Comments | theladyfeylene: On Characterization Woes....

theladyfeylene

On Characterization Woes....

Aug 25, 2006 16:49

I survived the storms! Huzzah!

I really do have some bizarre fascination with Hohenheim as a professor. I don't know why or where it came from, but I do.

Moving on:

( Cut For Rambling On About Trying To Grasp Characterization And FMA Spoilers )

fma

Comments 10

burningvigor August 26 2006, 00:23:54 UTC

I have come here for cookie collection!

But yeah, I can see what you mean. Envy's a weird one. It always bothered me that he acted like such a child when he's so ancient--that's one of the reasons I don't like him much as a character. I prefer the manipulative side better, but it isn't in character to focus heavily on one. Unfortunately, that's what most writers of Envy-fic do--they take one of the aspects of his personality to the extreme. It's hard not to do, though, but at least you can acknowledge the problem you're having. Since you know what you need to fix, actually doing it should be a little easier.

Good luck with that, though. I think if you succeed it'll probably be in my best interest...? ♥

theladyfeylene August 26 2006, 00:27:56 UTC

Whoot! You get a cookie!

Envy is insanely weird. I've always chalked it up to him dying at eighteen, and therefor never developing mentally beyond that. His brain chemistry and formatting stopped at eighteen, so while he's got centuries of knowledge and experience, he still interprets it and reacts to it like a teenager. And it is difficult to believably blend those two major sides of his personality into one - as they don't exactly normally blend together. He's a brilliant, manipulative, deceptive, whiny brat. Honestly, this whole talking it out thing is helping. I've just got to strike a balance between the two and figure out how to stay on that line.

Thank you! And yes, yes it will be. :D

burningvigor August 26 2006, 00:39:20 UTC

Yay!

Oh, I definitely think that writing out the issues you have help figure them out. The more you write, the more you think and figure things out. And the development thing makes a certain amount of sense, I guess. But yeah, I have faith in you. :D

theladyfeylene August 26 2006, 00:42:05 UTC

Yeah. And I've just been hammering these around in my head, and getting nowhere at all. I'm going to be doing a couple of little writing exersizes, I think, to flush stuff out even more. The development thing is the only thing that's ever made sense in my head. Otherwise I just can't see justification for him acting so emotionally and being so driven by things that really shouldn't matter to a sentient being that's centuries old. Aw, thank you! We'll see how I do!

I figure if I can write Hohenheim in the first person, I should be able to manage Envy.

anat_astarte August 26 2006, 00:25:03 UTC

If anyone can do it, you can!! I just know you'll find a way to bring out all Envy's elements in another great fic! XD

theladyfeylene August 26 2006, 00:28:46 UTC

Thanks! It's funny how I always felt I had a firm grasp on him, and then when attempting to write him from a first person POV I flailed and floundered and went '...wtf do I do!?!?'.

(The comment has been removed)

theladyfeylene August 26 2006, 01:05:54 UTC

He's such a study in contradictions. His rapid mood swings are also difficult to write believably. Since he can go from cheerful, relaxed and content to screaming and raging and in a murderous bloodlust with nothing in between.

Yeah, there's lots of fill in the blanks in his history. With the characters I'm most comfortable writing - Ed is the number one - everything's there. You don't need to patch together history or guess at motivations or what shaped the character. With Ed, we know exactly where he's coming from and how he reacts and why he reacts the way he does. With Envy, not so much. It's lots of extrapolation and guesswork.

momoiro_usagi August 26 2006, 03:11:20 UTC

I always enjoy writing Envy because there are so many different angles to explore! Wrath is often the same way, but it's more of the good/evil switch than the old/young switch that makes him interesting! But with Envy, he's either being a total brat, or completely on top of things. There's also a bit of a vulnerable side that only comes out with DantexEnvy and LustxEnvy, which is also really interesting to me! :3

I really like the way you worked through his character in your EnvyxWinry story, because it just worked so well for him, bringing out his jealous side and all! ;) But I can also see why you want to bring in the other side, as well. I remember I wrote a EnvyxAl story a long time ago where I tried it, and it was really, really tricky. But I'm sure you'll do fine! ^_^

greedyslayer August 26 2006, 03:59:04 UTC

Oh, cookie! :D Yeah, I was about to say, "but you wrote him as ancient mastermind with Sloth" but then you mentioned it and things were cool. XP Um, combining the two...well, I can see the division in that he deals with these different women separately...that is to say, with human women like Winry and Izumi, Envy could very well consider them extremely young in spite of anything, and perhaps would act young around them; Sloth is young too, but she's a Homunculus, and perhaps in Envy's mind, destined to be as old as him, thus he acts old with her. (There could also be the intriguing case of Homunculus ages--perhaps the Gate just makes them naturally older?) Also, in "priority", Sloth far outstrips Winry and Izumi, especially Winry, since although Envy hates Ed, I think he'll always hate Hoenheim more, and Sloth is the failed resurrection of Hoenheim's other lover ( ... )