Original character
An original character (OC) typically refers to a type 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]
Overview
[edit]OCs are used in various subcultures including the Star Wars fandom, the Harry Potter fandom,[1] and other subcultures such as 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 are also 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] Some members of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fandom also use pony OCs as personas called ponysonas.[16] According to researchers studying the brony fandom, 39% of bronies have a ponysona. Forty-six percent of bronies reported having an original character, and their ponysona was among the first original characters they created.[17]
OCs can serve as protagonists[1] or as minor characters in a story.[18] A writer may add another author's OC into their own work.[19] 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 or not writers should write about their OCs in situations in which they suffer.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Footnotes
[edit]- ^ a b c d Vicente, Vann (2021-11-14). "What Does "OC" Mean, and How Do You Use It?". How-To Geek. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ Whitehead 2018, p. 73.
- ^ Barner 2017, p. 188.
- ^ Franceschi 2017, p. 81.
- ^ a b Carson, C. (2017). "What is fanfiction and where to find it: Definitions and fan archives". Beyond the Book:fanfiction. S2CID 63070065.
- ^ a b Carpou, Madeline (2022-05-27). "Should You Be Allowed to Make Your OC Suffer? Twitter Debates a Controversial Tumblr Ask". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
- ^ Richard, Moriah (2022-06-25). "What Is Fan Fiction in Writing?". Writer's Digest. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ Frank, Allegra (September 25, 2017). "Sonic Forces' Custom Hero mode might not be the wish fulfillment you want". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019.
- ^ Feldman, Brian (2020-02-14). "The Staff of New York Shows Off Its Sonic OCs". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
- ^ Winge 2018, pp. 118–119.
- ^ Crawford 2019, p. 173.
- ^ Adams 2023, p. 101.
- ^ Reysen 2021, p. 96.
- ^ "Words We're Watching: 'Furry' and 'Fursona'". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
- ^ "Definition of FURSONA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Alexandratos 2017, p. 67-68.
- ^ Kosnáč, Pavol (2016). Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality: From Popular Culture to Religion. Taylor & Francis. pp. 79–97. ISBN 9781317135494.
- ^ Schott 2023, p. 49.
- ^ Black 2008, p. 40.
Bibliography
[edit]- Whitehead, Carrie (June 15, 2018). Teen Fandom and Geek Programming:A Practical Guide for Librarians. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9781538107539.
- Winge, Therèsa (November 2018). Costuming Cosplay:Dressing the Imagination. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781350035928.
- Crawford, Garry (June 4, 2019). Cosplay and the Art of Play:Exploring Sub-Culture Through Art. Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3-030-15966-5.
- Alexandratos, Jonathan (March 31, 2017). Articulating the Action Figure: Essays on the Toys and Their Messages. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1-4766-6427-9.
- Barner, Ashley (October 31, 2017). The Case for Fanfiction:Exploring the Pleasures and Practices of a Maligned Craft. McFarland. ISBN 9781476668772.
- Schott, Christine (January 30, 2023). Canon Fanfiction:Reading, Writing, and Teaching with Adaptations of Premodern and Early Modern Literature. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 9781501515989.
- Franceschi, Valeria (June 20, 2017). Exploring Plurilingualism in Fan Fiction:ELF Users as Creative Writers. Cambridge Scholars. ISBN 9781443896085.
- Black, Rebecca (2008). Adolescents and Online Fan Fiction. Peter Lang. ISBN 9780820497389.
- Adams, Camielle (December 8, 2023). Furscience: A Decade of Psychological Research on the Furry Fandom. Stephen Reysen. ISBN 9780997628838.
- Reysen, Stephen (April 19, 2021). Transported to Another World:The Psychology of Anime Fans. Stephen Reysen. ISBN 978-0-9976288-1-4.