Thread: Fandoms and OC vs Canon

What it all boils down to is the role-players ability to write. If someone can conceive and write a believable character, then what's the harm? It's the difference between Twilight and Harry Potter. Like any protagonists, Bella Swan and Harry Potter are at the middle of their stories. Everything that takes place is miraculously centered on them, because the story is about their amazing adventure. However one is typically hated, and the other praised. Anyone with any mind for characters will instantly know why. In role-playing, we should strive to create Potters and not Swans. When we create Swans, we are throwing suspension of disbelief out the window, and expecting our partners to just play along. From the outset we are molding a character who is fundamentally in conflict with everything we know about the fandom, and more and more concessions must be made to make that character fit. When this happens, the role-player is actively destroying what one loves about that fandom. Harry Potter is no longer the Gryfindor quidditch star, Bella Swan is. Ginny Weasley is no longer Harry Potter love interest, Bella Swan is. Ron Weasley is no longer Harry Potter's best friend, Bella Swan is. You get the point. When you create a character like that, you are explicitly asking your partners to accept those facts. This is why some people are very soured on the idea of original characters. Personally? I love them. I like to explore a fandom from a perspective outside of what I experienced while initially enjoying it. Many fandoms have expansive and large worlds with happenings outside of what we witnessed while ingesting it through our eye-holes. Star Wars, for example, is an entire galaxy of conflict, mystery, and adventure. What would the life of a smuggler be like? What about an original story of a padawan trying to survive the purge? In many cases, some of these things are covered in the fandom. However, they have a story that has already been told. Han Solo was a smuggler who went on to help topple an empire. If I wanted to experience his story again, I'd watch the original trilogy. There are any number of stories about smugglers in Star Wars, but I don't want to explore those stories. I want to do something new, something that lets my imagination work it's magic within the confines of that universe. I won't pretend that there isn't any satisfaction in making my own character, and then having them do cool things. I will never have the opportunity to actually make my own superhero in DC Comics. Through role-playing I can let loose these ideas that mold and form in my mind, as I flip through an issue of Batman. It is only here that I can have my very own DC Comics character, who lives and breathes in a world that has captured my imagination for two decades. In a way it is simple wish fulfillment, but I must be careful not to do it at the expense of the world I love-- nobody loves a self-insert mary-sue. Unlike traditional storytelling, role-playing is a cooperative effort. Two or more people set upon the task of creating a story that is mutually enjoyable for all parties involved. Ideas and concepts are pulled and tugged on, and characters from the mind of another meet with my own. It's interactive in a way that video games strive to be. Role-playing is our virtual reality future in written form, and it's taking place right now. In a fandom role-play, I get to carve out a part of that universe with another person, while still maintaining the integrity of what I love. In some ways it's no different than a new writer introducing a new set of characters to the established mythos. Having the freedom and power to do that is undeniably fun. There is a reason so many aspiring writers want to work within Star Wars, or with various comic book publishers. You get to add something to a thing you love. Role-playing original characters in fandom is adding something to the thing you love. We only need to be careful not to subtract. Granted, many people are very terrible at it. There are plenty of people that prefer to completely shatter the lore of the series, and create characters that eclipse what has already been established. While this is not a terrible sin while writing on your own, one must realize that role-playing is not a solitary endeavor. A writer can shrug their shoulders, and tell someone to not read their work. A role-player is directly responsible for the enjoyment of one or many people. The things we write should not be written with the express purpose of only making ourselves happy. To do so, within the confines of role-playing, is selfish. It is for this reason that many people view canon x oc pairings as dubious at best. Many of these people are not looking to explore or enjoy the fandom. They are looking to create a self-insert to satisfy their fantasies. They are not concerned with the fantasy of their partners, and will shatter the fandom to make their fantasy a reality. They are only interested in their character interacting, fucking, and being lovedhated by the characters they love the most on the pagescreen. There is no similar reciprocation. The other persons are tasked with realizing this fantasy for that single person, who is playing their self-insert. Is it wrong to be selfish? Yes and no. If there is no harm, then there is no foul. Some people are perfectly happy to indulge these people. I do not believe that every instance of this type of pairing is bad. All it takes is a self-aware individual with some creativity. Sadly, I don't think many people fall under that category. Fifteen years of this shit has told me that many role-players are about as creative as a beige wall. One should also consider characters that have no romantic interest in the official material. I think that original characters in fandom make role-playing an entirely powerful and unique form of entertainment. For better or worse, it exemplifies the entire point of this medium. In role-playing, you can do anything.