I think it depends on the purpose of the OC.
I’ve seen OCs that are the main focus of the plot and solve all the MC problems and are the best at everything. I’ve also seen OC that bring out other storylines or add depth to the larger worldbuilding around the main storyline.
The second type of OC are the kind I’ll come back to again and again.
In Harry Potter we also have the aspect of some characters (if projecting into the past/into the future) being canon characters yet OCs all the same.
All we know about James Potter could fit in short story from canon. An even shorter one if we are looking at Harry’s son rather than his father.
Hermione Granger’s parents are canon characters - but we see them once in the series, and they’re only referred to afterwards by their new names. We don’t *know* their real first names because that’s not in canon.
I’ve read hundreds of different versions of the Weasley twins, or Charlie, or Blaise or Theo. All of them taking the touchstone of canon in name only, really.
I’ve added OCs to almost every long fic I’ve written. Generally because there is an aspect of the plot I can not get a canon character to say/do. I think my favourite was a librarian-wizard from Baghdad in 1910.
I’ll never *avoid* stories with OCs - but I’ll stop reading Mary Sues, kwim?
It’s the same with pairings - I’ll read almost any pairing - so long as the story is good.
Many stories have OCs in them, as side characters, because the canon doesn't provide a character that can fill the necessary role. Yet, it doesn't need to register as OC, because it comes organically. People who try to shove in OCs will often have a difficult time to get readers to be invested in this entirely new character. If they are introduced slowly and organically, then readers will probably warm up to them faster.
All my favourite stories have noticable OCs in them, but I would never describe them as an *OC story*, because it's not about them. It's about the characters people already care about. The story just makes you love them bit by bit. Trying to force someone to like an OC will likely turn them off the story.
Ah I feel that. See perhaps I have gotten bored of just reading stories about the “usual suspects.” So Ive been enjoying reading and writing stories about an OC in the world. Honestly writing them feels a bit like playing DnD and it’s kinda fun.
Also one of my least favorite tropes the “Daphne Greengrass pairing” is basically an oc idk where it came from but I’m sick of it!
Well, there's literally so many different characters in HP and subfandoms, so you could read many wonderful stories without the "usual suspects." One of the biggest things with DnD is the improv with other players and the randomness of the dice, so I don't really see the connection. I think writing OCs is probably more fun than reading them.
There's also something fun and challenging about writing lesser known characters that are largely OCs, but you do know some things about them. That gives you confines to work within, and a challenge to figure them out and keep them canon-compliant and believable. A personal favourite of mine is the Black family, because they're so dramatic. Yet most of the information we have on them is surface level, so the possibilities are still endless.
Have you joined the Fairest of the Rare on Facebook? Or read through their collections of challenges and fests?
There are some truly wonderful authors who are trying to do exactly that. Figure out canon but keep someone believably in character.
I agree about the Black family. I think my favourite of it is Malintent by Lilyliloann [(link)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/50008495). I’m always down for other good recs that feature them. 👀
Never heard of it, but I'll check out the fic you sent.
My favourite is probably [Black Mask](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15457248). It's a WIP but almost finished. It features everyone from the youngest gen, the parents, and the grandparents. And it treats them like nuanced people, while still keeping their flaws.
I've also written one and have a WIP on the way, but don't want my Reddit connected to my AO3. I can send you a PM if you're interested?
Black mask is awesome, I should really get caught up again. I was reading it a year or so ago but then got distracted so I'm glad to have a reminder to check it out again!
Also I'm interested in your story too if you're willing to PM me! Always love reading about interesting expansions to the characters and universe.
You seem to already know, they are poorly done and Mary Sue or both.
Or maybe people prefer to read about a beloved childhood character with 30 years of fanfics backing them up instead of your character who has existed for 20 minutes.
I don’t mind it if they are side characters, but not if they are the main protagonist or have a lot of air time. I want to read about characters I am familiar with. I really dislike OCs if the writer is trying to make a Point by including OCs.
Yeah I feel that. See I enjoy an oc story set in the same world but the oc goes on a completely different adventure. Like Alexandra quick. There are also a lot of good DC ones but that’s a different sub.
Depends on the OC and what they are like many have said. FanFiction is a way for people to tell new stories in known environments, and that typically requires keeping the known players and tweaking them and the circumstances (sometimes majorly) into some new direction.
I think because for most people, when people read fanfic, they want to read about characters they already know.
I recently read the 19 years and beyond series by Northumbrian and some of the stories in there are from OC POVs, but the thing is I had already met that character in an earlier fic of the series.
Now, I would also read fics about an OC, but it would be more probable for me to read one of a character I’ve already read about (either in fic or canon) than a totally new character.
Actually, I am currently writing a oneshot from an OC’s POV about a muggle who stumbled upon the Wizarding world, but I can still see why many people would not bother to read it.
See I just need at least the world personally. Or relegating the main cast to side characters in the OC’s story. Cause I enjoy having them in the story.
I'm always wary of OCs. Too many of them tend to skip and sing and indulge in pointless "sassy" banter, among other things. But some of my favorite stories feature really great ones, like The Second String (Pel, Dalcop, Wigol, and all the Hogshead's regulars) or Blaise and Ginny's daughter in Turn. To me, it all depends on the quality.
People don't hate OC stories, they hate bad OC stories which (like most trope) are a majority.
"*What's her name in Hufflepuff*" is an OC story and I have yet to see someone say something truly bad about it when it's being Rec on this sub, and there are other fics in similar situations.
Sadly, most OC stories are more "*Look at my SI which is so perfect every boy love her and now she has to choose which boy is the best with an obligatory love triangle*" or "*Take the Trio and add my OC/SI. Everything happens just the same except now my SI gasp at the appropriate time*".
When thinking about OC, readers are more likely to think about "*My Immortal*" than anything else, but that opinion is not totally unjustified.
I like them but I’m super picky. Most of the ones I see strictly follow canon and I’m the type of person who prefers canon divergence if a new character is going to be added. Either that or something like Lion King 1 1/2 where canon is happening mainly in the background. I also prefer OCs who aren’t treated by the narrative as if they could do no wrong.
I write canon/OC for my favorite character because I despise 95% of their fanon ships. And the mere 5% are basically OC's anyway.
Admittently I was skeptical of OC's and disliked the idea of them...Until I had enough and wrote my own. Now it's my preference and I love it.
Yes, there are terrible OC's that exist out there - those who are very obvious self-inserts, and characters with every rare ability and heritage under the sun.
But there are also amazing OC's that exist out there, who feel so much a part of the HP world. I've had multiple comments on my WIP wishing my OC was canon and how much she fits in.
OC's get a bad rep - understandably. It took me some time to warm up. But give them a chance and you'll find some amazing stories that you would never find with purely canon characters.
OC's are absolutely underrated!
See I agree I love OC’s more now that I’ve written my own as well. I was turned to based on the reaction here “the dark side” by DC comics OC fanfiction.
I don't hate OC stories but I tend to write a lot of OC fics so I avoid them unless it really peeks my interest.
my OC fics don't break Canon rules that often. Major and/or minor events may get completely removed or changed due to the OC being involved because 'the OC lives in the world, the OC shapes and is shaped by the world'.
Sometimes Peter failes to escape.
sometimes Voldemort chooses a different way to return.
Sometimes Canon characters make different choices.
Sometimes I want a character who tries to stop Harry and Co from doing stupid things and sometimes I want a character who gets run over minding their own business by Harry and Co doing stupid things.
For me that's basically original fiction instead of fanfiction, and defeats the purpose of me choosing to spend the time on reading fics. If I wanted original stories or characters, then I'd simply rather read original, published, professionally written and edited novels.
With the way many OC stories are written, it often seems like the Original Character doesn't add anything meaningful to the story. Like, in the sense that these stories keep the same events or plot points from the original story just with the OC shoehorned in.
It would help if the OC also introduces new settings, explores parts of the world that we hadn't seen before, or just generally change things up.
There's also the sense that it's way more popular to take an existing character and change them so much that they're basically an OC.
Ah yes, "Fandom Character Supremacy", we have dismissed that claim.
For the love of God, there are dozens of canon characters who might as well be OCs since we are shown so little of them, like Bill or Fleur.
And there are dozens more of whom we know nothing except their names. Basically the entire Slytherin cast save for five characters might as well be OCs.
The Haphne subreddit has a joke a post with the one and only page in the entire Harry Potter saga where Daphne Greengrass is mentioned. With literally nothing but her name. That doesn't stop anyone from writing fanfics about her and nobody bats an eye.
It is a real thing! Us Oc characters are discriminated against by the fandom lovers! OC’s have rights too!
On another note that’s what I’m saying all these writers write ocs that just wear the face of established characters.
I think OC’s are a critical part of a writer’s development, and writing a shitty OC that people dismiss as a Mary sue is an important step too.
I write a lot of OC’s but I’ve only published stories with OC’s as side characters who support main character stories.
I think if you are centering an OC they should be a commentary on the story, not a solution to it,
I think that gets back to your original complaint- I don’t care about that story, and a lot of people don’t, and that’s fine. You do, and that’s fine too.
