LOVELESS
Finally read Loveless 9. It was really good, and I was inspired to think some thoughts. And then organize them into a little pseudo-essay.
Soubi/Ritsuka or Ritsuka/Soubi is probably one of the most crucial questions of the 00s for yaoi fandom.* I think most Loveless fans recognize that this isn't a straightforward question of seme/uke, or even who tops. It's also a question of if anyone should top at all. Ritsuka and Soubi have a seriously complex relationship, and any decision about their pairing dynamics has to have at least a little bit of thought behind it. In other words, everyone is prepared to defend their argument, although hopefully in a respectful way.
One of the problems of Ritsuka/Soubi/Ritsuka for me is my own personal preferences. For example, I don't care about the height rule or age difference when it comes to who tops, and various personality traits can indicate different things to me in different characters. But one rule that usually applies to how I see couples is that a character who has been raped will top in subsequent functional (which I hope R/S/R will be in the end) relationships.**
Having said that... well, to me, it's fairly obvious that Soubi has been a bottom in all his previous relationships and seems to like it that way, in that he enjoys being controlled. But being controlled and being a bottom (and being a masochist, for that matter, which Soubi probably is) aren't synonymous.
Ritsuka seems to enjoy ordering Soubi around a bit, but I think it's less for purposes of enjoyment and more because being around Soubi makes him uncomfortable unless he takes pains to act very young. I don't think he would find it genuinely pleasurable to (or would be able to) control Soubi in the way he wants to be controlled. If he tried, things would just get depressing for both of them.
So how to make Ritsuka and Soubi's sexualities match up? As you may have guessed, I just don't want them to have penetrative sex. I do think that Ritsuka is more likely to initiate sex, and Soubi is more likely to be passive, but for me, they can just have a relationship where nobody tops, and where any controlling that may happen does not involve penetration. (Incidently I think most other couples in Loveless should also work this way.)
But hypothetically, who tops? Well, I don't like hypothetical questions. So there.
...And in conclusion, if this is what trying to organize my thoughts gets me, I should just stick to writing RITSUKA/SOUBI/RITSUKA FTW! All over the place.
*The most crucial questions of the 90s were "1x2 or 2x1" and "which female character can we hate the most?".
**Examples: Sasuke from Naruto, or going waaaay back, Hisoka from Yami no Matsuei.
You know, if I had the ability to make AMVs, and the Loveless anime had continued, I could make a really good one to "Master and Servant" by Depeche Mode. Just putting that out there.
Oh, and maybe there was something about an election or something? I don't know, I wasn't paying attention. (I did vote, though. And my candidate was re-elected! Hooray!)
Soubi/Ritsuka or Ritsuka/Soubi is probably one of the most crucial questions of the 00s for yaoi fandom.* I think most Loveless fans recognize that this isn't a straightforward question of seme/uke, or even who tops. It's also a question of if anyone should top at all. Ritsuka and Soubi have a seriously complex relationship, and any decision about their pairing dynamics has to have at least a little bit of thought behind it. In other words, everyone is prepared to defend their argument, although hopefully in a respectful way.
One of the problems of Ritsuka/Soubi/Ritsuka for me is my own personal preferences. For example, I don't care about the height rule or age difference when it comes to who tops, and various personality traits can indicate different things to me in different characters. But one rule that usually applies to how I see couples is that a character who has been raped will top in subsequent functional (which I hope R/S/R will be in the end) relationships.**
Having said that... well, to me, it's fairly obvious that Soubi has been a bottom in all his previous relationships and seems to like it that way, in that he enjoys being controlled. But being controlled and being a bottom (and being a masochist, for that matter, which Soubi probably is) aren't synonymous.
Ritsuka seems to enjoy ordering Soubi around a bit, but I think it's less for purposes of enjoyment and more because being around Soubi makes him uncomfortable unless he takes pains to act very young. I don't think he would find it genuinely pleasurable to (or would be able to) control Soubi in the way he wants to be controlled. If he tried, things would just get depressing for both of them.
So how to make Ritsuka and Soubi's sexualities match up? As you may have guessed, I just don't want them to have penetrative sex. I do think that Ritsuka is more likely to initiate sex, and Soubi is more likely to be passive, but for me, they can just have a relationship where nobody tops, and where any controlling that may happen does not involve penetration. (Incidently I think most other couples in Loveless should also work this way.)
But hypothetically, who tops? Well, I don't like hypothetical questions. So there.
...And in conclusion, if this is what trying to organize my thoughts gets me, I should just stick to writing RITSUKA/SOUBI/RITSUKA FTW! All over the place.
*The most crucial questions of the 90s were "1x2 or 2x1" and "which female character can we hate the most?".
**Examples: Sasuke from Naruto, or going waaaay back, Hisoka from Yami no Matsuei.
You know, if I had the ability to make AMVs, and the Loveless anime had continued, I could make a really good one to "Master and Servant" by Depeche Mode. Just putting that out there.
Oh, and maybe there was something about an election or something? I don't know, I wasn't paying attention. (I did vote, though. And my candidate was re-elected! Hooray!)