The Art Of Writing Jacob/Esau
First and foremost, I have to thank tellshannon815 for inviting me to a lead discussion here again -- this time about yet another of my very favorite pairings, involving two of my very favorite characters: the almighty Jacob and his awesome brother, Smokey/Man In Black/Nameless Boy/Dr. Smoke/Esau. I’m going to mostly stick with Esau from here on out, though.
But ( Read more... )
But ( Read more... )
Back.
Well. It only ends once. The rest is just progress.
But progress always needs a start.
I think Lost is a video game. Jacob and Esau are the twelve-year-olds who keep hitting 'reset'.
11) I'm working up writing a real-sized fanfic of these boys, and as with Supernatural fandom, I tend to lean towards humorous elements. Something light. Something fluffy. I think there is so much angst generated by these two that a level of playfulness will definitely be my starting point. But, once again, the sheer potential of this pairing makes way for so many wonderful ideas that, really, it's just a matter of where they'll lead me.
12)
Jacob = the bad kid turned good.
Esau = the good kid turned bad.
I think Lost pushes so much with the light/dark, good/evil thing that the characters actual personalities are sometimes overshadowed. Esau was a fussy baby when he was first born. Black cloth. Black stones. But you know what? He was the level-headed one. The curious one. He asked questions, looked towards reason, but he loved Mother, if only in a begrudging, tragic sort of way. Jacob was the calm baby. White clothes. White stones. But he had a temper on him, was more prone to violence. And then they had a character flip sometime around the time Richard showed up.
13) I'm a big sucker for the divine. I'm also extremely attached to the idea of something divine becoming human. I like the distance put between Jacob, Esau, and the other people of the island. It worked in a sort of caste system. On a scale of one to ten, one being Leslie, and ten being the magician behind the curtain, I'd say: Jacob and Esau, 9. Richard, 7. Ben, 6. The Others, 5. The Candidates, 3.
Jacob and Esau are in a world all their own. I also highly support Jacob/Richard/Esau simply for the idea of one simple man caught between two monoliths, two deities. Jacob and Esau will always be otherworldly to me, but they have the ability to be so achingly human. When you think about it, though, it makes sense. I'm pretty sure anyone who lives long enough will eventually forget how to relate to the human race.
14) I don't have any recs (because I suck like that) but I will be stalking everyone else's now that I feel fully prepared to dive into the fanfic aspect of this pairing.
Also, I apologize for the sheer ridiculous length of this reply. I… got carried away.
Reply
Yes. PLEASE.
11.) I think another really appealing aspect of these two is their versatility. I'm writing dark humor with them now (and crossing them with Heroes and Doctor Who fandom while I'm at it, but that's another story ;) ), and I'd like to think it works for them just as well as fluff or angst or smut.
12.) Lost's strictly-dichotomous viewpoints are at times rather stifling, aren't they? Thank goodness for fandom, where we can tell said stiflers to go away ;)
13.) Have you ever seen the film The Nines? Your rating system (which is awesome, by the way, particularly when one = Leslie) totally made me think of it.
Also: Richard/Jacob/Esau is made of WIN.
14.) Lack of recs does not an instance of "sucking" make, at all. Also: never apologize for length. Particularly not if I'm involved. Because, well... I have an issue with verbosity. So length is AWESOME. And your discussion here is wonderful and completely made my morning. In short: I do hope to see you around in the fandom, now that you're here (and I can't wait to read your Jacob/Esau in the near future!) :D
Reply
11) (Once again, Lost and crossovers is sort of like legalized crack. Addictive, and you just keep coming back for more.) Absolutely. The best thing I can think to do right now is set up the overarching storyline with something humorous (For instance, I've just started a Jacob/Richard/Esau last night, where Vincent is God. >>), then take people completely unawares by adding in these other aspects of the pairing. The tension, the darkness is so natural, it'd be odd to keep it out of the story. Also, dark humour is the best.
12) They're fascinating, and just begging for a battering ram to break them apart. The delivery of what they've given us, as a whole, is pretty awesome in itself. Good vs. Evil, Good vs. Evil, Good vs. Evil-- OH LOOK. There is no good or evil!
13) No I have not! But it's funny you mentioned that, because my friend just the other day pointed out the fact that we need to watch it. It's a collection of loosely connected stories, yes?
Richard/Jacob/Esau is turning into a dirty obsession for me. I've just recently found the community weareinhell, and will be stalking their entries soon enough.
14) Your essay just brought about so many ideas, I couldn't help but be verbose myself. (I think that's something we have in common.) I'm still taking baby steps in Lost, but once I've bought my wetsuit, I'll dive right in. (Speaking of fic, I'm heading off to pick through your fanfic master list right now. Was that Ben/Richard I saw? Ohgod, I love you. \o/)
Reply
11.) I'm actually going to employ the CAPS-PLEASE again -- humorous Vincent is God? Do it. I did a Vincent-is-Jacob-is-God thing not too long ago, but it was VERY!serious, and the potential for comedy there? Yes please.
12.) There is no good or evil!
Yes! And I feel like now is an appropriate time to say "Only Siths deal in absolutes."
13.) It's a really excellent movie, imho; the stories are... loosely connected, in a sense, but they come together beautifully when you discover what the movie itself is all about. It's very unique in the way it's put together.
14.) I'm flattered that you'd want to pick through my masterlist (which I'm trying to update now and failing miserably, because it's tedious and my attention span is doing me no favors of late) -- but yes that's Ben/Richard, because they are one of my very favorite pairings ever <3
Reply
Leave a comment