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Original character
Type of fictional character used in fandoms From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
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OCs are used in various subcultures including the Star Wars fandom, the Harry Potter fandom,[1], 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]
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