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blackwaves · 1 day

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i'm so curious if you have anything specific you would like to say about your processes regarding mirroring different bsd character's mannerisms and methods of speaking, because 👀 (-> person who recently picked up writing bsd fic but struggles wrt matching character voice as a rule). completely fair if it's something that you either have said all you intend to about for rn or if it's something you would prefer to engage with only in more direct conversation though!!

oh, all i ever want to do is talk about writing as a craft; i'm delighted to chat about it.

much of what I do for bsd is the same as I do for characters in other fics. I'm never aiming to necessarily mirror the characters as they appear in the source materials, because I write fanfiction to explore the characters outside of the confines of canon. instead, I aim to recreate the "look and feel" of the characters, so they still feel like themselves, even when adapted to my authorial voice and lenses of interpretation.

There are a several principles of canonical interpretation that I use to guide my characterizations, which I've listed below.

Characters are storytelling devices that serve the canonical narrative's key themes. Even if I'm writing outside of canon, I'm not going to be able to make them feel like themselves without first understanding canon (genre, themes, tone, thesis, etc.) and the characters' roles in the context of canon.

Characters are comprised of component parts (such as goals, motivations, flaws, experiences, preferences, skills) that, if conflated, obscure or make it very easy to misidentify their behavioral patterns.

Characters are designed and written intentionally. There is no random detail; every scrap of canonical information survived multiple drafts, rounds of revisions, and editorial scrutiny for a reason.

If I don't understand why a character behaved the way they did, or if the "why" seems out of character or incongruent with the overarching narrative and themes of the story, then I assume I'm missing details; I have misunderstood some aspect of either the character or the context; my bias or experiences are clouding my perspective; or I am operating from a false premise or place of ignorance. This is especially important for engaging with works outside my own cultural context, and for cultivating discernment, emotional intelligence, sincerity, compassion, and curiosity (which are core to my values).

I continue to deconstruct and reconstruct and reconcile characters and their narratives, constantly testing the patterns I've previously identified against new information or canonical material, and refining or reworking them accordingly. In other words, I remain flexible in my interpretations, and I continue applying those interpretations to ongoing canon. I don't want canon to validate my interpretations, I want to understand canon.

To write characters that feel like distinct, whole people, I observe people, myself and others, both granularly and holistically, with insatiable curiosity. Otherwise I risk writing my own ego, patterns, and mannerisms over and over. That doesn't work for me, because I write and read to explore the expansiveness of existence, not to force existence to fit into the narrowness of my present perception.

You only asked about characters' mannerisms and methods of speaking, so many of the above principles may seem out of scope. They're not. If you only observe patterns without analyzing their causes and context, you'll, at best, only ever be able to caricature them, but never replicate, adapt, or expound upon them.

But, with the above principles in mind, my process for learning to write characters' manner of speaking includes revisiting their canonical dialogue to identify their (1) speech patterns like vocal rhythm, pace, intonation, and pausing (sources of which may vary based on the medium, e.g., narrative descriptions and punctuation for written canon; expressions and other characters' reactions for visual canon; etc.); (2) vocabulary, dialect, frequently used phrases, favorite filler words; (3) nonverbal modes of communication (e.g., Chuuya screeches like a vixen in heat when he's either in Corruption or really, really, really riled up by or in regard to Dazai).

Then, I note variations in (1)-(3) across interactions with other characters and in different settings, noting where, how, and potentially why those changes occur (e.g., Kunikida doesn't usually use honorifics, but he does for Ranpo and Fukuzawa; it's explicitly because he immensely respects them and desires to learn from them, the former perhaps because of the latter).

For Japanese speaking characters, I research which type of keigo they use in canon, and which particles of speech indicating tone they commonly use, and why/when/to whom they code switch. I don't speak Japanese, so I generally rely on analyses provided by native speakers, but I also listen/read the raws to confirm the formality or type of keigo they're using in situations relevant to whatever I'm writing. For other languages and dialects too, the process is roughly the same; I look for resources from native speakers and translators that provide insight into patterns I wouldn't otherwise hear or recognize as a monolingual English speaker. I don't do this with any intent to try and replicate them, but to better and more precisely adapt the character's speech patterns to the English version of them. For example, I've noticed a lot of MDZS/Untamed fanfiction writes Lan Wangji speaking very brusquely. This is because he does so in Chinese. But in Chinese syntax, his short sentences indicate his formality and noble character. In English, which requires packing way more context into sentences than Chinese, short sentences with minimal context can come across as informal, clipped, and sometimes rude/dismissive/abrupt.

