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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. Briman

    Briman Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 8, 2004
    I'll give it go :D

    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 :p 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 :_| At that point, I took her to the brink of death and left her teetering on the edge for quite a bit. Sorry Meari! :p

    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 :p


    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 [face_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 :p


     
  2. 1Yodimus_Prime

    1Yodimus_Prime Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2004
    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.
     
  3. Commander-DWH

    Commander-DWH Manager Emeritus star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 3, 2003
    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. :p 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. :p 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. :D I'd say more, but I'm typing this one-handed.
     
  4. CommanderConrad

    CommanderConrad Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 30, 2003
    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. [face_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.
     
  5. Sebulba2179

    Sebulba2179 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2002
    Hmm, here I go with both topics... ;)

    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. ;) 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. [face_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. ;) 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... [face_love] :D)

    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. ;) (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. :p)
     
  6. The_Face

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

    Registered:
    Feb 22, 2003
    Thank you, 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. :p

    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?! [face_devil] :p 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. 8-}

    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. :p

    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 figh
     
  7. NarundiJedi

    NarundiJedi Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 8, 2001
    I do hope this turns into a thread where we can always discuss new aspects of being an OC writer, because this is kinda fun! ;)

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


    As much as I love Siri and Gramps, my whole series is about Brodey and his family, and I spend the most amount of time developing Brodey's motives and character traits. If I had to pick somebody for the second spot, I'd go with either Siri, Chaser or Brodey's father, Noaa'lan. I also have to note that I couldn't help getting attached to all of these characters because they all have some traits from either myself or friends and family. So much for not inserting. ;)

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

    Probably killing off Brodey's grandmother. Although, without that little plot point, his uncle wouldn't have been so evil and Brodey might have had a chance at a boring childhood where nothing exciting happened except some underage drinking. :p

    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?


    I think Gramps was one of these types, just because the reaction to him back when I was writing "Sn'aala Hole" was usually "What is that mean old man going to do now?" and he's gradually become more popular and is taken as the comic relief.

    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?

    Cheap Merlot and spaghetti just about scream "Gramps". We'd probably talk about my unhealthy obsession with this "baseball" thing and what I plan to do next to his dear grandson.

    Jae O:)
     
  8. thesporkbewithyou

    thesporkbewithyou Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 13, 2005
    I'm out for a day and I miss a topic change! Oh boy...Anyway, this thread has been really helpfull. It's nice to hear from authors what they think about their OCs.

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

    Hm...OC number one will have to be Ramos Anteby. He appears in a fic that I'm struggling with that stars the Dozen pre-NJO as part of the squadron. His inspiration came from the Merlin/Gandalf/Obi-Wan type characters with a little bit of Hobbie Klivian thrown in, though he evolved into something a bit more. He was originally created as the one person in the Dozen besides Miko with a level head, and would be able to calm Kyp down a little before he decided to do anything rash.

    OC number two is Ashra. As I started writing Knights of the Living Dead, I wasn't sure whether or not to use mostly canon characters or not. However, once I got the whole plot worked out, I realized it would only work with OCs and for some reason, the need for the lead to be female arouse. Her inspiration came from my desire to have a female lead in this type of plot who wouldn't turn out to be Mary-Suish, and I think I might've succeeded.
     
  9. Mjsullivan

    Mjsullivan Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 8, 2003
    Hooray! An OC thread :D I love all of these gathering places - it's great to see just how many OC authors there are on the boards ;) With a bit of care an OC can be the most deeply interesting part of all fanfiction, so encouraging each other can never, ever be a bad thing ;) And so now! On to the topic!

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

    Hm. The temptation here is to say Clip Argentsson, my main OC from my two major fics. He's kind of the wide-eyed youth/struggling independent operator type that's caught in the middle of the galactic civil war. I like him. He's naive and always gets in trouble. Yeah, I'll go with Clip. Though he needs to grow up a little ;)


    The Bad

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

    You know, I havent really done alot of bad things to my OC's...I'm about to do something truly horrible to one of them in my current fic Working in Darkness which will be far and away the worst thing I've ever done. But so far, I guess I killed a minor OC in my first fic. He doesn't really count though :p Oh, I know! All my OC's should be deaf, because they are subjected to explosions far more often than they ought to be ;)


    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?

