What annoys me, sometimes, is that WK fandom does a milder version of the Psycho!Relena bit -- where any remote possibility of competition has to be turned into either a psycho bastard, or reduced to a clueless airhead. Ken gets that especially, being a jock, and what the hell is up with all these fanfic authors seeming to think that soccer jock = big, dumb, and stupid? I mean, honestly, do these people know nothing about soccer?
I always thought it rather telling that Ken's the goalie, not just a forward. That means he's defensive, but he's also acutely aware of strategy -- not just a single position, but the entire team, his and the opposition's. It means he's got to have powerful sprint-bursts (to go from standing still to mid-air to catch/block the ball), be able to go long stretches of no action without losing his focus, predict/analyze/counter the opposition's strategy even when the specific player/team is unfamiliar...
Goalies, in my experience, are like bass players. Still, and damn deep -- and something like a deep-down anger is one of those things that can power a person who otherwise looks placid on the surface. But placid doesn't equal stupid, people. Sheesh.
Then again, the US doesn't have a soccer-crazy contingent like many other countries. Our closest mania is football, and while that's a far more strategic game than folks realize, the closest football gets is the quarterback, and once he's thrown the ball, for all intents he's out of the play -- unlike the goalie, who's present in every play even when the ball's not near him.
Ahem, my point is: there's a lot in Ken and Aya that are so much alike, I'd see them as often arguing/disagreeing but essentially agreeing underneath, just that their communication styles are radically opposite. That can make for great friends, if they're willing to overlook the delivery styles.
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Date: 10 Aug 2007 08:49 am (UTC)I always thought it rather telling that Ken's the goalie, not just a forward. That means he's defensive, but he's also acutely aware of strategy -- not just a single position, but the entire team, his and the opposition's. It means he's got to have powerful sprint-bursts (to go from standing still to mid-air to catch/block the ball), be able to go long stretches of no action without losing his focus, predict/analyze/counter the opposition's strategy even when the specific player/team is unfamiliar...
Goalies, in my experience, are like bass players. Still, and damn deep -- and something like a deep-down anger is one of those things that can power a person who otherwise looks placid on the surface. But placid doesn't equal stupid, people. Sheesh.
Then again, the US doesn't have a soccer-crazy contingent like many other countries. Our closest mania is football, and while that's a far more strategic game than folks realize, the closest football gets is the quarterback, and once he's thrown the ball, for all intents he's out of the play -- unlike the goalie, who's present in every play even when the ball's not near him.
Ahem, my point is: there's a lot in Ken and Aya that are so much alike, I'd see them as often arguing/disagreeing but essentially agreeing underneath, just that their communication styles are radically opposite. That can make for great friends, if they're willing to overlook the delivery styles.