Fanfic Clichés

Have you ever noticed when reading BB/Rae fanfiction that you get a sudden feeling of deja vu? Like you’ve read the story before? Well that’s because it’s probably following one of the many clichéd plotlines or clichéd story elements of BB/Rae fanfics. A cliché is of course a certain unwritten guideline or rule that pops up in Romance stories everywhere. Each pairing has its own set of clichés and, whether the author knows it or not, they more than often appear up in the fics that the author will write. But what you’re asking yourself now is, “Lizard-Man, do these clichés make the stories less original because of how many times they pop up in fanfic?” Not at all my friend. Its best to think of clichés like they are guidelines for authors or unbreakable rules that aren’t really written anywhere. Clichés are therefore like the horror slasher film rules. They repeat themselves in movie after movie because it’s what makes them identifiable to the genre. For instance the three top rules of slasher films are:

1. Anyone who has sex during the film will die
2. Anyone who takes drugs or alcohol during the film has the chance of getting killed increased as long as they’re stoned or wasted
3. If you say you will be right back you will die

Also if you run upstairs in a horror film you most definitely will die, but because nobody in real life would do something that stupid it’s not done as much anymore. Back to our original topic though, BB/Rae fanfic clichés. Some are good and some are bad and I am here to help any young aspiring authors find which clichés they should use and which ones they should drop.

The BB/Rae straight Romance Fics

These fanfics are either one shots or full stories completely focused on getting our two favourite Titans to get together. They usually involve dates or small instances and are low on the action aspect and are more about the actual relationship then the super-hero lifestyles of both characters. In other words, it’s all about romance in these stories and nothing else.

Cliché #1: BB is brooding over Terra and Raven helps him get over it
its one of those standards you can’t dance around. Beast boy did have a relationship with Terra. Eventually you are going to have to talk about this. Face it, Terra may have been a distraction but she was still there. Of course the best person to handle this is Raven, mostly because it helps Beast boy mature as a character and move on. The biggest mistake you could make would be taking Terra out of the picture completely and pretending it never happened. So this cliché is more of a necessity then an actual cliché. It keeps things realistic and helps move the story along. The only thing cliché about it is that most of the time it happens on the tower roof. Which is cool because seeing Beast boy and Raven looking out at the setting sun is always a nice visual image.

Cliché #2: Beast boy has gotten over Terra on his own
This cliché is another way of doing things. It allows Beast boy to develop and mature on his own without outside influence. You lose the whole “Raven helped me get over Terra” angle, but it proves that Beast boy is smarter then he looks. It makes Beast boy realize that some things have to change and that he should accept them and move forward instead of thinking back to the past.

Cliché #3: Raven has grown a crush on Beast boy and fervently denying it in her mind
This is a real good story element. And is essential to keep in mind when doing a fic. Raven does not show much emotion, even though in the comic book she isn’t much of a sarcastic goth she shows little of it. Confronting Raven with an emotional dilemma such as developing feelings for Beast boy is a large part of what her character is. She has been told to hide and not feel emotion, so it’s what she does. To develop feelings for someone she would probably never consider would threaten all that she has trained to do.

Cliché #4: Raven accepts her crush on Beast boy, but doesn’t tell him
Raven accepting she has a crush needs to be done carefully. Raven isn’t going to suddenly rush on down to BB’s room and proclaim her love. Not her style. Raven would still be afraid Beast boy doesn’t love her back or that her emotions would never allow her to have a true relationship with him. I’d suggest going with the first one or question her line of reasoning if you choose the second one. Because Spellbound kinda proved she could feel emotions. Perhaps you could make it seem that she is still reeling from being tricked by Malchior and she doesn’t really trust her feelings of romance completely. Never ever have Raven suddenly admit her love for Beast boy in front of him though. It needs to be handled delicately and slowly. Otherwise you have a rushed story, those are never good.

