So there's been some talk here or there of doing Exhibition Rounds, where we set up pairings that never were that we all want to see (you know you have one or two, search your feelings!), as well as a little fun of choosing certain characters that, uh, didn't go too far, and allowing everyone to write their OC with them in a story. Obs has either no interest in this, or is just waiting for the whole thing to be over, as Tactical and I shot him a message about this to no reply yet.

However.

Even ignoring that, or above and beyond that, since I'm all about the collabing on this here site, I'm curious. I'm sure some of us have plans for our OCs well beyond this competition, but do any of us like the idea of keeping the train going and working together on some stuff? All sorts of things open to us, and a lot of these characters have proven they work together surprisingly well--and that's with the authors working on their own! Just imagine if they teamed up.

Anyways, not like I need more on my plate, but since I'm going to be doing more with my character on my own, figured I might as well see who else is interested. The best part of this writing community, after all, is the community.

Once the contest is over, I'd definitely be interested in doing more with my character. There's a lot of potential with these characters, an the Slamjam itself only scrapes the tip of the iceberg.

I still have a whole underlying Slamjam plotline I couldn't fully explore! I'd love to work with some other folks to see if I can flesh it out even more.

4539131 Mine doesn't lend himself well to being anything outside this contest but a featured cameo role somewhere at best, but I would love to be able to write more about him like I did for those two rounds. It's just that without something to frame it like this contest, stories revolving around random OC's don't hold much interest for anyone.

I do love the idea of collab stories, especially exhibition matches. I actually have a good list of good pairings I wanted to see, and which characters I want to see written by which authors. I mentioned somewhere that the 10,000-word story commission in the 1st-place prize might be a good place for something like an Episode 100 for our OC's, but again, that's another author. 10,000 words is a good length to feature most of them, though.

I can just picture a big party winding down, characters splitting off into cliques. Caps Lock and Spring Blaze are by the frozen yogurt, telling Static Shower about their newest game while Candy Cane listens in, thinking about marketing. Redwood and keeps a surreptitious eye on Iron Curtain from across the room as he scares the ink out of Copper Coin. Price Back is quickly losing patience trying to interview Obvious Question. Wispy Willow is becoming more and more convinced that one of these ponies is a ghost, as Booster Bones follows Clue Seeker around like a personal secretary, the two of them working with Wind Whistler to catch a thief (it's Foxglove). Lilligold is settled in comfortably at a table in the corner, smiling in bemusement as Mizuko is transfixed by a water lily. Minie Ball chats happily with Melon Rind before excusing herself to set an appointment with that Rachis fellow, but both mares grumble under their breath as the other leaves earshot. Loosestrife and Falcata have been pushed together by their respective friends, but find they have nothing in common but their situations, having lived centuries apart and in different countries. Oddluck and Evergreen are the center of attention away from Iron Curtain's bellowing, swapping adventure stories and other tall tales over drinks. Straitjacket is there for some reason, leaning against a wall and babbling to himself, oblivious to Bibidi Boo sitting close, taking mental notes of everything he says. Summer Heat and Minx are dancing, of course. Whitewash is sweating under the increasingly suspicious gaze of Firefly, an awkward silence taking the place of what was supposed to be an intellectual conversation.

Anyone care to continue this?

4539807

It's only a matter of time before I come down from that cage and start some trouble c:

4539807 Mango Leaf and Minnie Milk would be the ones serving refreshments, secretly fawning over the other's specialized frozen treats while hawking their own. Tidy Till is trying to avoid Static Shower and Silver Lining, whose honest questions about the former's Cutie Mark have devolved into a game of chase, while Dala follows them with her eyes from across the room, ready to swoop in and stop the whole mess if the foals come to any sort of real danger. Lucky Stars and Casey Trotterson have hit it off, and are enjoying listening to eachother gush about their passions, Lucky for all the math and science involved in being a train engineer, and Casey for how involved and efficient Lucky is with her teaching skills. Azure and Proper Prim are off in a corner, arguing about anything and everything, Proper having forgotten about her original conversation with Fillygree, who is still sitting nearby and waiting for them to finish, about adding some sparkle to her theater sets and costumes with some simple but elegant jewelry. Bristle has been enraptured with the vivid language Dreamer is using to describe the mare of his dreams, and is using whatever he can get his hooves on to try and capture that vision on canvas, much to the chagrin of a nearby Mist Whisp. Heather Rose and Calluna are having a flowery conversation about the flowered effects of flowersflowersflowersflo-

I think I need to stop. anyone else want to have a go?

