Wouldn't wish that on anyone

[azurite]

Does anyone here remember about two semesters ago (maybe three?) when I had a horrid eye infection on THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES, all because my contact solution was expired? I stopped wearing my contacts because of that. Now, one of my bigger lifetime goals is to one day get Lasik (or whatever its medically-safe equivalent is by the time I can afford it). But I feel so sorry for my roommate, because it looks like she's got the same thing. I didn't really know what to do, so I went and got the dorm mother (if you wanna call her that). Two of Midori's friends (other girls with rooms here in the dorms) heard me asking the D.M. to come upstairs to help (I can't read the phone book, and with Midori's eye out of whack, neither could she), and they came upstairs to help, too. It made me realize that the so-called dorm life does have its bonuses, even for a cynic like me: you can make really good friends, and they will be there when you genuinely need it. I think both girls in question were going to go out for dinner, but instead they stuck around to help Midori out, and that made me feel really glad. I hope that if I were ever to live in dorms or on my own, I could have neighbors or friends that I could really trust and depend on like that.

That said, I made a post in setoanzulove that got ignored; I wonder if it's 'cause it got caught in the post-holiday rush of posts on people's FLs and they missed it? Anyway, here's the post: I must have stopped going to FFnet to search for fics of my own volition (that is, not by recommendation) nearly a year or so ago. While I was glad to see Azureshipping become so popular, I was sad to see so many people throw away the characterization that the canon worked so hard to establish-- Seto and Anzu are both these fantastic characters, and I honestly believe well-written fic is OUT there, where it's logical and romantic in how they get together and muddle their way through a relationship. This holds true even for AUs or ARs where their characters might be slightly different (with good reason).

Nonetheless, the majority of ANY fandom's fic seems to be tripe-- not just Yu-Gi-Oh, and not just Azureshipping. Still, I decided to give the pairing a chance today and see what FFnet could offer me by doing a pairing/rating/genre specific search. I found one thing that sounded a bit interesting, but within the first few sentences, I felt disgusted-- it was another poorly written clichéd fic.

The plot? Téa gets abused by her father, and out of the goodness of his heart, Seto Kaiba steps in and saves the day.

What makes this even more pathetic is the fact that Puppyshippers have to suffer through this plot cliché, too. Jounouchi and Anzu are two entirely different characters, and yet in order to pair them with Seto Kaiba, they have to be saddled with that old idea? At least Jounouchi has a canonical father that MIGHT abuse him, but even so, it's become so tired because of how indelicately the subject is handled. (I'm not saying it shouldn't be written about, but if it is, people should bother to research abusers and their victims, because "twu wub" never solves those sort of relationships, ESPECIALLY with family members.)

So what are the most overused, sickening plot clichés/devices used in Azureshipping? Why do you dislike them?

Are there any plot conventions (things that might be used frequently, but are usually done WELL, or to great effect) that you've seen in the Azureshipping pairing? Why do you like them?

I'd like to compile the answers and put them up in article form (of sorts) on Blue Eyes and Apricots, the Official Fanlisting.

Aaand, I just watched the first 2+ hour episode of Hana Yori Dango 2: Returns and I'm off to The Saturn Necklace Community to make a report! :D :D :D

Comments

[guardian-kysra.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, I didn't even notice that entry. I've been kind of preoccupied with my newest medical crisis, but I'll think about it and get back to you.

[azurite]

Hehe, it's okay! Like I said, I kind of posted at a bad time, anyway. o_o Though, I'd made another post before I left for Tokyo (I think) about something different, and I'd hoped I'd get ONE response... I wonder if I'm one of the few that actually has SAL on my FL, not just watching it every now and then. But if you have time, please check the posts out. :) Take care of yourself, too!

[praiseofshadows.livejournal.com]

Yeah...I missed the post, too ^^;; (Umm...mostly because I've been off the 'net these last few weeks...)

But on to the abused!Anzu syndrome.... (or abused!Jou) ...

I think it's more disturbing that writers feel Kaiba is only attracted to abused characters....because really....er.... >.< Sadistic!Kaiba for the winz!!! Really, it'd be the perfect situation: save the girl/boy from an abusive situation, establish yourself as their saviour, and wham! your very own love/abuse interest to play with... (which could, I s'pose, be a perfectly fine dark fic, but not really the uplifiting romance writers seem to write it as...)

I really want to blame Touched By an Angel no matter how much I liked it when I was small and Danielle Steele for this, but I think it runs deeper into current cultural problems on gender roles and the general perception of abuse. And of course, the fact that there's far too many eight year old's on ff.net, all anxious to write their unoriginal, original stories in the guise of fanfiction....

I'm with you on the research. Because...er...if this were going to be true to life, I think Seto should altert the authoities and (if he truly cared) get Anzu or Jou a good psychiatrist and foot the bill. Because it isn't cheap and insurance generally only covers 20% of it....

[azurite]

I think abused!someone-or-other is just one example of a badly done Kaiba x Somebody fic... though in many cases, it can be done well. It's just that it tends to be the exception, not the rule. And much as I hate to cite statistics, but studies HAVE shown that people who are abused are likely to become abusers themselves. That doesn't bode well for whoever they're in a relationship with. However, I do believe that abused people can NOT become "a statistic" and overcome their circumstances; Kaiba has shown to do that in canon, though he obviously hadn't completely triumphed over the mind-warping Gozaburo put him through in the beginning parts of the series.

And speaking of Danielle Steel, I tried to read one of her latest books a while back, and it was SO boring I had to return it. And what did I buy with my money back? Yu-Gi-Oh manga of course.

What other overused Azureshipping clichés do you know & hate?