Meme Revival

[awanderingbard]

I was looking back through my journal and thought I'd give this meme a revival. Because memes are love.

1. Comment to this post with the name of a character that I have written in fic. Or geeked out about or talked about.
2. I will comment telling you the following:
a. What initially prompted me to like the character enough to write about him/her.
b. One of his/her best traits.
c. One of his/her worst traits.
d. How easy/difficult I find it to write the character.
e. The story/chapter/paragraph/phrase where I feel that I truly captured the character.
f. My plans (if any) to write the character in the near future.

Comments

[shadowfireflame.livejournal.com]

OMG OMG OMG Sherlock please!!! Thanks so much! You have such a great grasp on him, I'd love to know more!

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Hey there! Thanks so much for all your comments on my stories! I'm glad you commented here, so I could have the chance to thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to review. :-)

Anyway,

a. Sherlock is just fun. I think the fact that I've loved Benedict Cumberbatch since his Amazing Grace days and I love what he does with the character. He's not the Sherlock Holmes from the original stories -- he's bitchier, he's more antisocial, he's more of a jerk, but that all works in the modern day society where being polite is less expected. I think in truth what attracts me to Sherlock is his relationships with the people he actually cares about. As fun as it is to have him be a jerk and genius, it's fun to explore those moments when he's trying to deal with emotions and situations that put him out of his element.

b. Sherlock's best trait is probably his enthusiasm. Whatever he's doing, he's doing it full out and will see it through to the end. Most of the time his enthusiasm is centered around things that are unsavory, but he still loves his work and is doing some good in the end.

c. Sherlock's worst trait is his inability to interact with the world. I don't think it stems from an actual condition, like Aspergers or Autism, but just a complete lack of caring about offending anyone. It comes with the enthusiasm -- he just wants to get things done and can't stand to have things get in his way. It's what is his ultimate downfall. If he'd been less of a jerk, people would have been more inclined to believe him and less inclined to believe 'Richard Brook'.

d. I used to find him really difficult, but I've gotten more comfortable with his voice as time has gone on. I still find him hard to pin down in scenarios where I think he would be worried or upset, because I never know how far to push him in terms of acting cold or showing emotions. When he's childish or bitchy or superior, I have less trouble. And I find him really fun to write.

e. Eeek, um, maybe this part of Parting of the Ways

[Mycroft says] “Emotions aren't logical."

“Yes, I believe I've learned that the hard way,” Sherlock said, with a bitter little laugh.

“That's the way you've always had to learn everything,” Mycroft said.

f. Sherlock has been eating my brain for like two years now, so I'm sure Sherlock himself will continue to show up until I run out of ideas. And then Series Three will air and I'll start all over again.

[shadowfireflame.livejournal.com]

Haha, no problem, and thank you for answering! I'm glad Sherlock has eaten your brain and I hope you keep writing him! :D

I love your points about Sherlock's enthusiasm especially. It was one of the things that really surprised me about the series at the beginning. When I started watching it, I thought it might be stuffy and boring (I don't know why I thought this, but there you are), but I was totally unprepared for how much fun Sherlock has with his work, how much he genuinely loves doing the "legwork" that Mycroft disdains. And that's what makes him totally loveable, despite his faults.

I also like that he's a bit easier to write when childish or bitchy or superior, lol. I think it is more his natural state. :)

Thanks again for your thoughts (and amazing stories)!

[joonscribble.livejournal.com]

Mycroft! Because I adore him in your stories.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks babe!

a) I never cared much for Mycroft until I wrote Road Hazards. I had purposely avoided writing fic where he was required because I didn't think I could do him justice. But I was even less comfortable inside Sherlock's head and so Mycroft was a neccessary evil for the narration and I found him easier to write than I thought I would. I guess what attracts me to the character, and what I usually focus on when I write him, is his affection for Sherlock. It's a crazy ass relationship, but there is an odd sort of love there and siblings are something I like playing around with.

