Forums » Smalltalk » What do you find challenging to create?

In a turn about, I actually struggle with male OC's. For a while I avoided them all together, but there was a writer I really wanted to write with and it seemed like the only way to do that was create a male for them. So far it seems to be doing okay, but I still worry I'm not...I dunno, male enough sometimes? Hopefully I'm getting better.

The other thing I struggle with is the 'bad girl' type of OC. Like, she's a foul mouthed hard a** because she's scarred and has a harsh history and does drugs and smokes and commits crimes and doesn't give any sh**s. I have a couple of closed off characters that it takes time and compassion to get close to, but I think I'm so scared of scaring off the other character/writer that I can just never muster up the proper amount of b***h to pull that type of character off believably. Even my one truly evil villainess comes with a disclaimer cause I'm such an emotional coward.

A fully functional setting. You know, real world building with commerce, government, and all the things modern society has that is usually swept under the rug. Like a fishing village would have trouble getting coal from the mountains unless there was consistent trade. I want to do better at writing those type of things but within the "real" rp with my partner.

For me it's making races I have little to no knowledge. Such as kitsunes, for example. I dont know the lore behind them. There is a lot about them (as well as other races) so it feels like too much work for one character. I did start with one race I havent played before. Dragons. Chinese/eastern dragons to be specific. It took me a couple of weeks worth of reading in order to feel comfortable enough to make a character. I have to play these characters right. I know it's rp and you can do what you want but to change the behavior or whatever else that those races arent known for really bugs me.

My other thing is playing males in a sexual setting. I can play them in any sort of way but that one is a challenge I'm trying to over come.

Male OC's, similarly to Dndmama you could say I avoided them; I didn't really notice I was until I had 25 female characters and one male character who I consistently deleted and reuploaded every few months and could never get an RP with him that lasted more than 10-15 posts. Now I have the most male characters I've ever had but I still feel kind of 'am I doing this right?' when it comes to them. I am trying to remind myself there isn't really a 'right' as long as both people are enjoying the RP and I'd say everyone I'm rping guys with are enjoying my boys lol.

I've branched out of my comfort zone this year and created more aggressive tough guy characters, and soft feminine guy characters and one kind of in between those and it has been a pleasant experience.


The one thing I find especially challenging write in a general sense is Detective characters, which sucks because I have two that I adore to pieces but every time I try to write them in an RP my brain just stalls after a while trying to write them. I can write characters who aren't Detectives technically but are helping a Detective, but writing the lead Detective I find super difficult lately.

I'm not going to stop trying but, ya know.

OMG! I can TOTALLY relate to you on the whole 'bad girl' thing, only for me it's the 'bad boy'. I literally try making some bad a** mo-fuffers, ones who would not do well in romantic settings etc.

Why do I fail? Because I am a Romantic Idiot. Ask Krispythekritter. I've come up with OC's who are supposed to be too "tough" and harsh, and then it's like: -gives them a sibling or a love interest- What was I doing with this guy again?

Heck! One time I made an old villain OC for a book I tried to write, who was a Master Necromancer and was un-dead. I had one chick who tried to hit on him and stuff. It's like: ...Do you not realize he is in love with himself and his power? Actually Luthian (My OC in question here's name) is the ONLY male bad azz OC who has stuck to not being in love and such. But other wise it is very difficult for me!



That is quite challenging! I honestly wouldn't know where to begin myself! However, your mention of the fishing village is a good thought. So you have an idea how some things need to be, you just need to figure out the rest.

Just asking: Have you googled Real World Building for rp, to get a better idea how to do so? I think I have some tips about World Building in my Winter's Writing Tips forum section. Google is how I found a good site that outlined how to create my own race.



You at least, like most including me, are smart to do a lot of research. I personally, and again this is just me, don't mind minor tweaks to how a race is. If it is something very big and the like, then yes it can be an issue. Stepping out of your comfort zone slowly is good.

I actually can play a male in a sexual setting with no issue. I often prefer portraying a male in those scenes. I can, do, and have rped females in those scenes. But again, as stated in my original post, they aren't your typical females. I like making my OC's, both male and female, not be total dunces when it comes to sexual scenes. Like I could rp a virgin OC, but they have some knowledge about it. They aren't experts, but they won't be like: Uh, what do I do now?



