Talk:Yes/Chad/Prepare yourself in the bathroom first: Difference between revisions
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I suppose I should address this. My characters in erotica are often received as Mary Sues and Gary Stus. This is often based on the fact that I despise when I read about a character doing something stupid. I abhor stupidity in a main character well beyond what is reasonable. So my main characters are generally the smartest person in the room. As they can out-think everyone around them, they are by that nature OP. Other writers write about a character making a "mistake" is often (to me) an act of abject stupidity. Maybe I intellectualize things too much; but my reason has pretty much always trumped my emotional baggage, hormones, etc; so I expect my heroes to be able to do the same. Rick Sanchez (of Rick and Morty fame) is an ideal protagonist to me. While he is smarter than anyone around he is still interesting. While he can think his way out of any challenge, he is still challenged on occasion. A Character like Rick Sanchez would be my ultimate goal . . . a Gary Stu with personality and flaws. That's what I try for . . . I just sometimes forget the flaws. --[[User:Elerneron|Elerneron]] ([[User talk:Elerneron|talk]]) 14:27, 21 April 2019 (CEST) | I suppose I should address this. My characters in erotica are often received as Mary Sues and Gary Stus. This is often based on the fact that I despise when I read about a character doing something stupid. I abhor stupidity in a main character well beyond what is reasonable. So my main characters are generally the smartest person in the room. As they can out-think everyone around them, they are by that nature OP. Other writers write about a character making a "mistake" is often (to me) an act of abject stupidity. Maybe I intellectualize things too much; but my reason has pretty much always trumped my emotional baggage, hormones, etc; so I expect my heroes to be able to do the same. Rick Sanchez (of Rick and Morty fame) is an ideal protagonist to me. While he is smarter than anyone around he is still interesting. While he can think his way out of any challenge, he is still challenged on occasion. A Character like Rick Sanchez would be my ultimate goal . . . a Gary Stu with personality and flaws. That's what I try for . . . I just sometimes forget the flaws. --[[User:Elerneron|Elerneron]] ([[User talk:Elerneron|talk]]) 14:27, 21 April 2019 (CEST) | ||
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I agree about the Superman "weaknesses" with the possible exception of defecation. There's a series of superhero books called H.E.R.O. by Kevin Rau that gives a possible explanation where the people with powers are altered physically and everything they ingest gets converted to energy to fuel their powers. All I was saying is that being vulnerable to Magic, isn't a weakness that would have been covered by his "none of the weaknesses" qualification. In fact, with no red sunlight or Kryptonite on this Earth, that wasn't really necessary. Giving himself the knowledge of the greatest magic user on the planet (and possibly a boost in intelligence) would just cover more bases, especially in light of the next morning after he reads the contract. How hard would it have been to look in the mirror and ask "Do I understand everything in this contract?"? At any rate, as much as I love the Kryptonian power set, I'm just saying it's not perfect (even without Kryptonite weakness), and there are other powers that would come in very handy. Even if it's just ensuring that no one can take/use the ring. --[[User:Notsooldpervert|Notsooldpervert]] ([[User talk:Notsooldpervert|talk]]) 01:37, 22 April 2019 (CEST) | |||
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Sadly I'm the opposite on flawless characters, one of the things that were pounded into our heads and our writing, during my writing courses, was to avoid, at all costs, flawless characters, as most readers can not identify with them and eventually get bored. At first it is an adrenaline rush for the reader to go along with the flawless character as he/she destroys all opposition and out thinks every opponent, but eventually it gets dull as the reader realizes there is no actual challenge for the character i.e. why they introduced, the red sun and magic weaknesses to Superman. The other thing that makes for an interesting character is the learning curve, the making of mistakes is not a weakness or stupidity, everyone makes mistakes when they try something new, its how people learn, you make a mistake, realize that is not going to work and them move on. Again if the character makes no mistakes then they already know everything they need to about their abilities, so what then is the point of continuing to read the story, at that point readers will skip the story and just read the sex scenes, which will eventually get old and they will stop reading. Also, other writers will lose interest in adding to the story as to them what is the point, there is really nothing new to add except another notch on the characters belt. --[[User:Telgar|Telgar]] ([[User talk:Telgar|talk]]) 23:58, 21 April 2019 (PST) | |||