    I never expected Craft from WiD to get a nomination for best OC in the last awards, especially as he isn't nearly developed as he's going to be yet- but I can understand why he'd be a breakout ugly duckling. He's quirky and mysterious. And a Nautolan. Gotta love Nautolans.


    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?

    Well, seeing as my only other major OC has missed out so far, I guess I'd like to have dinner with Eva Pah'ker - a freelance gun-for-hire making do where she can in the galaxy. She's tough, but not invincible. I'd love to discuss her past with her, because not even I am totally sure what happened back then :p Oh, and I'd also like to ask her once and for all if she's ever going to develop a thing for Clip, because it's been threatened for a while ;) And then maybe she could tell me how she manages to come up with such devious break-and-enter schemes. Yeah, I'll go with Eva ;)


    All the replies so far have been so incredibly interesting! There are some OC's here that are inviting me to their fics...I dont know how long I can resist! lol. Us OC writers have to stick together, and all that ;)

    Looking forward to hearing more from people :D
     
  10. oqidaun

    oqidaun Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2005
    There are some amazing OCs floating around here. Make sure you tell us what story/viggie they appear in or even be so bold to post a link. Shameless self promotion is ok.

    Inspiration for OCs...

    Mazaricky No-Name: I find him very easy to write because essentially I know part of Maz very well. A lot of Maz is actually based on my brother in his less than glorious moments; which I can't really say too many bad or self righteous things about as I was invaribly alway standing within five feet of him. The other part of Maz that has to do with appearance, mannerisms and that hint of flamboyance,is a hybrid of Seth Green's characters particularly James St. James from Party Monster and Scott Evil from the Austin Powers Series.

    General Lucian Kale: She's a lieutenant general in A Thousand Shades of Gray/A Cacophony of Voices. I was inspired to construct her character actually from another OC of mine in the Matrix fandom, yet she's got her head screwed on tighter and has a better grasp of the obvious. With Kale I let a little bit of myself sneak in--typically if she does something stupid or sticks her foot in her mouth it's me. I do this as she has to interact with my uber-OC Lambarde. As he's larger than life to me, I often imagine how I'd fall on my face trying to sound intelligent or act graceful around him. She's not a Mary-Sue as she wears all of my faults quite proudly. I've also made a distinct working-class connection for her based on friends and experiences I had growing up.
     
  11. R_Zion

    R_Zion Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 23, 2004
    What a great thread. We OC'ers gotta stick together, after all. ^_^

    I myself deal almost exclusively in OCs with occassional Canon cameos within the stories. I like the greater exercise in creativity in having to create and the build and shape interesting, three-dimensional characters that can seem very natural and at home within the GFFA, and the give them stories that can fit in with established continuity while giving them their own adventures. That's not to say, though, that they won't have their occassional run-ins with, say, Darth Vader or Wedge Antilles. ^_^


    The Good:

    Wow, this is hard? I have so many OCs, each with their own quirks and personalities. If I had to pick, though, I?d say my two ?mains?, the Duros Merc Captain Marikk Danar and the Quarren Swordsman Sillek. The more I plan out the ?Tales from the Fringe? series, the more Sillek and his past keep surfacing up. In fact, I?m trying to watch myself that the series doesn?t focus too much on just him since it?s an Ensemble performance. As for Marikk, he?s just an overall fun character to write and the walking definition of ?just a simple man, trying to make his way through the universe.? Though using the word simple to describe the good Captain Danar doesn?t quite do him justice. These two characters, though generally opposites in personalities, have really hung with each other to help the other along through their lives of troubles.


    The Bad

    Oy vay?.not too much has happened yet, but there are a few instances yet. The emotional pain for Sillek after finding out about the death of his commander and mentor, Sev?rance Tann, which eventually led him into the clutches of Count Dooku to be shaped and molded into a tool of revenge against the Republic.

