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victorluvsalice · 3 months ago

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How To Write Smiler Alton: A Guide

Hey everyone -- so, my roller coaster OC Smiler Alton (based on The Smiler coaster from Alton Towers) has been kicking around in my brain for about three-and-a-half years now, having good times with Victor and Alice and starring in a decent number of fanfics -- most of them short prompt fics, but also a couple of longer pieces. And now that they've been around for a while, and I feel like I've gotten a relatively decent handle on what they're like as a character, I figured I might as well share my Basic Smiler Primer -- the stuff that I do my best to keep in mind whenever I write them. This isn't a list of headcanons so much as it is general character traits -- the things that really make Smiler Smiler, no matter what universe they may find themselves in. Because, as you know, I do love my AUs, so specific headcanons can vary from verse to verse. But this here is the list of things that are more or less common to every Smiler. Ready? Here we go:

Big -- And not just in the sense that Smiler is the only person who isn't practically a stick figure in my OT3. XD This more reflects that Smiler is someone who takes up a lot of metaphorical space in any given area -- they're extroverted, they're showy, and they never mind being the center of attention. Hell, for some of them, they actively encourage it as part of their jobs -- I have yet to show my Valicer In The Dark Smiler "at work," but you'd better believe they're pitching their little heart out to move that Joy Serum! Basically, if you're in the same room as Smiler, you'll know -- mostly because they'll march right up to you, introduce themselves, and start making small talk. XD They also tend to have pretty damn big emotions --

Which, um, is both blessing and curse. Because yes, when they're happy, they're downright ecstatic -- but when they're sad, they're completely miserable. And depending on the AU they're in, they might not be fully equipped to hand "bad" emotions (I've mentioned before that it takes poor VITD Smiler nearly dying of hypothermia for them to cry for the first time in front of Victor and Alice) or they might be stuck in a situation where said "bad" emotions are smothering the good ones (true of any Smiler stuck with Dr. Kelman as their parent -- more on that below). Basically, they feel everything very keenly, and there are a lot of benefits and drawbacks to that!

Cheerful -- Tying into the emotions thing above, as you might expect from an OC based on a coaster that's all about brainwashing people into permanent happiness, Smiler's base emotional state is happy! They're a very optimistic person, doing their best to look on the bright side of things, thoroughly enjoy whatever life has to offer, and use their various talents to make sure the people around them are happy as well!

...or, at least, that's the ideal. In practice, Smiler actually comes in one of three levels of cheerful, dependent on their situation in whatever AU I'm writing at the time:

Low Cheerful -- Smiler is stuck in a shitty situation that is really, if understandably, dragging their mood down. They're capable of being as cheerful as any other Smiler -- most of them are doing their best to remain optimistic, and they can be perfectly perky if they're alone with their friends and other loved ones -- but if they want a permanent mood boost, they have to escape whatever is making them miserable! Or, rather, whoever, because pretty much every Smiler of this type is -- as indicated above -- one who is stuck dealing with their asshole birth father Dr. Kellard Kelman (an evil psychiatrist from some of the early advertising from the coaster, who -- as per the old Sanctuary scare maze -- thinks it's acceptable to show people rotting animal corpses in an attempt to make them more "socially compliant"). Being trapped in a house with someone who doesn't respect their gender identity and is essentially trying to turn them into a copy of himself is not going to do good things for Smiler's mood, as you might guess! The Multiplayer Wonderland and Soulmate AU Smilers both come from Low Cheerful backgrounds, but I think the most obvious example I have of this kind of Smiler so far would be the Valicer Severance AU Smiler -- both Innie and Outie, because the former is stuck in that terrible office and the latter is stuck in Kelman's Sanctuary. Those two would probably win the medal for "most miserable Smiler," frankly -- being in a Severance AU is not a fun time!