Cliché #5: Raven talks to her emotions about her crush on Beast boy
You will obviously be tempted to have Raven’s emotions from Nevermore help her realize her mistake by denying her feelings or by not telling Beast boy the truth about them. Do remember when doing this that the emotions in Raven’s mind are all her to each emotional extreme. When Happy talks she should be willing and hopeful about a possible relationship, Timid will be insecure about the whole thing, Bravery will be all too willing to work up the guts, Knowledge and Wisdom will both act as the logical focal points for Raven, Affection will want Raven to admit her feelings and Rude will just sit on the floor being a jerk. Rage will most likely not be there with the others. If you want to include her its best to know that Rage will be an angry and mean-spirited emotion. Whatever you come up with her to say make sure its in tune with what Raven feels about the crush, but make sure she’s still the angry influence of Trigon that keeps trying to take over. Having her talk about killing stuff works for example. Also another thing about affection, if you decide to change her name to love it’s okay, because that mean Raven has accepted her love for Beast boy completely. Just remember to explain that first.

Cliché #6: Beast boy has gotten taller
Hey everyone grows up. If your story takes place in the near future where the Titans are in their closing teens you can very well say Beast boy got taller. There’s another cliché however that we will discuss later that’s tied to this one that you should avoid though.

Cliché #7: Beast boy has a crush on Raven but doesn’t tell her
The reason behind Beast boy’s anxiety is up to you. He could be afraid to love after so many people he did love getting killed (i.e. Terra), He could think Raven hates him or that Raven isn’t interested in him. Anything you put down makes sense so it’s really up to you. Just remember, quick sudden admissions from nowhere are rushed and that’s not what this pairing is about. The BB/Rae pairing is supposed to be NOT as obvious as Rob/Star. Just remember that when writing. Rushing the relationship building is a no no.

Cliché #8: BB and Rae have an argument that leaves either Raven or Beast boy hurt
The argument could be about anything, it could happen on a date or in the tower, and what Beast boy or Raven say to each other that would make the other feel hurt is negotiable. It could range from one or the other saying they hate him/her or Beast boy could call Raven something along the lines of an emotionless and unfeeling person. Or just call her creepy, either is equally hurtful. You’ll have to deal with the inevitable make-up of course. Which is usually hard to do. The best way to accomplish it is find a romantic and not completely cheesy way of one of them saying they were sorry. Showing up to their room door is fine, but if you’re creative enough you can probably find other ways of doing it. Think of all the ways people could say they are sorry and you’ll eventually find something to your liking. Beast boy writing a romantic “I’m sorry” note or sending flowers, hell maybe even an “I’m sorry” video or card. Trust me, if you try hard enough you can figure something out.

Cliché #9: Beast boy gets buff
No. No, absolutely no. Do not even think about this. For one Beast boy is an ectomorph. He is a skinny tall type. He is biologically and genetically unable to generate body mass. This is a bad cliché, a bad one that is dying and will hopefully never be done again. The only thing worse you could do would be to buff him up and then give him a mullet or an earring or anything that you yourself may consider cute in a guy. Beast boy is not a superficial popular jerk okay, do not make him into one.

Cliché #10: Raven lets her hair grow
Since this did happen in the comics its perfectly fine for Raven to have long hair, she looks good in it.

Cliché #11: Raven’s Cloak turns white
If you do this it must be done carefully. White-cloaked Raven is what happens when Raven is no longer controlled by her evil demon father and she has accepted her freedom of emotions. You can only do this if the situation and scenario you provide is plausible enough to believe. You must not take this action lightly. It must be handled with extreme care. Do not just pop it in out of nowhere, it must be explained in an intelligent and plausible way.

Cliché #12: Raven and Beast boy have a hot make-out session at the end of the story
We’d be lying if we said this wasn’t a cliché. It happens a lot especially when Raven and Beast boy go out on a date and come back. There are dozens of locales for you to choose where Raven and Beast boy share their first kiss. The context of that kiss is really up to you, so is what they feel towards it and each other and if you want to have something blow up like “Every light bulb in the tower” that’s also accepted. Of course if you have an explanation as to why everything isn’t blowing up you could use that too, but the reason must make sense and not be out the blue. It would be best if you started out with light bulbs breaking and the like and then afterwards explore ways that you could have Raven be in more control of her powers so she can actually feel emotions. You also must be very confident in your abilities to actually describe such a scene between the two. I for one am not. I suggest picking up some pointers from other accomplished authors in hopes of getting an idea. Or you could draw from your own experiences with kissing. Just remember, not every story can end with a make-out. If you feel as though you cannot make it work you should not feel the need to do it. It is your story, remember that.

