23 replies to this topic

[Solstice]

I don't know if this is the appropriate place to ask, but I've been making attempts at starting my own fanfic of Baldur's Gate, and I'm curious-what characters do people find particularly easy or hard to write, both BG1 and BG2? I have a very easy time writing Jaheira, Alora, Imoen, and some other characters, but ones like Minsc, Dynaheir, Anomen, and so on just drive me nuts. What're your experiences?

[berelinde]

I don't write fanfic, but I write banters, so I guess that counts.

I'm OK with most of the NPCs in BG1/BG2, but I find Edwin and Viconia the most difficult to write for. With Viconia, the trap seems to be continuing to belabor the same theme. Yes, we know she's a drow, and we know she's considered sexy, but it's entirely possible that there is a male on Faerun who is not sexually attracted to her, or who she doesn't imagine to be sexually attracted to her. Much as I hate to admit it, I've fallen into this trap myself, taking the easy way out for at least one banter. I should probably rethink some of them.

With Edwin, it's just too easy to make him the butt of the joke. His sarcasm and elitism are so exaggerated that they've become comical. It's tough finding a way to allow him to get the better of another character.

The easiest are those I play with most often: Ajantis, Dynaheir, Imoen, Minsc, LN/LG Anomen, Yoshimo, Keldorn, Mazzy, Valygar.

[Tempest]

Speaking as someone who's done both, I've found Jaheira and Edwin by far the easiest two to write-I find anyone with a dry wit or sarcasm easy for me (this also applies to Sand in NWN2), probably because I have those traits myself. In banters, I agree with Berelinde's assessment-it can be hard to keep him from becoming the butt of every joke. In fanfic, I find the opposite problem-he runs roughshod over everyone else. I also have an easy time with the more withdrawn, philisophical characters, like Cernd and Valygar.

By contrast, I have my hardest time with the more light-hearted characters, with Nalia, Alora, Imoen, and especially Jan being the hardest for me to write. Minsc is something special-I can write him in short doses, but can't stand writing him for long.

[Clarion]

Personally, the toughest characters for me to write are the emotional ones. Aerie, for example, is almost nothing but emotions. Nalia too, though her drive and ambition simplify her a little. Haer'Dalis, on the other hand, can play at being an emotional character, but he's not, therefore making him a character I understand and can write into my story. I guess it's all about finding characters with traits you understand on a base level. Tempest understands dry wit and sarcasm, for example, whereas I understand disguised emotional detachment.

I guess I just don't do good and evil so well, so hand me the neutrals, will ya?

[Jarno Mikkola]

Writing about the BG characters? It's easy, especially when you are just trying to get them all killed.

[Crazee]

Generally, I find the smarter characters harder to write: to be honest, if I was character, I would have 10 INT, so I find it hard writing for characters that are completly beyond me, say, Edwin, or Eldoth. Imoen too, for some reason. I always assumed I would find her the easiest, seeing as she's my favourite character, but I have real trouble with her, sometimes. Haer'Dalis too, is really hard, because I'm not so good with the flowery language. And Viconia. She's just too manipulative for me to understand.

As for easy characters, I guess Skie and Jaheira are the only ones I can write for with confidence. And Khalid too, I think. I haven't tried a lot of the characters, though, so maybe there's more out there. Aerie is alright too.

[DalreïDal]

I think there are as many easy-to-write characters as there are writers out there I agree that we find easier to write characters we can understand.

My easy characters would include Anomen (wonder what that says about me!?!?), Jaheira, Keldorn, Imoen and Minsc in short doses. Also CG Sarevok, though I haven't written that much about him. Impossible characters would be Aerie (stop WHINING!!!!!! if you're unhappy about your life get off your lazy butt and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BUT STOP WHINING DAMNIT!!! *ahem* sorry about that... it had been building up for a while), Jan (whatever goes on in his mind???), and most of the irrecuperable evil characters - Korgan, Eldoth, Skie...

[berelinde]

See, I always had an easy time writing for Jan because his brand of humor reminds me of my uncle (as does his portrait, strangely enough). He had this way of letting you know you were acting like an idiot without ever coming out and saying it, but rather by telling wildly outrageous stories with an uncomfortably familiar punchline. Jan does that, too.

[Clarion]

I'd noticed that about Jan, but I still have trouble with his odd brand of gnomish wisdom. And the Minsc and Boo wisdoms (in-game stats be damned!).

