#didn't realize the piece i based this off of was also of ophelia until i went back to source it tho lol

[amatres]

@commander-lariel's knight commander Lariel Aldonlel, based on the painting 'Ophelia' by Arthur Hughes, as well as the official artwork Dolly made herself for Lariel's Commander as Companion prompt. I couldn't choose between the version with or without the filter, so I'll post both.

[practically-an-x-man]

How long have you had your OCs, and how much have they changed since they arrived?

Oooh, very good question!!

Let's see....

(long ramble coming up. you've been warned lol)

Preliminary warning that I get a little time blindness for nontangible things like when I first created my OCs, so I'm going more off when I started posting their stories than when they first started taking shape in my mind. I've probably had these guys a lot longer than the dates I put down here, since I tend to let the stories develop and marinate for a while before I start writing them.

Rae/Mira: Okay, technically these two started as one OC, originating back when I was 13 or so and first getting into the McAvoy timeline movies (I'd been watching the original movies since I was a kid but got into the new timeline a little later). Originally, they were one OC who was given the power of healing from Apocalypse, used as a fifth Horseman, and gained silver eyes/silver magic as a result. At that point, it was mainly just a daydream I had to 1. help occupy my mind when I was bored and 2. fix a few movieverse deaths that always bugged me, like Angel's. I split them into two OCs when I started actually writing fanfiction, late 2020 to early 2021, and obviously they've gone through loads of edits and changes to make them the unique, distinct OCs they are today.

Robin: I started posting Symphony in August of 2021, so I created Robin probably a month or so before that. I don't remember any particularly distinct changes, though I know I decided to make her a Cassidy about the same time I decided to make her powers sound-based, so those two fell in line together.

Madison: I started Smoke and Mirrors in May of 2021, but Madison's gone through a few changes leading up to that. Her earliest inklings as a character were just as a slightly-feral fish mutant the X-Men ran into while out on a mission (which is actually pretty similar to her actual introduction in the fic). I wasn't even sure if she'd be a better fit for Alex or Sean (ended up with Alex of course), and originally I had her needing to be in water to survive. Obviously that's changed, and she filled out as a character little by little before eventually becoming the Madison we've got today. Bravo was also a spur-of-the-moment addition, but we love him :D

Ophelia: Started thinking about her as an OC in January 2022, just after No Way Home came out, and didn't make many big changes before I started posting her story. Hers was more a sudden burst of creativity where all the pieces fell together (mainly since I wanted to get her story started before the NWH hype died down), so it was a lot faster of a character-building process. I realized about 7 chapters into Catch and Release that I was very much writing her to be autistic without really realizing it, and decided to lean into that as an aspect of her character going forward.

Jasper: Started Heartstrings in August of 2022, but I know I had Jasper as an OC for at least a year before I started writing that story. I knew I wanted them to be an empath from the beginning, mainly to help Kyle once he comes back from the dead, and I had the general storyline already in place, but the smaller details (their love of music, roller derby, even their genderfluidity) fell into place when I started actually putting the fic down on the page. I also didn't have a name for them for the longest time, it was just a big [redacted] of indecision until I actually started writing and needed to pick a name.

Indigo: I started Bolts and Blasters in May of 2021, though I had Indie for a while before that. Most of her primary details haven't changed, and her story's also been constant, but originally her name was Blue instead of Indigo. I changed it because I wanted her to have a nickname/variation, since she doesn't use a surname. Zero was also a last-minute add - originally she had a raccoon as a pet, but I changed it to be Zero for a bit more Star Wars alien flair

Katherine: Started posting WWFA? in December 2021, and honestly, I struggled for a while with Katherine. I struggled a lot with her name, which is how I eventually landed on naming her after the astronomer Katherine Johnson. Other details, like her being linked to Bastet, her physical appearance, her friendships with Emily and Jace, built up slowly over time. The only thing I started with was her leaving the drawings for Ahk and him getting enamored.

AJ: I started posting Nom De Guerre in May 2021 (no idea why I started so many fics in that particular month), and I honestly can't remember how much has changed about AJ over time. I think she was another rapid development, with fewer changes over time.

Quinn: I mainly mentioned AJ because she led to Quinn. I started Desert Song in October 2022, but I actually created Quinn as a character while finishing Nom De Guerre - as much as I loved Billy and AJ's dynamic, I remember thinking how fun it would be to have someone who was once on his old crew with him (and fell with him in Kyiv), who was eventually who Quinn ended up being. I also wanted to be a bit more daring with her than I'd been with some of my other OCs, which is how the queer and disability elements became so prevalent in her story. It's a lot better this way, though.

Kestrel: I started posting Taking Flight in August of 2023, but Kestrel as a character was developed over about a week in July 2023. I was on a trip for marching band and rereading a few of the Fablehaven books, and all that travel and waiting left me with loads of time to ponder new OCs. I got home, starting writing the fic, and that's where we're at today. In general, I feel like I've gotten a lot faster and more definitive with OC creation over time.

Eris: I've only just started sharing parts of their story, and I don't have a core fic for them yet, but I've had them as a character since The Suicide Squad (2021) came out. Their power set and Amazonian identity hasn't changed, but originally they were a female warrior like Wonder Woman and had a different name (I remember naming her after a lion-themed myth, but I can't seem to find that particular myth now), and they were a lot more altruistic and good-aligned than they are now. I think they're more fun this way, though.

Nikoletta: Similar story to Eris - I've had her since The Suicide Squad (2021) came out, but haven't had a chance to write out her story until now. She's also been through a few changes, though not as many as Eris - namely, her backstory scamming tourists on the streets of New Orleans is new, though her experiences with STAR Labs and the shadows were always part of her story

I have a lot of other OCs that I haven't written out yet, and it's interesting. Some of them are years old, created a while back but without having a chance to write their stories yet, while others are brand new. And like I said, I've gotten a lot faster and more decisive in creating OCs recently. My most recent creations, Easton McKay (a mutant with the ability to make his tattoos/body mods come to life) and Gia Pantazis (a girl who had her life force bound to a patch of clover by HYDRA) , both took shape in a matter of days, and now seem to be well-developed characters.... at least in my head, since I haven't really shared as much of their bios or stories here yet.