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I agree that having a character make mistakes and learn from them is key to an interesting character. I just hate it when characters make stupid mistakes. Maybe I just think more mistakes are stupid mistakes than most people, but the majority of the mistakes that they seem to have characters make in stories these days seem . . . well . . . idiotic. If they had half a brain and thought for more than a second, they shouldn't be making these idiotic mistakes. I can save for certain that the mistakes they make that I find stupid are mistakes that I would not make. A lot of the time they also don't learn from their mistakes like idiots. How have Sam and Dean Winchestor from Supernatural not learned to stop lieing to each other and hiding things from one another? Are they retarded? It sure seems that way from my perspective . . . then again I am quiet a bit smarter than average . . . --[[User:Elerneron|Elerneron]] ([[User talk:Elerneron|talk]]) 23:11, 22 April 2019 (CEST) |
Latest revision as of 21:11, 22 April 2019
Holy shit, wasn't expecting the full on Superman mode! --Notsooldpervert (talk) 03:08, 10 January 2017 (CET)
Me either, really, but when I was writing it I thought "What would I have done when I was 16?" (as Chad is kind of like a much more popular version of myself at 16), and when I was thinking of how he would protect himself, Superman seemed the fastest way to do the most with the least effort. Granted Chad doesn't know as much about Superman as I did at that age, but everyone knows enough to choose him as a model for invulnerability. --Elerneron (talk) 03:13, 10 January 2017 (CET)
Hopefully he has control of his strength and doesn't fuck his mother to death lol --Notsooldpervert (talk) 03:56, 10 January 2017 (CET)
Way ahead of you. --Elerneron (talk) 03:57, 10 January 2017 (CET)
It occurred to me (especially after reading ahead) that this is magic. Magic is real in this world. Superman is vulnerable to magic. Might want to give himself other powers like perfect memory and/or increased intelligence, and all of the knowledge, skills, and artifacts to be a real world equivalent to the Sorcerer Supreme. Wouldn't do much good to just copy Stephen Strange, since that version of magic is fictional, but gaining the skills and abilities the real equivalent would have would cover a lot of bases. Then, of course there's the option for immortality (don't forget the eternal youth set for about 25 so you don't age forever), and a healing factor a la Wolverine or Deadpool. Then make the ring only work for him as long as he's alive. Only he can remove it, if he's ever in danger it will teleport back onto his hand, if anyone else ever tries to use it it will teleport back onto his hand. Hmmm... wonder if he could absorb it and gain the ability to toggle it on and off? --Notsooldpervert (talk) 03:30, 20 April 2019 (CEST)
Haven't read this page in a while, but I do remember "is it true that you have all of the powers of the fictional character Superman, but none of his weaknesses"
That should cover pretty much everything that can hurt Superman (including things like a knife blade 1nm thick coated in kryptonite and red lantern energy [fatal to Green lanterns] for example) --MrPib (talk) 07:26, 20 April 2019 (CEST)
One flaw, which the MC will discover is, there are way to incapacitate or even hurt a character with the powers of superman. No one is 100% invulnerable. There are thing that could still harm superman, that could harm normal humans, and that wouldn't be seen as a weakness or limitation,since it is not specifically called out as a limitation or weakness in the Superman lore. As for Notsooldperverts recommendations about using the power to just learn about magic. One thing that makes a story interesting is reading about how the character grows. An all powerful, unhurtable character,will eventually get old and boring, thus why the Mary Sue trope is so despised. I recomend letting the character grow in his power as naturally as possible, try and avoid making him perfect right away. --Telgar (talk) 11:22, 19 April 2019 (PST)
I see the weaknesses as being Kryptonite and Red Sunlight that actually weaken him. The fact that magic bypasses his near invulnerability isn't really a weakness as it is the way magic works. I can kinda see the point of letting characters grow (though I'm not one that really hates the Mary(Gary) Stu trope. Sometimes it's fun to just see a character gain unlimited power, just to see how it corrupts them. --Notsooldpervert (talk) 05:27, 21 April 2019 (CEST)
Really, as I see it, the problem with the Mary (Gary) sue/stu trope is not being OP, it's the lack of character and personality. Characters are made interesting by their opinions, which a Mary sue character can't have or else it ruins their perfect image, and by their flaws which can just as easily be flaws in personality or opinion as it can be to do with their capabilities. Saitama of One Punch Man or Ainz from Overlord are two excellent examples of OP done right without them turning into Gary stus.
