Original character story fan club

I think that's mostly it. The chance to see how other people see a universe we share is interesting, and to see how someone else sees what might have been behind actions we see on screen. That is a major point of reading any tie-in. And I find that canon character stories tend to go for a lot of depth--they don't have to establish a lot of external information as OC stories do, so they can dive straight into the soul.

And I do think there's a point where an OC story stops being a SW story. That's not meant as a bad thing--there's nothing wrong with there being a new original science fiction story in the world! But if it touches on nothing in the SW galaxy, has no known characters, doesn't address any known themes, and intersects with no known events... you've got a regular sf story on your hands.

 

OK, that makes alot of sense, but then why write an OC Star Wars fan fic?

You could just as easily write your own story and try to get it published for real (not gaurenteed success, of course) and maybe earn some money at it on the side.

I know I write OC fan fics in SW because it's such a large, diverse, universe that I love expanding on it, but why should we bother otherwise? Maybe our time could be better spent?

(Note, this question is for purely speculative purposes. I'm not trying to flame my fellow OC lovers.)

 

The point where I like to write OC stories is in looking at a known event from eyes we haven't looked through before. I've done the destruction of Alderaan from the points of view of three different children--Lasan (and Vertash) in "The Flight To Rison's Deep," to look at it from the point of view of people who are Imperial loyalists without being evil; "Extreme Action," in which it is the memory of a teenage Alderaanian girl who was in boarding school at the time--she is actually witnessing the takeover of Cloud City (it appears to have been archived while I was writing this!); and "Hidden Home," which is the story of another Alderaanian girl who had run away in a snit and hidden on a merchant ship--she is later taken into slavery and ends up meeting Vertash on Tatooine... and trying to kill him. I like seeing how these known events impact different people.

Sometimes it's a canon character I want to take a different look at; that's what Dritali Neral was about, seeing Vader from the point of view of a stranger who hero-worshipped him.

Zemai Laryhi was created for a round robin of OCs about the original Sith uprising, described in Terry Brooks' TPM novelization. She got a little Mary-Sue-ish from time to time, but I still like her. So I quasi-reincarnated her and brought her back as a distant descendant.

Maybe you just want to look at a different perspective on the Force, or being a Jedi or Sith apprentice. It's unrelated to canon characters or events, but very much related to themes and concepts that can't be extricated from SW.

 

OK, that makes alot of sense, but then why write an OC Star Wars fan fic?

That is the question...isn't it. Here's my answer. This is not intended to flame anyone or hurt anyone's feelings. Although, some may think it's a little brash and have told me I shouldn't have this opinion, be a good little Stormtrooper and not rock the boat.

I am sick of submitting stories to the FanFic archive and being refused because I didn't "write the canon character the way they were written in the books. Or seen in the movies." They didn't say the right things or move the right way. I write OC fics (for the most part) because I would like to get a story archived some day and it seems like that's the only way to go. I say this, because it seems to me, and this is just my opinion, that the reviewers at the archive have their own idea about what every canon character should be and if the story I write doesn't meet that exact criteria, then it's no good. Most of the stories on the archive are very very good. There are others that I think to myself "what is this...?" But, what are you going to do? That ends my rant, thank you and I hope you weren't offended.

The story I'm working on now, and continue to work on has several canon characters, but revolves around an OC. The reason I started it, was because of a conversation I had on these boards a while ago about why people wouldn't read my first story, which was all OC. It was suggested that I write a canon fic to get a reader base, then introduce them to my other fics slowly. So far, it seems to be working. That's all for now.

 

I disagree. There are a lot of different interpretations of canon characters in the archive. But there are wrong ways to do canon characters--they have ways of speaking, ways of interacting, ways of behaving which are consistent based upon the movies, and a character who does something totally out of tune with the way he behaves in the movies without any explanation is out of character. That's the challenge of writing the canon characters--you can't just do any old thing. You have to make them feel like you just happened to catch them in a moment Lucas never filmed. That means getting the cadences of their voices right, the nature of their movements, etc. And it means that their actions and motivations must be consistent and reasonable based on what happens in the movies. There are a lot of different ways that might happen, but not everything works. It's very much related to acting--you're taking a pre-existing character and giving an interpretation that fans will immediately recognize.

 

I agree with JG. If you have a canon character say a line that he or she would never say in the movies or the profic, then that's a bad characterization, unless you give the character a reason to act that way (a lot of AUs have canon characters acting strangely, but that's because they are in different situations, and in a good AU the character will seem to react realisitically to that situation).


