Author Topic: OC Writers Anonymous: Step on a Jawa and break Shmi's Back
Thumper09  1058 posts
Registered: Dec '01
14731_X-Wings
Date Posted: 8/23/05 3:38pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "The Good. The Bad. The Ugly."
I should really start posting in some of these discussions instead of just lurking, considering that the fics I write have nothing but OC's. rolling_eyes

So with that said, good topic, and I'm enjoying everyone's responses so far. happy

The Good:
That's definitely my main OC, Darin. I feel like I know him well enough where if someone gave me a situation to put him in and specified the point in time when it took place, I could tell what he'd think and do. He's far and away the most developed character I have, and I'm awfully proud of him.

The Bad:
Well, let's just say that I'm not afraid to kill my OC's, even if they're main characters.

The Ugly:
I have several, but if I have to pick one I'd say it's Pellicer. He started off as nothing more than my "token Imperial defector" but has since grown into one of my favorite characters.

Dinner Date:
The spaghetti is a great idea, but I couldn't really call it a "date" since the character is married, so I'll call it a "one-on-one chat." tongue I'd love to sit down and pick the brain of Commander Mackin for a couple of hours. He's such a prominent character in my fics but is also one of the hardest for me to write since his background is so different from mine. It's very difficult to make him seem realistic and competent when I have no clue what I'm making him do. tongue

-Thumper

 

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"Like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method." -Karen Eiffel, Stranger Than Fiction
"Adamantine"--Rebel OC vig http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/30390799
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Vongchild  5097 posts
Registered: Apr '04
6511_Nen Yim
Date Posted: 8/23/05 5:54pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "The Good. The Bad. The Ugly."
Hi. My name is Vongy and I write OCs... a lot.

The Good: Nick Solo is my prize OC. He's probably the most in-depth and most interesting. Even if I'm not his original creator.

The Bad: Probably Torre and Chess's horrible experience at my paws.

The Ugly: Ennth Solo orignally started out as a minor character, but now he's shaping up to steal the spotlight from his sister.

The Dinner Date: I'm gonna take Torre. He's the only one who's older than me.

 

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Iryla  66 posts
Registered: Jun '05
41416_Fay
Date Posted: 8/23/05 6:14pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "The Good. The Bad. The Ugly."
Hey there, I'm Iryla and though I write OCs you guys will probably never see them.
But, I'll answer here anyways.

The Good:
Iryla's my favorite my far (at least right now) She's just a really fun character to work with with a slightly odd sense of humor and a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Bad:
Hmm, the worst thing? Um, I have a story about 2 pre-Old Republic Force users who end up losing their minds to the bad guy and they destroy everything they had worked to create. I felt rather sorry for them, but the plot was too good for me to let go.


The Dinner Date:
Um, Ardeth. He's actually Iryla's guy, but I like him too. ^_^

 

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JalendaviLady  1010 posts
Registered: Nov '02
40044_Padme and Vader
Date Posted: 8/23/05 6:49pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "The Good. The Bad. The Ugly."
The Good:
That would probably have to be Cadfaelus CaeliAmbuli. I've had so much fun writing him, at all ages. I feel really sorry for him, though...


The Bad:
Oooooh.... three-way tie so far. Caddy and Marteana having to give a kid up after a long time trying for one, Hannar getting shot in the back after almost beating Daddy Palpatine in a fair fight, and Saman having his entire close family either killed or stolen from him and then getting to spend time in a very small cell.

The Ugly:
Let's see. Kalani seems to have quite a following in Signs of Life, although she really hasn't done anything yet. Ela managed to get her viggie qualified for Reader's Choice, even though she's rather twisted in her own way.

The Dinner Date: I wouldn't mind having a long conversation about galactic history with Cadfaelus. Particularly before his hair started going gray.

 

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emimar  870 posts
Registered: Apr '03
6487_Han and Chewie
Date Posted: 8/24/05 2:15am Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "The Good. The Bad. The Ugly." - Date Edited: 8/24/05 2:33am (1 edits total) Edited By: emimar
The Good:
Which of your OCs do you consider the prize horse in the stable?

