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Not surprising. That’s a really rich world you have to work with! I look forward to seeing what you dish out, but mostly I hope to see some of your M/M stuff soon

Wow! A lot of insights on these Mary/Marty Sue characters, the good, the bad, and the ugly so to speak. I don’t judge those who use these types of characters, however, personally, I don’t use them (based on the definition I understand them to be) but I totally and completely get the concept that type of writing provides, regardless of the genre, it is a personal expression and should be viewed as such. I'm just now getting back into writing after about a 20-25 year break, it's amazing to me that Fan-Fiction has actually been around that long, but then again not! I think it's important to remember that there is an audience for every type or style of writing, even for the ‘out of this world, totally perfect’ non-canon characters. Some readers are simply looking for an escape so to speak from the normal routine of a particular storyline, these characters do that for them and it’s a good thing! It won’t and shouldn’t blow their minds so speak about the original storyline. I compare it to my choice of genre and accept the fact that there are some (a lot of) people that are offended by graphically described sexual acts whether they are normal (if there is such a thing) or blatant erotica and that that entails. I love being the antagonist, I don’t want some superhero coming in to save the day or a bumbling idiot for the sake of humor. It’s just a personal choice, but I tend to do enormous amounts of research when it comes to canon characters and I do my best (in my opinion) to maintain some form of continuity to that character. With that being said, when I choose to create a new character from the ground up, all that research is heavily relied on in an effort to make them fit into the world I’m writing. For example, my current (and forever shall be) obsession is Tolkien, so I resort to my membership in various Tolkien Societies to create these ‘new’ characters so they will fit in. Every character has their own bio-sheet that describes everything about them, some are several pages long depending on what role they are to play in the story. I have about seven personally created characters in my overall cast for the Hobbit/LOTR. Introducing them to canon characters can sometimes be difficult if I intend to run some form of a parallel path with the original authors' ideology. Beyond the fact that I completely adore Tolkiens’ works, I think the gaps in time, the abundance of unknowns, and the general ‘left undone’ and missing parts of his works leave a lot of room for Fan-Fiction creativity. There’s always an interesting side story to tell (evil grin). Respectfully speaking, I am not judging anyone regardless of their use or non-use of these types of characters. In another site, I still belong to (because they have great resources), these types of characters are forbidden which I think is wrong. It is now strictly a Hobbit/LOTR site and the admins are getting pretty picking if you get ‘too far out of line’ (in their opinion) with canon characters. No writer should be limited in their creativity as long as there is an audience that is reading their work. Thanks for reading, it’s just another point of view.

Howdy guys, did you get a review on your Halloween story and wanna respond? Or do you just wanna chat with your fellow peeps about your stories or what have you? Here’s the place to do it. This forum post is for the Halloween Party currently taking place over here – http://original.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600108780 Enjoy

LOL @CloverReef Thanks for the shout out! Absolutely! There are a number of forum threads that are a few years old that I’m reading and commenting on over the past couple of days. I know there are a lot of voyeurs in here that I hope will take something positive away from what we share here. I’m still trying to learn a lot of new things, particularly when it comes to initials used to describe things. Some, like OC’s are easy to figure out, others not so much. I find myself having these DUH moments, LOL. I have to admit the title of 'Mary Sue' is new to me, it wasn't something I heard 20-25 years ago when I first started writing Fan-Fic but reading through some of the forums I understand it. We all write for different reasons and purposes which are what determines the need or rejection of these types of characters. I've read a few stories with them included, some were very nicely written while others were for what I call humor relief. The writer may not agree with me but hey, I got something out of the story and somebody out there loved what they wrote and that's what it's all about. For example, I'm currently working on a short 'break out' story for this site. It's a bit mild in the erotic area than my usual choice and it's F/M instead of M/M. But at the same time, there is a purpose in this 'episode' and that is to introduce a deeper element (that I see) in a Hobbit/LOTR canon character. This storyline actually has more OC’s than canon characters LOL