4539131
Calluna has changed quite a bit since the Slamjam, not sure if I want to work with her old personality or with her new personality and backstory. =x

4539131

To be honest, I'm not really sure. I do have plans of my own to continue using Redwood in other fics, but that's mostly high-concept adventure stories or dramas, spy stories and the like, not the short, character-focused stuff that the contest was built around. In the contest, I came up with ideas around the pairings, and I eventually dropped out when I couldn't think of an idea for a pairing, but I didn't really have any ideas prepared going in. Besides, I think the only pairing involving my character that people were looking forward to was Redwood vs. Evergreen, which is where I dropped out. And personally, I think Evergreen's author handled that pairing just fine (but they know that).

In any case, if anybody interested in this idea does want to use Redwood, then they're welcome to.

4539131
I'm not opposed to the idea of forming some sort of a group where we can pair up our OCs with other OCs. Going forward, Heather Rose was always going to be a recurring character in my major 'verse, although probably never a main character.

4540321 Hey! Crazy thought:

Since the official rounds aren't being submitted to this group for some reason, how about we use this OC Slamjam Group we're in to submit stories that focus on OCs from the Compendium in ANY way shape or form!

Just want it to be clear that not everyone's going to be fine with having their characters get used outside of the official rounds and/or in particular ways, and so you'll definitely want to seek permission for whatever you wind up planning.

4540212
It's one of the limitations of a project like this that those bios we gave in the beginning weren't really characters, but character shells. I think most of us have learned quite a bit about our characters, further defining them and maybe even changing who they are in the process, heh. Certainly, my own character is going to have a few changes, all for the better.

4539807
Might not hold much interest for the site in general, maybe, but that's not the point. This is our fun. S'all that really matters.

As for that usage of the 10K... I'm not a fan of the idea, so strongly urge whoever wins to do something better, heh. And your and 4540183's little play more or less shows why, even for us, it wouldn't really be all that interesting. Funny and cute, in little examples like that, but imagine stretching it out to 10K with no more direction or real plot added. We can do far better than that with a little thought. But to each their own, of course!

4540249
Well, I get that. And that's what I mean by doing other things with these character. With no more word or time limits, as well as working together, they don't have to be simple little character-driven pieces anymore. We can explore other things that just need the space. But hey, that's why I was just asking. Those with the interest and time are welcome to participate; I know we're all busy with our own various works.

4540321
As 4541024 said, we have the group ready-made for us right here.

4541104
I think what would be really fantastic would be if people collabed on stories featuring their characters. Not sure how that would work, to be honest, but I think it'd be a cool idea.

4541024
4541523
I'm always in favor of semi-hijacking a group. So long as we do it politely (to prevent Obs from pulling the rug out from under us).

4540249 Redwood is definitely one I could see as a stand-alone character. I would read that big adventure story. You might want to consider a name change, though, to better fit the character. Hey, I had probably the worst OC name in the whole shebang, so I'm allowed to say that!

Here are some others that would make great protagonists of their own fics:
Foxglove (somber episodic drama)
Bristle (bittersweet backstory novella)
Evergreen (episodic adventure comedy, of course)
Oddluck (tongue-in-cheek adventure novel, overarching and intense)
Wispy Willow (dramatic, light-hearted adventure)
Booster Bones (comedic mystery with actual high-stakes plots)
Summer Heat (longer romantic drama, focusing heavily on her and her lifestyle, with a large cast of strong side characters)
Loosestrife (any historical story set in an appropriate timeline, or maybe an out-of-time story that also gives a lot of attention to her previous life)
Luster Lock (episodic slice-of-life)
Mizuko (would actually be great in a slice-of-life immigration novel, but could do with a name change and a different home country)
Copper Coin (over-the-top comedy anything. Maybe even a romance with Melon Rind)

