Alternate Universe and Out of Character

[mimea]

I must be sick or something.. posting twice in one day! But, I did want people's opinions on something, and I would just like the opinions of the writers I worship on this (ie the people on my f-list

Comments

[scottmatthew]

I've been there, done that in my own fictional works...and usually, your best critics and fans will gently nudge you back toward what's "In Character" before you stray too terribly far...;)

Sometimes they'll give you a gentle slap when you're writing your own characters....("You made Dr. Mateson a 'funk lord pro wrestler'?!? What Drug were you on?!?")

Most important thing is never let it discourage you, and everything is potentially fixable...except the making uber serious cop characters funk lords part...**Blush**

[mimea]

You wrote Mateson as a 'funk lord pro wrestler' at one time? *snicker* I'm sorry.. that mental image.. *bursts out laughing in the good way* I needed that!

It's not really that I'd get discouraged if I did write out of character, it's more of a request that people not hold back their punches. I've noticed more and more that constructive criticism has gotten very watered down online lately because there aren't enough people with the backbone to take it. They'd rather make more mistakes than learn from the ones they've made. I'd rather my critics tell me if I start to go way off the path, and my fans (any I may have) hold back any faults they see.

And even when you do write your characters completely out-of-whack, at least you have something to laugh about later. *huggles* Thanks so much!

[scottmatthew]

Exactly...mess ups are good for a laugh...just like the WD Mousepad...;) I actually re-read that the other day and burst out snickering.

As far as keeping things in character, as long as you make an educated guess at things when you extrapolate, you'll be in relatively clear waters....

It's why I have Broadway becoming a cop...it just seems to fit. Goliath and Elisa Maza becoming a married couple...that also fits. Brooklyn and Angela going to college...fits because they both seem to want the human interactions the most, which is just an instinct on my part.

Is it EXACTLY right...probably not....but people would probably shit giant bricks if I say, made Broadway into a Vaudeville Dancer...or turned Goliath into an accountant.

Come to thing of it...."The Spell is broken, and we CALCULATE DEDUCTIONS AGAIN!!!"

[numisma]

You also must take into account that KellyChan85 happens to skew her characterisations even for canon ficcage. I'm appalled at the way the type of characterisation she often uses for her characters. She models them in far too innocent manners and makes them very two dimensional with little maturation or growth.

Inuyasha may be slightly awkward and bad at communication when it comes to Kagome and his feelings, and his libido probably is close to that of a rock, but that doesn't mean he blushes just from touching her hand. He's blushed maybe twice or thrice in the manga. And while he does take interest in things in her time period, having him display child-like wonder at the simplest things is a bit of a stretch. Oh, and Kaede, as a 16th century miko, would not say "sexual intercourse." She'd be more akin to say "wifely duties" or "physical consummation of a relationship

[mimea]

I've read maybe two of Kellychan85's fics, but it was a while back and apparently didn't make much of an impression on me, or I'd remember them better. But I do know she is popular. It's just that since I do use the excuse, "well, he grew up differently" to explain minor personality changes that made me wonder if it was a legitimate excuse in my case. I think it is. As you said in the thread, if they have the logical history to back up the changes, it's fine. But I don't know the view of the fandom-at-large much since I'm more of a fringe player

[leidy]

I'm trying to do some catch up here since I've been stuck at my work comp for the last three months, so sorry if this is late in coming

[mimea]

Don't worry about it, Leidy-sama! *HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGS* I was so surprised and happy to see you reply! :D

[aubreywitch]

Sorry to randomly post in your journal, but the rant irritated me too. I don't think canon rules completely apply to AU fics. Some AU fics would be impossible to write in canon. For example, you couldn't have any futuristic fanfics because Sango could never be anything but a taijiya in fuedal Japan. Demanding that everything be completely canon is limiting. Considering these things, I don't think OCC is bad unless it is accidental. Poorly written characters are just poorly written period. Well, my feelings are hard to explain on the topic, but I dislike people who limit good fanfictions based on rules that they feel should be forced on others. For Inuyasha to do something that he wouldn't normally do in the manga or anime doesn't bother me as long as it is a good fanfiction and the action makes sense with the story and his character.