(no subject)

[luciazephyr]

Anyone get it in their head to write an OC for a fic just to see if you can? There's such a stigma against OCs in fanfiction that it almost makes me want to dissect it, see where people go wrong, and they to zig where they zag, just to see the result.

I dunno. I'm watching Psych again and it's reviving this fic idea I had. Just thinking aloud.

-Lucy

P:S Also, why the hell didn't anyone tell me Muse had a new album out? Is it any good? Talk to me, folks.

Comments

[megantracey.livejournal.com]

I think OC's are okay as long as they aren't Mary/Marty Sue's. You know the type that fix everything, know everything. Or worse, they are just evil, awful people used to get "our" couple together. When either of those things happen it just reads as laziness on the part of the writer to me. A cheap plot vehicle.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Those are exactly the things I want to avoid. I want the OC in question to have clear strengths and interests, but also some big ol' flaws to counterbalance.

The sad part is, the OC in mind would be related to an established character. While the OC isn't the type to gets anyone to fall for her, there's still that stigma against having a make-up connection. It's giving me a lot of pause for thought.

Which is in itself kinda fun. I've never attempted something like this, a purposeful cliche-breaker, but it's an interesting challenge.

[firefly99.livejournal.com]

FIRST OF ALL the whole Mary Sue/Marty Stu quantify-by-trait idea is UTTER SHIT and no-one over the age of FOURTEEN should be paying attention to them. A Mary Sue isn't a being, it's an execution.

And it doesn't help that the major warning bells aren't the ones people immediately identify as warning bells, and they're things that VARY DEPENDING ON THE CANON THE CHARACTER IS INTENDED FOR.

FLY'S TWO RULES FOR IDENTIFYING AWFUL OCS

1. Do they completely violate the laws of their canon or otherwise simply not fit the canon's universe? (This should not be a problem for you, because nearly EVERYTHING fits in Metal Gear, it being the genre melting pot that it is).
   
   
2. Do they actually add anything by being in the story, or are they just there because you wanted one of your own characters hanging around there too, for reasons of narcissm rather than 'oh I have the most awesome plot twist planned but I need a neutral POV in order to pull it off'? (Think John Freeman Who Is Gordon Freeman's Brother. Think the inverse of Metal Gear Philanthropy, where Snake adds nothing to what should be the Pierre And Elizabeth Show but he's allowed in and to have all the special scenes because he's a canon character. In your case, this shouldn't be a problem since your goal in writing the fic is giving the OC something to do.)

THERE. THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF.

tl;dr don't fret, write it so I have something awesome to read.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Cool your jets, Fly, the OC and fic idea in question is not for the MGS fandom. :pats: But the advice is still good and drives home the fact I'd write such an OC in a fic styled after one of the show's episodes, where introducing a character is a weekly ritual.

[firefly99.livejournal.com]

ALSO - writing an OC is a different feel to writing a canon character. Basically, in a fanfic, we are already emotionally connected to Solid Snake and Otacon. We already know a lot about them, so a story doesn't need to concentrate on establishing or developing their characters, just adding to them. If we start writing FOX-HOUND agent Psychedelia Goldfish as if our readers already have spent at least three games being her, her character will come off as a list of confused and uninspiring attributes - attributes that if we added to Otacon, would place his whole character in a new light, but are meaningless on a blank slate like Psychedelia Goldfish. This essay is a pick apart of Cassie Claire's individual novel and it'll say way better than I can what I mean.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

That is a really important bit to keep in mind, yeah. :nods: And brb reading that article as Cassie Claire's success fills me with bitter fannish rage.

Turns out said article is extremely good advice and I'm actually bookmarking it to keep. Thank you so much for that link.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

I've loved Muse since the start, and I was so shocked/disappointed by their last album that after two listens I put it away. So after this warning, maybe you're pleasantly surprised by it :=)

[thene]

I was once in a small fandom where OCs were routine and often well-received, but that was one of those fandoms where the canon worldbuilding was what a lot of fans were in it for - they'd make up characters according to canon 'rules' and then write about them. Like a lot of fandom values, I guess OC-hatred varies depending on the territory.