I'm up for some meta thoughts

[taotrooper]

Case 1-4. I think it might be because I had already solved it ages ago, but then again maybe it wasn't it since I couldn't remember how most of the facts went. But it didn't feel that looooooong, as it felt when I first played the game. I wonder if not playing it on the computer helps?

So, Miles' emo didn't drag much this time. And honestly, part of my indifference/annoyance to his character was because his wangst in that case felt sort of endless somehow. Not quite as Fay's, because nothing is except in Saint Seiya, but more like... season1!Zuko's.

(...And now I imagined the New Year greeting to Gumshoe going all "Hi! Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth here!!" XD Practicing previously with his dog instead of a badgerfrog. At least he's socially retarded enough to do that, and Gumshoe is like this big puppy anyway.)

Either way, I'm less uneasy about him, and it's cool. It doesn't mean I'm now oh so converted and will squee at imagery for Gyakuten Kenji, but I'll be able to play this game without the dread of being, you know, in Edgeworth's shoes.

And something I was thinking about before going to bed last night in general. What does it make a character "boring"? I've found myself liking several characters other people find boring or underdeveloped (and no, I'm not necessarily talking about the one that popped up on fandom!secrets yesterday, although that secret kind of made me realize he's not the first one). I really think that the term is something subjective and personal.

+ Relevant to the main plot vs. filler character

I'm using Cardcaptor Sakura as my example. I remember that one day someone boggled at the fact people wrote about Naoko, or even shipped her with another character. But she's just there! She's a random classmate! I remember my reaction was "...so?" Okay, sure, she does nothing extremely important to the plot, but I do like Naoko in the anime as the local geek and bookworm girl. She might not have a plot or an important purpose, but I still liked her a lot.

Then you find people ignoring characters who DO have a purpose, such as Clow Reed or Kaho Mizuki. Or, if we go to different fandoms, people who bash one of the main cast members. So really, there's no way to win.

Also, you can have a character who only pops in for one arc or once every three years as your favorite. This is particularly plausible in shounen series with one trillion cast members.

+ Developed vs. underdeveloped

I'll grant that it's easier to be attached to a character with a solid story and a nice growth as a person. I love it when characters I like get their backstory, no matter how insignificant it is (might be just one tidbit). Perhaps you don't want to grow fond of a really random character you know nothing about or had a forced history.

Or do you? Can you be obsessed over someone who is not half as deep as the rest of the cast, or just appears a couple of times as a plot device? If you ask me, you perfectly can. You can still like the tiny bits you've seen of them, you can still like the two or three personality traits they've shown. You can relate to them, or find them cuter or more interesting than the protagonists or the extremely developed people, even if they "suck" in the actual story.

There's the Matt from Death Note phenomenon. Now, I didn't get to read half of the series, but why does it matter if someone liked the four pages or whatever this guy was in? Just let them be. (I mean, I can see it can be frustrating with all the pages and pages of Gary Stu fanon going around about Matt, but... on the other hand, I've been in similar spots myself, liking characters with no plot.)

And there's the other way around. That a character has the greatest development in the history of ever is no guarantee everyone should like them, or at least recognize them as one of the best characters in the cast. I do believe, and people might disagree with me, there is such a thing as overdevelopment. I mean, first, you can get so much information and hype and spotlight from a character you end up smothered by them and end up turned off. Second, in some cases less is more.

+ In conclusion, since this gets teal deer

The point, in five words: IT DOESN'T MATTER, IT'S SUBJECTIVE. It's not a question of it's well developed or even has a plot. Finding something boring or interesting can be irrational. Or maybe you just don't care if the character isn't one of the strong kids with the complicated past. There's nothing wrong with only liking developed characters, either. Or you can like both developed and underdeveloped characters, and those in between. It's not something you can explain with logic, you just like/dislike!

And also, justifying your dislikes by comparing the character you're not into with the So Awesome And Developed Character you love (and going about how retarded their fans are for not caring or noticing it, in wanky cases)? I find it unfair and silly. Even when it's a substitution in the plot. Especially if it's a substitution, I'd say.

