A Short Essay

Followed by musings on why I like Chichiri so much.

We all dream of perfection. The runner trying to beat his own time, the mother hoping for the best for her child, the starry-eyed damsel holding out for “Mr. Right,” all of these want something out of reach, out of sight, but real enough to light the sparks of hope.

Much like the starry-eyed damsel waiting for Mr. Right, there are a whole slew of crazy people like me who find fictional characters preferable to real people. Some ogle anime characters, some go for Anne Rice’s various vampires, others get a little too tingly over Mulder from the X-files. Those aforementioned “sparks of hope” have to change slightly when dealing with fiction; because we (well, most of us, at least) fully recognize that there is no chance on this earth for our fictional loves to find their way into our real lives. So the spark of hope turns into a spark of fantasy.

The spark of fantasy is what inspires housewives to switch on their soap operas on weekday afternoons. Kids respond to it when they pretend to be their favorite cartoon characters, and dad gets all excited when the home team wins the game. It’s sort of a human need to live vicariously; if you can’t do it yourself, you attach yourself to someone who can. And often, the only other people who have what you want… aren’t real.

Many women, and men for that matter, have somewhere in the back of their mind an ideal of the person they want to spend the rest of their life with. Most people suppress that ideal, and settle for the person who fits it “close enough.” Others forget that ideal completely, and settle for anyone who’s there at the time. My little cadre keeps the ideal burning like a torch in the night. Sometimes these ideals are completely unrealistic for “real” humans—magical abilities, strange-colored eyes or hair, inhuman traits like wings, tails or fur.

A combination of these factors; a strong sense of ideals, and unrealistic ideals, makes us turn to the one place where those ideals can be met… fiction. There’s someone for anyone in the land of make-believe.

When reading about a fictional character, you only see him at his best. Very few artists show their “key” characters at “unattractive” times; while using the toilet, for example, or hung over the morning after a huge party. You never catch them picking their nose, they never have halitosis, and they don’t scratch their balls while sitting in front of the television for the eleventh hour. Fictional characters are dynamic, exciting, and never say the wrong thing, whereas Jimmy Lover doesn’t have a great number of skills under his belt (oh wait—he’s good at video games and has a degree in computer science!) and very often says and does the wrong thing.

Now, you might say that these human failings are what make “real” people worth loving and caring for, and I would agree; but the failings of fictional characters are so much more spectacular and terrible that they inspire a whole new, heart-rending species of caring that renders the flu pathetic by comparison. I’ll use Chichiri as an example; Just after proposing to his girlfriend, he catches her kissing his best friend. Soon after, a flood rips through his village, killing EVERYONE there, including his fiancee. Chichiri had the opportunity to save his best friend, but recalling his betrayal, and having been struck in the side of the face by a riverborne log with enough force to knock out an eye, let go of his hand. Okay, seriously, that story almost seems like a parody. But if such a thing happened to your next-door neighbor, your sympathy level for him would shoot through the roof; the same happened to me, when reading about Chichiri.

Because they never actually interact with you (both a blessing and a curse—the curse part is discussed further on) they will never do anything to displease you, unless the author / writer / artist later portrays them in such a situation. And of course, even then, we forgive and continue on—much like what happens between two real people. But they will never use a harsh word towards you, never cheat on you, never break your heart. Your imagination paints them, and their love, as eternal, unchanging, and unconditional. It is a love without fear of backlash, breakup, or broken hearts. The characters never grow old and never get sick (or if they do, it’s cured with no long-term effects.)

Because they are fictional, your imagination is the only limiter on what the character will do for you. You can even take your favorite and make him act completely out of character; hence the popular trend of “slash” fanfiction, where male characters pair up for various exotic and occasionally disturbing homosexual encounters. While slash isn’t my thing (Chichiri and Tasuki? Come oooonnnnn! They’re both straight as arrows.) I myself am guilty of drawing way too many pictures of Chichiri in various sexy poses that… let’s be honest… he probably would never actually assume.

Usually, people who obsess over fictional characters have very strong imaginations, vivid dreams, and a drive to put them down on paper somehow. Occasionally, the results are laughable, sometimes touching, and usually they’re only interesting for the person who recorded them in the first place (although there’s a pretty decent market for good fanartists.)

If your imagination is strong enough you can practically feel them standing next to you—their breath on your neck. You can hear their voices, feel their touch. Mildly creepy, I know; but problems arise only when you lose the ability to recognize that all of it--no matter how nice it may be--is going on inside your head and has no bearing on real life.

Ah, there’s the rub. It’s not going on in real life. Everyone needs someone who can offer... let’s call it “interactive support.” When you’ve had a shitty day, you need to bitch. When things go wrong, you need a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes you need a hug and a kind word, and you can’t imagine that stuff ALL the time. Also, as strong as your mind is, it can’t replicate the feel and unpredictability of another person’s touch.

There is no substitute for a real relationship with a real person. And you might be surprised, if you keep your eyes open, to find a real person that fits most of your ideals. But; until I find that guy, and probably even after I do, I will very likely continue obsessing over fictional characters, because they fill a need that real people don’t. Don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it, I say, and don’t feel bad if you get a little too attached to your favorite show. It’s all good, clean fun, until someone loses an eye. ...Oh, sorry Chichiri...

Why I like Chichiri so much
(In no particular order...)

1. He's powerful. Which is to be expected, since he trained under the Emperor of Heaven and ruler of the world, Tai Yi-Jun. Among his many skills he can teleport with his hat and cloak, cast energy blasts, sense the presence of hidden enemies, speak telepathically and send telepathic images, and assume the exact appearance of anyone he wishes. Not only that, but he's worked out his body and mind, rendering him an extremely well-rounded and effective individual, probably the most all-around useful of the Suzaku seven.

2. He's cool and collected. Being the oldest seishi at 24, he's been around the world and back while he was training under Tai Yi-Jun. because he's seen it all, very little fazes him, and he'll keep his head in just about any situation.

3. He's smart. When the other seishi and Miaka are being idiots, Chichiri just stands back and laughs. He's not a straight-laced boring guy, though, either--he knows how and when to let loose, and spends a lot of his time acting as if he hadn't a care in the world. He knows when to fight and when to back down, and has saved the others on countless occasions. In fact, Chichiri is likely responsible for most of the rescues in the series.

4. He's hot. He's tall, solidly built yet lithe, with a catlike grace. His hair is cool whether it's blonde (manga) or blue (anime.) He's got a beautiful smile, and the look in his eye can be so intense and piercing. And the scar? Well, I've got a thing for scars, so that's an added bonus.

5. He's got a tragic past. The scar where his left eye once was serves as a reminder of the day his whole world came crashing down. You can read the specifics here. Because of that past, he seems both more delicate and in need of love, and stronger for having made it through mostly intact. He inspires a sense of caring in me, as well as respect, in that he is strong enough to deal with anything.

6. He's single. In the show, Chichiri never paired off with anyone, and also never expressed any desire for any of the show's three main female characters. Although he did have a fiancee, and obsessed over her for years after her death, by the end of the show he seems to have come to terms with himself and is thus ready to move on into new relationships. This aura of being "available" makes him seem almost attainable.

7. He's light-hearted and fun. He doesn't let his past drag him down, although it's questionable whether he actually IS that crazy-happy or whether he's just using that attitude to cover his true feelings. Chichiri is always there to make the others laugh and to bring them back from depression with a smile and just the right words.

Most images the work of Abby P, aka Lady Millicent, 2002, 2003.