    Let?s see, upcoming we also have death by Thermal Detonator, the trauma of two boys after witnessing the death of many before their eyes by the hands of an assassin during the Clone Wars, and the works and mutations of a mad Sith Alchemist and his great Abomination.



    The Ugly

    Well, I haven?t actually started writing him yet, but my character named Karada Barkura, a ?Jedi? assassin. I?ve been having had worked on various pictures of my OCs and when writing Karada?s two bios (it?ll make sense eventually), I was able to really develop his character into a fascinating and three-dimensional (hopefully) villain. He should be most fun to write in story 4 and hopefully enjoyable to read.

    Actually, likewise could be said two of members of the focus ship, ?the Nova Hound?: the young loves of the human gunman and jack-of-all-trades Abras Seaskimmer and the Twi?lek medic Shalla Zar. I?ll just say, the more I plot out the stories, both as a series and individually, the more their characters expand and their plots really grow. In fact, when I was planning the story initially, the two of the ended up going in a direction I might not have normally planned for. I don?t even remember how I quite got them to the point I?ve planned for, but I like where it?s taking them.

    This might not been too thrilling a read, but I?m trying to guard from giving out too many spoilers.



    The Dinner Date

    Yikes, who to say? well, I?d say Dormanin Vebis, the towering Vurk mechanic on the ?Nova Hound.? He might be one of the most pleasant, most well-adjusted members of the crew, yet like most of the others, he hasn?t said much about his past. He was born with a birth defect that has given him incredible size and strength in comparison to others of his species, but doesn?t have the ability to properly speak, thus he had to build himself a small translation unit her wears on his belt. I?ve not really done too much with his character yet, but I?d talk to him about how he?s persevered despite his disabilities and the persecution they were sure to bring, about his past and his life in general, and maybe for a little bit of tech chat, for which he is an expert and I?m?..well, not the most knowledgeable of people. ^_^ All this and how he first met and or came to build LEDA, his b
     
  12. wendynat

    wendynat Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jun 8, 2005
    Oh, yay! I've grown such a fondness for OCs, I'm glad to see this thread getting a lot of activity. I'd better play, too, as one of the boldly insane OC-writers ;).

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

    I'd say N'oenar. I've spent the most time developing him, and he's really, I think, a very well-rounded character. I don't want to say too much more, for fear of giving spoilers for anyone who may be reading Severing the Past.

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

    Well, I suppose to this point, Toryndo from StP and Leri Potan from The True Challenge have had the worst of it (but that will change as I continue with Severing the Past). Toryndo was a Jedi Knight who was almost to safety when he was blasted by clone troopers making sweeps of the undercity of Coruscant after the Emperor's speech. Leri was sliced up by Anakin, her friend and comrade, in the Jedi Temple.

    Actually, almost all of my characters run into bad times - I'm not a very nice writer ;).

    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?

    I'd have to say Kerenne Kharr from StP. I'd always had some big plans for her character, but the richness and layers that her personality has gained has surprised even me :). She's great fun to write, and it's especially fun because some of the readers are getting into the "is she 'evil' or not" questioning, which is really flattering.

    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?

    Hmm. I'd probably invite N'oenar - but I'd have to avoid any discussions of his future in my fic. Plus, I think he'd get a kick out of eating spaghetti - they don't serve that in the Jedi Temple, after all.


    TOPIC 2: Where in the Hoth did you get these OCs??
    Have they been inspired by any aspect of a person living or dead, fiction or nonfiction, perhaps a painting, a song or poem or maybe that person at the Burger King you held up last week?

    Hmm. I think Kerenne is definitely inspired by a friend of mine, mixed with the assassin from Episode II. Most of my characters are a hodgepodge of personality traits, actually, but Lysira (StP) is almost a carbon copy of one overbearing Aunt I have. My aunt is loud, opinionated, way funny, and loving with her family. Lots of fun to write!

