Original character
From Fan History Wiki
An original character, or OC, is a character created by a fanfiction author for an established canon storyline in one or more fandoms. For example, when BiteMeTechie created Lydia Winter in the Stargate Atlantis fandom, a character not present in the television series itself, she had created an original character.
- Mary Sues are original characters who outshine the canon characters (the characters that appear in the original work). Many Mary Sues or Gary Stus are thinly disguised characterizations of the author. The term is not considered complimentary.
Popular types of OCs include:
- Long-lost family members. This is a point of contention between some fanfiction writers, particularly in fandoms like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, where it is believed that important family members- especially siblings [often twin]- would have been introduced in the canon series. Thus, any stories including them must be labeled as an alternate universe (AU), because there is no mention of them in the book/movie/game/etc. Children can be included in this section, provided that the canon character was not aware of, or did not mention, any offspring they might have had. OC children are often introduced in order to spark a romance between two of the main characters, or to interfere with them on their quest/mission. Also included are children who are illegitimate, and 'discovered' later by their half-siblings.
- Lovers from the past. These are usually only given to characters who are adults in the canon series, either to give the adult a child they never knew about, or to introduce an entirely new character for the canon character to romance. Alternatively, they sometimes appear to stir up trouble.
- Exchange students. In the Harry Potter fandom, it's not unusual for a student from another school [oftentimes Beauxbatons, a school mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where the character Fleur Delacour attended] or a school in America, to need to transfer to Hogwarts. Popular reasoning includes a parent being transferred to the British Ministry of Magic, or the character [generally female] being moved for safety reasons.
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[edit] Historical Definitions
The following definition dates to February 2002 in anime fandom:
- OC - Original Character. This is when an author adds a new character to the story that she/he made up her/himself. The character is original and not found in the original. [1]
[edit] History
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[edit] Examples
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