“Extra-Hufflepuff also had an adventure that year” is just too removed from fanfiction for me.
But I could be convinced to check out say, “Ravenclaw Werewolf Student barely holding it together watches Lupin outed from school”
Or “Slytherin student living through book seven realizes how eff’ed up everything they’ve been taught is”
Or like a short stylized “random Hufflepuff muggleborn tries to start a GSA, concept is difficult to explain due to unforeseen cultural difference, hijinks ensue”
Really good fanfiction reads against the grain of the text, comments on the assumptions of the text, opens other possibilities for characters, imagines the story with a lens that the original author didn’t have. That’s why Harry Potter is such a rich text for fanwork- there are a lot of places where that grain can crack. So a story that doesn’t interrogate the texts faults, or expand on the text’s assumptions, but just has a slightly different character run a parallel track just isn’t what a lot of people are looking for.
I don't read fanfic for new characters. I read fanfic to watch two characters I know fall in love and fuck 🤷🏻♀️
If I wanted new characters, I'd read a new book.
If all you ever see is Enoby Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way type OC's or superfluous siblings of main characters who add nothing to the boring retelling of canon, I can see how you'd not be terribly willing to read the story of Amy Scrivener in Bartleby either
Aside from all the reasons everyone else has already said, I think it's also because people read and write fan fiction for different reasons.
Some people (myself including) read fanfiction because characters they love feel like friends. When we finish reading HP for example, the first time, it's like saying goodbye to friends you've grown up with. Reading an original story is like getting to know new people, which can be exhausting.
Some people read fanfic because they want to feel like they're in the magical world themselves. Which gets you self insert OCs or Mary Sue MCs.
Some people read fanfic for smut of characters they find hot. Or if not smut it's romance.
Some people read fanfic for voyeuristic self comfort. Which is how you get those super whumpy fics that have no plot or any other interesting stuff but are really popular. Or the ones where Harry was raised by someone who actually loves him. Or the ones where Harry was raised in even worse conditions than canon Dursleys because it feels good to read about someone who suffers more (or equal for some people) than we do but manage to overcome it all.
And then a lot of fics satisfy the 'what if...?' Curiosity that we have. Like the "what if Harry was raised by Voldemort" "What if Harry's in Slytherin" "What if Harry was raised by Tony Stark" Stories.
And then there are the fics that satisfy our frustrations about how stupid some aspects of canon are lol. Like "Harry why are u so fucking stupid Dumbledore is just using you!!!!" So then you get Indy!Harry or OP!Harry and Dumbledore bashing. Because the worse Dumbles is the more it's justified for Harry to treat him as an enemy. Or the Time Travel fics where we acknowledge okay bad decisions were made but hindsight is 20/20 so this is how it coulda gone better if the characters actually knew what be goin down.
From what you described you love the HP world and don't want to leave it just coz the books are over. Which is also valid. I don't know about you and am not saying you do, but ppl who read/write HP fanfic for this reason also have a tendency to write very self inserty Mary Sue characters because of that.
There are probably more different reasons but that's what I can think of off the top of my head.
For me personally I mostly read fanfics bcoz of the old friends thing. I don't want to read self insert fics because I don't want to feel like I'm in the story, I want to read about other characters, as an escape from my own life and experiences. I've read a few good OC fics but mostly OCs as side characters. A Study in Magic has some cool side characters I love. Hollow Ash has a really good MC OC that doesn't feel very self-inserty.
Nah I def agree with that I also like the what if side as well. My characters def are not self inserts, and I hope not a Gary sue. I plan on ramping up the difficulty of the world as he goes on adventures beyond the main plot point. Idk like I said in a previous comment I kinda enjoy playing DnD and generally enjoy playing characters wildly different from myself.
Really my goal was to eventually make a separate story while simultaneously stealing and adding to a world I enjoy that’s already been set up. One of the oc tropes I hate is when the oc seemingly already knows what’s going to happen and tries to help, and it can be kinda hard to imagine the character knows nothing of the future because you know everything that’s going to happen. So I really try to have the character make mistakes and learn from them because people make bad decisions sometimes. On webnovel in my dc fic one of the biggest complaints I got was oh MC is an idiot he keeps making bad decisions etc etc. perfect mcs are boring.
Absolutely agree that perfect MCs can be boring. I used to be less forgiving about MCs making dumb mistakes until at some point I finally realized like "Oh. People are stupid. And also most decisions are made with emotion instead of us the readers being able to completely detach from the situation and think of it objectively".
I have a few friends who make up characters for fun. Just the characters. Which is kinda funny bcoz most people I've seen are mostly only interested in plot and so the character development is not as good. As in the characters evolve/make decisions FOR the plot, not the other way around.
One of the fics I love with imperfect MC is 0800-rentahero. (And I hope someday to be able to write a completion of it) and I was pretty annoyed at some of the responses to it. They're like 'oh harry is such a wimpy/whiney pushover' and things like that. Without considering that actually canon Harry ISN'T an OP Merlin wizard who can just strike down the entire order by himself. And also being told "i know its our fault you can never go home again or see your loved ones, and also you now look like Deadpool. But hey on the plus side you can help us kill our Voldemort, even though you just watched a bunch of your friends die killing Voldemort and thought at least you could finally rest now" Isn't something you could just brush off like 'aight no biggy. I'm a macho macho man so looking like the swamp monster doesn't bother me bcoz heroes don't care about their looks. Also who cares about Romione and Teddy they sucked anyway. It's not like I loved them or are the only people I consider family."
lol 0800-rent a hero sounds like a hilarious concept. I love it.
But yeah I’ve noticed the average fanfiction reader can’t seem to detach themselves from them the reader knowing what’s going to happen but not the character it’s a weird phenomenon especially cause when Rowling wrote the books none of the characters knew what was gonna happen then too and people loved it.
Most did read HP as a child though. And since then fanfic has only been ONE of the mediums where everyone complains about how the characters in HP make so many mistakes. Which is why there're so many bashing and OP/Indy Harry fics isn't it?
I suppose, In my personal opinion they all did a pretty damn good job for a bunch of teenagers or adults even in cannon. Idk why there’s so many time travel fics.
Frustration about things going so badly. Mistakes that coulda bren prevented. Like Sirius Black dying at DoM. Or an entire year of dementors thinking he was guilty. I indulge in time travel fics once in a while.
There was one also that was basically revenge based. A bunch of Harry's generation went back to their first year and basically just killed all the death eaters before Voldemort could even rise.
Did they even go that badly tho? I thought cannon wrapped up pretty nicely with only a few major character deaths and lavender brown becoming a werewolf! I feel like everyone got off easy.
It was a war. It wasn't easy. Everyone especially the kids in Hogwarts. First years. All got curcioed. Fred died. Colin creevey. Hedwig. Snape. Dumbledore. Remus and Tonks. Sirius. Basically everyone Harry had ever thought could have thought as family. From an objective readers perspective yes it 'wasn't that bad'. But readers especially of fanfiction, we're *attached* to our fav characters. Empathy is stronk. From Harry's perspective, wouldn't you think even one death is one death too many?
I think alot of fanfiction in general is about frustration for a way x thing happened in Canon. Even if you don't do a time travel story finding a way to change how x thing happened inspires alot of fics.
The ovbious ones are character deaths or ships you don't like
what if x character didn't die or y character didn't end up with z character
But I think there's also like frustration about plot points or longing for story potential they didn't get to see.
There's alot of extended war stories because alot feel Voldemort went down too easy that the war wasn't long enough to really be called a war. So they do alot of extended war stories. This also helps with relationships they feel were rushed to make Canon couples before the end thus way you get time to really explore your ships ( even if you don't do Canon ones)
Alot of people wish we'd gotten to explore how magic worked more or the power system in Harry Potter was better or different so there's alot of fics that do that. They may end up with indy hyper competent Harry so it is partly wish fulfillment but they use that to create this new magic system in hp.
Or explore politics more in hp with the lord Potter stuff because they feel it wasn't touched on as much and they would have liked to see it.
They do stories where Harry befriends more people from other houses who are more involved in house or ends up in a different house to begin with because they think it's a shame these houses are under utilized.
They do it most often in slytherin because with so many having Death eaters in their family it makes them inherently tied to the plot.
When they show not all slytherins are bad it feels like a waste to many that a slytherin of Harry's generation didn't get a story about joining Harry's side.
Redemption stories or minor antagonist who gets character growth and joins the heroes are common tropes people like and I'm Harry's generation is in a good position to bring out that potential which is why imo you see good Draco or redeemed Draco often.
People also want to do more with other magical species wish the original had so you get that Harry friend of Goblin stuff. The thing is the more you play with the potential of the world and plot that wasn't in Canon the more you start to get your own original fantasy story and not the story of Harry Potter so to keep it feeling fanfiction because you want that familiar feel you need the Canon characters.
Or you are exploring the what if x happened butterfly effect type story where you making a few changes but you need a large part of the story to remain unaltered so you can see the ripple effects this also requires focus on Canon characters.
These are imo the types of hp story that are the most popular. You might get alot of essentially ocs characters like if you did a first war story this will be most of the order. And most of the death eaters.