Angsty or Drama clichés

If your romance is also a drama you may have to add a little bit of emotional angst as well as romantic musings to your story. These ones usually deal with more dramatic and dark parts of romance.

Cliché #1: Raven is in emotional distress and cuts herself, Beast boy stops her
I swear to god, this cliché is suck ass. Raven committing suicide or cutting herself is stupid, dumb and stereotypical. Raven is a goth in the AS, not an emo. Goths are about dark poetry and wearing dark clothing and do not cut themselves. Emos are whinny losers who can’t play guitar and do cut themselves. I refuse to read any story that has Raven or any Teen Titan cutting themselves. The reason is illogical and pointless when placed in such a context as “Raven is depressed so she cut herself to help her forget.” Raven is not a pathetic character who will just cut herself because she feels sad. Do not have Raven or any character for that matter commit suicide because they are depressed or whinny emo stereotypes. It ruins the characters and makes everything seem incredibly stupid and unimaginative. Even if you have Beast boy stop her from doing it, Raven is still committing the act. Do not make Raven a cutter, ever!

Cliché #2: Adonis is a Rapist and Beast boy stops him
Okay people, let me make it clear. This is another one of those that has to be handled carefully. Adonis is a jerk so it’s no problem if you want to present him as a sexual predator. If you take it to the next step where he attempts to, or does, violate Raven you must be careful with the context. Personally I think you should just have Adonis as a stalker/sexual predator. As a rapist it goes a little too far at times. You should be extremely careful if you do make him attempt to rape Raven. I also should think it best that you make sure he does not succeed. If you want to have Beast boy save her that’s fine. To make it seem less obvious you can have the whole gang save her and Beast boy grab Raven and get her away from Adonis. What you actually have happen is up to you, but remember, tread lightly with this one. In fact tread lightly on any form of rape in a fanfic, especially if you consider using one of the original Titans as a rapist. The context of one of the Titans raping one of their own should only be used in a proper light so as not to bash the character. Otherwise I suggest you avoid it all together. It’s better not to indulge in friends raping friends.

Cliché #3: Malchior returns and torments Raven in a variety of cruel ways.
Some people just have Malcior still talking to Raven from his book inside the trunk. Just be sure to never actually have her ask him for advice. He tried to kill her remember. Anyway, if Malchior does get released somehow I suggest you do not try and make him sexually assault Raven. That’s not what Dragons do okay. Malchior would most likely try to force Raven into thinking she could never find love or such. In other words verbal and psychological abuse would be his main goal. He’d probably swat her around but only to the degree of which most villains do to them on a regular basis, possibly on a truly aggressive level. Malchior doesn’t necessarily have to be released to have him cause Raven pain however. As I will explain in the next cliché.

Cliché #4: Raven has emotionally stressful nightmares
These nightmares could range from Malchior tormenting her, her father doing the same, flashbacks of her past, or the other Titans treating her like dirt. You could however just tie it more directly to the storyline instead of just using it as a plot point. Like someone is actually causing her to have bad dreams for example. If you have Raven wake up in a sweat, which you most likely will, you could have her do a number of things to cope. The top possibilities you will most likely choose are that she will either have tea, meditate or she may wish to see Beast boy so she can calm herself. When doing the last, you have to make sure she doesn’t ACTUALLY go see him immediately. She could stumble upon him while getting tea or find him early the next morning, but it’s not a good idea to have her go see Beast boy immediately unless a strong relationship bond has already been forged for that kind of trust to exist.

