About Otacon. *NOW 43% LESS OBNOXIOUS*
This started as a reply to silver_drake's post about the dearth of Otacon/Snake, but when it started turning into a structured essay I decided to post to the community proper in hopes of getting some discussion
One thing I would really love to see in fics is a more rounded and mature take on Otacon. His is a fascinating character with a complex backstory and a whole lot of issues, and it disturbs me to see him written as a weak or overly simplistic character.
While I'm aware that the problem lies within the putrid depths of the Pit of Voles and other, more frightening places, and I am preaching to a choir whose membership is responsible for every one of the the best fic!Otacons I've ever read, I feel the need to put this somewhere.
1) Trauma
All Hal's relatives are dead. His stepmother molested him. He watched Snake kill Wolf. He considers himself personally responsible for Metal Gear. He lives with the knowledge that both he and Snake are frequently in mortal danger. But he still gets up in the morning and keeps going, and is able to make dumb jokes and nag Snake about the evils of tobacco. That's either serious, barely-controlled instability or amazing resilience.
2) Courage
You're probably thinking, "pshyeah, right." But Hal actually has a lot of guts. If you watch the Meryl ending- painful, I know, but apparently canon- Hal volunteers to stay and disable security so Snake and Meryl can get away, despite the fact that Shadow Moses is supposed to be reduced to rubble within the hour. He voluntarily foregoes a relatively normal life for the sake of his principles, choosing to live as a fugitive and tangle with unscrupulous and violent organizations. He is routinely involved in dangerous operations, risking a messy death if he is caught. Sure, he panics and runs for cover when threatened by a superhuman robot ninja, but so would you- I know I would.
3) Competence
He may be socially inept and physically weak, but Hal is a genius and a brilliant engineer. He routinely breaks top-level digital security and cryptography, and based upon the intel gained he plans and orchestrates missions. He's as competent in his own way as Snake is. This does not, of course, preclude the possibility of stupid oversights or intellectual hubris.
4) Maturity
Sure, he's naive in MGS1, but how long do you think that lasts faced with violence, nukes, and international conspiracy? He's an intelligent adult, fully capable of comprehending the full scale and ramifications of what's going on and having the same degree of emotional and intellectual complexity as other adults. This does not mean that the occasional display of immaturity is out of character- even grownups have their moments- but make it reasonable.
5) Miscellany
Despite what bishie yaoi would have us believe, the male body is generally neither hairless nor slender and effeminate. I will grant that official character art pretty much fails at providing a "canon" physical appearance, and thus it's pretty much an opinion issue, but he doesn't look all that skinny to me. Between stress, excessive coffee consumption, and forgetting to eat (essential work skills common to most engineers) he is probably thin, but he's not tiny. He's 5'10'', with broad shoulders, and the
action figure of him is pretty solid-looking.
If you think he should be (pick an adjective), that's fine, but please keep the descriptions within the bounds of reason. But given his relatively sedentary work (sitting at computer), the only way he's not putting on weight is by not eating, probably for the reasons stated above. And if he's too overworked to eat and sleep, he's too overworked to worry about hygiene. Snake does not have a monopoly on stubble. And please no more 1950sHousewife!Hal. Given his military background, Snake is more likely to be the one keeping things tidy.
One final pedant-peeve: Hal's age is cited as "thirties" at Shadow Moses. This guy has logicked out Snake's age at Shadow Moses to 33. I know it gets tricky differentiating between "he"s and "him"s and "his"s when writing slash, but why is Hal constantly referred to as "the younger man"? This is statistically improbable. I do not understand.
In Summary:
Shy, possibly neurotic, probably depressed and definitely emotionally needy, but not emo.
Aware that he is a liability in combat and not naturally the bravest of sorts, but not a total wuss in every respect.
Socially and physically awkward, but intellectually brilliant.
All grown up. Seriously. Knows and understands what's going on.
Not a bishonen. My boyfriend is a good example of his likely hygiene habits. Redeeming personality traits are his saving grace.
The seme/uke issue is irrelevant here and best left up to the individual author, but I'm with silver_drake on this one.
So yeah. What do you think? Please discuss- I'm honestly and legitimately curious. If you think I'm full of shit, please tell me so. If this sort of thread is not welcome in the community, I'm very sorry and I won't do it again.
