Furuba musings (hey, it's better than folding laundry)...

[wordinista]

My cold is being stubborn in its retreat. The crazy fever is gone, the cough is more or less gone, but now my sinuses are rebelling. I have never sneezed so much in one day. Oy. My peppermint coffee seems to be holding things at bay (or maybe I've conned myself into believing in a placebo, I don't know). I haven't worn contacts in days because I've been too lazy to put them in. Bleh. No energy to do much of anything.

Hee -- that kind of explains the basket of unfolded laundry to my left, doesn't it? ;)

Anyway, I've been lurking on a couple of different Furuba ML's, and I'm learning something.


I don't think I really want to get into the Fruits Basket fandom proper. Don't misunderstand me -- I adore Furuba. Adore it.

(*sneezes again and swears vehemently*)

Where was I? Ah. Furuba. I love the anime, and I love the manga. I actually prefer the manga to the anime, if only because it offers more detail in the characters' personalities. Though I think the anime is a lot more conducive to fanfiction, because it does gloss over certain characters' traits, so a fanwriter could take more liberties and play around a bit more. As a fanwriter, that's actually quite appealing. Particularly since I don't follow the fan-translations. I'm horrible and dull and boring, and I'm reading the manga as it's released in the States. So while I know about a few spoilers, by and large I'm ignorant of the fine details. And I'm okay with that, really. I'm okay with the story being revealed to me gradually. I'm actually a very patient person. (It drives George insane, particularly when Christmastime or my birthday rolls around.)

(*pauses to fold a little laundry*)

But as I lurked on the ML's and poked around a bit, I began to find myself growing a bit... apprehensive. There are some seriously hard-core Furuba fangirls out there who are positively nazi-like in their views. Not since Buffy the Vampire Slayer have I seen so many staunch believers in their OTP's. (With BtVS, we had the Buffy/Angel 'shippers knocking heads with the Angel/Cordelia 'shippers, and the former also taking offense to Buffy/Spike 'shippers. While I'm a card-carrying A/C fangirl, I always wanted to see Buffy and Xander together -- I know, I'm weird. Someday I may make a public plea for a Buffy/Xander giftfic, because I'm sad.)

In Furuba, we've got the Kyou/Tohru fangirls versus the Yuki/Tohru fangirls, and then varying factions of Tohru/Anyone Else. And, my god, I'm actually afraid to admit that I'm a Kyou/Tohru fangrrl in much the same way I'm hesitant to admit in mixed company that I'm a registered Republican. I'm also finding that non-yaoi pairings are somewhat sneered at.

Way to foster a friendly, non-intimidating fandom, kids! Yeah! *rolls eyes*

So this is the way I see it -- Furuba appears to be overrun with fangirl-nazis who will:

A. Flay without blinking if you violate their OTP

Or...

B. Write in the anime as opposed to the manga.

Now, I can see the manga purists' perspective, but they're still scary. And scary manga purists are somewhat off-putting to fanfiction authors. I know whereof I speak, being a fanauthor and all. I'm actually AFRAID to share my FB writings, because the fandom seems so tetchy. I'd half expect to find annotated flames in my inbox citing manga volumes, chapters, frame numbers, and dialogue as to why my interpretation of Shigure is OMG WRONNNNNNG~ OMG OMG OMG!!!

See, I'm working on a fic with everstar3 -- it's a joint thing. And while we both prefer the manga for the character depth, there are a few things that don't happen in the manga and do happen in the anime that we need for the 'fic to work. So, we decided to tweak things a little so that the fic had the depth of the manga, up until Volume 5, but was mostly set in the world of the anime. So... kind of a hybrid universe, I guess.

Oh, my GOD, the more I look at these ML's, the more I'm convinced we'll be burned at the STAKE.

A Shigure-centric, Kyou/Tohru 'fic, set in a hybrid "anime/manga" universe.

