Confusing

[ithildin]

One of the things I'm having the most trouble with in this story is that it's the first time I've had to deal with the character from whose POV the story is being told, being the only one to know Methos as Methos. So when they're in a group situation, where everyone else knows him as Adam, I'm always torn as to how to refer to him.

Does that make any sort of sense?

Comments

[medie]

Oh I *TOTALLY* get what you mean. You instinctively want to call him Methos but you know you can't. Drives me snakey.

Course, it must've been a hang up for the show writers too. Remember Methos & Amanda's first meeting? *WEG*

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

LOL. Yeah! I remember reading somewhere that at a later date, they'd actually planned to offer an explanation for what had been a mistake. Methos knew Rebecca and that's how Amanda knew who he was. That would have been kewl since I would have loved to see Rebecca again, not to mention Rebecca and Methos!

[steelvictory.livejournal.com]

Well, here's the thing, and an easy solution in any situation. Who's your POV character in the scene? How would *they* refer to Methos/Adam in their own head, instinctively? It doesn't matter if everyone else in the room doesn't know he's Methos, if your POV character would automatically designate him as that in his or her head, regardless of what they would call him out loud in mixed company, that's the name you should go by.

It's like having a scene from a kid's point of view if his Mom is in the scene. He/the narrator would not call his mom "Linda" just because other people in the scene are not her children. She would always be "Mom".

Hope that helps.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Except in this case, the POV character is confused. Heh.

[fides.livejournal.com]

I have this problem as well in one of my fics. Only it is worse because I have a couple of other characters who know him (and indeed each other) by different names. I am always falling over myself with which name I should be using when and for who.

I have no idea how confusing it gets for the reader but I ended up splitting names into public and private. For each of my characters I know what names they think of the other people as and what names they use in public for them. So in my case they are all (mostly) calling Methos 'Adam' when they say his name or refer to him verbally or in writing i.e. in the dialogue. But the rest of the time (and the rest of the text) I use whatever the POV character thinks of his as.

I like to think this helps people remember whose POV I am writing from at the time since each character thinks of the others slightly differently but I could just be fooling myself and confusing my readers :-)

Dunno if that helps any but posting more interesting than work ;-)

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Posting is indeed more interesting :) Sounds like you do have a Methos muddle on your hands! Good luck in figuring it all out.

[fides.livejournal.com]

I think part of the fun of writing Methos is the muddle he tends to create :-) And in this case I brought most of it on myself by writing a multifandom crossover. Thanks to the insanity of the crossings over it is even more of a muddle than it would be otherwise (having done many crossovers yourself you'll know what I mean). Still it is all good fun (or something).

Good luck with your problem as well.

:-)

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Well, my problem is solved for the moment since I just settled on how I had it, and posted the story!

And yes, I do understand the whole crossover thing getting complicated. Lots of fun when it all comes together :)

[fides.livejournal.com]

It is always a bit hard to keep track of time stuff with LJ. I came here via hl_flash as you might have guessed from the timing. I didn't even think to check the age of the post before I replied :-)

Mine is pretty much sorted as well. In that the first fic is done and the sequal is unlikely to get much more confusing (she says hopefully). I don't normally do crossovers but now I have started I can't stop. I admit I just love the total insane 'rightness' you get when it all just comes together. *hugs her insane and evil crossover*. :-)

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

I've only ever written two non crossovers fics ever. And they were both Forever Knight. Well, only two if you don't count the err, 'adult' stuff I used to write back in the day. Hah.

What fandoms are you crossing? [she asks curiously]

[fides.livejournal.com]

I always counts adult stuff, it doubles my 'finished' fic count. I think. I have a slight problem with the concept of 'short' and as a result I don't manage to finish stuff as often as I like.

With regards to which fandoms I am crossing - it sort of depends on what you count. The completed works so far have been basically Highlander/Buffy but the universe they are set in also includes Angel (obviously), House, Stargate, X-Files, X-Men, Scrubs, Sentinel... and a few others. We keep expanding it (a few other people have joined me in the insanity) but the basic list can be found here (http://community.livejournal.com/watcherverse/profile) if you are interested. Forever Knight is probably one of the few we haven't added in yet but that is because I don't know it at all. Aren't you sorry you asked now ;-)

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have a problem with short lately too. And finishing.

Sounds interesting! One of the writers in my Bloodties series added a few Buffy and Agngel crosses to the series a few years back. She pouted till I let her :) I decided it was an AU to our AU!

[fides.livejournal.com]

It is a fun universe to play in. The stories are all there if you are so inclined and the various e-mails are an amusing read. Do feel free to come watch (or play) if you think it looks fun.

Given that the rpg is running now I suspect my sequal might well end up as an AU, or at least in a seperate universe to the RPG, I'm going to have to see how things play out :-) We are currently working on the basis that is someone can provide a good justification for a new addition and it fits in with what is there already then we will include it.

Now if I could just find the time to write some more parts of it *sigh*. So many plot bunnies, so few shotgun rounds ;-)