Hey peeps! This is Mephisto N here, with a super-special-awesome guidline as to how to make a decent, likeable Sonic fancharacter!
Let's start off simply with the prime examples of a Mary-Sue in the Sonic fandom. This is what you DON'T want.
-Is paired with a canon character. Especially not Shadow.
BIG NO-NO. Very few people can get away with this, especially with Shadow. This is usually a 'I luff Shadow he give me 3 babies!!' cry.
-Is related to an official character.
SONIC DOESN'T NEED 300 LONG-LOST SIBLINGS.
-Is faster than Sonic.
It is made a dear point that Sonic is the fastest Hedgehog around in every game, comic, show, and whatever else exists with him in it. Your fan character IS NO EXCEPTION.
-Is royal.
No. Princesses are NOT a good thing. We do NOT want this. YOU do not want this.
-Is physically stunning and/or very attractive.
We don't want everyone falling head-over-heels in love, do we? If they did, then, OH MAH GAWD, we'd be seeking too much attention to our fan character!
-Has any relation to the author/ is a self-insert/ has the author's name or personality.
Putting yourself into Sonic style is OKAY. Self-insertation, on the other hand... I draw myself as a Hedgehog, yes, but I DON'T draw Sonic and I playing strip-poker. DON'T PUT YOURSELF INTO THE SHOW, DAMNIT.
-Is gifted or considered special.
Your spechulness knows no bounds! NO. DO NOT DO THIS. This is like walking through the streets butt-naked with a 'KICK ME!' sign on your back.
-Has magical abilities.
The Adventures of Merlin STAYS in The Adventures of Merlin. Whilst it is one awesome show, magic is VERY RARE in the official Sonic series and it should stay this way.
-Uses a sword/katana/scythe/other unsual weapon without explination.
Assuming your character is American, because most are, WHY THE HELL ARE THEY USING A KATANA!? No. And even if the character IS Asian, katana usually = Mary-Sue. BAD THING. Scythes are also a very dominant weapon in the Suedom.
-Is a hybrid of three or more species.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE hybrids. They're great, and the designs of some can be so original... But I've seen WAY too many Horse Demon Vampire Goddess Hedgehog Rabbit Fox Cat Bat Succubus Dragon Mermaid Fish Cockroach hybrids than ANYONE should EVER have to see.
-Is supernatural.
People can pull off the supernatural, but please, for the love of god, DON'T make a Vampire, Demon, or God lightly. Those three are probably the hardest to do well, so unless you're skillz are epic, or you really know what you're doing, AVOID THEM.
A better choice would be a lesser know, lesser used type of supernatural force. And while the Incubus and Succubus are almost unheard of, they're gross, and don't use them unless you're writing an erotica/horror with a rating of XXX.
Go for something like a Addonexus, Gala-Child, Lectoblix, or Sceadugenga. And even then, BE CAREFUL, partually with the Gala-Children. Shop around for your supernatural entities- don't just grab the first thing that comes your way.
-Is named after a thing.
Yes, we're looking at YOU, Starlight, Fireheart, Leafwind, Wirlwind, and Crystal! Those names are OVER USED and generally HORRIBLE. They make me wince every time I see them.
-Has an overly long/detailed name.
Okay. Let's use Tara's AMAZING story, 'My Immortal' as an example. Ebony Darkness Demetra Raven Way is not something people like to hear about. Also refering to Tara, DON'T change their name to Enoby halfway through.
-Is more powerful that a group of canon characters.
Sonic gets pwned by fan characters a LOT. Not saying I'm an exception, but at least DO IT WELL IF YA GONNA DO IT.
-Is more evil than Mephiles.
Okay, here I go. I DON'T BELIVE IN GOOD OR EVIL. People just have different opinions and viewpoints. Describing your characters are overly heroic or overly villainous is just plain annoying.
Mephiles WASN'T evil in my opinion. Sure, he craved only to become and eternal sun god to destroy time itself but that's not evil. Have you even thought about WHY he wanted to do that? Yeah, I thought not.
