Hello, class. In today's study hall, we are here to talk about Original Characters.

But first, I have a few simple questions for everyone to think about and answer to the best of their ability, if they wish to participate in today's study hall. Participation is of course optional, but if you feel like it, jump on in.

First off: What is an original character?
-Who are they?
-What are they?
-What makes them special?

Second: What is the role of an original character?
-What are they for?
-Why are they there?
-Why use one?

Lastly, third: What should an original character be like?
-You're on your own for this one.

Now you'll notice that these questions are actually quite subjective; with the third being the most so. However, this is exactly why I ask them.

So in your own words, write what YOU think best answers each question. Please be as descriptive as possible with your answers.

Also, I ask to please refrain from commenting on other students' answers. Because there are no right or wrong answers in this exercise, as the point of this study hall is to show the varying differences in opinion to these questions. I'll be posting my own answers on Friday, as well as opening a brief discussion before closing the study hall on the following Monday night.

I look forward to everyone's answers. Good luck!

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1) What is an original character?
-An original character, or OC, is a character created by a writer or fan, and inserted into a pre-existing medium. (IE any show, film, or form of fantasy.) This can range from a new hero, villain, love interest, or side character if the OC's creator wishes.
-They are fan created characters inserted into the medium for any reason. This could be a form of wish fulfillment, the desire to tell a story, to clean up something they didn't like, or to practice the creation of there own characters for there own stories someday.
-What makes an OC special, is entirely dependent on it's creator. At the end of the day, be it for good or bad, an OC is only limited by the creativity and wishes of it's maker. Unlike a show character they do not have to abide by a strict set of rules, allowing the creator to make a truly unique and original character. (Be this for good or bad, I'm just defining the term as I see it, not expressing my opinion.)

2)
-They are most often used to tell a story the writer wishes to tell in a preexisting medium. They can be used to help a fledgling writer learn how to create characters better, and they can tell unique stories of there own within a fanfiction environment.
-They are there to tell a story the writer has in there heads. It will usually be one the author feels they cannot tell with characters from the show, or it will be one they simply want to tell for the sake of wish fulfillment. Of course, there is also the ever present factor of a writer wishing to practice developing characters in a pre-existing medium.
-As I've said above, an OC can be used to tell a story the writer feels cannot be told with pre existing characters, or to help them practice making characters for future works. Or, they might simply need to fill out space in a character roster, maybe add a side character to an already massive story, for which an OC would work wonderfully.

3
-An original character should be... Well, that's all up to the writer. An original character is, at the end of the day, someone, not something, some ONE created by a writer. A unique individual given life in story format, with a clear purpose and goal as chosen by it's maker. So, there is no definite answer for what an OC should be, as ultimately, they are the writers creation, and only the writer knows what to do with his or her new creation.

I submit this report for review. I know I used repeated words throughout the answer, but it I've been busy most of the day and it's late now. I'll probably revise this in the future, though I'll leave this original answer here and submitted for review.

In my Opinion, (given the context of these questions) It depends on what kind of story they're in. While this is extremely varied, there are two main "types" of stories I'm going to discuss.

-An original "side" character story: This is a story where different characters are the main focus (such as a story about Twilight Sparkle) but an OC is inserted to fill in some kind of role that the main doesn't. (I.E: Antagonist)
-An original "main" character story: Opposite of the other one, the main character in these types of stories... are the OCs. If there are any cannon characters in it, they are not the main focus.

Now onto the questions.

1: An OC, is an "Original" character created by a fan of a franchise. At least... in the context you're speaking of, it is. They are intended to fill in some kind of role none of the cannon characters are fit for, OR, are characters based off their creators, made as their face for the fandom itself. (My OC Moonshy would be an example of this... kind of. Now, that being said, he is not my "ponysonae" by any means of the word) What makes them special, is the fact that they are NOT any of the cannon characters, but the creation of a fan. Each one is different, they are specific to an author. That makes them unique in that respect.

