The Joys and Pains of Writing Daniel/Charlotte
(First off, big, epic amounts of thanks to elliotsmelliot for asking me to contribute to this, and for giving me a chance to ramble on about one of my favourite topics.)
Since they parachuted their way into Lost at the beginning of S4, Daniel Faraday and Charlotte Staples Lewis -- the anthropologist and the physicist -- have transformed from a pair of sidenote, minor characters to individuals threaded into the show's overall mythology, whether as a child of Dharma searching for her home or the heir apparent to the Others' former power couple. They may have been the brunt of divisive feelings among fans -- there's not much love lost for Charlotte from many, especially -- but they've certainly spawned a whole lot of fic, whether together or apart. Just to give you an example of how much this pairing has eaten my brain in terms of writing, during my relatively brief foray into the Lost fandom so far I've written just over two dozen fics. A grand total of two -- that's it, two -- don't deal with or address Dan, Charlotte and their relationship in some way, including through other characters' perspective. So that's laying my bias on the table right off the top. ;D
In some regards they're a writer's dream -- unlimited potential for backstory and "missing pieces" scenes, a doomed romance crossing space and time, a deathbed confession linking their pasts together -- but in others they couldn't be more frustrating. First off, they're both killed during S5 ("So Your OTP is Dead" was my runner-up subhead for this). Unlike other island couplings, whose relationships we've been able to follow from their first moments (Charlie/Claire, Kate/Sawyer, etc.) or had fleshed-out backstory (Shannon/Boone, Jin/Sun) how Dan and Charlotte met and the details of their relationship are murky and vague. Finally -- and maybe the most challenging -- a very strong case could be made that they were never really a canon couple at all (not a roadblock for fic, clearly, but definitely one reason why some wouldn't become invested in the pairing).
Even with all these issues, the great thing (I've seen, at least) is how Dan/Charlotte have managed to pique the interest of such a wide range of writers, whether it's as a fan of the pairing, interest in their connection to the island (and familial relations) or exploring their role as Freighties and pseudo-new members to the Lost crew. From the mythology aspect to the cyclical nature of their tragedies to inter-Freightie bonding, there does seem to be a lot of different facets appealing to different writers and readers. The couple also offers a window into a broader look at other Lost pairings and characters as well, especially in relation to people like Penny, Desmond or Eloise.
Now onto the next section, with so many leading and double questions it would make my journalism professors weep. (As always, links to much-loved fics are always appreciated and eagerly welcomed.)
1. They're colleagues at the very least, a romantic pairing at most, and so many other things in between. What's your favourite take on the Dan/Charlotte relationship, whether platonic, romantic or otherwise, and what in particular makes it work for you? What do you need to see to make their connection believable, IC, etc.?
2. My own stories have taken Dan/Charlotte to Purge-era Dharma, mid-90s Oxford, post-island married life in Boston and even the aftermath of a reset in London, but I've also explored their early island days, life on the freighter and even as part of 70's Dharma. What premises or scenarios have you explored with the pairing as a writer, or really enjoyed seeing as a reader, whether existing inside of canon or outside of it?
3. One of my favourite dynamics about the pairing -- and to flesh out in writing -- is their give-and-take, balancing approach to each other, not to mention the weird parallels that run through their lives. For you, either in writing or reading capacities, what appeals most about Dan/Charlotte and how they relate or interact? Do you prefer one character over the other? And on the flip side, what are the things that turn you off the pairing, or that you don't prefer to see in fic that focuses on them?
4. How has each character's romantic backstory informed the way you write, read or consider the pairing? What about Dan's long-term relationship with Theresa, one that seemingly ended not long before he boarded the freighter? Or the fact Charlotte's romantic past wasn't dealt with at all during her time on the show?
5. And on that note, what's your take on Dan and Charlotte's burgeoning relationship and how they met? Academic rivalry at Oxford? Encountered each other on the freighter, drawn together by circumstances and weird commonalities (like Charlotte meeting Dan as a little girl, or her time-travelling illness and the parallels to Theresa)? Have a past that goes even further back than that?
6. Family has huge implications for both characters, and those relationships seem crucial in shaping their lives and paths. For you, as a writer or reader, what's the most intriguing aspect of Dan or Charlotte's family connections and how have you written (or like to read) them as informing who they are to themselves and each other?
7. So they're dead -- clearly a roadblock to any happily-ever-after. Like other Lost couples with either one or both partners gone to the sweet hereafter, how to do deal with this in your writing, or what do you like to see in fic? Total AU? Rewriting canon? A ridiculous bomb-reset plot?
8. What role -- if any -- would you like to see for Dan and Charlotte next season, and how do you prefer to see that reflected in fic? What's your ideal resolution or ending for the characters both separately or together?
9. As someone who has written Dan/Juliet, Charlotte/Jacob and Charlotte/pretty-much-everyone-on-the-freighter, who else do you like to see paired up with each character in fic? Maybe it's Charlotte embroiled in a steamy, sexy tryst with Sawyer? Or Dan making a freighter love connection with Miles? Who else suits them -- or suits them better?
