As strange as this story sounds, as far off from the canon plot (Fushigi Yuugi as portrayed in the manga or in the anime) of Fushigi Yuugi as it is, this story is just waiting to be written. Fushigi Yuugi is ripe for fanfiction, and it's been plundered over and over. Writers use characters, and put them in places and situations that don't occur in the normal Fushigi Yuugi timeline. It's that newness, that originality that bursts out of the fans that makes fanfiction so much fun.

We all love Fushigi Yuugi. You wouldn't be sitting here reading my article if you didn't. I wouldn't be sitting here writing it. However at the same time, for some of us (a rather large some of us) there are aspects about Fushigi Yuugi that leave much to be desired. So we write.

For me, as an example, I write because I want to do one of two things. First, I write because I would like to see more of a particular character. Those of you who might have read my fanfiction probably have noticed my tendency to write about Kouji. I do this because I love to wonder about things. Most of what I wrote, I wrote before Genrou Den (the Tasuki novel) was released. I was able to make up my own mind, and use my imagination about what his life was like before he became a bandit, or decide how I wanted Tasuki and Kouji to meet. Even the little things, for example, what kind of foods Kouji likes (other than sake). That's fun for me.

The other reason I write is to explore a particular relationship. I generally write yaoi or shounen ai (stories involving relationships between two males) so with 13 major characters (7 Suzaku shichiseishi and 6 Seiryuu shichiseishi) there is a lot of yaoi based relationships that can be explored. You have Nuriko-Hotohori, which is probably the most canon couple in Fushigi Yuugi, Tasuki-Kouji, Nakago and the Emperor, Nakago-Soi, Tasuki-Miaka, Tomo-Nakago, Amiboshi-Miaka, Yui-Nakago, Yui-Miaka, Yui-Suboshi, Yui-Tamahome, Tasuki-Tamahome, Tamahome-Miaka, and even Taka-Miaka to play with (to name just a few). I write because it is fun to test these relationships, and see how far you can take then, what situations you can put them in, what words or actions might break up their love or friendship. Does that sound sadistic? I suppose so. However you can never have character growth without conflict. Would Fushigi Yuugi have been as interesting a story if all Miaka had to do was gather the Suzaku shichiseishi and call Suzaku, without anything standing in her way? No, it probably wouldn't have, and thankfully the story wasn't written that way do we don't have to test that fact.

Writing fanfiction is surprisingly easy. Why do you think so many people do it? You just sit down, and make the characters do what you want them to do. That's easy. The hard part is making the plot move swiftly enough that the reader isn't bored, but slow enough that you don't lose the reader. The hard part is deciding which character might take which path, or which choice they would choose. Would Nuriko really have wanted to be turned female if Miaka had asked Suzaku for that wish? The hard part is making the story believable; making the story seem like the part Watase Yuu just forgot to put in Fushigi Yuugi. That takes practice, hard work, and a lot of attempts at bad fanfiction before you begin to get good. I'm not trying to sound like I know everything, or that I'm even particularly good at writing fanfiction. Believe you me, I've written some bad stuff in my time. You could probably even find it lurking around if you look hard enough. What I do mean to say is that practice makes perfect, and after two years of writing fanfiction, I am starting to get better.

So, what's the point of all this babble? That's it exactly. It's just babble. Now onto the real meat of the article:

Everything I Needed To Know I Learned By Reading FY Fanfiction

10. It's okay to write a lemon; as long as it doesn't involve real lemons.

9. Humor has it's place. So does angst. Balancing the two is like walking a tightrope with a lion on your back; it takes time, practice, and a lot of fear.

8. Don't be afraid to try something you think people won't like. How else would there be fanfiction about Tamahome and Suboshi?

7. Crossovers are your friends.

6. Length doesn't matter; content does. A fanfic can be 5K, and contain more than one that is 50K. However, it's harder to condense everything into a short fanfic; there's a lot of background that you may be leaving out.

5. You can only take self inclusion so far; remember, it's only a story.

4. If you don't like yaoi or yuri (stories involving female/female relationships) it doesn't mean that others don't. If that offends you, don't read the fanfic.

3. If you like yaoi or yuri fanfics, remember that not everyone else feels the same way. Put a warning in the fanfic somewhere.

2. Flames should only be shouted by people with red hair, a tessen, and who like to say 'Rekka Shinen!" (taken from Thea of fushigiyuugi.com) Constructive criticism is a good thing. Every author loves that. "I hate you, your stories stink," is another.

1. Have fun with it!

Comments go to: kouji@genkiland.com


Article copyrighted 1999 Kristi Brownfield

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