Post by Dabeagle on Dec 20, 2015 11:26:06 GMT -5
I'm always interested when people discuss their favorite characters, and why they liked them. I started to think about this after a recent posting where Sasha was identified as a favorite character and the reasons why they liked that particular guy. Sometimes there aren't concrete reasons for liking a character, sometimes it's just the mystery of that character - which can't last forever.
For me, of course, I love them all - and sometimes that doesn't allow them to develop into a better story line. If there is no conflict, then there isn't much story. Characters need flaws, fights or injustice - something that drives them forward that you can identify with and cause you to root for them or, sometimes, to gleefully hate them.
With Sasha, I sort of felt like he and Chase were quite similar in nature. In my mind, it was always because they were originally written to be the balance to a damaged, flawed character - Alec and Kale, of course. Due to this, We don't really get a whole lot from the perspective of Chase or Sasha. Of the top of my head, Sasha's POV was limited to Meet the Parents and Pillow Talk. In the first case, I wanted us to see into Sasha's family as an adopted child to dads. I wanted to show some of the mild culture clash between an older generation who meant well, but still used terms that that might be out of place, at best. It also allowed us to see that Sasha had grown up in an environment that allowed him to safely make mistakes and figure out who he is and, thus, why he's as together as he appears later on in the series, and particularly in Pillow Talk. With respect to Chase, Ryan had modeled him on an internet personality who was, in his videos, quite bubbly and had an infectious smile. SO in this respect, I always felt like Sasha and Chase were quite similar in their temperament, but with Chase being far perkier. Of course, differences come up as we progressed - Sasha's home life is quite calm and stable and we learn that Chase's was more a battle of wills than one might think, given Chase's personality.
As I mentioned before, Lucien was born out of pure emotion. At the time he was created I was deeply into the series and writing almost daily. In fact, I'd lay down to sleep and find myself bubbling over with an idea that had to be put on the page right away or a idea to a problem that I had to send off to Ryan right away. We'd frequently joke that the characters were talking to us, and sometimes it certainly felt that way. At one time, while writing one of the Robin and Lucien stories, Robin came through to me very clearly. Being in a zone like that really lets you climb into a characters head and get things down on the page. Now, with Lucien, I was pouring tons of angst into him but didn't have a planned resolution - in fact, in some ways, it made more sense to allow it to remain messy. However, as aggressive as Ryan could be, he was essentially a soft hearted guy. The events of Cowboy Up made him want to put Robin and Lucien together.
As we began to develop them - and I think I'm the only one, after Preacher's Kid, to write from either Robin or Lucien's perspective - I began to realize that other people might not like Robin as much as I did because the boy had no flaws. He's kind, generous, reasonable and so many other things that, perhaps, he's less believable. I found it easier to write from Lucien's perspective as I always found it harder to get into Robin's head - until Lucien did something bull-headed like running away to Albany.
Each of the characters was crafted with a different idea behind them - Hamster was born of the whole 'Alex From Target' thing that happened. Derek was born from neither Ryan or I being able to flesh out the Cole character, yet wanting to find someone for Hamster. In Jamie's Buddy, we introduced Sean - who I instantly liked better than Jamie. Jamie is a character that took a long time to grow on me, and he started that with this particular story. In fact - and I had to stop and go look for it - Seth McAllister was originally supposed to be Jamie's best friend and not Scotty. Just prior to Jamie's Buddy being written, Ryan was making it his mission to make me like Jamie and, so, was writing a story to showcase him and his development. Regarding Jamie was abandoned when the concept of Jamie's Buddy came along. We had a late night discussion and I wondered about one of the Kirkwoods having an affair and Ryan was horrified - and then fascinated. Ryan always wanted the Kirkwoods to be a perfect family - rich, smart, gracious, etc - and the idea wasn't one he liked. However, as I mentioned before, what makes for good reading is the conflict - and thus, Sean. For those interested, at the bottom is the three page fragment Regarding Jamie.
