[quote="TheBlackCatCrossing"]I know that I really don't like OCs.
What is up with this fandom and OCs?
I ask this because characters that have potential to be explored in depth (Sarafina, Rafiki for example) are ignored in favor of someone's original character. It gets...redundant after awhile. [/quote]
If done properly, there's really nothing wrong with OC's. The thing is, most OC's are self-inserts of the author.
The other common mistake with OC's is that they're often taken to extremes. The two that stand out in my mind the most are the 'Mary-Sue' and the character who went through some hard times and uses that as an excuse to be a jerkwad.
[quote]Agree with the point about OC in fan fiction. I want to read about characters I know, not ones someone dreamt up. I don't mind it in RolePlay where it makes sense but in fan fiction, not so much. I will happily read one with OC but simply prefer actual cannon characters.[/quote]
For main characters, I can agree.
Although, with the exception of alternate-universe fics, it is very difficult to write a story without using an OC. How immerse can a story possibly be when the only characters that have a line are Sarabi, Sarafina, Mufasa, and Scar? There's a lot more lions than those four in the Pridelands.
[quote]I guess it comes from personal habit/preference because in comicbook fandom, an OC is usually a code name for 'Mary Sue'. I have seen fora get very passionate about this thing not just in fic but in actual ones dedicated to a series. LOL! When I do an OC, I keep them as oblique as I can and not make them the center of the story. I cannot stand it when an OC/new character overpowers established characters with ease. It's not realistic and it makes the other characters who were there before look incompetent.[/quote]
It doesn't bother me *that* much, but I know what you mean and I'm not going to argue with it.
The story I've been writing for almost a year now (lol, I'm slow) is almost entirely OCs, but I've tried to avoid the above problems as much as I possibly can. There's really no way around using them, though, as the entire story takes place before most of the known characters are even born. The plot, itself, is totally unique within the realm of TLK fanfiction, as far as I'm aware. I'm hoping that gives it some redeeming qualities, at least. xP
I don't blame anyone from being turned off by my extensive use of unfamiliar characters, but I have to admit that it makes the story so much easier to write. It is constantly giving me ideas to add into each chapter, because I'm always having to decide how I want each character to react to the events that they experience. Writer's block becomes a very foreign concept.
The more OCs there are, the more unknown relationships there are to explore. If there's two characters, you only have to consider what character A thinks of B, and what B thinks of A. If there's four, there's 12 different relationships going on, which adds to the complexity of the story.
It's because people react differently in different situations. That's really the only thing that ever bothers me with OC's: they're not usually fluid. They have a certain personality, and act that way
all the time.
In the real world, no one does that. The way I act around my Mom is totally different from the way I act around my Dad, which is different from the way I act around my friends, and the way I act at school... you get the idea.
That's what a lot of fics with OC's don't do, and I absolutely hate that.
[quote]For instance, GeminiGemelo wrote a fic where Mufasa was bad and Scar was good, well as "good" as his character could possibly be. I thought 'DAMN! That was brilliant'. Another story I read featured Scar and cub Nala. I see too many fics where Scar and Nala stories always have this pedophile/rape theme and it gets......repetitive at times. [/quote]
The repetition is definitely something that annoys me, though. I'm pretty sure about half or more of all lion king fanfics (that aren't one-shots) are stories about Kopa, which take place either before, during, or after SP.
Seriously you guys. I'm tired of reading about Kopa.
[quote]I also don't like crackfic as much as I used to. You can be clever and witty and when done right, I think there can be a fourth wall exploration/reference. Regulus wrote a rather hilarious piece for a contest recently that I thought was brilliantly funny and plausible. [/quote]
I'm actually not a fan of crackfics either. That last one was an exception. I was sitting in calculus class listening to a lecture on predator and prey relationships, and in the middle of it, I began to imagine what Scar would have thought. Everything just felt incredibly natural from there. I know I wrote a few other funny stories for the contest though, so you may have been referring to a different one.
The thing is, with short stories, it's much easier to go that route. It's kinda hard to have a complex, thought-provoking plot with sufficient detail (I'll get to that), with a 4k word limit.
[quote]Length.
I don't even read any stories that don't pass a 1000 words/chapter requirement. I never saw a story that I really liked that didn't have at least 2000 to 5000+ words per chapter.
The reason I mention this is because of the "show, don't tell" clause. With less than 1000 words, you are often forced to start "telling" what happens in a timepiece sort of thing. "Simba woke up, are breakfast, went around the border, saw nothing, came back..." You have no idea how many times I've seen something similar to this, and it's not that it gets old fast - it's bad the first time around as well. Now imagine entire stories written like this.[/quote]
Exactly. This, along with grammar, is what separates a crappy story from a good one. And, I'll be honest, there's a lot of crap out there.
Writing a truly good story is hard, though. And, in all honesty, the only way to learn to write a good story is with practice. The way I see it, anyone who takes the time to write a story deserves at least some credit, even if it's awful. Heck, even "professionals," who get their work published in print, aren't always that good at character development.
*cough* Stephanie Meyer *cough*And, you know, in a way, that's almost the beauty of it. Everyone has different thoughts, ideas, and views on writing, and in essence, that's what makes reading fics interesting.
Obviously, not everyone is going to find the same type of story appealing, and that's exactly why every fic is a little bit different.
Except the stories about Kopa.
But Regulus will not have read fic like this line if experience similar in experience of having read.