Medium Cheerful -- Smiler is living a perfectly normal life, with the usual ups and downs inherent to that. This is the "baseline" Smiler, if you will -- they have loving parents, they have a decent job, they have friends and partners that they love a lot and enjoy hanging out with, and they have a minimum of bullshit to deal with. And if they have a bad day or two, they can bounce back and keep on trucking. :) As you might expect, the best example I have of a Medium Cheerful Smiler is the Modern AU Smiler -- an ordinary college student studying psychology and chemistry, working at the Sunny Brews coffee shop, and having fun times with Victor and Alice and their other coaster-based friends. They are very content with their lot, and they do their best to make sure everyone around them is too!

High Cheerful -- Smiler is...maybe a little too happy. And possibly not totally human. XD These are the Smilers who, for whatever reason, take the natural baseline cheer of the Medium ones and turn it up to eleven -- who are still perfectly nice people, friendly and warm and wanting to spread the happiness around, but who also just might set off a warning signal at the back of your brain. The ones who very much take the "Smile. Always." catchphrase of the ride to heart. As indicated, they also tend to be the ones most likely to be partially or fully non-human -- it's easier to write Smiler as spooky-cheerful if they're a fairy, or a dragon, or have been touched somehow by an eldritch being. Accordingly, the best example I have of this type of Smiler currently is my Valicer In The Dark Smiler, who is both in a happiness cult and was directly blessed by the god of said happiness cult, meaning they're almost aggressively cheerful. (And very keen on avoiding their memories of the time when they were a Low Cheerful Smiler living with Dr. Kelman...)

Mar-Mal -- "Wait," I hear you say after reading the above paragraph. "Surely the best example of a High Cheerful Smiler is Mar-Mal, right? The 'literal eldritch god of happiness' version of Smiler you cooked up?" To which I reply, "Technically --

"But also, they're not really a version of Smiler." I mean, yes, sometimes I do have them as the same person -- the Fallout Of Darkness Smiler is in fact a somewhat-chilled-out version of Mar-Mal driving a robot body, for example -- but these days, it's a lot more likely that if Mar-Mal shows up in an AU, they'll be a separate entity that is connected to Smiler somehow -- as an object of worship, as in Valicer In The Dark, or as a "patron" of sorts that grants Smiler some special powers, as in those vague "CaFae Latte AU" thoughts I mentioned in my "Help: How Do Tav!Smiler in BG3???" post. (Or, you know, as a Warlock Tav!Smiler's official patron, also as per that post.) I find it easier to write the (generally) more human Smiler, as you might expect -- AND keeping them in the background allows me to make Mar-Mal both help and potential threat, since I don't have to limit them with such things like "ethics" or "understanding that hunger isn't actually a 'bad' emotion." :p Bottom line, while Mar-Mal IS the Most Cheerful Being ever, they're usually also Not An Official Smiler, and thus not that relevant to this discussion. (And when they are a Smiler, I've generally traumatized them by having had them accidentally kill people with their attempts to make them happy in the past (the whole "not understanding hunger" thing), so they might in fact be closer to a Medium Cheerful Smiler in those cases.)

Charismatic -- Back to the main categories, here we have another trait that relates back to the first "Big" one I mentioned -- Smiler knows how to talk to people and turn them to their side! Something that deeply confuses Alice and Victor, let me tell you. XD But yeah, Smiler is not only willing to start up a conversation with pretty much anyone, they also are capable of making that person like them, or at least want to keep paying attention to them. Looking at the way I've written them swaying people, or helping their friends sway people, in the Valicer In The Dark stories I've completed so far, it seems to be primarily a "force of personality" thing -- whenever there's trouble, Smiler puts themselves front and center, with their big grin and their powerful deep voice, and immediately starts trying to make friends and allay any fears or misgivings someone may have about the situation. It doesn't always work -- VITD Smiler's initial attempt to convince the Van Dorts' cook that they and Alice are new hires in the upcoming "The Van Dort Vacancy" goes a bit awry because the cook is sure Nell would have told her if she'd hired new servants, and I vaguely mentioned in "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of" that one of the "three times Smiler and Alice talked before everything kicked off" incidents was Alice showing up to help save Smiler from some toughs that they weren't able to sway -- but they have a pretty good track record! However, being the kind of person that is quite skilled at talking people around to their side has three main drawbacks:

One: They can be rather manipulative. Which is not so bad when they're trying to sell something, or talk an enemy into not hurting them and their loved ones, but can be an issue if they start using those skills on said loved ones. Be wishy-washy about not wanting to do something (especially something they personally want to do), and they just might turn on the charm to try and give you a push, for example. Fortunately, they do respect an outright "no," and if you call them out for being a jerk, they will step back -- the last thing they want is to upset the people they care about!