Wow, @Avaloyuru I think I agree with pretty much everything you just said lol. I even used to do the bio sheets too (now I just start writing and after a scene, when I’m in the head of the characters, I start to map out their personality in the planning files and make decisions about quirks and whatnot.) It’s been quite a few years since this thread started, and I think my views on the Mary sue/Gary stu topic have changed or evolved somewhat. I think a lot of the symptoms of that kinda character are kinda important to beginning writers, especially young ones, in sort of experimenting with character development and learning how to get in their characters heads, and learning the empathy and whatnot required to really write a powerful character. Might not be an experience all writers go through, but I think it’s a crucial one for many. And definitely, some writers stick to that kinda character as their weapon of choice. That’s totally legit. I used to think it was an indication of bad writing to have a mary sue character. Though I didn’t necessarily think a perfect character was mary sue, but rather a character that makes the characters around them act in nonsensical ways (like everyone in the story gushing that Suzie is such a sweetheart, even though all her appearances, she seems pretty mean and inappropriate). But the perfect character that everyone wants to be with, which often is defined as the mary sue character, can absolutely be done with tact and skill. Everyone should do the characters that they enjoy. Personally, they’re not my cup of tea, but I’m more of a villain lover than a hero humper to begin with.

My boxes arrived from Japan today! Took less than two months, while I thought it would take more like three But still… eight boxes of stuff… mother says I have too much crap.

In some ways, I do and yet I don’t really care whether every reader even likes any or all of my characters much less holds out hope for some form of redemption. I will provide the redemption in my own way, even though most will not see it. As with all things, there is a balance most commonly sought between the readers' perception of right/wrong, good/evil, etc. The character traits that I tend to instill within my original works are more along the lines of attitude and personality because it's so much fun to let out the evil now once the reader has 'fallen in love' with the character. Unless of course, they're looking for a goody-goody which is entirely boring! Characters that have the ability to reach out and grab the hearts and minds of the reader should be just as diversified (within the contextual setting) as people are in real-life. People, in my opinion, are like diamonds, there are many facets to an individual personality. Which one sparkles depends greatly on which way you turn the diamond, so it should apply to characters. I’ve read through numerous stories in the archives and honestly, the ones I love the most are the ones that hold my attention because as a reader there is some level of redemption sought, but it’s the fact that I didn’t get my way that makes the story so much more appealing to me.

I like all three of those options. The middle one I like best because it’s impactful (paints the action perfectly) and concise. Indicative of a talent with word economy. And I like Pippy’s option for a totally different reason, because she has such a fascinating way with words that I could never pull off. Somehow she manages to do it without coming off as ‘wordy’.

Trust me, I spent a long time working this out. Well, when people read fanfics, they look at say... some Anime guy, and they think "Baby I'd like to be fucking him." Or that they'd like to be saving the day. But the Mary Sue, she's too perfect to pretend for to be the reader. She's too fantastical, with her colour changing eyes and hair and bullshit. Too powerful. She lacks our flaws. We can't pretend she's us, and worse still, we know that she's somebody else's fantasy to fuck whoever. So, we can't possibly be the ones fucking or saving or starring. It's somebody else who's the star, and we can't pretend they're us, or that they'll fall for us, because they've already fallen for somebody more perfect than we could ever be. In other words, we hate Mary Sue because we are JEALOUS of her. She makes us feel inadequate. Example - sometimes I sit back and pretend that I (as a robot) can participate in my favorite show and am pairing up with the nearest hot guy. Everybody's welcome to their own fantasies. But I can't hook up with Prowl if he's already hooked up with some other OC - not just a regular OC with flaws who's deep and willing to learn, but something that's perfect, something I could never win the guy off, something I can't pretend is me, something I cannot measure up to. Anti-Sues are similar - you know, those things so full of flaws but still adored? Well, this time Anti-Sue is loathesome - but she still gets the man. Why would a hot guy ever want to hook up with somebody so mentally disturbed? Why does she still get the spotlight? The real problem with the Mary Sue is that usually the only person who can identify with her is the writer. Her personality, looks and perfection are just too hard for a reader to identify with. And we're jealous that she's got the man we wanted, that she's in the setting we want to see ourselves in, that she's perfect but we can't be. And why shouldn't we be? Mary Sue has everything we desire, but we could never have. The hot fantasy robot as a boyfriend, the good looks, the adoration - and though she's got a million friends, there's no way we would ever be friends with her because she's too freaking-ass self-centered. And on top of all that, all the important things in this world we once loved are now happening to her. True, in the story, she has to be deeply integrated, but she's always there, involving herself. If I think of more, I'll add it, but that's a start to why we hate Mary Sue. We are JEALOUS.

