Summary: I complain about OCs in many, many words. No really, it's long
One. An OC that is taller than her love interest.
Anyone else ever notice that the OC is typically shorter than her love interest if it is a femaleXmale pairing?? She's always a small girl, whether she's black, white, Asian, etc. Now I get it, girls are typically smaller than boys... by high school. Idk about y'all but I was significantly taller than a majority of the boys I went to school with until about 7th/8th grade. And I wasn't just the random, freakishly tall one either. Okay, I actually was, but other girls were tall too. Girls actually mature (mentally, emotionally, and physically) faster than boys do.
So if you're writing a fanfic where they're in middle school, it's okay for your OC to be a tall girl. In fact, that adds something to her (might make for some cute/awkward moments w the love interest). Even if they're older, tall girls exist.
For example, I've had this idea bouncing around in my head of an Eddie Kaspbrack fanfic. We all know he's a small kid, so I thought it would be cute if his love interest was significantly bigger than him, whether just taller or maybe also kinda curvy? Just a thought, and if you want to run with that idea, I more than welcome you to it. It probably won't make it past a couple chapters in my drafts. Or if y'all know of any fanfics that have a theme similar to this, let me know please!
I am completely aware there are some really small, short girls, but tall girls are so rare in fanfics.
Two. Girls that aren't the exact copy of the love interest.
Now, I'm gonna be honest, I read more imagines than actual fanfics, but either way, I always see where the female OC is just like her love interest (or she's the complete opposite and they hate each other and that's totally different rant). Your OC doesn't have to like comic books because her love interest does. It's okay for them to have different interests.
I feel like this one isn't actually that much of a problem because most fics I read have pretty independent OCs. But at the same time, I feel like people choose their favorites depending on their overlapping interests. A relationship shop can still be cute without both people being very very similar. (And girly girls are not total trash people. It's okay to have a girly OC.)
Three. Girls with some meat on their bones.
This one kinda goes with the tall girls thing. It's mostly rooted in my own situation. I have always been pretty chubby (or curvy if you're a sophisticated, post-pubescent, young woman), and I love that this is starting to be more normalized in stuff.
I feel like the main issue with this is finding the right face claim because finding the face claim you are looking for can be super hard. It can be hard to find one in the right age range, let alone with the body-type you have in mind. But I feel like the fanfic community is actually getting a lot better about this.
Four. The mediocre OC.
Is it just me, or do we forget mediocre people exist?? I mean, I am a mediocre person, and it's not a bad thing. I'm still funny and strange and smart, but I don't turn into Wonder Woman when my friend is in trouble, and I don't have some incredible, secret talent. And guess what. It's okay for your OC to be that way too!
He or she can watch TV every afternoon. They can be the friend that has stay-cations because their family doesn't do trips. They can be mediocre without being totally boring. This kind of ties all of the other points together in a way. Your OC's strong point can be their personality. Mediocre doesn't have to span every aspect of their life. Mediocrity is not something that is hunting out prey and slowly feeding off the person's interesting points. Maybe she can write fairly well, but it's not something she does for fun, just for a good English grade. Maybe he is athletic, but he doesn't do organized sports, just plays around in his backyard or with friends on the weekends. Being ordinary doesn't mean you can't be extra 😂.
More of a side note. I feel like with a lot of fanfictions, they were started because of a face claim. Like the author saw someone they thought would be a good fc for a fanfic and wrote a whole fanfic just to use a certain person as their face claim. Not that there is anything wrong with that, especially since it can be hard to have one thing in mind and not find anyone that fits the description. I just feel like the face claim shouldn't be the number one issue for your story. You can do just well writing the story and developing the characters without Sabrena Carpenter or whoever else looming in your cast chapter.
Not to toot my own horn (especially since the book is kind of crap), but I wrote Claustrophobic without even thinking about a cast. I didn't think of young Natalie Portman until I was nearly done writing it, and I didn't cast her friend until I was adding the cast waaayyy later.
It's just a thought.
Or a lot of thoughts.
I sound waayy more salty here than I actually am, I swear. It's just that feeling represented is such a big thing now, and I have always had trouble relating to characters totally. I was awkwardly tall and chubby growing up, and I like to think someone else is waiting for a fanfic she can be like "hey, they're like me."
That's all. I hope you consider these when writing a fanfic or know o any fanfics that show any of these really well. Obviously, when you're writing, it's your OC and whatnot, so write them how you see fit, I bet they'll be an awesome character and an awesome book. This is more for people who may have issues finding the kind of person their OC is. M'kay.
~Mariah
