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Post by Agai Lazen on Aug 18, 2013 19:58:29 GMT -4
We've all created original characters that often times serve as our personas, our voice. But there are certain times when we're not particularly kind to them.
What hardships have your OCs gone through, and why did you put them through it?
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Post by Plink on Aug 18, 2013 20:18:57 GMT -4
One of the biggest problems with OC's is known as Mary-Sueism: where a character is too perfect to even be considered realistic. Mary-sues usually tend to be, quite usually, a direct extension of the creator of the OC. And when the creator equates the character too much to themselves, they have a tendency to be reluctant to harm the character, or otherwise put the character through something that would otherwise have a negative impact.
One of the ways to avoid Mary-Sueing Characters, especially one's where my own self is reflected quite a lot, is by putting the character through conflict.
So far, Plink has been through a near threat of his life, and capture of his father. Alice's mother, and eventually, Alice herself was also captured during this period. Their children (which come much later in the timeline), have really only been put through some battles. So I haven't put them through significant enough conflict yet.
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Post by Agai Lazen on Aug 18, 2013 21:10:16 GMT -4
While Mary-Sueism is a problem, it often bothers me to see characters that go through extreme hardship and end up with nothing to show for it. I think it's better to put your character through hardship and reward them with greater power if they can push past it, a-la The Man With the Iron Fists.
For example, Agai's actually lost his original arms against a foe that put G-Force to its knees by getting to the Super-X's pilots before the robot could be launched. Through teamwork with his co-pilots, Agai still launched Super X and neutralized the threat. Jericho's assistant/love-interest, Hanalore engineered Agai's now-iconic rocket fists, so now he can tackle enemies without a mech.
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Post by swoop on Aug 19, 2013 2:17:07 GMT -4
Delilah had her parents taken away but not sure what had happen to them because she has been in a coma for a year during the fire. She had to use cybernetic organs to live. Attacked by robot haters due to her uncle’s work on robots and he was former villain. She found that her heroes the Beluega Brigade has several evil people plotting something which she can’t investigate as she is on the run. She is helping the Cluster because she is cyborg, her uncle would probably be one soon too his creation which are the family she can find which she need to find place safe for them. I did it to show she is minor character disappointed by people she is inspired to be but have to make do with the changes that happen to her. She was the level of a side kick who is being disguised villain. The person you forget had to deal with some bad times. I go lighter have to make do with her new home. In the convert Vexus story she had her cybernetic internal organs and legs magically change into the equivalent made in the Dark Age sorcery making her feel agonizing pain. I did that to show how dangerous Amity Park is with ghost changing the area. It was subtle hint of Prince Argon’s work, and I also wanted people remember that Vexus does care. It was temporary but it shows the dangers.
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Post by Plink on Aug 19, 2013 16:37:33 GMT -4
While Mary-Sueism is a problem, it often bothers me to see characters that go through extreme hardship and end up with nothing to show for it. I think it's better to put your character through hardship and reward them with greater power if they can push past it, a-la The Man With the Iron Fists. For example, Agai's actually lost his original arms against a foe that put G-Force to its knees by getting to the Super-X's pilots before the robot could be launched. Through teamwork with his co-pilots, Agai still launched Super X and neutralized the threat. Jericho's assistant/love-interest, Hanalore engineered Agai's now-iconic rocket fists, so now he can tackle enemies without a mech. Thus why Plink has discovered the existence of the alien Tme-Space module: from this point on, he'll gradually start to gain the ability to teleport (and maybe other things along the way that would be useful without making him OP).
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Zero
Prime
All things are possible...
Posts: 3,921
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Post by Zero on Aug 19, 2013 21:49:19 GMT -4
Zero started out bright and positive. At times he came across downright naive.
Over time he gets broken down and has to change his way of thinking with every new experience, all the while holding dearly to his values and standards. His worse experiences include:
-Starting a war that wiped out hundreds of robots and other metas(The Newgen War). -Failing to save a life when pushed to his then limits(Lifeline). -Playing part in the death of his first crush(A Tremorton Valentines) -Acknowledging his own insignificance in the grand scheme of the universe, and then dying(Zero: Journey's End) -Body desecrated by Star Force(Assault on Star Force)
He has since lost his naivety and has a more real view of things. This is essentially like a boy growing to maturity.
The experiences and things done to him in spite of his good efforts can really screw with anyone's head. But Zero was intended to go through it all for a purpose his father hoped he could accomplish: To endure, grow, and work towards a better world, and to inspire a generation to do the same.
He is quite the opposite of Jenny. Jenny was created to protect the world period. Her "life" was seen as a distraction, and she is almost constantly trying to balance the two. Zero is encouraged to embrace his life. Doing so would make him a better hero.
And Zero has gained from his endurance under fire. He has friends who respect and admire him, and give him a kick when he needs it. He has the love of Jessie Winkler.
Still, he's just a boy, and the worse is yet to come.
I put Zero through this, because he is all of us. He embodies our sorrow, fears, failures, despair, longing, and our intense desire to overcome. Some of us succeed. Some die trying to find a way out. It's a bitter thing to think about.
So why bother?
What matters is that we fight, and keep fighting. We can win without "winning".
Hence his motto: "All things are possible."
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Post by Jakob on Aug 20, 2013 1:32:48 GMT -4
I like self-destruction... I mean, I really like self-destruction. I'm a little nuts that way. I also like destruction- the plain and simple kind.