This forum looked so lonely. So… Let’s talk about creating flawed characters! Like I don’t mean “omg he’s so tortured it’s sexy” kinda flaw, I mean non-sexy flaws. Things that add a little bit of ugly to an otherwise attractive character. I personally think every character needs a little ugliness added, especially in smut fics (Not counting PWPs in this statement. Everything goes out the window for PWPs) where most of the main characters tend to be on the sizzling side. I think lots of people have a line they draw in the sand between redeemable and not-redeemable. Like if your character is super sexy, but he keeps raping neighbourhood grandmothers, I probably won’t root for him no matter how many animal shelters he donates to or how many sonnets he writes. But there’s ugliness to me that is redeemable that isn’t so redeemable to other readers. Someone who kills, for example. (In fiction only!) Someone with explosive diarrhea (though I wouldn’t necessarily want to see him in an anal sex scene). Um… What else? Scars and stuff are too attractive, but horrific burns over half their body aren’t so much. A penchant for completely inappropriate jokes? Racism?

Have to admit I was wondering about the sudden surge in comments on years old topics, but I’m guessing the debate still rages today, and it’s every bit as relevant. A web comic about Sue: http://interrobangstudios.com/comics-display.php?strip_id=989 I try to avoid Sues myself (maybe name a non-sue OC as Sue….?) However, if Sue is what floats a particular author, gets ‘em writing, gives them experience to then go back and judge, that’s okay too, because we all have to start somewhere and we’ll all make mistakes (unless the byline is Mary Sue...she’ll get it perfect the first time).

Great point about some folks enjoying the ability to write over perfected original characters. I find I’m tolerant of an overly perfected character that the canon characters gush over only so long as the situation proves they are worthy of the gushing gets shown to me. It’s the telling me that a character is something spectacular without adding any convincing activities that makes me irritable with the Sue/Stu variety characters. Such a feeling is a common enough argument against them as there is nothing to really make such perfected characters feel believable which is the whole reason for the bashing when you really consider the root issue that causes the discontented feelings in readers. I’ve seen a few writers who make very compelling Sue and Stu characters, but the compelling element truly is in having a strong grasp of characterization and showing the attributes in action that makes such characters a good and entertaining read. It is still a case of irritation for many fans whenever the perfect seeming, yet rather boring written out OC overtakes the canon characters abilities and makes the canon characters look incompetent in some fashion. Outshining the canon characters in fan fiction is when the most complaints of Mary Sue characterization happens as far as I can tell. Whenever an OC earns their place through activities, so is okay to outshine the other canon characters, a lot fewer grumbles are heard from the fan base in many cases. It also seems to depend on what specific show or genre/series you are looking at writing from what I’ve noticed as a writer of numerous animes/mangas. Some fandoms are very accepting of a Mary or Gary, while others are exceptionally intolerant as was commented upon about an LOTR site within this thread. Initial D is not very accepting because of the unbelievable American take over of the fandom class 14 year old writers making their fantasies of being great drivers without ever having driven disease. Zero real research also adds to the likelihood of hatred for an OC overall. Like was described here, the over described clothing and similar aspects drive readers into mental corners, and that also plays a huge role in the Mary Sue bashing. Gary never gets half so much block paragraph descriptions as a rule. He’s allowed to move around more while being described unlike Sue which is trapped within a rigid series of overblown details most of the time. Anime/mangas like Fairy Tail tends to have a fandom that will applaud the crazy OC perfected character with fair ease and adoration so long as the character’s magic is within bounds, and they have a perceived flaw somewhere in their make up. Stuff like Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin fandoms are another free for all where Mary and Gary can thrive because the fandom tends to make everything into AU type stories and ignores canon-verse. So I think a lot of the real Mary and Gary variety complaints have shifted due to the fandom based readership in many cases. I see some fandoms being very intolerant like Initial D, while others are more open to the OC who’s a bit too perfect or over the top enough to place a canon in the shaddow so to speak. Additionally, there seems to be a phenomena that is very much anti-female original character oriented so there’s a hint of a double standard society has created at work in the deeper levels of psychological kickback experienced most of the time. It is rare to see the same level of vitriol spewed toward Gary Stu characters as a whole even when they eclipse a canon character too far that I’ve noticed over my years of being a fan fiction writer. Flames due to Mary/Gary characterization may also be a powerful factor in the uptick in Canon Character x Reader stories as a whole because it removes the ability to complain and hate an OC that someone has written into a fan fiction also. Due to pressure to not get flamed and screamed at, the “x Reader” craze has gained a solid toe hold and is not likely to vanish any time soon. So in a strange twist of fate, we have the emergence of a secondary way to engage readers while making it impossible to spew OC hatred with the sudden surge of x Reader story lines. I know Devianart is in overload with x Reader tales of late, and you have to wade through a lot of stories to find canon x canon or even canon x OC type stories over the last year.

