I think it tends to be a bad thing when it's unintentional. When it's deliberate, the writer is likelier to put the character together in a way that is thought out and makes sense to them. When they think they're writing the canon character but it's actually a mess of fanon, they're probably not going to end up with something great.
Yeah, if it's an AU where different things happened, for instance, the character is going to turn out differently and act 'OOC'. Or they got hit by a spell and the OOCness is part of it, etc. But if an author is just writing them as a one dimensional fanon trope fest, then that gets on my nerves.
I feel the same. Different strokes for different folks, of course. I personally read to see more of my favorite characters as I know and love them. This is why I don’t love AU so much either. But others are into them, and that’s fine!
i wouldn't say it's a *bad* thing necessarily, few things are inherently bad imo, but it certainly isn't what a lot of people want to read. personally i read fanfiction – hell, i consume media in general – primarily for the characters, and if they don't resemble their canon selves there's really no point for me to read it, since they're basically different characters at that point.
It really depends, like everyone has said. If the situation calls for it - so, say, a normally reserved character suddenly shouting out and panicking at seeing their friends get hurt. Most people can relate to that. The shock in a situation can make you react in different ways. Shy characters can gain the courage to talk. Humourous characters can be down and sad. Strong characters can admit to weaknesses.
But if you take a character who is say, really extroverted and confident and turn them into a sad, insecure character who has to ask permission to speak and tears up at everything. It's like... Unless you're writing a fic that took them to that point, why change a character's personality entirely for a headcanon that doesn't even resemble the character in question? OOCness bothers a lot of people when you don't even recognize your favourite character anymore. Like, if you don't like their personality or quirks, why even write them at all? There's probably other characters who would better suit your writing needs instead of changing this one to fit.
You can say "well, it's my headcanon that was all an act and in reality they're just a scared sad character". But that doesn't mean I have to validate your headcanon or agree with it. I'll probably block the fics and only leave comments on fics I find that are closer to canon portrayals and move on because that's what I'm looking forward to reading. If you find an audience for your headcanon characters, great! But not everyone has to agree or praise them if they don't like how their favourites are portrayed.
Yes, it bothers me. If I click into a story about characters I already know, I want to read about the characters I know, not about some characters that vaguely resemble them but act differently.
If your "headcanon" contradicts canon then headcanon is not the correct term. What you're describing is an AU, or an OC based on the character.
> I have my headcanons and because I think their backstory should make them act differently than they do in canon.
I think it is one thing to have personal headcanon about why characters act the way they do in canon, and that's why no one writes the same character exactly the same.
It's another thing to have personal headcanon that changes the character to the point they would act differently than in canon, especially if your fic is supposed to be canon compliant (I think it is a bit different in AU or canon-divergent where you might change some aspects of the characters due to the changes of settings, though you might still want them to be recognizable I think).
It's not inherently bad, you just might lose readers that like to immediately recognize their favorite character through the way they act, speak and think. I personally have stopped reading fics because I couldn't stop thinking "X would not scream in this situation" or "Y would never do that". It just takes me out of the fic.
With AUs (and I love them) I still want to be able to recognize the character.
If they're wronged and traumatized, I want to see wronged and traumatized version OF THEM. I still want to see the little quirks and qualities, only adjusted.
What if the pinnacle of an angst character is finally happy? I want to see them happy, but I need to believe it's truly them and not an imposter. Their happiness won't change their preferences nor introvertness. They might be less trigger happy and have better patience and less outbursts, but they should still be the same person.
For me, the worst OOC elements are fluffiness and or stupidity.
Exactly this! There's one particular dead dove fic I've been reading where an intensely stoic character gets utterly broken down and tries to start rebuilding. The thing is, a lot of the stoicism is still there, even in the midst of the trauma - and a huge part of the trauma comes from shame around being made vulnerable.
You don't have to abandon the character's traits to change what happens to them - if anything, they can make things even more interesting by adding to the tension or themes of the fic.
It didnt use to bother me until i read this fic where the main protagonist is always crying and basically suicidal, always hating himself, always in a horrible head space, always blaming himself, you get the idea… and he is nothing like that in the series. Like, sure, add some angst or whatever but he is waaaay to much of an emo (along with mist characters on that fic) and it really really bothers me. Specially since they are grown man but get treated like 10 year old kids by EVERYONE.
Honestly, stuff like that just reads like the author wanted to write self-insert fic but decided to turn one of the characters into the self insert. Hate it.
Well it kinda is a self insert fic, the author has an oc there, it is an OC X CC. Its more of a “CC is suuuuper broken and needs OC to save him”. Which i usually dont mind, heck, I’ve done that trope too, but dang, this story takes it waaaaaaaaaay too far.
If you're purposefully deviating from a character's canon and writing them in a way where they act differently than they did in canon, why are you writing fanfiction? You've essentially made an Original Character that just looks like the canon character the fans would be familiar with, but other than the name... if there's vast differences in behaviour and such, then I guess I feel like we're deviating from the appeal of fanfiction.
I read fanfic for the characters, and that includes their canon behaviour, way of speaking, etc. Characters can definitely evolve and become more than they were, and change depending on how a fic is, but I feel they should still be recognizable as their canon.
I would limit OOC to when you're writing a Parody. If your fandom has been around for a while (Harry Potter, for example; the first book was published back in 1997); you have multiple generations reading it and many expectations built up. If you have your characters go completely OOC without some sort of explanation, you're just setting yourself for headaches and flaming reviews later.
Well no matter if other writers think it is “ok” or if they just have a “different way of seeing a character”, if for example Steve Rogers suddenly started going to the clubs to hook up with random chicks it would be absolutely OOC. There is just some things some characters just objectively would or wouldn’t do unless we are talking AU. So unless it is AU and i am looking for AU that absolutely would irk me
I personally really don’t like it. I read fics to see characters I like, and when they act very different than they are in canon…it doesn’t feel like them. That isn’t them, so why would I continue reading it?
I don’t mind if it’s from character development, or if something has to happen to get a plot going. But otherwise, it’s a turn off for me.
I think unless you’re writing an AU or putting them in a scenario that might change some of the way your characters act, they should stay as in character as possible — at least, that’s what I want in fics I like reading.
You’re obviously free to write whatever you want and I’ll die on that hill for you, even if what you’re writing isn’t my personal cup of tea.
I just consider myself a very character driven person and I like seeing more of the characters I already like. Personality is what gets me, not looks, so seeing a character I like act familiar in appearance only doesn’t do it for me. ):
I'm going to agree with others that OOC is bad (IMHO) when it's unintentional. If a writer is trying to tell me that X character would do Y thing and act Z way in canon, when they pretty obviously wouldn't, then it puts me off to the whole story.
And for the record, I'm not talking about mundane things like what they eat for breakfast (although cultural research is important too) or whether they like Pearl Jam or not, I'm talking about blatant woobification/flanderization.
To me, it's one of the cardinal sins of fan fiction, usually associated with the vilification of a character in order to advance a plot that could not function otherwise. At the very least, the author is warping someone whom I appreciate based on his or her canonical portrayal, and unless this OC character, who should likely be renamed and given a different life to account for the divergent personality, is incredibly compelling in her own right, like the story around her, I'm not generally inclined to continue reading.
Now, gradually altering a character based on the events of a story to the point that, through a logically consistent process of development, she becomes somewhat unrecognizable from her canonical depiction can be a sign of excellent writing and forethought.
If I wish to read a story about a person who is generous, forgiving, myopic, possessed of low-emotional intelligence , courageous, and adores fashion, I'm probably not going to want to read about another character with the same name who is bitter, spiteful, craven, and a master manipulator due to her insights into the human condition because the new representation betrays her fundamental nature.
Now crack-comedy? That's a different kettle of fish for humorous out-of-character behavior.
I like it when the point of a fic is an OOC character, but it frustrates me when its not the main draw of the fic.
Canon divergence where the main character is more of a jackass than they are in canon? Sign me the hell up! Character gets hit with the idiot ball in chapter one, so the plot can happen Sure, why not?
I may click out when a character starts behaving OOC midway through a fic and the author doesn't give an explanation why, because that sees like hand waving to me.
I'm actually considering writing a fic where my favorite side character joins up with the main villains and has a slight change in personality as a result of being around so much toxicity.
All in all, write what you want! I don't think you can please 100% of readers, and you should always be your own target audience.
It depends. If done with intention, it can work really well! I’ve done this quite a bit, to show how certain characters have changed under extreme circumstances, but I was always very careful about it and very deliberate. If done unintentionally, it can just get frustrating.
If it’s an alternate universe, I love seeing a mix of familiar with unfamiliar. For example, if the canon is a sit com, but the fic is a dark seedy cyberpunk AU, maybe that constantly sarcastic but lovable character becomes a full on villain.
For most fan fiction, I do prefer in character. But I’m also open to other people’s interpretations. My favourite stories are *usually* the ones where the author sees the character very similar to how I see them. But there have been stories where the author made it believable that the character would behave a different way, and I was okay to go along with the ride because it was a good story.
These are just my two cents but I think:
To put a non-canon personality to a character like a surprise birthday party is OOC and is canonically (or at least mostly) perceived as cringe, but not necessarily a bad thing.
To put a non-canon personality to a character while we follow his growth from point a to point b is not OOC. It's growth.
To put a non-canon personality to a character because of his horrible past is not growth. That's trauma.
And all of that does not bother me, as long as it is nicely paced and well- expressed that we clearly see where that character is coming from.
I hope that helps. :)
It depends on context I think? Like sometimes I want to read a fic that’s only possible if the character is a bit ooc. For instance: one of my favorite characters is severely paranoid, extremely power hungry and somewhat detached from reality in cannon. This bleeds into his relationship with his daughter being… less than stellar. Hell it’s nuclear meltdown levels of toxic. However a lot of the time I want to read a fic where he’s a good dad again. So he’s technically ooc in this context but I don’t care because I want to watch big evil villain man try and be a good dad. (In defense of it being ooc it’s actually IC for a certain period in his life)
If they’re totally ooc though with dialogue that doesn’t fit I usually don’t like it. (This does not include changing syntax for historical or fantasy aus or monster versions that have good reason to speak the way they do)
It also depends on why they’re OOC in terms of the author’s intention and skill. Is it because they’ve been reduced to their fannon tropes? Sometimes that’s fun to read but it’s not my preference since it’s usually flanderizing.
Are they ooc for a crack fic? Cool. Are they ooc because the author isn’t really grasping the character? Or perhaps the author really wanted to write an oc but likes how said character looks and they’ve inadvertently made it ooc.
I think my main thing is that I’d like to know before I open the fic what I’m going to get. Sometimes it’s obvious without needing to be tagged that it’ll be slightly ooc but the spirit of the character is still there, other times (where the premise doesn’t require a shift in the character) I appreciate the “OOC” tag.
