Own Characters
Moderator: Spectrum Strike Force
New characters aren't a problem, but as Marion said earlier, it's not a good idea to allow them to take over, because unless they're extremely well developed characters in their own right there's a danger that they'll end up looking like just what they often are - the author's pet fantasy. There's also a sort-of unwritten rule that you shouldn't tamper with the established relationships between your principal characters, and introducing your own hero risks breaking that rule. (As an aside, it's often easier to introduce a new character who's a baddie than one who's a goodie - because you can either kill them off at the end of the story, or have them skulking off to lick their wounds in readiness for a rematch if you want to being them back.)
Speaking personally, I find OCS Scarlet extremely difficult to write for - quite simply because I don't actually like him very much. On the positive side he's unquestionably brave, but when you know you're indestructible that's probably not unduly difficult. Having said that, a lot of people are terrified of pain, and it's never been suggested that he doesn't feel pain when he's mortally injured, so that's a plus for him. On the negative side he's stilted, humourless, unimaginative and just occasionally remarkably stupid - at least I think so. To me, OCS Captain Blue is a far more likely hero than Scarlet ever was - and I suspect the original scriptwriters realised that by the time they got around to filming "Attack on Cloudbase", even though in that episode we're seeing an idealised version of him through Symphony's eyes.
But then, you might ask "what constitutes a hero?" Heroes - at least the male ones - are people whom women want to do naughty things with and men want to be, but they're generally not particularly likeable characters. They're people who make you feel reassured when they're around, because they can clearly take care of themselves - and therefore by implication you as well. Think of a few other heroes with some of Scarlet's personal characteristics, and you might conjure up Captain Jack Harkness, Clint Eastwood's spaghetti western characters, Dirk Pitt, Adam Adamant or John McClane, none of whom could really be described as 'likeable' (I mean, having a fling with them is one thing, but would you really want them at your dinner party?)
Female heroines are for the most part beautiful, resourceful, elegant, tough, streetwise and sharp-witted - and most men therefore wouldn't be anything like good enough for them, which is pretty much how I'd see all of the Angels. Fantasising about them is pointless unless unattainability is what turns you on - because most women with all those capabilities would eat men for breakfast. Think of Seven of Nine, Emma Peel, T'Pol, Lt Gay Ellis... these are not women who'd really like to accompany you to the local skating rink on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking personally, I never had a real problem with NCS Destiny's little tantrums - we've got people at work who would make far worse team leaders than she ever did - but by giving her such faults we're belittling her status as a heroine, because proper heroines don't behave like that. I'd make the same comment about Doctor Gold's bedside manner, which was excruciating - but since his character had obviously been written deliberately for him I take that at face value, so if I ever try to write him into anything that's one of his characteristics that I shan't contradict. I admit I actually rather liked him, quite simply because he wasn't a heroic character: he was just an ordinary guy trying to do his job to the best of his ability. Heroes need to behave heroically; everyone else can behave however you like!
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Clya Brown
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To re-iterate; Intensity, all of the characters in NCS apart from the five or six leads, had no backgrounds at all, apart from a name and a nationalty. Consequently, it's as difficult, from a writer's point of view, to flesh them out as it is to introduce someone new.
It can therefore be tricky to get the balance right between Canon and Fanon. Iwould say, as long as your original character is well-rounded and believable and fits into the NCS "universe", it shouldn't be a problem.
The difference between people writing OCS and NCS fiction should not be underestimated. There are advantages and disadvantages on both sides. OCS fans have little in the TV series as an aid to characterisation, but have all the books, comics, etc to fill in. All they have to do is explore the possibilities.
With NCS, we have no such aids available. What you see is what you get, basically. However, what we do see are more well - rounded, fleshed out individuals, as least as far as the main characters are concerned. As far as the others are concerned, it's open season as to what we make of them.
However, what I do feel very strongly about is this; the characters are the way Gerry and the scriptwriters saw them. Scarlet, Blue, Destiny, Doctor Gold - they may not be as you would wish them to be, but they are Canon, as far as I am concerned and you work with what you are given.
As for NCS Destiny being "moody, egocentric and selfish" ? Well, yes, Marion, I see where you are coming from and , from a writer's point of view, I love her to bits.
But what about her good points ? Loyal, fearless, will take the flack whatever happens and operates brilliantly under huge personal stress - something I think the male writers only hinted at because they did not have the capabilities to deal with it in a different way. If this had been American TV, there would have been a female staff writer to address the issue.
Intensity, your crossover sounds interesting, if complicated. I say this only as someone who could never attempt such a thing. If you can make it work, go for it !
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Skybase Girl
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How on earth would she react to OS Destiny?
