As someone who's new to fanfic in general, I feel incredibly scared of doing the characterization wrong. I've only watched Severance in full once, because I get very overwhelmed by it and end up avoiding it (I'm working on it), so I'm not really sure if I have Mark and Helly's personalities imprinted in my brain enough to write fics.
And still, I'm about to write a multi-chapter. But it's gonna be my first one ever and a part of me wants to be gentle with myself and a little self-indulgent even if this first time, it gets ooc.
This ended up being more like a rant than a question, but okay. Could you explain more on Helly's feelings for Mark S. being complicated? Do you think these feelings are still complicated after Cold Harbor? Also, do you think Helena could be softened up by the mere fact that her father is not around anymore?
i feel you but here’s the thing: if people wanted perfect characterization, they’d watch the show!
those who seek out fanfiction are looking for new interpretations of the characters they love! it’s okay to take your favorite parts of the characters and run with it! it’s okay to make them your own! it’s exactly what you SHOULD do! fanfiction is for fun. mark and helena and severance in general are a sandbox for fans to play in. go crazy! go wild! there are no rules.
to use myself as an example, the version of mark i wrote in lifeboats is pretty much of my own invention. when people on here talk to me about him they say ‘lifeboats mark’ because he’s not regular mark. he’s different. he’s out of canon character. he’s a mix of mark and stewy succession and idek! i used mark as a base and built a new backstory and character around him. and it’s okay. if people don’t like it, they don’t have to read it.
and on the topic of helly, i meant that i find helly herself complicated, not her feelings for mark. i find her reasons for liking mark pretty straightforward. he’s the one to show a bit rebellion. when he put down the binder in the boardroom after her input survey, when he spoke up about breaking the rules in the ball game. he goes out of his way to take care of her, like going to the break room in her place. and he does silly things to impress her like crawling under her desk to work on her computer. he plays along with her dark sense of humor. even when he’s pushing her to stop rebelling, it’s coming out of place of care. he doesn’t want her to get hurt. he’s sweet. he pays attention to her. he’s funny. he listens. helena probably hasn’t had a lot of that on the outside and the part of her that’s starved for affection has transcended to helly.
it’s more helly’s rebellious spirit that i find complicated. the way she must be so scared but she pushes past that fear to be brave. she allows herself to be selfish, she wants good things for herself and knows she deserves them. and wants that for her friends too. i just find that complicated to translate in fiction, it’s hard for me to relate and fully wrap my head around and create how she’d react to new scenarios. her mindset doesn’t come naturally to me… but i’ll give writing her a try anyway!
yes, i think helena could be softened by her father not being there. though i don’t think it’d happen over night. she’s still so involved with lumon that it’ll be difficult to separate from them. financially and just from a more religious/mental standpoint. even in death, i think her father will haunt her. she’ll be able to work through it but it will take time imo.
