Original character
Type of fictional character used in fandoms
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An original character (OC) typically refers to a type of fictional character created by someone that is not affiliated with a company, or by a member of a fandom. They are a non-canonical character created by the author of fan fiction, a fan artist, or creator of another fan work, who exists within a certain fictional universe and may interact with existing characters or locations.[1][2][3][4][5] The term can also be used in a wider sense to refer to any fictional character.[6] Acronyms can also be gender-specific, like OMC (original male character) and OFC (original female character).[7][5]
OCs are used in various subcultures including the Star Wars fandom, the Harry Potter fandom,[1] the My Little Pony fandom, and the Sonic the Hedgehog fandom. Takashi Iizuka mentioned that the character customization system in Sonic Forces was influenced by the Sonic community's tendency to create original characters;[8] tools for creating Sonic OCs exist on sites like Newgrounds.[9] Cosplayers create original characters based on their imaginations, fan fiction, and other works.[10] For cosplayers, OCs can give them a larger range of choices of characters to cosplay as.[11]
OCs have been used in the furry fandom.[12] A majority of furries have a fursona,[13] defined as a personally claimed persona resembling an anthropomorphic animal.[14][15] According to a 2020 survey in The New Science of Narcissism, 95% of furries have a fursona.[16]: 180 Some members of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fandom uses pony OCs as personas called ponysonas.[17] According to researchers studying the fandom, 39% of bronies have a ponysona. 46% of bronies reported having an original character, and their ponysona was among the first original characters they created.[18]
OCs can serve as protagonists[1] or as minor characters in a story.[19] A writer may add another author's OC into their own work.[20] An OC can provide a different point of view to a fictional universe; for instance, a fan fiction author can create an OC that is a student at one of Hogwarts’ rival schools.[1] There has been some debate online over whether writers should write about their OCs in situations in which they suffer.[6]