A somewhat short and halfway decent character sheet by Ryuu.
Name: Dominick
Nick-Name: Domi
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Height: Average Deku height
Weight: Average Deku weight
I’m not sure if the name Dominick really sounds like a Deku name, but the nickname Domi certainly does make up for it. For reference, other Deku Scrubs have had names. In Four Swords Adventures, there were a few Deku Scrubs in the Dark World: Dekki, Deppi, and Decci.
While I don’t think height and weight are terribly useful (as people often have poor references for what characters might weigh, when there are proper references for better deduction, among other things), it does seem to be a bit of a cop-out to say “Average Deku weight/height.” If you’re establishing a point of reference, don’t be afraid to lay down a little more concrete information.
“Oh, but little miss She Elf, you’d just bitch if he did that, too!”
Honestly, I might. Then again, I might not. It doesn’t need to be an exact weight, either – a rough estimation that actually tells people a relative weight would be fine. In any case, it doesn’t mean he should just leave his character information so vague when he established those parameters.
Physical Description: A Deku much like the Mad Scrubs. A round wooden head with glowing orange eyes and a tube-like mouth that sits upon a smaller spherical-shaped body. Some orange/brown leaves rest on the body, sticking out of the very short neck. His limbs are short and his hands and feet are small. His head has an autumn-leaf hat that touches the ground and drags behind him, even when he wears it.
Jeez. I’m afraid to complain about this being short, considering how horribly long the last sheet was. It’s nice to be brief, and, honestly, there isn’t a lot to talk about, but this does feel a little lacking.
For example, it almost assumes all Deku Scrubs look the same. Well, in game they tend to, except for a few prominent characters, so I can understand that. While there is a danger in making a character stand out too much from the norm, this does not mean all characters of certain races should look nearly identical.
Consider the implications if one said all members of a human race looked nearly identical.
Looks most Like (optional): Mad Scrub (OoT and MM)
Image (optional):
See, this just helps prove my earlier point: I can’t find any differences between the “Looks most Like” battle fodder and Domi. Despite everything, though, in a way it is better than the alternative – to base the Deku Scrub off one of the more individual Deku Scrubs. He could’ve just said “Looks most Like: Deku Link,” after all.
Still, it’s not very good.
Personality: It seems he has weak nerves, as he's rather skittish and is prone to resorting to panic. There are times when he gains sudden courage and will try to be the hero - but so far, it's only caused trouble.
It would be nice to know under what circumstances he “gains sudden courage,” so that this doesn’t leave open an excuse to change the character’s behavior at random, freely. There’s nothing wrong with a character with weak nerves, though. In fact, it’s a nice change from his other character sheets, even if it only discusses one aspect of his personality (no one is just one thing, after all).
Power(s): Spits Deku Nuts / Can use a Deku Flower to fly
Upside to Power(s): Can air-bomb and use projectiles.
Downside to Power(s): The flower gives out after a while, and the nuts are a weak attack.
Strengths: Strong against water, as water helps plants. He can't swim, though.
Weaknesses: Weak against fire, ice, and heavy physical blows.
Basic, reasonable strengths, weaknesses, and powers, though a little generic, due to all of them being taken from the game except for ice (that I can recall, anyway – never tried wearing the Deku mask anywhere icy). It is a little hard to come up with anything more creative or less generic than that, though, without risking being ridiculous, as some of Ryuu’s characters tend to be.
It’d be entertaining to mention a crippling fear of hatchets, though, but that’s just my sense of humor.
History: Though Domi has had an average life as a Deku, he's not really a boring character. He's helped defend the Deku Palace from foes before Link came to Termina. However, he's no soldier, so his feats are normally left unspoken of. He got a shock when he heard Folha was leaving the palace and decided that it's not good for her to be alone...
It’s a bit of an awkward start for a history. Let’s take a look at the rest of it…
…oh. That is the rest of it.
Well, here’s the first problem: you should never have to tell your reader that your character is not boring. The second problem is that Domi’s history is hardly a history at all. If he’s not a soldier – which I doubted he was, since he’s a nervous fellow – then what is he? When did he need to defend the Deku Palace along side of the guards? What does an average life involve, for a Deku Scrub?
Why do we only learn that he’s Terminian because the history is connected to Link? We don’t need Link mentioned – he has nothing to do with Domi’s character sheet. And who is Folha?
Yes, I know she’s explained in the “extra” section – my point is that she should be elaborated upon in the history. She has more of a right to be explained in the history than Link has a right to be mentioned.
Why does he live in the Deku Palace? Do all Deku Scrubs live in the palace? Actually, we know that isn’t the case. In Majora’s Mask, Deku Link is told the following, when he first asks to enter:
This is the palace of the Deku
Kingdom. Only those on official
business may enter!
...But you may enter to see the
public humiliation of the foolish
monkey who angered our king.
Follow this hall straight to the
Royal Chamber. Do not enter any
other areas whatsoever!
If Deku Link is caught in any other areas, he is promptly thrown out. When he tries to reenter, he is told:
I told you not to enter any areas
other than the Royal Chamber!
...It is a very rare occasion that
you are allowed to enter, so do
as I say!
There’s so much to expand on with this character sheet, and it really is a shame that Ryuu didn’t seem to care enough to expand on them. This sheet is less bad and more unfinished.
Extra: Domi has always admired another scrub, Folha, and he's in love with her, but his shy personality keeps him from saying it.
RPG Style: Zelda RPG
See, the extra could have been incorporated into his personality (which mentioned he was nervous only, not shy – I know it tends to go without saying, but still) and his history (like how he knows Folha, who she is, why he admires her, and so on).
Overall, it’s impossible to give this sheet less than a five. It has a lot of potential; it isn’t rife with overpowered nonsense or blocks of dull and repetitive description. Unfortunately, it still has its moments of uncreativity and its potential goes unused. Certainly, Domi isn’t a sue, though.
I give it a 6.5/10. I would like to give this one a higher score, but I’m really pushing it here. If I were a teacher grading a paper, I’d probably give this one an incomplete. Something this lacking doesn’t deserve a seven, unfortunately. And I don’t round up.
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