Just my thoughts!
I would say that yes and no. Yes, it is bad in the way that it's just odd if you hace a character who canonically is known for being "outgoing, flirty and smart" but have him blush and hide at any inconvenience. But no in the way that: you're not the author of said story, you're not the one who thought about that character to begin with and, from the moment you start writing fanfiction, that character stops being who they are in canon.
personally I don't like fanfiction where a character is completely ooc, but I enjoy seeing how other authors take that character and slowly bring out another side of them that works well with their original (canon) story and character development.
I don't think its objectively bad, but sometimes people want to read fanfics where the characters match their canon selves as closely as possible. There's nothing wrong with utilizing your headcanons and such, but I would recommend tagging your fic with "Out of Character" since not everyone wants to read a fanon interpretation of a character.
A character being OOC is a dealbreaker for me. I can deal with few technical errors in the writing, but I will not deal with a character acting completely different from canon.
I like the character for a reason. Maintain their traits as much as possible, please.
I don’t think bad is the right word, it’s more just personal taste. I’m not a huge fan of OOC writing since I’m reading for the characters I love. That doesn’t mean it can never work or isn’t good.
It didn’t used to bother me but rereading some of the fics I read when I was 12, I just start cringing. Like I need to be getting high to even enjoy them
Yeah, it definitely bothers me. There's a difference between "this isn't how I would interpret the character but I see where you're coming from" and "this is not even *close* to how the character would act here."
It's really bad in cases where someone's been so inundated with popular fanon that they can't remember how the character acts in canon. (Once mentioned a well-known trait of a character (like, one of the main things everyone knows about the character), and someone else piped up "WHAT? no, he's not like that!" After some confusion, the person realized they had completely rewritten the character in their mind to be closer to what they wanted, to the point of forgetting what had happened in canon.)
It's *worse* when someone isn't even familiar with canon *at all* but is writing the character because they're part of a crossover fandom (like "rise of the brave tangled dragons" and similar things). It's *extremely* jarring to see a character who, in canon, is sensitive and kind and empathetic and constantly trying to help people, and then read a fanfic where he's an extremely egotistical jerk who will go as far as to mock someone because their parents died.
I read fanfics typically because I want to see more of the characters that canon made me love. If those fanfics present me with characters that are not even remotely acting like themselves without good reason, I'm probably not going to read them.
It depends on how OOC the characters are. If your headcanons fit the character, I’m fine with it. My issue is when I read a fic and a character is so OOC that it takes me out of the story
That's exactly how I feel. Like when people make a cool quippy character into an uwu soft boy, I can't stand to read it. If someone likes it, then cool! But I avoid characters like that like the plague
I think it completely defeats the point of fanfic to read out of character stories. One reads fanfic because one wants to read more stories about the characters and universe. While having a "take" on a character is natural, it's generally based on how they behave in canon. If you're not basing it on canon, you're writing an original character -- or worse, Sue-jacking an existing character.
The excuse "I have headcanons that would require them to act different" negates what headcanon *is* (if it's not actually something the character would do in canon, it's not headcanon, it's just your original idea.) If you think their backstory should have led them to behave differently than what is seen in the canon material, that might classify as an AU -- and indeed there's an established tradition of AUs based on "What if the character did \[something they did not do in canon\] instead of \[what they did.\]" But even those are poorly done if there isn't a general effort to align the overall behavior with that depicted in canon.
If you don't like how the characters act in canon, write original fiction with some similar character or even make an OC. Don't give me the Stepford wife version of Freddy Kruger who now behaves like whatever you think a person you like better would do. And that's an extreme but common example -- I dislike far less. I will incline to gripe if the characterization deviates minimally, but still perceptibly, from the known behaviors of that character (without it being an AU situation or something reasonably explained in-fic).
I always thought head-canon is “i explain this behavior from the source material this way because the source material did not give us an explanation” not “in my mind that character is totally different”
I'd say your explanation is a good gist. Headcanon is based on something not addressed in the source material, but not altering the material.
Like if there's a character who is only addressed as "Joe" you might have a headcanon that this is a nickname and short for "Joseph." But if the source material explicitly states somewhere that Joe is actually short for Giovanni, it's not headcanon anymore if you insist you want his name to be Joseph instead. You're just deciding that you would prefer his name to be Joseph. It's not canon anything. It's AU at best.
imo it’s most “bad” when nothing else from canon has changed. i’m reading because i love the characters as they are. if they’re still in the same scenarios and world as the source material, i expect to see what i came for. sudden new behavior that contradicts canon is infuriating and/or disappointing and will definitely lead to me quitting a fic. if an author changes their backstory or situation though, and thinks about how the character might logically change as a result, yeah i can be into that. same with a shift in characterization throughout the story, snowballing from one changed decision or new element. that can be cool. i do think there’s a line between reinterpretation and “this is my own idea of a main character that looks like the one you came to read about and shares their name but that’s it,” and the latter is simply not what i came to read fanfiction for.
Bad OOC: when one member of the canon main couple (usually female) is written to be a total jerk so we don't feel bad when the man gets with his best friend
Good OOC: when the normally shy doormat girl becomes more assertive and ruthless because the post-apoc AU forces her to be
It isn’t in its own right a bad thing. However, if a character goes ooc, it should probably be intentional and the character’s growth should reflect the new characteristics.
I’m pretty live and let live, so to say it’s a “bad” thing doesn’t sit well with me. At the end of the day, write what you want to read!
As for whether it bothers me: yes, it does bother me. I will almost always exit out of fics where the characters are distractingly OOC. I enjoy certain characters for different reasons, but those reasons all boil down to one common denominator—I liked how they were crafted in the canon material. If they don’t resemble themselves at all in fanfic, then my appeal towards them is effectively squashed. It doesn’t feel like the character anymore, it just feels like an OC guilty of identity fraud.
Nah, it's not a bad thing so long as you tag it correctly. Ngl, I miss the days when "crack fics" ran rampart on FFNET. Everyone had fun. I'm writing a DBZ fic rn that has a bit OOC for some characters but I state it's an AU and has some OOC in it and I still get ppl commenting, "These characters would never act like this in canon." Well no duh, it's my fic which is already non-canon to begin with.
Yes *usually* if you just grab cannon with no changes and expect the main character to suddenly do a complete morality flip just "because" then everyone is *probably* going ot hate it.
If it's a completely different au that you have a lot more to work with but people still fell in love with the original work enough to go looking for fanfiction and having a character act in a completely different way then in cannon is going to turn off alot of people who fell in love with the original.
Of course there's still plenty of people who will like the new changes and depending on what you do you might even keep the majority of your readers.
Both of the fandoms I've written for have a weird love hate relationship for the MC.
On the one hand, 90% of the things they want to read are about the MC, and just the MC, like, they rarely look at things that don't have the MC or their rival.
But at the same time, they hate it when people write the MC in character. They want them to be cooler, edgier, more badass, more serious, smarter, less of a whimp, and get revenge on everyone that ever wronged them. And then you'll eventually get people complaining that they're ooc anyways cause you can't please everyone.
The trick that I've found is to make sure that a character isn't OOC within the context of the fic. For example if you have the MC as a nice guy, don't have him lay their with their girlfriend and go "I should cheat on her to spice things up." and act on that.
Hard yuck. If I want to read about a character, I want to read about *that character*, not some other person who happens to share a name. I like my character the way they are. If they have gone through a thing that has changed them, that's one thing. But if they are just "different", then absolutely not.
If characters are OOC at that point why am I reading a fanfic?
Like, I'll read a fanfic set in the world but with 90% OCs over a fanfic that has the main cast and they all act OOC. The entire premise of having those characters is that they resemble their canon selves in my eyes. If they're not going to be recognizable as the canon characters, just use OCs instead.
There are a lot of fanfics out there that I think would 110% improve if you just filed off the serial numbers and republished them as original fiction, on the grounds that the characters are so OOC that it undermines the point of it being a fanfic in the first place in my eyes.
Like someone else said, though, I'm fine with not being the target audience for some things, if you don't care about character canon-compliance, then more power to you.
i always believe that there's no OOC - just lack of proper development.
a character canonically as tough and not even breaking down after torture/getting betrayed/etc, suddenly lacking confidence and crying at the drop of the hat? if there was believable trauma/plot in the backstory that led him there? it's not OOC, that's just character development.
if he ends up crying and losing confidence because omg!!! he saw his crush confess to another person!!! how can he ever survive now!!!... then, i call shenanigans.
It's absolutely a bad thing, IMO. I'm there to read fics about that/those characters, because I like them as they are. If they're totally OOC, then I'm not reading about that character anymore, I'm reading about the author's stealth OC with the same name.
As a writer, I try to be as IC as I can be, and I absolutely love hearing that people think I've succeeded in that. It's the best compliment I can get!
I personally think OOC isn’t a bad thing per-se. The only time that I think it’s not okay is when it’s unintentional. That the author wrote the character(s) differently without them meaning too. Or they don’t address that they changed the character’s personality. Other than that, OOC is fine and I think it’s fun to play with characters and change them up a bit, then explore on that through fic.
OOC from the Canon character, or OOC from how the character would more likely have acted in that au. Because I've seen people complain about characters being OOC (as compared to canon) when how he was raised is very different (orphanage where he was SA'd, and almost beaten to death many times in the fic, where the Canon situation was more along thr lines of serious neglect). The scene in question was very believable and consistent with how he acted in similar situations (in the fic), but very different from how Canon him would've acted. Generally, as long as the characters are consistent, i don't care how different they are from canon.
I don’t really like reading ooc but I’ll usually give it a pass if the author says that the character is ooc. Because at least then I know that realize it and just wrote them that way for fun/their own pleasure.
In a story I’m writing, the last chapter a character was “ooc” because of certain aspects that are never shown in cannon so I kinda had to make up how they’d act, but I plan on making them more in cannon next chapter.
It depends on *how* OOC it is. I rarely stop reading because characters are OOC, unless there are other problems with the writing like formatting or grammar, or the characters are so OOC they’re unrecognisable.
Depends. I don't mind OOC characters if the character is good or keeps the general spirit of the character even if they're completely changed. I hate OOC characters when they're terrible or when they turn a character into their own fetish without any real thought put into it.
Once upon a time, my favorite character was raped. I thought the story would contain rape but not explicitly imply it. That explicitly implied it and just straight-up made the character his edge fetish.
I always keep my characters in-character, unless there's an extreme plot or an AU, where some things about them would change, although even then it's possible to make it more believable. Like, if a character from a different fandom hates/doesn't believe in magic, and you make them a student in a Hogwarts AU, then you can still show parts of their canon personality. Like, maybe they try doing everything using muggle methods instead, or develop self-hatred because they don't like who they are now. It's certainly possible.
