Elf's Random Musings

I actually HATE writers that do that mainly due to a certain fic. His characters were werewolves and abso-fucking-lutely everyone had a scent to the point I was waiting for him to lampshade it by having the main character's love interest in a room with 4 other lavender scented females and forcing him to choose one while blindfolded.

The fact of the matter is that scent is fine if it makes sense in context, like fire, horrible perfume, ozone, etc. However, having someone smell like chocolate mint is VERY hard to relate to mainly because real humans don't do it and it feels really artificial in describing a character. Unless there's a GOOD reason for it, I associate it with a mary sue trait in much the same way a bad author will haphazardly tack on skills.

I.e. She can play the piano, she has sparkling ruby eyes, she can play the violin and speak Japanese, Farsi and Russian, also her scent smells like Lilacs and Jasmine on a cool summer breeze.

Granted, if it's used well in a story it works. i.e. the dude is a clone/doppleganger and only her keen sense of smell alerts her to the ambush just in time.

Oh hey, another smelly person! Howzabout that?

Welp, now I'm curious. In your opinion what do you think folks like, say, Gil, Shirou, Illya, and Kotomine smell like?

Gil has the original smell

Originally Posted by ItsaRandomUsername

Oh hey, another smelly person! Howzabout that?

Welp, now I'm curious. In your opinion what do you think folks like, say, Gil, Shirou, Illya, and Kotomine smell like?

Shirou smells like Archer without the leather honestly. That same forge smoke and steel smell once he starts tracing. Possibly fresh cooked food.

Ilya? Juniper and something cold, like snow. Something that marks her as not quite a normal person.

Kotomine probably smells like Mapo Tofu and wine.

Gil? Possibly some really exotic and old perfume like frankincense and myrrh.

Ilya tastes like Marshmellow. :3

What are Wynn, Gabriel, Rufus & Uriah scents?

I look forward to your rant.

(I'm not so centered on it as you are, but I've always been bugged by the fact that I don't include enough scent detail in my own writing, just because it's the sense that's most linked to memory and so really helps in forming strong impressions of people and places.)

Edit: So Kotomine eats all that Mapo Tofu deliberately so that his B.O. can torment the noses of all the supernaturally-sensitive types he hangs around with?

I love it when writer's do this, though spending multiple paragraphs on their scents is the same mistake as spending multiple paragraphs on their appearance (for me, anyway).

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Edit: So Kotomine eats all that Mapo Tofu deliberately so that his B.O. can torment the noses of all the supernaturally-sensitive types he hangs around with?

Even better, both Lancer and Gil absolutely detest mapo tofu, to the point of fearing it even.

Is Mapo Tofu any good actually, I've never had the pleasure to try

You know you want to.

That looks annoyingly delicious to my starved self

who the fuck would buy non-mullet kotomine mapo tofu?

holy shit that looks like a pile of tofu in soy sauce with like a tiny bit of chili oil on top, how can you sell that as real food

it is the sin of your people leo

never forget it

you calling me a japanese mate

my grandpappy died fighting those slanty eyed yellowskins don't you forget

japanese didnt come up with mapo

uh huh

tell me more

look at all the history here