b) Mycroft's best trait is...man, I don't know. I suppose his protectiveness? You can't deny the man will go to extremes to keep his brother safe. Which is why I don't believe that he actually 'messed up' with Moriarty, or at least didn't warn Sherlock about it. If that ends up being the case, I will be so pissed off with Moffat and Gatiss.

c) Mycroft's worst trait is his sense of the dramatic. I can't help but think that if he would just be more direct with John and Sherlock, they'd be more inclined to help. Kidnapping and spying is not the way to win friends. Granted, we don't know what initially caused Mycroft and Sherlock's falling out and if maybe he's been driven to such extremes, but with John at least, just showing up and saying 'I'm worried' would get him much farther than abducting him.

d) As I mentioned, I initially had no idea what to do with him. Series Two gave us a bit more to work with though, and now I find it pretty easy to get into his headspace. I like playing with the Holmes Brothers dynamic of two laconic badasses who don't get flustered by much.

e) Oh, um...maybe Parting of the Ways? I'm quite pleased with how that turned out.

f) I do love me some Holmes Family Dynamics, so there will likely be more Mycroft in the future.

[guardian-chaos.livejournal.com]

Hrothbert of Bainbridge! :D

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

a) I didn't really care about Bob much, even though Terrence Mann was the reason I noticed the show in the first place. I was too busy loving Harry. But _medley_ asked for a Bob-centric story in a request meme way way back and it forced me to take a good look at the character and he grew on me.

b) Bob's best trait is his intelligence. He's very useful to Harry in his work and he's smart enough to know when to try and stop him.

c) Bob's worst trait is his hubris. It drove him to do all sorts of things that he probably shouldn't have and believe he could conquer death, which is what gone him cursed in the first place.

d) I've never had particular difficultly with Bob that I can recall. I think I make him more cuddly than he is, especially in my mini!Dresden's verse, but overall his voice comes fairly easily. I would say he's the hardest of the main Dresden characters for me, though.

e) Oh, I don't like this question. Um...I'm fond of Something Indescribable in terms of my mini!Dresdens' Bob. Maybe Nightmare, for regular verse Bob.

f) I'm sad to say that my Dresden plot bunnies have mostly run away. It's always going to be a show that I love and will rewatch, but I don't know how much more I'll write unless I get really inspired. I am determined to finish my occhallenge table, so he'll probably show up in a couple of those.

[guardian-chaos.livejournal.com]

Ah, very interesting answers! I like your presentation of Bob as a character when you write him. I kind of feel like he was mellowing towards the end of the series anyway, so having him a bit more cuddly in your writing is fitting. :)

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

Murphy. any member of the Murphy clan.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

I think I answered for Murphy herself last go round (http://awanderingbard.livejournal.com/13412.html) of this meme, so I guess I'll do Anna?

a) Seeing as we never actually meet her on the show, I think what attracted me to her was the little bits we hear about her. Giving Murphy a kid was an odd choice, seeing as her book version is so alone all the time. I often wonder if they ever planned to do anything with her if they'd gotten another season. I like writing kids and so Anna was sort of blank canvas to play around with.

b) I'll have to answer these 'trait' things in regards to my own version of Anna. I'd say my Anna's best quality is her absolute trust in the grown-ups around her. I've always tried to write her as having a good relationship with both her dad and her mom, rather than being torn between them, and she accepts Harry for who he is and believes that he'll treat her mum right.

c) Anna's worst trait is her maturity, though that sounds weird. I picture her as having been shuffled back and forth since she was a baby and dealing with that and the fact that both her parents are in law enforcement, so dangerous professions where she worries about them being her. I think that makes her a bit older than her years and less inclined to act like a kid than she should be doing.

d) I find Anna pretty easy to write. I did initially have trouble since she was an older kid and I'd mostly written younger children. I found it hard to write her as mature, but still a kid and not too precious or twee.

e) I'm please with Heat Wave a lot, and her bits in Somnus.

f) My Dresden love isn't as strong as it used to be. It's still an old friend that I love, but I'm not as interesting in telling stories about it. I imagine she'll pop up here and there, but I don't know for sure if I'll write her again. I'd like to.