Because I liked Sean, Asher was born. Well, that's a little simplistic, but I think all of us gay guys can relate to having crushed on a straight boy. So I began to explore it again, some of the angst that had driven Lucien, and applied it to Asher but in a different way. Ryan, initially, wasn't a fan of Asher. My best guess, knowing what I do of his background, is that he tried to make characters based on what his childhood was supposed to have been. He didn't like that Asher was poor, that he lived in a trailer and had pimples. The idea of pairing him with Sean was met with a wall and, I was largely content with that, because of the way Asher's story had ended. However, when Jamie and Ash had their scene in A Funny Thing Happened... then it opened the door to experimentation, at the least.
And I am way off topic! After thinking about the favorite character of Sasha, I began to think about why someone has a favorite and then thought about how dull Robin must be, with his lack of flaws. Ryan and I were both after happy endings and, I think the story suffered sometimes because of that.
What do you think?
Regarding Jamie
I hung out with my best friend Seth until he had to leave for his grandparents. They live up in Albany, he wouldn’t be home until Sunday night and I had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of the weekend. School would be starting on Monday and I was kind of bummed Seth had to go out of town during our last weekend of freedom. I took my time walking home but I perked up when I spotted Chase’s truck and Alec’s car in the driveway.
I love Kale’s friends, especially Alec. They usually let me hang out with them and Alec taught me how to catch a perfect spiral which will come in handy this fall. I’m looking forward to trying out for freshman football and I’d like to play wide receiver.
The house was quiet when I walked in. I didn’t know where mom and dad wore, I knew Robin was over at his boyfriend’s house, working on the bus with Lucien and Austin, and I figured Kale and the guys were in the basement watching a movie or something. I opened the basement door and heard the TV. They had the surround sound on and it sounded like they were watching a war movie from all the loud explosions. I tiptoed down the stairs and found the four of them sitting on the couch. I took off at a run and leapt over the armrest, landing across their laps.
“Surprise assholes!” I shouted as I landed.
They all jumped but Chase jumped the highest and spilled his popcorn.
“Jamie,” Chase groaned and started picking up the popcorn.
“No one expects The Flying Kirkwood,” I giggled.
“Damn it Jamie,” Kale swore.
“It’s alright, Kale…” Alec started.
“No, it’s not,” Kale interrupted as he stood and seized me by the arm. He pulled me to my feet and marched me up the stairs.
“Hey, what are you doing,” I protested.
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” said Kale, turning me to face him.
“Me, I was just having fun,” I replied in confusion. Didn’t he understand I was just playing?
“Oh yeah? Do you think Chase is having fun picking up popcorn from the floor? Do you think Alec and Sasha like you calling them assholes?” Kale asked angrily.
“Well, no but I…”
“No, they don’t! Jamie, you just turned 14, you’re a big boy now. You need to knock this crap off. The Flying Kirkwood, the random swearing, enough is enough already.”
“I just do that stuff because it makes people laugh and…” I started but Kale interrupted me again.
“Maybe it was cute when you were little but you’re not 11 anymore. You’re starting high school in a few days and do you know what people are going to think if you keep acting like this?”
“Well, no,” I admitted, looking down at my feet.
“The teachers and the football coaches are going to think you’re a spoiled brat that they have to put up with and the other kids are going to think you’re an asshole and they aren’t going to want to hang out with you.”
“I’m not an asshole,” I pouted.
“I know you’re not, hell, Jamie I love you but it’s time for you to grow up,” said Kale. “Chase and I are leaving for Ithaca in a couple of days and I need you to take care of the rents and Robin for me, not drive them nuts.”
“What do you mean take care of them?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Come on, you see how weepy mom gets whenever I mention school. Dad’s just as bad but hides it better. Robin’s always been sensitive and he needs your support. This behavior of yours embarrasses mom and dad because it reflects poorly on them and Robin’s not going to want you hanging around with him and his friends if you keep it up either.”
