A herd of teal deer kickin' it in the forest
I know I came out as a new ski jumping fan in fandomsecrets and fessed up to being a Schlieri fan there. If you're already lost, have a primer.
Click to view(And if you want more videos, trust me when I say there's a metric ton of them out there. I'm sure you'll find something that suits your taste.) Anyway, so while he's not the reason I initially took interest, he's the reason I've stuck around. Why? Damn good question, but I think it has to do with the fact that I kind of want to adopt him as my little brother. No, I don't have any siblings and really wish I had a brother growing up. Yeah, he'd have probably given me crap as a teen, but I'd have been okay with it. So why did I gravitate to him? I'm still trying to figure that out, although I think his partial deafness has something to do with it. Yeah, I'm adequately ashamed, too. Thing is, while I'm not deaf on my left side, I have had most of my ear infections (especially the more damaging ones) on that side, so I can kind of relate. I'm also into photography (although have a diametric aesthetic) and get easily stressed by a lot of sounds in a confined space. So I figure if I was ever lucky enough to actually go to a ski jumping competition, I'd try to meet him because the odds are more in my favor of actually being able to chat with him like a normal person.
And that brings me to my rant. One of the reasons I can't get into the fandom is because Schlieri is so horribly written in fic. Argh! People, listen up. He's not a child (although he looks really freaking young even for being 20), so would it kill you to not write him as a totally insecure ball of fluff that can't handle any sort of pressure in his personal life? While I know that interviews only convey one side of an athlete's personality, I've seen enough candid moments where we see his more contemplative side. Yeah, I can buy emotionally sensitive and quieter characterizations. But whiny? Childish? Completely naïve? Hell to the no! So if you write him as a completely passive little bitch, I'm going to wear out my mouse clicking the damn back button. Hell, I'll even click the back button if you write him as one dimensional in any aspect. I'm of the opinion that he's way more complex and mature than his age suggests, and I also believe that his youth is still quite evident in how he views the world. So why not try to aim for that balance? Most people tend to write him on the more helpless end of the spectrum, and that's a complete turnoff. I doubt he's that innocent, and I also doubt that he's completely reckless. I think the challenge will be making sure he doesn't end up like Michael Phelps. I don't think he will, mostly because as far as I can tell he has a stronger support network and isn't in as much demand (but still in demand). There are other factors, too, such as he grew up in a country with a much more reasonable drinking age and actually does put sport first.If anything, I think Phelps needs to learn from Schlieri on how to be famous without completely losing your shit.
That said, if you're going to write slash about him, then yes, I do see a lot of angst potential. A lot. That's no excuse to make him whine. I've said it before and will say it again. Men are more emotionally complex than often portrayed. It just manifests differently. If I had to take a guess, I think if Schlieri was backed into this corner, he'd retreat for a bit but be more open to talking it out than most guys. I think a quiet scene where he sneaks off to a nature-oriented hideout followed by admitting to a trusted teammate or even competitor what's going on would be a much better way to depict him going through a challenging situation that pits his sexual identity against what society has in mind for him. I think he does get to do what he wants but understands that it's very much a privilege that he has to earn. So admitting that he'd much rather be knocking boots with another guy would mean possibly losing that privilege to some extent. While Europe is perceived to have a more lenient attitude toward homosexuality, individual sponsors may not be thrilled. So for Schlieri it would a very calculated risk (as opposed to an all or nothing end game it would be in the States), and as far as this relates to character development, a more complex voice and emotional response from him would be more than appropriate. It's entirely possible that it doesn't translate all that well into English. My response? If he can speak it, then maybe it's worth trying to write the story in English first. Just sayin'.
And finally, I have to own up to this bit. I normally don't tinhat, but if it turns out Schlieri's completely hetero, I'm going to eat my hat. Literally.