A Simple introduction. It is dangerous to go alone, take this...

I am returning to the world of fan fiction after a twelve year hiatus. Life is a funny and fickle thing. Time sweeps you away and before you know it, it has disappeared beneath the moments of sorrow and joy the waning tide brought. The last time I sat down to type out a story I was twenty three and still ignorant of the world, though I thought I knew everything. As bigger events played out through my life, my love for writing was tucked further and further away in the corners of my mind, still there, but not prevalent. And yet now...

...Death note was the very first anime that my husband and I watched together (long before we were husband and wife). It was the beginning of 2007, and I ordered a copy of the anime from Amazon. It was February (before it even aired on Adult Swim) and we got it because the plot seemed interesting. We watched it in the original Japanese format with subtitles, and immediately fell in love with the characters, the plot, and the world that came to light.

Years later, sitting down one day after putting our daughter to bed we were searching YouTube and came across something we couldn't believe. Death Note the Musical. (The Korean version is the most superior, in our opinion.) And suddenly that love for our very first anime was reborn. The excitement we felt in watching our favorite characters come back to life was unexpected and indescribable. We were our younger selves again, back before stress and responsibility had become second nature to us. And once that passion reunited, the burning urge to write these characters in new lives, given new chances, reappeared stronger than before.

Though my pen feels rusty, I grip it firmly in the hopes that the magic that is the written word hasn't left me completely. I hope with my age I can bring a new feeling to what I write, something deeper, more realistic than my younger fantasies. I hope to bring a reality forth that readers can connect with.

MY PERSONAL STANCE ON ORIGINAL CHARACTERS:

There is something to be said for an original character that is written in well. They can add new life or flare to the story, and take it down a much more entertaining road. But I have found that they come with one major flaw: the need for more exposition. The more important the OC is to the story, the more time that has to be taken out of the flow of the story to explain their background and how they are related to one or more of the "supposed" main characters of the story. More often then not, the OC becomes the main focus of the story, as he/ she are in most of the scenes, and it always seems up to him/ her to solve whatever issues might have arisen. The characters that readers tune in for become a part of the background stage so the OC can always have the spotlight. I absolutely despise this aspect of it. It tends to ruin what could have otherwise been a good story.

I've also noticed that most OC's become a Mary-Sue. While I'm sure this is a term almost all of you are familiar with, I'll explain anyway. A Mary-Sue is an original character that often reflects the Author of the story. This type of OC also comes free of flaws. It is a character that is too perfect, and often the only person in the free world capable of solving the crisis of the story. It's not fun for anyone but the author.

And finally, I see original characters used as a crutch, a way for the author to control the flow of the story. Using Death-Note for an example: Light and L do not take break days or vacation days during the Kira case, because they have a serious case to solve. However, you want to write a story where such an event does occur. You have two choices:

1.) Carefully craft a reason that the case would bring them to whatever setting you see fit (beach, amusement park, ect) and follow through with the plot past the point of them having a good time. (IE If the case lead them to the beach because Higuchi took a vacation there, then after whatever fun you have planned for them, make sure they remember to get back to Higuchi and wrap up whatever part of the investigation took them there.)

2.) Make up a character that both willingly and blindly obey and have them force them into the position you want them in.

One decision requires work, skill, and the ability to mold a developing story, the other requires exposition about a character the reader couldn't care less about and then that character manipulating the ones the reader showed up for in the first place.

Now this is not to say that ever single fanfic with an OC is or will be terrible. As I said, I've seen it done rarely, but it can happen that the OC actually enriches the story. The following are two authors who live up to such an example.

Okami Rayne:

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2063496/Okami-Rayne

Okami Rayne is probably one of the most talented writers on Fanfiction.net as a whole. If you like Naruto (specifically Neji and Shikamaru) this author has a wonderful tale for you, spanning multiple stories and over a hundred chapters. Not only is she a shining example of how to write an Epic Tale, but the original characters she has woven into the series never take away from the atmosphere. They add to it, becoming a part of the story rather than the story itself. The main focus is always Neji and Shikamaru, but background characters have their place too.

Weiila:

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/204149/Weiila

Weiila writes various fanfics, but the one that drew me in (and that covers this topic) is her series from Chrono Trigger that starts with "Magus's Quest". If you are a CT fan, stop in here. You're almost guaranteed to love this fic. Even though one of the OCs in this story develops a somewhat "main character" status, the author never loses focus on the hero (or anti-hero) of the tale. Another good example to go by if you plan on adding OCs to your own story.

I myself would more often rather avoid OCs, going so far as to bring in various other anime, manga, or gaming characters. I'd rather give the reader someone they have a chance to be familiar with, and someone they might appreciate being introduced into the story. Even if I do have an OC present, that character is often heavily influenced by another character. The example I have is my OC Razor Otsutsuki, who is a variation of Razor Eddie from Simon R. Green's "The Nightside" novels. (Great books, btw). If I ever do get around to writing him into a story, hopefully I live up to my own expectations.