I’m really liking this and I’ve been working on my OCs a lot recently so here’s my take on it. ♥ (and here’s to hoping it’ll bring about some more inspiration in me as well!)
My most developed OC is from the FFXV verse, and she is named Evangelynn Forlane Alden. What sparked her creation was the major need to partake in the initial universe, not as myself in a universe I loved, but more in the sense that I loved the world and lore so much that I felt an urge to expand it in a way that had yet to be thought of or exploited in canon. It’s not so much perfecting what is or making it better, but using that love I have for it to bring that world I hold dear alive in my own way, adding more depths to it using the opportunities and qualities it already possesses- and implementing that little part of myself, the little meaningful somethings I personally value so much in life. Evan was born with a purpose, and I developed everything about her according to said purpose. And now that I think about it, it’s the way I go about creating all my OCs in general. I give them a cause and some sort of important function that’s related to a part of the world that could be developed further, and then I work on the strings and links that assemble them to the rest of what makes the story what it is. Everything else comes up on its own, honestly. Once the major pieces are set up, the portrait forms naturally and I just follow it as long as it fits the world and seems coherent.
So yeah, it generally goes:
purpose/function: the meaning of their life, what they live for
relation to the world: how it impacts the world, how it can be used in it, what meaning it holds and how it can make a difference if it does
backstory: what sparked this purpose in the OC’s life which generally leads to a way of life, things which could have happened in their story and then broad personality traits
obstacles: what in them can get in the way of their purpose, what outside can get in the way of their purpose, contradictions and conflicts
personal details: quirks, habits, sense of morality/ethics
relationships: human beings are social creatures so they have to have social contact of course, so according to what I established before it generally flows naturally as well
Another important process in the creation of my OCs is constantly making sure that they do not get in the way of what’s canon. Like, they should not steal the spotlight or change important aspects of what’s been established canon or else they don’t feel believable to me. They can be of great help and impact what’s canon, but not be what provokes or determines it. While they are the main character of their own story, they are supposed to be a supporting role in the universe they belong to so I make a point of keeping them at their place somehow?
I’m not sure if any of this makes sense, but it reminded me of many personal perspectives and inspired me so I’m happy I wrote it even if only for myself ^^
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