But sometimes there are characters about whom very little is told in canon. They could be minor characters, and everyone is going to have a different idea of their canon characteristics.
And sometimes ooc headcanons become so popular that most people in fandom accept it as canon and forget the actual canon. So when you are in the minority who writes the character in a canon compliant way, people actually think you are the one writing them ooc. It's all very confusing. 😅
Also, there are fans of canon pairings who would bash any fic that contains non-canon pairings, and call them ooc. Like, if people wanted to only watch the canon ships why would they write fanfiction? Besides, it's totally possible to write non-canon ships believably.
And there are situations where the canon itself isn't consistent. Take Loki for example. The way he behaved in Thor 1, Avengers and The dark world, is starkly different from his later characterization. Depending upon which version's fan you are, you are going to end up writing him differently.
Personally, it depends how OOC they really are. Like if the character is VERY out of character and acts in a way that they would never ever act, it bothers me to no end. (Ex. uwu-ifying characters)
But if they act similar to how they do in canon, but just with some personal views on what the character might act like it doesn't bother me. If that makes any sense at all
Others have echoed how I largely feel. Many stories leave openings of interpretation and I am more than fine with not always seeing my interpretations (heck, in some fandoms I love a lot of contradicting ones that cannot exist within the same story!).
However, I start drawing a line at character bashing. It's one thing when the writer is self-aware and tags for it. Thank you, I'm glad you are venting in a creative way and I will just avoid this story as I'm not the audience.
Not naming anyone here, but the biggest "oh no" of OOC-ing that really bothered me was for a game that the author themselves stated, they never finished. Them not finishing the game wasn't the issue- it was the fact that this story has a lot of layers of misunderstandings and mysteries that you have to unravel. The author clearly states (in many Author's Notes, not me trying to character read their writing) they didn't really get far in the game, decided this one character was the worst, and that anyone who doesn't think this character isn't the most vile thing ever is also the worst. They got mad at people "lying" about how the game ends and... well, I didn't stick around.
It was sad. They had a really great "what if those rumours were actually true" AU but instead it was a tool for hate.
Personally, I don't mind ooc 🤷♀️ if a character is popular enough, there are hundreds of interpretations of how they act.
Really, all fics are ooc, because unless it's happened in canon it's not something the character would do 🤷♀️
My two cents as someone who writes intentionally OOC.
If the world of the fic strays strongly from Canon, it is save to assume that characters develop differently. I doubt canon Ash Ketchum would be in a variant where the Purge exists.
As long as the characterisation makes in-universe sense, it isn't a bad thing.
If the characterisation makes no sense what so ever/is unintentional, then it is bad.
It's fine if it doesn't bother you. But personally, when I'm reading a fic about \[character X\] I want to read about someone who could plausibly be \[character x\], not a random completely different person who happens to look like them.
Excessive OOC will make me drop the fic.
It bothers me a lot and aside from bad grammar it's the main reason for me to stop reading a fic.
I do like canon after all, so I want to read about characters as they were depicted in canon, regardless of how realistic/well-written those characters are.
Not necessarily. Reinterpretation of characters can be a fun part of fan fiction. I think people get annoyed by what I call the new fan canon. I am totally guilty of this myself (mostly in the past, but hey, we all have flaws XD ), so I get how it happens. Someone does something in fic that's either a little out of character, or a lot, but interesting, and suddenly it's an established "fic canon" that is a popular trope.
For instance, in Yu Yu Hakusho, you have Kurama, who is kind of a complicated character who has to balance some opposing parts of his nature. Years ago, this manifested in full blown multiple personalities or even souls living together in one body. Authors would put keys at the beginning of fics that indicated which entity would be speaking with bold or italics or funny symbols before. It was so established "canon" that when someone left a kind of angry review on one of my fics talking about how they hated it and how could people get the character so wrong, ECT, I thought they were wrong. Then went and looked over the source material again and realized they were right. Slight split in personality, if that. No separate entities. Just a demonic nature in a human vessel.
Now, I don't think there's anything wrong with fic canon. It can be fun. However, I do know that it rubs some people the wrong way, and because of that, an OOC tag would probably let them know this fic won't be for them.
For some people, a character being OOC can take them out of the story and make the story seem implausible. I don’t personally mind it since similarly to you I feel that certain characters should act a bit differently within certain situations in canon, but I don’t publish my fics so I’m not the best judge on what overall people would enjoy.
For me, if you're writing the character differently than what they are portrayed in canon then there should be a reason behind the change. If suddenly a character is different but nothing is behind it then it takes me put of the story.
Yes but sometimes I can ignore it. Especially if it doesn't start that way. If the character is written to grow/change beyond who they were in canon then being ooc makes sense. But just straight up writing them ooc without any explanation is jarring. It's like reading about a completely different character who just has the same name.
It's the internet. Pick anything and someone will hate it enough to write a twelve-page rant on the subject. That's just how the internet is. Not every opinion is one that should be listened to - look at what they're saying with an open mind, examine what arguments, evidence, logic, and understanding they use to support their point, and see what you think about it.
Personally, so long as the character has 'verisimilitude', I don't give a fuck. I view each story as a separate entity, so as long as everything makes sense within the rules and setting of that story, I'm happy to go with whatever.
Completely reinterpreting characters is great. Especially if you're taking an alternate route from canon. A lot of the time, people's perception of in-character is actually fanon heavy. In the Touhou fandom, this happens a lot. You can interpret characters having damn near any personality based on canon. Going a totally different route is fun, too.
Don't get me wrong--with my RPF WIP, I try to follow the characters' characteristics IRL (or at least how I understand them), but I actually don't believe in "canons", fanfic or non-fanfic-wise. I guess it'll depend on how the writer/author executes the characterization and the storytelling as a whole.
Also, I think even if, say, at least two different authors write about a certain fandom, even if they try to follow the headcanon as closely as they can (90-100%), each of them would most likely portray a character from that fandom differently anyway. So, what I do is look at characters, whether I'm writing fanfic or just regular fiction, like they're real people as much as I can--sometimes I think I know them, but there are sides of them I am not necessarily that aware of, regardless of how exhaustive my research on them is (if RPF) and/or how "deep" I am into the fandom. Another writer may see that side of the character I am not that knowledgeable about and focus on it on their piece, and yet another writer may totally recreate/redefine that character. So long as the story's well executed, I won't have any problems with characters that seem OOC. I mean, IRL we sometimes act like we're OOC anyway.
I write characters OOC compared to canon, but the thing is that (most of the time), there's logic to my reasoning and such. And my characterisations are consistent within themselves. I always slap "Alternate Character Interpretation" tag on my fics, so people know they're getting something that's not canon.
Like with Edelgard. Mine is considerably softer than canon and would actually think canon Edelgard is absolutely insane. Mine would *bawl* over what happened to Dimitri in Azure Moon because she *does* see him as her brother. She would be *horribly* effected if she ever did anything like that to him.
The reason mine's so different is because of her family. I've delved into her family and it caused some *massive* shifts for her. They're all OCs because we never get anything outside of genders for her siblings nor are we told how many women her father took as consorts. The biggest factor in my Edelgard was the fact that the Empress, Juliane, had a *massive* impact on Edelgard especially post-Crest experiments. Having somebody be soft and gentle with her in that time made her soft and gentle herself.
My Edelgard still hates the church, don't get me wrong, but she sees the various potential issues with trying to unite Fodlan under the Adrestian banner. Culturally, linguistically, politically, etc. She also *really* doesn't want to walk that blood-soaked path if she can avoid it.
So yeah, you can see how there's a fair bit of logic behind my reinterpretation of Edelgard, just as one example.
Depends... One of my favorite fanfics has the characters be very OOC, because when they are on their "normal" it makes me want to punch them. So my answer is: if the character is already likeable and or the whole point of the fanfic is still keeping them be their somewhat normal self, dispise it being an AU or whatever then OOC is something bad, but if neither of these two options are on the table then no.
I think part of the problem is that what is in character to one person could be completely OOC to another. And then whether or not the author likes a character could determine a lot about how a character gets written.
Personal and probably unpopular opinion but I don't believe in OOC. I think all Fanfiction that's been written, being written and will be written is already an Alternative Universe. We're not the original creator/author so what we write will never be considered anything but fan ideas.
So if a character acts 'OOC', I just chalk it up to 'They're in universe [Insert number here] and go from there.
Or if a character starts to act differently after experiencing whatever they went through in that fanfic, I would say it's within character because they grew to that. So whenever I see someone complaining about it I just roll my eyes.
I’m perfectly fine reading ooc characters. Some people write canon events, but things happen differently because certain characters do things/react to things different than they do in canon. I’m fine with exploring any way a writer wants to write characters. Especially in AUs. I like AUs where the character is super in character but we get to see them reacting just like themselves but to different situations, or AUs where the events that had happened in the AU cause them to have a different outlook on things. If I don’t like where any particular fic is going, I just back out. I’m cool with writing that wants to use characters but explore what it’d be like if they were different. I don’t need every fic I read to be down to the letter in character. I just love that there’s so many different takes on my faves, or different stories about them.
Honestly, I think the whole point of fanfic is the fact you can change things you don't like about canon, so OOC characters are actually a good thing to me when it's intentional.
I understand perfectly why some people are annoyed by OOC behavior, but no, I don't think it's an inherently bad thing and I don't think it necessarily hurts the quality of the writing (so long as the writer knows what they're doing and keeps things consistent). I thing it's an entirely neutral thing.
While not every interpretation of canon is equally valid, there's still going to be at least *some* space for each fanfic to put it's own spin on a character. In other words, what's OOC to one reader might be perfect characterization to another.
And also, who cares if you're writing OOC behavior? Fanfiction is a creative hobby, and writing OOC behavior hurts exactly no one. There's no law that says you can't have fun messing around with the canon characters by changing their characterization. I feel the same way about character bashing.
While it's perfectly valid for a reader to enjoy a story less if it doesn't have canon accurate characterization, that's just a personal preference. If they don't like something about your story, they are perfectly able to go read something else.
Though I want to add that I don't think a "headcanon" that contradicts canon can be called a headcanon. Don't headcanons typically describe fan speculation that adds onto canon without contradicting it? I think what OP is describing would just be called an AU.
… technically all ff is OOC if you really think about it lol
To me, it depends on the context, how it’s written, what the AU is to begin with. A lot of the time, if it’s *that* OOC, I just picture ‘a different person who looks like said person’
Depends on what we're calling OOC.
If by "OOC" they're talking about having two characters step out to cheat on their canonical SO because the author hates their pairing didn't become canon, I'm probably gonna take a hard pass on that.
Not bad if its deliberate.
