As a fan of yaoi
and a member of many yaoi-oriented "fan-communities,” I’ve discovered many
potentially offensive and damaging concepts.
Most of these concern attitudes toward heterosexual fanfiction, female characters,
and the fanfic writers who utilize them.
Here I hope to dissect some of my concerns/issues with these arguments
to the best of my abilities. I also hope to promote the idea of a better use of
the female characters within GW fanfiction, and encourage a new & improved
kind of “tolerance” within the fandom.
1. Relena
Within the Gundam
Wing fandom, the argument between “Heero and Relena” or “Heero and Duo” has
been ceaseless and redundant. People
have become rude and intolerant on both
sides of the debate. No matter the
validity of their arguments, this kind of behavior toward other people (not
online entities—people) in
unacceptable.
Perhaps the most
damaging of the debates I have heard was that Relena, as a character, is
degrading to women. Her constant
pursuit of someone who had threatened to kill her is not only foolish and
ridiculous, but also encourages women to behave in an unhealthy and detrimental
manner.
I agree with the
sentiment, but only to a point. The
fault lies in the interpretation of Relena.
It is a mistake to think that Relena does nothing more than chase Heero,
waiting for him to return her interest.
First of all, Relena realizes that she can’t do that. Once she finds a niche for herself in the
world (as the leader of the Sanq Kingdom as well as the founder of a school for
pacifist theory and practice), Relena looks to Heero as a guide, a vision of
strength. She uses Heero the same way
Heero uses her—as a symbol to pull them through the war, to give them each an
idea for which to fight their own battles.
In Heero’s (and eventually Noin’s) examples of strength and courage,
Relena is able to find the strength in herself to continue.
She does not
spend fifty episodes chasing him with no reason. Heero is an enigma, most certainly (and the first several
episodes clearly states Relena’s interest in mystery novels—so this is more of
an adventure to her than a mindless infatuation). But once Relena knows her place in the tumultuous world around
her, she is drawn to him for various reasons—his strength, his knowledge, his
opinions, etc. He was the person who was the “beginning of the end” for
her. Her acquaintance with him was the
first in a series of strange events that ended in a complete upheaval of life
as she knew it, so he is much like an anchor in her world, a new constant. And she relies on him for this reason.
I can acknowledge
that my own interpretation is what
makes it all seem harmless in my mind.
I’m adding the symbolism myself; I’m adding whatever sparks of interest
I see between Heero and Relena. (In
fact, my favorite interpretation, pointed out by Sachie, is that Heero is more
interested in Relena during the second half of the series than she is in him. Instead her behavior is more
mothering!) So, who knows? Maybe I’m
wrong: maybe Relena is stalking
Heero, chasing him to the ends of the earth in hopes for some cosmic love to
develop between them.
Concerning the
issue of his threatening to kill her, however, I refuse to concede with the
popular arguments.
It is tragic and
unacceptable that so many women in the world today put up with husbands/lovers
who abuse them, threaten them, or harm them in other emotional and physical
ways. I think it’s terrible that so
many women will rush back to the person they love, thinking that emotions can
conquer repetitive behavior problems.
However, I think this argument has little or nothing to do with the
characters in Gundam Wing.
Many of my
acquaintances would disagree, saying that Heero threatened to kill Relena, yet
she kept coming back for more. It
should be noted that these acquaintances are quite often the same people who
insist that Heero’s soulmate/true love/lifemate is Duo, who was also thrust in
the same position as Relena. He was
threatened by Heero several times, yet kept coming back. How is it acceptable in one case and not the
other?
Is it a matter of
sex? Is Duo’s reaction to Heero’s
threat all right because they are both male?
If this is the case, it’s saying that it is acceptable for a male victim
of homosexual domestic violence to keep returning to his lover, to keep
thinking that his lover will change, etc., etc. We know this isn’t the case.
Domestic violence in any situation is wrong, and the people who are
victims should get away. I don’t think
anyone who argues this case with Relena would disagree. Then why do they defend Duo?
It all comes back
to interpretation. Many will say that
it’s okay for Duo to not take Heero seriously because they are both fighters,
they understand one another, and they are smitten, etc. Who really can determine Heero’s intent,
though? Heero is rude to Duo and offers
no affection whatsoever the first time they meet. He only becomes remotely close to Duo because 02 decided to
rescue him from the military hospital.
So there’s probably a degree of indebtedness.
So how does this
reflect in Heero’s relationship with Relena?
It doesn’t. Duo and Relena are
different people, and Heero views them in different ways. Heero’s sole interest in Relena during the
earliest episodes stems from the fact that he doesn’t know how much she is
aware of in the situation of his appearance on the beach. He has to find out whether or not she knows
too much, because if she has, he has
to kill her. This is completely
different from his situation with Duo; they (01 & 02) are able to be
friends once they are certain that they’re on the same side.
With Relena,
there is no concern for her life or her feelings until she’s been let in on the
secret—until her father is killed and she learns her true place in the global
scheme of things. He even acknowledges
that it would be easier if she were dead.
Yet he can’t let her die. She
offers her death to him, in his room.
He doesn’t kill her. She nearly
dies in a battle, yet he saves her. He
doesn’t understand why he saves her, and she doesn’t understand why he won’t
kill her.
But at the same
time, she knows that she’s safe with
him. She puts her life in his hands
because she has faith that he won’t kill her.
Maybe this is stupidity, maybe it’s some cosmic romantic
connection—whatever it is, she’s right. He does not kill her in many situations for
many different reasons.
