SE - Character Insight from Others
Today, while talking with--okay, commenting with-- lykomancer, and I realized that I've gotten a few ideas about writing Stein from other people, in addition to my own ramblings here. Just thought I'd post them to clear my head and keep a good reference. Some of these have been posted as comments, others I've taken from fic. May be edited as more things come up.
Edit (4/09/09): Added new section for discussion about the screw.
Theories on the Screw
"No way that could be safely self-installed....Even with mirrors, he couldn't have gotten a reliably good angle to insert it without damaging the brain -- either the organ itself or its blood supply -- and neither strike me as something he would risk. (As for what would be at risk for damage: pretty much everything except the occipital lobe, cerebellum, and the brain stem. That is one big screw and I'm not sure it's entering far enough back to completely miss the frontal lobe.)"
~ hoshi_ryo
"Damage to the region can do Fun Things to your endocrine system, your moods, and, incidentally, cause you to act like River Tam in Firefly. (This is, in fact, the region of the brain that had been altered in that character.) Oh, yes, and this is where -- structurally -- berzerkers get their berzerker rage from."
~ hoshi_ryo
"I'm wondering if there's not just sockets, but a complete shaft in there.....I wonder if there's any possibility of a crude "interface" between the screw and his brain. Like...oh, a "tighten it a bit more, and it hits 'this' " kind of trigger."
~ lykomancer
"I suspect the fiddling with the screw -- and yes, a complete jacket on the shaft is likely, simply because meningitis is a bitch that usually involves at least an ICU stay -- is psychosomatic, or akin to scratching an itch. It's a movement that signifies...not always worry, or nervousness, but a need to do something with the hands."
~ hoshi_ryo
"Either way...we're kind of dealing with anime anatomy here. Things don't always make sense scientifically; they just are. The question, "How the hell do the weapons shapeshift?" also falls into this category."
~ lykomancer
And then we sort of decided that Franken Fran was one of the few people who could have possibly performed the operation...
General Musings
"I think when Spirit moved on to Maka's mother as a partner, he lost his readily available human outlet for experimentation. Since he was so young, and probably had less self control, he might have decided to try on himself, instead to fulfill that quest for research....For the screw, perhaps when he grew older and became aware of his insanity, he installed that as a sort of... 'failsafe', to try and keep it under wraps....Maybe to regulate how he thinks in the company of other people as well. He's very observant, so he could easily pick up on 'proper' social etiquette by just watching a moment, hence that friendly, aloof demeanor when you -know- his mind is has got to be wandering to... less acceptable trains of thoughts....He's certainly a left side of the brain thinker. Science, details, perception, probably focused more on logic and truthful knowledge, then imagination and emotion. He states several times he doesn't understand 'love' or emotion well. But he seems to hate the thought of a never changing, regimented lifestyle, as Medusa lovingly points out. As an obsessive researcher, he's probably on a quest to learn NEW things, NEW facts and would go so far as to cut something/someone open to -know- just what is inside them, and possibly learn something new to add to his cashe of knowledge."
~ chapeljax
"[His lab coat pockets are] likely where he keeps the ones he throws, though clean equipment is pretty important....I doubt he throws scalpels he likes at people -- just the ones that have either lost their edge and overall usefulness"
~ hoshi_ryo
"Stein probably got passed to some biological psychologists, too -- the most scientific...group are the cognitive-biological school, particularly since there's strong evidence that each can have an effect on the other."
~ hoshi_ryo
"Certainly, Stein can be careless when he wants to be, but the man is never anything by accident. He’s all purpose, regardless of what that purpose may be."
~ julitina
"And as for the fact that Stein has no screw and stitches [in childhood], perhaps that has something to do with Deathscythe leaving? I just assumed that Spirit found his one true love (i.e. Maka's mother) but maybe something (perhaps a mission) just went disastrously wrong"
~ julitina
"I notice that Stein-- when I write him-- only uses "he/Spirit/Senpai" when he's seeing Spirit as a person and not merely as an experiment."
~ lykomancer
"He likes to deceive people and take the upper hand. All the better to get close and surprise you....His ability to dissect not just people/animals but situations is top notch along with his intellect."
~ sopakun_ale
One for Death Scythe:
"You're such a hedonist. Anything, as long as it feels good, right?"
~ kkscatnip
And one for Medusa:
"Medusa was not a people person, but there were rare instances, glimpses into other people’s souls and lives that sometimes made her think, those people are worth collecting."