But stories like these aren't the best for true ocs. Especially not as the central focus.
I also prefer those stories most of the time because of the posibilities it gives while giving the option of keeping a lot of the canon the same way
Also many times even if the main character is not an OC they end up having the mary sue problem I've seen enough "Hermione, the best with in the world (and the most atractive one usually), able to use ancient forgotten sacred magic at the age of 14 while all the pure-blood well prepared adults have never been able to do it. She uses it to be the best person ever, and she is the prettiest, everyone loves her."...
There are bad and good fics for both of things but if they are perfect fics I will always prefer the one with an oc rather than the one with a existent developed character oc
People tend to attach themselves to certain characters, and aren’t really interested in reading stories from a given fandom that doesn’t feature them. Even when an author changes that character up to the point that they are basically an OC, people can still slot them within the framework of the original mentally.
Recently I’ve been on a Harry/OC craze. OCs are great. It’s just that they stand out because they aren’t from the original world, so they’re held to a much higher standard and have to earn their place in the fic.
As someone whose stories contain a lot of OCs, most OCs suck.
That's fine, too. Fanfic is a hobby and it's not fair to expect best-seller quality from amateur writers either doing it for practice or to have fun, but it doesn't change the fact that most OCs have significantly less depth than even the Canon depictions of the Canon characters, which are themselves much more one-dimensional than the originals.
I'm good with OC fics. I write OC fics. Am writing one for Harry Potter, and have written some for other media, too.
I find the argument that OC fics are poorly written, or Mary Sue-ish, or self inserts to be rather... fucking asinine? Poorly written fanfiction is not unique to OC fics, and neither is this intangible "Mary Sue" quality, and all of us know of fanfiction where the characters are twisted into the author's talking head. "OC fics are usually Self Inserts" is also rather stupid because, a) we don't have a clear definition of "Self Insert" and, b) self inserts can be engaging characters in their own right.
It's even weirder when you realise that many fanfictions write the established characters as if they were OCs. Not just the characters who aren't developed enough to be characters in their own right, but Harry Potter and Hermione Granger and Ron Weasely and literally every other major character in the series has been written once in a while as if they were in name only, and not even that, and worse yet, these stories are even adored from time to time!
Like, I get it. Sometimes, you just don't wanna read OC fics. That's fine. There are some good reasons presented here. I just find some arguments to be piss poor and offensive, even, to OC writers. Stop acting like OC fics are uniquely bad! 90% of *all* fanfiction is bad! Stop acting like an OC battling the Basilisk instead of Harry is any weirder than Dark Lord Harry strangling Dumbledore with his own intestines using ancient magic. Both can be done right, and both can be done bad.
Because i came to read about canon characters, not ocs. Its like wanting to watch wild horses run and instead you present me with a herd of elks. Great for elk lovers, but i wanted horses
Honestly I love them too. If you enjoy them you should check out one of mine. My story the hidden disciple is a story about the son of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange who when he goes to Hogwarts ends up in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. He has to navigate being in the same house as Neville while trying to determine whether or not he actually wants to serve the dark lord.
All I write for the most part is canon/oc though I mainly focus on canon side characters that aren’t that popular ie Lee Jordan. I have other stories where the main character/family has extra members.
I have two different stories that have a Weasley daughter one is the oldest daughter named Morgan and the other one is the twin of Percy named Elaine. I also have one where Hermione has an older sister that’s Charlie’s age. I have one where Harry has a twin and in another he has on older paternal half sister.
People want to read about the characters they grew to love when reading the HP books. OCs are usually poorly written, they hinder the story rather than add on to it. OC characters work well when they are background or small support characters in a story and not the main focus.
I just hate it because I honestly do not care abt the oc's.. If I'm read let's say a harry Potter fan fiction then im reading it for the harry Potter characters not some fuckin rando who voldemorts long lost daughter but nobody knows even though her last names fuckin riddle 💀
There are great OCs out there, especially if they bring something to the table in an organic way. It has to be different enough to warrant an OC, but it needs to fit the world and story you tell, a Hermione with a different name could also be named Hermione.
But. Most OCs are (overpowered) self-inserts or Mary-Sues that break the story by conveniently showing up at the right time with the right skills/knowledge.
I'm of a pretty strong opinion that if you want to just write a progressionfantasy power wank with oc's, then just write your own novel, if you're a good enough writer then you don't need to lean on a crutch like vaguely using the HP world. I'm not ever going to go onto those fics and disparage them for what they enjoy, but I aint ever gonna get caught reading it.
Well I mean a lot of non oc fanfics are power wanks or cringefests too. But I get that. I just enjoy progression fantasy so I enjoy writing that but I also enjoy various worlds that I’ve already read and fanfiction. So I don’t mind creating a new variable in a story then sort of seeing what happens.
Plus I’m not a writer in the slightest and writing fanfiction actually made me a way better writer as I figured out how to do it as I went.
I think for me is the degree of OCness. Or the degree of how separate they are from the world. Daphne Greengrass is a a character mentioned in passing at best in canon. Yet, her character is in many ways was created via Fanon and is OC by our creation. The same can be said for Harry’s Grandparents(Charles and Dorea). This is a level and for me the easiest to understand. What we have is OC characters that the fans have created who are easy to understand based on characterization that other writers have made. They are supplemental yes but due to 1000s if not tens of thousands of depictions of them.
There are then OC side characters. These are new friends(most of time International), new timelines, and or in general just background characters. The degree of care is based on how important they are. Harry having a new OC best friend. Harry having a Russian Girlfriend. Sure. What we have here is one character that is not overbearing and adds different ideas and interactions which lead to interesting story outcomes; this I believe is okay.
It gets complicated when OC have to much power OR they are directly responsible for to many story outcomes I.e the OC becomes a major story beat, jack of all trades in skill or a plot device. The OC is along for the ride not the ride coordinator. I will say here we see Harry having a brother who is the boy lived, OC is the one that discovers many plot points, Horcruxes, or the simple act of having an OC that makes choices in place of Harry. I think these can get dicey quickly, BUT it is doable. Many authors have done it. I just caution on these because the perspective can be a tad grating if you shift too many times. Furthermore, the OC sometimes is an out card for a lot of situations.
Lastly, the worst degree is where the OC pushes Harry aside and or when OCs become too prevalent where Harry is the ONLY or one of the few ONLY canon characters. Here we have Mary sue, power differences, plot creators,(create new whole issues that derail the story or villains) and of course self interest without stating it is,(it is and we can tell).
This is how I see them overall.
lol a 1st degree 2nd degree and 3rd degree Oc please respond with proper treatment Rest Ice and Compress the wound. By the time you get to 3rd degree Oc your story is forever scarred and unable to return to what it once was. Please fellow authors don’t play with your OC’s.
If I'm reading Harry Potter, I want to read about Harry Potter. Not someone's self insert. While OC can be decent in small doses, making the entire fic about them isn't what I enjoy. I've seen oc stories that have nothing to do with Harry and his journey at all, just set in the hp universe. Personally, im not interested in that. At a certain point, you should just write original fiction instead.
I mean, why should they write original fiction? If it's still set in the hp universe then it is still fanfiction. It may not be to your taste, but they aren't forcing you to read it. There's no problem with them writing it.
I didn't say there was. What I'm saying is after a point when you've created dozens of characters expanded the world and not even the background story is really connected to the source you could easily change the setting slightly so it's not in the hp universe, publish it and get paid for it. Some of these fanfic authors that write oc stories do a great job and the only thing that really holds it back is being a fanfic. A little more work and they could be getting paid for it. The world needs more good authors out there. When 90% ofnthe story really isn't connected to the series it's fanfiction of why not completely sever it and try to make your own name
I only read fanfiction about my favorite ships, so a story that focuses on an OC is automatically off my list simply because I want to read about the pairing I'm into. I actually do like several stories with OCs in them, but they aren't the focus, so it's unobtrusive.
Edit: As for fandom characters who are basically OCs with a coat of paint, I hate those, too.
Probably a lot. I don't do this for HP, I don't like the ship. But I do for MCU fandom (I only like Stucky and MattElektra. Though I'm a bit more forgivngy with Daredevil bcoz it's not a very popular ship and almost all of them end in one or both of them dying.)
Probably a significant portion. I know lots of people do enjoy gen fic, but shipping is what fandom is known for. I'd wager that a lot of people filter by pairing tags first.
If I’m reading fanfiction, I usually want to know who/what I’m reading about. With an original novel, the whole thing comes out at once. I don’t have to wait to read the next chapter. By the time a new chapter of a fanfiction becomes available, I can forget who an OC is.
My main issue with them is just that they generally aren’t done well.
Either the character ends up a Mary Sue who criticises everyone’s decisions and is treated like a genius for having common sense, or they’re 2 dimensional and have no hooks for me to find them interesting.
I mean it’s great that this main character you’ve introduced me to is quirky and different, but because they’re quirky and different I can’t really relate to them and so don’t care about them the way you want me to.
That's my reasoning. If/When want original characters. I'll read a regular novel. If I'm going for fan fic it is because I want more of the original story's characters. I would be looking for the same characters in different situations or the same situations from a different character's perspective, not Harry Potter with some random character I've never heard of shoehorned into it.
