On character types

[nekokoban]

So in discussing with voodoobob about the inherent "problem" of Sora being a Disney hero in a Squaresoft world, it sort of makes one wonder -- okay, so, I tend to really go for the stupid enthusiastic hero. He doesn't have to be the main main character, but he's usually heroic, sometimes in spectacularly stupid ways. In a lot of shounen manga, you tend to get that type for the main hero, which is probably why such a large number of my favorite characters from animanga ARE the main hero. (Though someday, I will still help co-found a Sidekicks Brigade and we will UNIONIZE, damnit! --this may be indicative of something.)

I seem to like my characters dumb (but not stupid) -- the sort of character who is content to not really do the thinking because people around him/her are doing it, but when called to, because of circumstance (or just being prompted to speak their mind), can reveal a lot of depth. I can be amused by the emo hero, or charmed by the sweet earnest ones; I can look at a villain and be creeped out or admiring ("you're really bad-ass, wow"), but they very rarely appeal to me as a "favorite." The problem isn't so much in fanfic, where your ground rules have already been set out though in SOME CASES it doesn't matter at all haha hello ff.net, but more in original fiction; of what I have, I've got two emo heroes (where did they come from, I want to know) and a bunch of stars who are ... dumb. Dorky. More prone to one-liners than world-saving, though they sort of fail at those -- as much from their own inherent dorkiness as my inability to write snappy dialogue. XD;

(Then you have the bratty characters, which I seem to find very hit-or-miss; either I adore them or I kind of wish they'd fall off a cliff and vanish forever. The good thing about a short attention span is right now I can only remember the ones I like.)

In some ways original fiction makes it easier, even if the characters make lousy roommates in one's head. Theoretically it should be EASIER to retcon an about-face in personality of one's own characters (we'll ignore Laurell K. Hamilton right now, kthx); YOU make the rules for them, so you should know the most plausible way to break them. (One of my dorky characters used to be emo! Then he had a great fall and sort of lost his memory, so he don't remember the emo no more. IT WORKS.)

To maintain a longer story, you have to have the different personalities, or it's just a bunch of yes-men and -women, who might have conversations that boil down to

"I like cheese!"
"Fancy that, so do I!"
"Hooray for cheese!"
"Cheese is wonderful!"

--and so on. It's bad to pigeonhole oneself into only one character bracket for a story, but how many dorky heroes can one pull off before one falls into a sort of trend, trotting out Cookie Cutter #2055 who maybe has blue eyes and blonde hair instead of blue eyes and red hair?

I mean, I find it just easier to write happy characters -- I mean, okay. Kingdom Hearts II and my entire flist went crazy for Roxas and Organization XIII. And I DO like them; I wouldn't write them if I didn't, but ... in the end, it's so damn easy to write Sora. Like, scary-easy, and I don't know if I'm projecting into him, but the idea of writing Roxas without him playing off Sora's inherent silliness is kind of daunting to me. >_> Roxas has all this going for him in terms of emotional breakage and woobiness, but I keep shying away from writing him that way because it's somehow a lot more fun to write him mentally tearing his hair out because "OH GOD SORA YOU ARE SUCH A MORON and I'm going to pretend I don't know you now." HOLLOW MEN may be my first and last attempt at it, because damn if all the seriousness in short bursts is really difficult to pull off. D:

Quasi-pretentious poetical metaphor isn't so hard; I AM an animanga fan. XD; But going for the right sense of bleakness when you consider that what we have are a bunch of people who are missing a very important part of themselves that they are very self-aware about, and the ultimate futility of what they want, is hard to come by. Ahaha.

... and now I'm off to figure out a plausible way to finagle Roxas!Sora to have sex with Axel. THE END.

Comments

[harukami]

Iiinteresting meta. Like it. Also, I like your last sentence. Two big thumbs up! (Sora: "So uhhh will you respect me in the morning?" Axel: "Do I respect you NOW?")


ALSO. BECAUSE YEAH YOUR LAST FEW DAYS HAVE SUCKED HAVE A FIC BIT THING. IT HAS PORN. I'd post in my LJ but ummmm not 100% sure you'd see it there with reloading in morning and all so. HERE.

Also I always do this. In winter I want to write about summer, but in summer...

****


Despite himself, Kantarou sometimes finds himself liking cold winter days. He likes them better from the inside rather than out, of course. He has had to trudge through snow before, with his hands tucked deep in his sleeves and his nose and tips of ears so cold it burned and the soft crunch of snow under his feet. But better yet to feel the chill seep in from the windows and press his hand to it, watch it steam up around the edges of his fingers.

Right now he is staring out at a puddle on the porch which has frozen. The light from the moon is shining such to illuminate it and he can't take his eyes off it.

