Editorial on Something Real

I should have probably posted this first, but I forgot about it.  Sue me.

You’ll find that with all of my fics, I write a way over-worded small explanation about the thought that went into them. I highly suggest reading these if you have questions or disagree with me on a plot point *before* going to battle with me. Why? Because the chances are that I am right. BWAHAHA! Also, you might find that I have reasons for doing certain things.

First of all, I am a firm believer that you can make a character do anything if you give them the right motivation. Re-read that sentence. You see that last part? That is the crucial element to every single last one of my stories. Motivation is everything. It is what drives characters to evolve or remain static. It is what makes them push themselves past their own limitations and accomplish the impossible. And most importantly, it allows characters to do things that would normally be considered ‘out of character’.

In ‘Something Real’, I’ll be the first to admit that Kagome seems out of character at first glance. I mean our coy yet occasionally ill-tempered miko is not exactly one to ‘put out’. She is insecure largely in part because of the Kikyou factor and is afraid that she won’t live up to everyone’s expectations.

But here is another thing about Kagome – she is a people pleaser. How many times have we seen the character push her own needs aside for the betterment of those around her? The answer: countless. She does it when Kouga kidnaps her when she agrees to help the wolf tribe beat the harpies (birds of paradise). I mean the wolf prince abducts her, tries to kill her friends, terrifies her, and yet she still holds compassion for the loss of life their pack has sustained. She also shows this when she finds Kikyou drowning in jyaki. Rather than eliminate a rival and someone who has brought her nothing but pain, she heals the undead priestess without hesitation. Even Kikyou herself remarks that Kagome had no reservations because if she had the hole in her chest would not have been filled. And probably the most notable instance of all is when Inuyasha chooses Kikyou over her and yet she still asks to stay by his side, despite the fact that it rips her apart to do so. Yes, this is in part a selfish act because it would be even more painful for her not to see him anymore, but in the long run she knew it would be easier for her to just leave and try to forget.

As I said, the examples of this type of behavior are endless. It is a well-established fact that Kagome is self-sacrificial. She’ll do what it takes to help those she loves no matter what the cost.

Now we have Inuyasha. Demon blood aside, I’d like to think he’s an average young male and as such we can count on him to have a *lot* of sexual tension. Add to this the fact that he has been scorned by society, his last potential lay was a priestess that wished for him to lose an entire side of himself, and that he doesn’t exactly have a lot of experience (positive or otherwise) with human contact. This equals a big potential recipe for disaster. And in ‘Something Real’ we see these elements come together to create such a disaster.

It has been said that living is a lot like walking across an un-sturdy bridge while juggling several heavy boxes. The idea is that in order to get to the other side you must always keep some of your emotional baggage in the air and not try to carry the load all at once, or else the bridge will come crashing down. Well, in the fic, Inuyasha was not able to keep juggling and as such his bridge collapsed. What happens then?

Emotional. Breakdown.

Worst of all for him is that his current love interest is there to witness this humiliation. Not to mention the fact that she is now aware of his most private feelings and we all know just how much Inuyasha adores vulnerability and openness. He was bound to lash out in some fashion. It was either leveling the village or an psychological crisis. Yes, it would be easy to see Inuyasha going on a mad violent rampage. This would have easily been in character for the hanyou. But keep in mind the other emotions swirling through his head at this point. He has always strongly desired acceptance, he would never do anything to physically harm Kagome, the miko has the power to subdue him before he could do any real damage, and possibly most poignant of all? He wanted to hide. He didn’t want to confront the people that humiliated him. He wanted to be locked away in some dark corner never to bee seen again. In order to exact revenge, he’d have to face them.

Also, our hero typically takes the blame for everything onto himself. Do you have any doubt that he felt the situation was his own fault for:
1) being a hanyou
2) lusting after Kagome
3) acting on said lust
4) staying in the village in the first place

Given, none of these feelings are valid, but to him they very much were. Taking on the whole of the community was probably not his most appealing option. As such? I went with the psychological meltdown.

Back in Kagome’s head, she is seeing the man she loves lose it over something that wasn’t his fault. We all want to coddle the poor orphaned boy who just wants some love, and she is in a situation to do just that. He finally opens up to her (more precisely to the walls) and she sees it as her duty to make him feel better. And since his humiliation was sexually motivated? Sex is going to be on her mind. It probably didn’t occur to her to take him out for ice cream and pedicures to heal this particular wound. And knowing Kagome’s self-sacrificial nature that we’ve already MORE than proven, it would make perfect sense that she’d push aside her own need of knowing that he won’t reject her.

And when it comes down to it, who wouldn’t want to fuck Inuyasha?

Well, maybe Myouga.

No, that was not meant to be a fic idea. Wackos.

Moreover, she’s in love with him. Being with him has probably crossed her mind hundreds of times. Those of you who think virgins don’t get extreme urges too clearly can’t remember your virgin years very well. The thoughts are there, just not necessarily the confidence to act on them.

But this wasn’t about Kagome getting a boost of confidence. She didn’t need it. Inuyasha’s need was enough for her to do the otherwise unthinkable.  She pushed her comfort zone aside for his sake.

And *THAT* was the point of the fic. It wasn’t about Inuyasha’s pain, or his past with Kikyou. It was about Kagome’s true nature and just how far she’d go for the one she loves. Any other moral you drew from the story was a side-plot.

To note: yes, I am aware I never used Kikyou’s name. Yes, this was on purpose. Why? I needed something tangible to make sure that the reader got the fact that the fic has nothing to do with her. This was not Kagome showing up her rival or Inuyasha pushing aside his old love to be with the new one. It was about that time and that place and what those two characters would do for each other.

By the way, to those of you wondering how the hell Kagome was so good at something despite the fact she’s a virgin? I think you should do some research into Japan before your next fic, specifically what is aired on TV, what kind of movies children are allowed to see, what the age of consent for sex in Japan is, and where the porn sections are in their bookstores, newspaper stands, and candy stores. Even a girl not interested in knowing such things wouldn’t be able to help but know way more than they should. And Kagome might be sweet, but she isn’t a saint, and another major aspect of her personality? Curiosity. Remember: that killed the cat, not the Kagome.

Now for those of you wondering about Inuyasha’s stamina? I assure you, it’s not only possible – it’s damned likely. The average male has over 11 erections a day. Some of these are spontaneous, and others are stimulated. Also, the average man can hold an erection for about 40 minutes. And contrary to popular belief, MANY men hold their erections through ejaculation. It’s a fact. They might be a bit softer for it, but it’s still there. Once lost, an erection can be regained in as little as two minutes if properly stimulated.

Taking all of this into account, now add in the fact that Inuyasha is a sexually frustrated male with at least the body of a teenager who is superhuman. Demon blood is the ultimate X factor, yo!

Until next time, remember: my opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I’m right.
-- Angelica Pierce