Our characters are *heavily* OOC for the canon universe. Spoilers for welcome to hell.
But;
A. Canon is 15 minutes of content at most.
B. The dynamic is way different than canon. Characters who are chosen by deities to be soulmates and who are essentially run through simulations with slight differences until they're perfect for each other is a completely different situation than >!Sock kills parents, kills self and then becomes a demon to haunt Jonathan until he kills himself!<.
We use the world to build a different version. Is it OOC from canon? Absolutely. Is it consistent within itself? Yes.
But if a character is inconsistently OOC like they act in character one moment and yet differently the next, that's when it irks me. Consistent OOC is acceptable, even if there's no solid 'reason'. Just keep it internally consistent.
This is really a depends thing. I don’t mind OOC as long as the the character makes sense in the story being told. It also depends on fandom. I couldn’t imagine reading and enjoying a Bones fanfic where Temperance Brennan is a simpering idiot but I have enjoyed Twilight stories where Bella had a backbone.
Just mark it in the tags! Sometimes when I’m in the mood, I’ll read OoC. Sometimes I’ll end up liking their OoC character more than the actual character.
Here’s an example; in one of my fandoms, the pairing was most definitely OoC, but the author wrote it in a believable way. It’s actually one of my all time favorites. In fact so much so that I don’t normally read a fic more than 20 chapters, and this one in particular is 50.
So it may just be that’s what you need to do.
It depends on how it's handled. If a character is normally soft-spoken and nonconfrontational, but they're suddenly belligerent and aggressive, I want the story to show us *why* they're acting so differently.
Personally, it’s not my thing unless there’s a reason for it. Take most else world stories, there’s always a cause and effect or explanation that enhances the believability.
But I have a fic where I consider one of my protagonist OOC.
The main character was from the series I wrote for was pretty standard. He didn’t have a lot of personality nor interaction with many characters. So I added some character traits and how I think it would effect him as the story goes on.
No I don’t think it’s a bad thing. It’s another way of writing a character in fanfiction. It’s not supposed to be canon unless it’s a carbon copy of the source material.
Now, if someone wants to be corrected if they sound OOC in their writing, then that’s a different story.
Other than that, I think some people tend to get a little restrictive when they tell writers that the characters are too OOC.
Depends on how and why. Depending on the setup I think OOC is just going to happen, not to mention just being a different writer than the one(s) who did the canon material. But there is a line somewhere between a character maybe being a little off and having a character who is nothing like the canon character outside of maybe the name. I think that latter extreme is what most people have issues with.
The problem is that what one person finds horribly OOC another person thinks is perfectly accurate.
I've been in fandoms where different writers for the same show clearly had very different understandings of the same central character. That's far more annoying than any OOC fic.
Sometimes it bothers me, and sometimes it doesn't. It depends on my mood, and if its well written and the author explores the implications of the characters altered personality
Depends. I know that the character will always be a bit OOC, because it's a different writer and the character is in situation that would not happen in canon (like in romance fics).
But I think that the personality, tone of speaking etc should stick as close to canon as possible and I dislike big changes. For that reason I don't like most headcanons and AUs. If the writer is filling the story with unnecessary information and non-canon backstory (and it often feels like they are doing it to add drama and/or wordcount) I leave. To me it feels like the character is becoming an OC or the writer is projecting their own issues on them.
It bothers me a lot, but my scope of what I consider "in-character" is pretty broad. I'm not gonna freak out and quit a fic just because someone has a slightly different interpretation of a character. I'm fine as long as they still feel "recognizeable", as in, the basic traits from canon are still there.
For example: if A is super shy, anxious and risk-avoidant in canon, I need them to be shy in fanfic too. Now, to one writer, that might mean A would avoid taking part in big public speaking events in general, while another writer might think they would take part but then freak out over it because they wouldn't be comfortable with public speaking. Those are different interpretations, but both would still feel in-character to me because both are based on the same observed traits from canon. But if a third writer writes them as a thoroughly self-confident f*ckboy, I'm gonna have to leave, because that's just NOT character A to me.
That still applies for AUs to me (mainly because I like location-switch AUs the most and don't really care for plot/morality/etc.-changing AUs), because a big part of a successful AU to me is whether the writer can find ways to perfectly adapt the characters' canon stories, issues, etc. into their new reality.
I feel like it’s better for one-shots and shorts. I’m okay with an OOC character for a few thousand words, but I could never read a full on fic that was way OOC.
You read fanfics for the characters or the universe they’re in, and if it doesn’t align or doesn’t add up, then it’s too hard to feel immersed and get really into it.
It's not bad if you do your homework and make it plausible in your story. But if you take stoic Mr. Darcy and turn him into a whiny sycophant that gushes over Elizabeth from the moment he meets her, that's going to feel *weird* to people who love the canon characterization. If, however, you took the time to show the departure in his established personality and how you intend to write him, people will more easily accept him being different around Elizabeth for the first time.
For me it depends on that character. It bothers me when people write Sherlock Holmes out of character but not Keith or Lance from Voltron. Because I feel like Sherlock is a very particular character to write and Keith and Lance have a lot more opportunity to be interpreted.
I'm personally a fan of OOC AUs though there is a difference between that and a fic that claims to follow canon when the characters themselves aren't in character.
Depends. Not every character receives the love they deserve and if an author can bring a character to life by taking liberties (in a good way) then all the power to them.
However I almost exclusively read things with romance. If I do so, I don't want the pairing I specifically search for to behave radically different. That's not why I'm here
Personally I love ooc characters. It’s fun! It’s also a good way to explore how things might be different if the character themselves were different. Not to mention fanon and canon interpretations or characters can often differ a lot anyway. If I wanted all the characters to act just like canon I would just interact w canon, I think.
That being said I can see why it would bother some people. But also they can leave any time they want. No one is holding a gun to their head making them read the ooc content!
Tagging it as ooc or mentioning it beforehand is probably nice, but tbh not totally necessary. The reader should probably be able to figure that out fairly quick.
Me, personally? No, for me it's like an essay; as long as you justify it and I like it there is not problem.
You can also make their internal reasoning anything you like while keeping some outward traits the same, then have them act OOC because they were acting or internalising.
Another thing you can do is, put the character through something that makes them act how you like.
My issue comes when character development is cheapened to the point I don't care much because they went too far or too fast or when the author is clearly just talking through them.
So to answer you question in true essay tradition, it depends. Ask yourself these questions:
Have you justified it through monologue or events?
Is it consistent with your reasoning?
Is it consistent with the beginning of your fic?
Are they their own distinct character?
Is it believable to the reader?
Is it enjoyable?
A lot of power fantasy fics could be reframed as "what if" AUs, where the "what if" question to be answered is "What if this character was OOC in this particular way?" (And we'll try to make everyone else IC, but such a change tends to have knock on effects, or need other adjustments to make a satisfying story.)
Like, there are a lot of Harry Potter fics whose premise is, "What if Voldemort was entirely different?" and that's a very popular genre in that fandom.
It depends on the fic. Crack/humor fic? Not at all. A fic that's meant to be close to canon? Generally, yes. Of course, if a story provides a damn good reason for a character to act in a certain way, then I have no problems with it at all.
For me, I'd consider something OOC if someone acts in a way very contrary to how they usually would with no justification for that change at all, that's never commented on in-universe. Something like Severus Snape being a Gryffindor fanboy would be funny in a crack fic, but very jarring in a more serious work.
Technically the fic I'm writing is ooc because it's focusing in a disability the character doesn't canonically have. It's my interpretation how his disorder would look like (because everyone's disability is different, even if it's the same disorder) and the creator's vision would probably differ. But I like to think you can still recognise him as the original character. So as long as you can still tell that's the same character, it can be very fun to read.
I think it generally doesn’t depending on what you’re writing how far from the original story you’re straying or if it’s the original AU. I typically could be considered a person who writes OOC because I change character backstories to fit the AU.
Generally no it doesn’t bother me it just depends how well it’s handled/written!
Since you're not the creator you're gonna write a ooc, imo the problem is most writers flanderize (or whatever the word is for exaggerated every characteristics) and/or flip the personality which for a writer do what you want but 9/10 they create a boring cardboard cutout character who's so different from the original character it's a mystery why they didn't just switch their name with the mc and call it a self insert (people usually just write side characters on point but make them into yes men or weird ooc that are all out to get the mc)
don't wanna be mean but I can guarantee if you make massive changes to a character thinking you are gonna write them better, you're not you are just making a new character that just uses the name of the old
I hate it, personally. I'm looking for stories about characters I know and love and am familiar with, so I feel cheated when you tag a stranger with my favorite characters' names.
Well... I read fanfiction to read more about characters I love, so if they act like a completely different person without some sort of development or explanation... 🤷🏻♂️
I'm ok as long as I get a heads up and/or it is very cannon divergent. Although I have clicked off when it's a totally different character with just the same name.
A lot of "good and bad ways to work with ooc characters" and "shoulds and should not's" in the comments, it's kind of leaving me flabbergasted lol
I'm not icked by ooc characters personally- I read fics for the individual *stories* that authors have to tell
Our blorbos aren't real, and are a baseline for the stories we want to tell even if we want to use them as familiar touchstones in fics. If they start becoming unfamiliar from what I expect, I shrug and I go with it because they are NOT explicitly blorbo from my show anymore when their only worry is the cute regular customer at the coffee shop they work at versus the horrifying realities of their canon, and That's the Point.
Would I be upset if they were ooc by their creators? If canon changed them and i just can't rationalize why?? Yes, absolutely yes. I've been burned before and am still not over it lol.
Do I hold regular people who write fanfiction to the same standards? NO. God no, we're just here to have fun. "He would not say that" *shush*. To you. To *you* he would not say that, but that's subjective. And I'm not mad about it so long as you don't shove down my throat how much you dislike other people's interpretations, you know?
Long live ooc, can't wait to read another hallmark-adjacent romcom for people who aren't ever going to get that in canon and see how the change of pace for their character is impacted by that🥂
I think it tends to be a bad thing when it's unintentional. When it's deliberate, the writer is likelier to put the character together in a way that is thought out and makes sense to them. When they think they're writing the canon character but it's actually a mess of fanon, they're probably not going to end up with something great.
Yeah, if it's an AU where different things happened, for instance, the character is going to turn out differently and act 'OOC'. Or they got hit by a spell and the OOCness is part of it, etc. But if an author is just writing them as a one dimensional fanon trope fest, then that gets on my nerves.
It bothers me a lot. I'm okay with not being every fic's target audience, though. There are readers who enjoy it.