     
  13. Thumper09

    Thumper09 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 9, 2001
    First the on-topic part. :p

    "Where in the Hoth did you dig up these OCs?"

    Well, funny you should phrase it like that, because my main OC did come from Hoth, in a way. :p Darin was originally created as an RPG character (like 1Yodimus_Prime, I started out with roleplaying [and still do], so OC's are the "norm" to me), and the beginning of the first game session was the Battle of Hoth. When the game ended, I decided to go back and really flesh out Darin's background, so the vast majority of stories I've written are of him with his previous squadron in the time immediately after Yavin (link in sig). Darin's a lot like me in some ways and completely different in others, and I essentially cherry-picked his traits based on what I wanted him to be like, what his upbringing would have likely produced in him, and what traits made logical sense to go together.

    My second OC's story is even longer, but I'll try to cut it short. Basically, the inspiration for the character's personality was his nickname. While looking through an AD&D Player's Handbook one night with a friend, we stopped on the equipment section and started talking about using names of weapons as character nicknames (like Blade, Dagger, and so on). Looking through the equipment list, my eyes stopped on "Quiver", and I just thought it would be the most hilarious thing ever to have a character named that (it was late, I was loopy with caffeine, you get the picture :p ). Since I wasn't planning on RP'ing anytime soon, the only character I could use it for was Darin's as-yet-unnamed wingman, so..."Quiver" became the callsign of Darin's wingman. It also followed that no one with a strange nickname like that could take themselves seriously, so Quiver became a fun-loving, extroverted prankster. Makes for some fun dynamics when putting him together with my quiet, introverted Darin.

    Now for a quick off-topic part:
    :eek: Sebulba, you're a DueSer?! That's my favorite show of all time! :D The very first horrible fanfic I ever wrote was a Due South piece. :p Awesome. :)

    -Thumper
     
  14. Shadowolf

    Shadowolf Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    May 4, 2005
    I wasn't the only one who had to grin reading Sebulba was a DS fan! :) Incidentally, knowing what inspired that OC of Sebulba's has me chomping at the bit to read the fics he's in. I loved Detective Vecchio! :)
     
  15. emimar

    emimar Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2003
    "Where in the Hoth did you dig up these OCs"

    I've been writing Star Wars fan fiction for almost ten years now. As soon as I read Kevin J Anderson's Jedi Academy Trilogy I was hooked on Star Wars novels and so that was my first inspiration. During the early years, I could never seem to be able to come up with something new and I wanted to write about aliens, rather than human characters, so I started looking for inspriation to find the right species. It came when I was looking at Stackpole's role call for Rogue Squadron - Shistavanens - and as I have an obession for wolves, that was it. The first characters I came up with eventually became the core characters in a original fantasy story, but some like the Trandoshan Kobrossk, became one of my Star Wars ocs.
     
  16. Sebulba2179

    Sebulba2179 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2002
    Oh man, I freaking LOVED Due South. Still do - I picked up the DVD sets at Best Buy recently. :D You can't imagine (well, maybe you can) how overjoyed I am to meet a couple of people who still remember it!

    As a major OC, he's in just about all my fics - the links are in my bio. His big story, however, is in progress and linked from my sig. If you ever have time to read the rest of the stories, I think you'll find that Jacen exhibits a few Fraser-like tendencies here and there. ;) (No, they do not include tasting dirt or rooting through dumpsters...)
     
  17. lazykbys_left

    lazykbys_left Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 17, 2005
    oqidaun: There are some amazing OCs floating around here. Make sure you tell us what story/viggie they appear in or even be so bold to post a link. Shameless self promotion is ok.

    It is? In that case . . .


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

    1. Kalima Rhombro (a minor character in The Holoshill) was inspired by a line in Before the Storm where Leia tells Luke about all the women who have turned up claiming to be their biological mother. A couple of twists later, Kalima was born.