“So what do you want me to do?” I demanded.
“I want you to stop acting like an attention starved baby. Just be yourself. You’re great when you’re yourself,” said Kale.
For me, of course, I love them all - and sometimes that doesn't allow them to develop into a better story line. If there is no conflict, then there isn't much story. Characters need flaws, fights or injustice - something that drives them forward that you can identify with and cause you to root for them or, sometimes, to gleefully hate them.
With Sasha, I sort of felt like he and Chase were quite similar in nature. In my mind, it was always because they were originally written to be the balance to a damaged, flawed character - Alec and Kale, of course. Due to this, We don't really get a whole lot from the perspective of Chase or Sasha. Of the top of my head, Sasha's POV was limited to Meet the Parents and Pillow Talk. In the first case, I wanted us to see into Sasha's family as an adopted child to dads. I wanted to show some of the mild culture clash between an older generation who meant well, but still used terms that that might be out of place, at best. It also allowed us to see that Sasha had grown up in an environment that allowed him to safely make mistakes and figure out who he is and, thus, why he's as together as he appears later on in the series, and particularly in Pillow Talk. With respect to Chase, Ryan had modeled him on an internet personality who was, in his videos, quite bubbly and had an infectious smile. SO in this respect, I always felt like Sasha and Chase were quite similar in their temperament, but with Chase being far perkier. Of course, differences come up as we progressed - Sasha's home life is quite calm and stable and we learn that Chase's was more a battle of wills than one might think, given Chase's personality.
As I mentioned before, Lucien was born out of pure emotion. At the time he was created I was deeply into the series and writing almost daily. In fact, I'd lay down to sleep and find myself bubbling over with an idea that had to be put on the page right away or a idea to a problem that I had to send off to Ryan right away. We'd frequently joke that the characters were talking to us, and sometimes it certainly felt that way. At one time, while writing one of the Robin and Lucien stories, Robin came through to me very clearly. Being in a zone like that really lets you climb into a characters head and get things down on the page. Now, with Lucien, I was pouring tons of angst into him but didn't have a planned resolution - in fact, in some ways, it made more sense to allow it to remain messy. However, as aggressive as Ryan could be, he was essentially a soft hearted guy. The events of Cowboy Up made him want to put Robin and Lucien together.
As we began to develop them - and I think I'm the only one, after Preacher's Kid, to write from either Robin or Lucien's perspective - I began to realize that other people might not like Robin as much as I did because the boy had no flaws. He's kind, generous, reasonable and so many other things that, perhaps, he's less believable. I found it easier to write from Lucien's perspective as I always found it harder to get into Robin's head - until Lucien did something bull-headed like running away to Albany.
Each of the characters was crafted with a different idea behind them - Hamster was born of the whole 'Alex From Target' thing that happened. Derek was born from neither Ryan or I being able to flesh out the Cole character, yet wanting to find someone for Hamster. In Jamie's Buddy, we introduced Sean - who I instantly liked better than Jamie. Jamie is a character that took a long time to grow on me, and he started that with this particular story. In fact - and I had to stop and go look for it - Seth McAllister was originally supposed to be Jamie's best friend and not Scotty. Just prior to Jamie's Buddy being written, Ryan was making it his mission to make me like Jamie and, so, was writing a story to showcase him and his development. Regarding Jamie was abandoned when the concept of Jamie's Buddy came along. We had a late night discussion and I wondered about one of the Kirkwoods having an affair and Ryan was horrified - and then fascinated. Ryan always wanted the Kirkwoods to be a perfect family - rich, smart, gracious, etc - and the idea wasn't one he liked. However, as I mentioned before, what makes for good reading is the conflict - and thus, Sean. For those interested, at the bottom is the three page fragment Regarding Jamie.
