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Spaztique β What truly makes an OC likable...
Published: 2013-05-27 09:09:14 +0000 UTC; Views: 10050; Favourites: 114; Downloads: 40
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It's not enough to make an army of OCs: you must actually use them. No amount of backstory or lavish design will make your characters likable unless you employ them in a series.Based on a conversation with ~MiniWitch3 .
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Comments: 98
Well, it's impossible to make a perfect character. The audience is always going to have mixed feelings about them whether it's good or bad.
But there is one thing. If the audience doesn't like the character at all, they won't care about him/her. It may sound harsh, but it's the sheer truth. And more importantly, people don't like the "wait and see" character. The audience wants to see the best traits of the character. I know this is just from speculation, but a character that suffers this a lot is Final Fantasy 10's Tidus. When he first appeared, the audience saw someone who acts like a crybaby and so, that how the audience portrays him. Despite him developing further along the story, people still wouldn't get rid of the first impression. First impressions are extremely important.
Anyway, making a perfect OC is rather impossible because of the audience having various ideals and views about the character. The audience may not see the character, so it is your job to market your own character. The audience will have no idea who your character is until you show them. Show. Don't Tell.
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You didn't need to explain that, I was just being sarcasic XD ( Like that Anti-Advice mallard meme ) Yeah, but I already know it's impossible to make something perfect. No matter the number of people who likes your work and content, there will ALWAYS be one who dislikes it. Well, we are all different anyway, right ?
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Hurrah! More useful satire comics to boost up my confidence!!
On a side note: Panel 5 reminds me of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure....regarding Stand types.
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I'm not sure if this is good, but I have OCs, but I haven't used them yet since I have no story ideas yet for them.
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Put them together in a room and see what happens.
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Another great work of you. It shows really well, that explanation isn't everything. You need to present an OC in a proper way.
Also, I completely agree to the fact, that characters can't be "perfect" without presenting them. You can tell a lot of backstory and whatever. It doesn't really matter much, if you can't put it into a story or comic.
With that said, there are actually two questions in my mind.
1. Can 'good things' sometimes be a weakness and 'bad things' a strength sometimes?
(I hope this example can explain it properly: If a doctor is completely concentrating on keeping allies and comrades alive, which actually would work for everyone (strength), wouldn't that actually be a weakness, if he's trying to achieve that goal, no matter what he has to do? In other words, wouldn't his strength of being helpful to his allies become a weakness, saying that he has no problems of killing, if that would assure the life of his allies?)
2. Do you think, it's really necessary to write strengths and weaknesses down? To tell the truth, I've never done it up to now, but I still dare to say, that I gave a characters 'strengths and weaknesses' without writing them down.
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Answer to Question 1: Yes. It is very possible that a weakness can work as a strength and vice versa. A good example of this is Touma Kamijou from A Certain Magical Index/Scientific Railgun. This character has the overall ability to cancel out any other ability and magical characteristics given off by other characters. However, this same ability denies him (as the anime says it) the bliss of God granting him nothing, but extreme bad luck to show that even his own ability can damage himself and properly balance out his power. This is example of how an ability can lead to a weakness trait of the character.
Answer to Question 2: Strengths and weaknesses are only traits about the character such as traits that differentiate them from the rest of the cast whether it's good or bad. For example, your character could have something that sets him/her back due to his/her own emotions, personality, and even hobbies. Abilities DO NOT fit under this category though. So, I'd say it is necessary to write down strengths and weaknesses of the character so you can have a list of what your character has for traits and take out any that seem to affect and interact with each other in a negative way that ends up making the character rather hard to define and confusing toward the audience. Plus, it's good to write things down in case you might forget them.
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I already have a story planned out for my OCs, but I'm currently on hiatus and I'm too lazy to continue. -.-
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Yeah, that's something a lot of people forget. With original characters, you have to, well, make them a character. They're not just a mess of walfas DNA and powers, strengths and weaknesses, you need to actually give 'em a personality. And naturally, every personality has its strengths and weaknesses, as long as its within the realms of real life. If there's anywhere that requires realism, it's personality and interpersonal interaction within a story.
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hmm I'm trying to look at OC making as a craft, or more or less imma analyze my OCs
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Hmm...
A good way to analyze your characters is using something known as the Mr. Plinkett Litmus Test.
In case you don't know, Mr. Plinkett does movie reviews and character analysis in a rather rude way that you may not want to have your parents around while you are watching.
Anyway, the test tells you to describe your character without telling what your character looks like, what your character is wearing, or what your character's role in the story is. If you can go without telling any of those things and list things that do not contradict each other, then your character can pass. I say "can" because there is an overall limit to how much you can put. If you put too much, the character will overshadow the rest of the cast. And if you put too little, the character will disappear into the crowd.
So, keep the character interesting and limited with what happens.
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I mean you can't make Characters without the story, it like one thing to know them. If you make a Original Character for it power and not for it personally that isn't right. I mean made take Kiiro, Roz and Gurn, they was three nameless person working for the Villians of the story, you used the story to build up the Characters.
