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^_^ This is my first topic (yay!). well, how do you feel when you read a FF7 fanfic that's based on a FF7 character and the authors made up character?
Personally...I don't mind it. ^_^
But what about you?

I think it's fun! Personally, I write my own stories down and add people. It's great!

.................................. ninja

Everyone, prepare thyseves for an old fashioned StrawberrieIceCream rant. (Oh damn, I really miss doing this everyday... twisted )

Well, for me, it really depends on the situation at hand. Back in my innocent years as a Final Fantasy VII fan, I'd read EVERY fanfic I came across. These varied with ratings and content, as well as quality. Hell, there was even this one fanfic that amused me so much, I wrote it down on a piece of paper just so I could carry it around with me to read it again! This was while I was in the seventh and eigth grade, just so you'd know... sweatdrop

However, looking back on those days and those fanfics I've read, I can't help but shudder.

Back then, when an author had their own character, I viewed them in the same manner as I viewed the canon (official, as you might call them) characters, like Cloud and Tifa. They were just THERE, and were therefore a part of the story.

Now, when I read a summary on FF.Net where a person states, implies, or just blatantly names a self created character, I shudder inwardly and scroll down AWAY from that fanfic. I've been actively involved in the Final Fantasy VII fandom since AT LEAST 1999, so I've seen more than my fare share of original characters. It's not to say that all of them are bad, but the sad truth is that most of them tend to be.

First off, I shall start with my great dislike (read: HATE) of the breed of original characters called 'Mary Sues.' This includes the elusive 'Gary Stu' as well. Now, and original character is fine and all, and I can usually stand that. However, these Sues and Stus are original characters that are perfect in every facet of their being, with only minor, obscure 'flaws' to detract from their practically flawless character. Sues and Stus come in many shapes and sizes, and there is even a test that you can take that will help you determine if your original character is a Sue/Stu or not. But I'm getting off track here...

The Sues (I'll use this to refer to both Mary Sues and Gary Stus) also usually have an unnatural ability to make them distinctive, despite the fact that this unusual ability is otherwise impossible, extremely rare, or something that only one of the main characters in the story can do (or have). Whether it is the ability to read minds, perform alchemy without an array, shoot lasers from the dark recesses of their a** crack, or wield the Masamune (don't ask where they got it, because it's not important), there's always a thing or two (or twelve) that just makes the Sue character oh so special. For example, it's a rather common Sue trait in the Final Fantasy VII fandom for a sickeningly sweet and painfully beautiful female original character to be part Cetra, full Cetra, part Jenova (or just pumped full of her cells), related to the Shinra corporation, or to possess some wierd crazy a** power that lets them summon meteor from the crack of their a**.

However, this is not, to say, that ALL Sues and Stus are bad.

Just that most of them are. twisted

In fact, despite what FF.Net has on it most of the time, some fics (like Hime D.'s "Alter Series" for the FMA fandom) has an extremely WELL WRITTEN and developed 'Gary Stu' by the name of Ichiro Masuta. It's one of those end of the series fics, with some things taken from the movie, so it does contain some spoilers. Yes, one of the main characters is a Gary Stu. Masuta is the 'alternate' version of Roy Mustang, with all his good looks, but a few years younger. He's fluent in Japanese, English, French, and German. He's also studying chemistry at Oxford.

Sound like a Stu yet? Sure does. In fact, the author, Hime D., freely ADMITS that he's a Stu.

Yet, he is so well written, that he has a fanbase almost as big as the main characters.

That is proof that the original characters (just like the canon ones) MUST be well written for the fic to be enjoyable. Slapping a bunch of crap together just to see your favorite character screw your made up one is NOT enjoyable. Especially if there are spelling and grammatical errors everywhere.

Now, a quick break from the Sues and Stus, and onto the next thing on the list: SELF INSERTION.

Technically, when a person does a self insertion fic, the author is putting themselves into the story, and enacts their fantasies about how they'd interact with the characters of their fandom of choice through writing.

Sadly, a lot of the aforemented writing is crappy, because they are usually done by people who lack knowledge in how a story is supposed to flow, as well as the (gasp!) ability to spell and use proper grammar. That's one of the main reasons I don't touch those things with any length of pole.

