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[meta] seeing claire; writing claire
or
the claire/jack[/sawyer] probability
First, I can fully understand feeling that these pairings may be "unlike" the Claire we know on the show. It's a totally valid point of view and I appreciate
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knopflergroupie's willingness to discuss this with me. It's just not the way that I see Claire. And of course I am always open to friendly discussion. Hence, this post.[As a matter of fact, my comment just kept growing and growing, which is actually how this turned into a full post.]
As for her youthful self, the "goth" Claire that we saw in Par Avion isn't the thing that inspired me to write this pairing [Claire/Jack] or the combination of Jack, Claire, and Sawyer. For that, I actually have no true explanation. My love for these relationships was almost certainly born through writing them. Plain and simple. Of course, there's a story behind "how it all came to be" but it's actually pretty silly and bears no real reflection on how I feel about these characters and why I often see them as inextricable.
[Though of course I could share it if you would like.]
Regarding Claire:
I can absolutely see how these pairings could come across as artificial because obviously canon plays a very small role in it. In terms of Claire's characterization especially. However, I personally feel that her characterization on the show is very much a failing on the part of the Lost writers. And as a result I feel like my interpretation of Claire is, in a way, a meta. Not intentionally, per se, but essentially it is a criticism of the show's inability to ever show Claire as strong as she could be. As strong as I believe that she was. As a matter of fact, I feel that the over-simplification of her character makes her seem more weak, and more "immature" than she very well should be -- dependent and insignificant to boot.
Before season six, with the exception of a few scenes, Claire seemed to be "going with the flow" of things - especially in terms of her relationship with Charlie. Throughout these early seasons, she showed glimpses of the darkness that I see in her, but ultimately her development was regularly squashed. In this last season she obviously showed more than a few glimpses, but even then it was played as "crazy" or "possessed" instead of a more natural progression of her character. [Which I believe would have been far more believable and fully understandable.]
I can't understand the reasons why the writers portrayed her the way they did, given all that she'd been through.
She's an artistic, superstitious woman who crash-landed on an island, who stood up to Jack when she knew something was wrong, who was kidnapped, lost her memories, who had a baby in the middle of the jungle, who was poisoned, who stood up to Charlie when he was acting like a douche [which was often, imo], who was eventually abandoned [multiple times over] by the only people left who were supposed to care about her, who was separated from her son, and who was left to fend for herself in the jungle for three long years. Now, if any one of those things, not to mention any combination of those things, isn't going to leave a broken, scarred, and dark soul behind, I don't know what is.
So for the writers to paint this woman who was bad-ass and strong, as crazy or possessed, just feels so undeniably wrong and way too "easy" to me. And even earlier in the series, to paint her as "totally okay" with Charlie bossing her around, after all she'd been through already? It kind of infuriated me. As far as the natural progression of things is concerned, none of that ever sat well with me.
Now, my having a different interpretation of Claire than most people doesn't necessarily say anything about these pairings, other than the fact that I think most people would find my vision of Claire a more likely participant in these types of relationships than the cut-and-dry show!version of Claire.
Additionally, my default POV is one of angst. And I have no real qualms about re-writing history or throwing canon to the wind, so I will sometimes pick a jumping off point, or sometimes just throw them in some marginally AU scenario, and run from there. And while I do have a non-traditional view on Claire, as I said above, I also see her as artistic, gentle, whimsical, open-minded, and hopeful. So along with the darkness, I often throw these elements in as well.
I'm really a firm believer that nothing is out-of-character if done in a way that is believable. Even if it's just a short drabble, I think that a writer can bring an element of "truth" to whatever it is that they're writing. While I realize that my view of Claire is not one that many can see or that many share, I do feel that it rings of some truth. Or at least I hope it does.
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I honestly have no words except YES.
Yes yes yes
:)
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♥
I don't know if I was articulate as I could be, and I'm sure I left a lot out. But I am fully aware that "my Claire" is different from other people's idea of her.
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That pretty much. On the show? Hate Claire. She annoyed the fucking shit out of me and it's because the writers took a character with potential and shoved her on the backburner. She ended up being more of a minor player in Charlie's storyline half the time. Just. No.
Well done!
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I think, after writing her and pulling these thin threads that the writers gave us and constructing the person that felt far more real to me, my affection for the character only grew. Had I not done that, she would have been a "take her or leave her" character. But because of writing her I was really invested in what would happen to her when she came back in season six. And ultimately the writers failed her again by making her strength some kind of gimmick. No, she's just crazy, she's possessed. That's right -- no real character development here, but thanks for playing!