Flik Sivrak, because he's the one I've developed the most. Just like Anakin Skywalker was the main character for George Lucas, he's the same to mine.


The Bad
What's the worst thing you've ever done to an OC?

When I made Flik kill his son because his son had turned to the darkside and killed his mother - (I've not written that story yet, as it's kind of my Revenge of the Sith, one). After that he became a bounty hunter and swore he'd never use the Force again...

The Ugly
Have you had an ugly-duckling experience with an OC, i.e., one that started off mediocre and grew into something beautiful in terms of characterization or audience appeal?

Tough question...I would have to say that would have to be Kopek, because he's such a messed up villian! I wanted the readers to hate him when I first started writing him because of the terrible things he does to his friends and his enemies, but the readers started to sympathise with him and wondered if he'd turn into a good guy! (this is one bad guy I'll never redem!)

The Dinner Date
Which of your OCs would you like to spend some quality one-on-one time with over a cheap merlot and some spaghetti? (My question, so I get to plan your menu--ha!) What would you discuss?

I think that would have to be Ryqik (I was going to say Flik, but with him being a Shistavanen and all the grief I've given him over the years, he'd probably eat me for dinner!)

Ryqik is a lovely lad growing up in rough circumstances and I'd have to congratulate him on the way he looks after his sister and the fact that he's never let anything stop him from achieving what he has is good, even if he does go about it the wrong way sometimes!

 

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KrystalBlaze  6050 posts
Registered: Aug '02
6008_Obi-Wan Kenobi
Date Posted: 8/24/05 10:48am Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "The Good. The Bad. The Ugly."
The Good:

Oh, this is lovely. grin I haven't made a huge bunch of OCs, but I have made my fair share. Every story I've written, I believe, has had an OC be it for a main purpose or just a throw-away one. However, I'm afraid I can't back out with just one, so I'll give two. One is Terrell from my Silhouetted by Light. He's just so real to me. My second, which probably no one has seen yet, is Syfer Helis from my huge upcoming fic. Can't give too much away about him because it'd just confuse, but we'll just say he's a Jedi who's got some problems that don't make him a Jedi. happy But if Syfer were real, I'd marry him.

The Bad:

Ack. In a story I'll never post to the boards or anywhere else called Decadence, I tortured poor Jyro and then made him join up with the people who tortured him. So stupid.

The Dinner Date:

Syfer Helis. love

-Krystal

 

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Zane-Marit  700 posts
Registered: Jul '03
6534_Comic Book Jedi
Date Posted: 8/24/05 12:16pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "The Good. The Bad. The Ugly."
Hi all, Z here. I write a lot of OCs that tend to mingle with Canon characters often. I found this thread fascinating because I've seen a lot of people ignore fics based solely on the fact that OCs are involved. It's great to see that I am not alone and the premise of this thread is awesome...thanks oqidaun!!!

I must say up front that I have a co-author to thank for the creation of some of the OCs in my "stable" so to tangled_sphere I say "Thanks and you ROCK!"

The Good...This is a difficult decision. I have three very deserving OCs, one of which has not been heard from in a looooong time, but is very dear to me. My name sake Zane Marit. Now before all the gary stu comments start let me say this...he passed the litmus test and he is in no way a gary stu. Zane was first introduced in my first fan fic attempt The Last Apprentice and his story continued on in Fringe Benefits. His story begins as the short term apperntice to Anakin Skywalker shortly before the purge. He escapes the purge with the help of a few friends and must now learn a new way of life...as a smuggler.

The Bad...The worst thing that I have done to an OC...that would probably got to Iant Brar, a young student at the temple that survives the purge at the expense of what he considers to be his family, the Jedi. His life drastically altered, he has difficulty adjusting to life and succumbs not to the Dark side, but to alcohol and spice. A haunting encounter revolving around someone from his former life forces Iant to question the life he has led since the downfall of the Jedi...His story is told in A Destiny Changed.