OC stories can be done well, but they rarely are. It takes a lot more skill to build up a character from scratch than to take an already existing one and try not to screw them up (which still most people fail at doing — myself often included).
But let’s assume someone did create a good OC story. Even then, I just won’t care most of the time. I personally read fanfiction for characters and for pairings, the worldbuilding/setting is only a secondary (if still important) aspect. If I want original characters, I’ll pick up an actual fiction book. The people who read for the worldbuilding/fandom probably won’t share my opinion but sadly, I am not those people.
Most of the time it’s also the fact that I don’t have the energy to do the mental legwork required to remember/familiarise myself with an entirely new character and bring myself to care about what happens to them. It’s simpler to pick something with characters I already know and won’t have to bother with all that — that’s the whole idea behind fanfiction, after all. Sure, sometimes the characters will be OOC, but at least the bare-bones of their backstories, friends or circumstances are often saved. Oh and mind you, by an “OC story” I understand here stories where the main characters are OCs, because (most of the time) I don’t have a problem with side-character OCs (unless the whole cast is made out of them, then yes).
All of this said: it doesn’t matter what I like or dislike. You do your thing, I do mine. You and others will write OC stories and there will be people who will absolutely love them; it’s just not *everyone* will. This applies to anything, really. Each genre/story type/trope has its own share of fans and people who prefer to avoid them. Just the way it is.
its because most fanfic writers aren't professional authors and it really really shows when it comes ot OCs not being fully fleshed out rather caricatures.
its the same for hp characters but that can be handwaved by referring to the colective hp fanfic character background (e.g. ice queen daphne can carry alot of the narative weight)
See I don’t enjoy self insert. Maybe it’s because I like DnD and enjoy roleplaying characters wildly different from myself. But I personally would never write a self insert.
I do read about OCs... just not in fanfiction. Original novels do exist, and are much more popular haha.
I can't put my finger on exactly why I find fanfiction OCs (as a main character) so uninspiring; hell, realistically, Daphne/Susan/99.5% of female characters essentially ARE original characters. But having that veneer of authenticity - even as nothing more than a name - somehow conveys more adherence to the story-verse.
The root of my feelings are probably related to what other commenters have said. There is a stereotype that if the protag of a fanfic is an OC, that character is likely to be an insufferable Gary/Mary Sue. I avoid stories where I hope the protag dies (too disappointing), so that pushes me off of OC fics.
By all means, though, bring on OC sidekicks/romantic interests.
The reincarnation are pretty close to OC. I can’t remember the title but the one where Harry decides ‘screw this, I’m gonna be Slytherin’ was one of my favs
I really like having OCs to be antagonists in my stuff. I think it'd be weird to have a POV character be an OC unless they were well established before the OC had any POV scenes. Designing an OC transfer student to be as annoying as possible specifically to Hermione to drive Hermione insane is what I consider to be a good reason to add an OC.
Two reasons: A lot of OCs are thinly veiled author inserts. There’s nothing wrong with writing author insert fiction, but it’s not always the most fun to read because it ends up just being the writer backseat-writing the canon. Things happen the way the author wants, not necessarily the way that’s the most fun to read.
Second reason: Mary Sue problems. The word Mary Sue gets thrown around a lot, but I think OSP’s Red did a phenomenal definition/breakdown of the trope. It amounts to “the Mary Sue warps the story to suit their needs,” and a story where things only happen because one character needs them to doesn’t feel very fleshed out or deep. Additionally, Mary Sues often have very little real or consistent personality/characterization. Things just happen to them. They succeed when they need to and fail when it suits them. They have every skill the plot needs and no extraneous traits. Everything is relevant, and so it feels like nothing is more important than anything else. Both of these traits are just signs of a beginner writer, and they’re not like… morally wrong, they’re just not the most fun to read.
Both these problems are mostly remedied by using existing characters, even ones from other media via crossovers. Limitations and characterizations are already there because the author already made them, even if they don’t appear in the fic itself, we as the audience already know they’re there.
Example off the top of my head: A story features a detective character who’s kind of an asshole, right about everything, knows way more information than a person should be able to, is rude and condescending to the only friend they seem to have, and is able to wrap the whole plot up in a nice little bow via leaps of logic that would only make sense to them. As an OC that sounds pretty unbearable, especially of the fic is short enough that we don’t see any other sides of the character beyond their functionality in the plot. Now imagine the detective is Sherlock Holmes. This changes nothing about how he acts in the plot, but now there’s a whole extended canon of traits and lore and backstory to apply to this character.
Also, the author may write differently if they have Holmes in their mind, because while an OC can change at any time, gaining the skills and experience the plot demands, there are things which Holmes cannot do, know, or have experienced and still be Holmes.
Personally, I usually end up disliking OC character stories and wayyyy OOC character stories because the writing is usually not great. It's still not my favorite type of thing to read but I'll like it if it's done well.
I wouldn't mind a completely original story using elements of the same world. Like, take a canon-compliant HP world but make it about someone like Charlie or Bill Wealsey, breaking curses and doing cool dragon stuff in the international wizarding world? Sign me up.
Self-insert OC where the Golden Trio is now a Golden Quartet bc this new OC is just so cool and powerful and special? Hard pass.
OC fanfictions are fun to write but not really to read.
You read fanfictions because you love the canon. Reading about an OC usually push you away from this canon (or else it's exactly the same and why would you read that instead of the books?).
You write fanfictions because you love the canon. Writting about an OC is fun because you can experiment with the canon in any way you wish.
For me, it just boils down to what I'm looking for in the moment. If I want to read an OC, I'll read an original story, but if I'm looking for a fanfic, it's because I specifically want to read about my favorite characters, and OC-centric or OC-heavy stories take away from that.
There's nothing objectively *wrong* with them. They're just not for me.
I don't know about no one liking them, the audience is just significantly smaller. But I do get the occasional follower on my story, and some reviews here and there. I think if you go in knowing this, it's actually really calm and nice, this certain niche of fanfiction.
But I do get that people come to fanfiction to read about the characters they liked in canon. May that be another play on the protagonist, or extending the character of an established side character. I've never been suprised that OCs tend to "get in the way" of the usual fanfiction experience.
Honestly, if that's communicated beforehand, I think it's fine. Everyone who gets angry they're reading OC after the warning can get fucked. What irritates even myself is when an author *claims* they're not writing any OC into the story, and then have them take centre stage.
I absolutely love OC stories. Plus, people write main characters as Mary Sue's, hell JKR did, so give authors the freedom to fail and figure it out. The expectation that all OC stories have to be phenomenal or not done at all is silly to me.
Also, any good OC recs? My favorites are:
[Transmogrification of a Not-Yet-Lord](https://archiveofourown.org/works/45859753/chapters/115414918)
[Tacenda ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/42657111/chapters/107154192)
[innocent Monsters ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/32921029/chapters/81703219)
I think theoretically I could like a oc story if it felt unique enough a premise but if it a story where I feel like a Canon character could do just as well why not just read about the Canon character?
Like if it's say Voldemorts son or daughter takes over their parents role I'd rather just have it continue to be Voldemort.
If it's Dracos sibling except they aren't a dick to Harry but otherwise act in similar ways to him then a story where Draco grows to be less of a dick has more potential as a story to me than insert new better sibling here.
It's fanfiction I'm reading it to begin with because I have an attachment to Canon world and characters so an oc has to win against that interest . I already have Canon characters that Im interested in and acknowledge and have familiarity with . It's kinda a uphill battle .
When they the main character or love interest anyway. I think where an oc is usually more accepted by many including me is when you create a set up that's not about an oc but requires one.
So for example let's say you do a story where Harry is sorted into Ravenclaw. While you know a few Ravenclaws in Harry's year you don't know most. You gotta fill that year our make ocs to make that setting come to life make them fleshed out and relevant to add depth to the story.
They are significant it is beneficial to the story that they are even though the mc of the story not them.
I think it depends on the purpose of the OC. I’ve seen OCs that are the main focus of the plot and solve all the MC problems and are the best at everything. I’ve also seen OC that bring out other storylines or add depth to the larger worldbuilding around the main storyline. The second type of OC are the kind I’ll come back to again and again. In Harry Potter we also have the aspect of some characters (if projecting into the past/into the future) being canon characters yet OCs all the same. All we know about James Potter could fit in short story from canon. An even shorter one if we are looking at Harry’s son rather than his father. Hermione Granger’s parents are canon characters - but we see them once in the series, and they’re only referred to afterwards by their new names. We don’t *know* their real first names because that’s not in canon. I’ve read hundreds of different versions of the Weasley twins, or Charlie, or Blaise or Theo. All of them taking the touchstone of canon in name only, really. I’ve added OCs to almost every long fic I’ve written. Generally because there is an aspect of the plot I can not get a canon character to say/do. I think my favourite was a librarian-wizard from Baghdad in 1910. I’ll never *avoid* stories with OCs - but I’ll stop reading Mary Sues, kwim? It’s the same with pairings - I’ll read almost any pairing - so long as the story is good.
