Fanfic and Original Characters

[paraka]

God guys. I know I keep talking about this fic that I'm writing, but it's really taking over my brain. Why is it that all my fic ideas are epic ones? This is why I've never tried writing before, because I just don't think I can write an *epic* as my first fic.

And this epic fic? Just got bigger. I had the main idea for my Sex Bot Fic, but I wasn't really sure how I wanted to end it. I was kind of leaning towards John either dying in battle, or going off to live in exile to have his hot robot sex. Now though, I've decided that since this is Terminator, why not end in war and time travel? John and Cameron are going to go back in time and try to *stop* the second war. Which of course spawned a whole other fic idea for how they go about it (with possible tragic consequences for their love). *headdesk*

This is all a lot of planning and big ideas considering I only have about a page of the thing written. Which brings me to my next question to the writers on my flist: How do you come up with your original characters.

There aren't a ton of characters in the Terminator fandom that have names *and* live. I'm hoping to grab some from the prequel novel I'm reading but I'm not done it yet so I'm not sure if they'll live. :S Also I need "bad guys" and am not sure how to present them.

Comments

[paradisecity]

Ooh, what prequel are you reading?

For me, original characters are generally an amalgamation of characteristics I like in other people/characters. It's definitely a recipe: two parts Character A, one part person B, two parts character C, etc.

Good luck with the fic! It sounds like something you're really enjoying working on. :)

[paraka]

I just have to start writing and see what kind of characters show up, then write some more to see how they develop.
I'm reading From the Ashes by Timothy Zahn. I'm about 1/3 of the way through so far.

I really wish that submarine of the Resistance head honcho's hadn't been blown up at the end of the movie, because that's kind of the type of characters I'm looking for (except maybe a little more politically motivated).

Good luck with the fic! It sounds like something you're really enjoying working on. :)
Well, I'm at least having fun thinking about it. I haven't written all that much yet. :P
Speaking of though, would I be able to pick your brain over Derek's character? He's not someone I think about all that much, but I'm thinking of making him a part of this fic and I'm not sure how to treat him. Like how loyal do you think he is to John? I got the impression, especially in the beginning that he was far more loyal to the resistance then he was to John specifically.

[paradisecity]

I'm reading From the Ashes by Timothy Zahn.
Oh, nifty. I finished that just before the movie came out. And I'd recommend the novelization of the movie itself, too. There was a lot that was left out of the script that really helped advance the plot. And if you're looking for characters, you might also want to look at S.M. Stirling's series. It's an AU now that T3 and T4 are out, but it might be worth thumbing through.

Speaking of though, would I be able to pick your brain over Derek's character?
Absolutely! I meant to offer to help if I can be at all useful, but I probably forgot.

Like how loyal do you think he is to John? I got the impression, especially in the beginning that he was far more loyal to the resistance then he was to John specifically.
I think you're right, but that it changes over time. Part of the problem is that it's not terribly clear if what the characters know is different from what the audience knows. Like when John went to see Jesse, it was clear that he'd figured out what was going on with Jesse and Riley a while back, but the audience wasn't clued in to that. Were John or Sarah? I honestly don't know. So I think a lot of how you write Derek would probably depend on how much you think he knows. I think he still sees John as more of a liability than a help, but he might have picked up some grudging respect for him along the way.

And I think you have to keep in mind, too, that Derek's hypersensitive to loss. He physically lost Kyle when they were kids running from the machines and I think Derek sees it as his fault that Kyle ended up in the work camp where he met and befriended John. If Derek hadn't lost him, Kyle wouldn't have gone to the past and been killed. Also, John wouldn't have become Kyle's big brother/father figure. I think some of Derek's feelings are legitimate anger and frustration, but a lot are guilt that have more to do with himself than John. And you also have to factor in that Derek's been irrationally jealous of Sarah since he first heard of her. What part does that play?

I don't know if that necessarily answered the questions, but those are kind of the things I think about when I think about Derek.