Comments | inception_meta: Backstory.

gen_is_gone in inception_meta

Backstory.

Feb 19, 2011 16:03

I assume any shipper in this fandom has their favored characters' entire relationship-histories all mapped out, but what about backstory? For instance, I see Ariadne as coming from a big family in a small town(Three brothers and a sister ( Read more... )

discussion question

Comments 17

duckgirlie February 19 2011, 23:22:42 UTC

Obviously, this changes a little, depending on what the plot requires, but in my mind:

* Arthur's got a solidly middle-class background, but his family was a little down on their luck when he was a teenager, so he joined the army to afford a better college.

* Eames comes from old, old money. One of those eccentric families who don't pay that much attention to whatever's going on around them. His parents never know where he is, or what he's up to, but they're always delighted whenever he shows up.

* Ariadne comes from a small, well-off family from one of those suburbs that's probably technically it's own city, but is so close to a big city it's pretty much been consumed.

* Yusef comes from an upper-middle class family in Mombasa, and he qualified as a doctor, but didn't find practicing medicine that interesting.

fae_boleyn February 20 2011, 02:34:20 UTC

Are you in my head? Because seriously, I was about to ask this myself ( ... )

beanarie February 20 2011, 05:57:18 UTC

I love that idea about Eames. I could definitely see him as an illegitimate kid with money, like Edmund in King Lear. Also it puts a whole new spin on his "Screw you to the old man" line.

sour_idealist February 20 2011, 17:28:17 UTC

Saito... Well, I like picturing him as the son of the Chairman and Sayuri from Memoirs of a Geisha, purely for my own amusement.

Oh my God, I am no great fan of Memoirs of a Geisha, but I need that fic IMMEDIATELY. That is fantastic.

fae_boleyn February 20 2011, 17:59:28 UTC

It pretty much already exists. That was the backstory that I heavily implied - I didn't say it outright for people not familiar with the story - in my Cobb/Saito piece. It's part of my A/A/E series; C/S is a background pairing that I decided to bring into the spotlight for one fic.

Thread 6

beanarie February 20 2011, 06:20:27 UTC

LOVE THIS POST. I've had ideas. Some have kind of solidified and refused to let me consider anything else. Others are just there ( ... )

fae_boleyn February 20 2011, 16:03:37 UTC

This is weird... When I give Arthur a sibling it's usually a twin sister (sometimes an older half-sister too, but always the twin)...

I'm an only child so I'm not sure what you mean by a 'textbook' case, but I do have a hard time seeing him with siblings. Also, you'd think his brother or sister would have the kids in that case.

beanarie February 20 2011, 16:39:28 UTC

Well, each position has its stereotypes. Oldest child is bossy, middle is neurotic, youngest is spoiled/lazy. For only children, it's self-involved, has issues playing with others, that kind of thing.

fae_boleyn February 20 2011, 18:00:51 UTC

Hmm. Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not a stereotypical only child. \o/

sour_idealist February 20 2011, 22:09:33 UTC

I tend to make up entirely new backstories with each fic, depending on what purposes I want to serve. The most unusual one I've used for Eames is that he's got a kid he never sees, one who was not exactly intended. I freely admit there's no reason to think this other than "I want to," though.

I'm usually with the others who said Arthur enlisted right out of high school, and I think he definitely got into the dream-sharing while in the military. I'm not sure whether he left honorably, got discharged, deserted, or what, though.

I usually think of Saito as unmarried, actually, although it would be interesting to explore otherwise. I like the idea of Yusuf working with his grandfather, although I'd be very much surprised if dreamsharing was as old as the forties; Arthur sort of made it sound like he was around when it was developed, although that might be just me.

gen_is_gone February 21 2011, 02:36:00 UTC

I have quite the head!canon about the history of dreamshare, where somnacin has been around since the opium war between Britain and China in the late 1870s. Actually, it's got a post of its own in this comm, one of the first posts.

The only real reason I think of Saito as married is because Cobb mentions needing to know Saito better than his wife in the beginning dream. But really, there's a very good chance it's just a metaphor, and he does almost seem like the unmarried type.

And wow, I've never heard of Eames having a kid! That sounds really interesting! Can you link me to your fic?

sour_idealist February 21 2011, 02:45:11 UTC

I remember that now, actually. *is a dork*

And I'd... somehow completely forgotten that line, wow. It might be a metaphor, though, and a wife didn't come up regarding the affair in the apartment. So who knows.

I could, except that it isn't posted yet. I asked someone to beta and she sort of dropped off the face of the earth. It's a semi-long fic, though, so I'm trying to be patient. (It is not a talent that comes naturally.) It wasn't a huge part of the story, though. I could send you the relevant section, if you're that interested.

lezzerlee February 22 2011, 12:55:46 UTC

Oh man My character backgrounds are so long. I have a whole story for everyone ( ... )

lezzerlee February 22 2011, 12:57:40 UTC

Ariadne is from a upper middle class family. She did her bachelors in the states but is completing her masters in paris. She has a younger brother whom she is very close to. Her parents are still together and she's very close to them as well. She is however really independent. She's also very observant, nosy, and blunt so her friends are few, but the ones she has are amazingly close ( ... )