The Ugly...I don't feel that I have had a bad experience in writing OCs, but some have not been as developed as I would have liked mostly because they a secondary characters. One such character is Tell Rey'Tet, a Republic freighter pilot that is thrust into helping the Jedi at the time of the purge. This charismatic Bothan puts his life on the line and has sworn to protect two most important Jedi by showing them how to survive on the fringes of the known systems.

Dinner Date...When its put that way, I really have only one choice...Kehla Stahn. This is where props must be sent to tangled_sphere. Kehla Stahn was newly knighted in the times of the Old Republic and was shamed at failing her first solo mission as a knight. Seduced by the Dark side she plots revenge with her master, Exar Kun, on the Jedi order...Her tale is told in the fic, co-authored brilliantly with tangled_sphere, Best Served Cold.

Dinner discussion would definately include differences in philosophy between Sith and Jedi and what is Exar Kun REALLY like when no one else is around.

This has been a great thread and look forward to reading about other OCs...

 

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PadmeLeiaJaina  11069 posts
Registered: May '02
41227_Padme
Date Posted: 8/24/05 12:19pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "The Good. The Bad. The Ugly."
Hi! I'm PadmeLeiaJaina - PLJ to save your fingers from carpultunnel wink

I've been writing here since 2002. I am an epic writer and have created my own giant AU/EU universe that sorta takes off after the YJK books.

I got ticked off when I learned that they killed off Chewie in the NJO books, so I've never had much use for the EU since then.

So...in my universe many of the YJK crowd is still there and I've created a whole series of O/C's who've infused themselves into the lives of the canon folks and have become canon members in my Universe.


The Good:
Which of your OCs do you consider the prize horse in the stable? Why?

Well there are 2, probably.

1) Brukos Olissian: Brukos is the crown jewel in my collection of O/C's. To all of my readers great shock - he's not a Jedi, nor is he handsome. He is filthy rich, but he's got loads of problems and challenges being best friends w/ Anakin Solo and Tenel Ka. He used to be a big game hunter to prove his "manliness" and then I dropped the carcass of a flying reptillian creature on top of him and broke his back - so he's now in a hoverchair...and none too pleased about it.

Brukos is highly complicated. I think if I were to do a story beyond my current trilogy, it might focus mostly around him, I just adore him to death.

2)Marxx Racees: Marxx is a Jedi who reminds me a lot of Anakin Skywalker w/o the angst problems. I partnered him w/ Jaina and in a reversal of rolls of sorts, he tends to be the calming influence in his emotionally volital wife's existence. Marxx is fiercely loyal to his family and those that he loves.

I guess my only main problem is that I haven't had him face any huge emotional problems in recent stories - so perhaps I need to do that. His character needs some revamping a bit.


The Bad
What's the worst thing you've ever done to an OC?

I allowed my Beta to convince me to bring one of my female O/C's back from the dead. *Sigh* Most people don't seem to mind, they either love or loathe Raven. But I've always felt dissatisfied with her after that and have spent hundreds of pages trying to rectify things w/ her. I think I've finally come up w/ a plotline for her that I'm very pleased with. Don't get me wrong on this, I LOVE Raven, I fiercely love her character but she's just always been a thorn in my side.

The Ugly

Have you had an ugly-duckling experience with an OC, i.e., one that started off mediocre and grew into something beautiful in terms of characterization or audience appeal?

Nastya Chume'da - was literally an ugly duckling. She was the child of a bastard heir to the throne of Hapes, she started out cold, calculating, and very unlikeable. As my story progressed she intrigued me and it turned out that her father was dictating her actions and once she broke free of his control, she blossomed into a likable, real character. She ended up becoming the girlfriend to Brukos - I'd only give him someone worthy of his love wink

The Dinner Date

Which of your OCs would you like to spend some quality one-on-one time with over a cheap merlot and some spaghetti? (My question, so I get to plan your menu--ha!) What would you discuss?