He's got the best view from Haruka's room, and Haruka endures it for a long few minutes before finally coming out with, "What are you doing?"

"It reminds me of your eyes," Kantarou says.

Haruka is silent, then drops a hand on Kantarou's shoulder. "Idiot master," he says.

Kantarou turns to protest and is caught by the fact that Haruka's eyes aren't pale at all but are dark as the night sky outside. His breath dries up. "Ah--"

"What now?"

"Hold still," Kantarou says, and places his hands to either side of Haruka's face, gazes up at him.

For a moment Haruka tenses as though he might argue. And then, all at once, he is relaxed. Slowly, he draws Kantarou in.

This is not the first time they've made love, and Kantarou dearly hopes it won't be the last, but there is something strangely special about it nevertheless. It's so spontaneous, he thinks, as he undoes Haruka's tie, slowly opens his shirt. Moving from ice like this. Into water. Changing states with just some heat. So strange. So good.

"Haruka," he says, as Haruka's mouth traces a hot line against his throat. "Haruka."

Under Haruka, he arches and groans and runs his hands over strong shoulderblades, urging silently until Haruka's wings come out and blanket him. From then on, all the chill fades. It's hot, hot, hot, so that their skin sticks together, makes noises on separation. He can't keep his sounds down and they rise, throaty and high and weak and Haruka growls at him faintly, moving inside him in a slow rolling need.

"Haruka," he whispers, feeling Haruka jerk with each repetition of his name, feeling the heat increase, the pressure, feeling Haruka pick up the pace. "Haruka. Haruka. Haru--"

And then he's coming, arched under with straning thighs and semen spatterng his belly, lifting up so abruptly he almost slides off Haruka's cock. Haruka growls at him, grasps his hips, thrusts in again roughly and Kantarou cries out.

Haruka comes silently, eyes gone bright and blue and Kantarou, lying dazed with blurry eyes and a sense of satisfaction, reaches up towards him as if towards the blue of a clear sky.

[nekokoban]

I just like the DUMB ONES. What can I say? XD

(So far, it's mostly this impression that afterwards, when Sora goes back home and Kairi tentatively asks him how it went, he goes O_________O and turns bright red all over and runs the hell away. XD)

♥♥♥♥♥ :D

[halcyonjazz.livejournal.com]

I alwyas concluded that Sora was the Disney protagonist, Riku was the square protagonist, and Kairi was the illegitimate princess baby of both.

When it comes to the character types I go goo-goo for most, Sora falls RIGHT in that catagory. In fact he's the character I'm just the most sparkly for at the moment (he's just so...!!), and it just suits me even better that Roxas is his alter ego because my love for Roxas is deeper and painful and together is THE TRUE cornucopia of love. Then chuck the OT3 and HIJINKS ENSUE.

It all works out!

[nekokoban]

That might be it -- Sora's the Disney protagonist in a Square world, Riku's the Square protagonist in a Disney world, and Kairi draws porn bridges the gap. XD

See, I am not as enamored of Roxas' wibbly and angsty side because I like him when he's dry-witted and snarky and wondering why, of ALL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, he had to get stuck with Sora as an other, but secretly he doesn't mind it, because he's home.

... okay, so I like wibbly, but not so much ANGST. XD

[jpegasus.livejournal.com]

*nod* I'm way more likely to go for the dorks myself -- I like tidus and zidane way more than I like, say, squall or cloud (I like cloud, but that's because he's also capable of being a big dorky wooby)

also, yey for that last sentence there. ^^ I'm trying to picture it:
Axel: I want to take Roxas out tonight.
Riku: *expressionless, but there is an increase in electric current in the air and all of Riku's fur begins to stand on end*
Kairi:...oh. Um, that'd...that'd be...good, okay, I guess. Right, Riku? *elbows him*
Riku: *intense staring*

[nekokoban]

I liked Squall a lot better in KH2, I have to say; he stopped trying to pretend he was a stoic badass as much and was kind of ... a doofus. Which I approve of. ♥ But seriously, of all the Final Fantasy heroes I know, I like Zidane best, because he's a cheerful dork and except for one emo bit gets over himself pretty fast and he has a tail.

So far, Riku is being very reasonable about the whole thing -- but I think that's because he hasn't actually realized what Axel wants yet.

Meanwhile Kairi wonders if there's a way she can convince them to have a threesome and if she can watch, and how much the doujinshi she can draw from that will go. XD

[ladygoddess.livejournal.com]

Someone else said it on their journal (chirharu or something?) but Sora would most definitely be the one asking, "So are you a virgin if your Nobody has had sex?"

