First and foremost, here's what you're required to read first before reading this guide:
Looking over recent Original Characters has made me realize that a Guide is in order to help RPers understand what is and isn't expected on the OC Sheet. I will go into detail about each section so as to better assist all of you.
Before you post an OC, think carefully over every word you put down towards this OC. You should take it seriously and not just something you can write off and correct later. When it comes to submitting an OC, I always imagine it like filling out a job application or federal applications, maybe even going to a job interview, or (if you've never applied for anything like aforementioned), turning in a research paper/essay. I equate it as so because you are basically doing the same thing: you're submitting a form for review before it can be accepted.
(Personal suggestion: Whenever I think of an OC, before I write the OC down, I typically create an interview for them, like a story with the OC has been published and someone is asking me to describe the OC, and that's how I imagine them before I write anything down.)
Now, let's move onto the sections.
Name: Obviously, the name of the OC is to go here. Specifically, a first name; surnames are optional (unless they originate from Earth, in which case it is a necessity for them to have a first and last name). Nicknames are allowed to be mentioned in here as well.
Age: The many years the OC has lived up to the point they enter the RP. Since they are going to school, the age should reflect that age group.
Gender: If I you do not know, by this point, to put down whether your OC is a male or female, then I suggest you don't bother posting the OC. It's a simple section to fill out, and it's highly suggested to be done first.
What Creature Are You?: Put down on whether or not your character is a human, humanoid, mermaid, witch, wizard, fairy, specialist, alien, or even one of your own creations. There should only be one answer in this section.
Race: Place down where they are from.
Origins: Still similar to the prior sections, this section is to differentiate if the OC is a Human, Magical Creature, or an Alien.
Powers: What is their power? There's a list provided to keep the powers under check and to ensure no one is attempting to use an overpowered form of power. Humans, under no circumstances, are allowed to have or use powers.
Spells: You are allowed 8 spells maximum. You are allowed two spells to be in the "high" status. If you have three, it will be rejected. If you have an over-the-top spell, it will be rejected. If you have two high powered spells, two low powered spells must be placed in. No OC is ever allowed to be accepted without having at least one low status spell. If you are unsure if your high powered spells will be accepted prior to publishing your OC, feel free to consult an RP Mod via PM. Public statements will be ignored and locked. When a character gains a new transformation, they are given the option to update their spells, which will have to go through approval with the RP Mods. The OC won't have to be reaccepted; simply the spells.
Appearance: What does your OC look like? What should people envision when they read your OC's name? Body type, height, hair color and length, eye color and shape, and everyday clothing are required. Additional clothing options must be written here as well.
Strengths: This, along with weaknesses, personality, and history, seems to be the hardest for people to comprehend. Basically, what is your OC good at? What makes them shine above those around them? What makes them special? This is the section where they are meant to shine and promote their good qualities. This is not the section for personality traits. People get confused. Not just a few; every OC I've come across suffers this.
An example of what would be considered a strength and what would be considered a personality even though they look the same is as so:
Strength - Excellent leadership qualities on and off the battlefield.
Personality - Enjoys being the leader amongst her friends.
Saying the OC is nice and sweet is not acceptable and is overused in this section. If you still want to retain that in this section, then rewording it would be for the best. Here's an example on how to do this:
Strength - Puts other people's happiness and needs above her own.
Personality - Is super nice to her friends.
For this section, do not list two school subjects. One school subject is enough. If you do list two school subjects, then you are required to add three non-school related strengths to the OC. A minimum of 3 strengths are required of this section, and they must match the Weaknesses section give or take one.
Also for this section, do not list cooking as a strength. Making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is not a strength. Your OCs are going to schools that provide a full-functioning cafeteria; they are not in the wilderness picking berries and being forced to survive off of the land. The only time I will even consider cooking as a strength is if your OC lives cooking; that it's their passion and they're always experimenting and coming up with new ideas with as little ingredients as possible. Only then will I consider it.
Weaknesses: This section, compared to the others, has stood out as being the biggest problem for members to overcome. Whereas Strengths was what your OC was good at, this section is for what your OC is bad at. It's their negative aspects. What do they do worse than their peers? What are the weak spots of their character? Like Strengths, people mix up personality traits for this section; every OC I've come across suffers from this. An example of a weakness that could look like a personality is shown here:
Weakness: Can't use a weapon, even in self-defense.
Personality: She hates using a weapon because she doesn't like violence.
This section demands that you have three weaknesses minimum; the best suggestion would be one related to your OC's powers, one related to school (if you can't think of a characteristic weakness), and one related to the OC's characteristics. If you rely primarily on school subjects for this section, then that isn't creative. If you place two school subjects for this section, then you will need to add three non-school related weaknesses.
Personality: This section, under no circumstances, should be summed up in three sentences. Nor should it be summed up in a list of words like so:
"[Name of OC] is kind, cheerful, caring, and happy."
This is unacceptable. For one, you've just described a perfect, generic body that has no life. Two, this OC sounds superficial and has no substance. The OC has no depth, and doesn't stand out as their own person. Your OC can have positive qualities, but they need to be counter-balanced by negative qualities. Not everyone is perfect, and so you should not try to pass off your OC as one. They need to have qualities to them that won't have everyone like them.
You can touch upon your strengths and weaknesses in here, but if all you do is reiterate them here and add nothing more to the OC, then that isn't being creative. Strengths and weaknesses should build up the personality; not be the only things defining your character.
Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a nice character, but this character needs to be realistic. RPs don't last long if there's only nice, perfect characters that are just generic copies of one another. They survive when there's characters different from one another that interact and even have conflicts with one another (yes, not getting along with OCs isn't always a bad thing; fairies don't always have to like fairies and witches don't have to always agree with other witches; it's okay to have conflict amongst their own groups, so long as there are no personal insults to the owners). So, being a kind and caring character doesn't mean that they're exempted from having faults in them; everyone has faults, and that's okay and they need to be listed, instead of being covered up by all the goodness.
History: This section has some issues as I'm constantly asking for an OC's history to be better detailed, but compared to the other three sections that preceded this section, it's not the worst. Most OCs get by without me having to comment on the history.
The history is basically where the OC came from and how they grew up prior to the start of the RP. This section doesn't need to be like a novel, but it should be as detailed as possible (and like Personality, it can't only be three sentences long) with important details placed inside (we mods don't care that your OC may like green apples unless there's a specific event in your OC's past that made this relevant; writing "she likes green apples" is a waste of our time to read over). Here's a list of the minimum requirements for a History:
- Where they were born and to whom (dates aren't very necessary).
- If they moved, to where and why and at what age.
- How they grew up.
- When they discovered their powers, as well as any important spells they learned (when and how is required).
- Anything important from the Personality section that should be expanded upon here.
Above all else:
your OC should not be you or your wish-fulfillment. This OC should be its own character with its own life and personality. It should not be a self-insert at all. Self-inserts are dangerous creatures that novice RPers don't know how to properly handle. Until you can properly learn to transcribe and then twist it so that the OC has things inspired but not related to you,
stay away from inserting yourself into the OC.
Additional Reading:
OC Examples
How Not to Make a Mary/Gary-Sue/Stu 
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Mon Aug 07, 2023 3:14 pm by 
