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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

OC Writers Anonymous: Step on a Jawa and break Shmi's Back

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by oqidaun, Aug 22, 2005.

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  1. Thumper09

    Thumper09 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 9, 2001
    *momentarily popping out of lurkerdom*

    Why I write OC's? That's both a simple and a complicated answer.

    The simple part is this: my main OC began life as my SW RPG character. Something about him struck such a chord with me that I started writing stories to flesh out his background, and when the campaign ended and I couldn't roleplay him anymore, I kept writing about him, both his past and his future. All of my other OC's are offshoots of his stories.

    The more complicated part is why I keep writing OC's exclusively and don't venture much into writing canon characters. I feel really, really silly for posting this explanation, but...oh well. :p It's a totally different mindset and totally different feeling for me to write canon characters instead of OC's. Maybe I'm alone in that regard, I dunno. That feeling always vaguely reminded me of something, but I never really understood what until recently.

    When I was younger, my family and I would take vacations to different parts of the country and plan out our route so we could hit as many different baseball games as we could. A lot of times we went to major league stadiums, but sometimes we went to minor league parks. The thing that struck me about the minor league games was the different atmosphere compared to the majors. I had never heard of any of the players in the minors, whereas in the majors I knew almost everyone. So when I saw a minor league game, I watched it in a slightly different way until I became familiar with the players throughout the course of the game. The crowds were smaller at the minor league games, but that didn't stop them from having a good time. They knew their players. I remember thinking how much fun it would be to get season tickets for a minor league team and become part of that different kind of experience.

    Well, I never have tried out the minor league season tickets idea even though it's within my power to do so now, and in fact I root for a major league team across the continent. But while driving past our local minor league stadium a while ago, it hit me that that notion was exactly the kind of mindset I have for myself with OC's. Writing OC's creates that same kind of "different atmosphere" that fascinated me so much at minor league stadiums, so that's probably why I stick with OC's (aside from more normal things like fear of messing up a canon characterization). Now, I'm not at all trying to imply that OC's are "minor league" compared to canon characters in terms of quality, because I don't think that's true, and I'm not saying one is better than the other. I was just glad to finally figure out why writing the two groups felt so different to me and what else it reminded me of. :) (Honest, I'm not saying anything bad about any group...please don't shoot. [face_worried])

    *pops back to lurkerdom*

    -Thumper
     
  2. correllian_ale

    correllian_ale Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 20, 2005
    Simple. Flexibility. Vyyk used to be a gymnist you know, and he's still single ladies.
    ;)


    Seriously, yeah, that's the reason. I can't with good conscience mess with the canon characters when ther's soooo much more room to do what I want with my OCs. Simple.

    I know, I'm a simple guy. I eat my eggs scrambled, and my meat and potatoes off a stick.


     
  3. BigE

    BigE Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2002

    I'm going to be incredibly lazy and unoriginal and simply quote c_a, for his post sums it up nicely.
     
  4. Lightsaber123

    Lightsaber123 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2007
    I just realised that Oqi wasn't talking about EVIL OCs, just OCs in general. [face_blush]

    So OCs, because they are easier to write.
    No one, I mean, no one, are allowed to say that my OCs are Out of Character.
     
  5. oqidaun

    oqidaun Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2005
    Imperials stationed on the Deathstar III don't change their underwear until the escape capsules are fully functional.


    [face_skull] It's that time of year again, the time of year when folks start acting a little on the squirrelly side. We've all got our quirks and little rituals. What are your OCs superstitions or idiosyncrasies? Let's take anywhere from 500-1000 words to flesh it out.

     
  6. 1Yodimus_Prime

    1Yodimus_Prime Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2004
    "Darth Thread. Riiise."


    So, these quirks and idiosyncrasies...they're evil quirks and idiosyncracies, yes?
    Involving death and horrible destruction? Yes?


    [bad_ventriloquism] Why yes, of course they are Yodimus. [/bad_ventriloquism]

    I knew it. :D
     
  7. oqidaun

    oqidaun Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2005
    evil.


    dark.



    godless.



    nasty.



    stinkie.



    anything that makes you happy, yod. :D
     
  8. Commander-DWH

    Commander-DWH Manager Emeritus star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 3, 2003
    You know, I was really feeling the lack of a Deathcoaster this October. I'm glad to see we can still get some creepiness in before the month's out. :D

    That being said... I've gotta think about it. :p
     
  9. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
    Hmm, I've already written something like that, but I haven't posted it. Can I post a link when it's up?
     