As far as Axel wanting to take Roxas out? Or even later on, Sora having sex. It's going to be automatic threesome (4 if its Sora/Kairi) or at least one of them is going to be watching. Kinda creepy. Oh, man, I mean, if Roxas and Namine are even vaguely concious of what their somebody is doing, uh...masturbation must be awkward.

[nekokoban]

[laughs] I'm of the opinion that of all things that Roxas would hide from Sora, it would be the sex -- mostly because Sora seems to radiate this LALALALA FRIENDS ARE GREAT YAY FRIENDS! thing, and I'm pretty sure that Riku or Kairi (or both) would've had to jump him in order to get him to think about it. XD

Masturbation would be terribly awkward. Either way -- because Sora would know Roxas was around, and Kairi and Namine had enough time to become friends, so Kairi thinks of Namine as separate from herself and yeah. Ahaha. XD;;

[ladygoddess.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm slightly confused about their ages. From what I've gathered, Riku is older than Sora and Kairi by at least a year. We know that the time between Chain of Hearts and KHII is at least a year. Then there is the question of how long both KH & KHII took. So if Sora was 15 at the beginning of KH...I am personally leaning that he's close to being 17 years old, but this is all just my own speculation.

That being said, no matter how happy and carefree Sora is, he is growing up. While he does exhibit the LALALALA FRIENDS ARE GREAT YAY! FRIENDS! mentality, it should be on his radar somewhere. I think its vaguely painful for Namine because she seems to have harbored romantic feelings towards Sora. Talk about breaking your heart if your Other and the one you loved were getting it on and you had to watch. >_<

*scratches head* I got into some discussions with other people here on LJ and one of them was VERY adment that Roxas and Axel never did anything. This may very well be canon, but I personally like all the imaginings of there being a relationship all the same. ^_^ Sooo...and I just got a mental image of Sora treating Roxas like a more expierenced friend and asking all these awkward questions about it.

Roxas: "....You like Kairi though, right?"
Sora: "Yeah! She's so pretty!"
Roxas: "I've never been with a girl, so I wouldn't know what that feels like."
Sora: "Oh! *turns red* Right! Um, yeah...I guess this conversation isn't going to work then, is it?"

(hi!)

[nekokoban]

Yeah, that was my general impression -- I forget who I talked about this (maybe housemate?), but we felt like Riku is a year older, and Kairi is maybe a little younger, so I think Riku is safely arund 16, 17 at the end of KHII. (Especially if we assume that KHII took several months to a year to unfold.)

Thing with Sora is, I don't know if he really thinks about sex at all -- certainly he's got a strong idea of romance, because he sees it happening in the worlds he visits, he knows what sweethearts are; he hung out with dreamy-eyed Selphie, even. But I think, especially when it comes to people being attracted to HIM, it just sort of blows over his radar, so that Namine, with her tentative feelings, he just sees as a very good friend. Which, yeah, given that and Sora's feelings for Kairi, must be very difficult for the poor thing. D:

[laughs] You know, I'm not really sure if Roxas and Axel DID do anything, simply because there was very little TIME for them to get to that, but I definitely believe that if there was any, Axel, at least, made the most of it. XD

... and it would turn out like that, wouldn't it. Very -- kind of like a self-pep talk, though not with the results Sora was hoping for. XD

(Hi~ :D)

[ladygoddess.livejournal.com]

(I'm reading your fics while I put off getting ready for a wedding)

I think I'll go with if there was anything, I'm sure Roxas had a hard time beating Axel off with a stick.

I'm at your "The Sound of Memory", and you've mentioned keeping the "x" in Axel's real name. I haven't read it yet, but it occurred to me the other day that the only really good option for Axel's real name is Alex. I keep typing it on accident now. So if you had the same thought as I did... ^_^

Lol, a new image is Roxas making dry commentary on Sora's future technique.

R: You'll be lucky if she's even here after you fall asleep with the way you're acting.
S: *tries to glare* What is that suppose to mean?
R: Just that, the happy puppy thing might get her going, but I don't think slobbering on her is very impressive.
S: !!! I'm not slobbering on her!
R: Right. I'm assuming you just missed it when she wiped her hand over her mouth...

I think I'm on crack this afternoon. Time to get ready for the wedding! I hope to talk to you again.

[nekokoban]

Eheh. XD

I'm pretty convinced that, if Xemnas was consistent with the naming scheme, Axel's real name almost had to be Alex; like I said, it's hard to do anything with A-L-E except drink it, or make it into a girl's name, and while some people have theorized that, it doesn't work with me.

Have fun at the wedding! :) It's easy to reach me whenever on LJ, and this one's probably not going anywhere for a good long time. :)