Writing Tips and Reviews

"Everyone knows you can't just spit out ocs" yes you can

Short version: "You can't just spit out ocs", yes you can. You just have to be smart about it and think about what you can handle.

Long version: I got reminded of how people like to gatekeep writing. It's why I always say that my tips are, in fact, tips and not rules. They're backed up by examples but it doesn't mean it's the only way to write. Although there are basic rules such as making characters the audience can invest in and a world that is explained enough for the story's purposes. High guardian spice. The second reason I'm making this is that I've been rewatching Overlord and it is pure fun. The third is because I need some form of content and that Lily Orchard document needs editing again cause people are all over it adding their thoughts. Not a bad thing, just a delaying factor.

So, why is a statement like "you can't just spit out ocs" harmful to writers? Well, it's limiting what a writer can do. It's along the same lines as "if you write a man who goes crazy over a woman, then you're a huge turd." It's gatekeeping based on personal preference. The Lily Orchard way of thinking basically.

But what is an example of why it's wrong? Overlord. Let's look at the character count, it's massive. You have the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown, consisting of Ainz himself, the floor guardians, those working under the floor guardians, the battle maids, the other maids, the workers, and some others who show up every so often. Such as the roach king. Then we have the towns folk, Enri, Nemu, Nfirea, the goblin army, and the rest of the town. How about the adventurers guild? The Blue Roses come to mind, the Dark Swords, the ones of season 4 that I forgot the name of, and others that join in during big fights. The eight fingers, that crime organization with underlings, and the six arms, before they died. Time to mention the nobles, the royal families, and the other countries with guilds of their own and knights. And I'm probably missing entire other groups.

I mean, there's a religion with gods who we've barely seen yet know enough of to be scared of them.

What I'm saying is that if you limit yourself because you get told to not put in as many characters as you want, then you can miss out on creating your work. Write what the story needs, not what one person wants you to do because it's what they're used to. I'm used to massive casts just like Overlord. Do you think Specter of Glass, a Fate Grand Order story, could survive on 12 characters alone? Of course, it couldn't, there are 9 arcs with heroes, villains, and people who want nothing to do with the war but have an opinion. Sure, it can mean that some characters don't get enough screen time (I am well aware that the ambassador of Russia got a whole lot of nothing) but not everyone needs to be super important to the current story. If they come back, then what's the problem? Sometimes it's good to get hints about a character before you officially meet them. And other times it's good to just have people who populate the world.

Plus, the Specter of Glass isn't 1 story, it's 9 separate stories with 1 goal that ties them together. How can you limit someone who's writing a traveling party that visits other countries? They can limit themselves to what they can handle.

Or hey, Black Rock Shooter can work with both small and large casts, the most important being Rock, Dead Master, and Strength. While they aren't the only characters who exist in the world, they are the ones who get the most development in every version of the story. In the 2010 movie, Rock and Dead Master were the only ones important and they barely spoke. The 2012 manga, Innocent Soul, expanded the cast more but was still small. The 2012 game had Rock, a few humans, and the four antagonists with the final boss. The 2012 tv series had the biggest cast of the era, consisting of the students, the counselor, and the "other selves," about 20-30 in total. The series went silent for 10 years before entering a new era.

2022 had Dawn Fall, which had Empress (Rock's latest name), Dead Master, Strength, a resistance group of humans, the church, and the main antagonist. And 2023 has Fragment, whose cast is massive. Bigger than the rest combined due to being a gacha game.