  10. Quigonjecca

    Quigonjecca Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 2, 2007
    Hello everyone! I'm Quigonjecca, but you can call me Jecca. I just thought I'd introduce myself. You see, I'm new to the [awesome] realm of fanfiction (only like, four months), and therefore, very new to the realm of OC's.

    I've written a couple, although they were all minor characters that I only used in one part of the story. When I did try to write a full-fledged fanfiction using OC's for both my main characters, the one seemed like a total baby and the other a complete Mary-Sue. So I abandoned them.

    Anyway, I just thought I'd introduce myself. I guess I'll pop in from time to time!

    --Jecca
     
  11. 1Yodimus_Prime

    1Yodimus_Prime Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2004
    Hello QJ and welcome! Don't let our lack of swift response get you down. We've gotten lazy and slow in our old age. (the stingers in our scorpion-like tails are still poisonous though)



    ...I swear, I'm really thinking hard about this Challenge.


    I think the first letter will be a... 'B.' Yes. A 'B' looks good there, in the front. Hm.




    ...or maybe an 'F'.

    Can't go wrong with an 'F'.
    So hard to decide...


    Perhaps the first idiosyncracy should be sever indecisiveness.
     
  12. The_Face

    The_Face Ex-Manager star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 22, 2003
    Yod, I tried to sever my indecisiveness once but I didn't really know where I should aim the scalpel.



    Welcome to the OCWA, Jecca! I think you'll find this is a great place for author support and taking shiny new OCs out for a spin to get them good and scuffed up. :p
     
  13. correllian_ale

    correllian_ale Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 20, 2005
    Seconding Face, welcome Jecca! Get that OC of yours in here to show off!

    :D
     
  14. 1Yodimus_Prime

    1Yodimus_Prime Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2004
    Damn you Face! Your contextually-dependent joke makes it impossible for me to correct my typo! You are truly a dark lord of the sith.


    Well, this is the tenth post after the Challenge was issued, so I guess it befalls me to put up the first response. [kicks_ground]

    Here's Melinworth on his codependent copilot, Rybinstall:


    [hr]

    Melinworth hated pilot school. None of the teachers were smart enough for him. He needed someone truly exceptional to train with. Someone who didn't focus on numbers and graphs, who ignored trvial details like flight-path accuracy and 'Landing Safety'. Someone with [i]guts.[/i] Who could teach him the big things...like charisma. And swaggering.


    None of the other students seemed to agree with this, which merely proved their incompetence to Mel. None of them, that is, except for one. His name was Rybinstall. Just Rybinstall, he never gave a last name. Said if you knew it, you'd understand. Mel didn't know it, so it therefore followed, logically, that he did not understand. Ryb didn't care. His last name was off limits.

    This was a quirky thing, but not the quirkiest thing.

    During lectures, Mel made a point to sit next to his newfound compatriot. The first thing he began to notice was that Ryb took copious notes. [i]Reems[/i] of copious notes, in fact. He wrote them down furiously - writing almost as fast as the teacher spoke. This was amazing, because Mel had taken the guy to be a rebel, like himself, not a brown-nosing incompetent herd animal. Mel needed justification. When prodded, Ryb revealed to Mel the contents of said notebooks, though not without first making him sign a NDA - which Mel noted was hand written in magic marker. It turned out, the notes were [i]not[/i] notes at all. Each and every word, on every tightly squeezed line, on each of the many, many pages, was a time. Ryb explained that when he sat still for too long, he had an unavoidable compulsion to write down the current time, up to the second.

    This was also a quirky thing (and so was that NDA), but not the quirkiest thing.

    While hanging out in the dorms, Mel and Ryb tended to play pranks on the other students. Or at least, Mel did, because he was superior to them. Ryb didn't so much play pranks on other students as play pranks on himself. Being caught by one's own water bucket perilously placed above a half-open door, that Mel could understand. It was the pranks that [i]required[/i] a second person be present in order to work, that's what was really impressive. Before Ryb, Mel had never in his life witnessed someone put out their own bag of flaming poo.

    This was indeed a quirky thing as well, but not the quirkiest thing.

