Memeage!!

[donutsweeper]

Stolen from awanderingbard

Give me the name of a character, pairing, 'verse, or story I've written, and I'll give you 3-5 facts about writing it/them. Headcanon, backstory, missing scenes, etc.

Comments

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Oooh, good question! I've been meaning to revisit/think more about this verse.

1) I have a love/hate relationship with daemon AUs. They are fascinating and interesting but so time consuming to create because I spend *ages* going over and over each character in order to figure out what animals their daemon might be and then it's only partly done because I have to figure out a name as well.

How I came upup with the right animal- In this verse Moriarty's daemon jumped out at me right away, his characterization in S1 just led to a hyena. John needed something strong and steadfast but unexpected. I knew whatever I came up with would be compared to the popular daemon AUs that already existed so I had to keep that in mind and avoid those. Binturong might have been too obscure, but it fit the bill- not a huge animal or outright imposing, but still strong and dangerous. A predator but omnivore. Not a true pack animal, but not a solo creature either. They're also called bearcats, which seemed a perfect combination of creatures that embodied what John was. Random factoid, they also have prehensile tails, a surprising and unexpected ability, which seems to fit John well.

Sherlock's Jorrun is a fennec fox. With Sherlock I needed a smaller animal that could keep up with him as he ran around London and was nimble and light enough to either perch on his shoulder or be able to move in ways she could examine crime scenes and things. The old idiom of cunning/sly as a fox came to mind so I started researching them. Fennecs are very loyal to their familial units, but do not socialize well with others, are known for both snarling and purring and being very clever (so much so that zoo keepers hate them, apparently). Combined, that fit perfectly.

Mike having a chipmunk just seemed to fit, I see them as happy, clever creatures.

I keep thinking about what daemons everyone else has, characters that haven't shown up in my stories yet. Let's see:

Mrs. Hudson- not entire sure, but I'm leaning toward an opossum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Opossum_2.jpg), small to medium sized mammal, known for being clever, resistant to many snake venoms, and good mothers.

Anderson- a viscacha (http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8gxt9nr9L1qgjri6.jpg)- Nonaggressive and gregarious, live in small groups that are run by the females. Their only real defense against predators is to duck into their burrows. (Also chosen because the mere thought of it makes me laugh)

Mycroft- not 100% sure but leaning to a caracal (https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRF_WEPUtF-3YisDzGlOZ_AGuz5JFdnpvksRkCxEDEYYQiqfxbb8w)- one of the smaller of the big cats, solitary and very protective of their territory. They hunt in both night and day and are terribly good predators. Possibly worshiped in ancient Egypt.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's really interesting! Thanks for letting me in on all your reasoning. I was building my own little daemon verse, but I haven't decided if I'm going to do anything with it yet, and I know how hard it is to find the right animals. I had your verse in mind when I looked, because I didn't want to filch from what a great job you did. It was a lot of fun, but Sherlock gave me a huge amount of trouble. The rest weren't as bad.

Anderson is brilliant, by the way. I wonder if his daemon bosses him around, if the females are dominant? :-p

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Glad you thought it interesting! You should definitely venture into the daemon AUs. While aggravating they are really fascinating and fun. I think I've written daemons for seven fandoms, although in one the daemons never actually show up.

I bet Anderson's daemon would be a lot pushier than usual daemons, he just seems the type to huff and cross his arms over his chest with a loud sigh and drag his feet off to do whatever he actually needs to go do, but doesn't want to. :)

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

I've been toying with doing something in my mini-Dresdens verse. Because Mal and Fay's daemons wouldn't be settled yet, and that would be fun. It's plot that hard. I guess it's just a normal plot with daemons involved? I'd have to fiddle with it. I have my daemons all worked out, now, I just need to do something with them.

Edited because apparently I forgot how to grammar and autocorrect sucks.. Sorry!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Unsettled daemons are really fun to play with. :)

And you're right, it's just regular plot with daemons, so just a regular scene of whatever you are writing with that extra level, which can play into things a lot or just a little, however you wish to write it.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

The one thing I don't know is how daemons are named? Do your parents name you and your daemon, or do you name your daemon and if so, what do they call your daemon until you're old enough to speak?

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, how a daemon gets its name isn't explained in the books. Fanfic seems to go with the idea the child just knows or that the parents daemons' give the daemon a name.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Oh, I hadn't thought of the parents' daemon naming them. That's a cool idea.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Yes! I think that idea goes back an interview Phillip Pullman gave so perhaps it could be considered canon-ish.