Unfortunately, sex stories, especially those in these choose your own adventure formats, do not usually have very deep characters. In fact, it's actually a trope of the genre that male characters in particular should be written without much of a personality in order for the reader to be able to project themselves onto the protagonist. So, this places the male protagonist of a sex story in particular danger of becoming a Gary stu. Jemini (talk) 08:08, 21 April 2019 (CEST)
Well I'm sorry to say the Mary Sue trope has nothing to due with personality, "A Mary Sue is an idealized and seemingly perfect fictional character. Often, this character is recognized as an author insert or wish fulfillment. They can usually perform better at tasks than should be possible given the amount of training or experience, and usually are able through some means to upstage the main protagonist of an established fictional setting, such as by saving the hero." So as you can see from the definition of a Mary Sue it has everything to do with their OP nature and nothing to do with their personality. A Mary Sue character can have a crap tone of personality, but their instant and sudden ability to do everything perfectly as soon as, or shortly after they get their powers, makes them dull.
It is possible to have a Mary Sue as the Hero or Protagonist as shown with "Rey" in Star wars for example, who is a better Jedi then even Luke, can defeat the Legendary Imperial Guard in combat and defeats Kylo Ren twice without any official training. But that does not make them any more interesting, it actually has the opposite effect and eventually makes the story boring as there is little to no character growth or development. I try to avoid the Mary Sue trope along with others in most of my writing as I find that stories, even erotic ones, that actually try and doe some character development, are better received.
I also understand that erotic stories, and CYOA stories are all about wish fulfillment, but that doesn't mean you can't also include character growth and development into your story. Just having the character wish or modify himself to be unstoppable or perfect at everything, turns what is a potential opportunity to make mistakes and grow as a character (while having lots of sex) into a jump from one uninteresting sex scene to the next, which in the long run simply makes them all blend together and the character uninteresting and dull. I would feel more at home and able to put myself into a character who discovered his powers over time and learns about them as he practices, than with a character who gets his powers and within a few seconds or even a day is perfect with them, even finding loopholes, that people who have had the powers for lifetimes, were unable to discover and exceeding even their abilities.
Notsooldpervert as for the weaknesses that Chad still has; yes those are Superman's weaknesses, but Chad does not have those. He said he wanted Superman's powers but none of his weaknesses. The ones he still has deal with abilities that are a weakness but have never been shown as a weakness. 1) Superman still needs to eventually eat/drink, just like any other mortal being, especially when he is not around the energy of a yellow sun. In comics Clark Kent has been shown hungry, this was not him acting to appear more Clark Kenty, but actually hungry. 2) Since he needs to eat and Drink that means he needs to Defecate as well. 3)Superman's powers require access to the light of a yellow sun or they fade. This is not a weakness, but a nature of his powers, they are powered by a yellow sun. The weakness was that he lost his powers when exposed to a red sun. 4) There are things stronger than even Superman, "Death of Superman". with enough power and force, other creatures in the universe can overpower and even kill Superman, he is far from the most powerful being in the Universe, He is just the most powerful being on Earth.
