BB/Rae Fanfics and their Reoccuring Elements
Author: Lizard-Man
Date Added: October 13, 2006
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 thats because its probably following one of the many cliched plotlines or cliched story elements of BB/Rae fanfics. A cliche is of course a certain unwitten guideline or rule that pops up in Romance stories everywhere. Each pairing has its own set of cliches and, whether the author knows it or not, they more then often appear up in the fics that the author will write. But what you're asking yourself now is, "Lizard-Man, do these cliches 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 cliches like they are guidelines for authors or unbreakable rules that aren't really written anywhere. Cliches are there fore like the horror slasher film rules. They repeat themselves in movie after movie because its what makes them identifiable to the genre. For instance the three top rules of slasher films are:
- Anyone who has sex during the film will die
- Anyone who takes drugs or alcohol during the film has the chance of getting killed increased as long as they're stoned or wasted
- If you say you will be right back you will die
Also if you run upstairs in a horror film you most definetly will die, but because nobody in real life would do something that stupid its not done as much anymore. Back to our original topic though, BB/Rae fnafic cliches. Some are good and some are bad and I am here to help any young aspiring authors find which cliches they should use and which ones they should drop.
The BB/Rae straight Romance Fics
These fanfics are either oneshots 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, its all about romance in these stories and nothing else.
Cliche #1: BB is brooding over Terra and Raven helps him get over it
Its one of those standards you can't dance around. Beastboy 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 Beastboy mature as a character and move on. The biggest mistake you could make would be taking Terra out of the picture compeltely and pretending it never happened. So this cliche is more of a nessecity then an actual cliche. It keeps things realistic and helps move the story along. The only thing cliche about it is that most of the time it happens on the tower roof. Which is cool because seeing Beastboy and Raven looking out at the setting sun is always a nice visual image.
Cliche #2: Beastboy has gotten over Terra on his own
This cliche is another way of doing things. It allows Beastboy 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 Beastboy is smarter then he looks. It makes Beastboy realise that some things have to change and that he should accept them and move forward instead of thinking back to the past.
Cliche #3: Raven has grown a crush on Beastboy 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 Beastboy is a large part of what her character is. She has been told to hide and not feel emotion, so its what she does. To devlop feelings for someone she would probably never consider would threaten all tthat she has trained to do.
Cliche #4: Raven accepts her crush on Beastboy, 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 procliam her love. Not her style. Raven would still be afraid Beastboy 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 Beastboy in front of him though. It needs to be handled delicately and slowly. Otherwise you have a rushed story, those are never good.
Cliche #5: Raven talks to her emotions about her crush on Beastboy
You will obviously be tempted to have Raven's emotions from Nevermore help her realise her mistake by denying her feelings or by not telling Beastboy 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 he 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 intune 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 its okay, because that mean Raven has accepted her love for Beastboy completely. Just rememberto explain that first.
Cliche #6: Beastboy 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 Beastboy got taller. There's another cliche however that we will discuss later that's tied to this one that you should avoid though.
Cliche #7: Beastboy has a crush on Raven but doesn't tell her
The reason behind Beastboy's anxiety is up to you. He could be afraid to love after so many people he did love getting killed (ie. Terra), He could think Raven hates him or that Raven isn't interested in him. Anything you put down makes sense so its really up to you. Just remember, quick sudden admissions from nowhere are rushed and thats 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.
Cliche #8: BB and Rae have an arguement that leaves either Raven or Beastboy hurt
The arguement could be about anything, it could happen on a date or in the tower, and what Beastboy 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 Beastboy 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. Beastboy 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.
Cliche #9: Beastboy gets buff
No. No, absoulutely no. Do not even think about this. For one Beastboy is an ectomorph. He is a skinny tall type. He is biologically and genetically unable to generate body mass. This is a bad cliche, a bad one that is dieing 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 earing or anything that you yourself may consider cute in a guy. Beastboy is not a superficial popular jerk okay, do not make him into one.
Cliche #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.
Cliche #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 no where, it must be explained in a intelligent and plausible way.
Cliche #12: Raven and Beastboy have a hot make-out session at the end of the story
We'd be lying if we said this wasn't a cliche. It happens a lot especially when Raven and Beastboy go out on a date and come back. There are dozens of locales for you to choose where Raven and Beastboy 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 lightbulb 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 lightbulbs 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 abilites 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 expierences with kissing. Just remeber, 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 cliches
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.
Cliche #1: Raven is in emotional distress and cuts herself, Beastboy stops her
I swear to god, this cliche is suck ass. Raven commiting 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 Beastboy stop her from doing it, Raven is still commiting the act. Do not make Raven a cutter, ever!
Cliche #2: Adonis is a Rapist and Beastboy 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 Beastboy save her thats fine. To make it seem less obvious you can have the whole gang save her and Beastboy 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. Its better not to indulge in friends raping friends.
Cliche #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. Thats 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 nessecarily have to be released to have him cause Raven pain however. As I will explain in the next cliche.
Cliche #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 plotpoint. 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, mediatate or she may wish to see Beastboy so she can calm herself. When doing the last, you have to make sure she doesn't ACTUALLY go see him immedietly. She could stumble upon him while getting tea or find him early the next morning, but its not a good idea to have her go see Beastboy immedietly unless a strong relationship bond has already been forged for that kind of trust to exist.
Cliche #5: Beastboy 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 Beastboy 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 Beastboy mature. You could also have Beastboy refuse the help or advice and continue on as he is for a cetain time through the story if you want to make his anger a more intricate part of the story. Its one of those cliches thats really up to you.