Discussion on Original Characters. · 2:26pm Oct 13th, 2014
This is taken from a posting of mine on the Writer's Group forums. I hadn't really meant to dive this deeply in the discussion, but I thought what I posted made a very good point to original characters.
Original characters are the pure outlet of creativity for a writer. Everything about them is unique to the writer. It is true that a writer can take clichéd attributes about them, but they are still their creative work. The true challenge is creating a character who is uniquely different from the other fan created characters. Such as Kilala's work.
I've been a big proponent of original characters, and I try to support authors who genuinely try to create them. The one thing that constantly surprises me is that few others try to make 'normal' original characters. By normal I mean ponies who would easily fit into the show and not break the spirit it represents. A lot of backstories for original characters are usually tragic and somehow excessively violent. What is wrong with a pony who grew up with a normal life and then became unique because of what they did with their lives? Some might argue that this would make for a boring story or not give the characters any drive, to this I disagree. Seemingly normal, everyday characters, thrust into a situation that is beyond their comfort zone (by their own actions or not) makes for some of the more relatable scenarios and characterizations out there. Because they are just normal ponies.
I will use my character Wanderer as an example. Without spoiling much from Three From the Forest, he is a small town pony who wanted more excitement in his life, to be just like his hero Daring Do. While not an introvert, he didn't really have friends that he could relate too, but when Tourmaline and Tormod moved to town, he bonded with them fairly quickly. Having friends to support him—and he in turn supporting them—gave him the confidence to branch out of his comfort zone and try to live his dream. The pursuit of said dream is one of many things that makes him unique, the pursuit of something more in life than the mundane. We all privately want it, even if we are happy in our lives, we always want to find something more. It is not that we are greedy, but it is in our nature to seek out something new, to experience it. It is just how we are, and that makes its way into our characters.
I ask those who read this blog, what is your take on original characters? Be they about my own, or others in general, I really wish to hear about them. My goal was to create original characters that people will love, to relate to, to get to know without them becoming excessively edgy and someone more than what MLP is about. I understand that it is a uphill battle I wage, but it is a battle I am willing to fight. Even if my characters are never popular, I will be content with the fact I made them and they are unique.
Well what's kinda Ironic on this site is that the fact to create a "Normal" character who grew with a normal life without any tragic death....or being the son of a forgotten royalty or who possess some unique and strange power , is the best way to make an Original and unique character .
Don't get me wrong , i got nothing against them after all , everyone is free to make his own character , and if you look deeply into each characters even the most original evercreated , you can find at least a little thing the Creator saw in another fiction that he likes and feel like he can relate too.
But as you said , what's wrong with a basic character who grew like every other pony in his town and suddenly have to face an hydra without special magic or deathbeam from nowhere , he only have what nature gaves him to fight back or escape , in this case , escape might be smarter than actually fight the Hydra.
So for my part i prefer a caracter who start from nothing to finally end in a situation he would never think about before
If i take as an example my own OC Diamond Dust who's just a basic Pegasus Royal guard
after he met the mare who would finally become his marefriend , his life get thrown into an adventure he wasn't prepared for where he end up bonding with a lot of new friends and discover another part of Equestria .
Finally in his adventure he'll end up having his own soul split in half , his own soul , and his "Hatred" being the other half , who's going to become a Pegasus similar and at the same time totally different from Dust , calling itself "Vanitas" .
Being born from hatred , he feed from it but quicky point all of his own toward the one who created him even thought he's linked to him , he refuse to admit he was once a part of Dust .
to him he's better than Dust in every ways , he never hesitate to act like a jerk and to do what he wishes without carring about the conséquences.
He wants to show with every means that he's different from his Creator .
But in the end isn't he just showing Dust's deepest feelings that he always forbid himself to show because it's not how he is , Dust has a kind nature while Vanitas wouldn't care for any other person other than himself , except that he has shown multiple time he was capable of having a kind nature over a mare he fell deeply for.
They are besically the two sides of a coin , but in the end they are only one and the same , even thought one refuse to admit , while the other see his hatred part as a big problem who shouldn't exist, they have a lot to learn from each other but it can only be dne with time .
So now that you read this can you really call those two OC's "original" ?
i think not because if you look at them , well , you can find a lot of little pieces who are actually being used by a lot of others peoples , the fact that Dust is a royal guard , he meet a pony supposed to be some sort of Dark side of himself.
you can easily tell by the name "Vanitas" that i'm a fan of the kingdom hearts series
the royal guard part would be because i like chivalry and swords
the only thing i would consider original would be the kind of Relationship those two possess , and the fact that they have to learn from each other to have a better life.
So yeah in every OC's you'll find something that a lot of peoples like and feels like they can relate to and as you said what matters , is that you made a character that others will like and feels like they can relate to , without carring if this OC is going to become popular , as long as you feel that they are original enough for you.
( damn that was a long message....)