I guess Haer'Dalis is the easiest for me because I have a tendency to talk like him in RL (yes, and it's sad, I know), and because he's a skip left shy of sociopath, as am I. I also find Viconia fairly simple. Forget her physical sexiness - she's suspicious, she's learned to be self-serving in order to survive, and she wants to survive at all costs. She's also fairly smart, and, in a way, naive about the world, though not in the traditional sense.

Aerie is a bright and shining star so full of emotions that she doesn't know where to put them all and ends up whining just to let them out. Edwin seems to think he has to prove to the world that he's an evil bastard. These concepts are confounding, confusing, discombobulating! Bioware never gave Anomen any depth of character to work with, and any third dimensional stuff I've seen from him have all been mod/fanfiction induced by people with the patience to assign him depth of character(and cheers to all of you who can give the poor guy a break).

But, build a party of only those you understand, and woe to you for having no party balance, right?

[Choo Choo]

The characters I find easy to write (that I've tried my hand at so far!) are Jaheira, Alora, Xan, Quayle and Coran. The characters I find most difficult are Minsc, Viconia, Anomen and Dynaheir.

[Solar's Harper]

Jan and Haer'Dalis I can't write for the life of me. In fact why wasn't Jan a bard? If he was then maybe he could write his own banters for me? (is desperate )

Viconia sometimes gives me a tripwire to trip over to, but that's mainly over NPC to NPC interaction, otherwise well... sshh Solar there are minors about! O.o

Ahem, anyway, Korgan is a bit rough to write properly since it's too easy to slip into the slang he's so fond of so uh...

I'd say Minsc, Yoshimo and maybe Korgan as a distant third.

Although I have never tried Sarevok, so there you go.

[Azkyroth]

Gah, how did I miss this?

Hmm. I find Nalia, Edwin, Korgan, Imoen, and to a lesser extent Valygar and Viconia, Anomen, Sarevok, Minsc and Aerie manageable, though in every case I've had to either have my approach to their diction edited heavily (mainly Aerie) or claw around rather aggressively for a "substrate" on which to build the banter (Edwin's banters, for instance, mostly wrote themselves after I re-styled them around him and Arkalian bickering over his appropriation of the Nether Scroll). Jan seems like he'd be easy enough to write if I could figure out the openings; the same is true of Mazzy. However, I find myself completely hitting a wall with Jaheira, Yoshimo, and Haer'Dalis, and I struggle a bit with Cernd and Keldorn, because I really desperately want to write them "out of character" relative to their in-game dialogues (especially Keldorn, who has 12 INT, 16 WIS, 18 CHA, and presumably years of experience proclaiming, explaining, and instructing others in the details of his faith - he should NOT, when defending his beliefs, come off like a sheltered fundamentalist freshman arguing with the professor in his remedial science class, yet to me at least he does, especially in his dialogues with Cernd ).

[Icendoan]

I have trouble writing for any of the characters, so much so, that I code

None of them are completely logical, unlike me, so I do not understand them.

Icen

[Azkyroth]

I have trouble writing for any of the characters, so much so, that I code

None of them are completely logical, unlike me, so I do not understand them.

Icen

You know, I always hated it when adults did this...

So I won't.

You'll like Arkalian. ^.^

[Icendoan]

Hey, I'm not an adult

Icen

[Azkyroth]

Hey, I'm not an adult

Icen

Yes, and I thought I was "totally logical" at your age, too. (I was, granted, closer than most people around me are now, but looking back... x.x)

[Icendoan]

That's the thing, I'm not. I can't be. Mood swings.

I can just look at something and predict an outcome and, for me, 60% of my predictions are correct.

Icen

[Sammi Somara]

I have to say my favorite character to write is Minsc, with Xan as a close second. But yeah, totally Minsc, just because...well, he's fun.

...For me, it's hard to write evil characters, or at least the subtle kind of evil, because I guess...I just have a hard time understanding evil.

[Azkyroth]

...For me, it's hard to write evil characters, or at least the subtle kind of evil, because I guess...I just have a hard time understanding evil.

Maybe I can help.

*...offers Sammi an apple*

(Seriously, I can help. O.o)

[Satori]

Imoen is hard for me, pretty ironic given that she's my favorite character. But it's hard to get the right mix of irreverent humor and heartwarming loyalty she has.