Writerly Wednesday: Ethan v Shannon*
Oct. 26th, 2011 08:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
naomi_jay*It's like Mega Shark v Giant Octopus but with fewer tentacles.
I have a real thing about private eyes. I even considered being one for a while as a teenager, but then I realised it might involve some degree of physical fitness and decided to stick with the writing plan. But my obsession didn't stop. If anything, it was exacerbated by the discovery of my older brother's computer game, Under A Killing Moon, featuring post-apocalyptic PI, Tex Murphy.
I played this computer game repeatedly until our computer broke (not because of me, probably). And that pretty much did it for me. PIs were awesome forever and if I couldn't be one, I'd write about one.
And this is where Ethan Banning and Shannon Ryan come into it. They're both private eyes but they're very different sorts of private eye. Observe:
Ethan is my personal stereotypical idea of a PI. He's always broke, he drinks and smokes way too much, he's usually in some terrible scrape, and he badly needs to shave some time. He's hopeless with women. His cases are gritty - murder, missing persons, drugs. He's full of (what he thinks is) witty banter. He occupies a depressed city where something seedy is always going on. He's not unlike Tex, actually - down and out but desperately trying to get lucky.
Shannon, on the other hand, is probably closer to the reality. She works on cheating spouses, tax evasion, corporate and legal matters. Unlike Ethan, she lives a pretty clean life and about gets by financially. She's essentially a nosy character - show her a closed door and she'll have to know what's on the other side. She's also the kind of person who always needs an answer. If you ask her something and she doesn't know the answer, she'll go find it. Ethan would probably just make something up.
Which is not to say Ethan is lazy or stupid, because he's not. He's just used to being the underdog (as opposed to living with the underdog, like Shannon). And he also just likes messing with people if he can get away with it. Keeps them guessing and assuming he's...well, stupid and lazy. Whereas Shannon likes people to know exactly how clever and competent she is, as it usually pulls the rug out from under them.
They're both pretty pragmatic people at heart, and neither is afraid to make tough decisions. I think Ethan's a lot more pessimistic than Shannon though, and more than likely hungover 90% of the time. Honestly, if I was going to hire one of them to work a case for me, it would be Shannon. If I just wanted to hang out with someone and get into some wacky scrapes, I'd pick Ethan.
So, this post isn't part of the DARK HUNT blog tour, but let's have some fun anyway! Tell me who'd you rather have on your case - Ethan or Shannon, and I'll send you an ebook featuring the character of your choice.
I have a real thing about private eyes. I even considered being one for a while as a teenager, but then I realised it might involve some degree of physical fitness and decided to stick with the writing plan. But my obsession didn't stop. If anything, it was exacerbated by the discovery of my older brother's computer game, Under A Killing Moon, featuring post-apocalyptic PI, Tex Murphy.
Look at Tex. I loved Tex. I wanted to be his long-suffering dame.
I played this computer game repeatedly until our computer broke (not because of me, probably). And that pretty much did it for me. PIs were awesome forever and if I couldn't be one, I'd write about one.
And this is where Ethan Banning and Shannon Ryan come into it. They're both private eyes but they're very different sorts of private eye. Observe:
Ethan is my personal stereotypical idea of a PI. He's always broke, he drinks and smokes way too much, he's usually in some terrible scrape, and he badly needs to shave some time. He's hopeless with women. His cases are gritty - murder, missing persons, drugs. He's full of (what he thinks is) witty banter. He occupies a depressed city where something seedy is always going on. He's not unlike Tex, actually - down and out but desperately trying to get lucky.
Shannon, on the other hand, is probably closer to the reality. She works on cheating spouses, tax evasion, corporate and legal matters. Unlike Ethan, she lives a pretty clean life and about gets by financially. She's essentially a nosy character - show her a closed door and she'll have to know what's on the other side. She's also the kind of person who always needs an answer. If you ask her something and she doesn't know the answer, she'll go find it. Ethan would probably just make something up.
Which is not to say Ethan is lazy or stupid, because he's not. He's just used to being the underdog (as opposed to living with the underdog, like Shannon). And he also just likes messing with people if he can get away with it. Keeps them guessing and assuming he's...well, stupid and lazy. Whereas Shannon likes people to know exactly how clever and competent she is, as it usually pulls the rug out from under them.
They're both pretty pragmatic people at heart, and neither is afraid to make tough decisions. I think Ethan's a lot more pessimistic than Shannon though, and more than likely hungover 90% of the time. Honestly, if I was going to hire one of them to work a case for me, it would be Shannon. If I just wanted to hang out with someone and get into some wacky scrapes, I'd pick Ethan.
So, this post isn't part of the DARK HUNT blog tour, but let's have some fun anyway! Tell me who'd you rather have on your case - Ethan or Shannon, and I'll send you an ebook featuring the character of your choice.
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