Eta: I just realized this title is kind of like a big bang theory episode title. Haha.
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I love your explanation for Claire the way you see her. Here I was just thinking it was carry-over from Par Avion. There is so much here that never occurred to me. I guess we all choose to focus our attention on the characters we either love or hate and never really consider the ones who pass under our radar. "Maternal Instincts" deserves a re-watching now, I think. Odds are I'll be totally obsessed with her by tomorrow. (You've also managed to put what I dislike about Charlie/Claire into actual words, so thank you!)
And oh boy do I hear you on the failings of the Lost writers; most main females they introduced had incredible potential (I'm excluding Nikki because well...) and every single one of them was screwed over in terms of development and, uh, logic. (Does that make sense?) Ugh, now I'm, like, upset about Claire's craziness in season 6. How completely unnecessary. "Easy" is a great word for it. (That's actually my word of choice for complaining about season 6).
My love for these relationships was almost certainly born through writing them.
I get that. Definitely. And that's really comforting to hear, because I've been so confused about these pairings for so long. (Wouldn't mind hearing that story of how it all began, actually...) I guess it's my hang-up that when I'm getting invested, the pairings need to make some sense for me from what I've seen in canon, which is why I'm warming to post-finale Claire/Sawyer. (This does not mean I ship what I'm told to ship. Every endgame pairing bothered me in some capacity except Jin/Sun.)
Thank you for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully and helpfully to my rambling and whining. I love friendly discussion to bits and I always learn something from it.
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WILL BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT COMMENT!
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Anyway, I should mention that I was also a big fan of the Sawyer/Claire pairing as well at the time. So one day, I just naturally brought Claire into the mix as a threesome, jokingly of course, and had completely overlooked the fact that she was Jack's sister.
One of our friends, Trey, immediately coined the ship name "Jawyercita" -- I think in the very next post in the thread -- which we of course immediately adopted. I couldn't help but be intrigued by the thought of this pairing, and the idea just kind sat and festered in my mind for a while and eventually I ended up giving writing fic for them a shot. So the sad truth is that it all started with a joke!
The first fic I wrote for them was a series that I call the "names and curses verse'" and here they are in order [pulled from my master fic list]:
001 Names & Curses 'Verse
→ These Lies, jack/claire, jack/sawyer/claire, jack/ofc, r, He’s no savior. He’s just a man. (http://super-kc.livejournal.com/51211.html)
→ Ain't No Con, sawyer/jack/claire, r, his mind tells him there’s something very, very wrong with this... (http://super-kc.livejournal.com/51952.html)
→ In This Mess of Flesh, sawyer/jack/claire, r, This will always be the moment that defines everything before and since. (http://super-kc.livejournal.com/53179.html)
→ Invisible People, sawyer/jack/claire, r, T-shirts, tank tops, and dirt on their feet, and it feels like home again. (http://super-kc.livejournal.com/55118.html)
→ Empty Beds, Emptier Hearts, sawyer/jack/claire, r, And maybe this is giving up, but for now it feels like home... (http://super-kc.livejournal.com/56149.html)
→ Of Lies and Truths, sawyer/jack/claire, nc17, California lasts a year, and for once they’re tired of the sun. (http://super-kc.livejournal.com/56400.html)
→ We Made Up Our Identities, sawyer/jack/claire, r, always make believe it isn't real (http://super-kc.livejournal.com/150158.html)
→ The Business of Making Babies, claire/sawyer/jack, r, another sketch complete, another story finished (http://crickets.livejournal.com/298476.html)
I wrote them as a series of "one off" fics that inter-connected -- each one could have been an "end," but I would eventually write another and then another. I know that the first one is especially dark, but trust me when I say they get more involved and quite a bit lighter as the series goes on. Especially the last few. They're all very short as well.
I don't know that they're my absolute best working with this pairing. But it's definitely part of the evolution of it. Why I fell in love with writing them, and I think, the thing that brought in a lot of readers who eventually became writers of this pairing, as well as Claire/Jack or Claire/Sawyer.
Anyway, there you have it. :)
Do you mind if I friend you? Haha.
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Thank you so much for the links! I guess I have some reading to do. I did rewatch "Maternal Instincts" and it was so much better this time than it was before.
Go right ahead, I'll add you too.
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But they often got buried under her shrillness and penchant for behaving irrationally/inconsistently. And like you said, that's a fault of the writers. I think she became an after thought post-s1. I've often wondered what Abrams would have made of her had he stuck around ("Raised by Another" seemed to point to her importance, but that thread was dropped. Epically.)
