Tips for writing OC X Canon

There is nothing wrong with canon X OC as long as it’s well written. Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s wrong to ship canon with anyone besides the original cast, as that’s saying that shipping in any remakes of shows/games (such as Sonic X) is wrong.

You don’t have to care what others think. If you don’t mind destroying canon, and possibly getting flamed, than ignore this guide, and do it (just please don’t make me read it). Ship your Mary-Sue with every guy in the fandom for all I care. If you don’t want people pointing you out on this, say that you know about all the errors and that criticism is not wanted.

If you wouldn’t read something similar, don’t write it. This is always good to use, especially for OC X canon. If you wouldn’t read the story if it was writer by a stranger, then you may not wanna write it. If you think that your plot would be boring to read, then what makes you think others would want to read it (skip this if it’s a request or commission).

Give your OC depth. This is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen with OC’s made specifically for shipping, the OC is as bland as a rice cake, and the plot is nonexistent, it’s all just smut. Develop your OC.

You are not your OC. Try to ship your OC with characters that you wouldn’t really go for if you were him/her. This will make it easier to see their flaws, and make your character not have a perfect, unrealistic relationship with them.

Crushes are always okay. It’s perfectly fine for any OC to have a crush on any character, even if those two characters getting together would ruin the canon. Why? Because those two characters don’t have to end up together, crushes are one sided.

Multiple love interests ruins in. If you have two guys fall in love with one girl and she has to choose, then your story is basically Twilight. This also goes for having multiple canon characters weaved into your OC’s past. When you make them too involved, then they become a wannabe.

Your OC doesn’t need to be flawlessly beautiful/handsome. If your character is extremely attractive, it may seem like the character they’re shipped with likes them only their looks. Even if your OC is amazing looking, they should have a personality, and be more than just a pretty face.

Keep OOC minimal. Sasuke is not gonna become a sweetie because he meets a cute girl. Give the characters realistic reactions to your OC. Remember, you didn’t create the canon characters, you’re just borrowing them. Along with this comes the characters sexualities. If a character is proven homosexual by the original author (i.e. Nico, Sweden, ect.), please keep them homosexual, no matter how hot they are.

Take it slow. There are so many fics where an OC (or a canon character) meets a canon character, and BAM, they’re in love. Yeah, love doesn’t really work that way. Romance should develop over time, making it seem more realistic, and also making your fic longer, which many people prefer. Romance is sort of like in the Sims, except slowed down quite a bit. Two people have to interact for romance to bud.

Original canon pairings are here to stay. Again, you did not create the characters. Splitting up canon couples makes your fic non-canon, which many people hate.

If you plan to use a couple/shipping base, don’t just use the first one you find. For the record, I’m not against bases in any way, so don’t twist my words into that. One problem with just using a random shipping base is that you can’t fully show how your character interacts with the character they’re shipped with. If you must use a shipping base, put thought into which one you’ll use.

Don’t go overboard with making your OC X canon popular. It’s perfectly fine to submit it to a group that accepts OC X canon, but making a Fanclub for your pairing really makes your OC seem more like a Mary-Sue. Also, have you ever noticed that it’s spelt FANclub? You’re not a fan of your OC, you’re the creator. Its way more special if your fic becomes so popular that someone who’s a fan of it decides to make a fanclub because they love your story so much. The same goes for stamps supporting your pairings.