The reason I wrote my OC fic was to explore an area of Star Wars that nobody else had. Of course, within six months a bunch of other peole had the same bright idea. But to write about the founding of the Old Republic and the very first Jedi requires OCs. To tie them in with Star Wars I used completely known planets, with the one exception being the planet Jedos, from which Jedi get their name. My readers were delighted with the way it tied into the canon GFFA, because I did try to connect it at every opportunity.

 

For me, an OC fic is one that's based in what we know. The laws of physics as per SW, lightsaber combat, the Force, Jedi, Sith, all these are themes and backgrounds to the universe we know and love. An OC fic is exploring that which we know, but through a new pair of eyes. It's the same Galaxy, it's just we're looking at it through a different window!

 

I agree my story is an OC story (save Yoda and a few) and I think it's nice to perhaps see the Star Wars universe from other characters other than those we actually know of. There is all this history outside of the Star Wars movies and it's nice to explore that history rather than retread the same ground. Now that I don't like writing fics about Luke, Obi-wan and Vader etc.

 

On the issue of canon characters:

There is one true interpretation of every movie character, and that would be the interpretation we see on the screen. However, that's the interpretation of what that character would do in that set of events. Put that character in a different set of events, and all bets are off.

But there is a limit to the freedom of fan fiction. We do have parameters set up by canon sources, and those act as guidelines for what we write, even in the strangest of alternate universes. For example, Obi-Wan would never give Anakin a credit card and tell him to have a good time out on the town. (And I would be thoroughly frightened if he did. ) But is it possible that, given the right circumstances, Anakin might kill Padmé? Sure, it's possible. How likely it is depends upon the circumstances. One thing that some people find useful for writing movie characters is to try to imagine the character speaking the lines or performing the actions. If you can't see the actor or hear the actor's voice, chances are that you've got a characterization problem.

Now, about OC stories...

It's a tricky business deciding when a story stops being a Star Wars story. Obviously, a story that is completely canon - say, Vader right before the OT begins - is indubitably Star Wars, and a story that contains nothing about the Jedi, Sith, the Force, any recognizable characters, locations, or objects is not Star Wars. The boundary between is considerably fuzzier than that. Personally, I have trouble reading stories that are all original characters, especially when they're far away from the movies and books. Granted, I've read a couple that were excellent, but I had to push myself to read them. Even if the author tries to make connections to published works, there's still a nagging voice telling me that if you changed some names, this could just be a completely original story rather than just an original character fan fiction. (Incidentally, I had the same problem with Traitor, where I don't think there were any movie characters at all. 'Twas weird.) Still, I'll grant that those stories are still Star Wars stories - but barely.

But having said that, I certainly wouldn't want to discourage someone from putting in any OCs whatsoever. I've also read some stories where it felt like the author was just pushing to avoid original characters at all, and the canon characters they put in as cameos just didn't feel right. The movie characters aren't always together all the time, after all. It's unrealistic to expect that when a pilot walks by the background that it must be Wedge. Granted, an original character shouldn't upstage a canon character (like someone other than Luke playing the part of Anakin's redeemer), as it smacks of Mary Sue. But there's a balance to be found, and where that balance is depends upon your story.

Hope that made sense.

Mel

 

The problem with creating an "original world" is that you can't use the shorthand. Sure, I could write an OC/OS, about a member of an order of mystical warrior/priests sworn to uphold justice, but every reader would know it was a rip-off. So why not just cut to the chase?

Vs. the "canon characters..." I personally find them pretty easy to write (except Mace Windu), but they are so often portrayed in uncharacteristic ways (how many girlfriends/sisters has Obi-Wan had on these boards?) that the argument for writing an original story can be made for them, too. I mean, given characterization, there is a point where canon stories aren't really "Star Wars" either...

I'm saving my "orignal" ideas for a creepy story/mystery I want to do someday. Only it won't be gory enough to really fall into the horror category, so there is not a lot of chance it will ever be published... Published authors, it seems, need to aim at least "R" to make it to print.

 

And here we go again...

First of all, JG, with all due respect you answered just the way I thought you would. Again, no offense is intended, but as FernWithy you are a prominent member of the archive. Look at some of the early *::ahemthefirststoryahem: excuse me folks...works on the archive and tell me there's not some serious, serious characterization problems. Old Halo 'Een. That's all I've got to say.