Two: Their confidence in their ability to settle things with their words can sometimes lead to them getting themselves in trouble trying to charm people who really can't be charmed. For example, VITD Smiler took a real chance butting into ghost!Emily berating Victor for going to a whorehouse in "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of" -- if she'd been a little less sane, that could have ended with them getting attacked and possessed, which is NOT a fun time in that world! And I've already mentioned Alice having to save them from those unswayable toughs once in the past. Basically, they overestimate their talents sometimes, and that can lead to problems...which leads into the third issue --

Three: While they're great in a verbal battle, they're, uh, kind of shit in a physical one. ^^; Smiler is very used to being able to defuse situations via talking, which means if they're dragged into a proper brawl, their first instinct is going to be trying to get away from the action. They are a lover, not a fighter -- a support class, not a martial one! They'll fight if they have to, of course (see VITD Smiler throwing rocks at Barkis in "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of"), but they're not very skilled at it. Frankly, they're very lucky that generally Alice is there to do the "beating up people" thing for them!

Intelligent -- Smiler might be a smooth talker, but they certainly don't have a smooth brain -- they're pretty darn smart, if they do say so themselves. They tend to be decently well-read (even if Modern AU Smiler is more likely to go for a game on their phone over a book if they're bored); if they're in school, they get good grades; and of course they're very solid at reading social cues and interpreting what people want. A handful are even decent engineers and coders, occasionally tinkering with robotics (VITD Smiler's steampunk Roomba, made with fellow Advocate Dr. Gladwell...which is actually a fairly impressive feat of engineering, considering most "robots" in that world consist of mind-controlled ghosts running a mechanical body, but that one is all cogs and gears and punch cards) or maintaining their own website (Modern AU Smiler's "Ministry of Joy" site, where Victor found their hypnosis videos). But there is one field that all Smilers truly excel in --

Chemistry! Or alchemy, if we're talking a more fantasy-based AU. Yes, when it comes to the process of combining things to make other things, or breaking things up into their component parts, Smiler is a goddamn fucking genius. A natural knack for eyeballing measurements and guessing timings combined with years of study and experimentation (pretty much every kid Smiler had a junior chemistry set or some equivalent) means they can pretty much whip up anything you require if it's chemical or alchemical in nature, particularly if it's liquid (though they can work in other mediums, like VITD Smiler's attempts to make Giggler Gas). A fun side effect of this is that they are also absolutely amazing at making drinks -- Modern AU Smiler is everyone's favorite barista at Sunny Brews thanks to their incredible coffees; VITD Smiler is able to get Alice to forgive them for being a "morning" person with their excellent teas in "A Murder Shared Is A Murder Thirded;" and even Innie!Smiler from the Valicer Severance AU is able to make a cup of coffee with the office coffee maker that absolutely dumbfounds Miss Glados with how good it is. So yeah -- if you need a drug, a potion, or even just the perfect cocktail, Smiler is the person you talk to!

...just, uh, don't disrespect their craft, because that is one of the few guaranteed ways to piss them off. Particularly VITD Smiler, who angrily agrees to a drug-selling competition with two other alchemists studying at Charterhall's university after they mock them for being self-taught, and then GIVES THEM THE BUSINESS when they discover that the two not taking proper care with their ingredients means they've made something that is going to kill most of their customers. (And don't get me started on their annoyance with Baldur's Gate III's version of Faerun and its alchemy system in the vague crossover thoughts I've had between Valicer In The Dark and that AU: "What do you mean, you can combine this Sublimate of Wispweed with any Ashes to make a Potion Of Glorious Vaulting?! That's not how it works!" XD) Other Smilers are a little more chill, but even Modern AU Smiler will get annoyed if someone insists they're "just a barista" or something like that. They are a damn fucking good barista, thank you very much, and don't you forget it.

