My Problem with Morgan LeFlay

[ToddD]

That's right, you probably haven't heard it before, so don't misread, I really just did imply that:

I don't like Morgan LeFlay.

Let me clarify something though: I LOVE the IDEA of Morgan LeFlay. I think a strong female pirate hunter is a great idea! But I also love Elaine but HATED Elaine in EMI. It's all about execution, you see.

Specifics:

Appearance Problem: She looks TOO conceptual. Concept sketches are fine, but she is borderline Anime and doesn't really fit in the canon based on her appearance.

Suggested Solution: Make her tough, make her hardened. Give her a scar and make her hair pulled back or in a bandana, no one could keep their hair like that on the open salty sea. She's a pirate hunter she has to get her hands dirty.

Sound Problem: With all due respect to her voice actress, I think the voice is TOTALLY off. It was acted fine, but I want an accent, or at least a scruffy scratch to her voice that suggests she's been around the block a few times and has been hardened. She sounds like a teacher from Fairly Odd Parents or any other Nickelodeon / kids show. I've always been of the school of thought that Guybrush should be the only American/Goofy sounded character.

Sound Suggestion: Give her an accent, you can make her sultry, that's fine, but make it period. Cockney accent would have worked PERFECTLY or cajun or caribbean would have worked too.

Conflict Problem: She is a pirate hunter but loves Guybrush. This conflict wasn't believable at ALL. She could switch to easily without hearing ANY conflict in her voice.

Conflict Solution: Make her less sane. When she must mentally address this conflict her sentences should trail off, her voice should change, and she should seem like she is having serious mental issues about this fundamental internal conflict.



HOPEFULLY, if they bring her back (I'm assuming they will based on the last scene), they will make her more hardened and much less cartoony.


Flame away, internet friends.

[Irishmile]

Its ok that you do not like her you are entitled to that oppinion.

But there is no real visual canon considering the look of each game changes with each release.

Also Morgan while definitely capable was supposed to be youthful and a huge fangirl... almost bordering on being a nerd. Nicki Rapp portrayed that character perfectly she was confident and cocky when she needed to be and soft and fangirlish when appropriate...

The character you describe would be a completely different direction and not fit well into the light hearted world of MI...

Also she was there to throw some confusion into Guybrush and Elaine's marriage... Guybrush being a idiot savant always looking for recognition respect, getting it from Morgan and not his all too successful wife..

I welcome these types of threads... and you did it correctly you stated what you thought and why...

[Falanca]

I disagree with your opinion, but I also respect it. And here something a bit irrelevant;

I know of people that simply disliking every MI game that released after the second one because all those games suddenly abandoned the mystical and atmospheric (yet sarcastic at times) feel of the games and made it look a lot more cartoony, but still trying to retain the feel of the older games and mixing the two styles in every game; using different dosages of each of them in every other take. I do think Morgan LeFlay also represents this mixture of styles -serious and cartoony- in herself. Her constant mood swings from a pirate hunter to "somewhat-out-of-place" fangirl, her goals of making a fortune and her "corny-but-warm" love for Guybrush, her serious mastery of sword fighting and her cartoony look and voice... She is conflicting with herself every time she's on screen. And it's not a bad thing, it's her character and like many real people, as a fictional character, she's not perfect.

Long story short, I think you're trying to perfect her by killing one of the two sides of her and I disagree with you there since it's her speciality to contain the both personalities in herself and be imperfect.

[Mermaid]

Interesting thoughts on how Morgan could have made a more realistic impression as a pirate hunter. I especially liked the accent idea.

[MarkDarin]

Interesting point of view! In fact, when I originally conceived Morgan, she was almost exactly as you described... A more hardened femme fatal, full of cockiness and swagger, with a deeper voice and a slight Indian accent!

But the chemistry just wasn't there. Additionally the "fan girl" side of her was coming across too artificial...and the contrast was making her character feel MORE cartoony. (Yeah, I hadn't expected that either)

Nikki Rapp brought an attitude and energy to the character that I had not originally anticipated and it gave Morgan an endearing vulnerability; something that would be important for her character later down the line!

[Jen Kollic]

Originally Posted by Falanca

I disagree with your opinion, but I also respect it. And here something a bit irrelevant;

I know of people that simply disliking every MI game that released after the second one because all those games suddenly abandoned the mystical and atmospheric (yet sarcastic at times) feel of the games and made it look a lot more cartoony, but still trying to retain the feel of the older games and mixing the two styles in every game; using different dosages of each of them in every other take. I do think Morgan LeFlay also represents this mixture of styles -serious and cartoony- in herself. Her constant mood swings from a pirate hunter to "somewhat-out-of-place" fangirl, her goals of making a fortune and her "corny-but-warm" love for Guybrush, her serious mastery of sword fighting and her cartoony look and voice... She is conflicting with herself every time she's on screen. And it's not a bad thing, it's her character and like many real people, as a fictional character, she's not perfect.