So is it wrong
for an animated character to go back to a person who keeps giving empty threats? I would say no, considering that the reason
she does this is for plot motivation.
People tend to forget that the characters are not in control of their
own actions.
The beauty of
Gundam Wing is that it’s so open to interpretation—but one has to look at all
the aspects of the characters and their actions. Relena can be anything
as long as it doesn’t contradict her words and actions. But I think that considering only half of
her actions, or half of her words, and creating an image that lables her as a
“type” doesn’t make sense.
2. So where
exactly does Relena fit in for the yaoi fan?
My answer: don’t
make her fit. Just because the author
likes Heero and Duo together doesn’t mean the story must have a scene where
they confront Relena and tell her how it is.
If she’s that much of a threat, don’t you think it warrants
re-watching? Seriously—it’s a better
fanfic if the petty fandom debates are left out of the story. There are plenty of great fics that focus on the Heero/Duo/Relena situation;
the conflict doesn’t have to play a part in every one. This also avoids alienating the readers who
are fans of yaoi and non-yaoi.
3.
Heterosexual fiction
I’ve been a
member of the larger Gundam Wing mailing lists, and I’ve always been shocked
over the once-a-month thread about non-yaoi fiction. What surprises me the most is when people who have admitted to
reading yaoi because it’s a physical turn-on accuse writers of non-yaoi fiction
of writing lame self-insertion fics.
As a writer of
both, let me assure you that it is not
the case. I do not get physically
turned on when I write my stories, or when I read them. My characters are characters—it does not matter to me whether they are males,
females, or mechas. (yes, I have written pilot/mecha love!) The fact is that I see the characters in
mutual romantic relationships, and I want to explore them the same way I would
in any non-romantic situation. Whether
it’s a steamy lemon scene involving two guys, two girls, or one of each, I’m
exploring a mental connection. The
physical is certainly fun to write, but it makes no difference to me what they’re doing, or to whom.
I have never
written a heterosexual lemon for the mere sake of imagining myself having sex
with a gundam pilot. It’s a ridiculous
concept! (and for the record, I think
the majority of my heterosexual lemon scenes have been 1st person
from the pilot’s point of view, so that argument is rather pointless.) If I wanted to sleep with a gundam pilot, I
would write a genuine self-insertion fic, or create some character to represent
me.
Why do people
repeatedly make the accusation?
I have my own
theories. I personally think it’s the
readers who have never liked reading straight romance—fanfiction or
original. There are certainly many women
who are more interested in gay sex—it’s a completely natural phenomenon. However, there are also a number of women
who like reading any kind of romance.
My rule of thumb:
Don’t judge anyone for what they like.
It’s rude, inconsiderate, and—if you don’t understand their view—leads
to stupid assumptions. Forgive me if I’m crossing a line and
accusing people of doing/saying dumb things, but for me, it’s an absolutely
ridiculous argument that I’ve heard over and over again.
3. Tolerance
This is a lesson
for everyone. Don’t accuse people of
being intolerant of your preferences if you are not tolerant to their
preferences. I don’t know how many
yaoi-sites I’ve scene that give a huge disclaimer about open-minded people
being welcome into their webpage, but then proceed to host essays and
fanfiction that display a different kind of intolerance.
“Tolerance” does
not mean “support the opposite of a social stereotype.” To be tolerant of another person’s
preferences, you must accept that they have a place in the world, too. It is wonderful that the yaoi fandom has
reached so many people, and made supporters and advocates of sexual freedom of
so many young, politically active people.
However, there are many non-yaoi fans who support homo- and
bisexuality—they just prefer reading another kind of fiction, or interpret the
course of events in a TV show slightly differently. They aren’t necessarily intolerant.
So, remember that
the easiest way to keep peace in a fandom is to respect differences. People like different things, and sometimes
it’s easier to press that back-button on your browser rather than get involved
with people who are intolerant and rude.
4. Defying
Stereotypes in Female Roles
I’ve had to
contradict many people who seem to think that Gundam Wing is a useless show
about pretty boys. Fans of GW know
this. But then again, it’s also the
fans of GW that promote the idea to outsiders.
When we sit around squealing over the cuteness of a character, or act
out “yaoi-scenes” at conventions, we give a false impression of what the show
is about—or who, in many ways.
The male
characters of Gundam Wing are fractured and incomplete. They have social issues. If you learn one thing from the show, it
should be that the women (who represent a wide range of female existence) kick
ass. Noin, Sally, Une, Cathrine,
Dorothy, Hilde, and Relena (as well as others) offer so much to the show. They’re supportive, but they also question
the motives of the pilots. They hold
different positions—militarists, pacifists, protectors, questioners, etc. They round out the plot of the story, they
add conflict and offer resolution. Where would Treize Khushrenada be without a
versatile staff-person like Col. Une?
How would his ascent to power have been altered without Relena? How would the history of the A.C. world been
altered without Hilde risking her life in order to get data about the
Peacemillian? And what would’ve
happened to Trowa or Quatre without Iria or Cathrine to help them?
To completely
ignore the women of Gundam Wing is as bad as ignoring the plot. There is room for pilot-centric fanfiction,
of course—especially if a writer prefers to focus on relationships between
specific characters. But to those who
have not decided exactly what they want to write: please consider these
positive characters. Explain their
weaknesses, expound upon their fears.
Try to write yuri, for god’s sake!
There’s a lot of material in Gundam Wing to work with—play around with
this aspect rather than ignoring it all together. There is a great yuri-writing contingent out there who understand
these female characters. Please, please
learn from them—if not to learn to write and love fem-slash, then at least to
learn a different side of such strong characters.