So, I used to be in fandom. No, I mean, Fandom. The kind with a capital “F.” Of course, anyone who’s ever been in Fandom knows that this means I used to read and write a whole lot of fanfiction. The less said about most of that now, the better, but somewhere around the New Year, I got a bit nostalgic and revisited my old writing. It was a fairly horrifying exercise, all told, but I came out of it all remembering just how much I enjoy ‘ships, and I don’t necessarily mean heavy-duty One True Pairing-type ‘ships (though I did have those from time-to-time), but more often the obscure, quiet, barely fannish ‘ships. I love the tiny, off-screen pairing whose story never gets told, the Big Fandom non-canon pairing with maybe three active fans, or the super-duper Big Time pairing… in a fandom with only three fans.
While it’s unlikely I’ll ever return to Fandom with the kind of zeal I once had, the whole thing got me thinking… what would I read now? Now that I read no fanfiction at all, is there any kind of ‘ship so compelling I’d throw aside everything in my too-busy day to read it? It just might be possible, I thought. And so I give you…
3 pieces of fanfiction I might actually read
1. Twin Spica | Mr. Lion/Yuko Suzunari | Kou Yaginuma | Vertical, Inc – One of my very favorite things about Twin Spica is the existence of Mr. Lion, first introduced as Asumi’s imaginary friend, and then later as the ghost of a young man who died in the tragic crash of the Lion space shuttle. The series’ first volume includes some of Mr. Lion’s backstory, including his romance with a young woman named Yuko Suzunari, who, years later, ends up being Asumi’s elementary school teacher. Though Mr. Lion intended to propose to Yuko, he never got the chance before he died.
There are any number of stories I might like to read about this couple, ranging anywhere from additional backstory depicting them as students to a bittersweet reunion that can never be made real. They’re a perfect fit for fanfiction, really, with just enough existing story to get a handle on the characters, but with so little actually written, there’s plenty of ground to cover.
2. One Fine Day | No-Ah/Aileru | Sirial | Yen Press – After finishing volume two of this whimsical children’s manhwa, I went directly to Twitter and said something like, “If nobody is writing No-Ah/Aileru fanfic, I don’t know what Fandom’s been doing with its time.” At least one person expressed horror over my statement at the time, but come on. There hasn’t been a pairing more obvious since Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.
Again, this pairing could really go anywhere, and they have the advantage of being both “friends” and antagonists, depending on when you catch them. Magical powers don’t hurt either, though I’m not a big fan of overdoing that sort of thing. I’d enjoy anything from a sweet domestic scene to an out-and-out magician fight between these two. And Sirial keeps drawing them prettier and prettier, so I know it’s not just me. ;)
3. Flower of Life | Yamane/Sakai | Fumi Yoshinaga | Digital Manga Publishing – So, despite the fact that Sakai’s boyfriend clearly suspects that his girlfriend is having a crush (“Are you a lesbian?” he even asks her outright at one point), it’s possible Yoshinaga would say I am making this one up. Still, these two are adorable in their little side story in which slovenly Sakai borrows a beloved book from mature, meticulous Yamane.
Though something set in the same time-frame as the manga could certainly be sweet, I actually think I’d prefer future-fic here, with the two meeting up as adults, or perhaps in later college years. I’d like to see how both of them might grow up–especially Yamane who appears so grown-up even in high school. I can imagine the story already, really… like the reunion of the two women near the beginning of Antique Bakery, only this time Tachibana might be right. Hey, maybe it’s a Yoshinaga crossover!
Okay, I’ve indulged myself enough here, I think.
So, readers, if you did read fanfiction, what fanfiction would you like to read? Or maybe you could write me some comment-fic? :D
Anonymous says
January 20, 2011 at 9:09 pmAh, fanfic. I always want to write one, but end up talking myself into a corner do to the awesomeness of whatever series I want to write about.
Melinda Beasi says
January 21, 2011 at 6:33 pmFortune favors the brave! :D
Michelle Smith says
January 21, 2011 at 11:04 amThe three pairings I kind of slash myself are all, I’m sure, very popular topics of fanfiction.
1. Sanji/Zolo from One Piece.
2. Tezuka/Fuji from Prince of Tennis.
3. Fai/Kurogane from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.
Melinda Beasi says
January 21, 2011 at 11:42 amThanks, Michelle, for playing along! You know I’m right there with you on Fai/Kurogane. Actually, probably *they* are the most obvious pairing since Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. ;)
Kris says
January 21, 2011 at 12:04 pmI found a lovely doujin pairing Watanuki and Domeki from xxxHolic together. It worked quite well. And there are a lot of stories pairing up Ed Elric and Mustang from Full Metal Alchemist.
So much yaoi….
I’d really enjoy more Mustang and Riza.
As one of the most intriguing groups of people in anime, I’ve always longed for more Spike/Vicious/Julia from Cowboy Bebop. I actually wrote a short story myself about them.