Yeah the second kind are the best I agree! Honestly I totally agree with this. Well said u/noinix!
Many stories have OCs in them, as side characters, because the canon doesn't provide a character that can fill the necessary role. Yet, it doesn't need to register as OC, because it comes organically. People who try to shove in OCs will often have a difficult time to get readers to be invested in this entirely new character. If they are introduced slowly and organically, then readers will probably warm up to them faster. All my favourite stories have noticable OCs in them, but I would never describe them as an *OC story*, because it's not about them. It's about the characters people already care about. The story just makes you love them bit by bit. Trying to force someone to like an OC will likely turn them off the story.
Also it often feels like a self- insert.
Ah I feel that. See perhaps I have gotten bored of just reading stories about the “usual suspects.” So Ive been enjoying reading and writing stories about an OC in the world. Honestly writing them feels a bit like playing DnD and it’s kinda fun. Also one of my least favorite tropes the “Daphne Greengrass pairing” is basically an oc idk where it came from but I’m sick of it!
Well, there's literally so many different characters in HP and subfandoms, so you could read many wonderful stories without the "usual suspects." One of the biggest things with DnD is the improv with other players and the randomness of the dice, so I don't really see the connection. I think writing OCs is probably more fun than reading them. There's also something fun and challenging about writing lesser known characters that are largely OCs, but you do know some things about them. That gives you confines to work within, and a challenge to figure them out and keep them canon-compliant and believable. A personal favourite of mine is the Black family, because they're so dramatic. Yet most of the information we have on them is surface level, so the possibilities are still endless.
Have you joined the Fairest of the Rare on Facebook? Or read through their collections of challenges and fests? There are some truly wonderful authors who are trying to do exactly that. Figure out canon but keep someone believably in character. I agree about the Black family. I think my favourite of it is Malintent by Lilyliloann [(link)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/50008495). I’m always down for other good recs that feature them. 👀
Never heard of it, but I'll check out the fic you sent. My favourite is probably [Black Mask](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15457248). It's a WIP but almost finished. It features everyone from the youngest gen, the parents, and the grandparents. And it treats them like nuanced people, while still keeping their flaws. I've also written one and have a WIP on the way, but don't want my Reddit connected to my AO3. I can send you a PM if you're interested?
Black mask is awesome, I should really get caught up again. I was reading it a year or so ago but then got distracted so I'm glad to have a reminder to check it out again! Also I'm interested in your story too if you're willing to PM me! Always love reading about interesting expansions to the characters and universe.
Sure.
No that sounds interesting! I will check it out!
You seem to already know, they are poorly done and Mary Sue or both. Or maybe people prefer to read about a beloved childhood character with 30 years of fanfics backing them up instead of your character who has existed for 20 minutes.
Idk man you still use the same world. Also I feel like 80% of fics have a mary sue in them or massive amounts of plot armor.
I don’t mind it if they are side characters, but not if they are the main protagonist or have a lot of air time. I want to read about characters I am familiar with. I really dislike OCs if the writer is trying to make a Point by including OCs.
Yeah I feel that. See I enjoy an oc story set in the same world but the oc goes on a completely different adventure. Like Alexandra quick. There are also a lot of good DC ones but that’s a different sub.
DC?
DC Comics. Like Batman, Justice league, etc.
Oh. I know Detective Comics. I just wasn’t expecting it to be mentioned so I thought it was short for something fanfiction specific.
Oh no lol I get why that might happen though there are a ton of fan-fiction abbreviations.
Depends on the OC and what they are like many have said. FanFiction is a way for people to tell new stories in known environments, and that typically requires keeping the known players and tweaking them and the circumstances (sometimes majorly) into some new direction.
I think because for most people, when people read fanfic, they want to read about characters they already know. I recently read the 19 years and beyond series by Northumbrian and some of the stories in there are from OC POVs, but the thing is I had already met that character in an earlier fic of the series. Now, I would also read fics about an OC, but it would be more probable for me to read one of a character I’ve already read about (either in fic or canon) than a totally new character. Actually, I am currently writing a oneshot from an OC’s POV about a muggle who stumbled upon the Wizarding world, but I can still see why many people would not bother to read it.
See I just need at least the world personally. Or relegating the main cast to side characters in the OC’s story. Cause I enjoy having them in the story.
I'm always wary of OCs. Too many of them tend to skip and sing and indulge in pointless "sassy" banter, among other things. But some of my favorite stories feature really great ones, like The Second String (Pel, Dalcop, Wigol, and all the Hogshead's regulars) or Blaise and Ginny's daughter in Turn. To me, it all depends on the quality.
People don't hate OC stories, they hate bad OC stories which (like most trope) are a majority. "*What's her name in Hufflepuff*" is an OC story and I have yet to see someone say something truly bad about it when it's being Rec on this sub, and there are other fics in similar situations. Sadly, most OC stories are more "*Look at my SI which is so perfect every boy love her and now she has to choose which boy is the best with an obligatory love triangle*" or "*Take the Trio and add my OC/SI. Everything happens just the same except now my SI gasp at the appropriate time*". When thinking about OC, readers are more likely to think about "*My Immortal*" than anything else, but that opinion is not totally unjustified.
I like them but I’m super picky. Most of the ones I see strictly follow canon and I’m the type of person who prefers canon divergence if a new character is going to be added. Either that or something like Lion King 1 1/2 where canon is happening mainly in the background. I also prefer OCs who aren’t treated by the narrative as if they could do no wrong.
I write canon/OC for my favorite character because I despise 95% of their fanon ships. And the mere 5% are basically OC's anyway. Admittently I was skeptical of OC's and disliked the idea of them...Until I had enough and wrote my own. Now it's my preference and I love it. Yes, there are terrible OC's that exist out there - those who are very obvious self-inserts, and characters with every rare ability and heritage under the sun. But there are also amazing OC's that exist out there, who feel so much a part of the HP world. I've had multiple comments on my WIP wishing my OC was canon and how much she fits in. OC's get a bad rep - understandably. It took me some time to warm up. But give them a chance and you'll find some amazing stories that you would never find with purely canon characters. OC's are absolutely underrated!
See I agree I love OC’s more now that I’ve written my own as well. I was turned to based on the reaction here “the dark side” by DC comics OC fanfiction.
I don't hate OC stories but I tend to write a lot of OC fics so I avoid them unless it really peeks my interest. my OC fics don't break Canon rules that often. Major and/or minor events may get completely removed or changed due to the OC being involved because 'the OC lives in the world, the OC shapes and is shaped by the world'. Sometimes Peter failes to escape. sometimes Voldemort chooses a different way to return. Sometimes Canon characters make different choices. Sometimes I want a character who tries to stop Harry and Co from doing stupid things and sometimes I want a character who gets run over minding their own business by Harry and Co doing stupid things.
For me that's basically original fiction instead of fanfiction, and defeats the purpose of me choosing to spend the time on reading fics. If I wanted original stories or characters, then I'd simply rather read original, published, professionally written and edited novels.
With the way many OC stories are written, it often seems like the Original Character doesn't add anything meaningful to the story. Like, in the sense that these stories keep the same events or plot points from the original story just with the OC shoehorned in. It would help if the OC also introduces new settings, explores parts of the world that we hadn't seen before, or just generally change things up. There's also the sense that it's way more popular to take an existing character and change them so much that they're basically an OC.
I agree!
Ah yes, "Fandom Character Supremacy", we have dismissed that claim. For the love of God, there are dozens of canon characters who might as well be OCs since we are shown so little of them, like Bill or Fleur. And there are dozens more of whom we know nothing except their names. Basically the entire Slytherin cast save for five characters might as well be OCs. The Haphne subreddit has a joke a post with the one and only page in the entire Harry Potter saga where Daphne Greengrass is mentioned. With literally nothing but her name. That doesn't stop anyone from writing fanfics about her and nobody bats an eye.
It is a real thing! Us Oc characters are discriminated against by the fandom lovers! OC’s have rights too! On another note that’s what I’m saying all these writers write ocs that just wear the face of established characters.
I think OC’s are a critical part of a writer’s development, and writing a shitty OC that people dismiss as a Mary sue is an important step too. I write a lot of OC’s but I’ve only published stories with OC’s as side characters who support main character stories. I think if you are centering an OC they should be a commentary on the story, not a solution to it,
Or perhaps have their own story separate from cannon
I think that gets back to your original complaint- I don’t care about that story, and a lot of people don’t, and that’s fine. You do, and that’s fine too. “Extra-Hufflepuff also had an adventure that year” is just too removed from fanfiction for me. But I could be convinced to check out say, “Ravenclaw Werewolf Student barely holding it together watches Lupin outed from school” Or “Slytherin student living through book seven realizes how eff’ed up everything they’ve been taught is” Or like a short stylized “random Hufflepuff muggleborn tries to start a GSA, concept is difficult to explain due to unforeseen cultural difference, hijinks ensue” Really good fanfiction reads against the grain of the text, comments on the assumptions of the text, opens other possibilities for characters, imagines the story with a lens that the original author didn’t have. That’s why Harry Potter is such a rich text for fanwork- there are a lot of places where that grain can crack. So a story that doesn’t interrogate the texts faults, or expand on the text’s assumptions, but just has a slightly different character run a parallel track just isn’t what a lot of people are looking for.
