Quote: EyeBrawler2014I have OCs, but they're definitely not Mary/Gary-Sue/Stus. I put time into every character I've made to make them just right. Some have tragic backstories, but they are definitely not all-powerful and perfect. Take my 1st OC, Kigali, for example
He was born in a laboratory as part of an experiment by Professor M to see if he could make the perfect animal. He and his sister Virtu were treated completely different, Ki did simple experiments while Virtu was used to test volatile chemicals. Virtu tricked Ki into killing 25 scientists to escape the laboratory. I found him when we was 5 and I taught him how to enjoy his life. He still thinks about his past and how things have changed. Now he protects his sister, who's nice now.
He's not a Gary-Sue, but he has his problems like everyone
*sigh* Alright, Austin. I love you like a brother, and I hate to break it to you, but I'd have to disagree with you. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid you couldn't handle it. From what I can tell from your writing, I can't work out any character for Ki other than "generic nice guy". For someone that laments his past, he doesn't seem all that torn up about it which kinda falls into the category of "informed attribute". Show, don't tell. And Shadme makes a good point, forgiving his sister so easily after all she'd done seems a little contrived if you ask me. Although I'll give you credit, whether intentional or not, he has a few character flaws, like his naivety and over-dependence on others. And actually, while I'm on a tangent, I've noticed that there doesn't seem to be much variety in your OCs. Of all your characters I've met, they all seem to be carbon copies of each other personality-wise.
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As far as my OCs go, I will be honest, I do have my fair share of Mary Sues. This is mainly due to the fact that it takes me a lot longer to flesh out my OCs than other users, when I just want to use them in an RP. Take Lotus for example. I made her for the sole purpose of being a love interest, didn't give her any background at all, and she's pretty much just a gender-flipped version of Foxtail without powers. The only reason I keep her around is because she plays a semi-major part in Foxtail's backstory and because I wrote myself into a corner by giving her a relationship with another user's character.
Another example is Blister. I shot myself in the foot when I made his origins, and that lead to a lot of plot holes regarding what he's able to do. He was imprisoned and enslaved in his world's equivalent of Hell under the micromanaging eye of a being omnipotent and in total control of that realm. If that's true, it doesn't explain how he knows how to do stuff like manipulate the Force or how he's familiar with artifacts from the "real" world. The fact that his origins are a game with literally no story or lore to speak of doesn't help.
While I have other, more reasonable, fleshed out characters (at least, they are as far as I'm concerned), they might come off like Mary Sues because the context of the situation doesn't allow their traits to shine through.