Screw Tamaki, I want more Mori and Haruhi in Ouran High School Host Club.
It’s not something I think about much, so that’s all I can come up with off the top of my head. I’ve seen some good Remus/Sirius doujin floating around, by the way.
Melinda Beasi says
January 21, 2011 at 12:11 pmAhhhhhh Watanuki adn Doumeki… that’s actually one of my old pairings. I wrote many stories about them. The nostalgia! *heart*
Like you, I *get* Ed & Mustang, but I like Mustang & Riza too much to get ‘shippy about it.
Oh, and I’ve probably read every Remus/Sirius fanfic there ever was. Well. Everything written before 2008 anyway. Heh.
Ysabet says
January 21, 2011 at 5:32 pmNo comment-fic from me, but I figured I should chime in since we were talking about this a bit on Twitter earlier. ^_^ As you know, I’m happily involved in fandom, although the degree of that involvement fluctuates pretty wildly. I don’t usually go for non-canon pairings, and while I usually appreciate the romantic relationships in the stories I read, they’re rarely the most important aspect of the story for me. (Maybe that claim is undercut by the fact that my active fannishness is centered around the two couples I do specifically ‘ship?)
That said, I read fanfic for a variety of series. I don’t read a whole lot of it, and I rarely venture beyond recommendations from people whose judgment I trust, but since I know a lot of people with excellent taste in a variety of fandoms I can always find something to read when I want to. I think part of that may be self-defense—there’s comparatively little fanfic out there for either of my two ‘ships, so if I want to read fic I can’t be all that particular about which fandoms I read in (especially since I’m extremely fussy about the quality of the writing).
Melinda Beasi says
January 21, 2011 at 6:32 pmI can definitely understand the self-defense. The pairing I mostly wrote at the end of my days in HP fandom had almost nobody else writing it, and most of the little that was out there for it was really hideous porn. In the end, I didn’t want to read anything for that pairing unless a friend told me it was okay. Later, I really just stuck to my very small circle of friends (who all wrote beautifully) and ignored most everything else.
Aaron says
January 22, 2011 at 10:48 amI’ve actually written a couple one’s a Love Hina fan fiction it’s a really angsty (I was listining to a lot of Visual Kei at the time) Kanako/Keitaro fan fic and a really WAFF Toradora Ryuji/Tagia fan fic becuese their just so adorible together. But mostlly I wrote a lot of unpublished Azumanga Daioh Gen Fic and I’m working on a now six page Kyosuke/Ruri Oreimo fan fic.
Melinda Beasi says
January 23, 2011 at 8:09 pmNice!
Kendra says
January 23, 2011 at 7:41 pmAw, I was remembering your early, pre-HP, stuff rather fondly today. :)
Say what you will about fandom and the writing quality, it was FUN. I wish I could get back interested in a fandom, but alas nothing seems to appeal anymore.
Melinda Beasi says
January 23, 2011 at 8:10 pmAwww, you’re waaaaay way way too kind. Heh. I have all that stuff hidden away out of anyone’s sight! :D
And I totally agree. Fandom was really fun. I’m sorry you aren’t able to get into it anymore!
Geri-chan says
January 24, 2011 at 3:52 amMy favorite manga ‘ship is Leon/D from Pet Shop of Horrors—that’s the pairing that got me into Fandom! And I don’t really read much xxxholic, Tsubasa, or Saiyuki fanfic, but I definitely ship Domeki/Watanuki, Fai/Kurogane, and Hakkai/Gojyo in my imagination.
Those are obvious pairings, but sometimes I ship characters who have little or no contact in canon because I think they’d go together well. One of my favorite fanon pairings is Kikuchi/Onozuka from Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love), and they never actually meet in the manga! But they’re both such manipulative schemers that I started wondering what would happen if they ever did meet. Unfortunately, it’s a pretty obscure pairing since Kikuchi only appears in one chapter (he’s the embittered gay actor in Book 2), and Onozuka (Katou’s friend) only appears in the later volumes that BeBeautiful never got around to publishing in English. (I loved the series so much that I ended up importing the rest of the books from Japan.)
I guess it’s pretty obvious that I’m a fan of slash and BL! ~_^ But I was reading your Off the Shelf feature on Karakuri Odette, and I have to say that I would like to see Odette and Asao become a couple in the end, even if a human-robot romance might seem a bit odd.
One last comment: vol. 1 of One Fine Day was sitting in my “to read” pile, and after reading this feature I finally pulled it out and read it, so I have to thank you because I really loved it! The story and art are adorable, and I agree that No-Ah and Aileru make a great couple. Now I have to go out and buy the other volumes! And btw, I agree that Remus/Sirius are an obvious Harry Potter pairing, but I personally ship Remus with Snape. A more angsty pairing, but sometimes I like the idea of conflicted love between enemies or rivals.