That’s an interesting take on the Sue issue there, BW. And reading that, I think I see a bit of the anti-Sue in myself….

Naughty priests, yeah, pretty much a given in my universe. Hmm… maybe something for the Holiday story?

I do both Fan-Fiction and Original Works so I have a lot of OC’s on file. When it comes to Fan-Fiction, I see my OC’s in the same position and purpose as a supporting actor/actress in a movie. Each of them has their 'backstory' so to speak which is thoroughly researched and compiled on a bio-sheet that can be anywhere from one to several pages in length, depending on their role in the story. I try not to create what I call ‘disposable’ characters simply because of the amount of time and effort that goes into creating them just to have them killed off or something. As far as their ‘backstory’ I reveal only as much and when as necessary to the reader in order to both maintain the continuity of the storyline as well as the canon character(s) they are supporting or to accommodate the drama of a particular scenario being played out. OC’s play an important role in a lot of Fan-Fiction because they have the ability to contribute certain aspects to the storyline that canon characters cannot, particularly if the writer is to maintain (their concept) of the canon character. I know there are writers that have canon characters do or say things that I find completely out of character based on my research. However, even though it is Fan-Fiction, I agree that there is a certain level of creativity that should be allowed. Because in cases where a certain action is not addressed either for or against, I myself have had canon characters do things that the original creator would probably flip out over.

I think there are some that are hard to place because they’re a bit dated, but still can have an impact if used well. Like Chortled and guffawed. Simpered. Even giggled can be tough to place when all your characters are tough, badass men, but sometimes effective.

lol.. thank you Given how things are going lately, though… I should probably be taking a much more critical look at everything I do, because something is very wrong. If I’d have been doing the S&M stuff right from the beginning, clearly he’d have made that elf write and post fanfiction… *nods* Trouble is, I’m really not sure I can change all that much about my work without drastically altering the rhythm of the prose and the pacing. My ear won’t like that at all Back on topic, if I was going to edit my suggestion, SGS, I’d probably go with: “...I couldn’t take another round with you,” she said in a quiet purr of satisfaction. It made him feel…. etc...

Hey! You should definitely join us for the Halloween Round Robin party hosted by Tahn! My entry for this year is Liquid Lust and there will be more posted from that story because my plunnies demanded longer….

I’ll add in some detail, but the rest, I let the reader fill in the cracks, help engage them.

Yes, I personally had a hard time with writing because I was a descriptive writer, you knew about every crack in the wall, the dripping of blood etc etc etc. it was easy for me to make 1 chapter into 75 – 100 pages long, now ive set to no more than 20, 15 being the actual goal.

Martian Manhunter, eh?

The Halloween party is tomorrow guys. I am hoping to get it up before I have to go to a wake that day, but bear with me if I’m a bit late. Everyone is still invited, put on your best Halloween stories and join the fun. http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/topic/65894-2017-halloween-party/

This stuff is friggin fascinating. I think I'm in the middle of both. My stories begin both as fantasies sometimes and from characters or little random scenes other times. I've always had an element of a sexual theme right from the start even when I was a kid. My stories got dirty especially when my friends were involved. (Apparently groups of 11 year old prairie girls can be twisted.) But even though they were always sexual, the story itself was always super important, second only to character development. I didn't even know pwps were a thing until around the time i came here to aff around 13 years ago lol.

And my experience with writing was entirely opposite... To the point that, if I went back in time and showed myself, my younger self would laugh and be like "Can't be me". My original writing had no sex whatsoever in them... How far and strange I have come... How very strange...

Definitely, many of my stories originate with my feeling that I have a good story to tell. With regard to porn stories, they always begin as fantasies, and I write them up because I feel that they become hotter if they have an existence outside of my own head.

Goddamn it, Chris Savino, how could you make me fall in love with The Loud House and then turn out to be one of THOSE guys?