Kind -- And here we come to the trait that is probably the most antithetical to the actual coaster's theme -- but hey, I already established on this blog that I had to give my Smiler ethics, lest they get stabbed by Alice, sooo... In short, my version of Smiler, in direct contrast to I believe most Smiler OCs, is a good and decent person at heart -- someone who genuinely wants to help those around them and make them happier, because they believe pretty much everyone deserves to be happy. Granted, they may not always go about that in the best way -- see VITD Smiler being, essentially, a fantasy drug dealer -- but they're trying, damn it. Smiler is the kind of person who will drop everything to help a crying child find their parents; give money to someone who needs it without any expectation of having it paid back; provide people with an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on; encourage those around them to pursue their dreams and do what makes them smile; and tell corny jokes nonstop until a miserable friend is feeling better. Maximizing happiness and making the world a better, brighter place is always forefront in their mind, and being kind to people is very key to that. :) And helps them not get stabbed by Alice. XD Just try not to take advantage of it, because even Smiler has limits...and, given that I outlined in the "Charismatic" section that they can good at manipulating people, they're pretty good at spotting when they're being manipulated too...

Universal Headcanons -- And finally, to wrap things up, let's have a set of headcanons that I believe are true of pretty much all my Smilers:

-->Obviously, they're always nonbinary, even in AUs where they might not have all the modern words for it. They're not a man or a woman, and they'd like everyone to respect that, please

-->Their favorite colors are yellow, black, white, and purple -- expect to see a lot of each, especially yellow and black, incorporated into their clothing and their living space if at all possible

-->Their favorite animals are frogs and ravens -- the former because my very first Sim Smiler ended up doing a lot of frog collecting in my old Chill Valicer Save (admittedly, I only had them start because they needed plasma packs, being a vampire -- it quickly grew into "oh, these are neat, let's see if I can complete the collection," though); the latter because I've heard there's ravens on the grounds of Alton Towers, and they do tend to spend time around The Smiler's particular locale (this is kind of the reason Sooty is more Smiler's pet than Victor's in Valicer In The Dark, despite the ravens coming from Victor's canon)

-->They're musically inclined, able to play both the guitar (or local equivalent -- for example, Tav!Smiler would play the lute) and the drums, though they're better at the former than the latter

-->They're utterly unafraid of being "cringe" -- they will unironically give double thumbs ups and finger guns to people without fear, and they wear whatever the fuck they want (if given the choice). In fact, they honestly quite enjoy wearing loud clothing, particularly favoring black and yellow stripes whenever possible (natch)

-->They're excellent at inducing altered states of consciousness in people -- though whether this is because they're simply good at hypnosis or have genuine actual mind control powers varies by the AU (Modern AU Smiler is a good example of the former; the dragon Smiler from that Medieval Fantasy Hypnokinky AU I've toyed with is a good example of the latter; VITD Smiler straddles the line a bit thanks both to knowing conventional hypnosis and eventually being granted a power from Mar-Mal (the "Mesmerism" power from the Slide playbook) that makes them able to mess with people's memories a bit)

-->And -- even if the AU they're in should logically demand that they look more "normal," like the Victorian era AUs -- those iconic bright yellow glowing eyes and the purple-tipped black hair hanging in their face (see this headshot for reference, and also because they're particularly cute there) are going to be part of their look somehow. Mostly because I have a very hard time picturing them with any other eye color or haircut. XD (Look, they just look WEIRD to me with a normal eye color!) Yes, sometimes it can only be a part-time look -- Multiplayer Wonderland Smiler only has the yellow eyes and purple tips in Wonderland, for example -- but if I can make it work, I'm making it work, damn it.

Aaand I believe that should do it! Hopefully now we all understand my Smiler as a character better. :) I'm looking forward to writing a lot more with them as time goes on, and I hope you are too!