And here are some that would make great side characters:
Ace Artisan (any mature urban drama, though maybe with a name change. Either as a possible romantic interest or the best friend the main character goes out drinking with)
Haystacks (any high-stakes adventure or war story, Hay as the slightly homesick reluctant one of the group sent to do the thing)
Mango Leaf (possibly with Haystacks in a war story, or any slice of life as an old friend, though with less of an obsession and a wider variety of talent)
Minie Ball (any historical fic or intrigue-y sort of adventure like a spy story, maybe as a friend/rival of young Granny Smith before the move to Ponyville. Let the racism be limited to only a little more than was normal for the time, and give her a more defined personality)
Caps Lock (in a longer slice of life where not too much focus would have to be given to the games she makes, as the overly geeky friend of the main female character, or as an energetic young game designer in a science fiction or mystery. Probably a name change to better reflect her talent in game design)
Lilligold (a travelling adventure story that picks her up in Elmshire, or otherwise puts her in a group of characters from around the world. Would be good for a romantic subplot, but not a full romance story about her. Her foreign-ness would have to be a bigger part of her character, with an accent and lack of knowledge of other cultures like Equestria)
Falcata (would do great in a Loosestrife story, but not quite as suited to the spotlight as she is. Would stay in the past and not follow Loosestrife to the present, if that happens)
Loud Mouth (anything remotely slice-of-life, but with her still working at a radio station and only giving speeches once or twice, if at all. Maybe a little more abrasive to better fit her name)
Firefly (anything so long as he's not on the weather team in Ponyville. He'd be a better standalone character as a full-time student by occupation. Would be good in an adventure party, but he can't be too much of a magical expert. Would work as an "expert" if he was someone the protagonist consults for magical questions, in a mystery or something)
Wind Whistler (would be amazing in any spy story or similar, wherever someone outside the military has to have a military liaison. Could do with a name change to better reflect his later career instead of his early one)
Candy Cane (great as a running joke character in a comedy, clashing repeatedly with the main character. Basically Charity from Project: Horizons)
Love Runner (romance, comedy, or other slice-of-life, as the gossipy friend or neighbor who constantly tries to mess with relationships. Would need a name change and no mention of her actual talent, so the relationship thing could just be a character quirk instead of her whole reason to live)
Straitjacket (not a bad minor villain, if he were to escape the mental hospital and run off to work for the main villain)
Whitewash (either a novelty POV character in a comedy or as a witness/suspect in a mystery, or similar)
Price Back (great as a regular journalist, for a newspaper or his regular magazine thing. Any genre, really, familiar with the protagonist but not a close friend. Needs a more fitting name, though)
Obvious Question (would make an awesome nameless running joke character in a comedy, who just shows up whenever and wherever an obvious question needs to be asked)
Iron Curtain (could either be a humorous character in any story he has good reason to be in, or could even be a minor antagonist)
Quick Study (another great party member, or otherwise Moondancer)
Mild Manners (party member, or even better as a dashing action hero, though not as a protagonist)

Really, any of the entrant OC's can work and I wasn't as thorough as you might think, but a lot of them are more suited to single-appearance or background roles, with next to no focus on their characters. Rachis is one of those. As 4541104 said, we couldn't use any character without the author's permission.

I'm going to go ahead and forbid anyone from putting any OC anywhere as established as Ponyville. If you want to write about a canon character's early history or near-future adventure with a canon character that's fine, as long as you place it in a more unexplored setting. Just don't send an OC to make friends with the Mane 6.

4541523 It actually wouldn't be hard to write to a more general audience, and it would be just as fun. Some of the OC's need some adjustment anyway and we would probably have to work in more canon material, but I think in the end it would be more satisfying for us and anyone who stumbles across it.

Now, if you'll indulge my brainstorming a bit more, I went ahead and put together some collab story ideas:
(Unnamed Globetrotting Bon Bon/Redwood Spy Thriller)
Co-starring Wind Whistler, Mild Manners, Iron Curtain, Celestia, and of course, Lyra Heartstrings. Also featuring Firefly, Whitewash, Lilligold, Straitjacket, Foxglove, Minie Ball, Rachis Barbule, and Price Back.

Evergreen: Royal Equestrian Ranger
Featuring Loud Mouth, Obvious Question, Copper Coin, Candy Cane, and Love Runner, among others. (all living in one town in the woods)

All Points to Luck (or, the most innocent Fallout: Equestria spinoff ever)
Starring Oddluck in a rambling light-hearted tour of the Equestrian wasteland, featuring post-apocalyptic versions of most everyone.
Or a similar story set in modern-day Slamverse, featuring the likes of Wispy Willow, Booster Bones, Obvious Question (in one story or the other, not both), Haystacks, Mango Leaf, Loosestrife, Falcata, Bristle, Caps Lock, and Iron Curtain.

4541572
I don't know how a collab would work either, but I have some ideas. It would depend on the story, so an episodic comedy like my Evergreen idea might have chapters by different authors completely, while Redwood's would be more of an overall group effort. Redwood's author would lead in plotting out the story, we would tangle ourselves somehow into actually writing the thing, and Burraku or I could edit. Oddluck's would be somewhere in between, with authors proposing and writing drafts for chapters or arcs that have to be screened by the rest of us. What do you think? This is of course assuming that Redwood's author is open to having help with their story.