While I do agree that you are all absolutely right in that there's a certain way that most of the characters should be written, and Han Solo should never, ever under any circumstances have a line such as "Do you these pants look okay on me?" every profic work that has been released has written the characters slightly different. If you need an example, check out the Jacen Solo of "Traitor" then check out the Jacen Solo of "Destiny's Way." They aren't quite night and day, but they're definately not written from the same point of view. Anyways, my point is that the reviewers are, IMHO, very conservative as to what they archive and what they don't. It just seems that one would have more luck with an OC than with canon because of that loming "charactarization problems" email that is always inevitable in a rejection letter from the FanFic Archive.

My second point goes to Melyanna. I know this isn't a "Mary Sue" thread, but she brought it up, so I'm going to expound on it.

Just because an OC redeems Anakin Skywalker by throwing Palpatine into the shaft, or cuts him down with a lightsaber, or Stone Cold Stuns him in the middle of the throne room doesn't make that character a Mary Sue. I'm sorry, but that's a term I think is way too overused in the fanfic arena, and especially Star Wars fanfic. I've said this before and I'll say it again, because it definately relates directly to OC's. Alot of new writers, or at least new writers to fanfic, are scared to share their OC stories because they're afraid they will be flamed for writing a Mary Sue or a Gary Lou or whatever.

I hope my ranting has made sense. The bottom line is, unless your screen name here on the Jedi Council Forums is accrispin, MikeStackpole, allston, annlewis1, ElaineCunningham or MWStover you do this for fun. Perhaps someday Melyanna, or Mcily or JG or even I will be a professional writer and get to shape the way the Star Wars Universe is viewed. But, right now we're all just "geeky" fanfic writers so let's have some fun and enjoy the story telling.

P.S. I use the term "geeky" to describe myself as much as anyone else. I'm proud and happy to be a "Star Wars Geek." Just thought I should clear that up before anyone got mad at me for calling them names.

 

JG is a professional writer, Urban.

On OC's and Mary Sues: I have to disagree with you that an OC redeeming Anakin Skywalker isn't a Mary Sue. Were it your own universe, and were Anakin Skywalker your own OC, I wouldn't have problems. But taking an established canon character and having them saved, or defeated by, or whatever by an OC (it's late - I can't think of good situations ) is pretty much, to me, treading on the lines of Mary Suedom. I mean, for Anakin to remain completely in character, that OC would have to be Luke-ish (I seriously don't know how any OC could redeem Vader...but since this was the example given, I'll go with it) or at least be playing enough of a Luke-like role that it ends up seeming pointless not having Luke there instead. It just feels..contrived... more than anything. If the character being redeemed was your own character, however, then I wouldn't see a problem. In my mind, though (and it may just be me) OC-canon interaction at such a level is definite Mary-Sue territory.

 

(I am a pro writer--well, semi-pro, sort of, awhile back--but that doesn't mean I know everything. But thanks, Sil.)

That actually is where I'd have the Mary-Sue line drawn: when an OC takes over the function of a canon character, thereby diminishing the importance of the canon character. I can see either Leia or Padme filling the redeemer role instead of Luke, but not an OC.

 

This is kind of interesting. UrbanJedi mentioned an early archive story with major characterization problems of canon characters. Other people are talking about it being bad when an OC takes over the role of a canon character. If the story he's talking about is the one I think it is, then I agree that there are some big characterization problems, and that story also has an OC that in some ways supplants the roles of canon characters... yet most people seem to think that that story is really great. ?

 

I'm not sure which story he's thinking about. The thing with the archive is that, despite having two--sometimes three--reviewers on each story, you are dealing with individual aesthetics. My basic problem was with his statement that all the characterizations were the same; they aren't. The number of different versions of Vader alone is staggering--my own mostly tortured fallen hero, several with him as little more than a viscious hunter, etc. And the fact that anything I write can co-exist with anything that has an Obidala triangle in it is enough to show that a range of characterization choices are accepted. I don't agree with all of them.

 

First of all, JG, with all due respect you answered just the way I thought you would. Again, no offense is intended, but as FernWithy you are a prominent member of the archive. Look at some of the early *::ahemthefirststoryahem: excuse me folks...works on the archive and tell me there's not some serious, serious characterization problems. Old Halo 'Een. That's all I've got to say.

Yes, there are stories on the archive that aren't as good as the current submissions. I wasn't on the staff at the time - just joined a little under a year ago myself - but my understanding was that everyone was a little new to the reviewing game, and it took a while to figure out exactly what our standards were. And at this point it would be unfair to those authors to remove them from the archive.