Because I liked Sean, Asher was born. Well, that's a little simplistic, but I think all of us gay guys can relate to having crushed on a straight boy. So I began to explore it again, some of the angst that had driven Lucien, and applied it to Asher but in a different way. Ryan, initially, wasn't a fan of Asher. My best guess, knowing what I do of his background, is that he tried to make characters based on what his childhood was supposed to have been. He didn't like that Asher was poor, that he lived in a trailer and had pimples. The idea of pairing him with Sean was met with a wall and, I was largely content with that, because of the way Asher's story had ended. However, when Jamie and Ash had their scene in A Funny Thing Happened... then it opened the door to experimentation, at the least.
And I am way off topic! After thinking about the favorite character of Sasha, I began to think about why someone has a favorite and then thought about how dull Robin must be, with his lack of flaws. Ryan and I were both after happy endings and, I think the story suffered sometimes because of that.
What do you think?
Regarding Jamie
I hung out with my best friend Seth until he had to leave for his grandparents. They live up in Albany, he wouldn’t be home until Sunday night and I had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of the weekend. School would be starting on Monday and I was kind of bummed Seth had to go out of town during our last weekend of freedom. I took my time walking home but I perked up when I spotted Chase’s truck and Alec’s car in the driveway.
I love Kale’s friends, especially Alec. They usually let me hang out with them and Alec taught me how to catch a perfect spiral which will come in handy this fall. I’m looking forward to trying out for freshman football and I’d like to play wide receiver.
The house was quiet when I walked in. I didn’t know where mom and dad wore, I knew Robin was over at his boyfriend’s house, working on the bus with Lucien and Austin, and I figured Kale and the guys were in the basement watching a movie or something. I opened the basement door and heard the TV. They had the surround sound on and it sounded like they were watching a war movie from all the loud explosions. I tiptoed down the stairs and found the four of them sitting on the couch. I took off at a run and leapt over the armrest, landing across their laps.
“Surprise assholes!” I shouted as I landed.
They all jumped but Chase jumped the highest and spilled his popcorn.
“Jamie,” Chase groaned and started picking up the popcorn.
“No one expects The Flying Kirkwood,” I giggled.
“Damn it Jamie,” Kale swore.
“It’s alright, Kale…” Alec started.
“No, it’s not,” Kale interrupted as he stood and seized me by the arm. He pulled me to my feet and marched me up the stairs.
“Hey, what are you doing,” I protested.
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” said Kale, turning me to face him.
“Me, I was just having fun,” I replied in confusion. Didn’t he understand I was just playing?
“Oh yeah? Do you think Chase is having fun picking up popcorn from the floor? Do you think Alec and Sasha like you calling them assholes?” Kale asked angrily.
“Well, no but I…”
“No, they don’t! Jamie, you just turned 14, you’re a big boy now. You need to knock this crap off. The Flying Kirkwood, the random swearing, enough is enough already.”
“I just do that stuff because it makes people laugh and…” I started but Kale interrupted me again.
“Maybe it was cute when you were little but you’re not 11 anymore. You’re starting high school in a few days and do you know what people are going to think if you keep acting like this?”
“Well, no,” I admitted, looking down at my feet.
“The teachers and the football coaches are going to think you’re a spoiled brat that they have to put up with and the other kids are going to think you’re an asshole and they aren’t going to want to hang out with you.”
“I’m not an asshole,” I pouted.
“I know you’re not, hell, Jamie I love you but it’s time for you to grow up,” said Kale. “Chase and I are leaving for Ithaca in a couple of days and I need you to take care of the rents and Robin for me, not drive them nuts.”
“What do you mean take care of them?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Come on, you see how weepy mom gets whenever I mention school. Dad’s just as bad but hides it better. Robin’s always been sensitive and he needs your support. This behavior of yours embarrasses mom and dad because it reflects poorly on them and Robin’s not going to want you hanging around with him and his friends if you keep it up either.”
“So what do you want me to do?” I demanded.
“I want you to stop acting like an attention starved baby. Just be yourself. You’re great when you’re yourself,” said Kale.