In short, don't describe them as more evil than Mephiles just because he seems so goddamned evil. Make your villains unique, not just Mephiles rip-offs.
-Has a true love.
Sappy romance? Leave it for sparkly vampires, please. A bit of love here and there is FINE, but don't make it take over the whole story. *coughtwilightsuckscoughcough*
Love fails in my stories because love fails in life. It's realistic. True love ISN'T REAL, so DON'T write it.
And, most of all, NEVER have a character be all emo and stabbity-themselves before seeing their troo wuv and getting all happy and awesome again.
-Has prophecies written about them.
We don't CARE if you and your twoo wuv is written in the stars. We don't CARE if you're the only one able to save the world from a deadly sun rotation called Tataru- Wait. Hang on. Nevermind that last one. >_> <_< *coughijustfailedintawcoughcough*
-Is immortal.
Unless without good reason. Immortality is hard to pull off in a character because it is OVER USED. *coughedwardcullencoughcough*
-Is cursed.
No. We don't care if your character has the burden of a thousand souls. We don't care about that kinda crap.
-Overdescription of the eyes.
Eyes that change colour! Eyes that peice the soul! Eyes that glisten alive with emotion! NO NO NO! Describe the eyes every now and then, but DON'T go over with it!
-Is clumsy.
Bella Swan. No more need be said.
-Tragic theme song/s.
Linkin Park. Evanescene. No. 'CRAAAAWWWLING IN MAH SKIN, THESE WOUUUUUUUNNNNNNNDDDS THEY WILL NOT HEAL!' Good song, but really, pick something appropriate for your character.
-Overdescription in general.
You can spend a long as you want getting your character's last hair into the right place, but we don't care about it that much. We don't care what brand of dress they're wearing. JUST GET TO THE FREAKIN' POINT ALREADY. *coughmyimmortalcoughcough*
-Tragic past.
Hun, I hate to break it to you... But I don't really care that your father was an alcholic that beat and raped you as a child. I don't care if your mother was a neglectful bitch who couldn't remember your name. I don't care if you grew up on the streets. Very few people go through that and make it out alive, or without some serious scars and hygene issues. NEITHER SHOULD YOU.
This ISN'T to say you can't have a character with any of these. Balance it out, please- have some good traits, but overall, keep away from having too many of the listings above.
Now that we've some 'bad' things to follow along with, let's get to how to create a lovable character that people will root for!
I ADORE the Schofield books, by Matthew Reilly. They're stunning. Schofield is loyal to his team, brave, and certainly the kind of person you'd want in a storm. However, he's also very self-consious and a little shy.
And you know what? When I read about Schofield decoding a missle launch that'd start global anarchy whilst it was in flight while he was in a rocket shooting alongside said missle, and when he DID IT, you know what I did? I ran up and down the stairs, waving my book above my head, yelling 'HE FUCKIN' DID IT! THE SCHOFIELD FUCKIN' DID IT!' and then proceeded to have a mini-party in the Garage. It was fun. And then I finished the book off.
Now, THAT is a character you can root for.
Now, to show off my amazing skills of writing and character develoupment, I'm going to walk you through with one of my characters. For this, I'm going to use Zoe.
She IS NOT a teeny bopper. In fact, she isn't even a teen. Make then 24+ in age and you've almost garenteed to not be classed as a Mary-Sue.
She, physically, is very fit, and can use a lot of different weapons. But it's not that she just picked them up and was labled a natural. She spent YEARS perfecting her techniques. And to think of it, she ISN'T the best at it. She's good, but there are other's superior.
She is in a relationship with Sim, but we don't dwell on it. They care for each other a lot, but I know that people don't care that much, so it isn't used over-the-top.
She IS NOT the most attractive person in the world. She has dirty-blond hair and a Irish accent that is way too strong, especially when she's mad.
Most importantly...
Me: Hey, Zoe?
Zoe: What? Go away! Can't you see I'm busy!?
Me: Shadow the Hedgehog.
Zoe: ...Who?