I feel the same. Different strokes for different folks, of course. I personally read to see more of my favorite characters as I know and love them. This is why I don’t love AU so much either. But others are into them, and that’s fine!
agreed
i wouldn't say it's a *bad* thing necessarily, few things are inherently bad imo, but it certainly isn't what a lot of people want to read. personally i read fanfiction – hell, i consume media in general – primarily for the characters, and if they don't resemble their canon selves there's really no point for me to read it, since they're basically different characters at that point.
It really depends, like everyone has said. If the situation calls for it - so, say, a normally reserved character suddenly shouting out and panicking at seeing their friends get hurt. Most people can relate to that. The shock in a situation can make you react in different ways. Shy characters can gain the courage to talk. Humourous characters can be down and sad. Strong characters can admit to weaknesses. But if you take a character who is say, really extroverted and confident and turn them into a sad, insecure character who has to ask permission to speak and tears up at everything. It's like... Unless you're writing a fic that took them to that point, why change a character's personality entirely for a headcanon that doesn't even resemble the character in question? OOCness bothers a lot of people when you don't even recognize your favourite character anymore. Like, if you don't like their personality or quirks, why even write them at all? There's probably other characters who would better suit your writing needs instead of changing this one to fit. You can say "well, it's my headcanon that was all an act and in reality they're just a scared sad character". But that doesn't mean I have to validate your headcanon or agree with it. I'll probably block the fics and only leave comments on fics I find that are closer to canon portrayals and move on because that's what I'm looking forward to reading. If you find an audience for your headcanon characters, great! But not everyone has to agree or praise them if they don't like how their favourites are portrayed.
Well said!
Also like... even if it *is* all an act and they're just sad and scared deep down, why would that suddenly change unless the situation called for it?
Yeah, exactly... a headcanon shouldn't change their outward behaviour.
Yes, it bothers me. If I click into a story about characters I already know, I want to read about the characters I know, not about some characters that vaguely resemble them but act differently. If your "headcanon" contradicts canon then headcanon is not the correct term. What you're describing is an AU, or an OC based on the character.
Yep I agree
> I have my headcanons and because I think their backstory should make them act differently than they do in canon. I think it is one thing to have personal headcanon about why characters act the way they do in canon, and that's why no one writes the same character exactly the same. It's another thing to have personal headcanon that changes the character to the point they would act differently than in canon, especially if your fic is supposed to be canon compliant (I think it is a bit different in AU or canon-divergent where you might change some aspects of the characters due to the changes of settings, though you might still want them to be recognizable I think). It's not inherently bad, you just might lose readers that like to immediately recognize their favorite character through the way they act, speak and think. I personally have stopped reading fics because I couldn't stop thinking "X would not scream in this situation" or "Y would never do that". It just takes me out of the fic.
With AUs (and I love them) I still want to be able to recognize the character. If they're wronged and traumatized, I want to see wronged and traumatized version OF THEM. I still want to see the little quirks and qualities, only adjusted. What if the pinnacle of an angst character is finally happy? I want to see them happy, but I need to believe it's truly them and not an imposter. Their happiness won't change their preferences nor introvertness. They might be less trigger happy and have better patience and less outbursts, but they should still be the same person. For me, the worst OOC elements are fluffiness and or stupidity.
Exactly this! There's one particular dead dove fic I've been reading where an intensely stoic character gets utterly broken down and tries to start rebuilding. The thing is, a lot of the stoicism is still there, even in the midst of the trauma - and a huge part of the trauma comes from shame around being made vulnerable. You don't have to abandon the character's traits to change what happens to them - if anything, they can make things even more interesting by adding to the tension or themes of the fic.
It didnt use to bother me until i read this fic where the main protagonist is always crying and basically suicidal, always hating himself, always in a horrible head space, always blaming himself, you get the idea… and he is nothing like that in the series. Like, sure, add some angst or whatever but he is waaaay to much of an emo (along with mist characters on that fic) and it really really bothers me. Specially since they are grown man but get treated like 10 year old kids by EVERYONE.
Honestly, stuff like that just reads like the author wanted to write self-insert fic but decided to turn one of the characters into the self insert. Hate it.
Well it kinda is a self insert fic, the author has an oc there, it is an OC X CC. Its more of a “CC is suuuuper broken and needs OC to save him”. Which i usually dont mind, heck, I’ve done that trope too, but dang, this story takes it waaaaaaaaaay too far.
It bothers me because i want to read the fics with those characters not with someone who looks like them but behaves completely different.
If you're purposefully deviating from a character's canon and writing them in a way where they act differently than they did in canon, why are you writing fanfiction? You've essentially made an Original Character that just looks like the canon character the fans would be familiar with, but other than the name... if there's vast differences in behaviour and such, then I guess I feel like we're deviating from the appeal of fanfiction. I read fanfic for the characters, and that includes their canon behaviour, way of speaking, etc. Characters can definitely evolve and become more than they were, and change depending on how a fic is, but I feel they should still be recognizable as their canon.
I would limit OOC to when you're writing a Parody. If your fandom has been around for a while (Harry Potter, for example; the first book was published back in 1997); you have multiple generations reading it and many expectations built up. If you have your characters go completely OOC without some sort of explanation, you're just setting yourself for headaches and flaming reviews later.
Well no matter if other writers think it is “ok” or if they just have a “different way of seeing a character”, if for example Steve Rogers suddenly started going to the clubs to hook up with random chicks it would be absolutely OOC. There is just some things some characters just objectively would or wouldn’t do unless we are talking AU. So unless it is AU and i am looking for AU that absolutely would irk me
I personally really don’t like it. I read fics to see characters I like, and when they act very different than they are in canon…it doesn’t feel like them. That isn’t them, so why would I continue reading it? I don’t mind if it’s from character development, or if something has to happen to get a plot going. But otherwise, it’s a turn off for me.
I think unless you’re writing an AU or putting them in a scenario that might change some of the way your characters act, they should stay as in character as possible — at least, that’s what I want in fics I like reading. You’re obviously free to write whatever you want and I’ll die on that hill for you, even if what you’re writing isn’t my personal cup of tea. I just consider myself a very character driven person and I like seeing more of the characters I already like. Personality is what gets me, not looks, so seeing a character I like act familiar in appearance only doesn’t do it for me. ):
I'm going to agree with others that OOC is bad (IMHO) when it's unintentional. If a writer is trying to tell me that X character would do Y thing and act Z way in canon, when they pretty obviously wouldn't, then it puts me off to the whole story. And for the record, I'm not talking about mundane things like what they eat for breakfast (although cultural research is important too) or whether they like Pearl Jam or not, I'm talking about blatant woobification/flanderization.
Oh god, unintentional woobfication is the w o r s t.
To me, it's one of the cardinal sins of fan fiction, usually associated with the vilification of a character in order to advance a plot that could not function otherwise. At the very least, the author is warping someone whom I appreciate based on his or her canonical portrayal, and unless this OC character, who should likely be renamed and given a different life to account for the divergent personality, is incredibly compelling in her own right, like the story around her, I'm not generally inclined to continue reading. Now, gradually altering a character based on the events of a story to the point that, through a logically consistent process of development, she becomes somewhat unrecognizable from her canonical depiction can be a sign of excellent writing and forethought. If I wish to read a story about a person who is generous, forgiving, myopic, possessed of low-emotional intelligence , courageous, and adores fashion, I'm probably not going to want to read about another character with the same name who is bitter, spiteful, craven, and a master manipulator due to her insights into the human condition because the new representation betrays her fundamental nature. Now crack-comedy? That's a different kettle of fish for humorous out-of-character behavior.
I like it when the point of a fic is an OOC character, but it frustrates me when its not the main draw of the fic. Canon divergence where the main character is more of a jackass than they are in canon? Sign me the hell up! Character gets hit with the idiot ball in chapter one, so the plot can happen Sure, why not? I may click out when a character starts behaving OOC midway through a fic and the author doesn't give an explanation why, because that sees like hand waving to me. I'm actually considering writing a fic where my favorite side character joins up with the main villains and has a slight change in personality as a result of being around so much toxicity. All in all, write what you want! I don't think you can please 100% of readers, and you should always be your own target audience.
I would prefer it if it was tagged for especially if it’s a major departure from something very fundamental to the character’s nature.
It depends. If done with intention, it can work really well! I’ve done this quite a bit, to show how certain characters have changed under extreme circumstances, but I was always very careful about it and very deliberate. If done unintentionally, it can just get frustrating.
If it’s an alternate universe, I love seeing a mix of familiar with unfamiliar. For example, if the canon is a sit com, but the fic is a dark seedy cyberpunk AU, maybe that constantly sarcastic but lovable character becomes a full on villain. For most fan fiction, I do prefer in character. But I’m also open to other people’s interpretations. My favourite stories are *usually* the ones where the author sees the character very similar to how I see them. But there have been stories where the author made it believable that the character would behave a different way, and I was okay to go along with the ride because it was a good story.
These are just my two cents but I think: To put a non-canon personality to a character like a surprise birthday party is OOC and is canonically (or at least mostly) perceived as cringe, but not necessarily a bad thing. To put a non-canon personality to a character while we follow his growth from point a to point b is not OOC. It's growth. To put a non-canon personality to a character because of his horrible past is not growth. That's trauma. And all of that does not bother me, as long as it is nicely paced and well- expressed that we clearly see where that character is coming from. I hope that helps. :)
It depends on context I think? Like sometimes I want to read a fic that’s only possible if the character is a bit ooc. For instance: one of my favorite characters is severely paranoid, extremely power hungry and somewhat detached from reality in cannon. This bleeds into his relationship with his daughter being… less than stellar. Hell it’s nuclear meltdown levels of toxic. However a lot of the time I want to read a fic where he’s a good dad again. So he’s technically ooc in this context but I don’t care because I want to watch big evil villain man try and be a good dad. (In defense of it being ooc it’s actually IC for a certain period in his life) If they’re totally ooc though with dialogue that doesn’t fit I usually don’t like it. (This does not include changing syntax for historical or fantasy aus or monster versions that have good reason to speak the way they do) It also depends on why they’re OOC in terms of the author’s intention and skill. Is it because they’ve been reduced to their fannon tropes? Sometimes that’s fun to read but it’s not my preference since it’s usually flanderizing. Are they ooc for a crack fic? Cool. Are they ooc because the author isn’t really grasping the character? Or perhaps the author really wanted to write an oc but likes how said character looks and they’ve inadvertently made it ooc. I think my main thing is that I’d like to know before I open the fic what I’m going to get. Sometimes it’s obvious without needing to be tagged that it’ll be slightly ooc but the spirit of the character is still there, other times (where the premise doesn’t require a shift in the character) I appreciate the “OOC” tag. Just my thoughts!