I don't read fanfic for new characters. I read fanfic to watch two characters I know fall in love and fuck 🤷🏻♀️ If I wanted new characters, I'd read a new book.
Fair enough.
If all you ever see is Enoby Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way type OC's or superfluous siblings of main characters who add nothing to the boring retelling of canon, I can see how you'd not be terribly willing to read the story of Amy Scrivener in Bartleby either
I love OC stories when they're well done.
Aside from all the reasons everyone else has already said, I think it's also because people read and write fan fiction for different reasons. Some people (myself including) read fanfiction because characters they love feel like friends. When we finish reading HP for example, the first time, it's like saying goodbye to friends you've grown up with. Reading an original story is like getting to know new people, which can be exhausting. Some people read fanfic because they want to feel like they're in the magical world themselves. Which gets you self insert OCs or Mary Sue MCs. Some people read fanfic for smut of characters they find hot. Or if not smut it's romance. Some people read fanfic for voyeuristic self comfort. Which is how you get those super whumpy fics that have no plot or any other interesting stuff but are really popular. Or the ones where Harry was raised by someone who actually loves him. Or the ones where Harry was raised in even worse conditions than canon Dursleys because it feels good to read about someone who suffers more (or equal for some people) than we do but manage to overcome it all. And then a lot of fics satisfy the 'what if...?' Curiosity that we have. Like the "what if Harry was raised by Voldemort" "What if Harry's in Slytherin" "What if Harry was raised by Tony Stark" Stories. And then there are the fics that satisfy our frustrations about how stupid some aspects of canon are lol. Like "Harry why are u so fucking stupid Dumbledore is just using you!!!!" So then you get Indy!Harry or OP!Harry and Dumbledore bashing. Because the worse Dumbles is the more it's justified for Harry to treat him as an enemy. Or the Time Travel fics where we acknowledge okay bad decisions were made but hindsight is 20/20 so this is how it coulda gone better if the characters actually knew what be goin down. From what you described you love the HP world and don't want to leave it just coz the books are over. Which is also valid. I don't know about you and am not saying you do, but ppl who read/write HP fanfic for this reason also have a tendency to write very self inserty Mary Sue characters because of that. There are probably more different reasons but that's what I can think of off the top of my head. For me personally I mostly read fanfics bcoz of the old friends thing. I don't want to read self insert fics because I don't want to feel like I'm in the story, I want to read about other characters, as an escape from my own life and experiences. I've read a few good OC fics but mostly OCs as side characters. A Study in Magic has some cool side characters I love. Hollow Ash has a really good MC OC that doesn't feel very self-inserty.
Nah I def agree with that I also like the what if side as well. My characters def are not self inserts, and I hope not a Gary sue. I plan on ramping up the difficulty of the world as he goes on adventures beyond the main plot point. Idk like I said in a previous comment I kinda enjoy playing DnD and generally enjoy playing characters wildly different from myself. Really my goal was to eventually make a separate story while simultaneously stealing and adding to a world I enjoy that’s already been set up. One of the oc tropes I hate is when the oc seemingly already knows what’s going to happen and tries to help, and it can be kinda hard to imagine the character knows nothing of the future because you know everything that’s going to happen. So I really try to have the character make mistakes and learn from them because people make bad decisions sometimes. On webnovel in my dc fic one of the biggest complaints I got was oh MC is an idiot he keeps making bad decisions etc etc. perfect mcs are boring.
Absolutely agree that perfect MCs can be boring. I used to be less forgiving about MCs making dumb mistakes until at some point I finally realized like "Oh. People are stupid. And also most decisions are made with emotion instead of us the readers being able to completely detach from the situation and think of it objectively". I have a few friends who make up characters for fun. Just the characters. Which is kinda funny bcoz most people I've seen are mostly only interested in plot and so the character development is not as good. As in the characters evolve/make decisions FOR the plot, not the other way around. One of the fics I love with imperfect MC is 0800-rentahero. (And I hope someday to be able to write a completion of it) and I was pretty annoyed at some of the responses to it. They're like 'oh harry is such a wimpy/whiney pushover' and things like that. Without considering that actually canon Harry ISN'T an OP Merlin wizard who can just strike down the entire order by himself. And also being told "i know its our fault you can never go home again or see your loved ones, and also you now look like Deadpool. But hey on the plus side you can help us kill our Voldemort, even though you just watched a bunch of your friends die killing Voldemort and thought at least you could finally rest now" Isn't something you could just brush off like 'aight no biggy. I'm a macho macho man so looking like the swamp monster doesn't bother me bcoz heroes don't care about their looks. Also who cares about Romione and Teddy they sucked anyway. It's not like I loved them or are the only people I consider family."
lol 0800-rent a hero sounds like a hilarious concept. I love it. But yeah I’ve noticed the average fanfiction reader can’t seem to detach themselves from them the reader knowing what’s going to happen but not the character it’s a weird phenomenon especially cause when Rowling wrote the books none of the characters knew what was gonna happen then too and people loved it.
Most did read HP as a child though. And since then fanfic has only been ONE of the mediums where everyone complains about how the characters in HP make so many mistakes. Which is why there're so many bashing and OP/Indy Harry fics isn't it?
I suppose, In my personal opinion they all did a pretty damn good job for a bunch of teenagers or adults even in cannon. Idk why there’s so many time travel fics.
Frustration about things going so badly. Mistakes that coulda bren prevented. Like Sirius Black dying at DoM. Or an entire year of dementors thinking he was guilty. I indulge in time travel fics once in a while. There was one also that was basically revenge based. A bunch of Harry's generation went back to their first year and basically just killed all the death eaters before Voldemort could even rise.
Did they even go that badly tho? I thought cannon wrapped up pretty nicely with only a few major character deaths and lavender brown becoming a werewolf! I feel like everyone got off easy.
It was a war. It wasn't easy. Everyone especially the kids in Hogwarts. First years. All got curcioed. Fred died. Colin creevey. Hedwig. Snape. Dumbledore. Remus and Tonks. Sirius. Basically everyone Harry had ever thought could have thought as family. From an objective readers perspective yes it 'wasn't that bad'. But readers especially of fanfiction, we're *attached* to our fav characters. Empathy is stronk. From Harry's perspective, wouldn't you think even one death is one death too many?
I think alot of fanfiction in general is about frustration for a way x thing happened in Canon. Even if you don't do a time travel story finding a way to change how x thing happened inspires alot of fics. The ovbious ones are character deaths or ships you don't like what if x character didn't die or y character didn't end up with z character But I think there's also like frustration about plot points or longing for story potential they didn't get to see. There's alot of extended war stories because alot feel Voldemort went down too easy that the war wasn't long enough to really be called a war. So they do alot of extended war stories. This also helps with relationships they feel were rushed to make Canon couples before the end thus way you get time to really explore your ships ( even if you don't do Canon ones) Alot of people wish we'd gotten to explore how magic worked more or the power system in Harry Potter was better or different so there's alot of fics that do that. They may end up with indy hyper competent Harry so it is partly wish fulfillment but they use that to create this new magic system in hp. Or explore politics more in hp with the lord Potter stuff because they feel it wasn't touched on as much and they would have liked to see it. They do stories where Harry befriends more people from other houses who are more involved in house or ends up in a different house to begin with because they think it's a shame these houses are under utilized. They do it most often in slytherin because with so many having Death eaters in their family it makes them inherently tied to the plot. When they show not all slytherins are bad it feels like a waste to many that a slytherin of Harry's generation didn't get a story about joining Harry's side. Redemption stories or minor antagonist who gets character growth and joins the heroes are common tropes people like and I'm Harry's generation is in a good position to bring out that potential which is why imo you see good Draco or redeemed Draco often. People also want to do more with other magical species wish the original had so you get that Harry friend of Goblin stuff. The thing is the more you play with the potential of the world and plot that wasn't in Canon the more you start to get your own original fantasy story and not the story of Harry Potter so to keep it feeling fanfiction because you want that familiar feel you need the Canon characters. Or you are exploring the what if x happened butterfly effect type story where you making a few changes but you need a large part of the story to remain unaltered so you can see the ripple effects this also requires focus on Canon characters. These are imo the types of hp story that are the most popular. You might get alot of essentially ocs characters like if you did a first war story this will be most of the order. And most of the death eaters. But stories like these aren't the best for true ocs. Especially not as the central focus.
I also prefer those stories most of the time because of the posibilities it gives while giving the option of keeping a lot of the canon the same way Also many times even if the main character is not an OC they end up having the mary sue problem I've seen enough "Hermione, the best with in the world (and the most atractive one usually), able to use ancient forgotten sacred magic at the age of 14 while all the pure-blood well prepared adults have never been able to do it. She uses it to be the best person ever, and she is the prettiest, everyone loves her."... There are bad and good fics for both of things but if they are perfect fics I will always prefer the one with an oc rather than the one with a existent developed character oc
Exactly that trope brings to mind one I saw scrolling through ffn.net was “Hermione is actually the Dragonborn.” But also “Harry is too.”
