics.

I guess its a case by case thing for me, but if they stray too far away from canon characterization, whats the point?

Re: I kept having to stop to do other things so this may come out disjointed

[asael.livejournal.com]

If you want 'awful for the hilarity', fanfiction.net is always the best place.

I don't like what you're talking about either - though I haven't seen that much in KHR fandom, I've seen it in some past fandoms, and it's really irritating. I guess I just get annoyed with these fics because it becomes obvious that the writers like the idea of uke!Hibari more than they like canon!Hibari. And if that's the case, why are they even writing HIBARI? That's what OCs are for.

I'm far from the goddess of KHR fanfic, so I usually just roll my eyes and ignore these things, but sometimes it gets to be too much.

Re: I kept having to stop to do other things so this may come out disjointed

[nonoji.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the badfic suggestion!

I also hardly ever read anything outside my ships for reborn but if you ever want to read D18 fics again, you could try reading a few from here (http://fleetingfancies.nokoru.net/fan-katekyou-hitman-reborn.html). I often look through the 6918 section and yes, your fic is on here as well.