Oh probably Brukos - he's down to earth and an overall fun guy. I'd probably talk to him about his huge warrior costume collection that he's got in his mansion happy

 

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Shadowolf  435 posts
Registered: May '05
8038_Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan
Date Posted: 8/24/05 1:57pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "Where in the Hoth did you dig up these OCs"
oqidaun posted:
TOPIC 2: Where in the Hoth did you get these OCs??

Choose 2 OCs and tell us about what has inspired you as their creator.



Oooh one I can answer!

I've been putting an OC together for a while now and I've been afriad to post anything at all about him because I was afraid he'd been considered a bit cheesy. But now that his story is coming together I feel a lot more confident.

Jedi Master Jai'dyn Solaris came from watching Stargate SG-1. Watching the character Daniel Jackson showing compassion and intelligence in dealing with various species, his peace loving nature, everything about him made me think that the character would have made a good jedi if he were in the GFFA. Then I saw a pic of the character in homespun robes, a cowl pulled up over his head and suddenly I realized I was looking Jai'dyn and his background just fell into place. The characters however aren't as similar as I expected them to be thank goodness. But when I think of Jai'dyn I always think of that promotional shot of Daniel Jackson that brought the character to life for me.

Yesterday I created another OC Eliana who's Obi-Wan's padawan in an AU that just sort of exploded into my brain. Eliana isn't based on anyone though, she just sort of appeared fully formed in my head even down to her abundant pride in her appearance (very fastidious this one). I've never had a character come together so easily as Eliana did, perhaps one of these days she'll let me know what she really looks like!

 

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Briman  3083 posts
Registered: Oct '04
41992_Lightsaber
Date Posted: 8/24/05 2:11pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "Where in the Hoth did you dig up these OCs"
I'll give it go grin

The Good:
Which of your OCs do you consider the prize horse in the stable? Why?

That would have to be Meari Skywalker from Rise of the Sith Empire. I think she is by far the most in-depth character I've ever put down on paper, or computer screen tongue There is so much happening in her world that she can't control it and the one person she loves most is someone she is destined to betray.

The Bad:
What's the worst thing you've ever done to an OC?

For Meari, I had her betray her one true love, while being pregnant with his child. Then when she decided to rebel, she fought her master and he killed her unborn child, very tragic cry At that point, I took her to the brink of death and left her teetering on the edge for quite a bit. Sorry Meari! tongue

The Ugly:

Have you had an ugly-duckling experience with an OC, i.e., one that started off mediocre and grew into something beautiful in terms of characterization or audience appeal?

Yup! Jace Durron, he was very much just like a shadow to Ben Skywalker during ROSE, and then he grew into this OC that I happened to think was pretty incredible. The Dark Side will do that to you every time. The ugly part, well Jacen used the Force to collapse a stone ceiling on top of him, and that sort of crushed his body and left him with a few scars to say the least. Oh, I get chills just talking about it tongue


The Dinner Date:

Which of your OCs would you like to spend some quality one-on-one time with over a cheap merlot and some spaghetti? (My question, so I get to plan your menu--ha!) What would you discuss?


Hmmm thinking I think it would have to be Meari Skywalker, she was by far my most loved and hatred creation. And plus, she is a beatiful woman who is a total fox with a pair of lightsabers, just ask the people who were manning the control-station on Coruscant tongue


 

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1Yodimus_Prime  1789 posts
Registered: Mar '04
14749_Jawa 'Toon
Date Posted: 8/24/05 2:25pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "Where in the Hoth did you dig up these OCs" - Date Edited: 8/24/05 2:28pm (1 edits total) Edited By: 1Yodimus_Prime
Hey! People like me kinda! Good thread idea Oqi

I create OCs cuz I started out in "Roleplaying Land". So original characters doing things behind that stage the canon characters play on is just natural for me. Plus, I think deep down I'd rather write non-SW fiction, but I just love the universe too much to give it up.

