meta
I mentioned to acchikocchi a while ago that I was going to write a post about how I write DV and DS. this is kind of that post? or just me blathering on.
I'm fairly sure I was the first person to write David Villa/David Silva - which isn't bragging (it would be a stupid thing to brag about) or an elitist sentiment or whatever the fuck. but it is the beginning of an explanation of why I write DV and DS the way I do, of how I think about them.
I started writing DV/DS in 2006, which was the first year either of them played for Valencia. (DV had been at Zaragoza previously, DS on loan). the World Cup had just ended, and Spain had underwhelmed, as usual. it's worth remembering that up until they won Euros, Spain had a reputation for crumpling under pressure in big tournaments.
I started shipping them because they were all over each other all the time. you guys have seen the pictures, it was fucking classic. those black second kits were like Nike's personal gift to me - David Villa literally on top of Silva in the middle of the pitch, his face buried in Silva's neck. it gets a girl thinking.
I think of RPF characterization the way a scientist thinks about a theory. A theory can't ever be proven, it's only conjecture. But it's the best conjecture we have. A theory, a good theory, provides a coherent explanation for everything we observe. that's how I approach characterization - there's no one, true, correct way to write a character. but good characterization will be able to account for most/all publicly available info about a footballer. (not in a creepy stalker way. I approach "publicly available" as what's on Wikipedia + easily findable interviews with major sports publications.)
I have this thing where, before I write a character, I need to get their back story down. I need to know who they are, where they come from, how they relate to their home, their family. and once I get that down, it's not something I can change. David Villa's back story is always going to be this to me. I've never written down all of Silva's, but I know it in my head, and it's immutable.
so, back in 2006, I get this settled. David Villa is a complicated guy. back then, he was really fucking good. I think he was the best striker in Spain, but no one really noticed. people talked about Torres, they talked about Raul. Henry. Eto'o. that colored my perception of him - he knew how good he was and no one else did. He got the number 7 jersey from Raul, for the national team, and that was a thing. Silva was a continuing revelation to me. he got better, consistently, every match. he didn't play in the 2006 World Cup - his first call up came during Euro qualifying. He didn't know how to drive, his dad used to pick him up after practice. in pictures, especially that first year when you saw him next to Mori, you realized how young he was.
plus, I was four years younger then. I don't think I was great at conveying subtlety. so that's how I started writing them.
So time passes, DV and DS are pretty slashy and catch on. Spain wins Euros, and suddenly they're a big deal. people are talking about David Villa now, mentioning transfers to Liverpool and Man U, etc. Inter's interested in Silva. Valencia's in trouble (jesus christ, Valencia was a shit show, you guys don't even know). After Euros, I think we all knew it was just a matter of time until they left. but they stayed, transfer window after transfer window. they stayed and you could tell they cared about the club.
Then World Cup. Then the transfers.
people change in four years. now, DS is a play maker, a mature player. he doesn't take shit from anyone. he had a bad Cup. DV has been vindicated by the free market, the World Cup. he's the best striker in Spain even when he's played out of his preferred position, as he frequently was at World Cup, and as he also frequently is at Barca.
when you come into - and I hesitate to call it their story, but I'll say it anway - their story now, or a year ago, their success must seem inevitable. it wasn't. I don't dispute other people's characterizations, I actually admire people who can write DV and DS really differently from how I do. but.
my characterization started four years ago. I try, every time I write them, to age them, to grow them up a bit. they have changed, as people. DV isn't that bitter anymore. I also think he's more nostalgic, more aware of what he's lost. DS is more bitter, smarter, more of a cynical romantic than he used to be. but I'm always going to be working from my base for them, my back stories. who they were matters to me, because it's a huge part of who they are.
I've grown as a writer in the past four years and my views of DV/DS have changed. I try to stay true to the characters I love by letting time change them, adjusting my characterization to this brave new world. but I'm not going to revamp everything; I can't do that.