Since they parachuted their way into Lost at the beginning of S4, Daniel Faraday and Charlotte Staples Lewis -- the anthropologist and the physicist -- have transformed from a pair of sidenote, minor characters to individuals threaded into the show's overall mythology, whether as a child of Dharma searching for her home or the heir apparent to the Others' former power couple. They may have been the brunt of divisive feelings among fans -- there's not much love lost for Charlotte from many, especially -- but they've certainly spawned a whole lot of fic, whether together or apart. Just to give you an example of how much this pairing has eaten my brain in terms of writing, during my relatively brief foray into the Lost fandom so far I've written just over two dozen fics. A grand total of two -- that's it, two -- don't deal with or address Dan, Charlotte and their relationship in some way, including through other characters' perspective. So that's laying my bias on the table right off the top. ;D
In some regards they're a writer's dream -- unlimited potential for backstory and "missing pieces" scenes, a doomed romance crossing space and time, a deathbed confession linking their pasts together -- but in others they couldn't be more frustrating. First off, they're both killed during S5 ("So Your OTP is Dead" was my runner-up subhead for this). Unlike other island couplings, whose relationships we've been able to follow from their first moments (Charlie/Claire, Kate/Sawyer, etc.) or had fleshed-out backstory (Shannon/Boone, Jin/Sun) how Dan and Charlotte met and the details of their relationship are murky and vague. Finally -- and maybe the most challenging -- a very strong case could be made that they were never really a canon couple at all (not a roadblock for fic, clearly, but definitely one reason why some wouldn't become invested in the pairing).
Even with all these issues, the great thing (I've seen, at least) is how Dan/Charlotte have managed to pique the interest of such a wide range of writers, whether it's as a fan of the pairing, interest in their connection to the island (and familial relations) or exploring their role as Freighties and pseudo-new members to the Lost crew. From the mythology aspect to the cyclical nature of their tragedies to inter-Freightie bonding, there does seem to be a lot of different facets appealing to different writers and readers. The couple also offers a window into a broader look at other Lost pairings and characters as well, especially in relation to people like Penny, Desmond or Eloise.
Now onto the next section, with so many leading and double questions it would make my journalism professors weep. (As always, links to much-loved fics are always appreciated and eagerly welcomed.)
1. They're colleagues at the very least, a romantic pairing at most, and so many other things in between. What's your favourite take on the Dan/Charlotte relationship, whether platonic, romantic or otherwise, and what in particular makes it work for you? What do you need to see to make their connection believable, IC, etc.?
2. My own stories have taken Dan/Charlotte to Purge-era Dharma, mid-90s Oxford, post-island married life in Boston and even the aftermath of a reset in London, but I've also explored their early island days, life on the freighter and even as part of 70's Dharma. What premises or scenarios have you explored with the pairing as a writer, or really enjoyed seeing as a reader, whether existing inside of canon or outside of it?
3. One of my favourite dynamics about the pairing -- and to flesh out in writing -- is their give-and-take, balancing approach to each other, not to mention the weird parallels that run through their lives. For you, either in writing or reading capacities, what appeals most about Dan/Charlotte and how they relate or interact? Do you prefer one character over the other? And on the flip side, what are the things that turn you off the pairing, or that you don't prefer to see in fic that focuses on them?
4. How has each character's romantic backstory informed the way you write, read or consider the pairing? What about Dan's long-term relationship with Theresa, one that seemingly ended not long before he boarded the freighter? Or the fact Charlotte's romantic past wasn't dealt with at all during her time on the show?
5. And on that note, what's your take on Dan and Charlotte's burgeoning relationship and how they met? Academic rivalry at Oxford? Encountered each other on the freighter, drawn together by circumstances and weird commonalities (like Charlotte meeting Dan as a little girl, or her time-travelling illness and the parallels to Theresa)? Have a past that goes even further back than that?
6. Family has huge implications for both characters, and those relationships seem crucial in shaping their lives and paths. For you, as a writer or reader, what's the most intriguing aspect of Dan or Charlotte's family connections and how have you written (or like to read) them as informing who they are to themselves and each other?
7. So they're dead -- clearly a roadblock to any happily-ever-after. Like other Lost couples with either one or both partners gone to the sweet hereafter, how to do deal with this in your writing, or what do you like to see in fic? Total AU? Rewriting canon? A ridiculous bomb-reset plot?
8. What role -- if any -- would you like to see for Dan and Charlotte next season, and how do you prefer to see that reflected in fic? What's your ideal resolution or ending for the characters both separately or together?
9. As someone who has written Dan/Juliet, Charlotte/Jacob and Charlotte/pretty-much-everyone-on-the-freighter, who else do you like to see paired up with each character in fic? Maybe it's Charlotte embroiled in a steamy, sexy tryst with Sawyer? Or Dan making a freighter love connection with Miles? Who else suits them -- or suits them better?