Character Autopsy: Magilou

This is the character autopsy, where I take a character that I adore and force them down onto the cold and metallic table and cut them open, exploring what about their character resonates with me and how I can use it in my own writing. The character on the dissection table today is a unique side and playable character from the JRPG Tales of Berseria, Magilou.

There are some characters that are remembered by a quote that they said, like Batman saying, “I’m Batman,” or… actually that is all I can think of, but the point is when you think of a character, there are those that are remembered by quotes. Some are remembered by specific actions, like Ip Man defeating ten men at once or Sherlock Holmes deducing clues. Magilou is different, when I think of her, I do not remember a quote or action, the first thing that pops into my head is her soundtrack. In every scene she would appear a fun and upbeat beat would play, the kind of thing you would expect at a low budget talent show. Now, you may wonder how this relates to writing but what I wish to dissect is how make that moment exist in a character, to have that instant recognisable moment where the audience smiles, knowing the character that has entered the scene. You see, Magilou is a comedic character and effective one. She made me smile and laugh and I always enjoyed those scenes she had, she bounced well off the more serious characters, like Velvet. The question is, how could I replicate that fun music with my writing. I suppose I could simply write that a character enters with a fun soundtrack but that is like reading subtitles, telling is not showing. Perhaps I could use a phrase, such as the way Magilou would always announce herself to her own fanfare despite the obvious lack of enthusiasm from the people surrounding her. That could be fun, having a person make a grand entrance, clap and cheer and pose dramatically while the passer-by’s do not even stop to look. The other key component to consider is that at first, before Magilou joins the protagonist on her journey, her soundtrack is used every time she appears but once she joins, it stops because she is always there. The soundtrack does not cease however, as there are various scenes where they make effective use of it and her, but it made me realise the importance of balance. You don’t want too much and if Magilou and her soundtrack was overused, then I would not be praising it but condemning it, lamenting of the constant barrage of light-hearted beats. Whatever I choose to use for my own character, I must do it with balance. Not doing it every time, but when it makes sense and there has been enough time or words that the audience will happily engage with it again. I admire the writers of video game characters, the ones who do it well, because there is no other medium where you have the opportunity to spend over a hundred hours with a character. In that time, weakness is exposed and only the strongest are enjoyed. The entire main cast of Tales of Berseria became like family and games like this, and Persona as well highlight that much like real life, the more quality time you have with a character, the more you enjoy their presence. My writing is not hundreds of hours long and while part of me would be thrilled to create a story within that medium, I know that for my own writing, I can still focus on quality time. Magilou could have been a throw away joke but because of the quality time we spend with her, we can see her depth and understand her more and she becomes an established member of the narrative. I have written characters that I question their existence as time continues, that they were important at their introduction, but that importance has seemed to dissipate. Not every character is going to be like Magilou, but if I can make one that has her qualities, then I will know that I have created a solid character.