Wayward Souls

Alright, I am writing this just to clear up a few issues that have been brought to my attention and pissed me off enough to try and explain them to people who think they know more about Gundam Wing than I do. So here goes, in a review I received a few points were brought up about the fact that Duo is too intelligent to be a drug addict and prostitute, that its insulting to his intelligence. And you're damn right it is, but if you think about it, just because Duo is smart doesn't mean that he could get any job he wanted. He has no formal education, no degrees, no diplomas, hell he doesn't even really have a name that's real. So, it really wouldn't give him many employment choices, he would have only a few offers from people who know him personally, like, Hilde's scrap yard, the sweepers, Quatre, the Preventers, or Relena. That's about it, and if he did want to go out and get a formal education, how would you expect him to pay for it? The Gundam Pilots were rebels and it's not like they were compensated for their part in the end of the war, plus the money that they obviously stole from OZ during the war would have been forced out of their hands once peace was established. They have few choices for career opportunities. Especially the pilots who have no real recorded background, birth certificates, etc. Duo would not be able to even get a job at a place like McDonald's let alone a high-paying career. He wouldn't want to accept charity from anyone or ask anyone for help, so he would most likely revert to the life he knew best, the street life. He would go for the easiest and quickest way he knew, to get cash. Obviously, he'd be prone to a life of crime. Heero had Relena to fall back on, so he has a career that is satisfactory, Trowa would be able to go back to the circus that would hardly care about his background (not like you need to hand in a resume to work in a circus act). Duo really doesn't have those opportunities.

This is the original text of the review I received: "While this is written fairly well, I really dislike stories that have Duo working as a prostitue. Come on, a guy who can work computers, smart enough to fly anything, can infiltrate and steal whatever he wants can't find anything else to make money but sell his body? That's an insult to his intelligence, don't you think? A quick call to Quatre might help with his problems and the need to hide from Heero, but I'm getting the idea that whoring and drug addiction is what you have in mind for him, so I probably won't continue reading. That's not a negative comment on your writing, just on the subject matter."

It's highly likely that Duo would become a drug dealer, prostitute, thief, etc. It's the thing he knows best and it's what he is best at besides being a Gundam Pilot. Besides, how many companies would want to hire a teenaged ex-terrorist? Also, obviously, whoever wrote to me did not think that there could be other reasons for Duo's fall into the realm of crime. For example, post-traumatic stress disorder can cause people to do lots of different things. Being a child terrorist and killing people at 15 years old could really fuck you up in the head, you know. Not to mention the fact that in my story specifically, Heero presents a problem, clearly Duo is in love with the asshole, and Heero basically uses him as some kind of toy. If the one you loved treated you that way, you may be a little messed up too.

So, I hope that I cleared all that up for anyone who was feeling the same way that the person who left me the review was. Next time, when you feel the need to open your mouth and try to tell me how things should be in my story, you should step back and realize that things wouldn't be peaches and cream for the Gundam boys. Next time do your research so that you know what the hell you're talking about, then maybe I'll give you a bit more respect. Thanks and now that I've finished ranting, I am going to work on updating.

To all my fans and loyal readers, thank you for your support and I hope to hear from you all again soon. Keep a look out for more updates. And by the way, I do like to get constructive criticism, just when it actually makes senses. >.<