Don't take offense, though, if you do write self insertions. I'm not so close minded to ignore the fact that there are GOOD writers out there who know what they're doing, whatever that may be, when it concerns their stories.

However, what if a person who could write well, and had a really kickass plot, did a self insertion?

The fic then becomes one of those really good fics that you rarely get to see on FF.Net nowadays. A story worth reading.

Something that wouldn't give your English teacher a seizure.

Just so you'd know, I've read several GOOD self-insertions.

In fact, the best kind of self-insertion fic is the kind where, unless the author says so themself, you think that the character in question is a really well written original character that isn't based off of everyone else.

... ANYWAYS, now onto the main dish... Regular original characters! biggrin

Now, in ALL my years of reading fanfiction (at least six, maybe more), I've seen it all: the good, the bad, the ugly, and the "OHF***MYEYESAREBLEEDINGBRAINSEEPAGE" type of ugly.

Trust me, that last one is a kind of fanfic you really don't want to read.

So, I've come across more than my fair share of original characters that don't quite fit into the Sue/Stu or Self-Insertion category. They are rampant on FF.Net, and come in all shapes and sizes (sometimes in packs of three or more). In all honesty, these tend to be more tolerable (for me, at least) than the Sues and Self-Inserts. They lack all the flair that usually comes with a Sue/Stu, and don't appear to reflect the author's innermost desire to meet and interact with the characters. In fact, there's only one similarity between this group of OC's and the Sues/Stus and Self-Insert groups:

If they are well written, then they too can be loved and enjoyed as much as the canon characters.

I have read at least a few in each category that are good, but because these instances are few and far between (and because you can usually tell if a story is going to be bad by the lack of skill with spelling and grammar in the summary, if not the description as a whole provided itself) I usually avoid these things.

Only, and I mean IF AND ONLY IF ('iff' if you're a math geek like me) the author can write the character as well, if not better than the canon characters, will the fic be any good.

... Did I mention that it helps when the author can spell and use proper grammar? I mean, I understand perfectly well if the author has English as a second language, but for people who have English as their mother language and can't tell the difference between 'their,' 'they're,' and 'there' need to go through elementary school again.

Regardless, even though reading OC's can be rather painful most of the time, writing them is a very, VERY good way to strengthen your writing skills, since writing fanfiction is usually more fun than writing a little fairytale for a school project. If you write OC's in fanfiction, don't stop it because other people don't like it. Just try not to post it without a warning about the presence of an OC.

If I don't shut up now, I'll start ranting about the evils of AIM speak in a fanfic setting.


Thus, I shall close with this last little bit.

StrawberrieIceCream's reaction to bad OC fic: "ZOMGWTFBBQ?!!!11!!111ELEVENTY-ONE!!!1"

It's your fanfic. You can write it any way you please.

Personally, I don't really like fanfics where people insert themselves into the story, but then again, I'm not even a really big fan of fanfics. Who am I to stop the people who do, tho?

Keep writing if it's something you enjoy.

this poll is just too cruel....i can't decide who but iwent with tifa....my second choice is a tie between clooud, vincent, and sephiroth......aeris is last.... blaugh

i rather a fanfic to stick with original characters, i don't really like the made up ones, except for one exception in this fanfic i'm reaading...............

I prefer fanfics that stick to the original characters and avoid changing their personalities and/or the history behind them. ie. fics where Sephiroth has decided to declare his undying love for Cloud, Zack, Aeris, Barret, Cid, or even RedXIII are right out. I rarely touch fics with made up characters or where the author inserts him/herself in the world.

However, as hypocritical as this may come off as, I do write the odd fanfiction where I'll insert myself into the world, though usually to act as the person who'll chip in with what I as a gamer have wanted to say to these people for a good long time. For example, I'd be there just to be the person who says: "Tifa, you look like you belong in an alley somewhere doing something indecent for a few extra gil. Get a whole shirt and then maybe I'll talk to you. And Cloud? Too much gel."

I kind of dislike it...
But it's still okay.
I prefer it when they just use the characters that are in the game.