The Good -
I've known Yodimus very well and long before I appeared on these boards. He started as a flat amoral alter-ego, but he's long since gained his own personality, deep history, and career. He's been in and out of the star wars world the way a felon's in and out of jail. I take him practically everywhere I go, story-wise. He's like my own little mona lisa. Well, evil mona lisa. And without the paint. Anyway, when I came here, I used him as my screen name, so clearly I'm not tired of him yet.

The Bad -
The worst thing I've ever done... well there's a story I'm in the process of writing where one of the Jedi loses a sister, is captured and tortured, and then finds out the love of their life has turned to the dark side. I think that qualifies.

The Ugly -
I have plenty of OCs that I don't like, but none of them have surpised me yet. I'll keep you posted on that one.


As for a dinner date, my first impulse is to drag out one of my female characters (being a guy an all), but I have yet to write a non-sociopathic woman into a completed story. That may change in the future, but until then, the guy I'd be fine with having a nice meal with is Rybinstall. Because at the end of the day, he's the only truly nice character I've ever written. Plus it would be fun to confuse him.

 

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Commander-DWH  3332 posts
Title: Shiny Fan Fiction Manager
Registered: Nov '03
50907_NaNo 22
Date Posted: 8/24/05 2:28pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "Where in the Hoth did you dig up these OCs" NEW TOPIC
Choose 2 OCs and tell us about what has inspired you as their creator.

Heh, okay. First, I'll start with Leiraya. She gets so much screen time. tongue Anywhoo, she picks up inspiration from many places, though largely from my fellow students. Specifically, the students who populate my college, of the most hippie-like variety. She's not quite as crazy as the craziest, but she shares a lot of traits with my friends. She is, I guess, everything I love about my peers, and a few things that drive me crazy about them.

For my second one, I suppose I'll go with the infamous End User. She doesn't have a name, but she's a disgruntled programmer who was miffed because KOTOR doesn't allow a female player to kiss Carth, but a male gets to kiss Bastila. So she decided to muck around with the code, enter Game World, and fix it. She came about because I was a disgruntled programmer who was too lazy to attempt modding the game, but knew enough about coding to write a really funny story about it. tongue She usually only comes atound when I'm procrastinating, though.

And in a few more weeks, I imagine she'll start making appearences again.

Good topic. grin I'd say more, but I'm typing this one-handed.

 

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CommanderConrad  1582 posts
Registered: Jan '03
19548_Clone Trooper
Date Posted: 8/24/05 2:43pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "Where in the Hoth did you dig up these OCs" NEW TOPIC
Choose 2 OCs and tell us about what has inspired you as their creator.

Kenos Ossinian was inspired by Wedge Antilles, but not who Wedge is, what he represents. Wedge is in all three of the OT movies, but he's not a main character. He's just a guy who does his job, which is to kick butt, then he's off screen and no one remembers him. (In every war movie there are guys like that. Usually they get face time when their close to getting killed, but there's always that one that survives.) In the same way that the Rogue Squadron novels made him center stage, I made up my own unknown soldier and based my fics around him. His name is based on Jenos Idanian, the alias both Han and Corran used, which I thought sounded just plain cool. His homeworld and his weapons are just things I used to make him different from everyone else.

Jasila Volova's physical appearance is based on Natalie Imbruglia because, well, I have a huge crush on her. blush I even rationalized her Australian accent in GFFA terms--Jasila's from Corulag, which is a core world. Since Coruscant's accent is our real-world British one, I kind of figured Corulag would be similar but with it's own flavor. Other than that, I just wanted someone who would be a help to Kenos at times and a complication to him at others.

 

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Sebulba2179  3481 posts
Registered: Feb '02
5994_Sebulba
Date Posted: 8/24/05 4:01pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "Where in the Hoth did you dig up these OCs" NEW TOPIC
Hmm, here I go with both topics... wink

The Good
Gah! I have several OCs of whom I'm fiercely proud, but to choose just one - oh man. Well, it comes down to one of my two chief OCs, Ray Sorveli and Jerrica Sunrider. Of the two of them, I think Ray emerges as the preeminent character. He's a street cop who has not and will not take two things from anyone - money and crap. He has a heart of gold and almost no qualms about going to impossible lengths to get to the bottom of a crime; in fact, he once roughed up a corrupt city lawmaker who was involved in a widespread scandal ("Do you see a sign on me that says I care? You have the right to remain silent, why don't you use it!"). I really like how Ray has rounded into the one good cop in the bad town, even when he's willing to risk getting into trouble.

