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How do I avoid creating a John Doe MC /lit?
I'm very much trying to creating something other than the typical MC that you'll see in mainstream books, in particular the heroic yet troubled soul who is only against something because it is anti-humanitarian. Not to say that this isn't innately wrong for a heroic main character, however I feel it just gets a bit repetitive and, honestly, boring especially when filled with shallow 'problems' in order to make him more than 2 dimensional.
For background, I'm basing my character somewhat off of the chivalrousness of Roland from song of Roland, in that, yes he is a knight and thus loyal to his King, God, and convictions however is isn't afraid to self indulge. In Roland's case he suffered from his own vainity in his martial abilities which would then become his downfall. Without going too far into details my character is a parasitic 'knight' that comes to earth on the request of his King/God-like figure with a task, of which he's willing to do, however he isn't afraid to self indulge by eating/absorbing other humans that he comes across which serves only to grow himself (though by his own saying it serves to strengthen him to better help him in his duty as well as gather intelligence of humanity that would be valuable to his lord)
But I'm really afraid of him becoming a John Doe. Any tips or tricks of how to avoid falling into said trope or examples of John Does to help me avoid rewriting and continuing the character?
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>>9203504
(Still Op)
To further reiterate, I really want to avoid the 'Harry Potter' character as he was by all accounts a John Doe (sorry my example isn't as patrician as what might be expected on this board but w/).
While he did have issues, one in particular being always linked to the main antagonist, he was literally the 'friend for all.' Everyone liked him except for the Slytherins who would be the antagonizing force. There wasn't really any room for a gray area, it was either you're good or not, and maybe that speaks more to the polarizing themes of the world in Harry Potter but it, to me, comes off as a bit almost too typical, safe, and bland. I don't think there was ever a time where Harry was like, "huh, maybe Voldemort is right in how to rule the magical world," because, by extension, he sort of fit the trope of siding only with the most humanitarian side of the field rather than actually considering the whole.
Maybe I'm being overly critical, I mean Rowling is published and I'm not so maybe she hit the nail on the head, but I don't find much value in such 2-d predictable characters, the every man's man that everyone becomes friends with automatically, and the saint above all sins because that just doesn't feel real and attractive to read.
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>>9203504
I dont think John Doe is the phrase your looking for.
Anyway the best characterisation remains unsaid. Let their actions, their speech, their nuances explain who they are.
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>>9203643
Not that I'm disagreeing, just maybe misunderstanding, but what would be a John Doe then? As I think of a 'John Doe' its basically the 'Naruto' of characters, in that they're basically made so thinjbofhsthat near everyone can, in some way, relate to them (though mostly only on the surface). When I think of John Does I think of characters that can be in pretty much any situation you throw at them and can adjust simply because their 'plain' enough to do so.
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>>9203728
That's a Gary Stu/Mary Sue. John Doe is a placeholder name.
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>>9203504
It sounds like you're writing some sort of fantasy novel with an edgy main character. Consider The Book of the New Sun for an example of how this can be done well. But also I strongly recommend not posting on /lit/ tbqh, everything about your post is designed to make /lit/ hate you.
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DON'T overthink avoiding things.
You can write anything as long as everything is ideologically consistent. For instance, maybe your character being a boring John doe is intentional and an analysis of how boring the world reacts with him.
If you focus on being consistant with small details/ideas, then your world cannot be fallacious.
Pic related, even when your idea is literal CHAOS and that there is no such thing as a poetic world with consistent ideas, as long as you consistently convey that idea then you have succeeded.
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>>9203931
pic
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>>9203907
I would say that yes he is edgy, and I've battled with this throughout, but I'm giving him the 'allowance' to be edgy. His race of people (sort of giving it a Lovecraftian theme) view themselves as superior, or at least above the human race in that they've supported their upbringing and growth. He also freely eats, consumes, and absorbs human beings in the effort to both collectively stack on their intelligence and strengths onto his own and so that he can assume a human form and blend in with society (sort of like a cannibalistic changling??). So yes, edgy in the sense that he's otherworldly and views people as, I guess, either subjects or food that will make him 'grow' as a being
>>9203931
I think maybe I get what you're saying? Sort of like, yes there can be some surreal-ness (I guess in the sense of your pic there's a bounty hunter that's literally an agent of unstoppable chaos) but also keep it in the realm of the real and the confines of the time and setting of the area (in the sense that this movie is set in a specific time and thus must abide by those laws, known knowledge and philosophies). Is that sort of what you said or did I miss completely?
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