Other Characters in Pros Fic

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Does anyone ever feel the yen to read more about OC's from Pros stories? More of the delightful Richard Lumley and Geoffrey Evans (even Susan Solidarity) from Tea for Two? Gracie from Nothing Written in Stone?

Or do authors ever fondly imagine that someone will like their OC's enough to use them in a story, maybe give them a little more depth than they were able to within the confines of their story? I know I'd be happy for another writer to pick up Sam from Gods and Goddesses or Roley from The Obedience of Fools and give them a whirl, as long as they returned them in one piece.

Is this a possibility for a DIALJ challenge if enough writers are interested?

Comments

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I know I would certainly give the stories a try even without knowing the OC brought into it. Interesting concept.

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Yes, any story could be a good or bad story, with or without characters borrowed from elsewhere. So I take it you don't have a problem with the idea in general *g*.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Hmmmmm....dunno. I can grow very fond of certain characters in certain stories such as Doyle's wife, his female police colleague and Suzie in Forever True; I really liked all the extra characters in Pamela Rose's Arabian Nights (even the baddies); I think there were one or two fairly interesting people in Harlequin Airs...oh and Doyle's female police colleague in Heat-Trace I also liked *a lot* and thought she was a very real and rounded character, but I'm not sure they would interest me - in their own right - enough to read a whole story written around them, especially if that story *didn't* have Bodie and Doyle as the main attraction! (Would they be in it at all?) But as I say, I'm not sure and I suppose it would depend partly on how good that story was....

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

I was imagining a Bodie/Doyle story where another writer's OC was recycled as an OC yet again rather than in place of Bodie & Doyle as the focus of the story. And yes, I also thought about Ruth from Heat Trace. I liked her.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Right. Sorry, I realised later that you weren't thinking of leaving B & D out completely! If Bodie and Doyle were still the focus of the story, then yes, I definitely think there's scope for recycling some of the more interesting other characters and I'd love to read more about them.

And yes, I also thought about Ruth from Heat Trace. I liked her.

I really liked the way she explained things - I could have done with her in my geometry lessons....

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

*g* she'd be a good teacher.

You mentioned Pam Rose's "Arabian Nights" - I liked several of the characters, but they'd demand an AU setting - or would they? *g* I think it would be interesting to find out, but also a problem because Pam Rose isn't "about" in Pros these days, so it's a bit hard to ask her if she minds us playing with them.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

You mentioned Pam Rose's "Arabian Nights" - I liked several of the characters, but they'd demand an AU setting - or would they? *g*

God, that's a hard one.....Zachery could (just about) be a new agent; Cambridge could be an extra-bookish, ci5 psychiatrist brought in to help Kate Ross; Gaston, now let me see......what about Gaston making the ci5 tea when the other bloke's on holiday and filling us in with a bit more background on Cowley? Yeah, it's possible, for the right amount of money, it's possible.... but then we can't leave out the oily, garlic-breath arab who kidnapped Bodie (or was it Doyle?) - I quite liked him, maybe he could just be another crook?

I think it would be interesting to find out, but also a problem because Pam Rose isn't "about" in Pros these days, so it's a bit hard to ask her if she minds us playing with them.

I wrote to her yonks ago and mistyped her name and sent it to Pamel Rose and she corrected me....!! Imagine if I'd typed Camel Rose. After Pros I think she moved on to Starksky and Hutch, but I could be wrong.

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

Good idea! Interesting OCs are very important for a story. And I agree with S2K about the excellent extra characters in Arabian Nights. And for example I could imagine more details about Hannah in Brenda(K)'s stories from other writers.
Yes! - a good writer could 'use' good OCs!

But Bodie and Doyle should always be the focus!!! :-)

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

I like Hannah too - although wasn't she heading for Australia? And the 'Arabian Nights' characters were from a different (AU) time period.

Not saying they couldn't pop up again, but if part of what made them grand was their setting & their personal circumstances, it seems a little presumptuous to recycle them willy-nilly. That's just my thinking anyway, that a borrowed character should ideally be similarly placed to the original for best effect.

[mistry89.livejournal.com]

Am only a reader, but I have enjoyed the 3rd POV stories I've read, and although some of those have been familiar OC's (Cowley, Murphy, ..), I would love to read more.

Hmm, I've just looked at the other comments and now I'm not sure if you meant as protags (and with no B/D) or something else. I'm slow today (and should be packing!).

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

I commented & said that I thought they would still be "other characters" rather than protagonists. But that's because I prefer my Pros stories to be B&D. It could be done differently.

[mistry89.livejournal.com]

Good-o - that was how I thought I read it as first *g*.
And me, too, on the B&D thing :)

[smirra.livejournal.com]

Yes! The thought came to my mind before (not only in pros fandom) that I would like to see well develloped additional characters roam through different stories. Ruth from Heat Trace or Hannah are good examples, (I don't know yet the stories you mentioned above).
I'm actually surprised that it obviously isn't done more often, because a good additional character is worth a lot. Might be a good idea for a DIALJ challenge.

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Ruth and Hannah are both very good, well-drawn characters, agreed. I'd recommend "Nothing written in Stone" as a read. The others were characters in my stories & it was just me saying it would be OK to play with them, not that they were special.

I like the idea of other characters "roaming around" through stories *g*