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Runs on the latest create.swf
Real Jade: 3.39:JadeReal:100:0:272:263:260:3:0:68:0:0:0:333234
Magical Girl Jade: 3.39:JadeMG:100:343:272:303:251:3:0:39:43:0:134:333234
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Jade looks a lot like the girl from Tobi's Stupid Spoiled Whore comic.
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This is one thing i have been accused of doing a bit more now... Due to talking so much about my ideas and not showing enough "material" so to speak. My issues with applying my ideas are that, i have too many ideas, but not enough skill, i need to train , but i don't know where to start, i always shoot too high and then get lost in questions and self doubt... Just what format to use to show my stories is an issue... At least i keep working on my ideas, but i just don't know how i should use them. A lot of my ideas would work better with some visuals, but i'm lacking as an artist, and i lack connections in that department, i also need training as a writer, but i need help, i need guidance, how to train...
Sorry for my rambling.
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The only way to get better at anything is to practice is more and more. To master anything in your life, you have to practice it, and practice only comes when you decide to face the unknown.
If you need additional tips, I made this guide on how to write a series: [link]
However, while strategies for how to accomplish what you're doing help, you must also believe you can do it (or at least have faith that you can).
The way I learned storytelling and series writing began with humble beginnings, just as my series guide mentions: it's all about trial-and-error. I looked at where the good series went right, where the bad series went wrong, and modeled the ways the best writers/animators thought. I messed up many times, but I learned along the way, "Don't do this, do that, be careful about X, be sure to limit Y, Z is only funny if nothing else follows it, etc."
I say dive right in and make mistakes; even if people hate your OC, you can change it, and plus, you'll be further along than most OC writers because your OC actually has a reputation.
If you're still scared of failing, here is a quote from one of my favorite stories regarding infamy vs. being unknown...
If you could be either Godβs worst enemy or nothing, which would you choose?
We are Godβs middle children [...] with no special place in history and no special attention.
Unless we get Godβs attention, we have no hope of damnation or redemption.
Which is worse, hell or nothing?
Only if weβre caught and punished can we be saved.
Burn the Louvre [...] and wipe your ass with the Mona Lisa. This way at least, God would know our names.
-Fight Club. Also, here's a version read by Edward Norton: [link]
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Thank you for your words and your time Spaz, i really enjoy any reply i get from you.
Although i think i should mention i don't really do much inside pre-made fiction unless i only feel like thinking about "what ifs". Ahah.
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I always fond myself to be...'Neutral' if you know what i mean. But bad guys are somehow underrated, to me.
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Do you mean neutral as in "indiffrent"?
being neutral can mean multiple things, you could be an antihero for example, or you could be a good or bad guy on your own merits without being aligned with any group that is veiwed as good or bad.
I personally don't believe there is such a thing as good or bad, but i do beleive in cause and affect so my actions are dictated on what the results would be if i did them.
I see it this way:
A. there is no such thing as good or bad.
B. if there is such thing as good or bad, neither one is better then the other.
Or C. if there is such thing as good and bad and one is superior to the other, that doesn't neccesarily mean that good is good and bad is bad.
At leas tthat's how i see it
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Well, Anti-hero is a yes, and (A) and maybe (B) is what i mean by Nuetr- i mean Neutral.
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I guess what you mean by "neutral", you mean that you don't necessarily pick a side like picking the side of good and becoming a big hero that fights in the name of love and justice. Your character can be neutral, but if he/she is going to be the protagonist, the character needs to suffer from some sort of conflict that they will develop a resolution through the storyboard.
Also, what do you mean by "underrated?"
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Well i've seen many OCs being a good guy so far, so there aren't many bad guys around. Or maybe it's just me...
And you're right, something like that...
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I see. I guess it is true that there might not be as many as we think there should be. However, I'd see that the reason that is because people take villains being the whole one-dimensional kind of person where all they do is boast about who they are and what their plan is. Just like almost every James Bond villain as the self-destruct button goes off.
Besides, how many people would see themselves as the big hero as compared to the villain everyone will hate?
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Umm...not too sure. Maybe 50/50 or 30/70? I don't like do / create / write things as a big hero. It's too much for me. ( Especially attracting haters. )
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True. People really like respect from their peers and if they make themselves look really good, powerful, and different from everyone else, they believe that they will get respect.
Then they will believe the more they have on a character such as weapons, powers, relationships, etc., the better they would look and the more the audience will respect them.
However, this eventually leads to Gary/Mary Stus/Sues because they eventually become too powerful after being loaded with too many things that become completely useless and unneeded for the plot.
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That is because they are. Remember that villains are also characters that can be made on your own. However, making a decent villain is actually rather hard without making him/her become all gimmicky and clichΓ©. Probably one of the most seen traits about a villains is the boasting, laughing villain who is an arrogant jerk against the hero saying things like "I got this thing that will make me better than you" and after he/she is defeated, the villain becomes all weak and questions how he is defeated. I mean, the villain should have an amount of self-confidence, but should understand that he/she can be stopped by the protagonist and stop the good guy from stopping the villain's plan.