Long story short, I think you're trying to perfect her by killing one of the two sides of her and I disagree with you there since it's her speciality to contain the both personalities in herself and be imperfect.

Well, I could write a tl;dr post, but since Falanca's already put it better than I could, I'll just say 'this'.

And besides, if Morgan had been a 100% badass pirate hunter, I doubt she'd have had any regret or guilt about selling Guybrush out and would have had no interest in making up for what she'd done or helping him in the crossroads. So she'd have been of less use to the plot.

...also the thought of a cockney Morgan fills me with horror. Any accent but that one!

[doodo!]

Originally Posted by MarkDarin

Interesting point of view! In fact, when I originally conceived Morgan, she was almost exactly as you described... A more hardened femme fatal, full of cockiness and swagger, with a deeper voice and a slight Indian accent!

But the chemistry just wasn't there. Additionally the "fan girl" side of her was coming across too artificial...and the contrast was making her character feel MORE cartoony. (Yeah, I hadn't expected that either)

Nikki Rapp brought an attitude and energy to the character that I had not originally anticipated and it gave Morgan an endearing vulnerability; something that would be important for her character later down the line!

Thanks for sharing Mark.

[ToddD]

Thanks for sharing! It's so interesting to hear stories about how things evolve during creative processes.

[Lonnie]

And she looks too smart/well dressed/pristine.

[Falanca]

Oh come on, you can't say it's a bad thing to see a well dressed lady!

[Lonnie]

But thats the problem...shes a pirate hunter but looks too posh! LOL.

[Jen Kollic]

I really don't get the "Morgan should look scruffy!" argument. Most of the main characters don't look scruffy, Guybrush doesn't, Elaine doesn't, Human LeChuck doesn't, (hell, even regular LeChuck isn't that scruffy) Winslow doesn't. Why should Morgan? If anything, the fact that all her clothes are intact just shows that she's a really good fighter, nobody's even been able to damage her clothing in a duel, let alone her.

[doodo!]

whatever...

[coolsome]

Originally Posted by Lonnie

But thats the problem...shes a pirate hunter but looks too posh! LOL.

Id expect a Pirate Hunter (TM) to be posh and the pirates to be scruffy.

[Falanca]

Originally Posted by Lonnie

shes a pirate hunter but looks too posh! LOL.

I'm digging the word.

Originally Posted by Jen Kollic

I really don't get the "Morgan should look scruffy!" argument. Most of the main characters don't look scruffy, Guybrush doesn't, Elaine doesn't, Human LeChuck doesn't, (hell, even regular LeChuck isn't that scruffy) Winslow doesn't. Why should Morgan? If anything, the fact that all her clothes are intact just shows that she's a really good fighter, nobody's even been able to damage her clothing in a duel, let alone her.

It's weird. Some NPCs in LeChuck's Revenge looked so scruffy and the amount of scrufness (?) decreased in every game released after that one. Tales has the most cleanest pirates ever, except for the poxed ones, but I believe it's done to show a difference between "normal" pirates and "poxed" pirates.

Plus, she's a pirate hunter but she's also a BUSINESS WOMAN, you know, she's not jumping from job to job immediately, she waits and gets ready for her next one between her tasks. She has a steady income of piece o' eights too so I see no reason for her not to build a good fashion sense and get new clothes each time the old one is ruined when she's on a break. And during Tales' storyline I assume nothing really happened to her that would damage her clothes.

Plus that has the potential of earning the game a higher rating.

[Vira]

I the only one who liked her voice?

[Falanca]

Originally Posted by Vira

I the only one who liked her voice?

I liked it too.

[coolsome]

Originally Posted by Vira

I the only one who liked her voice?

Niki Rapp has an awesome voice.

[Jen Kollic]

Originally Posted by Falanca

And during Tales' storyline I assume nothing really happened to her that would damage her clothes.

Plus that has the potential of earning the game a higher rating.

Like the intro to Bayonetta! (skip to 6:25) I had as much fun watching that game as my flatmate did playing it. Even if it does make no sense whatsoever.

Also, I really liked Nikki Rapp's voice acting as well.

[doodo!]

I liked Morgan's voice too, to be honest, true to my human elements.