    2. I was watching AotC for the nth time and it occurred to me that Obi-Wan seemed too casual with his Jedi mind trick ("You want to go home and rethink your life"). I immediately thought about that proverbial road to hell (you know, the one that's paved with good intensions), and eventually I came up with the nameless Jedi in Illicit Acts.

    - lazy
     
  18. lindemacil

    lindemacil Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2005
    I would have done this sooner, if I hadn't been distracted by all the other great OC stories mentioned. I had to do a lot of side-tracking. ;)

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


    Nirel Berne (from Family Portraits) kinda created herself. I was thinking about Amidala's funeral and trying to imagine what that must have been like for the citizens of Theed to stand at her funeral and watch her pass by. It started as just a paragraph, a rather crummy first-person description of the scene. Then the voice began to develop into a character, and then it began talking about her family. She didn't even have a name until about a week after I posted the first vig.

    Some of my relatives have shown up in Nirel's family. Her mother (who has only been mentioned) is based off one of my aunts, who is constantly asking me when I'm going to find a good man and settle down -- fortunately, my aunt has never threatened to disown me for enjoying my single lifestyle. Her grandmother plays an integral role in a vig I haven't yet posted, and she's modeled after my own mother, who is much more supportive of bachlorettes. Her uncle Rurik is an amalgamation of my father, my uncle, and my great-uncle. I've tried to make their familial relationships as realistic as possible by examining how my own family acts, which is probably why I see so many of my relatives in the different Bernes.


    Like Nirel, Cynari Willfire wrote herself into existence. She just started speaking to me, and by the time she had finished, I Want to Break Free was the end result. She named herself; I did not know who she was until I wrote the last line. Of course, since then, her character has become more developed. I'm not entirely sure where the inspiration for Cynari came from. She's one of those characters that just appears. Her particular perception of the Force is very much influenced by what I've learned about Taoism and Zen Buddhism. While Nirel is more of a manifestation of my mundane/secular surroundings, Cyrani is a representation of my spiritual interests.
     
  19. Exeter

    Exeter Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2005
    Choose two OCs and tell us about what has inspired you as their creator.

    From my latest story, The Golden Siege:

    Bashu Rubh-Saavo

    He is the interesting result of a diverse combination of my cousin (I correspond with him while he's in Iraq, we're very close), a set of dispatches from a British officer stationed in Sudan during the rise of the Mahdi, and this very cool scrapbook of 1939-1948 postcards (complete with messages on them - detailing the correspondance of a German family) I came to be in possession of. I'm a sucker for those kinds of things, and they each led a little bit to the fervently-loyal, somewhat reluctant but ultimately satisfied Rubh-Saavo.

    Alaric Cunarsis

    Actually, I originally got my first inspiration from lazykbyz_left's The Holoshill, and then began shaping him outward from there. I used ABC Nightline producer Jay Weiss as a guide to shaping his basic personality and then just let my imagination run from there.

    Great thread, oqidaun :D
     
  20. oqidaun

    oqidaun Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2005
    Bushu Rubh Saavo sounds like a George MacDonald Fraser approach to character construction. I say that assuming you know of Fraser, he wrote the Flashman series and you can see a lot of his characters taken from his own experiences in Burma during WWII as recollected in Quartered Safe Out Here (one of my all time favorite books). Here's the wiki entry if you're unfamiliar with him.

    I'm really impressed with your OCs so it's interesting to see where they come from. :D
     
  21. maderic

    maderic Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 8, 2004
    This thread screams out to me like an Ewok who is being stepped on by a scout trooper. But I'm drawing blanks. The character that I would call my greatest OC (Serra Keto) isn't even an original character by definition. I simply turned a cameo appearance in a shoddy video-game into a three-dimensional character that had life, friends, foes, and lots of conflict.

    The Good:
    See above. Serra Keto, though she isn't mine in namesake, is about as close as I've gotten to a memorable OC in my mind, at least. She honestly has me debating on how she would handle different situations if she was faced with them. But since she isn't a *true* OC, I don't know if I'm allowed to use her for this....I'll have to go with Jora Syther of Jedi Betrayal non-fame. He's the cooky, awkward young Jedi who is swiftly developing into a powerhorse of a main character that the entire fanfiction series revolves around.

