#they control me like a sentient rat pulling my hair to commandeer my limbs

[foibles-fables]

Do you have any tips for aspiring people trying to write Aloy and Talanah( more specifically expressing their personalities)?

Oh gosh. First of all, anon, this is such a flattering ask and you've made me feel so very soft on main on this weekend morn. I hope you're proud of yourself and I hope you're having an amazing day!!!! [cryingcat.jpg]

Second of all--this is a super hard question to answer with specific regard to these two fruity-ass yearning-ass sad-ass dumbass machine hunters (equal measures affectionate and derogatory). That said, I'm more than happy to make an attempt at coherently sketching out the way I try to capture character in general. It's one of the coolest and most challenging and most rewarding parts of writing fanfic--and also my personal favorite undertaking when I meet new pals to write about! Here goes.

1. First point's a little tangential (we're off to a great start), but there's a definitely difference between media I consume/enjoy passively and the pieces that really get to me. With the latter, I'm much more likely to get attached to characters than to a specific genre. Hence why my taste is somewhat eclectic! There's a character archetype I find myself most drawn to [weary sidelong glace at Kahlan, Talanah, Beatrice, Asami] and they're the ones most likely to make me sigh deeply and open a Google doc. So for me there's the immediate benefit of knowing exactly who makes my brain go brrr, and using that to both dig into and/or make fun little twists on their canon characterization.

2. I can't say enough for close and repeated consumption of the source material. Eventually their little mannerisms, body language, inflection/cadence, speech structure, vocabulary, general attitude, strengths, weaknesses, false beliefs, hypocrisies, etc. will become ingrained. Once you know 'em, it's easier to embody 'em and extrapolate 'em while being careful not to exaggerate 'em. I've watched Seeker and Warrior Nun in their entirety enough times to scare the average human, and I swear at least a third of the views on the "Talanah (All Cutscenes)" YouTube video are mine. Spend time with your faves. You'll all enjoy it and benefit from it.

3. Canon use of language goes a long way in making the character sound like the character, in both narration and dialogue. Check out the diction used in the source material if ever in doubt. I control-F scripts often for this purpose. Did you know the Carja know and use the word "miasma?!" Who even says that word, ever. What absolute dramatic fools.

4. Related--when putting dialogue together, it super-helps to imagine the actor/voice actor saying the line. The aural cue is a good way to check up on your characterization. If it sounds off, you might need to make adjustments. I also totally ascribe to narrating dialogue out loud as I'm working it out. Ask my cats.

5. Practice, practice, practice. There's not a single person who undertakes any craft and doesn't benefit from repetition and honing. Each iteration is a chance to improve and evaluate yourself. Do it often, do it with abandon.

7. Exude absolute feral gay energy and project all of your problems and demons and weaknesses and insecurities onto your faves Ignore this one please

I hope that was at least somewhat of an answer for you! If anyone else has any advice or thoughts, please reply with them because I was starstruck enough by this ask that I'm sure I missed a lot in my flustered flattery.

#foibles is writing fanfic #writing #oh boy i am not an expert at anything #please don't perceive me #i just go feral for the traumatized competent sunshiney girlboss #they control me like a sentient rat pulling my hair to commandeer my limbs #i'm just a gay chef linguini going 'clack clack clack' on my keyboard everyone