HP OC survey

[author_by_night]

1. What age range are you in? (You may give your exact age).

     A. 7-9

     B. 10-12

     C. 13-15

     D. 16-18

     E. 19-21

     F. 22-24

    G. 25-27

   H. 28-32

   I. 33-35

  J. 36-38

 K. 39-41

 L. 42-44

M. 45 +

2. What do you think of original characters?

3. What do you think of  "canon oc's" being written? (Hestia Jones, Dorcas Meadowes, Andromeda Tonks... anyone who has been mentioned in the books, but has not appeared often enough to get a good sense of the character - or has not appeared at all).

4. Do you write OC's?

5. What do you think of Mary Sue Litmus Tests?

6. Why do you think the HP fandom (which actually used to be quite open to OC's) has become wary of them?

7. Do you have any limits as to what sort of OC you'll read?

8. Are "canon oc's" really OC's?

9. What is a "Mary Sue"?

10. If applicable, list some OC's you have found well written.

11. If applicable, list some "canon OC's" you felt were well written.

 

Comments

[xochiquetzl]

1. J
2. I like them if the story isn't about them. I'm reading fanfic for the canon characters, not an OC. Sorry.
3. I think you can extrapolate, and if not, oh well. Until the next piece of canon comes out, you could be right.
4. Sometimes.
5. I have my own internal test. The story cannot be about my OC, my OC cannot do things I could get canon characters to do, and in a conflict with the canon characters, the canon character must win unless there is an overwhelming plot reason for the OC to win. In short, OCs require discipline, and must serve the story, not vice versa.
6. Beats me, man. I'm new here.
7. Only limits of quality, although I'd look at canon/OC romance with some suspicion. That would be a judgement call based on the author's other work, whether the plot sounds interesting, etc.
8. Not technically. I mean, sure, if you write an Andromeda Black fic you have to develop her, but you do have canon to go on--she's a Black, she's Sirius' favorite, she was disowned...
9. A Mary Sue is an authorial surrogate who bends the plot to suit her needs. It's not the fact that she's an OC that's bad, or even the fact that she looks and sounds like the author. I don't really think of a character as a Mary Sue unless a story's inductive logic breaks down around her--other characters act OOC around her, she's praised for doing stupid things, the story is about how smart and clever she is and how much the canon character(s) love her...
10. I'm sure there are more, but... Connor, the "alleged waiter" in Biblio's "Slow Burn," over in Stargate.
11. Any time anyone writes Kingsley Shacklebolt. Josan did a nice job with him in her Snape/Shacklebolt story that I've brainfarted on the title of. :)