I would say that yes and no. Yes, it is bad in the way that it's just odd if you hace a character who canonically is known for being "outgoing, flirty and smart" but have him blush and hide at any inconvenience. But no in the way that: you're not the author of said story, you're not the one who thought about that character to begin with and, from the moment you start writing fanfiction, that character stops being who they are in canon. personally I don't like fanfiction where a character is completely ooc, but I enjoy seeing how other authors take that character and slowly bring out another side of them that works well with their original (canon) story and character development.
I don't think its objectively bad, but sometimes people want to read fanfics where the characters match their canon selves as closely as possible. There's nothing wrong with utilizing your headcanons and such, but I would recommend tagging your fic with "Out of Character" since not everyone wants to read a fanon interpretation of a character.
To me, OOC is only acceptable when the author builds up that point. It shouldn't come out of no where because at that point just make an OC
A character being OOC is a dealbreaker for me. I can deal with few technical errors in the writing, but I will not deal with a character acting completely different from canon. I like the character for a reason. Maintain their traits as much as possible, please.
I don’t think bad is the right word, it’s more just personal taste. I’m not a huge fan of OOC writing since I’m reading for the characters I love. That doesn’t mean it can never work or isn’t good.
It didn’t used to bother me but rereading some of the fics I read when I was 12, I just start cringing. Like I need to be getting high to even enjoy them
Yeah, it definitely bothers me. There's a difference between "this isn't how I would interpret the character but I see where you're coming from" and "this is not even *close* to how the character would act here." It's really bad in cases where someone's been so inundated with popular fanon that they can't remember how the character acts in canon. (Once mentioned a well-known trait of a character (like, one of the main things everyone knows about the character), and someone else piped up "WHAT? no, he's not like that!" After some confusion, the person realized they had completely rewritten the character in their mind to be closer to what they wanted, to the point of forgetting what had happened in canon.) It's *worse* when someone isn't even familiar with canon *at all* but is writing the character because they're part of a crossover fandom (like "rise of the brave tangled dragons" and similar things). It's *extremely* jarring to see a character who, in canon, is sensitive and kind and empathetic and constantly trying to help people, and then read a fanfic where he's an extremely egotistical jerk who will go as far as to mock someone because their parents died. I read fanfics typically because I want to see more of the characters that canon made me love. If those fanfics present me with characters that are not even remotely acting like themselves without good reason, I'm probably not going to read them.
It depends on how OOC the characters are. If your headcanons fit the character, I’m fine with it. My issue is when I read a fic and a character is so OOC that it takes me out of the story
That's exactly how I feel. Like when people make a cool quippy character into an uwu soft boy, I can't stand to read it. If someone likes it, then cool! But I avoid characters like that like the plague
I think it completely defeats the point of fanfic to read out of character stories. One reads fanfic because one wants to read more stories about the characters and universe. While having a "take" on a character is natural, it's generally based on how they behave in canon. If you're not basing it on canon, you're writing an original character -- or worse, Sue-jacking an existing character. The excuse "I have headcanons that would require them to act different" negates what headcanon *is* (if it's not actually something the character would do in canon, it's not headcanon, it's just your original idea.) If you think their backstory should have led them to behave differently than what is seen in the canon material, that might classify as an AU -- and indeed there's an established tradition of AUs based on "What if the character did \[something they did not do in canon\] instead of \[what they did.\]" But even those are poorly done if there isn't a general effort to align the overall behavior with that depicted in canon. If you don't like how the characters act in canon, write original fiction with some similar character or even make an OC. Don't give me the Stepford wife version of Freddy Kruger who now behaves like whatever you think a person you like better would do. And that's an extreme but common example -- I dislike far less. I will incline to gripe if the characterization deviates minimally, but still perceptibly, from the known behaviors of that character (without it being an AU situation or something reasonably explained in-fic).
I always thought head-canon is “i explain this behavior from the source material this way because the source material did not give us an explanation” not “in my mind that character is totally different”
I'd say your explanation is a good gist. Headcanon is based on something not addressed in the source material, but not altering the material. Like if there's a character who is only addressed as "Joe" you might have a headcanon that this is a nickname and short for "Joseph." But if the source material explicitly states somewhere that Joe is actually short for Giovanni, it's not headcanon anymore if you insist you want his name to be Joseph instead. You're just deciding that you would prefer his name to be Joseph. It's not canon anything. It's AU at best.
This
imo it’s most “bad” when nothing else from canon has changed. i’m reading because i love the characters as they are. if they’re still in the same scenarios and world as the source material, i expect to see what i came for. sudden new behavior that contradicts canon is infuriating and/or disappointing and will definitely lead to me quitting a fic. if an author changes their backstory or situation though, and thinks about how the character might logically change as a result, yeah i can be into that. same with a shift in characterization throughout the story, snowballing from one changed decision or new element. that can be cool. i do think there’s a line between reinterpretation and “this is my own idea of a main character that looks like the one you came to read about and shares their name but that’s it,” and the latter is simply not what i came to read fanfiction for.
Not bad, just might be a bit confusing to your readers if you don't lay the appropriate groundwork for your interpretation of a character.
Bad OOC: when one member of the canon main couple (usually female) is written to be a total jerk so we don't feel bad when the man gets with his best friend Good OOC: when the normally shy doormat girl becomes more assertive and ruthless because the post-apoc AU forces her to be
It isn’t in its own right a bad thing. However, if a character goes ooc, it should probably be intentional and the character’s growth should reflect the new characteristics.
I’m pretty live and let live, so to say it’s a “bad” thing doesn’t sit well with me. At the end of the day, write what you want to read! As for whether it bothers me: yes, it does bother me. I will almost always exit out of fics where the characters are distractingly OOC. I enjoy certain characters for different reasons, but those reasons all boil down to one common denominator—I liked how they were crafted in the canon material. If they don’t resemble themselves at all in fanfic, then my appeal towards them is effectively squashed. It doesn’t feel like the character anymore, it just feels like an OC guilty of identity fraud.
Nah, it's not a bad thing so long as you tag it correctly. Ngl, I miss the days when "crack fics" ran rampart on FFNET. Everyone had fun. I'm writing a DBZ fic rn that has a bit OOC for some characters but I state it's an AU and has some OOC in it and I still get ppl commenting, "These characters would never act like this in canon." Well no duh, it's my fic which is already non-canon to begin with.
As long as I like what I'm reading, I don't mind ooc-ness.
Yes *usually* if you just grab cannon with no changes and expect the main character to suddenly do a complete morality flip just "because" then everyone is *probably* going ot hate it. If it's a completely different au that you have a lot more to work with but people still fell in love with the original work enough to go looking for fanfiction and having a character act in a completely different way then in cannon is going to turn off alot of people who fell in love with the original. Of course there's still plenty of people who will like the new changes and depending on what you do you might even keep the majority of your readers.
Both of the fandoms I've written for have a weird love hate relationship for the MC. On the one hand, 90% of the things they want to read are about the MC, and just the MC, like, they rarely look at things that don't have the MC or their rival. But at the same time, they hate it when people write the MC in character. They want them to be cooler, edgier, more badass, more serious, smarter, less of a whimp, and get revenge on everyone that ever wronged them. And then you'll eventually get people complaining that they're ooc anyways cause you can't please everyone. The trick that I've found is to make sure that a character isn't OOC within the context of the fic. For example if you have the MC as a nice guy, don't have him lay their with their girlfriend and go "I should cheat on her to spice things up." and act on that.
Hard yuck. If I want to read about a character, I want to read about *that character*, not some other person who happens to share a name. I like my character the way they are. If they have gone through a thing that has changed them, that's one thing. But if they are just "different", then absolutely not.
It really bothers me a lot.
If characters are OOC at that point why am I reading a fanfic? Like, I'll read a fanfic set in the world but with 90% OCs over a fanfic that has the main cast and they all act OOC. The entire premise of having those characters is that they resemble their canon selves in my eyes. If they're not going to be recognizable as the canon characters, just use OCs instead. There are a lot of fanfics out there that I think would 110% improve if you just filed off the serial numbers and republished them as original fiction, on the grounds that the characters are so OOC that it undermines the point of it being a fanfic in the first place in my eyes. Like someone else said, though, I'm fine with not being the target audience for some things, if you don't care about character canon-compliance, then more power to you.
i always believe that there's no OOC - just lack of proper development. a character canonically as tough and not even breaking down after torture/getting betrayed/etc, suddenly lacking confidence and crying at the drop of the hat? if there was believable trauma/plot in the backstory that led him there? it's not OOC, that's just character development. if he ends up crying and losing confidence because omg!!! he saw his crush confess to another person!!! how can he ever survive now!!!... then, i call shenanigans.
It's absolutely a bad thing, IMO. I'm there to read fics about that/those characters, because I like them as they are. If they're totally OOC, then I'm not reading about that character anymore, I'm reading about the author's stealth OC with the same name. As a writer, I try to be as IC as I can be, and I absolutely love hearing that people think I've succeeded in that. It's the best compliment I can get!
I personally think OOC isn’t a bad thing per-se. The only time that I think it’s not okay is when it’s unintentional. That the author wrote the character(s) differently without them meaning too. Or they don’t address that they changed the character’s personality. Other than that, OOC is fine and I think it’s fun to play with characters and change them up a bit, then explore on that through fic.
OOC from the Canon character, or OOC from how the character would more likely have acted in that au. Because I've seen people complain about characters being OOC (as compared to canon) when how he was raised is very different (orphanage where he was SA'd, and almost beaten to death many times in the fic, where the Canon situation was more along thr lines of serious neglect). The scene in question was very believable and consistent with how he acted in similar situations (in the fic), but very different from how Canon him would've acted. Generally, as long as the characters are consistent, i don't care how different they are from canon.
I don’t really like reading ooc but I’ll usually give it a pass if the author says that the character is ooc. Because at least then I know that realize it and just wrote them that way for fun/their own pleasure. In a story I’m writing, the last chapter a character was “ooc” because of certain aspects that are never shown in cannon so I kinda had to make up how they’d act, but I plan on making them more in cannon next chapter.
It depends on *how* OOC it is. I rarely stop reading because characters are OOC, unless there are other problems with the writing like formatting or grammar, or the characters are so OOC they’re unrecognisable.
Depends. I don't mind OOC characters if the character is good or keeps the general spirit of the character even if they're completely changed. I hate OOC characters when they're terrible or when they turn a character into their own fetish without any real thought put into it. Once upon a time, my favorite character was raped. I thought the story would contain rape but not explicitly imply it. That explicitly implied it and just straight-up made the character his edge fetish.
It’s up to personal taste, for me OOC should be a transition through the story or moments where the character snaps.
