#character writing

[cringeymisfortune]

How I Go About Writing OC x Canon

Much like how I create OCs in general, I've realized I have a pretty specific approach to writing OC x Canon relationships.

Again, this isn't a rulebook or me saying this is the "correct" way to do it.

There are so many different reasons people create OCs and ship them with canon characters, and I think that's awesome.

Like yumeshipping or self shipping.

Simply because it's cute or they wanted to.

Maybe even to expand the world a bit.

Sometimes that's all you need.

This is simply what I personally enjoy as both a writer and a reader.

One of the biggest questions I ask myself is:

"Why this character?"

Not,

"Why are they cute together?"

Not,

"Why would they look good together?"

But...

Why this canon character?

Out of the entire cast, what makes these two naturally gravitate toward each other?

What do they admire about one another?

What do they challenge each other on?

How do they change each other?

Why does this relationship happen instead of any other?

Those are the questions that make me fall in love with a pairing.

There's hundreds of canon characters to choose from.

Especially when it's a main character.

Why does your OC make the cut instead of someone they already have an established relationship with?

If I can understand why these two chose each other, everything else usually starts falling into place.

I also like making sure my OC is already a complete person before I even think about the romance.

I want to know who they are.

What they value.

What they fear.

What makes them laugh.

What makes them angry.

What kind of life they were living before they ever met the canon character.

Because once I know that...

The relationship usually starts writing itself.

I also think the canon character should still feel like themselves.

I don't want either character to be changed into someone completely different just to make the relationship work.

I want to see how two existing personalities interact.

How do their strengths and flaws fit together?

Where do they disagree?

Where do they grow?

How do they bring out sides of each other that we might not normally see?

I think that's why I enjoy slow-burn relationships so much.

Watching two complete people gradually earn each other's trust is so much more satisfying to me than love at first sight.

I want to understand why they chose each other.

Not because the writer told me they were meant to be.

But because, after seeing them interact, I genuinely can't imagine them choosing anyone else.

At the end of the day, that's simply what I enjoy writing.

For me, the relationship isn't where the character begins.

It's where two already established stories meet.

[robmcdiaries]

Katelyn is so often acknowledged for her strength, confidence, and intelligence which is WONDERFUL but I feel something so often left out of her characterization in fanon is her SILLINESS. That is a woman who can get down with some silly! Some whimsy! She loves to have fun with her friends! Let Katelyn have fun! She is not serious all of the time!

[kalhastomanyinterests]

I love making characters that are selfish and useless and lazy and mean and inconsiderate and refuse to change for the better and liars and greedy and naive and manipulative and cowards and dependent on others too the point that it's unhalthy for both parties involved and short tempered and cruel and disrespectful and arrogant.

Everyone give a cheer for shitty characters who are bad people.

[brainstreams]

On writing funny characters:

A funny character needs a clear point of view. Their humor grows from how they see the world, not from random jokes.

Use contrast, such as strong confidence with weak skill or blunt honesty in polite settings.

Many funny characters take things seriously, which makes the situation funnier.

Give them quick, sharp dialogue and flaws that cause trouble.

[delusionalkaiserfannew]

In most cases, a morally gray protag is just sbd with righteous rage doling out violence on people who deserve it and rarely sbd who would make morally questionable choices and hurt people due to their flaws, trauma or selfish desires.

[destinycoinkitana]

Flat Arc Vs Dynamic Arc

Flat Arc:

Scenario: A ruthless mercenary’s family is murdered, filling him with grief. Later, he captures an orphaned child who lost her parents in the same raid.

The Choice: Rather than feeling empathy or attempting to protect her, he immediately sells her into servitude to turn a quick profit, exactly as he has always done.

The Result: His traumatic past serves only as background detail. Because his internal goals, methods, and choices never shift or waver, his character arc is static and nonexistent.

Dynamic Arc example:

Scenario: A ruthless mercenary’s family is murdered, filling him with grief. Later, he captures an orphaned child who lost her parents in the same raid.

The Choice: Reminded of his lost child, he tries to do something different for once and attempts to escort her to a haven. However, when an enemy ambush corners them, his old survival instincts kick in; he panics, abandons her to save himself, and she is captured.

The Result: He actively tried to break his cycle of cruelty, but his deeply ingrained flaws and trauma pulled him back down. The tragic failure to be better creates a dynamic, multi-layered arc.

[destinycoinkitana]

Key Signs of Contrived Plot Mechanics

​Out-of-Character Decisions: A normally smart or cautious character suddenly acts irrationally or forgets critical information simply because the plot needs them to get caught or make a mistake.

​Convenient Coincidences: An exact piece of evidence, a specific person, or a random event appears out of nowhere at the precise second needed to solve or create a problem (often related to a Deus ex Machina).

​Forced Stockholm Syndrome or Instant Forgiveness: A character suddenly trusts or joins their enemy without a realistic emotional transition, just because the script needs them to team up by Episode X.

​Ignoring Obvious Facts: Characters conveniently fail to "connect the dots" or ask simple, obvious questions that would instantly expose the truth or break the villain's plan.