Im such a sucker for your series 😭 its like my guilty pleasure, i can't wait to see their relationship develop,,, quick question (if thats all right,) do you have any tips on how to get heimdall's personality down? It seems like its a common wall that some of the fandoms writers are blocked by, i hope you can shed some insight on how you go about it👍
Of course! And I totally understand getting blocked by it, Heimdall is by no means easy to write; every scene he's in, it takes me a lot of thought. I'm not good with uppity, smarter than thou, asshole characters, but I usually do end up loving them regardless. I think it's a habit at this point, haha.
I've heard this analogy before, and I'm sure it's been spread around Tumblr many times, but a character is like an onion. There's the thinner outer layers, the ones they only want you to see that are usually vibrant, run over with color, but that is merely an illusion. When you peel to the deeper layers, they get thicker, shorter, more full of flavor and less colorful--unappealing, to some, or unappealing to themselves? That's for the beholder to decide. And when you get to the core, it's the best part for cooking, or writing, in this instance.
So Heimdall is an onion, much like any other character is an onion. A good reference would be, and don't laugh at me for this, Kratos. Kratos did not end up the man he has become without struggle and sacrifice; Heimdall, on the other hand, has not had to sacrifice or struggle to get where he has in life (from what we know of him in the game) at all. He's spoiled, been brought up by nine mothers who, by all regards, gave him the love Odin did not--but as we all know, you seek what you cannot have, and for Heimdall, that is both Odin's love and approval, and also... the desire to be useful.
It is a simple desire, when boiled down to it, but isn't that what most characters want? What they will never have? Freya wanted Baldur's happiness, selfishly, and his protection, but in the end, she could not have what she wanted; Kratos desired peace, but due to his curse and desire to protect Atreus, he could not have it until he struggled once more; Odin sought knowledge over death and the afterlife, but he paid the price for it through Ragnarök and through his countless marriages and children.
Heimdall's shallow, vain, bully-like personality is only a small part of what we are allowed to see of him. During his fight, and death, we see more of him, but only a fraction: he does not want anyone to control his fate, when he lives or dies. This is probably largely due to the fact that Odin goes to the extremes to get what he wants, even using his children to do so. I would not put it past him to have something to do with Heimdall's closeness to Bifrost, but that's something for later.
Back on to the topic, though, Heimdall is complex. Add on to what we know of him and what we can see and analyze, he has serious depth that was not explored, as he was a means to an end, in a sense. And to a degree, he probably knew that behind his false sense of bravado. He has gone all his life serving Odin, never doubting him, the most loyal Aesir in all of Asgard. But that kind of loyalty will never come without a price. Heimdall has no life save to monitor humanity and the wall; he has no trust in those around him, save Odin, because he knows what they are thinking, what their intentions are; he opens up, momentarily, about Gulltoppr, but even then, it's the more shallow attention seeking version, because animals are, above all, honest. They cannot lie.
Can you imagine such an existence? Living with the knowledge that you have to know what everyone thinks of you, how they doubt you, constantly, without any way of controlling it? Heimdall would have to had learned that control, as nothing is ever innate. That kind of life breeds isolation, loneliness, and above all, once more, the desire to be loved, useful. His mothers are no longer in the picture by the time the game begins, so we can assume that Odin does not give him any attention as they would have. And we do not know, truly, if he was separated from them or left willingly.
So, forgive me for the rambling tirade, but my tips, with all regards to what I have said, would be this:
• Heimdall will have hidden anger and mistrust. How would he attempt to overcome that, if persuaded to do so? How would that affect him if he had someone to trust, a lover, a friend, involved?
• A father figure will have precedence when a mother is absent. Heimdall is loyal to Odin. How does he choose to reflect that loyalty? How does he deflect his doubt about his father even as the rest of his family suffers?
• Heimdall does not seem the type to consider Odin's other children family. Would he be deeply impersonal and snarky? The idea of a family would likely revolt him. Think of how he mocked Atreus to Kratos; this is the mocking of a wounded child who pushes his inferiority and experiences onto others. Heimdall will struggle with this.
• Odin, for whatever reason, inspires loyalty. Heimdall is the enforcer of that loyalty. How far would he go for Odin? What is he driven by? The answer is up to you.
• For the sake of fanfiction, would Heimdall be open to a partner/lover? I honestly do not think so. He has proven to be doubtful and mistrustful from the get go, but, but, but, he has shown to also be mischievous for his own gain. But with time, effort, and proof that you are not a liar? Maybe he would consider it, and for Heimdall I think that would speak volumes.
• In addendum to that: actions vs words. Heimdall is mouthy as hell. But notice, in the game, that his actions do not match his words. He taunts, jeers, yes, but while fighting Atreus, he is calm, waiting for openings, chipping at his esteem. While in the fight with Kratos, as he is close to dying, he is far from calm: he is not in control. His actions are wild, frenzied, but they are also alive, while brief.
• Heimdall does not come easy to write, especially if you are doing a deep dive into his psyche. If you are writing something short, concise, and purely self indulgent, I would say not to worry too much about his portrayal. Be accurate, to a point, but let your ideas take you away. If you want to be more serious, more dark and brooding, take the onion approach as I did. Think about how, at each stage, how he would reveal himself, be the tiniest bit more vulnerable.
• There is obviously creative freedom to be respected here. So, you can imagine Heimdall as you like, truly, but blending that line between Canon and fiction is... chef's kiss. You could take it anywhere: he may be secretly introverted within, unable to cope with living in a society like Asgard, so he seeks the wall instead; or, pushed aside for Thor and Baldur, Odin sees no use for him except to walk the wall and slowly exposes the doubt he harbors. Really, the possibilities are endless!
This is getting very long, as I seem to have a habit of doing, but my point is this: treat him like he's something new and undiscovered. Write him from a point of view that is solely yours, even if it may seem inaccurate. Look at him like a fascinating new creature that you wish to study, decipher, poke and prod at; figure out what makes him tick.
Figure out what secrets he harbors deep within.
I hope this was helpful, anon! And if not to you, maybe someone else will get something out of this. 💕
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