Every time I make a female, I'll tease Krispy and myself by going: OMG! I MADE A FEMALE OC! It's almost like I made a rare pokemon, with how rare I make females. Males just are more my forte. But I'm happy with the females I have.

What I usually find annoying, when I've noticed I've got more males than female, was back on old rp sites like Anirp people kept putting my guys in gay relations.

No don't get me wrong. I don't mind guy on guy stuff. But it's like: You don't even know if my guy is straight, bi, pan or what! I've had so many people who just seemed to hone in on my guys for gay stuff, and it's like: Is there a neon sign above my head somewhere that says: HAS A TON OF MALE OC'S, COME AND GET 'EM BOYS!

Literally I used to get more guys wanting my male OC's over females, that I was like: Do I not attract female OC's anymore or what's the deal?

OMG! I can so understand you about the detective part. I LOVE Sherlock Holmes! Yet me make a detective OC with good deductive skills and the like similar to Holmes or another detective? Forget it. I'll have someone work with them. Heck I have a werewolf in the supernatural branch of NCIS, because why not? Yes he still has to ask questions and such, but it's nothing like creating someone like Holmes as example.

I 100% agree with it being hard to make bad boys/bad girls! They’re one of the hardest things for me to write, mainly because I tend to have the habit of making my characters more caring and as how a couple of people have put it, ‘Motherly’. It’s kind of funny because I have a lot of characters I try to make more tough and they just kind of laugh like “Yeah sure Crystal”

Yep. So me. One of my OC's I'm trying to work on, I have it he is the vassal for this brutal winter spirit. And he's supposed to be, of course, having the attitude of the winter element. But I do give him periods of himself being in control. Well. i also asked my friend Krispy if I could make my guy related to one of her people. Yep. Now before I get his backstory fleshed out, he will end up tame with his sister's help in rp with Krispy, and to rp him here on RPR (if I get him finished) will be odd since he'll be a hard azz here but not with Krispy.

The things I do to myself. Now I want to re-work Luthian as a stand alone OC, and actually have an OC who will actually take time, if ever, to be romantic with someone.

I think when you execute a great concept for the first time that's where I struggle -- finding the words, the tone and the personality.

Medieval anything. Even if it's placed in the fantasy genre, I feel out of my element when I try to make Medieval, Renaissance, or Middle Age-based characters or settings. Maybe it's because I've seen so many typical "historical damsel in distress" or "damsel made slave" roleplay plots that it's turned me off in general. I far prefer roleplaying in a modern or futuristic setting. Modern is easy to work with because... Write what you know, right? Futuristic settings give what if scenarios and wiggle room for creativity; the unfortunate restrictions of more historical periods are a mild turn-off for me.

However, I'm starting to break out of that modern/futuristic rut and dip my toes into Medieval Fantasy for a while. I have one new character set to anonymous that has their own setting and lore I'm (slowly) working on, and another more general character I want to bring back to my roster.

One of those: It sounds great in my head, but how do I put it on RPR? I think I follow, but not fully sure.



I have two OC's who could easily fit into the medieval type rp. Though they would need a slight twist of fantasy to fit in. Least I think they do. If you ever want to get a test run going, let me know.

Sir Winterstorm and Multi-talented Merchant would best fit if you ever want to give it a try.

And I get ya on the whole damsel thing. Hate it. It's why it's in the no section of my rules.

Currency systems. Nothing is more my bane when it comes to creating worlds than currency systems, coming up with some sort of unique currency that would fit the realm a story takes place in can is a challenge for me. I can't just sit down and work it out, it takes a lot of research and brainstorming and I'm never completely happy with it.

Actually I like making female characters that are girly with tomboyish streak(Why I don't do them more T_T) however males are dominating in my rooster. I don't mind airheads and wimpy girls(as long as they grow up) I can tolerate damsel in distress if the threat is real or it will only happen like once or twice in whole roleplay, I don't believe in sub/dom so it ain't issue for me, as for helpless character they are quite fun to watch them develop from weak persona they were to someone else, the limits they break while doing that, the effort and sweat put into it my favorite aspect . My no go zone is Punk/Outlaw bikers, they just don't appeal to me.

