What kind of person do you think would be the best romantic match for Olga?
To be perfectly honest with you, I used to draw a lot of parallels between Olga and Jane Austenās Emma, so I kinda figured the guy Olga ended up with should be someone similar to Mr. Knightley. Someone justā¦ a little more stable who can calmly point out when Olgaās being ridiculous and steer her in a healthier direction. āCause, for all that Helga laments their differences, Helga and Olga are still sisters and they share quite a few personality traits. Theyāre both really passionate, performative, loud, emotional, loving, empathetic, and fucked up. So someone similar to Arnold would probably be good for Olga in the same way itās good for Helga.
But that was years ago and Emma and Mr. Knightleyās relationship does have this deeply familial element to it thatās justā¦ weird. I love Emma, but the book didnāt age fantastically. And I also really dislike power differentials. The thought of someone just always standing over Olga telling her sheās acting poorly strikes me as both gross and unrealistic, in the same way that I see Arnold regularly scolding Helga for her attitude problems being yet another reason they inevitably break up as teenagers. At least if weāre trying to set Olga up for romantic success anyway, which Iām inclined to do. Therefore it stands to reason Olga ought to be with someone a bit more on her level. So I created Charles. I think I talked about him on this blog a little before, and itās always a little strange trying to lay out a characterās whole personality and backstory in a paragraph or two rather than a proper 10,000-20,000 word story, but basically:Ā
Charles is kind of a mixture of a Chocolate Boy with actual impulse control, an Arnold who grew up isolated and upper-class, Big Patty (usual demeanor), Sid (inner world and occasional outer world), and Phoebe (attitude and actions towards people he loves). I hope that cocktail of familiar characters makes this picture Iām about to paint a little easier to see. Heās a naturally very subdued person, frequently nervous, and has a wide assortment of physical ticks, but heās trained to hide all this so he can look the part of the charming and respectable rich bitchās son. He was homeschooled from ages 3 to 12 before being sent to boarding school (which ended up being the best thing that ever happened to him ācause he actually made friends for the first time in his life), and was raised by a comically long string of nannies and baby sitters that his dad kept sleeping with (no matter how elderly or ugly they were) and his mom kept firing (and sometimes sleeping with), so he never really bonded with any of them or any adult at all.Ā Ā
Outwardly, he seems like a regular, chill, smart guy, but the more time you spend with him and the more comfortable he gets with you, the clearer it becomes that heās kind ofā¦ off andā¦ weird and very bitter. He shakes peopleās hands ācause he was trained to but he hates it. He hugs people when itās appropriate ācause he was trained to but he hates it. He pats people on the back and laughs at important peopleās jokes ācause he was trained to but he hates it. He canāt stand anything that reminds him too much of his childhood. Left to his own devices, he doesnāt smile much and he refuses to be gentlemanly and he loves putting his feet up on coffee tables and sitting on tables and counters, which can make him seem like a thoughtless dick to the people heās actually friends with even though he really doesnāt mean to be. When he really, really loves people, though, he tends to fall back on his childhood training a bit because itās the only way he understands how to make people like him and this is where the Phoebe aspect of him comes in, ācause he kinda just superglues himself to his best friends and does favors for them and smiles awkwardly.Ā
Heās also a nihilistic rebel that went on to pursue an English degree instead of a business/medical/law one like his parents told him to his whole life, so this is how he met Olga. In Wellington College, England, before she transferred to Bennington, and then he just steadfastly kept in contact with her and Olga happily soaked up the attention. Helgaās the one who points out to Olga that Charles has a thing for her and Olga goes all surprised pikachu because heās never actually made a move on her in all the time sheās known him, which is what sheās used to. Flowers and chairs being pulled out and grand declarations and passionate kisses. Charles just talks to her and asks her questions like āHowāre you doing?ā and āCan I help in any way?ā andĀ āDid you get enough sleep?ā
All in all, heās similar to Olga in a few obvious fundamental ways, which was the point. Itās a bit silly and on the nose because I created Charles years ago, but since heās existed in my mind for so long, it would be difficult for me to just scrap him and create someone new, so I have to tell you both Charles and Olga grew up lonely, somewhat isolated and laden with expectations. Only Charles hates his parents, wants nothing to do with his upbringing, and has his feet very firmly planted in reality. Which is to say, heās incredibly down to earth and individualistic and yeah, more than a little naive, but the effect here is that Olgaās interesting to him not because sheās talented or worldly or accomplished, but because sheās well-meaning and compassionate and sillyāall things heās rarely experienced and is starved for. Sheās one of the few people he hangs onto as a friend for those reasons, and Olga eventually learns that she can be a little calmer and a little more honest when sheās with him. Which is the primary thing I think Olga really, really, desperately needs in a partner. Just somebody she can be real with who wonāt shush her or send her away or expect anything from her that she doesnāt want to give. Who will look at all her jagged edges and say, āI see, I understand.ā Thatās what love is anyway, imo.
