#actually i don't think this makes sesen but i already wrote this all. auhh.

[genesisvirus]

How far can you push max in fanfic until it feels like a different person?

idk if i'm the best person to explain this tbh, especially since max technically doesn't have his full personality shown (granted mdp's comment may be general, but they did say they want to reveal their personalities a bit more)

there's also the obvious problem with twiddlefinger, as i feel his own personality can both complement or ruin max's own personalty. but that's if that even comes to play. it's one thing if you stick to the shorts and make the two "two sides of the same coin" like mdp said, or try to say there's only one guy doing all of this.

either way it may be the autism but i do think max has a clear personality rn, but i can see why people don't always portray it. he's hot-headed and competitive, he's a certified dumbass and doesn't think of the consequences of his actions at times, which is definitely a big trait of his as it pops up in almost every short he appears in. he can also be a dick, but not enough to be outright mean to people. apparently greed is a reoccuring trait now, as he looks to be very money-motivated.

twiddlefinger i feel is PURPOSEFULLY out of character of max, and not his actual character. the shorts are obvious, but even in the mod it's implied it's some sort of corruption or a lapse of judgement, as he can be saved in the good ending and holds no signs of the behavior before. that being said, if you take max's character and make it darker, twiddlefinger does make sense in that regard. like i said, max is hot-headed and can be a bit of a dick if he wants, combine that with romantic feelings and an apparent lack of his usual morals and i can see max acting the way he does in that mod.

but again it's OUT OF CHARACTER, it's removing a large aspect of max in order to achieve that. not to mention at the end of the day the behavior ISN'T GOOD. i've seen fnfics so far that both turns max into a serial killer with no reason, and romanticizes the behavior. it may just be crack / joke fics, but still.

that being said i'm not saying you CAN'T write stuff like that.. i don't get it but you do you.. but since you're asking me specifically, i do think romanticizing his twiddlefinger behavior is Too Far. otherwise i think max's personality ain't developed enough yet to write him too far out of character on its own.

that may just be me tho, i don't write fanfics and i have specific opinions about this kinda stuff.