Original Characters

[aelitaxwilliam]

Seemingly just in time for NaNo, I've gotten my writing what's-it-called back! (i was going to say groove but that makes me sound like a mom trying to be cool and recent....so no.) And basically, that means I've been dwelling on all kinds of writing-related things. Well, kind of. And I think that writing topics are fun, and even more so on CL because we tend to get off topic from the original post but in the most awesome ways.

ANYWAY GUYS, to get this topic started, what do you guys think makes a good OC? Or do you even like OCs? because I know that the current FFN CL fandom has a lot of OC stories in it. I personally like OCs, as long as they're done well, but that's really a cookie-cutter answer. I think that they're really fun, and they can bring an almost 'freshness' to the story, if that makes any sense. On the other hand, nothing makes me want to rip my hair out more than a Mary Sue/Gary Stu.

I also don't mind all-OC casts, though I think we had this conversation in another thread. I'm fine with them as long as there's a reason. Like, you know, a future!fic where we get to see the kids of the CL gang. Of course, it all has to be well-written but I think that goes without saying?

[SeeMeInTheShadows]

My general test for any given story with an OC is to jump ten chapters ahead and see how much said OC is mentioned. There are stories where the OC literally takes more precedence then ANY of the main characters and in that case, I probably won't read it. Not because it's bad, per se, but it's not my cup of tea.

By now, most of you may know that I'm a character person. I write character focused stories, I read character focused stories. I watch TV shows for the characters and the interactions between the characters.

I like characters.

USA's slogan (the TV station) is Characters Welcome. That's pretty much how my fandom life is.

Which means, I tend to not get as far into OC stories as others, simply because they don't interest me. I came to read about Odd, Jeremie, Ulrich, Will, Yumi, Sissi, and Aelita. It's the same way that I don't read crack often and don't read a ton of romance fics.

Now, I love throwing an OC in that has a supporting role. Someone that you can fall in love with as long as they're off to the side, and if you slowly incorporate him or her in, sometimes I may not even notice. I don't write major OCs a ton because I know my limits to know that I wouldn't be able to handle it. I would butcher them into Mary and Gary Stus faster than you could say "Hi, I'm new here!"

But hey! If you can write them, go for it!

[naruto'sramengirl]

I think you're speaking of writing mojo. But OCs annoy me. And I say that knowing full well that all of my stories (maybe except for one, but who knows long it'll last without one) have OCs. I guess it's specifically like Shadow said, OCs that take over the whole story. Or stories that have too many OCs. I do have a story that has too many OCs, and if anything, it's shown me how far my writing's come. I have enough sense to know my mind can't handle that many characters in a story. They belong in my head, and nowhere else. But I do like thinking of characters. On another note, I'm thinking of participating for the NaNo. It'll be my first time too. It's just that, I don't feel like I actually a novel that I'd be truly proud of. But then I went to the boosk store and skimmed through the different novels there . . . anyone can write a novel, and everyone seems to because for some reason they think it makes them feel more prestigious. But if I ever write a novel, it's going to be for me. And maybe that's why people put a lot of OCs in their fanfics. They're writing more for themselves than for other people.

[Atlas]

There really is no clearly correct answers as to how appropriate an OC is in a fic. Only clearly wrong answers.

I'll mostly reinforce one of Shadows' points. A fairly easy litmus test is to see just how much importance the OC is given in a story. Obviously this is in context, as a prequel story would naturally have a lot less regular character focus for example.

The only other litmus test I have off-hand is to compare the OC's talents/importance to the cast around them. If it's too much in either way you need to rethink some OC aspects.

[Stella Luce 333]

I’ve learned that OCs need to have a reason for being part of the story…It also helps if you try to do something we haven’t seen before. I mean, we have lots of New Student type of OCs (which I’ve done before, too) & Next Gen OCs (which I’ve also done). There’s nothing wrong with them, but the ones that I remember are the ones that are a little different…

[The Pastamancer]

Personally I rarely can stand OC's. Generally they annoy me. I don't know exactly know why but I really don't like them.

I specifically hate Mary Sues. They are really irritating. I could read a fic with a really good and rounded out OC in it but I don't put any active energy into finding any.(As in I don't bother even clicking on any story with any main character OC.)

[Stella Luce 333]

Thankfully, not all OCs are Mary Sues…Writing a really good OC is challenging, though…

[Soul Jelly]

In fanfiction, I prefer to give the role an OC would have to a minor character instead. I prefer to use my creativity in inventing original characters in my original fiction.

There are some fics with OCs that I have enjoyed though, so I wouldn't say I hate them. They're just not my first choice of reading material.

[aelitaxwilliam]

I seriously love OCs because finding a good one is such a jewel in the rough. I think I've found a total of one that I've liked. That being said, it's no comment on CL fanfiction, since I rarely read CL fanfiction. The HP fandom gives you such a good perspective on what a good OC can do for a story.

It also depends on what fandom I'm reading, which I forgot to mention in the original post. I'm not more lenient in the HP fandom simply because of all the reading material there is, but I am more likely to read an OC in the HP fandom because the children of the golden trio are developed in that we roughly know their ages and a bit of their personalities, but other than that, everything is free game. That being said, the majority of the OCs I've seen there are usually the friends of the children, but hey, that counts.

[Stella Luce 333]

Maybe it’s easier to put OCs into some fandoms more than others…?

[Atlas]

True Stella. Some settings are just friendlier to OCs than others. Building on the earlier settings, HP is a much friendlier universe for OCs than CL. In HP, the only requirement you need for an OC is for them to be a student in Hogwarts( usually).

As opposed to CL where the same character needs to find some way to become involved with the Supercomputer. As a matter of necessity they have more general importance in comparison.

Naturally, this runs the risk of placing TOO much importance. That is where the Mary Sue Syndrome comes in.

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