While I do agree that you are all absolutely right in that there's a certain way that most of the characters should be written, and Han Solo should never, ever under any circumstances have a line such as "Do you these pants look okay on me?" every profic work that has been released has written the characters slightly different. If you need an example, check out the Jacen Solo of "Traitor" then check out the Jacen Solo of "Destiny's Way." They aren't quite night and day, but they're definately not written from the same point of view. Anyways, my point is that the reviewers are, IMHO, very conservative as to what they archive and what they don't. It just seems that one would have more luck with an OC than with canon because of that loming "charactarization problems" email that is always inevitable in a rejection letter from the FanFic Archive.

Yes, the Extended Universe has shown some vastly disparate characterizations, most notably in the New Jedi Order series. However, since the archive is a juried archive - the staff is there to select the stories that will appear on the site. As such, we can be very picky about what we take in the way of characterization. And as most people here know, you can resubmit, and you can talk with the reviewers about what was wrong with your story. Granted, some of us have time constraints and can't go into a whole lot of detail, but at the very least, if the comment you get is characterization problems, the reviewer should tell you which characters she thought were out of character.

And please don't bash the archive. This is not the place for it, as the archive and the boards are not connected. Besides, I've had to deal with enough disgruntled authors privately to last me for the next ten years. I don't want to deal with this in public as well.

Just because an OC redeems Anakin Skywalker by throwing Palpatine into the shaft, or cuts him down with a lightsaber, or Stone Cold Stuns him in the middle of the throne room doesn't make that character a Mary Sue. I'm sorry, but that's a term I think is way too overused in the fanfic arena, and especially Star Wars fanfic. I've said this before and I'll say it again, because it definately relates directly to OC's. Alot of new writers, or at least new writers to fanfic, are scared to share their OC stories because they're afraid they will be flamed for writing a Mary Sue or a Gary Lou or whatever.

I'm going to have to disagree with you there. When I wrote the article at the archive on Mary Sues, I read a lot of articles from various fandoms about Mary Sues. The general consensus among all the essayists whose work I read was that one of the major qualities of a Mary Sue is that she outshines the established characters. This doesn't mean that someone couldn't write an amazingly good story with a character who redeems Vader or otherwise usurps a role important to a canon character. I would just be incredibly cautious of it myself - I know that I have a tendency to turn my original characters into Mary Sues, so trying to substitute an original character into a role like redeeming Vader is something that would set off a lot of alarms in my mind. I know that it can be done, but until I'm more confident of my own writin

 

Hello, all. Intelligent discussion like this sparks a fire in me, so here goes.

This line of conversation reminds me of another Writers? Resource thread a few months ago. There, they discussed the standards/expectations of the archive, and provided some comfort in being rejected. When it comes down to it, having a story rejected happens to everyone, and doesn?t necessarily reflect on the author?s literal talent or skill - its personal opinions clashing against each other. A collection of very wise users taught me that, and even though I never participated in the thread, I know better than to complain and demand those in charge accept my piece, but to resolve to improve my work.

As for the archive?s tough barriers, it comes as a privilege to be archived there, and with the time you devote to accomplish that, you should be proud of yourself and thankful to the staff. They don?t work for money, you know.

Thankfully for us, the reviewers have an open mind and the fanfiction accepted vary. I agree that characterisation is in the eyes of the beholder ? although, if you suddenly had Mara crying like a baby, I can guarantee that mostly everyone would object if her emotions weren?t suitable to the circumstances. And while we?re on that subject, branching off into Mary-Sue territory, I?d like to add the need for beta-readers to identify characterisations problems. I?m positive the reviewers have become displeased in the past reading a story which has cardboard characters. At the same time, readers shouldn?t be frightened of revealing any of their stories (OC or otherwise), but be prepared to receive a blunt response when allowing their stories to be judged by archive staff.

Unlike the archive, JC is open to posting everyday, and these newbies you discuss, UrbanJedi, can gather opinions on their work here. I?ve found a good portion of the users here to be very pleasant and helpful. If a reader requests for honest feedback to improve a story, they will give it. Same goes for the opposite, of course.

Although, I agree that some fanfiction previously accepted into the archive when it was first established might not show up to the standards of today, but those authors should not be robbed of their accomplishment. Quite a few of those stories I have enjoyed over an afternoon tea, and I don?t think they deserve the ?discarded? treatment. As you stated, UrbanJedi, fanfiction writing is for fun ? then, why do you wish to pick on a certain few stories, despite their little blunders?