*winces in anticipation of a hail of bottles, rocks, and decaying produce*
One thing I would really love to see in fics is a more rounded and mature take on Otacon. His is a fascinating character with a complex backstory and a whole lot of issues, and it disturbs me to see him written as a weak or overly simplistic character.
While I'm aware that the problem lies within the putrid depths of the Pit of Voles and other, more frightening places, and I am preaching to a choir whose membership is responsible for every one of the the best fic!Otacons I've ever read, I feel the need to put this somewhere.
1) Trauma
All Hal's relatives are dead. His stepmother molested him. He watched Snake kill Wolf. He considers himself personally responsible for Metal Gear. He lives with the knowledge that both he and Snake are frequently in mortal danger. But he still gets up in the morning and keeps going, and is able to make dumb jokes and nag Snake about the evils of tobacco. That's either serious, barely-controlled instability or amazing resilience.
2) Courage
You're probably thinking, "pshyeah, right." But Hal actually has a lot of guts. If you watch the Meryl ending- painful, I know, but apparently canon- Hal volunteers to stay and disable security so Snake and Meryl can get away, despite the fact that Shadow Moses is supposed to be reduced to rubble within the hour. He voluntarily foregoes a relatively normal life for the sake of his principles, choosing to live as a fugitive and tangle with unscrupulous and violent organizations. He is routinely involved in dangerous operations, risking a messy death if he is caught. Sure, he panics and runs for cover when threatened by a superhuman robot ninja, but so would you- I know I would.
3) Competence
He may be socially inept and physically weak, but Hal is a genius and a brilliant engineer. He routinely breaks top-level digital security and cryptography, and based upon the intel gained he plans and orchestrates missions. He's as competent in his own way as Snake is. This does not, of course, preclude the possibility of stupid oversights or intellectual hubris.
4) Maturity
Sure, he's naive in MGS1, but how long do you think that lasts faced with violence, nukes, and international conspiracy? He's an intelligent adult, fully capable of comprehending the full scale and ramifications of what's going on and having the same degree of emotional and intellectual complexity as other adults. This does not mean that the occasional display of immaturity is out of character- even grownups have their moments- but make it reasonable.
5) Miscellany
Despite what bishie yaoi would have us believe, the male body is generally neither hairless nor slender and effeminate. I will grant that official character art pretty much fails at providing a "canon" physical appearance, and thus it's pretty much an opinion issue, but he doesn't look all that skinny to me. Between stress, excessive coffee consumption, and forgetting to eat (essential work skills common to most engineers) he is probably thin, but he's not tiny. He's 5'10'', with broad shoulders, and the
action figure of him is pretty solid-looking.
If you think he should be (pick an adjective), that's fine, but please keep the descriptions within the bounds of reason. But given his relatively sedentary work (sitting at computer), the only way he's not putting on weight is by not eating, probably for the reasons stated above. And if he's too overworked to eat and sleep, he's too overworked to worry about hygiene. Snake does not have a monopoly on stubble. And please no more 1950sHousewife!Hal. Given his military background, Snake is more likely to be the one keeping things tidy.
One final pedant-peeve: Hal's age is cited as "thirties" at Shadow Moses. This guy has logicked out Snake's age at Shadow Moses to 33. I know it gets tricky differentiating between "he"s and "him"s and "his"s when writing slash, but why is Hal constantly referred to as "the younger man"? This is statistically improbable. I do not understand.
In Summary:
Shy, possibly neurotic, probably depressed and definitely emotionally needy, but not emo.
Aware that he is a liability in combat and not naturally the bravest of sorts, but not a total wuss in every respect.
Socially and physically awkward, but intellectually brilliant.
All grown up. Seriously. Knows and understands what's going on.
Not a bishonen. My boyfriend is a good example of his likely hygiene habits. Redeeming personality traits are his saving grace.
The seme/uke issue is irrelevant here and best left up to the individual author, but I'm with silver_drake on this one.
So yeah. What do you think? Please discuss- I'm honestly and legitimately curious. If you think I'm full of shit, please tell me so. If this sort of thread is not welcome in the community, I'm very sorry and I won't do it again.
*winces in anticipation of a hail of bottles, rocks, and decaying produce*