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so that was incoherent. but props if you finished, and I would love to hear your thoughts on whatever.
I'm fairly sure I was the first person to write David Villa/David Silva - which isn't bragging (it would be a stupid thing to brag about) or an elitist sentiment or whatever the fuck. but it is the beginning of an explanation of why I write DV and DS the way I do, of how I think about them.
I started writing DV/DS in 2006, which was the first year either of them played for Valencia. (DV had been at Zaragoza previously, DS on loan). the World Cup had just ended, and Spain had underwhelmed, as usual. it's worth remembering that up until they won Euros, Spain had a reputation for crumpling under pressure in big tournaments.
I started shipping them because they were all over each other all the time. you guys have seen the pictures, it was fucking classic. those black second kits were like Nike's personal gift to me - David Villa literally on top of Silva in the middle of the pitch, his face buried in Silva's neck. it gets a girl thinking.
I think of RPF characterization the way a scientist thinks about a theory. A theory can't ever be proven, it's only conjecture. But it's the best conjecture we have. A theory, a good theory, provides a coherent explanation for everything we observe. that's how I approach characterization - there's no one, true, correct way to write a character. but good characterization will be able to account for most/all publicly available info about a footballer. (not in a creepy stalker way. I approach "publicly available" as what's on Wikipedia + easily findable interviews with major sports publications.)
I have this thing where, before I write a character, I need to get their back story down. I need to know who they are, where they come from, how they relate to their home, their family. and once I get that down, it's not something I can change. David Villa's back story is always going to be this to me. I've never written down all of Silva's, but I know it in my head, and it's immutable.
so, back in 2006, I get this settled. David Villa is a complicated guy. back then, he was really fucking good. I think he was the best striker in Spain, but no one really noticed. people talked about Torres, they talked about Raul. Henry. Eto'o. that colored my perception of him - he knew how good he was and no one else did. He got the number 7 jersey from Raul, for the national team, and that was a thing. Silva was a continuing revelation to me. he got better, consistently, every match. he didn't play in the 2006 World Cup - his first call up came during Euro qualifying. He didn't know how to drive, his dad used to pick him up after practice. in pictures, especially that first year when you saw him next to Mori, you realized how young he was.
plus, I was four years younger then. I don't think I was great at conveying subtlety. so that's how I started writing them.
So time passes, DV and DS are pretty slashy and catch on. Spain wins Euros, and suddenly they're a big deal. people are talking about David Villa now, mentioning transfers to Liverpool and Man U, etc. Inter's interested in Silva. Valencia's in trouble (jesus christ, Valencia was a shit show, you guys don't even know). After Euros, I think we all knew it was just a matter of time until they left. but they stayed, transfer window after transfer window. they stayed and you could tell they cared about the club.
Then World Cup. Then the transfers.
people change in four years. now, DS is a play maker, a mature player. he doesn't take shit from anyone. he had a bad Cup. DV has been vindicated by the free market, the World Cup. he's the best striker in Spain even when he's played out of his preferred position, as he frequently was at World Cup, and as he also frequently is at Barca.
when you come into - and I hesitate to call it their story, but I'll say it anway - their story now, or a year ago, their success must seem inevitable. it wasn't. I don't dispute other people's characterizations, I actually admire people who can write DV and DS really differently from how I do. but.
my characterization started four years ago. I try, every time I write them, to age them, to grow them up a bit. they have changed, as people. DV isn't that bitter anymore. I also think he's more nostalgic, more aware of what he's lost. DS is more bitter, smarter, more of a cynical romantic than he used to be. but I'm always going to be working from my base for them, my back stories. who they were matters to me, because it's a huge part of who they are.
I've grown as a writer in the past four years and my views of DV/DS have changed. I try to stay true to the characters I love by letting time change them, adjusting my characterization to this brave new world. but I'm not going to revamp everything; I can't do that.
---
so that was incoherent. but props if you finished, and I would love to hear your thoughts on whatever.