That's true, you did spend so much time writing Broken/BMS that by the end of it, it wasn't "real time" and Nick was able to grow as a person during that time period and provide some new/different aspects of himself for the next story. It's good that Broken Nick was emo and not ghetto fab, haha.
LOL I started that story at just the right time, between super hot Now or Never Nick and the ghetto fab phase. He was too busy barfing his guts out and getting his leg chopped off to get his nipples pierced and start hanging out with Tommy Lee. Too bad, Nick! But yes, that took him on a different path that also did not include abusing drugs or dating Paris Hilton, so he was better for it.
I think the situation makes a big difference on what characteristic s get played up. Obviously Nicks in stressful situations will do different things than Nicks in day-to-day whatevering.
Yep, I agree. And when you put him into a situation he's never actually been in before in real life, like getting attacked by a bear or being a demon, all you can do is use his real life character traits to guess at what he would do in that situation. And because he's a real person with a lot of different sides to his personality, you can make him react a lot of different possible ways and still make it seem realistic. That's the fun of writing fanfic!
This might be the follow-up question to that. What has to be there for it to feel like each of the Boys. Like if something isn't there, do they just feel off? Whether that's a big thing or a little thing?
I almost asked this follow-up last night and then decided to wait and see if someone else thought of it too. So I'm glad you did!
For Nick, I think he needs to be charismatic, playful, and have strong emotional reactions, whether he's cracking up laughing, flying into a temper, or breaking down into tears.
For Brian, I think it's his sense of humor, his faith, and his devotion to his family.
For AJ, I think it's quirkiness and his fierce loyalty to his family and friends (including the other guys).
For Kevin, I think he has to show some elements of that protective big brother persona.
For Howie, I think he has to be sweet and supportive.
It's funny because as soon as I started listing these, I started thinking of instances where these character traits are intentionally subverted. Like the stories where Howie is a villain. Is that why it's fun to make Howie a villain, because it goes against his entire persona?
I have definitely written stories where the Boys start out the way I see them in real life and then change throughout the story as a result of the circumstances they face. In Curtain Call, I made Nick moody, but not in a melodramatic, outwardly emo way like Broken Nick. Instead of wearing his heart on his sleeve, he bottled up everything inside because he was hiding a lot and trying to keep up appearances. In Song for the Undead, Brian lost everything he cared about early on in the story, including his family and his faith, and spent a large part of the story trying to find himself again. In my current story, Kevin is going to have to lean on his little brothers and let them take care of him instead of the other way around. And then there's Howie in 00Carter LOL. The only one I can't think of a personal example for is AJ... he's pretty always quirky and loyal in my stories LOL. But I guess in Song for the Undead, we made him a lone wolf in the beginning who became loyal to his found family as the story progressed.
So in summary, I'm not sure that the traits I listed absolutely have to be there throughout the whole story, as long as there's a reason for them not to be. They could be there in the beginning and change, or not be there in the beginning and develop as the story goes on. But I do think they need to appear at some point for the Boys to feel like the Boys to me.
