S o u d a wrote:Personal two cents about OCs.
The reason I find myself uncomfortable with them is because it almost FORCES the reader into the author's perspective on the series. By this I mean the author is given the power to change canon events, canon relationships, canon anything, and I rarely find this done for the better and often times the author doesn't treat it as 'an AU' or alternate universe but they treat their 'OC' as if they were always canon to begin with. AND THAT IS WHAT I HATE. I don't want to be forced into the author's fantasy. That's what OCs often, not always, but often are. The author's fantasy of placing themselves in the story. Now there is nothing wrong with personal fantasies, but I have zero interest in someone else's fantasy and have zero interest in watching canon be twisted for the sake of it. I don't want a new perspective, I don't want a canon character with some self-insert author fantasy relationship. There is nothing wrong for the author to either have OR write those fantasies. BUT I PERSONALLY DO NOT WANT TO READ THEM. And I know a lot of other people don't either.
Of course there are cases where a OC can give a perspective without interfering with canon. THOSE I like. Say, an OC observing some crazy battle that happened in canon and freaking out because they don't know who these people are or what's going on. THOSE are funny perspectives that DON'T twist canon or force you into the author's fantasy. Those I don't mind, because they allow for a new perspective WITHOUT twisting the old one. I like OCs that don't CHANGE anything, only perhaps add something that was never there to begin with. But when OCs make a change, influence a major event, have a romantic relationship with a canon character, I personally cannot stand to read that. Because I do not want to be part of the fantasy. Now that isn't a problem when the author writes it as an alternate universe, but that's rarely the case and it's, to put it in lack of better terms, 'their own personal twist of canon events to suit their own personal needs'. Again, nothing against the authors or those fantasies, people can have whatever fantasies they want, whether it includes some over-powered Mary-sue OC or not!
I just don't ever want to take part in them nor read them.
So in my perspective I have nothing against OCs existing or authors writing about them, but I have zero interest reading these fanfictions because I prefer my canon... untainted, for again lack of a better word. This doesn't apply to OCs involved in AUs, I LOVE AUs, and I LOVE an author that can flat out say 'this is an AU and has nothing to do with canon'. People that admit their fantasy is a fantasy and unaffiliated make me happy. I like new perspectives when they don't interfere with what did and usually NEEDS to happen. Like, for example, one of my OCs is an informant and sometimes interacts with the canon characters or observes some going ons, but he doesn't participate in any canon events, major or minor. And I personally prefer that sort of OC.
The background character OC. The one thats caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, the kids that sit in the same class as the main characters and have normal hair and just question what the heck is wrong with these crazy kids. THOSE are how I like my OC fanfictions, just this extra point of view, from the side, non interfering, non fantasy. I guess, in that respect, I prefer my OCs plain.
And also I dislike OC x Canon for the same reason, I do NOT want to be sucked into someone else's fantasy. Again, they can write it, have it, share it, and there is nothing wrong with that!
I just don't want to be apart of it. And 90% of the time the relationship is a horrible twist of the canon character's personality anyways (*cough* Any KHR OC that tries to get with Hibari *cough*).
But yeah, there's my two-cents. OCs are cool and can do cool things. People can have whatever OCs and fantasies they want.
I just chose not to be a part of them, thus I don't read the fanfictions.
And I DO get kinds irritated when looking for some canon fics but getting drowned in OCs fics instead. I will admit, that's highly aggravating. But eh, no big deal really.
^agreed entirely. I couldn't have worded it better myself.