As for setting I definitely don't intend to roleplay western, pokemon or modern without any action(like I wouldn't mind if it was either mystery, criminal or fantasy just so it won't be actionless)

Duuuuudeeee!!! You just reminded me I don't have currency thought up for my merchant OC! OMG!

-headdesk-

...I guess I should figure that out, huh? -anime sweat- By the way, I like your writer icon. Who is it of, if I may ask?



I think for me because I am not girly myself, I don't do it for my females. I just...nope. Can't stand 'em. Tomboy to Transmasculine all the way for me. Though I can have some of my females dress nicely, though depending who they are might protest first.

I think part of why I don't like what I listed for females, is because I came across too many of them in the past. That and I've had people try to tell me how to write my females. As mentioned before, a friend claims my females are "unapproachable". This also came from someone who, like those who wanted guy/guy without checking if my OC fit or not, tried to put a female of mine in a yuri relation. I wouldn't have minded, had he asked first, cause that particular OC of mine is straight.

So while they could be fun to watch them grow, I have difficulty accepting for previous experience.

You have my attention about western, since I have had up a western versed OC, and might bring him back and or put up a new one. When you say action, do you mean like shoot outs, or something more than just that?

Well returning back to your reply. I don't like rp's where relationship is must be(that's why I have already assigned character for relationship from my own rooster) or where it's smut rp, I mean common I didn't came for self gratification (I have dog for that.)

As for action I mean like Jason Stateham movies/Fast & Furious/Every action movie ever, CSI, Sherlock Holmes. Just so I won't have to play 'real life' rp(except rp about boxing love ya Rocky), unless it's about recently joining corporation where you findout that your supervisor is alien/robot and it plans to invade/overtake earth with his buddies and you have to stop him while trying to convince others that you're actually sane.

Ah-huh. I've not seen Jason Stateham movies (actually I've not been to a theater since the first Deadpool movie came out), and I'm only versed with Fast 5 of the F&F series, as it was my mom's fave. due to having The Rock in it. But I think I get the idea of what you are saying.

I find creating female characters quite the challenge. Like, I can come up with all kinds of things for male characters and majority of them end up being more fleshed out than the female characters.

What's more, it's also hard for me to come up with a personality for a female character because I'm too afraid that she might end up being obnoxious or bland, I try my best to come up with them but yeah...

We both seem to have issues, in creating female characters. I feel like, to me personally, that only Krispythekritter can handle my females. Heck she's got a character, in our rp universe, married to my female lycan assassin. Most of my assassin's dislikes, are the traits of her husband. But despite the flaws and such, they make their marriage work. I mean heck, she has four kids with him too. So not too shabby in my thought.

Modern characters that are based on 2019 earth and not have some form of difference in history that makes the world different. I can’t quite pull those off no matter how hard I try and if I do manage to make a decent character for it, I find myself losing interest in them within weeks. I think this might be because I have a lack of interest in modern “2019 earth” related roleplays and I prefer to add fantasy to my roleplays. Even a setting like Gotham isn’t one I can get comfortable in.

Good sci fi characters, races or locations. I prefer going somewhere between sci fi and fantasy because even though I do find myself drawn to the sci fi genre, I’ve been told a thousand times that “this is the way to go about it” and “this is not the way to go about it”. It has went as far as being told I had no right to portray any character in a sci fi genre as long as I didn’t stick to the “laws” of sci fi and that everything needs to have a scientific explanation or long reasoning behind it... While to each their own and people have the right to have their preferences, it made me quite sad and bummed and caused for me to almost give up making a sci fi character alltogether. I just want to make my own planet with crazy space ships and weapons that I don’t have to explain with science... although that might be stupid as it’s still science fiction...

I cannot do just plain Modern either. I have to have it be fantasy-modern at least or no go. And hey! You are right. You should do what you want, and not listen to those who are being mean like that. Krispythekritter likes my females, and doesn't care how I create them. So do what you want, even if you got people saying it's wrong. It's not wrong. Each writer has their own thing that works for them. Like mine is making kick azz females, and if to some they aren't approachable, well its their loss.