My main OC is my apathy personified. He says all the smartass things I would say if I wasn’t a coward. He’s short small and scrawny like me. He’s got wild spiky hair like me. And his main personality trait is his and also my biggest flaw: not caring enough about anything. He’s me, and he’s valid because I’m valid.
Another OC of mine is a coward. He avoids combat at all costs, a complete pacifist just like me. He’s creative and a little eccentric and can’t bring himself to hate anyone, no matter what they’ve done. That’s also his biggest flaw, forgiving people too easily and not knowing when or how to stand up for himself, a big flaw I struggle with on the daily.
Another OC is a total anti-conformist. She’s a rebel to the grave and is for anything that’s anti-systematic. She goes out of her way to do what other people aren’t and she doesn’t trust anyone. This lack of trust is her biggest flaw and she often finds herself alone because she’s hostile to everything and everyone, even if she doesnt mean it, which is why I find myself alone a lot.
Idk where I’m going with this, this is just stream of consciousness type shit, but the point is that its okay to have self inserts. In a world like elder scrolls, or a world that you create on your own, where you can make whoever be whatever you want, why wouldn’t you put a piece of you in there? Even if it’s an ideal version of you, thats okay because sometimes people need to live out those fantasies to make themselves feel good when they’re insecure. It’s also a good way to personify your problems, like my apathy or my cowardice, sometimes its good to visualize these things if it helps you have a deeper connection to the world you’ve found yourself in.
Plus, idk how you can make a character and not have a bit of yourself in them. I feel like you have to have something to connect you to the person you’re making, otherwise you might be completely detached from them and their story. What happens to them is happening to you, and how would you know how to react as them in the fantasy world if you’re nothing like them in real life? Even if you’re nothing like them, if you’re a small coward like me and you make this brave charismatic warrior paladin, you’re living vicariously through them and doing what you wouldn’t normally do through sheer curiosity if nothing else, and that curiosity is just as much a part of you as anything else.
So in conclusion, no. Self inserts aren’t a bad thing. If it helps you form a deeper connection with the world, go for it and don’t listen to what anyone else says because odds are their character is a self insert too.
Well, charming. What a final resting position, sir!
Look at the lovely graphics!
It’s one of those free games that offers pay-for bonuses. Have I spent money on this? Yes, a bit after playing at least 15 levels because I felt it was worth it. Now I have to exercise restraint and work for those shinies!
Digital rendition of my first (and still dear) Dungeons and Dragons character, made for a character animation assignment. We got to choose the mini-story to animate so of course I went with an iconic DnD moment … prof didn’t say no, so …
Still love her. If you’ve been around for a bit you might recall I’ve drawn Aly before.
I’m also guilty of prematurely developing 2-3 PC ideas for a potential follow-up campaign that may happen in the somewhat distant future.
Bits of my Skyrim oc lore that I think are interesting- because I have elaborate lore.. kinda.. part one!;
Helkan, being both Dunmer and Orismer, is often a target for cruel-hearted jokes from citizens around Skyrim. The worst antagonizers are almost always Nords.
Dagr visited the local Mage’s Guild in his youth and would often mimic spells. His favorite? An illusion spell that would create a doppelganger.
Unlike Dagr, Helkan is not the dragonborn but is fascinated by the art of shouting. They are known to grow childishly excited Dagr when he uses his Thu'um and are often told to shut up.
Dagr employed a young mercenary once and he had died a tragic death while being his bodyguard. Vowing not to put someone at such a risk again, Dagr no longer employs mercenaries and instead looks for loyal friends to aid him.
At the College, Helkan sleeps beneath the stairwell in the Hall of Countenance. This is because their Orcish blood results in them being quite warm to the touch. The result is being able to withstand the otherwise uncomfortable cold of a small, stone hideaway.
They have a habit of talking too much about things that no one understands. If you’re ever in need of information on something, try Helkan. That is, if you have a few spare hours..
Dagr does not like Jarl Balgruuf and has a strong hatred for Whiterun. No one knows why. According to him the town is riddled with bigots who are rich enough to get away with it.