    When they graduated (they were kicked out, but the dean gave them an honorary degree. Long story), Mel got in the pilot's seat of his ship, Ryb at his side doing navigation, and took off for Correllia to go looking for adventure, or something equivalent.

    ...Except, instead of Correllia and adventure, they ended up on Dantooine, stuck nose-first into the side of a small mansion. Upon crashing, Rybinstall did not scream, he did not yell at Mel, he didn't even have a nervous breakdown in the corner, repeating to himself how screwed he's going to be when his parents find out (all typical responses after flying with Mel). No, instead of that, Ryb put on a helmet, clapped Mel on shoulder, and told him that was the best landing he's seen in a decade.

    And he wasn't being sarcastic.


    This, above all, was the quirkiest thing.
    [hr]

    And now you know.
     
  15. MsLanna

    MsLanna Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 2005
    Well, now that is quirky. I liked the landing, too, great reaction there, Ryb.[face_laugh]

    And inspired by a story I intend to write, which offers a lot of space for quirks...



    She sat and stared at the viewport, at the signs painted on it from the inside, She remembered putting them there. It was writing, saying 'help us, please', that she remembered, but by now she had almost forgotten about writing, and reading. There was nothing to write with, and little to read. She knew the manual by heart after the first year already.

    Her eyes did not rest on the writing. She had long given up on that, but on the image he had painted below it. I looked a little like a skull with horns growing out of it's mouth. Ika had said it was a sign for home. She didn't question him, and she knew that there was no such sign for her home.

    "Hi." Her voice echoed in the silence. Since he had died, it was the only voice she ever heard, the only voice there was. She kneaded her fingertips.

    "I still miss him," she went on. "It seems so long since he died, but I still miss him. Sometimes I hear noises that cannot be there, but I am sure he'll come from the 'fresher in the next moment."

    There was only silence.

    [i]Talk, [/i] he had said. [i]Never stop, Meshla, or you might end up crazy. Do you understand? Do you promise?[/i]

    Of course, she had. Even if it had seemed a little odd then. And still seemed odd now.

    "I think, it did not help, you know." Her fingers knotted and unknotted in an everlasting motion. "I think I am crazy, still."

    She hung her head, looking at her moving fingers.

    "Ika said, it would help, but I don't think it is. I know I am alone here, but -" she trailed off. Her gaze turned onto the stars that did not seem to move by at all.

    "I promised," she whispered. "It's all I have."

    She returned her attention to the crude drawing. "I emptied another slot, today, so the container is only half full, now. And I visited Ika. He doesn't change at all. I think it's the cold down there."

    Looking at her writhing hands, the woman tried to remember how to cry.

    "Well, I think that is all for today. I'll talk to you again tomorrow, right?"

    The drawing gave no answer, and silence descended over the cockpit of the drifting TUG.
     
  16. Quigonjecca

    Quigonjecca Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 2, 2007
    Hi again everyone! Thank you for the warm welcome!

    Alright, I think it was corellian_ale that told me to share my OCs in this thread... So, I thought I'd link to my *cough* first (SECOND) attempt at OCs...

    Okay, so It's my second attempt, but the first one turned out so bad I don't even want to remember it! :p

    So anyway, just in case you are interested: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/27658856/p1/?0

    Let's see how badly I can twist the story line this time. 8-}

    Thanks! (and I hope it was okay to post this here! [face_worried] )(if it's not, I'll delete it!)
     
  17. yodas_waiter

    yodas_waiter Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 2006
    Nice and different takes on quirky MsLanna and Yodimus. Very nice :)

    This is the first time I've done this, so I hope it's right. I'm partaking in the Essential Guide to OC's OC Project where we present some OC's that have yet to appear in any stories and do different stuff with them. A part of this project is to post our characters in this thread, so here goes.

    Btw, if anyone is interested, the abridged bio of my character can be found here (scroll down a bit)


    -------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dust! This constant, infernal dust! How Hector detested it! However, black suited Hector so well that it was unreasonable to stop wearing it simply because of dust. Hector didn?t understand why it happened but somehow all of his black jackets, frocks, shirt, everything, attracted dust!

    ?It is true what they say; style comes with a price,? Hector thought grimly as he made another futile attempt to rid himself of dust.

    ?Please Hector, stop it,? Belena Praji hissed next to him as he tugged at his arm. ?Act like the noble you?re supposed to be,?

    ?I?m preoccupied trying to look like a noble, Belle,? Hector shot back, inspecting his arms and shoulders. ?Is my back alright?? he asked and turned around.

