BoM/TWS Message Forum

I was waiting for additional replies before making my own comments. But it looks like this is going to be all of them.

My view about Sydney, I'm afraid, is a cop-out: Sydney's attitude/character is there on the page. There is no further answer.

I write in a very improvisational, intuitive manner. I don't make character notes or sketches. The characters wander on and they do their thing, and whatever they do is who they are.

This isn't to say that all my intuitions about her come out on the page, or that the storylines perfectly express her character and attitudes. And there's the additional complication that her attitude will change depending upon the branch, because what Will does or doesn't do will obvious affect her.

In "Done and Doner," for instance, she and Will have only been together for two days before they run into Frank and Joe. That's not enough time for any feelings to really develop (save for Will's obvious crush) so it's easy for her to drop him after the magic has been erased from her life. Whatever real feelings she has for him will have deepened considerably once they move into the "Baphomet" plot.

I suspect that Sydney's feelings for Will are the same as in most any relationship: a mix of the sentimental and the practical. If someone can do something for you, and they do it, you will feel more (genuine!) affection for them. If they're just a playmate, it's easier for affection to burn out or evaporate. Will can do things for Sydney. But the more he does them, the more she really likes and loves him. That's not cynicism. That's just life.