Like most Bosmer, Dagr is able to calm down wild animals and has honed this skill in his childhood. This allows him to speak to them to a certain extent. A mage’s explanation for this ability is a mild form of magic in which he is able to communicate telepathically.
Helkan’s knowledge is something that gets them into trouble. That being said, a certain daedric prince has kept his eyes on them since birth because of it. Perhaps not all trouble is that bad..
Dagr does not partake in any religion. Not that he doesn’t believe in the divines or daedra, he simply believes that they are on his same level of importance and doesn’t enjoy their company. The only daedric princes that he will work with willingly are Malacath and on occasion Peryite.
Unfortunately, due to being mixed, Helkan is not accepted into many strongholds simply because of their Orcish blood.
Dagr comes from a large family of six children. He is the third born child and is the first son. He has four sisters, two of which are a pair of twins, and one younger brother.
Esydra is the eldest and is the heir of the Nightbrook Import & Export Company, she is his least favorite sister. Dagr and her have never gotten along but look the most alike. Esydra seems to think of herself highly and has the same ‘me-above-you’ personality that most Altmer are assumed to have.
Tifa and Tawne are the twins. Both are girls, both share his unruly hair as well as his hatred for Esydra. Tifa does not get along with him nowadays but both sisters enjoyed his company in their childhood. They reside in Summerset Isles and live off of family money.
Luxa is another sister of his, being younger and far more babied than he ever was. She tends to spend more money than she makes and is often found traveling to cities to mingle with the rich folk. She, like Esydra, does not get along with Dagr and has belittled him for his struggles.
Elnir is his younger brother as well as the youngest son. Being in his early twenties, he is the least tainted by their parents and is therefore quite kind in nature. He is an aspiring traveler and writer and has given up his title of nobleman to truly experience the world. Elnir eventually moved to Skyrim to find his brother and resides at the Bard’s College.
Helkan did not realize that Dagr was a part of the Nightbrook house until he revealed that he had changed his name to Aethebrook in order to distance himself from them.
Dagr’s family works alongside the Empire but Dagr himself doesn’t support the cause.
Upon meeting them, Elnir is fascinated by Helkan and begins writing a short book about their odd heritage. It was published shortly after and is titled as read; Of Tusk and Murk.
Helkan is, in fact, the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood. They obtain the ability to hear the Night Mother after fleeing to the sanctuary alongside Dagr during the event of a dragon attack. Upon entering the sanctuary, they passed her sarcophagus and began to panic at the sound of a mild whisper. It took another week of hiding out for Dagr to fully lose his connection to the Mother and for Helkan to develop it. This, to their dismay, is where the true trouble began.
Dagr often disappears into Apocrypha in order to get away from his responsibility. He enjoys the silence, although Hermaeus Mora only tolerates his presence due to his connection to Helkan and the knowledge they have.
Elnir keeps a journal of his traveling but has a special journal to document his time with his brother. The first page is filled with admiration for Dagr, the second is immediately a list of complaints he has on Dagr’s manor. The most recurring complaint happens to be Dagr’s lack of candles and surplus of unneeded trinkets.
Like his brother, Elnir is a brassy redhead and has a deep, hazel-green eye color. Dagr was said to have seafoam green eyes before they became milky white from blindness. While Dagr’s hair reaches his shoulders, Elnir prefers to keep it just below his chin. His hair is less unruly and less curly than his brother’s.
Helkan doesn’t feel welcomed in Windhelm and will avoid going there. However, they have friends that work on the dock and will only travel to Windhelm with Dagr or any of their good friends. They do not like going alone.
Though they dislike Windhelm, both Dagr and Helkan enjoy Solstheim and often travel there when they intend to explore and gather more information on the world. Helkan enjoys visiting the House Telvanni and have gotten Neloth’s attention after sharing an intelligent conversation on mastering a spell made to advance memory. Dagr is proud to say that he was, in fact, a test subject of this.
