[Meme] Top 5 things to keep in mind when writing various characters

[edenfalling]

As seen around in various places:

Pick a character* I've written and I will explain the top five** ideas/concepts/etc I keep in mind while writing that character that I believe are essential to accurately depicting them.

* Try to make it someone I've written either often or recently in order for me to answer.
** May not actually be five.

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Susan Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia), for branchandroot

Ginny Weasley (Harry Potter), for silverblade219

Haruno Sakura (Naruto), for silverblade219

Prince Rabadash (Chronicles of Narnia), for hungrytiger11

Dave Strider (Homestuck), for askerian

Aravis Tarkheena (Chronicles of Narnia), for rthstewart

Lucy Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia), for snacky

Uzumaki Naruto (Naruto), for vehrec

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

So much yes for all of this. For some reason I think the "Gentle" part of Susan is often ignored or tired to be "reclaimed" as in "Oh, she's called gentle but she also is a fighting machine," which has always seemed a little odd to me. Not that it is weird she could or would fight, but that fic tries to paint it as her main instinct.

I'd never stopped to realize that Lucy and Susan's relationship IS probably the most neglected in fandom. You get a ton of Edmund and Peter, whether on the campaign trail or whatnot. A lot of older siblings and/or younger siblings fics too. You also see Edmund and Susan (usually as diplomats or spymasters) and sometimes Peter and Lucy (often in religious/Aslan connotations)...but very little of the sisters. Expeirncing something like walking with and then watching Aslan die and rise would be something that would cause a deep bond (though I suspect one was already there). Too bad there isn't more fic of this.

-hungrytiger11

[edenfalling]

Some of the redefinition of "gentle" I think is an attempt to reconcile that title with the Susan of the Disney movies, for whom it is an awkward fit at best. And also probably a reaction against too much history of women only being valued for being meek, being sweet, being beautiful, being objects who do what they're told without fighting to make their own choices, etcetera, etcetera.

But the thing is, part of being free to make your own choices is that you get to make your own choices, and if you want to be kind, to refrain from violence, to care for the people around you, to take care of domestic things, there is nothing wrong with that. SO LONG AS IT IS A CHOICE. So for me, I am interested in writing a Susan who is a strong person and knows her own mind, and chooses not to ride to the wars, and to turn her attention to domestic practicalities, and to attempt a dynastic marriage (both for practical reasons and for romantic ones), and to turn away from being a Friend of Narnia, and to survive the loss of her whole family, and to carry on.

I have a Susan-and-Lucy-go-on-a-quest fic idea that I keep meaning to find time to write, but I never seem to have the right moment. (Also, it would be rather long.) But someday!