Now, moving onto…..what’s that you said? One of the powers I listed as cliché/Mary Sue powers you should stay away from is the one you want for your OC? It’s because of people like you that the internet is loaded with bad Fanfiction! But don’t worry, it doesn’t mean you’re stupid or uncreative. The things we associate with Sues are the first things that come into everyone’s mind when creating OCs, and that’s just the problem: EVERYBODY thinks of it. Also, aside from being unoriginal, these powers will make a character far too omnipotent to be of any interest to other people. There is hope, all you have to do is either tone down the power, or find a loophole.

So you want your OC to communicate with animals? Actually, all humans are somewhat capable of understanding animals (especially ones that growl) but if you want very good communication with animals, you’re going to need to draw some limits. Sure, with diligent training, you can learn the body language of most animals, but the sounds they make…that will take some real dedication.

Let’s say that the language of canines is English. If one can talk to dogs well, then one could also communicate with wolves. It would be slightly more difficult, however, because each species will have its own ‘dialect’. So a dog talking to a wolf might be like a soft city boy talking to a tough as nails mercenary living in the wild. Also, different areas will each have their own dialect.

Now, a dog talking to a bear, that’s like a Brit talking to a Frenchman; 2 completely different languages. However, just as a Brit and a Frenchman would have some understanding of each other because they both speak Latin based languages, a dog and a bear would have a relative understanding of each other. Cats would be even harder to understand than bears.

Outside of canines, cats and bears, a dog would not be able to speak the languages of other animals, but it may have an extremely rough understanding. For example, it might know that it’s been spotted when a prey animal makes a certain noise, but this is from experience, not understanding. There is a difference between associating the sound with the concept and associating the concept with the sound, if you get my drift.

Keep in mind, of course, that animals don’t really have much to say. Their ‘language’ isn’t based on words like ours. That means animals don’t think in words either, but instead in images, sounds and smells.

So you want your character to fly? Sorry, no can do, but what’s that you said, he’s not flying, he’s falling……with style? (Yes, I am perfectly aware of the Toy Story reference.) While technically not flying, gliding can work generally as well as flying in most situations as does not register on the Mary Sue radar. So give your character a back pack that expands into a gliding kite. Or sew large flaps of fabric between the limbs on their clothing. Better yet, don’t bother with clothing, just give them flaps of skin that allow them to glide like a flying squirrel. Don’t be afraid to get creative; Okuri is capable of walking on air the same way most ninja can walk on water.