ZOE; MARY-SUE?
CLASSIFIED; NOT A MARY-SUE.
CASE CLOSED.
Ba-Dum. There ya go.
Ooh, ooh, let's do a male character now! For this example, let's use Kalei, aka Sky Monster.
He's 33. Not a teen, again.
On the 'things that could be considered bad' side, he is; A shape-shifter to a degree, hiding from the government, physically strong, and a skilled pilot.
He has reasons for all of those. He's half-Monster, and he can't just walk around looking like some kind of horrible beast, so he changes into a normal looking Hedgehog to avoid suspicion.
The government, if they knew what he was, would cage him up and run horrible tests on him. Can you really blame him for hiding?
He's strong, because he's a Monster.
Skilled pilot? Well, he is a SKY MONSTER. That's why his callsign IS Sky Monster. Not only that, but he trained with the ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army corps) in a biiiig amount of warfare, particually in the Air Force AS A PILOT. He's natural element is wind, he's gonna go with airey stuff.
Personality, the whole MONSTER and MILITARY thing kinda would make him seem all rough-and-tumble. He's not.
In fact, he's the softest, biggest cutie you'd ever come across. He's really shy, timid, and too giving. In short, he is effin' adorable and I love him.
If anyone wants more examples of how my own characters could be considered Mary-Sues/ Gary-Sues and what balances them out, ask, because I can't be bothered writing anymore of those without a request.
Balance your characters out, as said; For every positive, think of a negative. For every experience, think of an appropriate reaction.
If your character was raised by snooty, rich parents, chances are they'll be snooty and rich too.
Of course, there are exceptions; Someone raised by assholes might see that, hey, 'I don't want to be an asshole too,' and will try to be a better person.
And, never underestimate the power of ORIGINALITY. Just being a little more imaginative with your character usually means less of a Mary-Sue.
And never start a scentence with and.
Also, if anyone wants any further tips or demonstrations from me in character develoupment, just ask.
This has been a ranty tutorial by Mephisto N. Have a nice day, for I am now going to go eat some babies. :) Love you!
Let's start off simply with the prime examples of a Mary-Sue in the Sonic fandom. This is what you DON'T want.
-Is paired with a canon character. Especially not Shadow.
BIG NO-NO. Very few people can get away with this, especially with Shadow. This is usually a 'I luff Shadow he give me 3 babies!!' cry.
-Is related to an official character.
SONIC DOESN'T NEED 300 LONG-LOST SIBLINGS.
-Is faster than Sonic.
It is made a dear point that Sonic is the fastest Hedgehog around in every game, comic, show, and whatever else exists with him in it. Your fan character IS NO EXCEPTION.
-Is royal.
No. Princesses are NOT a good thing. We do NOT want this. YOU do not want this.
-Is physically stunning and/or very attractive.
We don't want everyone falling head-over-heels in love, do we? If they did, then, OH MAH GAWD, we'd be seeking too much attention to our fan character!
-Has any relation to the author/ is a self-insert/ has the author's name or personality.
Putting yourself into Sonic style is OKAY. Self-insertation, on the other hand... I draw myself as a Hedgehog, yes, but I DON'T draw Sonic and I playing strip-poker. DON'T PUT YOURSELF INTO THE SHOW, DAMNIT.
-Is gifted or considered special.
Your spechulness knows no bounds! NO. DO NOT DO THIS. This is like walking through the streets butt-naked with a 'KICK ME!' sign on your back.
-Has magical abilities.
The Adventures of Merlin STAYS in The Adventures of Merlin. Whilst it is one awesome show, magic is VERY RARE in the official Sonic series and it should stay this way.
-Uses a sword/katana/scythe/other unsual weapon without explination.
Assuming your character is American, because most are, WHY THE HELL ARE THEY USING A KATANA!? No. And even if the character IS Asian, katana usually = Mary-Sue. BAD THING. Scythes are also a very dominant weapon in the Suedom.