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Intensity Angel
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The difference between people writing OCS and NCS fiction should not be underestimated. There are advantages and disadvantages on both sides. OCS fans have little in the TV series as an aid to characterisation, but have all the books, comics, etc to fill in. All they have to do is explore the possibilities.
With NCS, we have no such aids available. What you see is what you get, basically. However, what we do see are more well - rounded, fleshed out individuals, as least as far as the main characters are concerned. As far as the others are concerned, it's open season as to what we make of them.
I agree that both series of Captain Scarlet are light on information in the TV shows and that the NCS didn’t have the merchandising to fill in the gaps; but the gaps that are filled in by the merchandise for OCS are often more of a hindrance than a help!
The biographical details provided by comics and annuals are not only inconsistent, but also extremely unlikely for the most part. How on earth the Angels managed to cram so much into 20 something years remains a mystery to me.
The Captains were all the bravest, fastest, most successful at whatever they did (not to mention handsomest, of course) and Dr Fawn could have ruled the world if only he hadn’t devoted himself to medicine…
Writing fiction for such paragons is a fine art. You can’t say any of them were a complete dead-loss at anything (Okay – Blue’s singing gets mocked rotten, but it ain’t that bad) because if you do people say – that’s not canon – (me too, I admit it) and every one of them is the life and soul of any party that happens to be going… damnandblast ‘em.
Fiction thrives on conflict; it is what makes it interesting, at least it is for me and I don’t just mean Spectrum against the Mysterons. If you were writing NCS, you have oodles of conflict to play with – most of it canon.
If by ‘what we do see are more well - rounded, fleshed out individuals, as least as far as the main characters are concerned' you mean that you see individuals getting peeved, upset and stroppy – I’d have to agree with you, Skybase Girl – and that is where CGI has the advantages over the puppets – it could reflect emotion better, not to mention gymnastic capabilities.
I haven't tried writing for NCS, but I can see that it must be like creating new characters for a great many of the incidental characters. You do that with OCS too - not that you have any incidental characters apart maybe from the World President. However, balancing the probable with the canon and the biographical fantasies, keeps you on your toes.
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Marion
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It's a damm sight easier to introduce characters into NCS fan fiction than OS Fan Fiction as I've discovered. The only character I've had luck with so far are a ghost and a character from another show! Whereas in NCS fan fiction, I've introduce a brand new character already and have established and who I'm using for a halloween story.
I was just thinking. There is a lsit for OS characters used in fan fiction on the site, right. How come there isn't one for NCS characters?
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Intensity Angel
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Presumably if one is needed for NCS it'll be collated.
Also remember, this is done in Chris's spare time - with some help when we can be of use to her - so it isn't fair to expect everything to be done all at once. If you want to create a list - or start one off - speak to Chris about it.
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Marion
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One thing I've been meaning to ask,
How do you recongnise if an own character is turning into a Mary Sue?
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Intensity Angel
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http://spectrum-headquarters.com/v-web/ ... ue&start=0
Additionnally, in the same thread, you can find a test that you might want to try for your character(s), if you suspect it has become a Mary Sue:
http://ponylandpress.nfshost.com/ms-test.html
Note that all Mary-Sues are not necessary bad, although mainly frowned upon, but that you have to find a good balance for it to maintain a proper place in a story.
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chrisbishop
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Intensity Angel
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To summarise what has already been said there, there is no problems with modelling characters on people we know and it's done regularly, as all writers need inspiration when they write characters.
For details and maybe have some tricks to avoid the Mary Sue traps, check the Mary Sue thread .
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chrisbishop
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Intensity Angel
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We're all entitled to our little secrets, isn't it?
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chrisbishop
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I have never consciously used my own characteristics, or those of friends in developing story characters. The closest I have come, on rare occasions, is allowing one or two characters to like certain things I like, or have similar hobbies. I don't think there is any harm in that.
It's probable, though, that we show our true selves more than we realise in our created people and also that our stories are more influenced by the world and the people around us than we think.
A while ago, a friend of more than fifty years standing, suggested to me that I should write about us - in this case, a quartet of friends who have known each other for more than half a century and have the good fortune to be still here enjoying life.
It's been done before, I thought, but I still believed the idea had merit - until I realised that to do so ( warts and all, only from my point of view), might be to seriously endanger the relationships I hold most dear. No amount of literary aspirations would be worth it.
If you want to use your friends, relatives, acquaintances, make sure that they are unlikely to recognise themselves, or better still, are unlikely ever to see what you have written !
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Skybase Girl
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What about allowing you own characters the limelight, y'know, see the story from their perspective. There is an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where the focus is mainly on four junior officers, and how they see their commandering officers. Could this be done as a fan fic or would it be considered wrong?
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Intensity Angel
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Marion
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