After all, it?s just for fun, right?

Am

 

Hmmmm... while I agree with UrbanJedi that 'Mary Sue' is an overused term on these boards, the exact nature of which differs from person to person, I think that the point on wether a character who changes the events of the cannon storyline so dramatically is fairly moot.

If your character throws Palpatine into the pit, kills Vader or any of the major characters, (or something of similar impact) you're really writing an AU aren't you?

 

Yes... but Mary can exist in AU.

The funny thing about fanfic is that we are much more conscious of Mary Sue than our profic counterparts. But I think she does have something of a place in an OC discussion--though I agree that we're nearing the end of it--because she's why a lot of people steer clear of OC stories. They tried one at some point, realized that the main character was basically a Mary Sue (though they probably didn't know the term--I would think that any definition of Mary Sue would have to include that she is obvious even to people who have never read the checklist), and decided not to read any more.

 

But anything goes in an AU, doesn't it? I mean, it doesn't matter what you do in an AU because it's not really intended to be a serious part of the SW universe, an AU is really a chance to do a speculative 'What If?' senario. Not that it matters in my case, I don't write AUs, but I still enjoy reading them.

I thought that a 'Mary sue' was an over the top character... I generally wouldn't class a character as a Mary Sue if the only thing they were guilty of was wounding Vader (even knocking him cold). I mean, check out 'The Apprentice Sidious' series... wasn't there an ex-jedi in one of those who did a pretty good job of whipping Mara Jade, Darth Vader and Sidious all in the same day? If that guy was related to Mace Windu (perhaps the child of him and Adi Gallia), then I'd consider him a Mary Sue, sure.

I just dislike the fear of creating a Mary Sue that harping on them creates, particularly in new authors. I'm not encouraging people to go out and create that secret Falleen Noble son of Xizor who trained as a Sith under Palpatine after ROTJ, but can't we push the boundry JUST A LITTLE? I know several fics on this board which are excellent that have many 'Mary Sue'-ish characters and I enjoy them just as much. I know others do as well.

 

But anything goes in an AU, doesn't it? I mean, it doesn't matter what you do in an AU because it's not really intended to be a serious part of the SW universe, an AU is really a chance to do a speculative 'What If?' senario. Not that it matters in my case, I don't write AUs, but I still enjoy reading them.

I actually think AUs are much stricter than regular fics. "Anything goes"... I don't think so.

 

Wow, what an interesting conversation has spawned from my comments. But, I'd like to clear a few things up.

JG is a professional writer, Urban.

I didn't realize that. My apologies, JG for my remark. And congratulations. I think that's great.

That actually is where I'd have the Mary-Sue line drawn: when an OC takes over the function of a canon character, thereby diminishing the importance of the canon character. I can see either Leia or Padme filling the redeemer role instead of Luke, but not an OC.

But, in AU fanfic it's okay because it's Alternate Universe? I just want to make sure that I'm understanding you correctly.

Thank you Jeff42 for understanding. To eliminate any more confusion on this point, I will make a link HERE to that fic. I'm not going to say the name. If you want to see what I'm talking about, read it for yourself. If you don't, then don't.

I wasn't on the staff at the time - just joined a little under a year ago myself - but my understanding was that everyone was a little new to the reviewing game, and it took a while to figure out exactly what our standards were. And at this point it would be unfair to those authors to remove them from the archive.

I understand what you're saying about not being fair to the authors if their work was removed. But, I was just providing an example of what I was talking about. The main character in that story is a canon character but acts like an OC. I was just using it as an example.

However, since the archive is a juried archive - the staff is there to select the stories that will appear on the site. As such, we can be very picky about what we take in the way of characterization.

I'm sorry if I see this the wrong way, but it seems to me the staff is there to select the stories they personally like, not the best stories. Just my opinion.

And please don't bash the archive. This is not the place for it, as the archive and the boards are not connected. Besides, I've had to deal with enough disgruntled authors privately to last me for the next ten years. I don't want to deal with this in public as well.

I'm not bashing the archive. If you go through a lot of the stories on there, you will find very postive comments from me. And don't tell me that the boards and the archive are not connected. While they may not be the same entity, the reviewers from the archive post here, a lot of the archived stories appeared here first, there are direct links from the boards to the archive and they are both run by TF.N. I'm sorry you feel burdened for having to put up with disgruntled writers, but don't take that out on me for having an opinion.

