sebaciel nation: tips on how to write fics if you don't want to be ooc - mainly for first time writers
so i dropped the sequel to sws from last year and i thought, why not make a list of my best tips for writing the characters? clearly i did something right since people seem to think i write in character.
read the source material. i swear to god, it sounds simple but you can't know the canon intricacies of their relationship if you're anime-only. the anime doesn't show their relationship now (blue cult arc) and it doesn't show their development as smoothly. also reference their scenes in the manga in your fic. it will help, i promise. contextualise their actions by comparing it to their canon behaviours or at least make parallels. also read literature or even fanfics you like and try to see which writing style you want to write in- i don't read a lot of fanfic but i do read books (it helps).
research research research. the characters need to be in a lively world if they're going to be themselves. an underdeveloped world makes an underdeveloped character. even if you're writing canon divergence or an AU and want them to still be themselves, please go ham on research and incorporate the things you learn into your writing. if it's not possible to add it into the work smoothly, keep it in your mind and use it for a different fic. that way, you'll never run out of ideas. just make sure the world affects them. as character-driven kuro is, yana has been putting a lot more effort into the historical accuracy of kuro. doing the same will help.
this is the opposite of what everyone tells you but for kuro fic, get that thesaurus. learn as many new words as you can, use them in various contexts and figure out what sounds right. it can be difficult if english isn't your first language but practice makes perfect. the more flowery your language, the more you can layer and sophisticate your dialogue and symbolism. both ciel and sebastian are highly intelligent and in order to write their banter, you also need to have a healthy sense of wit.
follow this thought process: what is the action? who is doing the action (and if applicable, to whom)? where/when (in what context) is he doing the action? why is he doing the action? would/has he done this action in canon? if not, will it be acknowledged that he did something uncharacteristic? e.g. an example from my fic: dancing, sebastian dancing with ciel, in private before ciel's wedding, to teach him how to dance with elizabeth, yes he would do this in canon, no since it's not ooc. now imagine in the action was kissing or saying something romantic. neither of them would do this in canon; so your fic should acknowledge that it's something it an action they do not understand the reason for. you also have to keep this in mind for everyone who isn't sebaciel too if you want the fic to be cohesive.
it's ok to be ooc. sometimes you just wanna write characters the way you like. don't force them into canon if you're writing them how you like; that's just gonna make it awkward. if they're ooc half the time and their canon selves the other half, you're just gonna make the readers confused.
it's also ok to ignore all the advice i just gave you and do whatever you want. nobody should tell you what to write. i'm just giving these tips because i want everyone who wants to write but is scared of being ooc to have somewhere to start.