    ?It looks fine,? Belle rolled her eyes.

    ?You?re just saying that,? Hector said and turned around again. He started to take of shirt but Belle put a hand on his chest, stopping him.

    ?You look fine,? she said sternly. ?It?s time to eat,?

    ?Sure,? Hector grunted and grudgingly put on his shirt again.

    ?Here, could you take this glass?? Belle ordered rather than asked as she held out a delicate purple glass. Hector took it in his slim hands and inspected closely.

    ?Try the Strevian stew, I picked that one myself,? she said cheerily and held out a plate for Hector but he merely replied with an absentminded ?Mmm??

    ?Hector, listen?? Belle turned around and let out a small sound of indignation as she saw how Hector held the finely crafted glass up towards the lights for inspection.

    ?Hector! Really!?

    ?What?? Hector said, truly surprised and tearing his eyes reluctantly away from the glass.

    ?They are brand new! How can you think that I would use glasses with even the slightest speck of dirt on them for this dinner??

    ?Sorry Belle,? Hector said, looking rather sheepish. ?You know how I am,?

    ?I do,? Belle said. ?And that?s the only thing that?s keeping me from slapping you,?

    ?Anyway, you were saying,? Hector said brightly, hoping to brighten Belle?s mood.

    ?Nevermind,? Belle said. ?Here, take this very clean glass and very clean plate. Help yourself to some Strevian stew and you will enjoy it,? she said bossily and shoved the plate towards Hector and pushed him towards the servant droid standing over the bubbling pot of stew.

    ?But??

    ?And you?re a complete dust-free zone,? Belle said impatiently as Hector watched the droid heave a large glob of brownish stew onto his plate. ?Now go over there and sit!?

    With his shoulders somewhat slumped, Hector walked over to the broad wooden table which was situated in a shallow depression in the middle of the room. There sat the rest of the guests invited to Belle?s dinner, all eleven of them.

    ?I hope you all enjoy the meal,? Belle smiled as she sat down but it was instantly wiped away as she noticed that Hector had not touched his food. ?Hector,? she said sternly and everyone turned around and faced Hector.

    ?Oh sorry,? Hector said and looked down upon the blob that was his dinner. ?I just noticed that we?re thirteen at the table,?

    ?Yes, Holler could not come,? Belle said.

    ?No, thirteen around the table means bad luck,?

    ?Come on Viralte!? Roderick Brock exclaimed and laughed harshly. ?Superstition? Really? Have you learnt nothing at COMPNOR??

    ?I have, but even the Empire, with all its rationality, hasn?t warded off all superstition,
     
  18. Luton_Plunder

    Luton_Plunder Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2006
    Right, so here's the thing! I've been entirely remiss about posting in this thread. I propose to make up for that by becoming involved in all things OCWA from now on, so help me :p


    Yod, good on you for going first :p And brilliant stuff, the constant little " This was indeed a quirky thing as well, but not the quirkiest thing" line was just great ;) And there's alot to be said for quirky landings! They're not bad, they're quirky dammit.


    MsL, that is one tragic little quirk :( I felt so sorry for her! I don't think she's crazy [face_plain] Nicely done - very, very nicely done.


    Yodas_waiter, Hector is just how I like characters - loaded with neuroses :D An obsessive compulsive when it comes to dust, superstitious when it comes to numbers and a compulsive history nut :p I also love that you worked Brock in there to really antagonise him ;) Brilliant job!



    You know, I had a piece that I was going to post here but abandoned it at the last second. I've never written my OC project character before and he's giving me trouble. I'm trying to walk the line between entertainingly crazy and serious enough to run a warship, and I'm coming up against durasteel walls :p I'll think about it some more and get back here shortly.
     
  19. The_Face

    The_Face Ex-Manager star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 22, 2003
    Yod: Loved it. Mel and Ryb are so wonderfully weird.

    MsLanna: :eek: That was awesome! I like the way you hinted at that suitably DeathCoaster-y setting in such an understated way. :D

    yodas_waiter: Something about opening with ?Dust!? appealed to me. :) Definitely got the idiosyncrasy part. The scene had this hard-to-define sadness to it; I could sympathize with both Hector and Belle.

    Like yodas_waiter, I?ll be writing about my OC Project character. For me, that?s Detective Inspector Ganner Tolles. This came out short of 500 words, but it?s something.