2: Now... here's where we get to the subjective stuff. In an Origional "side" character story, I'm going to repeat myself when I say: They are meant to fill some sort of role that none of the cannon characters are not fit for. An example would be this: Say you want to make an antagonist similar to Queen Chrysalis, except, for the purposes of the story itself, they can't be the queen of a hive of monsters, or have much magical power. Here, you would make an OC. A female character similar in personality to Chrysalis, but doesn't have the same background and limitations. Now, lets say you want a cannon character to interact with a person that is (again, for the purposes of the story) completely different than any other character seen in the show. Here you would also make an OC, because none of the other characters fit the role you want them to play.

In an original "Main" character story, You want to write about a completely different protagonist then what's given to you by the franchise your a fan of. Weather it'd be a story about "you" in a certain situation, or you just want to write about something that doesn't fit at all with what's going on in the cannon character's lives. You have to make a new character, no matter what.

I guess in short:

-They're there to play certain roles.

-There there because no one else can play the role they play

-You can't use the cannon characters because they don't fit the role.

3: An original character should be... original. Not a clone of a cannon one (if your going to do that... just use the cannon character. Saves you a bit of trouble) An original character should be three-dimensional. They should have layers and deeper weaves too them. Otherwise... they'd just be boring to read about. And lastly, an original character should be like the role you want them to play. You want a godlike being? Don't make your original character a mere human. You want a villain? Well... they can't be a benefit to society. You want a shy or timid character? Don't make them talk much.
you guys get the Idea.

What is an original character?

-Who are they?

-What are they?

-What makes them special?

An original character is a person you invented. They are not your representation of a character you saw somewhere else, but rather a person you fabricated from whole cloth. An original character is crafted to fill a specific role in a story.

Second: What is the role of an original character?

-What are they for?

-Why are they there?

-Why use one?

An original character can fill any role, since they are custom-made for the role they fill. It is much easier to keep an original character true to their nature, as opposed to a canon character; you invented it, so you know exactly how it should behave (hopefully).

Lastly, third: What should an original character be like?

-You're on your own for this one.

An original character should be like a real person. They should remind readers of particular people they have met.

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For my own answers:

-Who are they? Answer: In all honestly, depending on how you define the 'original' in 'original character,' it could mean two very different things. The one that I prefer to use, but not the one that many others probably use, is that any character could be a considered an 'Original' character, so long as it was created by the author to begin with. That is to say, using this logic, Harry Potter is an original character created by J. K. Rowling.

However, what most people think of when they think of an OC, is a character, again created by the author, but this time inserted into pre-existing media, for example... Oh, I'll just use the first character I can think of, Snowdrop. She's an OC. Whether or not she's a good OC, however, is totally subjective. (Note that I've always found this definition a bit limiting, but for what it's worth, I will be using it for the most part, as that's the most agreed upon definition, I bet.)
-What are they? An OC is quite simply... a tool of an author. One of their many available tools, but the one you must use if you wish to start any sort of story by my first definition, or a character to use to make your fan fic a bit... different, for the second definition. Now, going by my second definition, you don't need to use an OC for your fan fic. You can create a perfectly good fan fic using just the characters from the original story, but by using OCs, specifically your own, then you end up with a touch of uniqueness.
-What makes them special? OCs are special for the very simple reason that they are Original Characters. That is, a character created entirely by the author, and as such they are completely unique. No one else has ever used them, for no one else has ever thought of them! That's what makes them different, what separates them from other characters.

-What are they for? They are for those authors who wish to prove that their story is at least a somewhat unique one. Whether or not this happens, is solely up to the author. But they are still tools, tools which need to be practiced.
-Why are they there? Again, they are there to add an element of uniqueness that simply can't be found anywhere else. They are there to serve a purpose, as determined by the author. Even for something as simple as knocking on a door, to interrupt a conversation, an OC could be used.
-Why use one? Well, apart from all the unique stuff I've just mentioned, you also use one when another character just... wouldn't do, or doesn't exist. For example, there are no ponies who... oh I don't know, run a fire department in Ponyville. (At least, that we know of. For all I know, the next episode could involve the volunteer fire department. But that's besides the point.)