The Bad
Ah, this one's easy. wink I had an undercover cop named Karnin Schlomm working with Ray on a sting operation; in a recent post, I killed him off in a bomb blast. devil Ray, meanwhile, got blown through a window by the same blast and sustained some injuries, and now we'll see how they affect his driven investigating style...

The Ugly
Now THIS is a good question. I don't think I've ever had an OC who met with those criteria.

The Dinner Date
Another easy one...I'd much like to spend an evening with Jerrica. wink I feel like she's subtly changed as of late. When I was first writing her, she was very strong-minded and strong-willed, and she was every bit as brave as the average Solo. But in more recent stories I've written, she's mellowed somewhat - I wouldn't say she's weakened, but she's not as gutsy and courageous as she was when we started out. I'd like her to tell me what she thinks happened, if training as a Jedi put out some of her fire or if she thinks that she's a victim of below-average writing.
(Need I add, since her ideal casting choice would be Anne Hathaway, what I wouldn't give to spend an evening with her... love grin )

Now then!

My inspiration for 2 OCs.
In high school, I was absolutely, positively crazy about a terrific cop show called Due South. I was especially fond of one of the lead characters, Det. Ray Vecchio, because of his dry wit and sarcasm, and his occasional street-cop brashness. I wrote scads of atrocious Due South fanfic before I got to be anything resembling a talented writer, and ever since then, I cannot write any story in any fandom without having an original character based on Ray Vecchio. The thing was, I felt (as did the actor who played him) that he was too much of a comic character in the first season; he was much better developed during the second season, and I liked that. His appearance and performance in the second season, with some seriousness and drama added, became the template for Det. Ray Sorveli of the New Republic Military Police.

Jerrica Sunrider also started out a long time ago in a hard drive far, far away, under various of names, when I was writing shorter and cruddier SW fanfic; the frame of the character was a young girl who was unaware of her potential in the Force, who could potentially be an OC lovebird for Jacen Solo. When the time came to launch my recent series of fanfics, Jerrica was initially inspired by a girl I knew in college. As noted above, her ideal performer would be Anne Hathaway - so add that to her unknown Force power and my desire to write mountains of unresolved sexual tension between her and Jacen, and voila! He had an OC interest, but he couldn't have a relationship with her right off the bat because she was his apprentice. wink (However, I can't help wondering if UST is out of favour here, since everyone's always griping that they want to see Jacen and Jerrica together at once. tongue )

 

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The_Face  5507 posts
Title: Ex-Manager
Registered: Feb '03
48821_11 - Wraith Squadron
Date Posted: 8/24/05 4:05pm Subject: RE: OC Survival 101: OC Writers Anonymous "Where in the Hoth did you dig up these OCs" NEW TOPIC
Thank you, [b]oqidaun[/i], for starting this thread! I keep missing the beginnings of these OC threads, even though I include only a couple canon characters per fic, and only ever in supporting roles. It's not a rule of mine or anything; the canon cast just haven't given me ideas any stories to tell solely about them.

OC stories, from what I've seen, can be the most incredible pieces on the boards, or the worst drudgery. Add that danger to the fact that OC authors are the least appreciated (us and the Before the Saga people, perhaps)? It’s important that we have these places to gather. Together, we will rule the galaxy as…

Hmm, just got a case of déjà vu typing that. How strange. tongue

Now then, the questions…

The Good:
Which of your OCs do you consider the prize horse in the stable? Why?


