Character Development: Day 30
So this is it. The last day of this meme.
Frankly, I'm startled I managed to get this far. ^^; I'm usually not very good at finishing things, so I'm very proud of myself for finishing this :D.
This one's really, really long, so, uh, TL;DR ahead.
30.) And, finally: Write a letter to your characters, from you.
Dear characters,
I love you all dearly. That needed to be said first, before anything else. I cherish each and every one of you. You may occasionally do stupid things, or be noncompliant with the plot, but you all still all dear to me. That's what unconditional love means, which is what I have for all of you.
Aya, cupcake, you're sexy and smart and know it, and I love you for it. Remember that, and remember to be around people who will appreciate you for your looks and your brains, not just your looks. Brainy is the new sexy, after all. Remember also that people are people just like you, and you shouldn't be cold and unkind to them just because they think you're attractive.
Mikaela, sweetheart, you are an amazing person. Remember that although some people are arses, not everyone is. Nice people exist. There are a lot of them. You might try getting to know a few people, find out that maybe they're not manipulative bastards. Also, you're beautiful, no matter how short your hair is or how flat you bind your chest. Remember that you're pretty, you're desirable, you're lovable.
Adrian, darling, remember that you are who you are and no-one's opinion or prejudices can change that. Boxes are for boring people anyway, and you're the very polar opposite of boring! Don't put up so many walls - they hurt you and the people who care about you. Remember that Felix, among others, loves you for you, not for who you used to be.
Felix, honey, men can have feelings too. You're allowed to cry. It's okay to be less than perfect. It doesn't make you less of a man to care about someone or something - quite the opposite, in fact. You don't have to always put on a brave front and pretend that you don't care. Let yourself feel and express those feelings.
Alex, boo, you're a total gentleman and that's awesome. Remember that girls like nice guys, but it's definitely okay to have bad days when you're less than nice. You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders - take time off once in a while. Don't be intimidated by Kaylee's cheerfulness or extrovertedness. She likes you. She thinks you're attractive. It's going to stay that way for a long time.
Kaylee, sweetie, a constant projection of happiness is not healthy. Nobody is perfectly happy all the time. Everyone has bad days, and that's okay. You don't have to pretend everything's fine when it's not. You have friends - Miriam, Alex, Felix, even Adrian - who are okay with you being less than completely cheery. That being said, do always look on the bright side - does wonders for the stress levels.
Miriam, love, you're such a nice girl. You're the poster girl for nice. And yet you play characters like Aya and Simon, neither of whom could be described as nice. It's okay to be not-nice sometimes! Don't repress yourself - if you can't bring yourself to tell someone your honest opinion of them to their face, write it down! Describe gory death scenes, describe their complete psychological breakdown if you like. Works wonders for tension. That being said, don't feel like you have to do any of these things. The point is is that it's your choice.
Arthur, chicklet, your father loves you and wants you to be safe. The way he goes about accomplishing this goal might be a little misguided and he might be a bit delusional for thinking that he can protect you forever, but he still loves you. You could also stand to be slightly less snappy and grumpy - grouches are generally very lonely. Besides all that: I know that you love casting magic. But you might want to kerb your use of it in order to prolong your lifespan. Felicia and Chiro would much appreciate it.
Felicia, my darling girl, you are a badass. Never let anyone tell you differently. You're smart. You're strong. You're beautiful. Don't let people insinuate that female fighters are useless other than as someone pretty in impractically-skimpy armour, because these people who are insinuating this are completely wrong. You do a wonderful job of protecting your brother and your comrades against all dangers that come your way. Thank you for adding some muscle to a group otherwise almost entirely filled with squishies.
Lumiere, apple of my eye, for the love of Summer, be less defensive about your class. Don't jump down people's throats at the slightest provocation. The less snappy you are, the fewer negative stereotypes you'll reinforce in the minds of people you meet. You were written originally as an extremely lazy and laid-back character, so do try to copy a bit of that. Try to maintain a cool head, even if the people you're talking to are totally classist idiots. Please.
Caelan, my dearest little strawberry, you're meant to be a male character. Do you think you could be a little less wide-eyed and innocent? It's cute and all, and I'm not saying that cute, wide-eyed innocence is incompatible with masculinity, or even that you have to be masculine, but please grow a backbone. You have the ability to freeze someone into a block of ice with a word. Stand up for yourself a little! Have some courage! You can do it!
Simon, my darling mushroom, I must confess that you were supposed to be evil at first. You were meant to be hated. The readers were supposed to cheer at your death. However, after writing you a bit and seeing you with Caelan, I've completely reverse my original decision. You're wonderfully snarky and flirty and I adore you to pieces.
To anyone reading this: thank you for putting up with the character-related spam, especially when it's not even for a fandom. I hope that you learnt something - even if it was the barest minimum of information - about these twelve people - I know I did! These thirty days were wonderful - an excuse, nay, a requirement to write something every day, even if it was just a couple of sentences. I totally recommend this meme to anyone who wants to flesh out their characters/their headcanon, regardless of skill level or experience. Thank you again for putting up with this, and please feel free to ask me any questions you have about any of the characters! I love chances to further expand the ideas and images I have of these twelve people.