Lastly, third: What should an original character be like?

Now this is a tricky question. It's very very subjective. But I suppose, to answer in what I hope are my own words, an OC should be like a character that... fits into the setting you have chosen. Well, the setting and the genre of story you're writing. Those are the two key components, to me. An OC should be a character who serves a purpose, the bigger the purpose, the more fleshed out they need to be, and as such, the more they need to fit in. Now, ignoring stories that are random for the sake of random, having a clown pop out of nowhere in a dark horror story... really doesn't fit the setting or the genre, unless given justification. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Now, whether an OC should be like the author is honestly up to the author themselves. Of course, if a character is exactly like the author, why even call them an OC, when you can just call them a self-insert, which they'd be at that point. But again, I'm getting ahead of myself, although my point is clear.

First off: What is an original character?
-Who are they?
-What are they?
-What makes them special?

Personally I believe an original character to be a character born from an individual, often related to a particular medium's canon universe. Be it a TV show, a book, or a movie, etc. Some Original characters are entirely original in the fact that they are born from imagination, and are not tied to a preexisting universe. However for the sake of simplicity, i'll stick to my definition being that of original characters tied to a preexisting canon universe. Particularly as our colorful horsewords here on fimfic, centered around MLP and it's canon universe.

With that said: An original character is a character that does not exist within the current main cast or background cast of canon characters within a respective universe. They are created entirely by an individual, appearing outside of the source material.

Second: What is the role of an original character?
-What are they for?
-Why are they there?
-Why use one?

Original characters fulfill many roles within a story. From background characters where using a canon character wouldn't work or make sense, to a lead protagonist; supported by canon characters or even other original characters. How exactly these individual roles are defined is up to the author and how they wish to use and depict these original characters. These depictions generally tend to vary depending on the extent of the character(s) 'screen time', interaction with the story's main cast, or relevance to plot when in direct usage.

What it all really boils down to, is an original character is used because an author simply wishes to use a character of their design to help tell their story. There could be any number of reasons to/for this, such as those listed above.

Lastly, third: What should an original character be like?
-You're on your own for this one.

I believe an original character should be able to "fit in" with the canon cast without seeming too horribly out of place; unless that is the author's intention. I also believe justification of an original characters existence is extremely important; increasing exponentially as the character goes more unique and less derived from the common occurrence within the universe's canon.

With that said. Justifying why a story has an original character that is an 800 foot tall, fire-breathing zombie goldfish that speaks 7 langues and flies in a story based around colorful little ponies and the magic isn't going to be easy. Possible! ...But certainly not easy. I strong believe that almost any character can be made to fit into a canon universe, no matter how powerful, bizarre, or different, so long as you are able use canon means to justify it's existence within the universe.

In summery. When it comes to original characters. Justification is everything in my opinion.

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Thank you very much for participating and providing answers to my questions. Like I mentioned above, the answers to these questions can be quite controversial and just as subjective. While a number of truths can be found to a point, beyond that a person's opinion quickly fills in the rest. If you take a moment to look over the other students answers and my own, you will see a large variation of differing opinions to some aspects of original characters.

Also keep in mind that my answers are not necessarily the right answers, or any better than anyone else's. They simply what I personally believe to be truths having written and interacted with a number of OC's as a writer and editor over the past few years. Even then, I still have a lot to learn about them.

Anyhow. If you have any questions, comments, or opinion on my or other students answers; or anything else reguarding original characters, feel free to ask or do so now. I just ask you to be civil about it. I'll answer any questions to the best of my ability, or provide personal feedback on answers if you wish.

Open discussion starts now and extends over the weekend. This study hall is set to be closed as of late Monday night. Thanks again to those who took the time to answer my relatively simple, yet subjective questions.

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having a clown pop out of nowhere in a dark horror story... really doesn't fit the setting or the genre

Aren't there entire horror movies based on clowns?

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I guess it would depend on how the clown is depicted then, wouldn't it?

4754164 The only clown I can think of that wasn't scary is Mayor Mare, and she was still creepier than normal.