The Rules of OC-ism
Before any one has a problem, this is not, I repeat, not a story. Rather, it is a set of rules that I think all fanfiction writers should read. It will be useful in the future and has the basis of making a good character. These rules are basic, and some may be specific to Naruto, but they ring true. Every story I have read and enjoyed with Oc's have followed these rules. Mind you, I read mostly 1000 plus reviewed stories. So i'm not the only one who thinks said story is good.
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Rule number one, Back rounds:
When creating an oc, one must have a good back round story. Your character can't fall out of no where. For instance, say your character is from a parallel universe, and comes to a realm of your choosing. They can't be strolling down the street, then poof, their in Naruto, or Bleach ect. There has to be a reason for their existence!
Also, an Oc can't just be there at the beginning of the story and be established as the main character with pre built relation to those around them. They have to have some form of explanation as to who they are, and why they are important to the story. Mind you, this has to be done in context. You can't just hit pause in the middle of a story and give the stats of your character and a brief back round. That's just lazy.
This is a more Naruto centric Oc problem that i'm about to disclose when it comes to back rounds. You can not, I repeat, CAN NOT pop out of no where with an Uchiha or Hyuuga. Trust me, I've had enough of that kind of Oc. Saying their a survivor of the Uchiha massacre and happen to be Sasuke's sister and or relative of some form is not a back round story! That's just marry sue (A subject I will hit later on). They have to have a reason they survived, and not the classic 'they where out of town'. Come on, let's be realistic. This is ITACHI we're talking about. Even Itachi haters have to admit he was smart. I thoroughly doubt that he would make such a blatant mistake. Also, said surviving Uchiha can't be emo and be all i'm going to avenge the clan!' Can any one spot a Sasuke clone? Come on people, please use that pretty little thing between your ears called a brain. If a role is already filled, don't make another one that is the exact same crap.
Now onto the Hyuuga complex that every one seems to be in love with just as much as they are with the Uchiha. As said before, you can't fill a role already taken. So no Neji hybrids. No 'my father is dead so I want to kill the main branch'. Also, no 'my father is an unsupported prick so i'm really really shy' complex's either. Hinata has that one covered. Don't get me wrong, anyone from the Uchiha or Hyuuga are going to have emotional problems. That just comes with the territory. But make it unique to them. They can have similar problems, just no 'rip off's.
You can't copy any ones back round. That is the second most frequent mistake oc writers make. They make another Gaara, Naruto, Sasuke, Neji (ect.) and expect people to run with it. But there is an exception to this rule. Such as the 'Character roles are different' scenario. This is usually affiliated with a parallel universe complex. Like, Itachi didn't go nuts and kill the Uchiha off, or the Hyuuga is one big happy family. Then you can have the Uchiha oc be emo and a Hyuuga hating on the main branch.
Rule number two, Mary sue hell:
This pissed me off. Allot. This is what ninety nine percent of all oc fics are. The definition of a Mary sue is as follows: A female character that appears in the series with no explanation of their existence and they are loved by every one for no given reason. This is not okay! Harems can work. But not Marry sue-ism. A Harem is very different from a marry sue complex(I'm using that word allot). A harem is when the characters one by one fall for the center of attraction in unique ways. Some may come quickly, other may take time. Each love story is different. Marry sue-ism does not do this. When your character shows up, suddenly all characters, despite all standing romantic tension and or personality's, suddenly fall head over heals for your character. The cannon characters start acting OCC (Out of Character) randomly, and violently. This is the makings of a terrible story.
Rule number three, Oc God complex:
This again, buries under my skin and festers like a disease from the middle ages. Again, I'll define it. The god complex is when said character can have a nuclear bomb hit them point blank and not be harmed. The description that would be aptly used is "He/she didn't even blink". This, my fellow writers, is a bad, bad, bad, very horribly bad idea! Terrible by every definition of the word. This can't even be slightly mixed into a story. Every one gets hurt. Every one has a weakness. If the main character is invincible, then there is no conflict, and the story becomes effectively boring and predictable. Also their weakness can't be something stupid, like a food product or a poke in a specific area (Unless thoroughly explained) ((Refer to bottom)).
The exception to all the rules previously stated:
All OC rules can be ignored for one reason, and one reason only. Comedy fanfiction made specifically to be random and are meant not to have no real seriousness to it. These are to be used sparingly in every authors writing, but some times, you just want to mess around.
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I hope this helped some of you out there wondering why your story is being outright ignored by the population. You could be a great writer, but you break these rules. An excellent plot can crash and burn from this. I know, I've been there. If you have any questions, please post it in a review.
Narutorapegod out!