-Is a hybrid of three or more species.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE hybrids. They're great, and the designs of some can be so original... But I've seen WAY too many Horse Demon Vampire Goddess Hedgehog Rabbit Fox Cat Bat Succubus Dragon Mermaid Fish Cockroach hybrids than ANYONE should EVER have to see.
-Is supernatural.
People can pull off the supernatural, but please, for the love of god, DON'T make a Vampire, Demon, or God lightly. Those three are probably the hardest to do well, so unless you're skillz are epic, or you really know what you're doing, AVOID THEM.
A better choice would be a lesser know, lesser used type of supernatural force. And while the Incubus and Succubus are almost unheard of, they're gross, and don't use them unless you're writing an erotica/horror with a rating of XXX.
Go for something like a Addonexus, Gala-Child, Lectoblix, or Sceadugenga. And even then, BE CAREFUL, partually with the Gala-Children. Shop around for your supernatural entities- don't just grab the first thing that comes your way.
-Is named after a thing.
Yes, we're looking at YOU, Starlight, Fireheart, Leafwind, Wirlwind, and Crystal! Those names are OVER USED and generally HORRIBLE. They make me wince every time I see them.
-Has an overly long/detailed name.
Okay. Let's use Tara's AMAZING story, 'My Immortal' as an example. Ebony Darkness Demetra Raven Way is not something people like to hear about. Also refering to Tara, DON'T change their name to Enoby halfway through.
-Is more powerful that a group of canon characters.
Sonic gets pwned by fan characters a LOT. Not saying I'm an exception, but at least DO IT WELL IF YA GONNA DO IT.
-Is more evil than Mephiles.
Okay, here I go. I DON'T BELIVE IN GOOD OR EVIL. People just have different opinions and viewpoints. Describing your characters are overly heroic or overly villainous is just plain annoying.
Mephiles WASN'T evil in my opinion. Sure, he craved only to become and eternal sun god to destroy time itself but that's not evil. Have you even thought about WHY he wanted to do that? Yeah, I thought not.
In short, don't describe them as more evil than Mephiles just because he seems so goddamned evil. Make your villains unique, not just Mephiles rip-offs.
-Has a true love.
Sappy romance? Leave it for sparkly vampires, please. A bit of love here and there is FINE, but don't make it take over the whole story. *coughtwilightsuckscoughcough*
Love fails in my stories because love fails in life. It's realistic. True love ISN'T REAL, so DON'T write it.
And, most of all, NEVER have a character be all emo and stabbity-themselves before seeing their troo wuv and getting all happy and awesome again.
-Has prophecies written about them.
We don't CARE if you and your twoo wuv is written in the stars. We don't CARE if you're the only one able to save the world from a deadly sun rotation called Tataru- Wait. Hang on. Nevermind that last one. >_> <_< *coughijustfailedintawcoughcough*
-Is immortal.
Unless without good reason. Immortality is hard to pull off in a character because it is OVER USED. *coughedwardcullencoughcough*
-Is cursed.
No. We don't care if your character has the burden of a thousand souls. We don't care about that kinda crap.
-Overdescription of the eyes.
Eyes that change colour! Eyes that peice the soul! Eyes that glisten alive with emotion! NO NO NO! Describe the eyes every now and then, but DON'T go over with it!
-Is clumsy.
Bella Swan. No more need be said.
-Tragic theme song/s.
Linkin Park. Evanescene. No. 'CRAAAAWWWLING IN MAH SKIN, THESE WOUUUUUUUNNNNNNNDDDS THEY WILL NOT HEAL!' Good song, but really, pick something appropriate for your character.
-Overdescription in general.
You can spend a long as you want getting your character's last hair into the right place, but we don't care about it that much. We don't care what brand of dress they're wearing. JUST GET TO THE FREAKIN' POINT ALREADY. *coughmyimmortalcoughcough*
-Tragic past.
Hun, I hate to break it to you... But I don't really care that your father was an alcholic that beat and raped you as a child. I don't care if your mother was a neglectful bitch who couldn't remember your name. I don't care if you grew up on the streets. Very few people go through that and make it out alive, or without some serious scars and hygene issues. NEITHER SHOULD YOU.
