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Who is the main character of "Aladdin"?

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[quote="Syera"][quote="APK"]There is the danger of overdoing anything, even if it's overdoing the character's beauty/ugliness/plainess. How do you keep from making the story blah if you want to make your character an ordinary, average person? [/quote]

'Tis simple.  Average doesn't automatically equate to 'blah.'  Everyone's had some rotten times in their life.  Everyone has things they enjoy doing.  Everyone has quirks and oddities about them.

Still, there's nothing wrong with giving your character a little extra here and there, so long as you don't overdo it.  You can take a plain cake batter (which would taste fine as-is) and make it into a spice-cake by adding the right spices.  However, if you overdo the spices or put in the wrong spices, it's just icky.

[quote]I'm glad that you mentioned that the things listed were symptoms, not the disease, Syera. I've seen authors' characters be accused of being Sues/Stus even though I felt the charcters weren't that at all. And usually the argument is, "They're pretty, well-liked and have good sense of morals!" Yes, these things *could* make a stu/sue but they aren't the only things.[/quote]
True.

[quote]And the argument that the main character is the center of the universe could also be good evidence to sueish-ness, but most main charcters are supposed to be the main focus.[/quote]
True.  And for a standalone book or movie, it's probably fine.

However, if you're doing a series of any kind, it can be detrimental to continually focus on and 'spoil' one character.  It can stifle potential storylines, plus it can make the reader feel resentful.  Let's say your character prefers a... oh, geeky scientist to the hero.  ([url=http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost.php?p=5740371&postcount=1744]It happens.[/url])  This reader is going to want to see the scientist get out and get a little action.  If you keep focusing on the 'hero' character of the story, this reader is going to get bored, irritated, and quite possibly resentful.

One example that immediately comes to mind is Sailor Moon.  Out of five young women, only one gets true love at the end of the story.  The other four?  Far as I can tell, their only duty is to act as the personal protectors of the spoiled brat I mentioned.  This is hardly fair to the readers who identify themselves with the other characters of the story.[/quote]

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