And, of course, we don't have to go with my ideas. I just spend hours coming up with them.

4541893

I'm glad to hear that the idea sounds appealing to you, but as for actually cooperating with other authors in this contest on it, that would be harder. Redwood being in it is new, but the story idea itself is way older and has been being planned for ages, plus it takes place in an original setting (the pony equivalent of Europe). It's very complex, requires a lot of worldbuilding, it'd be difficult to get the other OCs there, and there's very little I'd be willing to bend on, so I'm not sure what a cowriter would add to it, other than doing all the writing while I just dictate, and I doubt that that would be satisfying for anyone.

I might be willing to work with others on their stories depending on the idea and my availability, but bringing in other contest authors to work on my stories would be difficult at best.

A few of the characters could work in a superhero like adventure story. I mean we have Evergreen (Captain Canada), Firefly (a semi-genius who invents a magical core to give himself superpowers--he's basically Iron Man), Falcata/Loostrife (ancient warriors who have come from the past to kick some ass). A few others could work in this concept as well (maybe Dala who seems based on FMA or Mild Manners/Trinket as a hero with technology-based powers). There are even a few good villains: Iron Curtain is an obvious choice, Summer Heat fits some villainous archetypes, and an evil Lilligold could make an amazing Poison Ivy- type villain (or maybe she's just a henchmare for Audrey).

4542064 That's a shame. I was starting to get really sold on the spy collab idea. Still, let us know when yours gets published.

4542412

an evil Lilligold could make an amazing Poison Ivy- type villain

4543886

Well, this idea won't be anywhere near completion until after the contest is way over, so you can feel free to follow me once my identity is out there.

Well clearly we gotta do SOMETHING with the characters.

Dividing them into good guys vs bad guys is a fun idea.

I was the other one pushing for "exhibition matches" in which everyone is invited to write a pair that should have been. The ghost hunter and the ghost... the two time travelers... the one with the divorce cutie mark and the promiscuous heartbreaker...

Yeah, this ain't that bad of an idea.

I actually really want to keep using my character, even if it's mostly just cameos or short stories. And a lot of the other expelled characters are pretty interesting folks, too.

4545508 Foxglove, Ace Artisan and Bristle at an AA meeting. Or Haystacks's author writing a story about the three of them with no dialogue.

4548149

Ace Artisan gradually realizes that he's surrounded by ne'er-do-wells when the only reason he's there is because of his name.

4545508

I also really like the idea of exhibition matches. There are some really fun pairings that could be done.

4545508
4548820
Fingers still crossed, certainly. I highly suspect Obs is just waiting for the whole shebang to be over.

4542064
I didn't really suggest this for ideas you yourself may have had. This is purely for above and beyond, preferably new stuff we come up with together. "Bringing in co-authors" isn't really how the game works, heh. This is purely just to see. Obviously not even the majority will be interested, and plenty of those interested won't have time. I just figured we have a good bunch of people here and a lot of interesting characters fully available to us, so strike while the iron is hot, eh?

4541893
Heh, brainstorming is actually what I was hoping for. Lot of solid ideas here.

4548994

Yes, I understood your intent. I was merely stating that what further plans I do have for Redwood couldn't really be integrated with what you're trying to do here, so I probably won't be involved.

4542064
4543886
4545617

i think the idea might not be that hard to pull off, with a bit of preparation. In that context, the setting itself becomes a character with which our OCs would be interacting, and that would provide the reason for their crossing paths. It might be fun to set up a list of story parameters that would be generated randomly (or by some other mechanism) to which the participants would need to conform, but then be allowed full freedom in all other regards.

Loosestrife has the misfortune of being created by me, which means the backstory I want to write about her will likely never materialize. That said, if Falcata's author is open to it (and ends up dropping out at some point), I definitely want to write the story I had planned for them, because I just like it that much.

4542412
The villains should be Bibidi Boo (as written by Yarnweaver, of course) and Straitjacket. And Bibidi needs to double-cross him at some point. Ramp up the spookiness by getting Wispy Willow tangled up in things!

4551420

The villains should be Bibidi Boo (as written by Yarnweaver, of course)

Do I detect a hint of fandom?

Anyway, if I get involved in this, I'd like for someone, doesn't have to be me, to put Tidy Till in at some point.

Protip: Tidy's best role is "The Victim". Stuff needs to happen to him, for him to get stressed/excited about. Stretch'im 'til he SNAPS!