I like to see the tenacity of those who tough it out through the constant bull slop, as Zero said. I enjoy overcoming challenges, like beating a level in Super Meat Boy, or Rayman Origins...
Or finally beating the Rebel Flagship in FTL, even if your mantises were killed by boarding drones after a random missile took out the medbay, even if you lost your Zoltan to the fires in the weapons bay, or your rock is trapped outside of the engine room because there's a breach he can't hope to fix without the Engi- who barely finished off the drone after finally getting the oxygen systems back up and running.
Thank goodness for Hull Repair drones...
...
Uhm...
As for Jakob, I've got some things planned... and that first attempt I kinda botched due to unforeseen schedule changes... Darn...
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Post by swoop on Aug 20, 2013 12:03:15 GMT -4
Illment is a walking pestilence who constantly needs orange juice, blankets and icepacks. His Super power is that he can able to generate any disease. Everyone needs to be covered plastic hazard suits. It is a deadly power but drawback is that every day is a sick day and he does not have complete control of it. I got the idea from Infectious Lass from the league of super heroes and felt it need to be expanded. A power that put any character down but you wouldn't want it because it not that much fun having it.
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Post by Koith on Aug 21, 2013 20:29:51 GMT -4
Koith, eh?
He's the soldier who seeks for justice. But, he doesn't get it in war, everyone claims to be justice.
And in many times, he himself a war criminal. For example, the Cluster Invasion, recently in Steel Brothers.
Or, turning back the history, he'd destroyed his future, by protecting Rosie with his sense of soldiering and assaulted the Skyway.
Does anyone agree with me that Koith's naive is the main cause of the problems?
Anyway, I want to announce something. "Voice of Thunder" RP is planned, and I will launch it in the possible time.
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Zero
Prime
All things are possible...
Posts: 3,921
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Post by Zero on Aug 22, 2013 17:39:37 GMT -4
In most stories, when a character's naivety leads to wanton destruction, they either yield to better themselves, or need to be restrained.
Take the character Sousuke Sagara from Full Metal Panic for example. He does whatever he thinks is necessary to protect Kaname Chidori, even if it means massive property damage. Under normal circumstances he'd be locked away. But he has a legal mission, backup and support of a secret organization, therefore he has nearly free reign in what he does.
Now, you say Koith is a war criminal? How so? Can his actions be justified?
You also say he is naive. Is he not able to adjust to modern society, coming from a time of world war?
In my eyes, Koith is a soldier who can only act as such. He needs to be balanced out in his world view, so he needs supporting characters.
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Post by Koith on Aug 23, 2013 1:03:21 GMT -4
I think Kane and Marie represent both Koith's good and evil side.
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Post by swoop on Aug 24, 2013 7:39:59 GMT -4
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Post by CartoonDork on Aug 25, 2013 5:48:47 GMT -4
Hmm.... let's see here....
This is actually kind of funny to talk about, and this has become kind of a guilty pleasure to write/think about as the years have gone on. My character for FusionFall (don't ask how this came about... also it's closing soon and I'm sad) is a clone who was made by accident and has deep feelings of self-hatred for this, believes one person is her sole purpose for existence, is used by this person for their own gain (with no malicious intent, believe it or not... just the way it happened), is tricked into believing that person is dead, loses it completely and ends up going on a revenge attack until she eventually dies just minutes after finding out that he wasn't dead after all. I made this story when I was, like, 15. Great.
I think we all need that character/story where we just... imagine all of the horrible things that could ever happen and mix them all together. It's therapeutic in a way.
I think of all my OCs, she suffers the most, lol. I never actually wrote this story but it's been in my head for years and I think about the scenes and have them down pretty well. I'm just too lazy to actually write it. Also it's depressing and I already said what happens here. I made a game waaay more angsty than it needed to be.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2018 2:28:16 GMT -4
I think I made a post somewhere around here detailing something that my OC did to me when I was downright mad. I didn't end my relationship of my OC, but brought me closer to him, in a bad way.
At the time, his purpose was to be a psychotic demigod. He hated anybody that were to interfere with not only his life, but mine. He sometimes calls me "master" or "kid", since I was young, and still does when I re-purposed him as a computer virus.
His actions were heavily influenced by a game I enjoyed greatly: Call of Duty: Black Ops
The setting involves a character being an experiment in an attempt to turn America's best weapons against them, via mind control. However, a rogue prisoner, who was in prison with him, used his deep wisdom to "sabotage" the experiment. The prisoner was pronounced dead, but came back into the mind of the character, as a formidable ally in the following missions. His influence towards the character made it seem like he wasn't dead, but instead, became a mindset for the character to act like him. He wanted revenge, and the character did just that.
I was mind-screwed over that event that day, when I got mad, and the OC wanted just that: revenge. He had the power to become "possessive" that day, and even though I obviously didn't have his powers, his mindset overtook mine.
The way we think of our OCs can go that far, in my experience anyways. Easy being a mouthpiece, but crazy insane to be just like them.
As for the Mary-Sue concept for my OC, I have written a set amount of stories that challenge this concept towards my OC, and the challenge was inspired by my ill-viewed observations on religion. As being many cartoons, like MLaaTR, don't go to such realms, when I discovered this community, I toned down my OC and gave it limitations/weaknesses, and removed the religious concepts.
But these weaknesses are mentally based, so it can give an insight to how it reflects my mentality as well. This OC is suicidal, if it goes to that degree, but a little support from peers can help him. I have those depressed feelings as well.
If I die, he dies. That's the way I see it, and it applies to everyone else with OCs.
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