Now that I've had time to settle into ATH Wiki, I figure it is time to do another proper review. One of my main concerns at the moment is the quality of some of the creations. Yes, this review is going to focus on the negative aspects of the wiki, but it is a necessary part of development.
A handful of them seem to come across as unoriginal and cliche - some of them are closer to being defined as fanon rather than original. Others seem to contain obvious scientific errors. Yes, I know this is supposed to be science fiction, but these were some errors that I beleive even someone with cursory knowledge on the subject could spot.
I have a lot to say about this wiki, so I'll be splitting this into multiple parts that will come at later dates.
Characters
Thor
At first glance, nothing remotely seems original about it. He seems to be directly ripped from the source material with no sort of unique spin put to it. The Thor from Marvel was well integrated into the sci-fi setting he was part of, but this Thor sticks out like a sore thumb and quite frankly doesn't belong. There's a slim chance of being able to redeem this article, but I would honestly scrap it.
Races
Terranovians
My first thought is that these are pale imitations of the Kryptonians. The fact that one of the characters claims, "I'm like the modern day Superman", makes its status as a copy-cat even more obvious. However, unlike the Kryptonians which have been given extensive history and development, the Terranovians come across as a race of Mary Sues.
Giving weaknesses to a Mary Sue race is not enough to get rid of the status. More specifically, there's mention of them being an incorruptible force of good, and that they are described via superlatives. (i.e "They are said to be one of the most powerful ultra-terrestrial species of human beings ever.")
Lastly, a major pet peeve of mine is when a race is described as "evolution's next step". Once again, I still acknowledge that this is supposed to be science fiction fantasy, and I don't want to sound very demeaning or lecturing, but this is a very obvious error even to those who have a basic understanding of how evolution works. (Unfortunately, Hollywood is mostly to blame for this one.) In reality, evolution doesn't favor the strongest or the smartest. Instead, evolution favors the most adaptable, the ones who can easily respond to changes in their environment.
If there's one thing I do have to give credit to the Terranovians, the genetic match is an original concept. I would have liked to see more elaboration on it - it could ultimately save this creation from being immediately scrapped.
Quatonaiens
These are too similar to the Terranovians in my opinion or rather more accurately, the Kryptonians, right down to attaining abilities under different colored suns. I would scrap them as it just seems to be hardly anything more than a carbon copy of the Kryptonians, even moreso than the Terranovians.
Werewolves
This idea can work, but it seems to be poorly executed. If they were genetically engineered, then why would they have a weakness to silver? Not to mention, if they were created in 2444, then why do they just so happen to behave like werewolves of classic myth? Scientific werewolves are a cool idea, but these come across as trite.
Vampires
Again, this is another race that could work well if done right, but it's poorly executed. Why do they have the same weaknesses as their mythological counterparts? Like the werewolves, the sci-fi setting is not taken advantage of.
Arachnoids
They were created by humans during the Jurassic period? Modern humans are not even a million years old. I haven't found any lore that states otherwise, so this is an outright contradiction to established science. Not to mention, is there any reason why they need to have been created during the Jurassic Period? Based on eastablished lore, they could have just as easily been created in the current present day setting.
Elves
"They are said to have one of the most amazing lifestyles within the whole universe."
Where to even begin? I'm sorry if I sound extremely cynical, but do I really have to say anything else? That line alone is an instant indicator of Mary Sueness. This is only one of a number of superlatives in the article that describes them as being the best in the universe at something. It comes across as utterly demeaning and arrogant towards other user creations. It is no different than flat out telling someone else, "My creation is better than yours. Deal with it".
The alternate name of "Tolkenians" doesn't come across as a reference, but moreso an indicator that it is directly supposed to be the elves from the LOTR. And learning how to build, create cities and their own language all within 20 years of their existence defies all common sense. It is a blatant violation of willing suspension of disbelief, and it just doesn't happen.
There are far too many things wrong with this race, and I would say that it is best to scrap it altogether. There's little that can be done to salvage it aside from starting from scratch.
Powers of the races
I do not really like the way that powers and abilities are just slapped on as quick labels without much of an explanation. Not to mention, why is that humans are apparently the only species in the universe (minus a handful of exceptions) that lack any sort of superpowers?
If there are any others you want me to pick apart and review, please let me know. I'll be sure to cover it in my next review.