Is there an equivalent for this in English? In Japanese they call it “Buddy-mono”, which is basically just any story where two people of contrasting personalities are put together and expected to overcome challenges and difficulties.
In other words?
For a fire elemental fujoshi like myself, it’s one of my most favourite tropes. Fighting together side by side? Different personalities coming to a slightly uncomfortable compromise yet complimenting each other perfectly when it matters? Each having their own area of expertise and role when it comes to dealing with things? Becoming irreplaceable partners to each other and trusting each other more than their lover? (or, of course, becoming lovers themselves eventually ehehe)
I’ve always wanted to write a proper “Buddy” trope into one of my stories, but I think I’ve surprisingly never got the chance to write it. (Kiach and Aaryn tend to slide into childhood-friends-partners or boss-and-subordinate tropes after all.) And thus when I decided I would challenge writing supernatural/occult with Outside/r, the only thing I was 100% sure I would do was to make Outside/r a “Buddy-mono”. And seriously, that was the only thing I was thinking of for the first two chapters (i.e. “Dear Diary”). “I’m gonna write a story about Kakeru and Kouta being really kickarse partners!!!”
… At least, I hope they’re eventually going to become really kickarse partners. (oi)
I’m a huge fan of inverting tropes and playing with stereotypes, so the decision to make Kakeru the detective and Kouta the “assistant” came so naturally I didn’t think too much about it. Now Kouta literally is lifting most of the heavy-plot-weights, and Rucchan is literally the guy who runs up to the thing and punches it to death, which is… fine I guess. But they are not Equals yet, and (to me at least) the most important part of a Buddy-mono is the fact that both individuals need to be Equals. Both in terms of skill and strength, as well as the “support” they bring to the table for each other.
To be honest, Kouta can probably handle most of the scenarios alone by himself without Rucchan at the moment. It’d take him more time, but he’d be able to pull most things off. However, for Kakeru things are a little different at the moment. The lack of knowledge and experience is detrimental, and he got away out of sheer luck (as well as the need for the plot to introduce Noroi-sama in, oops) during the Sarashi-san incident. But eventually I hope to show more of what Kakeru brings into their relationship, for Kouta, and that will probably be the moment Outside/r becomes a true, proper, Buddy-mono.
Maa… in other words I need to write more, and write more I shall. u_u
Please look forward to Chapter 9, it should pop out around the end of this week, hopefully.
Outside 