Have you ever written or read a fanfic that focuses on OCs and obscure characters? Though OCs can get flak sometimes, they can be great for pre-canon stories where you need to pad out the cast. And obscure characters can be kind of a blank canvas.
Though I’ve never written something like that, I’ve been reading a Transformers fic with a cast full of OCs and obscure characters (characters that died on their first appearance, only said a few lines in canon, etc). It focuses on the wife of one villain before canon, back when she was a child.
I loved the main character, but when I tried looking her up, virtually none of her backstory was even on the wiki page, and when I tried looking up some of the other characters, they didn’t even have pages. I’m a little disappointed that nearly all of the events won’t be referenced in canon, but I’m really impressed with the author’s world building.
I always love it when authors put their own spin on an existing world, and I’d love to hear if anyone has read or made any other fics like it. (though it is kind of the point of fanfiction, these authors take it to the next level)
(Sorry if this was a little clunky, or if it’s similar to something else. First post and all. 😅)
Like a-mac-and-con I’m also in the Pokémon fandom and thus, it’s steeped in OCs and OC-Stand Ins. OC-Stand In is the term for original characters from the franchise that have so little characterization that anyone who uses them has to personally expand them themselves. And thus, are technically an OC.
For me, the point of fanfic is to explore things the original cannot. So this is my norm. Fixing plotholes and enjoying how others fix them in different ways from me.
Good luck on your first OC project!