fanfic eye descriptions...

[ratcreature]

I've wondered in the past about the peculiarities of eyes in fanfic, but I just read a passage describing eyes with "ice and ichor" and I was like wtf? Isn't ichor, like, pus or something? I know it's originally from some Greek mythology thing or other, but still. Anyway, regardless of the potential nuances of "ichor" I might be missing, I was just grossed out. Eyes like ice and pus?! Ick. Also, it didn't much sound like the voice of the POV character either.

Comments

[caia-comica.livejournal.com]

Hee. I think someone got carried away with her alliteration! *g*

And to me "ichor" is not "pus" but rather "the blood of something that is demonstratably not human (originally the Greek gods)" but it is, usually, rather disgusting.

[ratcreature]

Heh, the dictionary definition that stuck with me however wasn't the mythological one but "a thin watery or blood-tinged discharge" (aka "pus"). Neither one is something I'd like my eyes compared to. I mean granted, it was Harry Potter thinking about Draco Malfoy, and maybe he was keeping in the tradition of the icky love poems he himself got (describing his eyes as "as green as a fresh pickled toad" after all), but I doubt that was the effect the author was going for. Besides, at least pickled toad is apparently green, whereas "ichor" doesn't sound like anything eyes would be like unless the guy was hungover with blood-shot eyes or something.

[ilyena_sylph]

Gr. Myth. The ethereal fluid supposed to flow like blood in the veins of the gods.

Does that help? (all must bless the OED online)

[ratcreature]

Not really. Does this work for you as an eye description? What do you imagine the eyes look like? (the metaphor was "[...] that feel of ice and ichor in Malfoy's eyes [...]") And okay, the ice part may not be the most original eye description but it works okay, it conjures images of cool, pale colors which fit Malfoy's grey eyes, and a cold, hard look. But what is "ichor" supposed to tell me here?

It's still think it was gross, ichor still also means pus (and not in a totally separate meaning where the word just happens to look the same), and pus or not, even if you go with the Greek mythology ichor is a poisonous (to humans) bodily fluid that seeps from wounds when those gods where injured. Sure I can go all euphemistic and call gods' pus "ethereal fluid", but when you look the word up you find descriptions like:
"a thin watery or blood-tinged discharge" (m-w.com) and "discharge from sore: a watery or slightly bloody discharge from a wound or an ulcer" (encarta.msn.com), even "name for the yellowish-green color of bile" (from wikipedia)...

I still can't imagine how this (or ethereal, godly veinal fluids) would describe eyes or relate to an expression in eyes, especially not if the eyes are supposed to be attractive, and not like rotting from some curse seeping icky fluids. And how this goes together with the "ice" in the description is anyone's guess.

[ilyena_sylph]

True enough. I've got to give you that one. ...the writer went a ways overboard with that one.

I swiped my definition from the OED, actually, I didn't come up with it.

I think I kind of intuitively understand where they wanted to go with that, but since explaining it is still beyond me, I'm admitting defeat... or maybe not. Here goes a shot at it.

Ichor is used pretty frequently in fic and lit for alien blood, and it's also the term for dragon's blood in the Pern novels, where it's a pale greenish color. Thus, Malfoy eyes? and ichor (greek sense) caused wounds by 'burning', right? So maybe ice and a cold/inhuman fire? .....Yeah, I'm sooo reaching here.

Hi again, btw.