As a cosplayer, you may have heard people talking about original characters. Or the abbreviation, OC. If you aren’t familiar with the concept, then this guide will help you get to the bottom of what is an OC character. These unique cosplay characters leave lots of opportunity for creativity and shouldn’t be missed out on.
An OC character is the abbreviation for “original character.” Which means a fictional character created by an individual such as yourself. These characters don’t typically come from an existing fandom or company that designed them and are rather a character you create yourself. Everything from the physical character design to their backstory is yours to make. You can also create a unique character from existing universes like Star Wars, Fallout, etc. These are great for cosplayers or fan fiction writers and artists.
How Do You Make an OC Character?
Creating an OC character can be fun since you get to let your creativity run wild. There’s some key aspects you can create for an OC:
- Personality – Your character needs core traits to make them unique. You can utilize personality quizzes even to help you build this part of your character. Consider their goals, fears and values when creating their personality. Make sure they have flaws and quirks fitting to their character.
- Backstory or lore – Give them a history with motivations and influences that can build their personality. Think about things like upbringing and relationships. You can also add hardships or trauma to their story as you desire. You will also want to consider the world they’re existing in as this will impact their story.
- Character design and costume – This part requires some sketching. You want to pay attention to their physical appearance when doing character design. Consider what they’ll wear and begin to design the costume. Ensure it’s fitting to the personality you created for them and the world they’re living in. You could also in theory design their face using video game character designers.
Tips for Creating an OC Character
- Test out the concept – Be sure to create a mock up of the costume and test out how it wears. You can also test out the character with role playing to see if it meets what you envisioned.
- Make revisions – Don’t be afraid to make changes. Testing out your character is how you can improve it to be exactly how you want. So don’t worry if you need to go back to the drawing board and rework something.
- Have a starting point or concept – Make sure you have something to work with at the beginning. Find inspiration or other influences to help get you a starting concept to build off of.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment – Try new or wild ideas. This character is yours and you’re completely free to try any ideas you’d like.