Authors can never be redeemed because they’re the master villains

Well, that depends… what exactly do you expect to get from being redeemed? Absolution? I don’t have any kind of faith, so I’m afraid that’s out for me personally. *g* If a character has done bad stuff, there’s not much they can do about it but resolve to do better the next time that situation presents itself, but it’ll always be something they did. In terms of story, it’ll always be part of their background. It’ll be on their sheet, so to speak. And that’s not dissimilar to life. A blank slate is impossible. Forgiveness might be feasible, but then again in my eyes even that might not save a character. Say at some point in the past a character has committed a murder, or even some stupid petty crime like a theft. They might spend the rest of their lives (in the story) doing the right thing. They might do more good than all the other characters put together, but that initial crime is still impacting upon everything they do, not just altering them, but altering the whole storyline around them in its turn. And because of that, it’ll always come back to get them. Everything in a story is significant, even a dropped handkerchief. Going on from that, every action a character takes is significant, and redemption is a cheat. It’s an attempt to delete the handkerchief. It’s already written. It’s already done. There’s no changing it. There’s no escaping it. There’s only dealing with it and writing the consequences of it right up to the very end, whatever those consequences turn out to be. To redeem a character in those terms… impossible. It’s like Astinus says to Raistlin. You may as well throw a pebble into a fast flowing river. It changes nothing. History continues.

Hmm.. maybe I’m just too cynical (I am getting old now!), but I believe that characters, like people, are mostly selfish. That’s the most realistic flaw you can write into any character, whether they’re yours or not. Sure, they all have moments of altruistic selflessness, as do we all, but I really think at the end of the day the great majority of the world goes around thinking about itself. And usually in quite a small way too, rather than master!villain selfishness. ie. worrying what other people think is probably pretty high up there for most people. Sad but true. I don’t exclude myself from that either. Whether a character is redeemable or not (let’s imagine they have a more major flaw for a moment) is an entirely different kettle of fish. I don’t think the two are necessarily connected. Bad things happen to good people, the same as they happen to bad people, and vice versa. Doesn’t mean anything. Doesn’t make them better, or worse, than they were before said event. I like irony. I like it when characters doom themselves in surprising ways, and make traps for themselves, sometimes millennia in the making, and they still don’t see it coming. That satisfies my evil muse. The problem with redemption is that it’s largely a mythical concept. Kind of like: everywhere you go, there you are. You can’t escape yourself. No character is redeemable in that sense. Ok, so a character could maybe stop doing a load of despicable stuff like murder, rape, dismemberment etc. But unless they’ve had some kind of drastic conversion that’s changed them completely into someone else, underneath they’re still pretty much the same dickhead, they’re just.. well.. dry drunk. Sorry, I can’t think of any other easier, short way to describe it. And then there’s the outside world, and how that can interact, because characters don’t live in a vaccuum. I said I like irony. The redemption of characters can be argued for or against, but if they then go and damn themselves via what is generally supposed to be one of their “good” qualities – what then? Or better still, if on the path to some kind of “redemption” they’ve gotten hold of the very instrument of their doom… then what? If the character really deserves their fate, taking into account everything they’ve done, isn’t that kind of balancing? Sorry if I wandered off topic a little. I tend to do that a bit.

Here’s a good piece of article on how to write character flaws.

And this reason is why Mary Sue stories makes poor writing. Most of the time, Mary Sue writers get too intent to pile awesomeness upon awesomeness for their Sues to "shine" more that the narrative suffers. Instead of an engaging story, we get is a list of cool things that the character has done. And considering how anything can happen in the fictional world, this list of amazing feats fail to impress. The presence of Mary Sues are especially irritating in fanfics because they frequently warp the universe of an existing fandom to an unrecognizable form. In other words, they invade the fandom. People who read fanfics come in with certain hopes/expectations of the settings, rules, and characters - but in Mary Sue stories, all of this would have been changed. Instead of seeing our favorite characters in action, we see them abandon their personality and goals that made us like them in favor of an Original Characters we don't know, let alone emphasize with. We came for entertainment, but we are forced to see someone else's shopping list instead.

