Blood Born Angel
Emissary of Oblivion
I've kinda wondered this for a long time. Maybe it's just me seeing things in a different light then most others, but I feel like we push many important components of storytelling away by labeling them as "unoriginal" or "cliche". What makes things unoriginal? Their over-use? If we avoid such things then, aren't we negating their over-used nature, thus making them original once more?
I find the concept actually really silly that things can be cliche. I see lots of people in the roleplaying community that add rules like, "Avoid making Mary Sues and Gary Stues." Why? What's wrong with making a character that fits an established trope? Just because it's common? Obviously if the trope is popular then it has some literary value, right? Some of my favorite characters in games, movies, and books could be classified as a Mary Sue or Gary Stue, just because they're type is so commonplace! There really isn't such a thing as a completely original character in my eyes.
Sure, you can make a character unique in ways that many other people might never have thought of. Then you could say you created your very own OC; however, if we picked apart the character I'm sure we could find similarities to many other established fictional people! It's a misconstrued concept from what I've seen over the years, and I feel it really detracts from our creativity.
Let's say you're roleplaying with someone who is a cannon character in some manga, or television show. If you found another person playing the exact same character, do you think you'd get the exact same experience? Maybe if both individuals were very good at portraying the characters exact persona you'd have similar events happen, but even if you yourself made the exact same actions in both role-plays, both your partners would make different choices. Thus, making two identical characters completely unique variations.
This can go beyond characters too! Settings, genres, fanfic universes, and story plots all have the potential to be labeled as cliche or too generic. I feel like this is a negative way of looking at our writing, and that we stifle our own potential by having these mindsets. This is simply my outlook on things though, and by no means do I want to say I'm completely right. It's just how I feel about the things.
So, let me know how you feel! Does any of what I say make sense? Do you think I'm blowing steam out of my-
*coughs*
I'd love to hear other thoughts and opinions. I just felt like sharing something that's been on my mind for some time. If you got this far, thank's for dropping by and taking a look!
I find the concept actually really silly that things can be cliche. I see lots of people in the roleplaying community that add rules like, "Avoid making Mary Sues and Gary Stues." Why? What's wrong with making a character that fits an established trope? Just because it's common? Obviously if the trope is popular then it has some literary value, right? Some of my favorite characters in games, movies, and books could be classified as a Mary Sue or Gary Stue, just because they're type is so commonplace! There really isn't such a thing as a completely original character in my eyes.
Sure, you can make a character unique in ways that many other people might never have thought of. Then you could say you created your very own OC; however, if we picked apart the character I'm sure we could find similarities to many other established fictional people! It's a misconstrued concept from what I've seen over the years, and I feel it really detracts from our creativity.
Let's say you're roleplaying with someone who is a cannon character in some manga, or television show. If you found another person playing the exact same character, do you think you'd get the exact same experience? Maybe if both individuals were very good at portraying the characters exact persona you'd have similar events happen, but even if you yourself made the exact same actions in both role-plays, both your partners would make different choices. Thus, making two identical characters completely unique variations.
This can go beyond characters too! Settings, genres, fanfic universes, and story plots all have the potential to be labeled as cliche or too generic. I feel like this is a negative way of looking at our writing, and that we stifle our own potential by having these mindsets. This is simply my outlook on things though, and by no means do I want to say I'm completely right. It's just how I feel about the things.
So, let me know how you feel! Does any of what I say make sense? Do you think I'm blowing steam out of my-
*coughs*
I'd love to hear other thoughts and opinions. I just felt like sharing something that's been on my mind for some time. If you got this far, thank's for dropping by and taking a look!