I thought I would try my hand at this 'meta'
I have some insight I would like to offer to those out there that read or write about my fandom. It concerns one Duo Maxwell, who appears to be everyone's favourite. (I cannot say that I am surprised by that little factoid, either.) What I am surprised about, is the fact that although he seems to be the overwhelming favourite from my fandom, very few people can actually write about him accurately. I am unsure why I am even writing this, except that I am unwilling to write about the disgusting misrepresentations there were of me.
Stereotypes are an evil thing. That Maxwell is a constant joker, with no sense of self-preservation, is quite possibly the worst in regards to my fandom. I will admit, there are quite a few stories which are meant simply as comedic relief, but I was rather horrified by what I found in the stories that were attempting to take themselves seriously. The way that Maxwell was portrayed made me wonder whether the people writing had even seen the fandom they were failing to depict.
Everything is not a joke to Maxwell. He went through a war the same as the rest of us, and everyone has their own way of dealing with the horrors they've seen, the horrors they've committed. Not only that, but I think he tried to keep the atmosphere fairly upbeat as much for the rest of us as he did for himself. He was a distraction for all of us. He was someone for Winner to talk to, for me to yell at, and I think that even Barton and Yuy were amused in their own ways, even if they did not show it.
Not only that, but Maxwell was certainly not suicidal-an adrenaline junkie, perhaps. He is a street kid. He did not die when he was abandoned or orphaned, or whatever it was that happened to his family. Since he did not die straight away, he clung to life instead. You do not fight and fight and fight to stay alive, only to give up. Especially not once you have found something to fight for. He even had a very good sense of self-preservation when it came to his fellow Gundam pilots. He would not have goaded Yuy or I nearly as much as these awful writers seem to perceive; neither of us would have stood for it that long. There is a point to which a Gundam pilot is too useful to exterminate, and there is a point where the level of distraction would have justified the extermination. Maxwell knew exactly where that line was, and he never crossed it.
Stereotypes are an evil thing. That Maxwell is a constant joker, with no sense of self-preservation, is quite possibly the worst in regards to my fandom. I will admit, there are quite a few stories which are meant simply as comedic relief, but I was rather horrified by what I found in the stories that were attempting to take themselves seriously. The way that Maxwell was portrayed made me wonder whether the people writing had even seen the fandom they were failing to depict.
Everything is not a joke to Maxwell. He went through a war the same as the rest of us, and everyone has their own way of dealing with the horrors they've seen, the horrors they've committed. Not only that, but I think he tried to keep the atmosphere fairly upbeat as much for the rest of us as he did for himself. He was a distraction for all of us. He was someone for Winner to talk to, for me to yell at, and I think that even Barton and Yuy were amused in their own ways, even if they did not show it.
Not only that, but Maxwell was certainly not suicidal-an adrenaline junkie, perhaps. He is a street kid. He did not die when he was abandoned or orphaned, or whatever it was that happened to his family. Since he did not die straight away, he clung to life instead. You do not fight and fight and fight to stay alive, only to give up. Especially not once you have found something to fight for. He even had a very good sense of self-preservation when it came to his fellow Gundam pilots. He would not have goaded Yuy or I nearly as much as these awful writers seem to perceive; neither of us would have stood for it that long. There is a point to which a Gundam pilot is too useful to exterminate, and there is a point where the level of distraction would have justified the extermination. Maxwell knew exactly where that line was, and he never crossed it.