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Post by ichthyophobia on Oct 25, 2014 19:19:59 GMT
A side effect of DC having such a huge cast is that only a few of the recurring characters get any screentime. Which means for those of us who write about the minor characters, "canon" characterization is iffy. My example would be Nakamori--he only shows up in conjunction with KID and very rarely shown as anything but angry or determined. There are others, like Yusaku Kudo or Heizo Hattori who are important enough to show up in fanfic but are rarely characterized in the manga/anime. Characters like Hakuba have this problem as well--while he does show up a bit more in Magic Kaito, his appearance in either story is nowhere near as much as he gets written into fanfic. I've noticed that my writing of minor characters is largely influenced by what I've read in fanfiction, and I imagine it's the same for others.
The point being: What fanfics/authors do you typically consider to have the best characterization of minor characters?
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dogfish44
Junior Member
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Posts: 99
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Post by dogfish44 on Jan 1, 2015 12:56:25 GMT
This is a fairly common problem. For instance, if I ever write Shizuka Hatorri, this chapter by Candyland will be prominent in my mind. Heck, her DC100 fics, when they look at a minor character, tend to be very fair and very well written. One common thing I see with minor characters is a distinct fandom split. People who like character X write character X in a positive light, and the same principle for disliking them. Hakuba is either an obsessed and mediocre detective, or an independent detective who has already seen other problems in black trench coats appearing on the horizon. Yuusaku is horrid for abandoning Shinichi and never seeing him, or he's busy doing work that will pull the organisation down.
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Post by ichthyophobia on Jan 31, 2015 1:45:10 GMT
Very true, which is part of the reason I deliberately choose favorite characterizations to strive for. For example, Heavy Silences by BlinkBlink and the series surrounding that are my absolute favorite Nakamori. She made him very human, and competent enough that I could really understand how he got to his position and kept it. The fact that she constantly made him make moral choices to showcase his moral character really helped too, I think. Though it's hard for characters like Nakamori who are pretty much punchlines in the show... Technical "canon" characterization results in an unbelievably stupid inspector, which often feels like lazy writing to me. You're right about Yuusaku, though I have seen balanced Hakuba's (that I can't remember the authors of right now, darn). I don't think I've ever seen a characterization of Yuusaku that wasn't one of those two extremes. It seems to be a different issue for the love interests, though. Either they're a love interest, or... they don't exist.
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Post by Crimson Amarone on Jan 31, 2015 2:21:30 GMT
I love BlinkBlink's characterization in Heavy Silences and the related stories. I do tend to enjoy fics that take these more family-friendly series and brings it to a more mature reader audience. I tend to fall somewhere between the two I suppose. I definitely try to keep characters in character, but at the same time write a little more young-adult/mature in characterization and plot elements. It's true, especially watching MK which is twice as more of a comical show with some silly, unbelievable aspects—which is fine, it is what it is. But I tend to want to see interpretations in fanfics that do take plot lines in a more serious tone. Though sometimes a more "canon" feel is fine, because they can sometimes get away with being a little goofy if done right.
Habuka's characterization in fanfics seems to be all over the place. I'm sure this comes from his lack of actual appearances in the manga/anime. I can sort of see what you mean for Yuusaku. I've surely seen examples for both those scenarios. I can't really say if it's worse in comparison to main characters, especially ones that fans either love or hate even more so. And again, since these are minor characters to begin with, they seem to be used pretty uncommonly in fics too.
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