Also yes it is fun to watch OP characters become corrupted and fall from having OP powers, that is also not a Mary Sue, as the fall from grace and becoming corruption is a weakness of the character, Mary Sue's have no weaknesses and are perfect, therefore immune to corruption, they can do whatever they want perfectly and without a single blemish against their moral character. If something they want to do would put a blemish on them, the universe simply re-rights the definition of right and wrong to make it so it is fine for them to have done that thing. --Telgar (talk) 23:58, 21 April 2019 (PST)
I suppose I should address this. My characters in erotica are often received as Mary Sues and Gary Stus. This is often based on the fact that I despise when I read about a character doing something stupid. I abhor stupidity in a main character well beyond what is reasonable. So my main characters are generally the smartest person in the room. As they can out-think everyone around them, they are by that nature OP. Other writers write about a character making a "mistake" is often (to me) an act of abject stupidity. Maybe I intellectualize things too much; but my reason has pretty much always trumped my emotional baggage, hormones, etc; so I expect my heroes to be able to do the same. Rick Sanchez (of Rick and Morty fame) is an ideal protagonist to me. While he is smarter than anyone around he is still interesting. While he can think his way out of any challenge, he is still challenged on occasion. A Character like Rick Sanchez would be my ultimate goal . . . a Gary Stu with personality and flaws. That's what I try for . . . I just sometimes forget the flaws. --Elerneron (talk) 14:27, 21 April 2019 (CEST)
I agree about the Superman "weaknesses" with the possible exception of defecation. There's a series of superhero books called H.E.R.O. by Kevin Rau that gives a possible explanation where the people with powers are altered physically and everything they ingest gets converted to energy to fuel their powers. All I was saying is that being vulnerable to Magic, isn't a weakness that would have been covered by his "none of the weaknesses" qualification. In fact, with no red sunlight or Kryptonite on this Earth, that wasn't really necessary. Giving himself the knowledge of the greatest magic user on the planet (and possibly a boost in intelligence) would just cover more bases, especially in light of the next morning after he reads the contract. How hard would it have been to look in the mirror and ask "Do I understand everything in this contract?"? At any rate, as much as I love the Kryptonian power set, I'm just saying it's not perfect (even without Kryptonite weakness), and there are other powers that would come in very handy. Even if it's just ensuring that no one can take/use the ring. --Notsooldpervert (talk) 01:37, 22 April 2019 (CEST)
Sadly I'm the opposite on flawless characters, one of the things that were pounded into our heads and our writing, during my writing courses, was to avoid, at all costs, flawless characters, as most readers can not identify with them and eventually get bored. At first it is an adrenaline rush for the reader to go along with the flawless character as he/she destroys all opposition and out thinks every opponent, but eventually it gets dull as the reader realizes there is no actual challenge for the character i.e. why they introduced, the red sun and magic weaknesses to Superman. The other thing that makes for an interesting character is the learning curve, the making of mistakes is not a weakness or stupidity, everyone makes mistakes when they try something new, its how people learn, you make a mistake, realize that is not going to work and them move on. Again if the character makes no mistakes then they already know everything they need to about their abilities, so what then is the point of continuing to read the story, at that point readers will skip the story and just read the sex scenes, which will eventually get old and they will stop reading. Also, other writers will lose interest in adding to the story as to them what is the point, there is really nothing new to add except another notch on the characters belt. --Telgar (talk) 23:58, 21 April 2019 (PST)
I agree that having a character make mistakes and learn from them is key to an interesting character. I just hate it when characters make stupid mistakes. Maybe I just think more mistakes are stupid mistakes than most people, but the majority of the mistakes that they seem to have characters make in stories these days seem . . . well . . . idiotic. If they had half a brain and thought for more than a second, they shouldn't be making these idiotic mistakes. I can save for certain that the mistakes they make that I find stupid are mistakes that I would not make. A lot of the time they also don't learn from their mistakes like idiots. How have Sam and Dean Winchestor from Supernatural not learned to stop lieing to each other and hiding things from one another? Are they retarded? It sure seems that way from my perspective . . . then again I am quiet a bit smarter than average . . . --Elerneron (talk) 23:11, 22 April 2019 (CEST)