Finding fandom and then your fics showed me what she could be. I feel like you (and all of the other talented ladies who write Claire fic) take the best parts of her and deepen them into a real person. Which in turn completely changed my perspective on her.
Now I try to write Claire as she could have been, rather than as she was. But most importantly I write her because I finally feel like she has stories to tell.
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Finding fandom and then your fics showed me what she could be. I feel like you (and all of the other talented ladies who write Claire fic) take the best parts of her and deepen them into a real person. Which in turn completely changed my perspective on her. -- This just warms my heart. Fandom can be awesome sometimes that way.
Now I try to write Claire as she could have been, rather than as she was. But most importantly I write her because I finally feel like she has stories to tell. -- I echo that sentiment and think it's wonderful that you're doing this. I am so glad she has stories to tell. She's definitely one of my favorite characters to write.
Also! I'm actually re-watching Maternity Leave right now because of yours and other people's comments about that episode. Man, Emilie looks so pretty in this episode. When they let her have her own hair. Haha. [I still don't get the constant wigs!]
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I adore Claire. So much. And I think your characterization of her is wonderful. I agree, she did so many things that paint her as such a strong woman, but she was largely ignored. I remember watching season 1 and her being KIDNAPPED and the show concentrating on a fucking love triangle. I literally screamed "THE PREGNANT GIRL IS MISSING. DOES ONLY CHARLIE CARE?"
I'm really a firm believer that nothing is out-of-character if done in a way that is believable. THIS.
I think we, as fans, retain the right to interpret a character in fanfic the way we want to and, if we can do it well enough, pass that characterization off as something believable, which you do very well.
This is good. I've always sort of wondered how you go about writing Claire. There is no FORMULA to writing a character, merely an interpretation and thought process.
I can absolutely see how these pairings could come across as artificial because obviously canon plays a very small role in it. In terms of Claire's characterization especially. However, I personally feel that her characterization on the show is very much a failing on the part of the Lost writers. This as well.
I feel like there are many characters in the show where we don't get to see a full 360 on their personality or who they really are. I write a lot of Ben and I feel like he was lacking in the show in several areas. Like they just said "This is Ben and he is a BAD guy, but he can be sort of good." They didn't go far enough, so I like to go further in my fiction, even if he doesn't end up exactly like canon (which is never all that interesting or fun anyway).
This turned out to be a longer comment than I intended. Apologies. But very good discussion.
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Thank you, I appreciate that. I honestly feel like I wouldn't be able to enjoy writing fanfic if I had to deal exclusively with what was given to me. Even in shows where I think the character development is done well I am always fascinated by alternative ways of believably exploring a character. I think it's a challenge, but it's absolutely crucial for me.
This is good. I've always sort of wondered how you go about writing Claire. There is no FORMULA to writing a character, merely an interpretation and thought process.
Oh, I absolutely resent the idea that there's a formula for writing a character. Obviously there are "traits" you may choose to include from time to time in order to portray a character more believably or organically. Often in dialogue or the character's known thought-processes, etc. But depending on your jumping off point, how closely tied your fic is to canon, and various other details, I don't think there's "one right way" to write a character. That's why I have such a hard time contemplating writing up those "the art of writing x-character" or "x-pairing" essays, because there are so many different interpretations that I just can't fathom being able to cover them all.
It's probably why I've never volunteered to host a discussion at the [amazing] quill station. I don't believe that I have a cut-and-dry method, and I certainly don't think that my methods would even come close to applying to other lost writers.
Not a problem. I like the discussion!
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All in all, I think our versions of Claire are just deeper view at the version in show. I don't think it's unjustified at all. You know, this is how Claire would turn out if we were writers on the show ;D
Claire ♥ ♥ ♥
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Regarding the show's horrible inconsistency though, and this has more to do with the mythology, I'm also infuriated by their never addressing the importance of her role in raising Aaron and Aaron's so-called specialness.
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(Anonymous) 2010-07-18 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)Well they did adress Aaron's specialness per interview:
This just makes me angry for Claire/Emilie. She really was just a prop for their beloved Kate.
Way to ruin Raised by another. I still love it but Malkin just being a fraud and that's it, just takes a lot away from the episode.
Too bad because that plot could have been quite epic.
They could have tied it to the Man in Black and made it the reason why he seperated Claire and Aaron.
The show never gave any answer why he took her away that night in the first place or keept her alive for three years. What did he need her for in Season 6?
Deliver his treat to Dogen?
I wished they would have given Claire a flashback so badly. I wanted to [b]see[/b] what happened to her and have Emilie act the shit out of it.