That’s rough. I have a lot, and even if I pick a story, they tend to depict leading duos. In no particular order, I guess it has to be the cast of Galaxy Noir for pure depth of character and all the different dynamics I’ve been lucky enough to have pop up. There’s Jav Yonx, a sarcastic, overly logical Duro detective; Remy Diabet, his blaster-phobic caf addict partner; Messuni Roserain, their heat-packing wanderer friend; and Synth Lydon, the genius Imperial investigator and Jav’s old partner.

I can’t narrow it down further, and don’t honestly want to. I work hard enough as it is not to play favorites.

The Bad
What's the worst thing you've ever done to an OC?


The Bad? More like “The Fun”! devil tongue Seriously, ummm… A lot of random thugs have met colorful ends via time-delayed exploding shells, flame-throwing Dark Jedi, and grapnel lines, among other things. I guess when a shockstaff got thrown into Warden Elias Sley and electrocuted him from the inside out. Maybe I should take a poll. silly

Beyond the physical, Azure had a hard time of it in Galaxy Noir II. She was accused of being a serial killer vigilante, hunted by the Empire, betrayed by a friend, got a hit put out on her courtesy of Jabba himself, had to kill a woman, was suspected by an ally, and someone close to her turned out to be an evil maniac. I’m giving her a break in the third story; she never appears in person. But I plan to do a fic that will give her and her partner Indigo the troubles they’re used to. tongue

The Ugly
Have you had an ugly-duckling experience with an OC, i.e., one that started off mediocre and grew into something beautiful in terms of characterization or audience appeal?


Hmm… All my characters grow and develop but one that started out mediocre… Most of the villains in Galaxy Noir III, with Taalos Amier as the biggest exception. The insane bounty hunter Venigom Hai-soz (think The Joker without the clown shtick) was a bit part in GNII, but became much more interesting, and provided a lot thematically. Nirug Lossk, the big baddie of the story, went through a lot of changes over the course of the fic. By the end, though, he’s surpassed his prior roles (cold killer, crazy cult leader, force of nature) with a more compelling spin on the typical villainous motivations. I hope. I just posted the update that gets into his head and I don’t know how well it worked.

As far as the audience goes, people seem to love The Sonar Man. There’s a lot of mystery and implied history to him, but underneath the embellishments, he was a plot device to get the heroes information about the underworld. Over time and demand, his plot device origins have been overtaken by a fleshed-out character with his own motives, failings, strengths, and demons.

The Dinner Date
Which of your OCs would you like to spend some quality one-on-one time with over a cheap merlot and some spaghetti? (My question, so I get to plan your menu--ha!) What would you discuss?


I guess Messuni Roserain. She’s well-adjusted enough despite the things I’ve put her through. She’s got beliefs and is driven to fight for them. Funny, too, and good in a fight. Not romantic, though. There’s something about an author-character relationship that creeps me out (I think it’s… everything)

But, then again, if the dinner is just as friends, why not bring the detectives along just for laughs? I’m sure they’d find something to argue about in an amusing manner.

Or maybe master thief and “professional sneak” Alias Sibul, just to find out more about him, past the persona he puts up. He might provide insight once he’s done hitting on the waitress.

Choose 2 OCs and tell us about what has inspired you as their creator.

Well, there’s Vizhkein Jeremsi from one of my less recent fics, Wanderer of Ages. He was a Jedi who got frozen in a carbonite-like substance some time during the Clone Wars and didn’t get thawed until the OT era. He was idealistically dedicated to the Jedi ideals, and never killed for any reason. He was inspired heavily by two anime series: “Trigun” and “Rurouni Kenshin”. The powerful pacifist character intrigues me. To have so much potential for destruction and to choose the way of least violence possible breeds instant conflict.

Let’s see, who else has definite inspirations… Messuni Roserain has some things in common with Faye Valentine from “Cowboy Bebop” (the Galaxy Noir series as a whole gives off a similar tone to the show). They both show up and leave as they please and can do some damage with a pistol (or, in Messuni’s case, two). Miss Roserain distinguished herself pretty quickly though, particularly in having a set of values. She branched off even further after that.

And that's my humble reply.

 

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