#m. lanternlit

[inominati]

do you have any hot takes about ocs?

OC Meme

My take on this seems to be at least warm, so maybe it counts for this: In my opinion, people aren't jerks for not showing the same interest in OCs than they do in canon muses.

Think of all the books you haven't read. Are you a jerk for not caring about all the characters in them? I don't think you are. For one reason or another you haven't been interested in the story, you haven't heard enough about it to care, you haven't found the time yet.. and the same concept applies to OCs. It makes complete sense to me that (most) people care more about canon muses they already know and love. They know their stories and character traits, they are emotionally invested in them, and they can probably easily think of stories and scenarios to interact with them. Your OC? A total stranger. They don't know their place in the canon story, they have no emotional ties, and less inherent interest in getting to know them because they're not a requirement to know about to interact in the canon world you operate in.

You will always have to put in more effort to sell your OCs than needed for your canon muses. That's not people being mean (exceptions prove the rule, perhaps), that lies in the nature of us interacting with fandom content. Think of it like trying to market a book you've written. If your OC is well-written / developed and compelling, people will write with them and enjoy them, but until then it will be more work to get them out there. The creators of your fandom's canon muses likely paid thousands and millions in real money to get their fandom to read their books/play their game and love their, in essence, OCs. You don't have the luxury of published work with a big fandom (yet), you're out here fending for yourself, and you need to give people time and a chance to develop an interest.

OCs are often more personal because we create everything about them and we put a lot of love and thought into them, so the rejection might feel worse than a rejected canon portrayal, but you need to accept that until you've got your foot in the door to show them off, nobody else knows your OC or cares as much about them. And, sadly, there are some weird (and dare I say bad, in MY opinion) OCs out there, who give OCs a bad rap in general. (In all fairness, there are also terrible canon characters out there!!) That unfortunately adds a layer of "having to prove yourself" as a writer who comes up with compelling OCs (as opposed to e.g. overpowered uncompelling Mary Sues).

Hang in there, you will find people to write with your OCs. Don't despair over the extra effort it takes, that's (usually) not a comment on your OC or your ability to write them, it's a very natural thing for other rpers to need more convincing and/or want to connect through familiar things like canon muses first. They haven't picked up your "book" yet, so pitch it to them in a way they can't resist! (But also accept that not everybody will be interested and that's okay!) In my experience, as much as it can take a while to integrate OCs into your RP fandom(s) of choice, once you manage that and find writing partners, the love your OCs get is twice as rewarding as the love you get for your canon muses, so it makes up for the extra work that came before.

[inominati]

@lanternlit sent: ❛  do you trust me?  ❜ / edi for kaidan

"Seeing as you can probably read my vitals anyway to assess if I'm telling the truth or not: don't take it personal, but I have my reservations," Kaidan answered candidly. Could AIs get offended? "I trust Commander Shepard and if he greenlights you working with us, I won't question that." Well, mostly not going to question that. They all seemed a bit shell-shocked by EDI acquiring a physical form, but for Kaidan there was the added layer of not having worked with her for months prior to that, unlike the rest of the crew. He wasn't an opponent of AIs, seeing as a lot of the hesitation against them addressed qualities that one encountered in every organic species, but he was not oblivious to the risks they posed.

That said, he'd never met anyone with a better judge of character than Shepard, and if EDI had worked with him for so long and cut her ties with Cerberus, Kaidan was certainly willing to give her (..it?) the benefit of the doubt. "What about you, EDI?" he asked, his curiosity awakened by her inquiry. "Do you trust me?" A risky question. He was either about to receive a glowing review or a verbal beating. Either way it would be interesting to hear the AIs assessment of his.. well, for starters it would be interesting which aspects of his she'd focus on to make a choice on whether he was trustworthy or not. His skills? His personality? His personal files? All of the above?

[inominati]

@lanternlit sent: ❛  is it my fault?  ❜ / charlie for dean

The question stops him dead in his tracks. He takes a breath – perhaps a second too long – throwing Sam a look from across the room, which his brother returns with an expression that lies somewhere between concern and grim clarity, before turning back to Charlie. "No. It's not your fault," he promises. Pain and uncertainty are visible in her face and not for the first time Dean is gripped by a suffocating desire to protect her from this terrible life, despite knowing that it's a little late for that. If he was able to protect her from it, she wouldn't be here right now. And yet; he couldn't keep Sam safe, but he'll be damned before he gives up on trying to keep Charlie out of this as much as possible. Well, as much as she'll allow him to.

They don't really have the luxury of lingering, but this feels like the kind of moment they need to address before moving on. "Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can't save everybody." The words ring hollow to his own ears as he feels the blood of the young victim dry on his hands. If they'd found him faster– maybe if they'd been more careful in questioning the witnesses at the bar.. maybe if he'd gone with Charlie instead of Sam. "You did everything you could and with the info you got, we can find this thing and kill it before it guts anyone else. Okay?"

Dean's voice softens. "Look at me. It's not your fault."

It's mine.

[inominati]

@lanternlit sent: i trusted you. my mistake. / cas for dean. ????????????????? i saw it and read it in his voice so sorry ksbsmnsbns

"Now, hold on," Dean blurts out before Castiel has even finished his sentence, the irritation that was bubbling inside him finally boiling over. "You disappeared without so much as a note and left us to deal with this mess. We didn't know where you went or if you'd come back at all, so don't give me that crap." Even after all this time, all the disagreements they've had, all the horrible things Dean has come to learn about angels in general and Castiel as well, it feels both wrong and cathartic to snap at him like that. It feels like this isn't how it should be between them, like they were meant to be different – like Cas was meant to be different. An angel. A guiding light and support in his darkest moments, someone to rely on when he loses the ground beneath his feet. But that's not reality. Castiel is shockingly human in all the ways he disappoints and fails and yet Dean can't seem to fully shake that hope, that.. belief in him that causes him to pray to him still in his moments of weakness, despite it all.

It doesn't help that he understands intimately why Castiel is upset with them. Everything that could have gone wrong about their plan went wrong and the angel they were supposed to free, the one who should have given them the information Cas is looking for, is now either dead by Crowley's hands or worse, back in heaven. Everything Dean says in their defense is true, but that doesn't change the fact that he feels as guilty for having failed as Cas is trying to make him sound, and if anything that makes being blamed all the worse. Stepping closer to Castiel, Dean's anger cools off a little but his tone stays biting. "That place was crawling with demons, we didn't stand a chance. I made a choice and my choice was to get Sam the hell out of there." He lost his brother too many times by now and he won't lose him again, especially not for the sake of angels.

"Maybe if it was so important to keep-- Galadriel, or whatever her names was, alive, you should have stayed here and helped us instead of going off to do whatever the hell it is you were doing, Cas." He tries not to think back on those brief blissful days they had, working together as a team, without the secrets and the lies. When, for a short time, it felt like having a family again. But of course he was stupid for hoping that would last; it never does. He doesn't get to have that. Dean shakes his head and steps away again, letting out a frustrated huff. "I screwed up. You think I don't know that? But you don't get to drop in here and give me hell for that when you don't even stick around to help. That's not how this works." The next words that come out of his mouth make his tongue feel like its made of lead. "You're not god, you're not leading a garrison, you don't boss us around. We either work as a team or we don't work together at all."