the OC's...from mary sue to scooby doo

Inevitably there are original (or crossover) characters in almost every fic-maker's 'verse...
Though i will cheerfully admit to being awed by just how much some folk can make the most of small moments between the crew, that aint something i can do (alas). And i do like plots and arcs and just, hell, the busy.

I even (and maybe for my sins) created an OC that joined the crew! Oh yes; a Shepherd point of fact.
The reason being that not only could i feel a hole in the crew where Book's personality had been but also what he represented for Mal and the others. So, yep, i made a Shepherd.

Questions then:
1) How do you approach the creation of an OC especially one that might recur.
2) Can you recommend some OCs (and the fics they're in) coz i could most likely learn a great deal from the reading.

My OCs are all minor characters, but none of them are very compelling. Even so, I do try to think out the individual motivations for all of them.

I'd recommend Mal4Prez's villains, or EB has an interesting and unique scientist character that joined the crew and fits in very well without stepping on the other characters roles.

Bytemite wrote:My OCs are all minor characters, but ....
I do try to think out the individual motivations for all of them.

My thinking is; the motivations of sub-characters throw light on the motivations or give insight into our heroes. Does that make sense?

and i'm noting down the recommendations. ta

Bytemite wrote:
I'd recommend Mal4Prez's villains, or Ip has an interesting and unique scientist character that joined the crew and fits in very well without stepping on the other characters roles.

I heartily second the motion recommending Mal4Prez's villains, especially the OC's she introduces in Easy Tickets. They are wonderfully complex, multidimensional characters. They fill their roles well without stepping on the toes of the Crew. They are used in a way that enhances the main characters. Several of them are so interesting in their own right that I'd welcome a fic solely focused on them and their backstories.

And thanks, Bytemite, for recommending my OC. (where's the emoticon for bashful pride?)

wytchcroft wrote:1) How do you approach the creation of an OC especially one that might recur.

I built from the ground up. The OC in my fic came about primarily for plot purposes, although like wytch, I also felt that the loss of Wash and Book left a gap in the crew -- so there was room.

I started off my fic-writing by sketching a big, babble-y "current disposition of things in the 'Verse and why they are that way" document. This decided my major long-term plot arcs and thus the principal heroes and villains. The OC grew out of a need to bring the good guys and the bad guys into regular contact (and conflict), so the OC has a background that makes this possible. He has a number of roles to fulfill besides liaison between heroes and villains. He is there to provide an outsider's perspective on the crew. He is there to antagonize Mal. He is there to be Simon's intellectual peer. He is there to challenge the main characters' assumptions about River and River's view of herself. He is there for comic purposes. When I put these things together and thought about them, his personality became clearer. Also, fundamental questions I asked before bringing him into contact with the main characters were: Why does this guy want to go on Serenity in the first place? And once he's there, why does he not get off at the next stop? Then, Why do the crew (and more particularly Mal) allow him to come aboard? And then, why allow him to stay? These questions were answered in my background notes on this character, before I introduced him to the story. Anyway, the long and short of it is, I built the OC specifically to fulfill a certain plot-driven role. I try not to let him hog the spotlight. (That role I reserve for Mal or Mal and Inara together ).

"Good answer"!!

OCS are generally tricky though. It's very hard to fit them into a story as either a villain/plot driver or as a main character among the other main characters.

Actually I can think of a number of OCs that people have written here that are interesting and serve the stories they're in well.

Wytch, I actually don't think I've had a chance to read a lot of your fics, though. Are there any place that they're saved?

Bytemite wrote:

Wytch, I actually don't think I've had a chance to read a lot of your fics, though. Are there any place that they're saved?

my fics are problematical.

I'd like to read some of these problematical fics, Wytch. I've read the fics of everybody else who posts here, and I would love to read more of yours. Gives me a better understanding of your headcanon; makes for richer discussions. How about that one with the Shepherd character? And all the vast richness of which you speak in the "Saints" thread? Where do I find these? (*wants to read*)

ebfiddler987 wrote:I'd like to read some of these problematical fics, Wytch. I've read the fics of everybody else who posts here, and I would love to read more of yours. Gives me a better understanding of your headcanon; makes for richer discussions. How about that one with the Shepherd character? And all the vast richness of which you speak in the "Saints" thread? Where do I find these? (*wants to read*)

well that's real shiny of you (both). alas; 1) they mostly suck. 2) they've been really messed up by hackers and bad coding. i would have to seriously reconstruct them. 3) i did find my old fic guide - and that made me realise that i hadn't read 'em in four years - and that there are some i don't recall at all. There's a short and jokey one with Badger and River and some horses though - i might pull that out of the black.

meantime i'm still spamming the boards here and y'all have inspired me to get with new ficlets.
for which, many thanks.

keep flying

I like OCs that are foils/allies for our crew but don't supplant any of them. That's what Mary Sues are for - those people that replace our canon character. Or those that the story centers on instead of firefly people.

Good mention of Mal4prez's OCs. Now *that* is how to create new characters. All are fully realized, fleshed out people with agendas of their own.

Charlie wrote:I like OCs that are foils/allies for our crew but don't supplant any of them. That's what Mary Sues are for - those people that replace our canon character. Or those that the story centers on instead of firefly people.

Good mention of Mal4prez's OCs. Now *that* is how to create new characters. All are fully realized, fleshed out people with agendas of their own.

i agree. and also it's sort of fun to have peripheral characters and just push them into the frame only when it's helpful to the story and ultimately our heroes. Just like characters such as Badger and Monty both of whom i adore but rarely use. it's funny, what with the Saints thread and all, but the Shepherd OC i have is certainly not a key player, nor is he in every fic.