Everything is Temporary: The Art of Writing Ilana

[weatheredlaw]

A super-big thank you to tellshannon815 for asking me to talk about everyone’s favorite Russian: Miss Ilana. Glad I could help shed some light on this rather hazy subject of a character.

Let’s get going, shall we? NOTE: Spoilers from season 5 to season 6. Just being courteous. : )

I apologize if this is a little tl;dr.

Comments

[flaky_artist]

Ilana is one of those characters I think I have a pretty good grasp on, until I actually try and explain her to myself. I'm trying to work on that though, because I also have a huge girl crush on her.

I wish there were more Ilana fics out there. I'd like to write her a lot more myself, and I've been trying to work out a possible backstory.

I think she is very self-reliant and doesn't lean on too many people. She is loyal to those she trusts, but they have to earn that trust first.

She is very decisive. She doesn't like to sit around and analyze the situation, she wants to act to solve the problem as soon as possible. This can lead to sometimes rash mistakes, but she'll do her best to quickly get back on her feet.

Ilana is also a very physical person. Whether it's fighting or romancing or just her mannerisms/body language, I love that about her because it can lead to a lot of descriptive potential in fic.

My favorite relationship to explore her in is with Jacob (gen or shippy, I've written both). They have a cool dynamic between them, and I really wish the show hadn't shortchanged on that relationship/Ilana's character in general.

And seriously, Jacob? You're my favorite character and all, but I must click my tongue at you for skipping the Dynamite 101 part of Ilana's training.