    ******

    ?Well, Tolles, looks like I can?t get away from you in medical either.?

    Ganner looked down at the seated Devaronian woman, his partner Meko ?Omen? Onat. ?If I?m not mistaken, partners were scheduled for their exams together purposefully,? he said.

    Her banter?s propulsion cut by Ganner?s literal response, Meko rested her head back to stare at the white-painted durasteel ceiling. She murmured, ?Strike him down, mystical prophecy. Strike him down now.?

    Ganner craned his head. ?Come again??

    ?Nothing.?

    He took a seat. ?Hmm. So do we just wait here, or??

    Meko opened a humor magazine satirizing Eruian?s celebrities. ?We just wait here, rookie. They call your name, you show the ident, you drop your pants, and you get your shots. Boom bada boom.?

    Ganner cleared his suddenly dry throat. ?A shot??

    She raised an eyebrow at him over the top of Star Destroyer 197. ?No, they inoculate you with a sticky bandage. Why, you afraid of needles??

    ?No,? Ganner said too quickly on the tail of her sentence. He squirmed in the seat beside her, glancing around the waiting room.

    ?And you?re not touchy about said fear??

    ?No,? he said almost before she finished the question.

    She smirked. ?So you admit the fear exists??

    ?N-? I-?? Ganner fell silent. He scratched at his once-broken nose, studying his impeccably clean, obsessively-pressed standard-issue uniform.

    Onat noticed his malaise, and ? once she?d finished a scathing piece on talk show host Kal Ennison ? moved to improve his mood. ?It?s fine, Ganner,? she said in a flat awkward tone. Words of comfort tasted sour on her tongue. ?Everybody?s got hang-ups. Like, the chief is afraid of clowns. Seriously, I arrested one couple years back for this weird illegal gambling scheme? Long story short, I had to take him in from the place he was entertaining. The chief goes into the interrogation room to see him, closing the door behind him all calm and proper-like trying to intimidate the suspect with a cool façade, like he does. Five seconds pass, during which I assume he finally turned and saw the perp. Door comes flying open, and I swear I?ve never seen the chief move like that??

    She glanced over and Ganner was staring back blankly. She cleared her throat. ?Anyway.?
     
  20. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
    I'm hoping I can post this here, different threads have different rules. [face_worried]

    This is the story that started with the decapitation challenge. While the second one isn't exactly the prompt, it does start off with a quirk, so I guess it's relevant.

    Here's the link. :)
     
  21. 1Yodimus_Prime

    1Yodimus_Prime Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2004
    Face: Great stories are just lost on some people.

    Moose: go over these rules to ascertain relevence - does the story have OCs? check
    GREAT! You're in! :p

    Now all you need is someone's head flying off and - oop, you already do! Good thinking, planning ahead like that ;)
     
  22. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
    Yodimus: I think it's safe to say that I am a genius. :D

    I have an OC mush fic if anyone wants to read it. There's a link in my profile but I can post it here. It's got the same OCs as the fic I linked to in my previous post. :)
     
  23. TheOnlyJediPrincess

    TheOnlyJediPrincess Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2006
    Hi! I was poking around the Fan Fic Resources and I stumbled across this thread. From what I have read so far, seams like a great group. I wanted to introduce myself, I'm TheOnlyJediPrincess. I am usually found in the Fan Art Forum. I am still very new to the whole Fan Fiction world, and have just recently (with the help of Aiel, who very kindly took me as her Padawan) started posting my very own Fan Fic featuring an OC.

    I'm looking forwerd to hanging out here and reading more!
     
  24. Commander-DWH

    Commander-DWH Manager Emeritus star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 3, 2003
    Greetings, JediPrincess! This is one of two OC threads, and sadly the less active of the two. You might also want to visit us at The Essential Guide to OCs, since a) it's cool, b) OCs are awesome, and c) you can actually submit your fic to the OC Index.

    Anywhoo, welcome to the OC community. :D We don't bite, but you might want to watch out for blunt objects flying your way. We try not to hit our own, but accidents happen. Just ask Yodimus.
     
  25. palpyisgod2

    palpyisgod2 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 7, 2005
    Hey all, I'm not often seen OCing, but I thought up a cool poem/jingle just now...


    O!
    C!
    W!
    A!
    Who will we kill off today?
     
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