That is one of the biggest problems with Sues, that they are not realistic, The details of the setting are ignored and other things stuffed in, like the one famous Sue who clothed herself in American goth boutiques and chain stores in a HP story. Or very commonly, a complete unfamiliarity how people got/get around without cars and trains. Simple fact checking would take about 15 seconds online, because people still do endurance rides on horses as competition or drive buggies through the countryside in places. I don't know how many times a read had come to a screeching halt because I'm going WTF when I reach something that's not a simple typo but a serious lack of understanding by the writer, If they have a beta, too, I really don't know why their artistic vision requires that they keep a travel detail when it's not a part of their story and it makes them look really bad. Lack of believability kills a reader's enjoyment. I think you are probably right when the Sue lovers get upset at more realistic depictions. They confuse realistic competence with Sue 'perfection.' That is actually a little sad that they believe that women cannot be accomplished and three dimensional What it says about their expectations and society's, is troubling as well. A recent review was upset that my lead still had to follow orders even after the mission ended, that she couldn't do everything she wanted because she was the lead. I haven't been accused of Sue very often, almost never, though my leads hit a few traits their Sue purity scores are good.. A strong competent lead will do that in fanfic, especially if they fit the standard for the universe. Magic in a Harlequin romance is special, but in a high fantasy or a CRPG is normal. Yeah I ran my various leads through a Sue purity test, just to be sure. The problem is the ones who write the worst Sues are convinced that they aren't.

So far I've only come a cross two OC's that I love, and only a few more that I like. To me, it seems authors have the risk of loving their own creations more than the canon figures. At least, that is how it seems in the stories I've read. But i also think that the people who write bad OC's are the same people who write the canon people out of character. That really doesn't give me much to like, lol. in general, if the author is any good at what she/he's doing, they will make the OC's likeable too. I come for the canon people, so I do think the focus should be on them, but sometimes, since you are making someone else's base fit with your story, you need to do things to flesh it out. Am I blabbering? I might just be. I'll stop ^^

I couldn't really partake in the poll because the first part didn't allow for original stories. I assume by OC you mean OC inserted into fanfiction? I think OC's can add a certain depth and element of creativity to a fanfiction, so long as they don't overshadow the main characters. I think creating a story set in a fanfic universe with an OC as the main character is fine. For example: an original character in the Forgotten Realms universe who is the main focus of the story, but cameos from majoy pre-existing characters can occur if done right. People write good fiction based on their World of Warcraft characters all the time. What I don't like is when an OC is Mary-Sue'd to death and breaks up a canon couple because (s)he is so gorgeous one of the canon characters just can't resist, or when an OC is always right, always perfect and always desirable. Just as frustrating is the constant man/maiden in distress that can't take five steps without canon characters rescuing him/her (Of course, this can be hilarious and entertaining if used for satyrical/comedic purposes). I personally tend to try and keep my OC appearances brief in fanfiction because I'm afraid of going to deep and putting too much focus on them, but I have an awful tendancy to go overboard anyhow. Others might have more restraint than I do.

Generally speaking, I don't do OCs in fanfiction, except for villains or random people to cause humorous situations. My villains can be either mysterious or really, really in-depth, although I prefer the former. If I start getting into the heads of the more twisted ones, I start wanting to hide from my hard drive, and that is never good for a fanfiction. With original stuff, though, I don't mind getting into the villain's heads as much, usually because that is generally the point of the story, and I enjoy making crazy-detailed backgrounds for my OCs outside of fanfic way too much. In short, with original stuff, I like to make my characters detailed so that they're more interesting for both myself and whoever's reading, but in fanfic, they're mostly there to compliment the main characters.

It depends on the fandom, for me. I only read fanfics based on games I've played, and I prefer them to be fairly consistent with the way the game set-up without going so far as to be a complete rewrite. If it's based on something like Tales of Symphonia, where there's a fixed number of characters, a set leader and you don't create a player character, it feels like a self-indulgent intrusion suddenly having a new one turn up just so they can smooch their favourite character. If it's based on a game like Hordes of the Underdark it's a different scenario. There you create the player character and have a strictly limited number of henchmen, one of whom (possibly two with if it's a male character) has the potential to romance your character. In that case, I fully expect to see an OC in a fanfic related to that game and it doesn't come across as jarring - I'll evaluate it from there based on how they portray that character. The story would have to be changed pretty radically to avoid that scenario since the player character is really set up as entirely central to the story. Same with Neverwinter Nights 2, only there are more companions around.

I write OC in different fandoms but I keep the past of the OC a mystery till I need to give it out. But for my original stories, I usually discuss it within a few chapters or so. Beth