What Grinds My Gears: Fanfiction Edition

In most fanfictions, no matter if it's Frerard or with an OC, the characters who are supposed to be My Chemical Romance are the exact same. I know that these are real-life people, but it's like people take the biggest traits from these guys and copy and paste them into every story. Some of them aren't even accurate, but people still use them. To talk about it in detail, I want to split up the characters into sections in this chapter.

Gerard-

Our boy Gerard here is one of two things in most fanfictions I've seen: A sass queen who doesn't give a shit about anything or a whiney edge lord. There is no in-between. Despite this, he is always an alcoholic. I know that this was a part of his life, but it seems he is only this way as a source of drama for the story. It really irritates me because this is all he is made out to be sometimes and as a person, he is very complex. He shouldn't be regarded as shallow parts of his personality.

Frank-

He is always a hyperactive party animal or an edge lord. In stories, he acts as the comic relief. It is okay for characters to be comic relief some of the time, but when that is all he is made out to be, it's saddening. Like Gerard, he is a complex person. He is a goofball who like to play pranks, but that's not all he is. In the days where Gerard was a severe alcoholic and drug user, he was there to make sure he didn't hurt himself and helped him with his recovery, along with the rest of the band. He is not some mindless jokester whose only use in a story is funny moments. Please stop.

Mikey-

Like most of these that I've talked about, he is one of two things. He is either a shy, awkward kid who doesn't even know how to talk to people or a complete dickhead. I said this once and I will say it again: HE IS COMPLEX! He shouldn't be left to be a stereotype. He is a caring individual who loves his brother dearly, but he is no saint. He has anxiety and depression that once almost forced him to leave the band before The Black Parade was released. In addition, he is a very kind person, so I don't know why people play him off as a dick.

Ray-

The afro ball of sunshine. This seems to be the only way he is portrayed. Oh, but let's not forget the role of the mom friend. In real life, yes, he is a sweetheart, but that doesn't mean that he is immune to anger or sadness. We never see either of these traits from him. But then again, sometimes in fanfictions, he only seems to appear just because he is in the band. He is overlooked and seems to only be written for real life continuity. He is a real person with a complex personality. Anytime he is written, someone could murder his family in front of him and he would be like "That's cool, how are you?"

Bob-

Didn't think I'd say something about him, did you? There is only one word when someone decides to write poor Bob into the mix, and that is DICK! I did some research on why he left MCR, and all that was really said was creative differences, and from tweets and actions that happened, there may be some bad blood, but that doesn't mean that Bob is a bad person. He is a no bullshit type of person, and sometimes that's needed in a group of fools. That being said, he isn't some stoic human. If you watch some old videos, you'll see him joke along with the group. He is always portrayed as some jerk who needs to die when this is not necessarily the case, as far as we know.


In conclusion, humans have complex emotions and personalities that shouldn't be shoved to the side while writing. Not everyone can fit into a single box to describe their personality. This shit doesn't really butter my egg roll and I just want to see some depth in these people that we claim to love.

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