Much love,
- the_improbable1.
Frankly, I'm startled I managed to get this far. ^^; I'm usually not very good at finishing things, so I'm very proud of myself for finishing this :D.
This one's really, really long, so, uh, TL;DR ahead.
30.) And, finally: Write a letter to your characters, from you.
Dear characters,
I love you all dearly. That needed to be said first, before anything else. I cherish each and every one of you. You may occasionally do stupid things, or be noncompliant with the plot, but you all still all dear to me. That's what unconditional love means, which is what I have for all of you.
Aya, cupcake, you're sexy and smart and know it, and I love you for it. Remember that, and remember to be around people who will appreciate you for your looks and your brains, not just your looks. Brainy is the new sexy, after all. Remember also that people are people just like you, and you shouldn't be cold and unkind to them just because they think you're attractive.
Mikaela, sweetheart, you are an amazing person. Remember that although some people are arses, not everyone is. Nice people exist. There are a lot of them. You might try getting to know a few people, find out that maybe they're not manipulative bastards. Also, you're beautiful, no matter how short your hair is or how flat you bind your chest. Remember that you're pretty, you're desirable, you're lovable.
Adrian, darling, remember that you are who you are and no-one's opinion or prejudices can change that. Boxes are for boring people anyway, and you're the very polar opposite of boring! Don't put up so many walls - they hurt you and the people who care about you. Remember that Felix, among others, loves you for you, not for who you used to be.
Felix, honey, men can have feelings too. You're allowed to cry. It's okay to be less than perfect. It doesn't make you less of a man to care about someone or something - quite the opposite, in fact. You don't have to always put on a brave front and pretend that you don't care. Let yourself feel and express those feelings.
Alex, boo, you're a total gentleman and that's awesome. Remember that girls like nice guys, but it's definitely okay to have bad days when you're less than nice. You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders - take time off once in a while. Don't be intimidated by Kaylee's cheerfulness or extrovertedness. She likes you. She thinks you're attractive. It's going to stay that way for a long time.
Kaylee, sweetie, a constant projection of happiness is not healthy. Nobody is perfectly happy all the time. Everyone has bad days, and that's okay. You don't have to pretend everything's fine when it's not. You have friends - Miriam, Alex, Felix, even Adrian - who are okay with you being less than completely cheery. That being said, do always look on the bright side - does wonders for the stress levels.
Miriam, love, you're such a nice girl. You're the poster girl for nice. And yet you play characters like Aya and Simon, neither of whom could be described as nice. It's okay to be not-nice sometimes! Don't repress yourself - if you can't bring yourself to tell someone your honest opinion of them to their face, write it down! Describe gory death scenes, describe their complete psychological breakdown if you like. Works wonders for tension. That being said, don't feel like you have to do any of these things. The point is is that it's your choice.
Arthur, chicklet, your father loves you and wants you to be safe. The way he goes about accomplishing this goal might be a little misguided and he might be a bit delusional for thinking that he can protect you forever, but he still loves you. You could also stand to be slightly less snappy and grumpy - grouches are generally very lonely. Besides all that: I know that you love casting magic. But you might want to kerb your use of it in order to prolong your lifespan. Felicia and Chiro would much appreciate it.
Felicia, my darling girl, you are a badass. Never let anyone tell you differently. You're smart. You're strong. You're beautiful. Don't let people insinuate that female fighters are useless other than as someone pretty in impractically-skimpy armour, because these people who are insinuating this are completely wrong. You do a wonderful job of protecting your brother and your comrades against all dangers that come your way. Thank you for adding some muscle to a group otherwise almost entirely filled with squishies.
Lumiere, apple of my eye, for the love of Summer, be less defensive about your class. Don't jump down people's throats at the slightest provocation. The less snappy you are, the fewer negative stereotypes you'll reinforce in the minds of people you meet. You were written originally as an extremely lazy and laid-back character, so do try to copy a bit of that. Try to maintain a cool head, even if the people you're talking to are totally classist idiots. Please.
Caelan, my dearest little strawberry, you're meant to be a male character. Do you think you could be a little less wide-eyed and innocent? It's cute and all, and I'm not saying that cute, wide-eyed innocence is incompatible with masculinity, or even that you have to be masculine, but please grow a backbone. You have the ability to freeze someone into a block of ice with a word. Stand up for yourself a little! Have some courage! You can do it!
Simon, my darling mushroom, I must confess that you were supposed to be evil at first. You were meant to be hated. The readers were supposed to cheer at your death. However, after writing you a bit and seeing you with Caelan, I've completely reverse my original decision. You're wonderfully snarky and flirty and I adore you to pieces.
To anyone reading this: thank you for putting up with the character-related spam, especially when it's not even for a fandom. I hope that you learnt something - even if it was the barest minimum of information - about these twelve people - I know I did! These thirty days were wonderful - an excuse, nay, a requirement to write something every day, even if it was just a couple of sentences. I totally recommend this meme to anyone who wants to flesh out their characters/their headcanon, regardless of skill level or experience. Thank you again for putting up with this, and please feel free to ask me any questions you have about any of the characters! I love chances to further expand the ideas and images I have of these twelve people.
Much love,
- the_improbable1.