    The Bad: Umm...I'm not quite sure if I *get* the question. I've killed off a Jedi Knight with Mandalorian knee-darts (the ultimate in galactic humiliation!), but I've also had General Grievous mercilessly snap the neck of an innocent girl as well as viciously behead a Jedi Knight. So it's a toss-up, really. I think Ariss got it pretty bad in Jedi Betrayal I, but Raze got treated similiarly.

    Err...enough of that. It's coming to me now. The worst thing I've ever done to an OC? Erase him from existance. The character of Ruraq Gression was written into Jedi Betrayal II and then entirely erased out of it *the day* before I began to post it online. My reasons? He bored me and he was, frankly, without a point.

    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?

    Yes. Kysslik-Tyyes Faanu of The Fallen Shroud is the ugly duckling of ugly ducklings. Read the story to find out why. [/shameless plug]

    The Dinner Date: Sallanis Morné, again from TFS. Why her? Her character is based on a very good friend of mine (both on looks and on her personality). I view her as a female Obi-Wan Kenobi (prequels) who manages the role of best friend and loyal Jedi at the same time. What would we discuss? Oh, jeez, I don't know. She'd probably find me boring as all Sith.


    TOPIC 2: Where in the Hoth did you get these OCs??

    Again, Sallanis is my prime example. She is my best friend incarnated as a Jedi in a campy Clone Wars fan-fiction. The ability to use subtle sarcasm that amounts to poking fun at people followed by dead-as-Windu seriousness is something I'm not able to pull off in any character but Sallanis. She morphed herself from what was supposed to be a simple secondary female lead to a prime star in this grand trio of main characters that make of the framework for The Fallen Shroud.

    Number two? Oh boy. Ariss Montex. That's good enough place as any to start, I guess. He was designed originally to be this Machiavellian mobster of a character who ruled through deceit and a web of lies. Then he turned himself into a pathetic coward of a character who you almost felt sorry for -- he's manipulated and used in a fashion not unlike Count Dooku. You get this feeling that he's just there to be The Villian? when you first meet him, but then he quickly peels away from that stereotype and evolves himself into something much more....and, perhaps, much less. He's a snakey coward of a person who I can associate most closely with Leo DiCaprio's Louis XIV in The Man in the Iron Mask. This aristocratic, arrogant, cowardly snob of a human. Throw in the manipulated factor and a lightsaber and you've got King Montex.


     
  22. _JM_

    _JM_ Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 26, 2001
    Feels like I should be able to respond to this, last few stories I?ve written have been OCs and most of the ones I have plotted out are OCs, but I tend to create them for each story to fill the role and plot.

    I suppose the nastiest thing I ever did to an OC was have him stabbed in the back of the knees, stripped of his armour, put in a ?bamboo? cage, and kept by the Ewoks for later consumption and that was in my first story here.
     
  23. Exeter

    Exeter Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2005
    oqidaun - Yes! I have Quartered Safe Out Here and Mr. American. Frazer has a very special style of writing and of retelling stories. I'm glad you like my OCs - yours are pretty incredible too. Badour, oh my sweet little Badour, what have you done... :p
     
  24. whiskers

    whiskers Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 19, 2005
    Hello everyone.

    Where in the Hoth did I dig up Jorec?

    Jorec Merridon in a way comes almost directly from myself, as many RPG characters do draw from their creator. When writing him for fan fiction, I'm trying to imagine how I would react myself to the situations facing him. I guess it's kind of hard to get the RPG character aspect out of him, even though the game he was created for died almost a month ago.

    Another thing that really shaped him, were the other players in the game. There were so many interesting PCs that were a part of the game, and their reactions to my actions and vice-versa really helped me shape him into probably one of my all-time favorite RPG characters, and I hope that others also enjoy the character.
     
  25. oqidaun

    oqidaun Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2005
    There's a bright shiny new topic at the top.
    Hmmm. shiny.
     
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