*** ETA: and relevant to "OMG TEH BORING CHARAS gimme back Maya and Edgey u CAPCOM h0rs"

W-w-why wasn't I told there was a VOICED VERSION OF THIS GS4 TRAILER? I hate you right now, Japan. You and your sexy voices. I hate you so much! ;______; *has turned into goo, and is maybe a bit horny now*

Comments

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear! Minor characters deserve love as well :) whether that's because even in a small bits they manage to make a good impression, were fresh and outstanding or because their mystery compells one to imagine a thousand things about them. Actually these people should think of the fact that making even small, underdevelopped characters interesting and striking is one of the strength writers of pro-fic can use! It's one of the thing that makes a show great rather than just decent. Look at Avatar for a good example :)

[haruhara.livejournal.com]

Personally, I tend to like the characters in between important and non-important. XD Between the main and the fillers. So they aren't really just THERE but they can be taken away and the story isn't destroyed.

Like you said, it's allll subjective because no one has the same personalities in the world. xD You'd think people would realize this but people don't want to look outside their personal bubble. :[

[sammywhatammy]

I love that the judge doesn't get a voice xD

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

LMAO, maybe the people doing the clip was too lazy to find an old man's voice?

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Very, very true. And etrangere already said most of the intelligent things I had to contribute. :D

Also, because people forget that minor characters can be great, you get not only "why would anyone care about minor character X?" but also the opposite: "Character X isn't really minor! S/he did *insert random thing that was important for the plot here*!" And then my inner writer cries because clearly people don't understand what does "minor character" mean. :/ Apparently a lot of people think minor character = completely useless, and, uh, no. You can advance the plot and still be a minor character. Really. (Hell, you can cause the plot and still be a minor character. See: Clow.)

[solesakuma]

Oh WORD to the second part. I've got into this fight several times... not being the main character =/= not being awesome.

[kirarakim.livejournal.com]

LOL I am amused that we both did reflection posts on characters. I swear I typed mine up and then went on my FL and saw yours. I just thought it was a funny coincidence. XD

I have to admit I might like a non-important character but that character will never be a favorite of mine (at least I can't think of an example when they are. Because if the main character or main supporting character is not my favorite than I think there is a problem with the writing of the story in some ways).

I do think it is cool when fans like random characters but I do find it a little weird when fans obsess over them. And I do notice that sometimes the obsession is over shallow reasons (like the look of the character). Although I know there are exceptions. Of course obsessing over minor characters that are important to the story is a different matter. For example I think Ling is a minor character that is important to the story, I would even say he is a main supporting character.

[shirasakura.livejournal.com]

SUBJECTIVENESS FTW! :DDD

But seriously. What I like about developed characters is that they are dynamic characters (to use literary terms, here). They experience growth because of the events that occur to them in the storyline. They're interesting to continue to watch them grow, and then thrust them into situation that don't occur in the main storyline (Hel~lo Fanfiction) to try to get them to grow again.

I like the minor ones because there's still so much (generally) that can be played with. We don't know what makes some of them tick, but we know HOW they tick.

And yes, characters can be Overdeveloped.

(Emoworth makes me wince, too. My thoughts on GSKenji: See Edgeworth. See Edgeworth run. Run, Edgeworth, run! Don't be emo, Edgeworth! PLEEEEAAAASSSSEE!)

[river-nile.livejournal.com]

HOLY----------------------- VOICES!!! PHOENIXXXXXXXXXXXX ♥♥♥♥♥ *flails*

[solesakuma]

Red Shirts dying affects me more than main characters dying.
/has nothing to contribute.

[sha-chan.livejournal.com]

And here comes the girl who usually falls for secondary characters :D But all you've written is oh os very true. It's pretty subjective. Perhaps people have some trends because certain characters fit some of theirs tastes, but then they could like some other character that doesn't fit his/her original tastes at all! It just... happens. Some characters can move you more than others without any reason whatsoever.

And a random contribution, quote from "The Thirteenth Tale":

It's not good to grow fond of secondary characters. It's not their story. They come, go and once they are gone, they don't come back. That's all.

That book was talking to me |D