Oh, and it's Shigure/OC. (After having so much fun with Teles and Sesshoumaru, I couldn't resist seeing if lightning could strike twice. Yes, I know about Miyu. But the 'fic idea came before I learned about her. And while I considered rethinking it to be either Shigure/Miyu or Shigure/Mii-chan, it just doesn't WORK the same way.)

Oh! And it hypothesizes on an end to the curse. (The curse's end has nothing at all whatsoever to do with the OC, so stop looking at me like that.)

...

They're going to lynch us. *covers head with arms and sobs*

*sigh*

It just seems to me that we've got a fandom that's ruled by scary fangirl-nazis that ALSO happens to have OMG some of the very worst fanfiction I've ever, ever, ever had the bad luck to read. HOLY JESUS, IT'S SO BAD. REALLY REALLY REALLY OMG BAD.

So they're not scaring off the 'tweens who write bad self-insertions about the American exchange student who comes to stay at Shigure-san's house. They're scaring off... me. And if they're scaring me off, they're probably scaring off other fanwriters who know the difference between a comma and a semicolon, or who realize that Japanese students actually DO have class on Saturday mornings, and they DON'T drive to school, and they DON'T change classrooms, and they don't do any other number of things that American students do.

Maybe I need to learn to be less skittish. Or perhaps I need to learn not to CARE about the psycho fangirls. I'm not entirely sure, frankly. But I do know that the more I learn about all the scary manga purists in the fandom, the less I find myself in the mood to work on "A Bump in the Road."

Comments

Coffee Talk - Today's Topic: Stupidity

[white-death.livejournal.com]

...Dude, sad is not the word for that.

No, you're right. I just can't insult them too much without insulting myself for enabling their behaviour. If I were a real man, I'd've quit, then. ...but I didn't. *hangs head*

Good grief, you're KIDDING.

I WISH I were. I WISH.

People have that much free time?

These rabid Nazi fans do, yes.
Did you know that EVERY post that goes up at FG has to be approved? The replies don't; but there are a TONNE of members on moderated status (like myself), thanks to the Nazi regime, and ALL of their posts and replies must be approved.

The reason I was eaten alive wasn't (just) because I'd insulted Mona. It was also because I'd accused them (in my OWN LJ) of deleting one of my posts because it contained yaoi references.
Yet, suspiciously, yaoi-related posts hardly EVER make it to this highly-moderated ML. Hmmm...

Yes'm. For real. It's lovely, glorious stuff that is only available seasonally, which makes me sad. But it's sooooo gooooooood.

XD I'm not a coffee drinker (*gasp!*), but I'm tres amused.

You know, that's a damned shame, because it's such a wonderful series, and there's such a VOID out there when it comes to decent Furuba fansites.

-_- Yes.

I mean, SO MANY of them are SO BAD.

Oh yes.

And it's possible that's because it's still fairly obscure

That's the thing, though. It's not at all obscure anymore. FB is the #1 best-selling manga in the U.S., currently. And I work at a bookstore part time. I KNOW how much manga sells across the board.

But if there ARE intelligent fans lurking out there, then there SHOULD be a place for all of us to get together without fear of teh st00pid.

There should be, I just. Am not sure what to do about it. Even if I had a HtY subscription, I don't have the free time like I used to to do translations. And I'm a web design dunce. XD

the inherently retarded ones who'll pitch a diva fit if my OTP doesn't mesh with their OTP.

Ah yes. They frighten me. Some of the thwarted Yukiru fans are downright scary. "I'd rather see Tohru die than end up with someone other than Yuki."
O_o
Holy Nanjou Kouji, Batman.

Or if my characterization doesn't mesh with their characterization.

That I've seen less of.
Probably a good thing, because I can get annoyed enough to tear people to shreds over stupid flames like that.

Well, that's the great thing about the series -- I can see Aya/Tori (though... bumpy at first)

Oh, VERy. The angst factor is half the fun.

but I myself prefer Hatori/Kana, because I'm a big sap like that.

I don't blame you. ^^ I was Hatori/Kana when I first read vol. 2.
I DON'T like him with Mayu. I'll tell you that much.