Cliché #5: Beast boy is feeling angry and/or enraged by something
It could be a number of things, from his place on the team or how he feels about Terra. If you want to use this and have Raven try and help him, you’ll need to remember Beast boy isn’t himself so he won’t act like himself. He will most likely shout at Raven or be course with her. Raven should understand how he is feeling and try to calm him down and get him to control his emotions in a way that will help Beast boy mature. You could also have Beast boy refuse the help or advice and continue on as he is for a certain time through the story if you want to make his anger a more intricate part of the story. It’s one of those clichés that’s really up to

Action Clichés

If your romance is coupled with elements of action, some of the clichés you may encounter will be on Beast boy or Raven and their relationship with each other whilst on the battlefield during their jobs.

Cliché #1: The Beast form returns
People seem to have a hit or miss with the Beast-form. The Beast-form is basically Beast boy’s primal instincts, it comes out only in times of extreme personal danger or emotional stress. And when I say extreme I mean Beast boy has to get really really angry. It’s not gonna appear from a stubbed toe or just because Raven is in danger. It needs to be when Beast boy is so angry he cannot control it anymore. Also lets set the record straight on this, the Beast-Form is not evil. If it was, it would have killed Raven during BB’s first transformation. It is merely his primal instincts, it will not rape, maul or kill people mindlessly like a were-wolf. There was only one fanfic I found that actually made that idea work and even then it was because he offered a good explanation to it all. If the beast form returns in your fan-fic you should tread lightly with its inclusion. Beast boy must be really pissed for it to come out you see. Perhaps the best suggestion is to have Raven in some kind of peril and Beast boy being taunted about it or his past in some way at the same time. I suggest you read up on BB’s past and watch “The Beast Within” for awhile before you decide on whether or not you want to do a Beast-form fanfic.

Cliché #2: Malchior vs. Beast boy
This isn’t so much a cliché, it’s somewhat of a suggestion. For the love of mike please, someone do a fanfic where Beast boy and Malchior lay the hammer down on each other. It doesn’t even have to be a real fight, you can have a dream sequence where it happens. Please people, make more Malchior vs. BB fights. Please try and come up with scenarios where Beast boy and Malchior fight! You know you all want to. Do it before I start doing it myself. And trust me I will, it won’t be pretty either.

Cliché #3: Raven goes berserk
Much like Beast boy’s inner beast, Raven’s inner Rage can be tapped into when she is at an extreme emotional high of…well rage of course. Its better to do this under the context that Raven is unable to fully control her powers. Having Raven go berserk when Beast boy is in danger is the most likely scenario for you to introduce this into the mix.

Cliché #4: Beast boy lays the supreme smack down
I always found that BB wasn’t treated fairly in the AS compared to Robin or Aqualad. If you have an idea where Beast boy has actually learned a little about his powers and how to use them more effectively then I suggest you do it. But offer an explanation first, like he was doing some extra training at night or something. People don’t become good over night you know.

Cliché #5: Slade wants either Raven or Beast boy to be his apprentice (Or he turns one of them into his apprentice)
I liked some of these stories, but the truth is that Slade is becoming an overused villain for Fanfics about Teen Titans. Yes we all know Slade is evil on the AS, but there are plenty of evil bad guys all over Jump City. I suppose we are all more partial to Slade because he’s caused pain to both Beast boy and Raven, BB being indirectly through Terra and Raven directly through the whole Prophecy thing. The apprentice angle isn’t bad if done correctly. Just remember that there are tons of villains to use so don’t immediately go for Slade if another villain can work just as well or even better. Also Raven and Beast boy fighting each other does create some form of emotional struggle between the two, which is always good.

Cliché #6: Something from Raven’s/Beast boy’s past is out to get her/him
With Raven its usually her dad or demons or anything that involves magic and Azarath and her large family of long lost relatives and friends. Beast boy gets the Brotherhood of Evil, military scientists who want to control the world with the perfect weapon, something from Africa or a variety of long lost brothers and sisters who somehow got the same virus as him or didn’t. I suggest you do NOT come up with long lost brothers or sisters. In other words, no stupid OC’s that are related to the character in anyway. Better to make an OC that is related to them in an indirect way and not by family or former friendship. Everything else is fine cause its always nice to see Raven getting comforted by Beast boy for something from her past attacking her or Beast boy getting more character development through one of the things I listed for him.

