On characters who are Amazingly Super Special

[Feo Takahari]

It's three years old, but it made me laugh.

Dear Authors,

I understand you want to make your character(s) Amazingly Super-Special -- but try to keep them human-scale, please?

You say your A.S.S. is the only A.S.S. in the world, and the most powerful A.S.S. born for a thousand-million years?

Goodbye, Dramatic Tension -- I'll miss you! Enjoy your holiday, and take the useful, competent Ensemble Cast with you -- it's not like the author's A.S.S. needs them now! Might as well take the Villain(s) with you as well -- they're just decoration at this point!

..

Also, when you say your A.S.S. is the only A.S.S. in the world, and the most powerful A.S.S. born for a thousand-million years? I stop taking your A.S.S. seriously. Because you've stopped using human-scale powers and rarity and time-scale and risks, and started using A.S.S.-scale instead.

Problem is, I'm human. Most of the characters I like to read about are also human, humanoid, or human-like in some way. They have human-like motivations, and take human-scale risks. I'm far more likely to care about your A.S.S.'s if they're made to human-scale.

So, say that your A.S.S. is the most powerful in a decade, or a generation (usually thirty years). Say that your A.S.S. is the most powerful in a half-century or a century, a time-scale that your A.S.S.'s parents' and grandparents' generations might reasonably remember stories about. Say that your A.S.S. is the most powerful in the city/county/state/local area -- that's human-scale, but still rare enough to be Amazingly Super Special!

Keeping it human-scale can add Dramatic Tension to the story, too: if your A.S.S.'s are rare, but common enough for there to be laws and customs and social expectations, that gives a great source for world-building (which I love) and brings back our old friend, Dramatic Tension, because if your A.S.S.'s are powerful, but within or close to human limits, they might lose. Or your A.S.S.'s might need help, and that brings back my dear friends, the competent Ensemble Cast, to support your A.S.S.'s

Finally, using A.S.S.-scale throws me right out of the story -- often laughing enough to scare the cats, but still.... I really don't think laughter's the reaction you were aiming for, dear author, when you proudly unveiled your A.S.S.

Yours, A. Reader.

Source: http://fanficrants.livejournal.com/10978907.html

 

[Tom]

Limyaael wrote a rant about super-special characters. They were kind of a pet peeve for her. Unfortunately I can't find the link right now, but I know it's out there.

 

[Panda]

And don't tell me your A.S.S. is so beautiful it's a curse. I don't want to kiss your A.S.S.

 

[BronzeOracle]

I remember seeing an article by Raymond E Feist of Riftwar fame talking about his ASS character Macros the Black and what a rod for his story's back this character was. After creating an ASS character the author must then create non-lame ways (oh the challenge) to remove the said character's powers otherwise the story goes in the bin.

He compared the problem he had to the writers of superman comics, who every episode must come up with some reason for superman not being able to use his powers and so defeat the villain/solve any challenge in 1 second flat. And it gets tiring saving superman's ASS again and again.

So avoiding the ASS temptation in the first place is a good idea!

 

[wordwalker]

Limyaael's index is at at Limyaael's Rants: Master List (All Rants), but I don't know if any one piece covers your A.S.S.

 

[Tom]

It's all...sprinkled through her rants. I combed the titles to see if she had a specific one about raging Mary Sues, but she tends to intersperse topics throughout rants that share a loose theme.

 

[wordwalker]

Seriously, though, any character is just a matter of scaling up. The problem isn't creating a powerful character, it's in not being able to follow it up with challenges and the strained world-view that really go with that much power.

Openly declaring "he's the best in a thousand years" is just spelling out what kind of conflict you'll have to write-- although too many writers seem to think a boast like that satisfies reader expectations in itself, instead of making it more obvious if they fail to fulfill them.