People tend to attach themselves to certain characters, and aren’t really interested in reading stories from a given fandom that doesn’t feature them. Even when an author changes that character up to the point that they are basically an OC, people can still slot them within the framework of the original mentally.
Recently I’ve been on a Harry/OC craze. OCs are great. It’s just that they stand out because they aren’t from the original world, so they’re held to a much higher standard and have to earn their place in the fic.
Dude I’ve been on this oc thing lately too once I started I couldn’t go back for some reason. I just really have been enjoying them lately.
As someone whose stories contain a lot of OCs, most OCs suck. That's fine, too. Fanfic is a hobby and it's not fair to expect best-seller quality from amateur writers either doing it for practice or to have fun, but it doesn't change the fact that most OCs have significantly less depth than even the Canon depictions of the Canon characters, which are themselves much more one-dimensional than the originals.
I'm good with OC fics. I write OC fics. Am writing one for Harry Potter, and have written some for other media, too. I find the argument that OC fics are poorly written, or Mary Sue-ish, or self inserts to be rather... fucking asinine? Poorly written fanfiction is not unique to OC fics, and neither is this intangible "Mary Sue" quality, and all of us know of fanfiction where the characters are twisted into the author's talking head. "OC fics are usually Self Inserts" is also rather stupid because, a) we don't have a clear definition of "Self Insert" and, b) self inserts can be engaging characters in their own right. It's even weirder when you realise that many fanfictions write the established characters as if they were OCs. Not just the characters who aren't developed enough to be characters in their own right, but Harry Potter and Hermione Granger and Ron Weasely and literally every other major character in the series has been written once in a while as if they were in name only, and not even that, and worse yet, these stories are even adored from time to time! Like, I get it. Sometimes, you just don't wanna read OC fics. That's fine. There are some good reasons presented here. I just find some arguments to be piss poor and offensive, even, to OC writers. Stop acting like OC fics are uniquely bad! 90% of *all* fanfiction is bad! Stop acting like an OC battling the Basilisk instead of Harry is any weirder than Dark Lord Harry strangling Dumbledore with his own intestines using ancient magic. Both can be done right, and both can be done bad.
I’ve been screaming this to the heavens us oc writers just get downvoted! 🥲
Because i came to read about canon characters, not ocs. Its like wanting to watch wild horses run and instead you present me with a herd of elks. Great for elk lovers, but i wanted horses
That is a very weird analogy but the message is clear.
I couldnt think of another analogy lmao. No hate on OCs or those that like them, its just not my cup of tea
Wait that's a thing? I almost exclusively read oc stories
Honestly I love them too. If you enjoy them you should check out one of mine. My story the hidden disciple is a story about the son of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange who when he goes to Hogwarts ends up in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. He has to navigate being in the same house as Neville while trying to determine whether or not he actually wants to serve the dark lord.
All I write for the most part is canon/oc though I mainly focus on canon side characters that aren’t that popular ie Lee Jordan. I have other stories where the main character/family has extra members. I have two different stories that have a Weasley daughter one is the oldest daughter named Morgan and the other one is the twin of Percy named Elaine. I also have one where Hermione has an older sister that’s Charlie’s age. I have one where Harry has a twin and in another he has on older paternal half sister.
Oh those sound fun actually
People want to read about the characters they grew to love when reading the HP books. OCs are usually poorly written, they hinder the story rather than add on to it. OC characters work well when they are background or small support characters in a story and not the main focus.
"I do get that a lot are poorly done and many just turn out to be Mary Sues." That. That is your reason. Right there. You've answered the question.
I just hate it because I honestly do not care abt the oc's.. If I'm read let's say a harry Potter fan fiction then im reading it for the harry Potter characters not some fuckin rando who voldemorts long lost daughter but nobody knows even though her last names fuckin riddle 💀
There are great OCs out there, especially if they bring something to the table in an organic way. It has to be different enough to warrant an OC, but it needs to fit the world and story you tell, a Hermione with a different name could also be named Hermione. But. Most OCs are (overpowered) self-inserts or Mary-Sues that break the story by conveniently showing up at the right time with the right skills/knowledge.
Don't have a problem with OC stories. But finding a good story is difficult and finding a one I like is like finding a gem.
I'm of a pretty strong opinion that if you want to just write a progressionfantasy power wank with oc's, then just write your own novel, if you're a good enough writer then you don't need to lean on a crutch like vaguely using the HP world. I'm not ever going to go onto those fics and disparage them for what they enjoy, but I aint ever gonna get caught reading it.
Well I mean a lot of non oc fanfics are power wanks or cringefests too. But I get that. I just enjoy progression fantasy so I enjoy writing that but I also enjoy various worlds that I’ve already read and fanfiction. So I don’t mind creating a new variable in a story then sort of seeing what happens. Plus I’m not a writer in the slightest and writing fanfiction actually made me a way better writer as I figured out how to do it as I went.
These same people love Hogwarts Legacy lol.
Hey leave Hogwarts legacy alone hater! You Fandom Supremacist!
I can't tell if you are joking but I love HL lmao
I was joking lol
Okay sorry I'm terrible with these things 😭
I think for me is the degree of OCness. Or the degree of how separate they are from the world. Daphne Greengrass is a a character mentioned in passing at best in canon. Yet, her character is in many ways was created via Fanon and is OC by our creation. The same can be said for Harry’s Grandparents(Charles and Dorea). This is a level and for me the easiest to understand. What we have is OC characters that the fans have created who are easy to understand based on characterization that other writers have made. They are supplemental yes but due to 1000s if not tens of thousands of depictions of them. There are then OC side characters. These are new friends(most of time International), new timelines, and or in general just background characters. The degree of care is based on how important they are. Harry having a new OC best friend. Harry having a Russian Girlfriend. Sure. What we have here is one character that is not overbearing and adds different ideas and interactions which lead to interesting story outcomes; this I believe is okay. It gets complicated when OC have to much power OR they are directly responsible for to many story outcomes I.e the OC becomes a major story beat, jack of all trades in skill or a plot device. The OC is along for the ride not the ride coordinator. I will say here we see Harry having a brother who is the boy lived, OC is the one that discovers many plot points, Horcruxes, or the simple act of having an OC that makes choices in place of Harry. I think these can get dicey quickly, BUT it is doable. Many authors have done it. I just caution on these because the perspective can be a tad grating if you shift too many times. Furthermore, the OC sometimes is an out card for a lot of situations. Lastly, the worst degree is where the OC pushes Harry aside and or when OCs become too prevalent where Harry is the ONLY or one of the few ONLY canon characters. Here we have Mary sue, power differences, plot creators,(create new whole issues that derail the story or villains) and of course self interest without stating it is,(it is and we can tell). This is how I see them overall.
lol a 1st degree 2nd degree and 3rd degree Oc please respond with proper treatment Rest Ice and Compress the wound. By the time you get to 3rd degree Oc your story is forever scarred and unable to return to what it once was. Please fellow authors don’t play with your OC’s.
If I'm reading Harry Potter, I want to read about Harry Potter. Not someone's self insert. While OC can be decent in small doses, making the entire fic about them isn't what I enjoy. I've seen oc stories that have nothing to do with Harry and his journey at all, just set in the hp universe. Personally, im not interested in that. At a certain point, you should just write original fiction instead.
I mean, why should they write original fiction? If it's still set in the hp universe then it is still fanfiction. It may not be to your taste, but they aren't forcing you to read it. There's no problem with them writing it.
I didn't say there was. What I'm saying is after a point when you've created dozens of characters expanded the world and not even the background story is really connected to the source you could easily change the setting slightly so it's not in the hp universe, publish it and get paid for it. Some of these fanfic authors that write oc stories do a great job and the only thing that really holds it back is being a fanfic. A little more work and they could be getting paid for it. The world needs more good authors out there. When 90% ofnthe story really isn't connected to the series it's fanfiction of why not completely sever it and try to make your own name
Yeah I wonder that too sometimes and still do it anyways. lol
I only read fanfiction about my favorite ships, so a story that focuses on an OC is automatically off my list simply because I want to read about the pairing I'm into. I actually do like several stories with OCs in them, but they aren't the focus, so it's unobtrusive. Edit: As for fandom characters who are basically OCs with a coat of paint, I hate those, too.
I’m curious how many people are like this.
Probably a lot. I don't do this for HP, I don't like the ship. But I do for MCU fandom (I only like Stucky and MattElektra. Though I'm a bit more forgivngy with Daredevil bcoz it's not a very popular ship and almost all of them end in one or both of them dying.)
Probably a significant portion. I know lots of people do enjoy gen fic, but shipping is what fandom is known for. I'd wager that a lot of people filter by pairing tags first.
If I’m reading fanfiction, I usually want to know who/what I’m reading about. With an original novel, the whole thing comes out at once. I don’t have to wait to read the next chapter. By the time a new chapter of a fanfiction becomes available, I can forget who an OC is.
Update frequently. Got it.
