Hey, this is Spoken. I've finally returned to the fanfiction world after a year of being absent (very long story, I'm really sorry though). I've been thinking about some things that I find absurd about fanfics, and I've decided to write about it. Please do not send me any flames… this is not a story. If you do not agree with my opinions, be aware I'm entitled to them. If you wish to make a point or are very passionate about something and would like me to answer or something, or if you don't agree with me in a very serious matter, please send me an email. I will reply to
I'm not entirely sure if fanfiction allows this kind of story… it isn't really a story, but they didn't really specify anything about thoughts and… so if this isn't something that's allowed, please notify me and I'll remove this non-story story
Disclaimer: The characters ain't mine. Rumiko Takahashi… she's the owner.. o.0;
Here's my first topic:
Why Sesshoumaru and Kagome Couples Don't Make Sense But We Love 'Em Anyway
Or…Guidelines
Over the course of my time being an Inuyasha fan, and the author of a couple fanfics, it has occurred to me many times why the Sesshoumaru/Kagome pairings were ever created. The storyline of Inuyasha never once suggests that the two would ever fall in love, and for very good reasons. Still, as imaginative souls, we hide behind fluffy scenes and bloody battles as we pursue the joining of two incompatible characters. Well, I guess it's time to know the reason why… as interpreted from a collection of my thoughts while riding to school on the subway.
Sesshoumaru
Sesshoumaru's character is the epitome of the apathetic 'bad boy' with looks a girl would die for… and in some cases, a boy too. The long silvery hair and the permanent makeup is something any girl would love to have. Sesshoumaru is also 'hot' in anime standards, so once again, girls love him. The voice actor for him also helps (in both original and dubbed versions) as a pretty deep, yet silky masculine voice is so unreal in the guys of our generation.
His power, as illustrated in anime and manga, is also without compare. He is technically a lot more powerful than Inuyasha, though the different battles between them are fixed so Inuyasha would win- or there would be no story-. But if the fights actually occurred between these two characters without Rumiko Takahashi's intervention, Sesshoumaru (it would seem logical) would come on top. So why bother with a powerful half demon when Kagome can be paired up with a hot even more powerful full demon (not to mention that this makes the storyline more interesting)?
There is however a couple of flaws.
The Lord of the Western Lands
Fanfiction often lets our minds travel as we sometimes assume things that are not always true. Takahashi's Inuyasha is a story completely based on the demon rumors of the Sengoku Jidai period somewhere around the 16h century (from my memory… maybe I'm a century off, but I think it's somewhere around the 1500s). Therefore, though the demons themselves did not exist, it's a very good excuse for a story. But because of this, there are some things written in fanfics that do not go along with the parallel time period.
#1 Sesshoumaru's Lands
Many have referred to Sesshoumaru as the 'Lord of the Western Lands'. However, this does not include the humans of the Western Lands. Sesshoumaru is a demon and he rules over demons. In the Sengoku Jidai period, there have been no records of Demon Rulers. The human villages, therefore, do not belong to him. Humans, being aware of demons, may offer up things for the rule of demons, but I do not believe they would be 'ruled' by him. The farthest, I believe one could go, is to say he rules the human villages a few kilometers in either direction of his castle. This can be supported by Sesshoumaru's introduction into the anime. In that episode he encounters a group of humans looking for a boat. The humans did not recognize him or his name. This would not have happened if he was ruling him. In fact there were no humans that knew him, only demons.
#2 The Other Lords
If there is a Western Lord, then is it safe to assume that there is also an Eastern Lord, Northern Lord and Southern Lord? Well, sure does seem that way. However, in the history of Japan, the south has not really been under control. So, to say there is a Southern Lord is to say the opposite. But this thought can be easily overcome by saying that the Southern Lord is a demon lord, not a human lord, so if you wish to use a Southern Lord, that one has to be a good leader and only of demons. The existence of these Lords has always been assumed just as if A leads to B and A exists, B should too. Just be aware of the personalities of the lords based on Japanese geography- which would be good with mountains, can withstand dry seasons etc. Do not just create the lords for your own amusement. (I know this topic has almost nothing to do with S/K, but I just really wanted to include it)
The Kagome Dilemma
Seeing as Sesshoumaru's character denies any attachment to humans, its very hard to picture Kagome, as the way she is in the manga, with the demon lord. Therefore people have found ways around this matter. But there are so few ways to do this making the major part of these fics very unimaginative. Kagome is a weak human. The only way to bring them together is through creating a very powerful Kagome that would command respect from the lord. So, Kagome turns hanyou, demon, and super miko in most of the fics. Also, the way Kagome's power is shown becomes a drag. When I began writing my first fic, 'Child of Heart' I thought I was being creative by giving Sesshy back his arm. After reading a few more fics, I was proven wrong. Unfortunately the one armed Sesshoumaru is a big turn off… in some cases. But a two armed Sesshoumaru is way hotter… and easier to imagine. Unfortunately, everyone is thinking along the same lines, and the arm becomes almost standard in S/K pairings.
Kikyou and Inuyasha getting rid of Kagome's crush
S/K authors have also encountered the impossibility of tearing Kagome away from Inuyasha. The three easiest ways to do this is to have Kikyou 'mate' or pair up with Inuyasha, to kill Inuyasha, or to create an Alternate Universe in which Inuyasha is a friend or does not exist. These three choices are basically the only ways to get rid of them and are being overused by people without imaginations. Sometimes a person comes up with another way. This is, however, very rare, giving another problem to S/K fics.
Kikyou and Sesshoumaru? Nani?
The differences between Sesshoumaru and Kagome are actually immeasurably great. However, once Inuyasha is paired off with Kikyou, it seems reasonable that Kagome would fall for the other brother. After all she and Kikyou are as alike as Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. But what many don't notice is that Kikyou's personality is much more compatible to Sesshoumaru's than Kagome's. But Kikyou would never fall in love with a demon. So what happens? Unconsciously many people turn Kagome into another Kikyou, angry and miserable and completely not trusting anyone. After all, this is what would be most well-suited with Sesshoumaru's own apathetic personality. But by turning Kagome into Kikyou, S/K fics might as well be Sesshoumaru/Kikyou fics… which seem very unlikely.
Opposites Attract
I really think I'm forgetting a lot of things, but this basically covers all my concerns for the growing number of S/K fics. I love them but reading the same thing over and over again gives me a headache. Still, even after all these flaws in Sesshoumaru and Kagome pairings; there has been one thing that brought us to writing about them. Opposites Attract. Though this never works out in life, people still hold onto the hope that they will. Sesshy and Kag are complete opposites. And some people try to tamper with this by changing their characters or personalities. In fact, S/K fics are all OOC, because that's the only way to write them. But we love 'em anyway.