Cliché #7: A paramilitary force wants BB as a weapon
I touched on this lightly before, but I find these stories the most intriguing. There are quite a few of them and it would be nice to see more of these eventually. I’m sure there are enough creative minds to figure some possible scenarios out.

Cliché #8: Evil forces have Captured Raven and only Beast boy can save her!
Oh come on everyone, don’t tell me you don’t read these. I’m not going to complain about these, Beast boy as the hero is always a refreshing departure from Robin playing the city’s savior. May I suggest though that you don’t make Raven completely helpless. She is a powerful Half-Demon, just remember that.

Funny Clichés

These clichés are for comedy related stories. They’re supposed to give the pairing some laughs.

Cliché #1: Beast boy gets knocked out a window by Raven or Raven threatens to do so
This one is extremely popular. It’s in almost every major romantic/comedy about BB/Rae. Granted, Raven has never threatened Beast boy in this manner, but the fact is that this is one of those clichés that the authors made up themselves. It’s not going to go away, unless people get tired of it. Which I doubt.

Cliché #2: Raven Threatens to send Beast boy to another Dimension
Yes, this one she did threaten to use once. The fact is she never is suppose to do it, so keep that in.

Cliché #3: Raven has a problem with Beast boy calling her “Rae”
Its love or hate with this one. Some people can’t understand the whole problem Raven would have with having her name shortened, heck we’re not sure whether or not Beast boy has ever called Raven “Rae.” Perhaps this all started when someone shortened Raven’s name by removing the ‘v’ and ‘n’ so they could move the story along quicker. If you decide to put this in, be aware that not everyone will like it, so use it sparingly.

Cliché #4: Little jokes based off the series
Ranging from anywhere from Beast boy wanting Raven to play video games and Raven not wanting to step in Beast boy’s messy room to Beast boy telling lame jokes and wanting Raven to eat his tofu waffles. There’s a large variety of little tie-ins to the series you can use. But be creative in what situations they are used in. Think hard about the funny situations and jokes you want to stick Beast boy or Raven in. It helps to make sure you’re not telling a joke everyone already knows.

Triangles

This is where someone decides to do a Beast boy/Raven/Someone else triangle. And boy is this category a doozy!

Cliché #1: Terra returns and restarts her relationship with Beast boy, Raven is jealous
The most typical. Sometimes Raven isn’t jealous right away or doesn’t want to admit it, but it’s mostly the scenario above. Now this will usually lead into Terra or Raven getting into some kind of epic battle or perhaps just a shouting match. Keep your Terra bashing and male cat fight hormones in check however. If a battle between the two is something that is unnecessary for the plot do not include it. Also do not make Terra evil immediately or from off the bat. You can make her jealous if Beast boy starts liking Raven more during the course of the story and make her a little conniving and mean to Raven, but not evil. It only serves to prove to what few BB/T fans that are left to hate us more. Besides, site administrator SamRH is a Terra fan yet she still likes BB/Rae, so there is no need to bash her. Make fun of her perhaps, but bash no! So no evil Terra and you are good.

Cliché #2: The Raven/OC romance makes Beast boy jealous
Oh god, OC romances with Raven are mostly crap. If they aren’t gary-stu characters then they’re just sucky rip-offs of other heroes or they are just other characters from other universes or from the DC universe. I found one story where GeoForce (Terra’s brother) was Raven’s love interest. Not only is he never used in the comics but Raven and him never even had a relationship! Plus he’s a suck arse hero. Another fanfic I found stared a guy called Draco as her love interest. (And no Catty it’s not the Harry Potter Draco) Which was a rather poor romance that never seemed to really make sense. Other times Raven hooks up with a kid called Goth, (You know the one who likes show tunes from the ‘Sisters’ episode) and he acts more like a stereotype of Goth culture then anything. They are rushed, pointless and made up by BB/T fans who don’t want Raven to be alone but don’t stick her with Cy. Here’s an idea, if you do a story that has an OC in it and you make Beast Boy jealous of him make it so it’s a parody of how crappy Raven/OC fanfics really are. Or you can just reveal him as a jerk and have Raven end up with Beast boy anyway. Or take a page from our very own fanfic writer Al, who made an OC who loves Raven but Raven doesn’t love him back. Be prepared to pay Al royalties for the idea though.