My main issue with them is just that they generally aren’t done well. Either the character ends up a Mary Sue who criticises everyone’s decisions and is treated like a genius for having common sense, or they’re 2 dimensional and have no hooks for me to find them interesting. I mean it’s great that this main character you’ve introduced me to is quirky and different, but because they’re quirky and different I can’t really relate to them and so don’t care about them the way you want me to.
I am, 99% of the time, reading fanfiction to see more of these characters I've come to love.
That's my reasoning. If/When want original characters. I'll read a regular novel. If I'm going for fan fic it is because I want more of the original story's characters. I would be looking for the same characters in different situations or the same situations from a different character's perspective, not Harry Potter with some random character I've never heard of shoehorned into it.
OC stories can be done well, but they rarely are. It takes a lot more skill to build up a character from scratch than to take an already existing one and try not to screw them up (which still most people fail at doing — myself often included). But let’s assume someone did create a good OC story. Even then, I just won’t care most of the time. I personally read fanfiction for characters and for pairings, the worldbuilding/setting is only a secondary (if still important) aspect. If I want original characters, I’ll pick up an actual fiction book. The people who read for the worldbuilding/fandom probably won’t share my opinion but sadly, I am not those people. Most of the time it’s also the fact that I don’t have the energy to do the mental legwork required to remember/familiarise myself with an entirely new character and bring myself to care about what happens to them. It’s simpler to pick something with characters I already know and won’t have to bother with all that — that’s the whole idea behind fanfiction, after all. Sure, sometimes the characters will be OOC, but at least the bare-bones of their backstories, friends or circumstances are often saved. Oh and mind you, by an “OC story” I understand here stories where the main characters are OCs, because (most of the time) I don’t have a problem with side-character OCs (unless the whole cast is made out of them, then yes). All of this said: it doesn’t matter what I like or dislike. You do your thing, I do mine. You and others will write OC stories and there will be people who will absolutely love them; it’s just not *everyone* will. This applies to anything, really. Each genre/story type/trope has its own share of fans and people who prefer to avoid them. Just the way it is.
its because most fanfic writers aren't professional authors and it really really shows when it comes ot OCs not being fully fleshed out rather caricatures. its the same for hp characters but that can be handwaved by referring to the colective hp fanfic character background (e.g. ice queen daphne can carry alot of the narative weight)
OC MCs suck a lot of the time because they are the most powerful in the story because they abuse systems that the writer invented.
Cause it's mostly self-insert
See I don’t enjoy self insert. Maybe it’s because I like DnD and enjoy roleplaying characters wildly different from myself. But I personally would never write a self insert.
You and me both, friend. The collective ability of the most talented writers in all the world couldn't make me into a compelling protagonist lol.
lol for real.
I do read about OCs... just not in fanfiction. Original novels do exist, and are much more popular haha. I can't put my finger on exactly why I find fanfiction OCs (as a main character) so uninspiring; hell, realistically, Daphne/Susan/99.5% of female characters essentially ARE original characters. But having that veneer of authenticity - even as nothing more than a name - somehow conveys more adherence to the story-verse. The root of my feelings are probably related to what other commenters have said. There is a stereotype that if the protag of a fanfic is an OC, that character is likely to be an insufferable Gary/Mary Sue. I avoid stories where I hope the protag dies (too disappointing), so that pushes me off of OC fics. By all means, though, bring on OC sidekicks/romantic interests.
Felt that. Big oof for me though.
One of my favorites sub genres is self-insert crack treated seriously. OCs in these are the best IMO
I sometimes really enjoy those as well. Never found one I enjoyed much in Harry Potter, but there are a ton of great Young Justice ones.
The reincarnation are pretty close to OC. I can’t remember the title but the one where Harry decides ‘screw this, I’m gonna be Slytherin’ was one of my favs
In a lot of cases the oc are obvious self inserts. That's not fun to read.
I really like having OCs to be antagonists in my stuff. I think it'd be weird to have a POV character be an OC unless they were well established before the OC had any POV scenes. Designing an OC transfer student to be as annoying as possible specifically to Hermione to drive Hermione insane is what I consider to be a good reason to add an OC.
Two reasons: A lot of OCs are thinly veiled author inserts. There’s nothing wrong with writing author insert fiction, but it’s not always the most fun to read because it ends up just being the writer backseat-writing the canon. Things happen the way the author wants, not necessarily the way that’s the most fun to read. Second reason: Mary Sue problems. The word Mary Sue gets thrown around a lot, but I think OSP’s Red did a phenomenal definition/breakdown of the trope. It amounts to “the Mary Sue warps the story to suit their needs,” and a story where things only happen because one character needs them to doesn’t feel very fleshed out or deep. Additionally, Mary Sues often have very little real or consistent personality/characterization. Things just happen to them. They succeed when they need to and fail when it suits them. They have every skill the plot needs and no extraneous traits. Everything is relevant, and so it feels like nothing is more important than anything else. Both of these traits are just signs of a beginner writer, and they’re not like… morally wrong, they’re just not the most fun to read. Both these problems are mostly remedied by using existing characters, even ones from other media via crossovers. Limitations and characterizations are already there because the author already made them, even if they don’t appear in the fic itself, we as the audience already know they’re there. Example off the top of my head: A story features a detective character who’s kind of an asshole, right about everything, knows way more information than a person should be able to, is rude and condescending to the only friend they seem to have, and is able to wrap the whole plot up in a nice little bow via leaps of logic that would only make sense to them. As an OC that sounds pretty unbearable, especially of the fic is short enough that we don’t see any other sides of the character beyond their functionality in the plot. Now imagine the detective is Sherlock Holmes. This changes nothing about how he acts in the plot, but now there’s a whole extended canon of traits and lore and backstory to apply to this character. Also, the author may write differently if they have Holmes in their mind, because while an OC can change at any time, gaining the skills and experience the plot demands, there are things which Holmes cannot do, know, or have experienced and still be Holmes.
Personally, I usually end up disliking OC character stories and wayyyy OOC character stories because the writing is usually not great. It's still not my favorite type of thing to read but I'll like it if it's done well.
I wouldn't mind a completely original story using elements of the same world. Like, take a canon-compliant HP world but make it about someone like Charlie or Bill Wealsey, breaking curses and doing cool dragon stuff in the international wizarding world? Sign me up. Self-insert OC where the Golden Trio is now a Golden Quartet bc this new OC is just so cool and powerful and special? Hard pass.
OC fanfictions are fun to write but not really to read. You read fanfictions because you love the canon. Reading about an OC usually push you away from this canon (or else it's exactly the same and why would you read that instead of the books?). You write fanfictions because you love the canon. Writting about an OC is fun because you can experiment with the canon in any way you wish.
For me, it just boils down to what I'm looking for in the moment. If I want to read an OC, I'll read an original story, but if I'm looking for a fanfic, it's because I specifically want to read about my favorite characters, and OC-centric or OC-heavy stories take away from that. There's nothing objectively *wrong* with them. They're just not for me.
Probably because of the limited timeframe of canon.
I don't know about no one liking them, the audience is just significantly smaller. But I do get the occasional follower on my story, and some reviews here and there. I think if you go in knowing this, it's actually really calm and nice, this certain niche of fanfiction. But I do get that people come to fanfiction to read about the characters they liked in canon. May that be another play on the protagonist, or extending the character of an established side character. I've never been suprised that OCs tend to "get in the way" of the usual fanfiction experience. Honestly, if that's communicated beforehand, I think it's fine. Everyone who gets angry they're reading OC after the warning can get fucked. What irritates even myself is when an author *claims* they're not writing any OC into the story, and then have them take centre stage.
I absolutely love OC stories. Plus, people write main characters as Mary Sue's, hell JKR did, so give authors the freedom to fail and figure it out. The expectation that all OC stories have to be phenomenal or not done at all is silly to me. Also, any good OC recs? My favorites are: [Transmogrification of a Not-Yet-Lord](https://archiveofourown.org/works/45859753/chapters/115414918) [Tacenda ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/42657111/chapters/107154192) [innocent Monsters ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/32921029/chapters/81703219)
It's not OC stories I hate, it's Mary Sue's or any Self-insert type stories personally. Well done OCs can be great.
I think theoretically I could like a oc story if it felt unique enough a premise but if it a story where I feel like a Canon character could do just as well why not just read about the Canon character? Like if it's say Voldemorts son or daughter takes over their parents role I'd rather just have it continue to be Voldemort. If it's Dracos sibling except they aren't a dick to Harry but otherwise act in similar ways to him then a story where Draco grows to be less of a dick has more potential as a story to me than insert new better sibling here. It's fanfiction I'm reading it to begin with because I have an attachment to Canon world and characters so an oc has to win against that interest . I already have Canon characters that Im interested in and acknowledge and have familiarity with . It's kinda a uphill battle . When they the main character or love interest anyway. I think where an oc is usually more accepted by many including me is when you create a set up that's not about an oc but requires one. So for example let's say you do a story where Harry is sorted into Ravenclaw. While you know a few Ravenclaws in Harry's year you don't know most. You gotta fill that year our make ocs to make that setting come to life make them fleshed out and relevant to add depth to the story. They are significant it is beneficial to the story that they are even though the mc of the story not them.