Works: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Stoob/works
And so we come to Elizabeth.
I don't mind saying that I've had the odd 'waifu' in the past (I'm looking at you, T'Soni) but the character of Elizabeth was like a breathe of fresh air in gaming. She wasn't sexualised, she wasn't sassy, she wasn't a badass, she was just an intelligent, young woman caught up in terrible circumstance. Ken Levine, the author, played her very much like a Disney Princess, which I enjoyed greatly and gave me a new 'guilty pleasure'. I believe she is modelled on Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast from the net's hubbub at the time, and in a further conversation with a co-worker about Disney, she said that Belle spent all her time in a book tower and was generally 'bookish', exactly like Elizabeth. They certainly have a striking resemblance to each other too.
I don't think the fact that she basically plays 'damsel in distress' is necessarily a bad thing, though some would no doubt disagree. Would a young woman who has spent her entire life locked away in a guilded cage suddenly possess the faculties to wage a full scale war against Columbia? I don't personally think so, despite her 'powers'; she takes a lot of her strength and support from Booker. On that point, the game never lets Elizabeth die when under your protection as protagonist. She ducks down somewhere on the map, occasionally tosses you supplies, opens 'tears' as directed, but she never gets hit by gunfire or explosions, so you're not really technically protecting her. I'd thought about this and came to the conclusion that it needed to be this way. If Elizabeth could be harmed, and therefore initiate 'Game Over' if she dies, having Booker shout, "Elizabeth! Noooooooooo...!" or some such every five minutes during a difficult fire fight would undermine Elizabeth's 'value' and the game as a whole
It can be hard to put your finger on the specific reason why a character works so well. While not sexualised, she is pretty of course, as much as one can say about a video game character and her voice actor, Courtnee Draper does an outstanding job filling the role with full conviction. There's a tape on YouTube of one of their recording sessions, one of the darker conversations between Booker and Elizabeth. The scene needs Elizabeth in a fragile state and Courtnee seems to be having trouble getting into the frame of mind. Whoever's in the recording booth starts goading her and Troy Baker, who plays the part of Booker, her opposite in this scene. Troy joins the goading with some vigour, asking what the hell she thinks she's doing and if she can't get it, just give up. Courtnee, the person, does indeed begin to get tearful in her frustration; she can't get the scene right and now they're having a go at her. "Give me more." Courtnee asks. What a trooper.
Despite her dark beginnings, Elizabeth does have an almost endless enthusiasm for life and all its mysteries and that comes across very well. It gives the darker scenes all the more impact when she laments her lot with Booker. Getting that brightness twinged with melancholy is quite key to capturing Elizabeth's voice. Also, it can be easy to become overly-eloquent; she is indeed well learned and intellectual, and has excellent diction but not overly grand. In the lighter 'Disney' moments, such as the dance on the prom, she's flowery and 'girly' and very charming. That particular scene at Battleship Bay is topped off perfectly with the past's re-interpretation of Cindi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' on the calliope. I presume my fellow gamers were also grinning from ear to ear during this wonderful scene.
Well I'm hoping I've done the character justice in my works.
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