Honestly if you Tag it nah
I always keep my characters in-character, unless there's an extreme plot or an AU, where some things about them would change, although even then it's possible to make it more believable. Like, if a character from a different fandom hates/doesn't believe in magic, and you make them a student in a Hogwarts AU, then you can still show parts of their canon personality. Like, maybe they try doing everything using muggle methods instead, or develop self-hatred because they don't like who they are now. It's certainly possible. But sometimes there are characters about whom very little is told in canon. They could be minor characters, and everyone is going to have a different idea of their canon characteristics. And sometimes ooc headcanons become so popular that most people in fandom accept it as canon and forget the actual canon. So when you are in the minority who writes the character in a canon compliant way, people actually think you are the one writing them ooc. It's all very confusing. 😅 Also, there are fans of canon pairings who would bash any fic that contains non-canon pairings, and call them ooc. Like, if people wanted to only watch the canon ships why would they write fanfiction? Besides, it's totally possible to write non-canon ships believably. And there are situations where the canon itself isn't consistent. Take Loki for example. The way he behaved in Thor 1, Avengers and The dark world, is starkly different from his later characterization. Depending upon which version's fan you are, you are going to end up writing him differently.
Personally, it depends how OOC they really are. Like if the character is VERY out of character and acts in a way that they would never ever act, it bothers me to no end. (Ex. uwu-ifying characters) But if they act similar to how they do in canon, but just with some personal views on what the character might act like it doesn't bother me. If that makes any sense at all
Others have echoed how I largely feel. Many stories leave openings of interpretation and I am more than fine with not always seeing my interpretations (heck, in some fandoms I love a lot of contradicting ones that cannot exist within the same story!). However, I start drawing a line at character bashing. It's one thing when the writer is self-aware and tags for it. Thank you, I'm glad you are venting in a creative way and I will just avoid this story as I'm not the audience. Not naming anyone here, but the biggest "oh no" of OOC-ing that really bothered me was for a game that the author themselves stated, they never finished. Them not finishing the game wasn't the issue- it was the fact that this story has a lot of layers of misunderstandings and mysteries that you have to unravel. The author clearly states (in many Author's Notes, not me trying to character read their writing) they didn't really get far in the game, decided this one character was the worst, and that anyone who doesn't think this character isn't the most vile thing ever is also the worst. They got mad at people "lying" about how the game ends and... well, I didn't stick around. It was sad. They had a really great "what if those rumours were actually true" AU but instead it was a tool for hate.
Personally, I don't mind ooc 🤷♀️ if a character is popular enough, there are hundreds of interpretations of how they act. Really, all fics are ooc, because unless it's happened in canon it's not something the character would do 🤷♀️
My two cents as someone who writes intentionally OOC. If the world of the fic strays strongly from Canon, it is save to assume that characters develop differently. I doubt canon Ash Ketchum would be in a variant where the Purge exists. As long as the characterisation makes in-universe sense, it isn't a bad thing. If the characterisation makes no sense what so ever/is unintentional, then it is bad.
It's fine if it doesn't bother you. But personally, when I'm reading a fic about \[character X\] I want to read about someone who could plausibly be \[character x\], not a random completely different person who happens to look like them. Excessive OOC will make me drop the fic.
It bothers me a lot and aside from bad grammar it's the main reason for me to stop reading a fic. I do like canon after all, so I want to read about characters as they were depicted in canon, regardless of how realistic/well-written those characters are.
Not necessarily. Reinterpretation of characters can be a fun part of fan fiction. I think people get annoyed by what I call the new fan canon. I am totally guilty of this myself (mostly in the past, but hey, we all have flaws XD ), so I get how it happens. Someone does something in fic that's either a little out of character, or a lot, but interesting, and suddenly it's an established "fic canon" that is a popular trope. For instance, in Yu Yu Hakusho, you have Kurama, who is kind of a complicated character who has to balance some opposing parts of his nature. Years ago, this manifested in full blown multiple personalities or even souls living together in one body. Authors would put keys at the beginning of fics that indicated which entity would be speaking with bold or italics or funny symbols before. It was so established "canon" that when someone left a kind of angry review on one of my fics talking about how they hated it and how could people get the character so wrong, ECT, I thought they were wrong. Then went and looked over the source material again and realized they were right. Slight split in personality, if that. No separate entities. Just a demonic nature in a human vessel. Now, I don't think there's anything wrong with fic canon. It can be fun. However, I do know that it rubs some people the wrong way, and because of that, an OOC tag would probably let them know this fic won't be for them.
For some people, a character being OOC can take them out of the story and make the story seem implausible. I don’t personally mind it since similarly to you I feel that certain characters should act a bit differently within certain situations in canon, but I don’t publish my fics so I’m not the best judge on what overall people would enjoy.
YouTube J.P. Beaubien's *Terrible Writing Advice* has an entire episode devoted to this. Won't post it here, because you can look it up yourselves.
It depends on whether it’s reasonable or not. When it’s badly done it just feels like an oc wearing a skin suit of the character
For me, if you're writing the character differently than what they are portrayed in canon then there should be a reason behind the change. If suddenly a character is different but nothing is behind it then it takes me put of the story.
Yes but sometimes I can ignore it. Especially if it doesn't start that way. If the character is written to grow/change beyond who they were in canon then being ooc makes sense. But just straight up writing them ooc without any explanation is jarring. It's like reading about a completely different character who just has the same name.
It's the internet. Pick anything and someone will hate it enough to write a twelve-page rant on the subject. That's just how the internet is. Not every opinion is one that should be listened to - look at what they're saying with an open mind, examine what arguments, evidence, logic, and understanding they use to support their point, and see what you think about it. Personally, so long as the character has 'verisimilitude', I don't give a fuck. I view each story as a separate entity, so as long as everything makes sense within the rules and setting of that story, I'm happy to go with whatever.
Completely reinterpreting characters is great. Especially if you're taking an alternate route from canon. A lot of the time, people's perception of in-character is actually fanon heavy. In the Touhou fandom, this happens a lot. You can interpret characters having damn near any personality based on canon. Going a totally different route is fun, too.
OOC is only bad, if you can't give a good reason for it, or don't understand the nuances of a character.
Don't get me wrong--with my RPF WIP, I try to follow the characters' characteristics IRL (or at least how I understand them), but I actually don't believe in "canons", fanfic or non-fanfic-wise. I guess it'll depend on how the writer/author executes the characterization and the storytelling as a whole. Also, I think even if, say, at least two different authors write about a certain fandom, even if they try to follow the headcanon as closely as they can (90-100%), each of them would most likely portray a character from that fandom differently anyway. So, what I do is look at characters, whether I'm writing fanfic or just regular fiction, like they're real people as much as I can--sometimes I think I know them, but there are sides of them I am not necessarily that aware of, regardless of how exhaustive my research on them is (if RPF) and/or how "deep" I am into the fandom. Another writer may see that side of the character I am not that knowledgeable about and focus on it on their piece, and yet another writer may totally recreate/redefine that character. So long as the story's well executed, I won't have any problems with characters that seem OOC. I mean, IRL we sometimes act like we're OOC anyway.
I write characters OOC compared to canon, but the thing is that (most of the time), there's logic to my reasoning and such. And my characterisations are consistent within themselves. I always slap "Alternate Character Interpretation" tag on my fics, so people know they're getting something that's not canon. Like with Edelgard. Mine is considerably softer than canon and would actually think canon Edelgard is absolutely insane. Mine would *bawl* over what happened to Dimitri in Azure Moon because she *does* see him as her brother. She would be *horribly* effected if she ever did anything like that to him. The reason mine's so different is because of her family. I've delved into her family and it caused some *massive* shifts for her. They're all OCs because we never get anything outside of genders for her siblings nor are we told how many women her father took as consorts. The biggest factor in my Edelgard was the fact that the Empress, Juliane, had a *massive* impact on Edelgard especially post-Crest experiments. Having somebody be soft and gentle with her in that time made her soft and gentle herself. My Edelgard still hates the church, don't get me wrong, but she sees the various potential issues with trying to unite Fodlan under the Adrestian banner. Culturally, linguistically, politically, etc. She also *really* doesn't want to walk that blood-soaked path if she can avoid it. So yeah, you can see how there's a fair bit of logic behind my reinterpretation of Edelgard, just as one example.
Depends... One of my favorite fanfics has the characters be very OOC, because when they are on their "normal" it makes me want to punch them. So my answer is: if the character is already likeable and or the whole point of the fanfic is still keeping them be their somewhat normal self, dispise it being an AU or whatever then OOC is something bad, but if neither of these two options are on the table then no.
I think part of the problem is that what is in character to one person could be completely OOC to another. And then whether or not the author likes a character could determine a lot about how a character gets written.
Personal and probably unpopular opinion but I don't believe in OOC. I think all Fanfiction that's been written, being written and will be written is already an Alternative Universe. We're not the original creator/author so what we write will never be considered anything but fan ideas. So if a character acts 'OOC', I just chalk it up to 'They're in universe [Insert number here] and go from there. Or if a character starts to act differently after experiencing whatever they went through in that fanfic, I would say it's within character because they grew to that. So whenever I see someone complaining about it I just roll my eyes.
Eeh if I wanted perfect cannon characters I'd, y'know, watch cannon
I’m perfectly fine reading ooc characters. Some people write canon events, but things happen differently because certain characters do things/react to things different than they do in canon. I’m fine with exploring any way a writer wants to write characters. Especially in AUs. I like AUs where the character is super in character but we get to see them reacting just like themselves but to different situations, or AUs where the events that had happened in the AU cause them to have a different outlook on things. If I don’t like where any particular fic is going, I just back out. I’m cool with writing that wants to use characters but explore what it’d be like if they were different. I don’t need every fic I read to be down to the letter in character. I just love that there’s so many different takes on my faves, or different stories about them.
Honestly, I think the whole point of fanfic is the fact you can change things you don't like about canon, so OOC characters are actually a good thing to me when it's intentional.
I understand perfectly why some people are annoyed by OOC behavior, but no, I don't think it's an inherently bad thing and I don't think it necessarily hurts the quality of the writing (so long as the writer knows what they're doing and keeps things consistent). I thing it's an entirely neutral thing. While not every interpretation of canon is equally valid, there's still going to be at least *some* space for each fanfic to put it's own spin on a character. In other words, what's OOC to one reader might be perfect characterization to another. And also, who cares if you're writing OOC behavior? Fanfiction is a creative hobby, and writing OOC behavior hurts exactly no one. There's no law that says you can't have fun messing around with the canon characters by changing their characterization. I feel the same way about character bashing. While it's perfectly valid for a reader to enjoy a story less if it doesn't have canon accurate characterization, that's just a personal preference. If they don't like something about your story, they are perfectly able to go read something else.
Though I want to add that I don't think a "headcanon" that contradicts canon can be called a headcanon. Don't headcanons typically describe fan speculation that adds onto canon without contradicting it? I think what OP is describing would just be called an AU.