Cliché #3: The BB/Rae/Robin romance
Done by those who love both BB/Rae and Rob/Rae. I won’t tell them how to do their fanfics its up to them. But let me say that I want all Rapists Robin stories to stop. None, naughta, zip. I want them gone. Titans raping Titans is unacceptable as I stated before. Do not over play Robin as a jerky rival or in a overly negative light. Present him as he is himself in the AS. And Rob/Rae shippers, if you also feel compelled to do a story like this, may I remind you that Beast boy is also not a rapist and he is not a jerk nor is he stupid or moronic or easily fooled not should he be presented as horny. I saw quite a few Rob/Rae fics do this, I don’t want them to start a trend. Present both Beast boy and Robin properly or do not do a BB/Rae/Rob triangle fic at all. I don’t care who Raven ultimately ends up with in the story, just remember to keep them in character. That goes for everyone.

High School Fanfic

Where to begin. For one I think everyone gives us a cookie cutter image of high school. I’m tired of that and will be expanding further on that belief soon. But for now let me just say that high school AU’s are mostly crap. There are a few gems but most of them are crap because of how cookie cutter they are. Raven is usually the Goth and Beast boy is the nerdish weirdo. Either that or the everyman of the group. I’m not going into the clichés in full here. Mostly because High school AU’s are bull. Let’s just there are more or less based off of crappy teen soaps like “The OC” or “Dawson’s Creek” or some other popular teen TV show like that. If you know the cliché element of those shows you know how these High School fanfics work. Avoid copying teen shows from TV for inspiration for any AU fics. Or better yet, why not just not do an AU based in high school? Space, the future, the past, fairy tales, an insane asylum anywhere but high school!

BB and Rae as parents

The title says it all. Beast boy and Raven have kids and they go through the trials of raising them. That’s basically it. As for the kids themselves, you’ll have to come up with a feasible name or names for them. Nothing that sounds more like a name that you would give to a super hero, an actual name. Like Susan or Brad or Andy, you know stuff they can use as a secret identity. The kids are definitely going to have powers. The best part about that is you get to take a stab at combining Raven and Beast boy’s powers together. It’s your chance to play God so be imaginative with it, go nuts.

The BB/Rae Lemon

Okay, there are a lot of these and we all look at them don’t deny it. You’re obviously going to follow porno films and magazines for your inspiration, we get enough normal sex at home. Well I know some of you do, I don’t at all. Just please avoid Bestiality and making Raven or Beast Boy sex crazed lunatics. For the latter though it’s okay for a comedy, the former is just plain wrong everywhere. If you want something that is a little more realistic though, check up ‘Lemons: A Parody’ on Fanfics.net. He’s one of my friends there. It deals with what an actual sexual experience is like and isn’t some trashy sex crazed romance novel that you may typically find there.

If you have any BB/Rae fanfic clichés you think I missed or didn’t cover at any point feel free to comment on them. Also to gain some inspiration and pointers I suggest looking at some very original BB/Rae fanfics made by beautifulpurpleflame, Tammy Tamborine, Blue Ten, Will-the-Titan and of course our very own Al. So in summation clichés can be good, but there are some that must die. It should be remembered that the sign of a good author is one who can create original and imaginative story lines without borrowing too much from the clichés. Also, when you make titles never make them stupid names that are so obvious. For example never call your story ‘Opposites Attract’  that’s the worst thing you can do, the only thing worse is calling the fanfic ‘BBxRae 4ever’,  if you can’t make up a good original title don’t bother writing at all.