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<i>...Dude, sad is not the word for that.</i>

No, you're right. I just can't insult them too much without insulting myself for enabling their behaviour. If I were a real man, I'd've quit, then. ...but I didn't. *hangs head*

<i>Good grief, you're KIDDING.</i>

I WISH I were. I WISH.

<i>People have that much free time? </i>

These rabid Nazi fans do, yes.
Did you know that EVERY post that goes up at FG has to be approved? The replies don't; but there are a TONNE of members on moderated status (like myself), thanks to the Nazi regime, and ALL of their posts and replies must be approved.

The reason I was eaten alive wasn't (just) because I'd insulted Mona. It was also because I'd accused them (in my OWN LJ) of deleting one of my posts because it contained yaoi references.
Yet, suspiciously, yaoi-related posts hardly EVER make it to this highly-moderated ML. Hmmm...

<i>Yes'm. For real. It's lovely, glorious stuff that is only available seasonally, which makes me sad. But it's sooooo gooooooood.</i>

XD I'm not a coffee drinker (*gasp!*), but I'm tres amused.

<i>You know, that's a damned shame, because it's such a wonderful series, and there's such a VOID out there when it comes to decent Furuba fansites.</i>

-_- Yes.

<i>I mean, SO MANY of them are SO BAD.</i>

Oh yes.

<i>And it's possible that's because it's still fairly obscure</i>

That's the thing, though. It's not at all obscure anymore. FB is the #1 best-selling manga in the U.S., currently. And I work at a bookstore part time. I KNOW how much manga sells across the board.

<i>But if there ARE intelligent fans lurking out there, then there SHOULD be a place for all of us to get together without fear of teh st00pid.</i>

There should be, I just. Am not sure what to do about it. Even if I had a HtY subscription, I don't have the free time like I used to to do translations. And I'm a web design dunce. XD

<i>the inherently retarded ones who'll pitch a diva fit if my OTP doesn't mesh with their OTP.</i>

Ah yes. They frighten me. Some of the thwarted Yukiru fans are downright scary. "I'd rather see Tohru die than end up with someone other than Yuki."
O_o
Holy Nanjou Kouji, Batman.

<i>Or if my characterization doesn't mesh with their characterization.</i>

That I've seen less of.
Probably a good thing, because I can get annoyed enough to tear people to shreds over stupid flames like that.

<i>Well, that's the great thing about the series -- I can see Aya/Tori (though... bumpy at first)</i>

Oh, VERy. The angst factor is half the fun.

<i>but I myself prefer Hatori/Kana, because I'm a big sap like that.</i>

I don't blame you. ^^ I was Hatori/Kana when I first read vol. 2.
I DON'T like him with Mayu. I'll tell you that much. <_<

<i>(Oh, and "sad" in reference to the BtVS thing? It's not the :( kind of sad.</i>

XD YAY!
I'm "sad", too!
*hi-five*
Not about Buffy, though (anymore).

<i>But the series has a lot of room to play around in -- IF PEOPLE WILL LET YOU PLAY.</i>

Yes. Honestly. *sigh*

<i>And I see that you went over, so I'm going to read those and reply thusly. ;)</i>

XD Yay!
*dances*

Re: Coffee Talk - Today's Topic: Stupidity

[mscongeniality.livejournal.com]

I've read all the way through your comments and rather than spam Niamh's journal with more of all of us being in agreement, I'm going to cut out the middleman and just add you to my friendslist.

;-)

Wow.

[white-death.livejournal.com]

All the way through? XD
You must be a glutton for punishment.
*shakes your hand*

rather than spam Niamh's journal with more of all of us being in agreement

Awww.
XD

I'm going to cut out the middleman and just add you to my friendslist.

^^ Wow, thanks.
I'll add you back.
If nothing else, because you're the one who mentioned curling up with Archer's Goon last week. ;)

*♥♥♥ Diana Wynne Jones*