original characters
Wholly invented figures
Original characters are fictional characters created by fans rather than the original creators of a work.
In fan fiction and fan art communities, original characters (often abbreviated OC) are inserted into existing fictional universes: My OC is a Hogwarts student who befriends Hermione.
The term distinguishes fan-made creations from canonical characters, and quality varies wildly—from well-developed additions to widely mocked "Mary Sue" wish-fulfillment figures.
- OCSelf-created material
- protagonistStory's central figure
- tragic backstoryCharacter's motivating past trauma
- backstoryCharacter's past narrative
- sketchHasty informal drawing
archetype · fan art · worldbuilding · design process · doodle · innovation · quirk · fandoms · personality · roleplay · motivations · muse · headcanon · avatar · flaws · story arc · love interest · found family
- cosplaycosplayer, costume, props, wig, makeup
- online artdigital art, fan art, fanart, illustrations, digital painting
- Furry Fandomfurry, fursona, fursuit, anthro, paws
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