This ISN'T to say you can't have a character with any of these. Balance it out, please- have some good traits, but overall, keep away from having too many of the listings above.
Now that we've some 'bad' things to follow along with, let's get to how to create a lovable character that people will root for!
I ADORE the Schofield books, by Matthew Reilly. They're stunning. Schofield is loyal to his team, brave, and certainly the kind of person you'd want in a storm. However, he's also very self-consious and a little shy.
And you know what? When I read about Schofield decoding a missle launch that'd start global anarchy whilst it was in flight while he was in a rocket shooting alongside said missle, and when he DID IT, you know what I did? I ran up and down the stairs, waving my book above my head, yelling 'HE FUCKIN' DID IT! THE SCHOFIELD FUCKIN' DID IT!' and then proceeded to have a mini-party in the Garage. It was fun. And then I finished the book off.
Now, THAT is a character you can root for.
Now, to show off my amazing skills of writing and character develoupment, I'm going to walk you through with one of my characters. For this, I'm going to use Zoe.
She IS NOT a teeny bopper. In fact, she isn't even a teen. Make then 24+ in age and you've almost garenteed to not be classed as a Mary-Sue.
She, physically, is very fit, and can use a lot of different weapons. But it's not that she just picked them up and was labled a natural. She spent YEARS perfecting her techniques. And to think of it, she ISN'T the best at it. She's good, but there are other's superior.
She is in a relationship with Sim, but we don't dwell on it. They care for each other a lot, but I know that people don't care that much, so it isn't used over-the-top.
She IS NOT the most attractive person in the world. She has dirty-blond hair and a Irish accent that is way too strong, especially when she's mad.
Most importantly...
Me: Hey, Zoe?
Zoe: What? Go away! Can't you see I'm busy!?
Me: Shadow the Hedgehog.
Zoe: ...Who?
ZOE; MARY-SUE?
CLASSIFIED; NOT A MARY-SUE.
CASE CLOSED.
Ba-Dum. There ya go.
Ooh, ooh, let's do a male character now! For this example, let's use Kalei, aka Sky Monster.
He's 33. Not a teen, again.
On the 'things that could be considered bad' side, he is; A shape-shifter to a degree, hiding from the government, physically strong, and a skilled pilot.
He has reasons for all of those. He's half-Monster, and he can't just walk around looking like some kind of horrible beast, so he changes into a normal looking Hedgehog to avoid suspicion.
The government, if they knew what he was, would cage him up and run horrible tests on him. Can you really blame him for hiding?
He's strong, because he's a Monster.
Skilled pilot? Well, he is a SKY MONSTER. That's why his callsign IS Sky Monster. Not only that, but he trained with the ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army corps) in a biiiig amount of warfare, particually in the Air Force AS A PILOT. He's natural element is wind, he's gonna go with airey stuff.
Personality, the whole MONSTER and MILITARY thing kinda would make him seem all rough-and-tumble. He's not.
In fact, he's the softest, biggest cutie you'd ever come across. He's really shy, timid, and too giving. In short, he is effin' adorable and I love him.
If anyone wants more examples of how my own characters could be considered Mary-Sues/ Gary-Sues and what balances them out, ask, because I can't be bothered writing anymore of those without a request.
Balance your characters out, as said; For every positive, think of a negative. For every experience, think of an appropriate reaction.
If your character was raised by snooty, rich parents, chances are they'll be snooty and rich too.
Of course, there are exceptions; Someone raised by assholes might see that, hey, 'I don't want to be an asshole too,' and will try to be a better person.
And, never underestimate the power of ORIGINALITY. Just being a little more imaginative with your character usually means less of a Mary-Sue.
And never start a scentence with and.
Also, if anyone wants any further tips or demonstrations from me in character develoupment, just ask.
This has been a ranty tutorial by Mephisto N. Have a nice day, for I am now going to go eat some babies. :) Love you!