Overdone Things You've Seen in FE Fanfiction

[Sunwoo]

I see. You're right, we do all make mistakes, there's no disputing that. And mistakes are something that help people learn, that's true too. And thanks for the advice. But are you sure that that's a good way to go about it? I mean, as people have even told me as well, what's in character for one OC may not be in character for another. Every character is different, after all.

It's not a foolproof method, that much is for certain. But when it comes to OCs, the best thing to ask yourself are the following questions:

1) "Is this OC well beloved by everyone for no reason or shallow reasons? Do people like them too suddenly? Do the characters around them feel OOC compared to their canon selves?"

2) "Are the characters who do not like the OC portrayed as being "bad" for doing so? Are the only characters who do not like the OC the characters the writer hates? Do the other characters suddenly dislike or berate the one who doesn't like the OC?"

3) "Does this OC seem to have too many talents? Are they smart and talented and beautiful while getting what they want? Do hardships only exist to show how amazing they are rather than showcase any actual character development?"

Also, negative human emotions such as jealousy, resentment, anger, or pride are a thing. Don't be afraid to have them even in the characters you like! Let's face it, humans are not flawless beings and characters who are human should not be either. Characters that we like who are generally "good guys" can still have a very human flaw, such as being jealous of someone who seems to be stealing the spotlight, or gets angry over everything, or doesn't forgive people easily if at all. It makes them real. Heck, some of my favorite characters are the imperfect ones, both to write and to read about, because I want to see them stumble and flail before they become a better person in the end.

[Anacybele]

Ah, I see. Again, good advice! And I do actually ask myself some similar questions. So you're totally right, that's a great way to go about making characters. Thanks again, Sangyul. :)

[Sentacotus]

1) "Is this OC well beloved by everyone for no reason or shallow reasons? Do people like them too suddenly? Do the characters around them feel OOC compared to their canon selves?"

2) "Are the characters who do not like the OC portrayed as being "bad" for doing so? Are the only characters who do not like the OC the characters the writer hates? Do the other characters suddenly dislike or berate the one who doesn't like the OC?"

3) "Does this OC seem to have too many talents? Are they smart and talented and beautiful while getting what they want? Do hardships only exist to show how amazing they are rather than showcase any actual character development?"

To me that's just good character writing. I mean when you really think about it characters like Marth, Ike, Lyn, Eliwood etc.. were all just "OCs" at one point. Its not easy to come up with characters and write them well although I think those rules help alot.

I know sometimes its hard to believe when the final product comes out but alot of time goes into it. So much so that people get paid heaps of money to do it and revise it multiple times over at places like Marvel, DC, and so on.

Edited July 22, 2015 by LordTaco42

[Azura]

Creepy rapey leering bandits with speech inpediments and bad breath who threatens the beautiful defenseless female character with slavery/sexual assault so she can either A: Utterly and completely defeat the bandits and thereby show that she isn't that defenseless after all or B: Be rescued by a dashing (usually) male character because the writer like some hot Rescue Romamce.

I'm not saying that all scenes like this are bad, but it's done to death, and 90% is it done horribly.

[Jave]

To me that's just good character writing. I mean when you really think about it characters like Marth, Ike, Lyn, Eliwood etc.. were all just "OCs" at one point. Its not easy to come up with characters and write them well although I think those rules help alot.

I know sometimes its hard to believe when the final product comes out but alot of time goes into it. So much so that people get paid heaps of money to do it and revise it multiple times over at places like Marvel, DC, and so on.

Big difference: All those characters you mention were OCs in a brand new universe. We go into their games expecting a new lore, new cast of characters and a new experience with them. It's completely different from inserting a Mary-Suish OC into a world with an already established cast because then the OC draws the attention that should belong to the already established cast. The expectations are different.

As for my pet peeves with fanfiction, well, stories where more than 80% of the cast are OCs with no connection to the main cast whatsoever. If you're going to do that, then what's the point? Just remove the references to the series' lore and call it an original work.

[Emeraldfox]

Iunno, but this could be overdone too.

I'm not entirely sure since I hardly delve into fanfic land.

[Radiant head]

Canon characters being Flanderized in fics. Meaning one trait or quirk is exaggerated to the point where their entire characterization is overtaken by it. Example: Soren being standoffish and/or seemingly to only care for Ike. And the entire fic, thats the only trait he displays. Ugh.

I don't think FE ever had many nuanced characters to begin with. Most of them, especially in Awakening, were defined by singular quirks/traits to begin with. I know supports exist to "flesh them out," but IMO they fail pretty miserably at it. It's a symptom of the huge casts.

EDIT: Don't think Soren was ever a deep character either.

Edited August 23, 2015 by Radiant head

[KMT4ever]

I think the single most overdone thing in FE fanfiction, even more than OP self-inserts, is somebody rehashing the storyline of Blazing Sword or Awakening with him/herself as the tactician (bonus points if shipped with Lyn/Chrom/Lucina). We played the games, we know the plot, what's the point? This is basically what drove me away from FE fanfiction.

Another problem that is endemic to fanfiction in general is the over-focusing on a few fan favorite characters and pairings. This leads to low variety and a wave of badly written stories overwhelming the good ones.