For example, when I made Kagami Shino, I wanted to make a villain who would also develop as the story progresses and realizes about herself being taken away from the world of the living for over 1000 years being killed only a few moments when she was first created. She has villainous traits and ideology that go toward supporting her goal to complete the mission she was given all those years ago and realize what she truly wants to become "complete." She has villainous interactions with the protagonists and other characters, but when she talks to someone like her, she has a, more or less, casual conversation to expose some traits that she might have.
Anyway, a villain like that seems very one-dimensional and doesn't seem to have an important story that the audience would enjoy. Villains are possible to make, but be careful because they are pretty hard to make. Just make a feel that the villain isn't closed minded and is willing to develop in their own way.
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Yes, but like good guy OCs, you must use them.
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However, you can't write the strengths and weaknesses of a villian in the same way as with a hero.
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Yes you can. You totally can.
In fact, let me go down the top 100 villains list from AFI:
Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs:
Strength: Incredibly cunning, extremely polite.
Weakness: Sociopathic and amoral.
Norman Bates from Psycho:
Strength: Kindhearted and cares about his mother.
Weaknesses: Goes nuts and murders people "thanks to" his mother.
Darth Vader from Star Wars:
Strength: Loyal, has great intuition, ruthless in his pursuit to get what he wants.
Weakness: Too dependent on technology and resources to get the job done.
Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz:
Strength: Resourceful, has a ton of powers at her disposal.
Weakness: Hubris
Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest:
Strength: Powerful and influential.
Weakness: Cruel and easily-defied by an upset in power.
Mr. Potter from It's A Wonderful Life:
Strength: Resourceful, influential, and cunning.
Weakness: Amoral, greedy, underestimates the power of good, honest men.
Just a few examples. I could do more. Many, many more.
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I don't know if being amoral is a weakness for a villain. Or being cruel. It's pretty much their role. See Richard in looking for Group. In fact, if you make a Villain OC without any form of amorality or cruelty, it can get hard to call him/her a villain.
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Not neccesarily. A lacks of morals doesn't create a characters alignment, sometimes strong morals are the very reason they become villains
Light Yagami wants to end all violent crimes and create a world where everyone can live happily in peace, but he goes so far as to kill millions of people withthe death note to do it, even innocents.
Anakin became the sith Darth Vader because he wanted power and strengh to protect his loved ones.
Wheatly from Portal 2 wanted to help Chell escape aperture labs and get away from GLaDOS but being in her mainframe corrupted him and he become oppessed with running tests
Do I even need to brings up Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto? or Riku from Kingdom Hearts?
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I didn't deny it. I didn't mean any villain is amoral, but they all have some trait like amorality, cruelty and such. I just said a Villain as such is defined by his amorals/cruelty. To be a villain, you HAVE to be evil, that goes by the very definition of a villain.
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those types of villians are one diminsional.
Villians are people, and as people they have their own desires, fears, dreams, and especially goals, and methods of reaching them. The best villians are cruel or amoral because their life has led them to that. r becuase they find it neccesary or have no choice in it.
it's not that being evil makes you a villain as you say, but that being a villain makes you evil.
And besides,good and evil are not objective, they are justified
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Agreed.
Villains are people too. They live, act, and talk just like everyone else.
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That's not my point, I meant Villian in the sense of the word. [link] Villian - A wicked or evil person; a scoundrel.
You can make opposing characters, but they're only villians if they're actually evil.
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thats what im trying to get at.
actions may define morality and alignment, but the reasons for them is what makes them villianous, not the evilness itself.
The bullied kid who attains power and uses it to bend his enemies to his will so that they can no longer pic on anyone, the man who wants to wipe out most of the humans race so it can start over with a clean record, the woman who killed her children beacuase her god told her to, the fuher who commits ethic genocide believing it will make his people great.
These people arnt villians becuase they are evil, they are villians becuase they justify thier evil. thier evil isnt what makes them villianous, but rather what led to thier downfall into becoming villains
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True. I was thinking more in that those traits lead to their downfall, but the basic idea is all human beings run on virtually the same set of behaviors: ones that lead to success and ones that lead to failure, both of which are guided by beliefs on what will actions/behaviors lead to pleasure while others lead to pain.
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That's pretty much the root cause why good always win. No one really does things because he wants to be evil, therefore the winning party always designates itself as "good". So basically, yeah, unless you make a cardboard fantasy story with a designated villian without character, there is no truely evil side.
>Insert lengthy text about subjective morals
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Actually, you can. Villains have their own personal traits that they can develop. However, their traits can be different from the hero's traits. It's just that a villains strengths and weaknesses are different, but do share various similarities to that of a hero's.
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Because what is an engine without a car to use it on?
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even if it's pretty and has a nice paintjob, if it doesnt run or has no wheels, it's useless
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We don't need wheels where we are going...
*Flys off in a Hovercraft*
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