I enjoy sharing my small bits of world building so honestly, enjoy. Because I did.
fun facts about my middle aged, bosmer dragonborn oc that i think are absolutely important to know;
his voice claim is and always will be Jerma985. boston accent and everything, baby.
he was initially supposed to be a stealth-archer build and later became a sniper because i no longer cared about being stealthy
he is canonically pescaterian [prefers raw fish]
he lost his ability to hear the night mother after inactivity and basically just isn’t the listener for the dark brotherhood anymore
cicero refuses to leave his aid despite this
dagr, due to his blindness, relies on his other senses. when he’s sick, he’s rendered almost completely unable to do anything
he canonically is left handed, but grew up learning to use both hands and therefore is ambidextrous as a result
he doesn’t remember colors exactly and doesn’t have a favorite, but if he did, it’d be green
dagr is able to hear very well. he says that he can hear people’s heartbeats and apparently feel them as well. he claims to be able to hear blood running through people’s veins [this is a lie] and the bullshit from a liar’s mouth [this is true]
he writes heavy handed and only in capital letters
he is not a genuine romantic but enjoys flirting, not being flirted with
dagr is canonically ambiguous in sexuality but admits that he doesn’t know which label means what, claims to be all of them
dagr is unfortunately 5'6 and ¾ths of an inch
he is my favorite character and the one that i have had since the first time i ever played the stupid game made by todd “rerelease” howard
a couple more fun facts;
canonically, dagr cannot cast conjuration spells without conjuring the wrong thing because his brain is apparently “not imaginative enough”
he loves children but is known to be terrible at talking and interacting with them [i.e. talking to them like they’re adults]
dagr’s favorite food is tomato soup- the spicy, creamy kind of tomato soup
his second favorite food would probably be salmon, let’s be honest here
he prefers plum brandy, or kynes kiss
dagr owns a manor in falkreath and says it reminds him of home in the summerset isles
growing up, he would visit the shipment dock that his family owned and would bother the workers and ask about their days for hours
also growing up, dagr would mimic animal and bug noises and try to catch them [he would usually fail, save for the few birds he caught and brought back home]
dagr has a hard time reading social cues and often goes too far when making jokes
he often forgets that people need light to see and will not announce himself when hiding in dark rooms
after finding out that he was the dragonborn, dagr gave into pressure and disappeared for a total of two months before resurfacing only to help the city of falkreath kill a local dragon menace- he used a slingshot, and a lot of woodland help
his first weapon was a slingshot as he could hear the whistle of small rocks and determine where it would hit based on his senses
dagr only learned to use a bow after being gifted one to honor his title as thane in falkreath [this was in 4E 188]
his story directly ties into my self-insert story because i am selfish and love him too much
fun facts about my middle aged, bosmer dragonborn oc that i think are absolutely important to know;
his voice claim is and always will be Jerma985. boston accent and everything, baby.
he was initially supposed to be a stealth-archer build and later became a sniper because i no longer cared about being stealthy
he is canonically pescaterian [prefers raw fish]
he lost his ability to hear the night mother after inactivity and basically just isn’t the listener for the dark brotherhood anymore
cicero refuses to leave his aid despite this
dagr, due to his blindness, relies on his other senses. when he’s sick, he’s rendered almost completely unable to do anything
he canonically is left handed, but grew up learning to use both hands and therefore is ambidextrous as a result
he doesn’t remember colors exactly and doesn’t have a favorite, but if he did, it’d be green
dagr is able to hear very well. he says that he can hear people’s heartbeats and apparently feel them as well. he claims to be able to hear blood running through people’s veins [this is a lie] and the bullshit from a liar’s mouth [this is true]
he writes heavy handed and only in capital letters
he is not a genuine romantic but enjoys flirting, not being flirted with
dagr is canonically ambiguous in sexuality but admits that he doesn’t know which label means what, claims to be all of them
dagr is unfortunately 5'6 and ¾ths of an inch
he is my favorite character and the one that i have had since the first time i ever played the stupid game made by todd “rerelease” howard