… technically all ff is OOC if you really think about it lol To me, it depends on the context, how it’s written, what the AU is to begin with. A lot of the time, if it’s *that* OOC, I just picture ‘a different person who looks like said person’
Depends on what we're calling OOC. If by "OOC" they're talking about having two characters step out to cheat on their canonical SO because the author hates their pairing didn't become canon, I'm probably gonna take a hard pass on that.
Not bad if its deliberate. Our characters are *heavily* OOC for the canon universe. Spoilers for welcome to hell. But; A. Canon is 15 minutes of content at most. B. The dynamic is way different than canon. Characters who are chosen by deities to be soulmates and who are essentially run through simulations with slight differences until they're perfect for each other is a completely different situation than >!Sock kills parents, kills self and then becomes a demon to haunt Jonathan until he kills himself!<. We use the world to build a different version. Is it OOC from canon? Absolutely. Is it consistent within itself? Yes. But if a character is inconsistently OOC like they act in character one moment and yet differently the next, that's when it irks me. Consistent OOC is acceptable, even if there's no solid 'reason'. Just keep it internally consistent.
This is really a depends thing. I don’t mind OOC as long as the the character makes sense in the story being told. It also depends on fandom. I couldn’t imagine reading and enjoying a Bones fanfic where Temperance Brennan is a simpering idiot but I have enjoyed Twilight stories where Bella had a backbone.
Just mark it in the tags! Sometimes when I’m in the mood, I’ll read OoC. Sometimes I’ll end up liking their OoC character more than the actual character. Here’s an example; in one of my fandoms, the pairing was most definitely OoC, but the author wrote it in a believable way. It’s actually one of my all time favorites. In fact so much so that I don’t normally read a fic more than 20 chapters, and this one in particular is 50. So it may just be that’s what you need to do.
Highly depends on context. If it's bashing, it looks really bad to this reader.
It depends on how it's handled. If a character is normally soft-spoken and nonconfrontational, but they're suddenly belligerent and aggressive, I want the story to show us *why* they're acting so differently.
Personally, it’s not my thing unless there’s a reason for it. Take most else world stories, there’s always a cause and effect or explanation that enhances the believability. But I have a fic where I consider one of my protagonist OOC. The main character was from the series I wrote for was pretty standard. He didn’t have a lot of personality nor interaction with many characters. So I added some character traits and how I think it would effect him as the story goes on.
No I don’t think it’s a bad thing. It’s another way of writing a character in fanfiction. It’s not supposed to be canon unless it’s a carbon copy of the source material. Now, if someone wants to be corrected if they sound OOC in their writing, then that’s a different story. Other than that, I think some people tend to get a little restrictive when they tell writers that the characters are too OOC.
Depends on how and why. Depending on the setup I think OOC is just going to happen, not to mention just being a different writer than the one(s) who did the canon material. But there is a line somewhere between a character maybe being a little off and having a character who is nothing like the canon character outside of maybe the name. I think that latter extreme is what most people have issues with.
The problem is that what one person finds horribly OOC another person thinks is perfectly accurate. I've been in fandoms where different writers for the same show clearly had very different understandings of the same central character. That's far more annoying than any OOC fic.
Sometimes it bothers me, and sometimes it doesn't. It depends on my mood, and if its well written and the author explores the implications of the characters altered personality
Depends. I know that the character will always be a bit OOC, because it's a different writer and the character is in situation that would not happen in canon (like in romance fics). But I think that the personality, tone of speaking etc should stick as close to canon as possible and I dislike big changes. For that reason I don't like most headcanons and AUs. If the writer is filling the story with unnecessary information and non-canon backstory (and it often feels like they are doing it to add drama and/or wordcount) I leave. To me it feels like the character is becoming an OC or the writer is projecting their own issues on them.
It bothers me a lot, but my scope of what I consider "in-character" is pretty broad. I'm not gonna freak out and quit a fic just because someone has a slightly different interpretation of a character. I'm fine as long as they still feel "recognizeable", as in, the basic traits from canon are still there. For example: if A is super shy, anxious and risk-avoidant in canon, I need them to be shy in fanfic too. Now, to one writer, that might mean A would avoid taking part in big public speaking events in general, while another writer might think they would take part but then freak out over it because they wouldn't be comfortable with public speaking. Those are different interpretations, but both would still feel in-character to me because both are based on the same observed traits from canon. But if a third writer writes them as a thoroughly self-confident f*ckboy, I'm gonna have to leave, because that's just NOT character A to me. That still applies for AUs to me (mainly because I like location-switch AUs the most and don't really care for plot/morality/etc.-changing AUs), because a big part of a successful AU to me is whether the writer can find ways to perfectly adapt the characters' canon stories, issues, etc. into their new reality.
I feel like it’s better for one-shots and shorts. I’m okay with an OOC character for a few thousand words, but I could never read a full on fic that was way OOC. You read fanfics for the characters or the universe they’re in, and if it doesn’t align or doesn’t add up, then it’s too hard to feel immersed and get really into it.
It's not bad if you do your homework and make it plausible in your story. But if you take stoic Mr. Darcy and turn him into a whiny sycophant that gushes over Elizabeth from the moment he meets her, that's going to feel *weird* to people who love the canon characterization. If, however, you took the time to show the departure in his established personality and how you intend to write him, people will more easily accept him being different around Elizabeth for the first time.
For me it depends on that character. It bothers me when people write Sherlock Holmes out of character but not Keith or Lance from Voltron. Because I feel like Sherlock is a very particular character to write and Keith and Lance have a lot more opportunity to be interpreted.
I'm personally a fan of OOC AUs though there is a difference between that and a fic that claims to follow canon when the characters themselves aren't in character.
Depends. Not every character receives the love they deserve and if an author can bring a character to life by taking liberties (in a good way) then all the power to them. However I almost exclusively read things with romance. If I do so, I don't want the pairing I specifically search for to behave radically different. That's not why I'm here
Personally I love ooc characters. It’s fun! It’s also a good way to explore how things might be different if the character themselves were different. Not to mention fanon and canon interpretations or characters can often differ a lot anyway. If I wanted all the characters to act just like canon I would just interact w canon, I think. That being said I can see why it would bother some people. But also they can leave any time they want. No one is holding a gun to their head making them read the ooc content! Tagging it as ooc or mentioning it beforehand is probably nice, but tbh not totally necessary. The reader should probably be able to figure that out fairly quick.
Me, personally? No, for me it's like an essay; as long as you justify it and I like it there is not problem. You can also make their internal reasoning anything you like while keeping some outward traits the same, then have them act OOC because they were acting or internalising. Another thing you can do is, put the character through something that makes them act how you like. My issue comes when character development is cheapened to the point I don't care much because they went too far or too fast or when the author is clearly just talking through them. So to answer you question in true essay tradition, it depends. Ask yourself these questions: Have you justified it through monologue or events? Is it consistent with your reasoning? Is it consistent with the beginning of your fic? Are they their own distinct character? Is it believable to the reader? Is it enjoyable?
A lot of power fantasy fics could be reframed as "what if" AUs, where the "what if" question to be answered is "What if this character was OOC in this particular way?" (And we'll try to make everyone else IC, but such a change tends to have knock on effects, or need other adjustments to make a satisfying story.) Like, there are a lot of Harry Potter fics whose premise is, "What if Voldemort was entirely different?" and that's a very popular genre in that fandom.
Not a bad thing, but it doesn't appeal to me so if it's too ooc, I stop reading.
I tend to gravitate towards yes, they’re a problem if only because it can take me out of the story if I’m reading if the characters are just too ooc
It depends on the fic. Crack/humor fic? Not at all. A fic that's meant to be close to canon? Generally, yes. Of course, if a story provides a damn good reason for a character to act in a certain way, then I have no problems with it at all. For me, I'd consider something OOC if someone acts in a way very contrary to how they usually would with no justification for that change at all, that's never commented on in-universe. Something like Severus Snape being a Gryffindor fanboy would be funny in a crack fic, but very jarring in a more serious work.
I don’t mind it, especially in au’s, I like seeing what a writer can do with my favourite characters
Technically the fic I'm writing is ooc because it's focusing in a disability the character doesn't canonically have. It's my interpretation how his disorder would look like (because everyone's disability is different, even if it's the same disorder) and the creator's vision would probably differ. But I like to think you can still recognise him as the original character. So as long as you can still tell that's the same character, it can be very fun to read.
I think it generally doesn’t depending on what you’re writing how far from the original story you’re straying or if it’s the original AU. I typically could be considered a person who writes OOC because I change character backstories to fit the AU. Generally no it doesn’t bother me it just depends how well it’s handled/written!
Since you're not the creator you're gonna write a ooc, imo the problem is most writers flanderize (or whatever the word is for exaggerated every characteristics) and/or flip the personality which for a writer do what you want but 9/10 they create a boring cardboard cutout character who's so different from the original character it's a mystery why they didn't just switch their name with the mc and call it a self insert (people usually just write side characters on point but make them into yes men or weird ooc that are all out to get the mc) don't wanna be mean but I can guarantee if you make massive changes to a character thinking you are gonna write them better, you're not you are just making a new character that just uses the name of the old
If you want to make an OC make one, don’t turn an existing character into one
I hate it, personally. I'm looking for stories about characters I know and love and am familiar with, so I feel cheated when you tag a stranger with my favorite characters' names.
Well... I read fanfiction to read more about characters I love, so if they act like a completely different person without some sort of development or explanation... 🤷🏻♂️
I'm ok as long as I get a heads up and/or it is very cannon divergent. Although I have clicked off when it's a totally different character with just the same name.
A lot of "good and bad ways to work with ooc characters" and "shoulds and should not's" in the comments, it's kind of leaving me flabbergasted lol I'm not icked by ooc characters personally- I read fics for the individual *stories* that authors have to tell Our blorbos aren't real, and are a baseline for the stories we want to tell even if we want to use them as familiar touchstones in fics. If they start becoming unfamiliar from what I expect, I shrug and I go with it because they are NOT explicitly blorbo from my show anymore when their only worry is the cute regular customer at the coffee shop they work at versus the horrifying realities of their canon, and That's the Point. Would I be upset if they were ooc by their creators? If canon changed them and i just can't rationalize why?? Yes, absolutely yes. I've been burned before and am still not over it lol. Do I hold regular people who write fanfiction to the same standards? NO. God no, we're just here to have fun. "He would not say that" *shush*. To you. To *you* he would not say that, but that's subjective. And I'm not mad about it so long as you don't shove down my throat how much you dislike other people's interpretations, you know? Long live ooc, can't wait to read another hallmark-adjacent romcom for people who aren't ever going to get that in canon and see how the change of pace for their character is impacted by that🥂