What Does Original Character (OC) Mean?

TLDR

I've lost count of how many OCs I've bumped into over the years, from roleplay forums to fanfic archives to artist commissions. An original character is simply someone a creator invented themselves, rather than a character borrowed from an existing show, game, or franchise. It sounds simple, but the culture around OCs is bigger and more interesting than most people realize.

What exactly is an original character, and where did the term come from?

An original character, usually shortened to OC, is a fictional character invented by an author, artist, or role-player instead of one that comes from an established canon or intellectual property. The term grew out of fanfiction and online art communities, where people wanted a quick way to flag which characters in a story or drawing were theirs and which belonged to, say, a popular anime or video game. Over time the acronym picked up variations like OFC for original female character and OMC for original male character, mostly used in fanfic tags and summaries. Interestingly, some communities also use OC to mean "original content," so context matters when you see it in a comment section.

How do people actually use OCs?

OCs pop up in two main ways. The first is inside existing fandoms: someone writes a story set in a well-known universe but introduces their own character into it, or draws their original figure interacting with canon characters. Role-players do this constantly, building whole backstories, personalities, and visual designs for characters nobody else has ever written. The second way is standalone: the character exists entirely on its own, with no connection to any franchise. Artists often build entire portfolios around their OCs, and some eventually turn them into webcomics, novels, or even sell adoptable designs to other creators. For many people, an OC is a creative outlet that's completely theirs, free from the rules of someone else's universe.

Ready to create your first OC?

If the idea of building a character from scratch sounds fun, there's no barrier to entry: pick a name, a look, and a backstory, and you've got an OC. And if you'd rather watch real people bring characters and fantasies to life instead, live cam platforms are the interactive route - xlovecam is my recommendation, since it offers a wide range of performers and a genuinely engaging experience. Who's the first character you'd want to create?