OC Memes Part 1

Been taking a break for the end of August to wrap up some business. Hearkening back to the days where we’d just answer meme prompts vs waiting to be asked, I’ve filled out a series of prompts found on Tumblr after the jump.

Have you ever picked up a habit from developing/writing one of your own characters? And if so, who and what?

No

Who was the first OC you made?

Zecilys would be the best-known early OC. Even earlier would be an unnamed komodo dragon character who got into all sorts of weird adventures. His primary defining trait was a love of eating flies, spiders, and fish. I don’t know.

What inspired you to make a certain character?

Cigar was created to fulfill a desire to see more sad dads.

Speaking more seriously though, he was created out of a desire to see a character who looks like they should have everything together, but does not actually have anything together at all; who feels like they peaked ages ago and has no clue how to follow up that act (if it is even worth following up at all), and is generally considered a huge disappointment by most people who know them.

He is, in plainer terms, a character who always gets knocked down but always gets back up…without the traditional shonen character design, personality, or story beats.

How did you find the name for a certain character?

I wish I could say, but the names have almost always entirely happened on their own.

Do you have any voice claims for your OCs?

No

Are there any other preexisting characters that inspired an OC?

Sure, but the more interesting answer is that DAoL really began to come into itself during the period I was reading Steppenwolf and Siddhartha for the first time, so I like to say it’s just Hermann Hesse fanfiction and I’m apologetic to Mr. Hesse for perverting his work in this way.

What things in real life make you think of an OC?

Man, idk, cars I guess.

Tracey is Fiat Panda Vibes, Cigar is every Lincoln Town Car, Lamp would be an old-school Crown Vic Yellow Cab, Katie is a Fucking Jeep Wrangler, and Paula is a Chrysler 300.

Is there a certain song or playlist of songs you have that make you think of an OC/your story for them?

No

What is one of your character’s theme songs?

No

Edit: If you wanted a list of DDR songs characters would play, I can say with confidence that Vanquish the Ghost would be Tangos’ versus mode track.

Do any of your OCs contain any symbolism in themselves/their story?

Plenty

Which character has been through the most design changes?

Visually, just Paula, most characters have stayed the same for the most part other than minor outfit adjusts

Which OC is most likely to kill somebody?

Miriam

Which OC do you make art/media with the most?

Tracey probably

Which OC/s do you relate to the most?

Katie because she genuinely has zero idea what she’s doing at all times but always chooses violence

Which OC/s make you think of yourself the most?

It rotates between either Tracey or Cigar because they’ve inherited the most of my worst and best attributes.

Do you have a written story including your ocs? If so do you think you’ll ever publish it?

Chuckles darkly

Who is your favorite OC?

Cigar He is a dweeb. Or as the kids might put it, my blorbo.

Who is your least favorite OC?

Nick. I regret the day he was born.

Who is your most recent OC?

Rocco comes to mind. I really like him. He’s the ultimate mad dad.

Do any of your OCs have pets? What kind? NAME?

Beatrice still has a dalmatian named Roadkill.

What is one of your character’s biggest fears?

Bucket is afraid his whole family thinks he’s a joke. It is sadly likely that they almost all do.

Do your friends and family know about your OCs/story? How much?

Sibling is unfortunate enough to remember a lot of early draft lore for DAoL. IRL friends might actually still recognize the DAoL crew if they ever see them. More wholesomely, my mother once implied she considered Cigar and Peraleus her additional sons lol.

Have you ever seen something/someone that looks like one of your characters IRL? What was it like?

It was a disturbing, yet religious and entirely in-character experience seeing Cigar’s lookalike working at Costco

Are there any preexisting characters that your OC gets compared too a lot?

Eh

Are there any two characters that are like a dynamic duo/group?

Tangos, Mirigar, the unnamed group of Katie and Lamp (Kamp???)

What’s your favorite relationship/dynamic between a set of OCs?

– Characters who have no idea the other knows what they think they don’t know.

– Straight man, funny man (classic)

– Characters who seem like night and day but have a lot fundamentally in common; said experiences manifest differently in their personalities.

What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about an OC?

Just happy people enjoy em.

What’s the meanest thing someone has ever said about an OC?

Not so much mean so much as hilarious: That Nick Cage should be Cigar’s actor.

Do any of your OCs have AU designs/stories?

Tangos has the Demonhearted and the Pyrite stories that are honestly pretty coherent.

Which OC has been the hardest to develop/design so far?

Katie. She’s a blank slate.

Which OC do you wish you had more art of? (Received, making yourself, etc.)

I have a lot of art of Cigar and yet I don’t feel it’s nearly enough

What’s been the most ambitious project you’ve made/are making surrounding your characters?

Definitely DAoL as a whole

Have you ever had to kill off an OC? How hard was it?

Death is just a construct right

What scene that you’ve written/imagined is your favorite?

Tracey being an exceptionally impolite host when she first hauls Cigar out of the river. I think about their horrible game of poorly executed subterfuge and general miscommunication constantly.

Which OC would beat you up if they met you IRL?

I dream of being a punching bag for All My Children

Which OC would probably be your friend if they met you IRL?

God I hope not

On a scale from 1-10 how angsty are your OCs?

Speaking personally, both hard angst and overly feel-good are turn-offs, so I really want to hope I’ve written them handling a pretty human level of angst.