When I wrote the article at the archive on Mary Sues, I read a lot of articles from various fandoms about Mary Sues. The general consensus among all the essayists whose work I read was that one of the major qualities of a Mary Sue is that she outshines the established characters.

I read that article and thought it was very well written and helpful to new and experienced writers alike. But, I still hold my opinion that the term "Mary Sue" is used way too much in the Star Wars FanFic community.

As for the archive?s tough barriers, it comes as a privilege to be archived there, and with the time you devote to accomplish that, you should be proud of yourself and thankful to the staff. They don?t work for free, you know. Thankfully for us, the reviewers have an open mind and the fanfiction accepted vary.

I agree with you. If one of my stories ever makes it to the archive, I would be extrememly happy and proud of what I'd accomplished. I would also be thankful to the staff for liking my story. I think you misspoke, however when you said they don't work for free. Do you guys get paid, 'cause if so, sign me up! ;-) I do disagree with you, about the open mind, though. If you read the fine print, your story goes to an "expert" on the subject matter of yo

 

But, in AU fanfic it's okay because it's Alternate Universe? I just want to make sure that I'm understanding you correctly.

Oh, I see the one you mean. For myself, it's not my favorite. I think the situation might create some odd behaviors, but I can see where you're coming from. Then again, I would have turned down Tim Zahn's books without a second thought, for basically the reasons you've stated not liking that one, and plenty of people like those.

For the comment on Alternate Universe, I actually think it's less okay for canon characters to act out-of-character in an AU, because their personalities are the only thing you have to hang on to. They may act differently because of different circumstances, but they absolutely have to be recognizably themselves, and to make the decisions they do based on things we know about how they think and how they react in the canon universe. Anakin doesn't have to turn to the Dark Side, but he sure as heck has to be fanatically devoted to his mother, his wife, and his children--that's the aspect of his character that caused his fall and his redemption in the canon universe, so obviously, it's a central idea. His battle with his temper would also be ongoing, and his nasty mood swings probably are as well. The AU changes the plot and the scenario, which means the characters are all you have left. Personally, I think that means there's more of a responsibility to get them as dead on as it's possible to get them. (Here's my article on AUs.)

ADDITION: BTW, that's why I think of OCs and AUs as almost mutually exclusive. An AU populated only by OCs, or even starring OCs, just kind of hits the "What's the point?" button with me. I think the whole point of writing an AU is to take a microscope to canon characters--dissect them and put them back together with the same components in slightly different arrangements. OC stories are kind of looking at the canon universe from a new angle.

I guess I'd call it AU if something was changed that made a major change during the course of that particular story but maybe didn't ultimately change that much--I did one where Anakin survived long enough to talk to Luke and Leia about their mother, then died, which would end up with them knowing more, but probably going about their business as they would have otherwise. But that's fairly rare.

 

I agree with your point about AU's JG. That is one of the reasons that it's not my favorite genre of fanfic. I'm very much devoted to the story line and thus don't really care for it. BTW, I'm glad I cleared up the confusion with the story I was referring to.

EDIT: JG, you went and edited, so I feel like I need to, too. Again, your point is well received here about AU. I just wanted to comment on one thing:

Then again, I would have turned down Tim Zahn's books without a second thought, for basically the reasons you've stated not liking that one, and plenty of people like those.

That's exactly my point with the archive. Zahn's books, and just about every book since would most likely be rejected by archive reviewers because of the same issues we've been discussing. You just said you would have rejected the books from the trilogy that started the EU rage in Star Wars. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, I'm just saying that it proves my point.

 

just hopped in here... haven't read what all y'all have said yet, but i'm gonna introduce myself.

i'm Tinuviel_Jyana and you can feel free to call me Tinu, Jyana, TJ, J whatever you feel like. i am currently a student at East Carolina University and intend to major in English with a concentration in creative writing.

now the reason i write an OC story is because i am not adequately represented in star wars with characters already created so i've always felt compelled to create a new character to be who i am within the star wars world. i write an OC story because it's more fun to write a story about someone that nobody except yourself really knows about. writing is my passion. it is everything and all i have ever wanted to do my whole life, and i enjoy creating characters that are a reflection of myself, who i am and who i want to be... and sometimes i even make up the entire race that she is apart of. check out my story sometime (it's in the link) and you will see.

that's just a little about me... i'll try to read some of the rest of y'alls discussion and throw my piece in there at some point