There's also the matter of code switching, which transcends any one language, and lends lots of insight into our relationships and dynamics. We do not usually talk to our best friends the way we speak to strangers, for example. Our accents and dialects also shift with our settings; I'm from the Deep South, you call EVERYONE "ma'am" or "sir" if they are even slightly older than you or you otherwise respect them; using "ma'am" or "sir" where I currently live is liable to offend someone. Paying attention to this in characters can really, really help you capture them across contexts. It's also just generally respectful to engage with the cultural and linguistic context of the stories you love.

For their body language, it's very similar to the above, in that I revisit canon, note patterns, and compare contexts. (Also still salient are my notes about culturally specific details and code switching -- body language, like any form of communication, is also informed by our upbringing and cultural backgrounds.)

Then, I write, revisiting my notes and canon as necessary, but mostly focused on drafting. During revisions, I more carefully compare my dialogue and body language against canon, and pay closer attention to refining my dialogue to sound more like the character. Sometimes I watch or read relevant canon before writing specific dialogue so that the rhythms are fresh in my mind.

I'm never trying to erode my own authorial voice, and I make all sorts of choices with how I adapt character voices to my writing style and preferences. But, I can do that without compromising the character's "look and feel" because I've done the above work to understand the essential elements of their communication, and how those elements relate to their overall characterization (essential to which is applying the principles I listed at the outset to the speech and body language patterns I notice).

But, like, all of this amounts to just revisiting canon a lot and connecting patterns in the characters' speech and body language with their characterization + being curious about the cultural layers you may be missing.

Also, with regard to bsd, I recommend reading, even if just in snippets, works by the irl!authors, since Asagiri almost literally quotes them sometimes, and certainly uses the irl namesakes' authorial voices to guide the tone, inflections, and speech quirks of the characters he writes. (I love, love, love to invoke irl!Chuuya's symbolist and sometimes bewildering habit of mashing together imagery and bastardizing words/turns of phrase in ways that are nonsensical when taken literally, but which are evocative or meaningful in the tone, atmosphere, and meter of his poetry. I'm not as clever as him, so I'm silly with it, but nevertheless, it sparks joy.)

I have no idea if any of this is helpful, but it's how I enjoy approaching it. I'm also inclined to think it works for me; the element in my fics I'm complimented on the most in comments and feedback tends to be my characterizations.

#belated but ty for the linked post and other notes!!#your tags particularly are very interesting

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blackwaves · 14 days

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oh, all i ever want to do is talk about writing as a craft; i'm delighted to chat about it.

There are a several principles of canonical interpretation that I use to guide my characterizations, which I've listed below.

Characters are designed and written intentionally. There is no random detail; every scrap of canonical information survived multiple drafts, rounds of revisions, and editorial scrutiny for a reason.

#meta #hi anon asking was me <3 fascinating and reblogging this for reference #i think as a rule i'm fond of fiction-as-a-method-for-exploring-alternative-lenses and it's one of the most important parts of stories to m #+ important to me wrt fanfiction that the characters don't feel... generic (gestures at the fandom ghost meta)#in perspective + actions #which is just to say i always think exploring and refining characterization can be interesting #(obligatory-though-unrelated note one of the major reasons bsd compels me so much is the interest in different lenses #i think i've seen—possibly in your meta—it mentioned that asagiri has an almost uncanny ability to #mimic the voices of the authors he references in bsd #which is. so much to me tbh.)#anyway: overall ty so much for this in-depth of an answer...#definitely pushes looking into keigo used further up my list of what to look for in bsd characters and i'm curious if you have any tips on #figuring that out as a non-native speaker #given that the characters i've been writing for are less likely to have proper analysis written for than some of the more popular ones #(obviously zero obligation and feel free to simply tell me it's easy to identify if i put research in!)#at the moment i've been using a spreadsheet someone compiled in order to look at the honorifics used between different characters #but i'm not as familiar with other parts of keigo

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