~ moonlittaint
If you are one of the users quoted above, and do not wish to be, please let me know; I'll remove it.
Edit (4/09/09): Added new section for discussion about the screw.
Theories on the Screw
"No way that could be safely self-installed....Even with mirrors, he couldn't have gotten a reliably good angle to insert it without damaging the brain -- either the organ itself or its blood supply -- and neither strike me as something he would risk. (As for what would be at risk for damage: pretty much everything except the occipital lobe, cerebellum, and the brain stem. That is one big screw and I'm not sure it's entering far enough back to completely miss the frontal lobe.)"
~ hoshi_ryo
"Damage to the region can do Fun Things to your endocrine system, your moods, and, incidentally, cause you to act like River Tam in Firefly. (This is, in fact, the region of the brain that had been altered in that character.) Oh, yes, and this is where -- structurally -- berzerkers get their berzerker rage from."
~ hoshi_ryo
"I'm wondering if there's not just sockets, but a complete shaft in there.....I wonder if there's any possibility of a crude "interface" between the screw and his brain. Like...oh, a "tighten it a bit more, and it hits 'this' " kind of trigger."
~ lykomancer
"I suspect the fiddling with the screw -- and yes, a complete jacket on the shaft is likely, simply because meningitis is a bitch that usually involves at least an ICU stay -- is psychosomatic, or akin to scratching an itch. It's a movement that signifies...not always worry, or nervousness, but a need to do something with the hands."
~ hoshi_ryo
"Either way...we're kind of dealing with anime anatomy here. Things don't always make sense scientifically; they just are. The question, "How the hell do the weapons shapeshift?" also falls into this category."
~ lykomancer
And then we sort of decided that Franken Fran was one of the few people who could have possibly performed the operation...
General Musings
"I think when Spirit moved on to Maka's mother as a partner, he lost his readily available human outlet for experimentation. Since he was so young, and probably had less self control, he might have decided to try on himself, instead to fulfill that quest for research....For the screw, perhaps when he grew older and became aware of his insanity, he installed that as a sort of... 'failsafe', to try and keep it under wraps....Maybe to regulate how he thinks in the company of other people as well. He's very observant, so he could easily pick up on 'proper' social etiquette by just watching a moment, hence that friendly, aloof demeanor when you -know- his mind is has got to be wandering to... less acceptable trains of thoughts....He's certainly a left side of the brain thinker. Science, details, perception, probably focused more on logic and truthful knowledge, then imagination and emotion. He states several times he doesn't understand 'love' or emotion well. But he seems to hate the thought of a never changing, regimented lifestyle, as Medusa lovingly points out. As an obsessive researcher, he's probably on a quest to learn NEW things, NEW facts and would go so far as to cut something/someone open to -know- just what is inside them, and possibly learn something new to add to his cashe of knowledge."
~ chapeljax
"[His lab coat pockets are] likely where he keeps the ones he throws, though clean equipment is pretty important....I doubt he throws scalpels he likes at people -- just the ones that have either lost their edge and overall usefulness"
~ hoshi_ryo
"Stein probably got passed to some biological psychologists, too -- the most scientific...group are the cognitive-biological school, particularly since there's strong evidence that each can have an effect on the other."
~ hoshi_ryo
"Certainly, Stein can be careless when he wants to be, but the man is never anything by accident. He’s all purpose, regardless of what that purpose may be."
~ julitina
"And as for the fact that Stein has no screw and stitches [in childhood], perhaps that has something to do with Deathscythe leaving? I just assumed that Spirit found his one true love (i.e. Maka's mother) but maybe something (perhaps a mission) just went disastrously wrong"
~ julitina
"I notice that Stein-- when I write him-- only uses "he/Spirit/Senpai" when he's seeing Spirit as a person and not merely as an experiment."
~ lykomancer
"He likes to deceive people and take the upper hand. All the better to get close and surprise you....His ability to dissect not just people/animals but situations is top notch along with his intellect."
~ sopakun_ale
One for Death Scythe:
"You're such a hedonist. Anything, as long as it feels good, right?"
~ kkscatnip
And one for Medusa:
"Medusa was not a people person, but there were rare instances, glimpses into other people’s souls and lives that sometimes made her think, those people are worth collecting."
~ moonlittaint
If you are one of the users quoted above, and do not wish to be, please let me know; I'll remove it.