Line #162 Main/CopyCatSue


1	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1610861720090751800
2	%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
3	%% DO NOT remove the permission notice.
4	%%
5	[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/i_hate_recolors.png]]]]
6	[-[[caption-width-right:350:[[https://www.deviantart.com/luffythewerehog/art/I-HATE-RECOLORS-150454247 Image]] by [[https://www.deviantart.com/luffythewerehog LuffyTheWereHog.]] Used with permission.]]-]
7	%%
8	->'''Super OC:''' Your bloodline is very special, it is a very special doujutsu with all of the abilities of the Sharingan and the Byakugan.\
9	'''Manga/{{Naruto}}:''' So does that make me half Hyuuga and half Uchiha?\
10	'''Super OC:''' No, it just means that the author realized that coming up with a useful doujutsu is harder then it seems, so they copped out and combined the two given to them.
11	-->-- [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/999810/Sigfried27 Sigfried27]] taking a potshot at this trend.
12
13	A lot of {{fanfic}} writers start up because of their passion for a show. While any number of things can be the source of passion, a very common fixation is on one of the primary characters. So they start to write something because of their passion for this character, but they find something about the character that doesn't mesh well. Maybe they're the wrong gender or are otherwise not close enough to the author's expectations. Or, alternatively, the author wants to pair their favorite character up with somebody, but "nobody is good enough for them". In any case, rather than put them through the PossessionSue process, they just get a [[ThingOMatic Clone-O-Matic]][[TradeSnark ™]] and out pops a Copy Cat Sue.
14
15	The Copy Cat Sue is a common occurrence, marked by their uncanny resemblance to a canon character. This is usually most blatant when it involves traits that are supposed to be unique in TheVerse, but pretty much anything where the {{Backstory}} and key character traits of the two characters are nearly interchangeable counts. The canon character is [[LastOfHisKind the last of their kind]]? Well, so is this character! AbusiveParents? This character can sympathize! The canon character has a unique TransformationTrinket? It's not unique any more! They might even have another TeamPet of the exact same species, and they get along with the canon pet absolutely fine! And any markings or iconic disfigurements (such as scars or a missing limb) the canon character has, this character will also have, in exactly the same place ... [[BellisariosMaxim somehow]].
16
17	Naturally, they are instantly accepted into the group and have to go on a mission where they kill the BigBad, slay TheDragon and, provided they're sexually compatible [[MostFanFicWritersAreGirls (not like it stops them from trying, though)]], they'll inevitably pair off while flipping the bird to the OfficialCouple (extra points if the canon character's original love interest randomly [[FaceHeelTurn turns evil]] or worse, [[RonTheDeathEater is revealed to have always]] [[EvilAllAlong been evil]]). [[TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth Or die. That happens sometimes]].
18
19	A fairly common storyline that {{lampshade}}s this is where the BigBad (or, perhaps, just a neutral MadScientist; it's almost unheard of for anybody without a direct connection to the hero and his TrueCompanions) makes an actual clone of the character ([[OppositeSexClone usually of the opposite sex]], but not always). They play themselves off as family members from out of state, or exchange students, but they have a mission to off the main character when they get the say so. Of course, since 99% of the Copy Cat Sues out there are synthesized to allow the author to imagine being both the canon character and friends/lovers with them, they'll betray their creator and join with the heroes (who, despite the character's connection with the bad guys, will rarely question them for very long), usually proceeding to kill the BigBad, slay TheDragon, and become best friends/lovers until the end of time. [[TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth Or die. That happens... a lot really]].
20
21	A telltale sign of such a character is that any "fan art" of the character will actually just be [[PaletteSwap recolored images]] of characters from the actual show and that may or may not explain why, say, SailorEarth has a crescent moon on her forehead. Some get more creative and edit their source image a little in an attempt to make them look a little less like the character they copied. A precious few can be bothered to actually create real art, but nine times out of ten, even that art will simply be traced from a picture of the source character.
22
23	In either case, the character might be intended as a ''replacement'' for the canon character, but without whatever icky traits the author hates. They'll then rob the spotlight, prove the canon character to be unworthy of his/her position, and either relegate the character to obsolescence or, perhaps, even remove them entirely. Sometimes, this is done because the author likes the villain and wants them to be friends/lovers with the other character, but can't find any real reason that they wouldn't kill each other. Thus, to get the ending they want, they just make somebody that practically is the other character but without the key trait of wanting the villain dead. Yay, Fanfiction!
24
25	Compare OverusedCopycatCharacter and FountainOfExpies.
26
27	!Please do not add examples to work pages, this merely [[Administrivia/DefinitionOnlyPages defines the term]].
28	%%
29	%%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1596363404091310800
30	%%
31

Context Main / CopyCatSue