Creating Realistic OCs | CCC Tutorial

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      ✯ • INTRO

      ✯ • BASICS

      ✯ • CRITICISM

      ✯ • NAMING

      ✯ • LOOKS

      ✯ • BACKSTORY

      ✯ • QUIRK

      ✯ • PERSONALITY

      ✯ • FINAL WORDS

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:pencil: #CCCTutorial :pencil:

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        ⋆ Welcome to the third Constructive Criticism

        ⋆ Crew’s bi-weekly tutorials! In case you forgot,

        ⋆ CCC is offering these to help provide you all

        ⋆ with skills and knowledge that may be hard to

        ⋆ obtain normally. We’re also here to dedicate

        ⋆ ourselves towards helping others improve in

        ⋆ all different kinds of media with, you guessed

        ⋆ it, constructive criticism! We have an official

        ⋆ help chat and specific tags (linked at end) so

        ⋆ you may easily find specific people willing and

        ⋆ meant to help! Read more here!

        ⋆ With all of that out of the way, let’s get to our

        ⋆ topic; How to Create Realistic OCs!

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        ⋆ While this is on MHAA, this can be applied to

        ⋆ just about any OC you plan to make. Also, you

        ⋆ do NOT have to follow my advice strictly, this

        ⋆ is just a resource available to use!

        ⋆ Before diving too deep, let’s get rid of the idea

        ⋆ of Mary/Gary Sue. No one should be labeling

        ⋆ other characters these, and frankly many

        ⋆ don’t have a full understanding of what they

        ⋆ mean when they say this. In many cases when

        ⋆ people see an attribute that is “basic” they

        ⋆ jump to call characters basic as well, which I

        ⋆ find to be a shame and puts a damper on the

        ⋆ creativity and enjoyment people have for their

        ⋆ creations. It’s quite an ugly/negative term to

        ⋆ use as well. There are many other like

        ⋆ ‘undeveloped’ or ‘unbalanced’ to use instead.

        ⋆ Onto the actual creation process: it’s very

         ⋆ beneficial to stick with a common theme or

        ⋆ scheme when making your character. In just

        ⋆ about everything involving character design,

        ⋆ many suggest sticking with a certain niche

         ⋆ with your character as to not complicate them

        ⋆ unnecessarily or confuse others.

        ⋆ Keeping a consistent theme and scheme

        ⋆ can make your character more easily

        ⋆ recognizable, easier to understand, and easier

        ⋆ to draw even. A good example of a specific

        ⋆ theme for characters would be those that are

        ⋆ in the Avatar series. All characters from

        ⋆ specific regions have their colors. Firebenders

        ⋆ are red, Airbenders are yellow, etc. etc.

         ⋆ One final thing would be to not base a

        ⋆ character entirely off of yourself. We’ll go

         ⋆ into this more in the next bit.

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        ⋆ With anything and everything you make, you

        ⋆ will also face some criticism. The important

        ⋆ thing to when your character(s) is

        ⋆ criticized is that most of the time it’s not

        ⋆ coming from a place of malice or hate—though

        ⋆ it’s pretty obvious if it is. Like I said earlier,

         ⋆ it’s wise to not base an OC entirely off of

        ⋆ yourself, and I say this because if you do and

        ⋆ the character gets criticized, you yourself may

        ⋆ feel personally attacked in some way. I too

        ⋆ am guilty of this at one point or another in my

        ⋆ time. Adding in some parts of yourself is chill,

        ⋆ just don’t do it entirely. That would be called

        ⋆ a ‘self-insert,’ which is not a bad thing.

        ⋆ Try to be open to any criticism you may receive

        ⋆ and don’t take it personally. Many issues come

        ⋆ from misunderstandings after all.

        ⋆ the difference between hating and criticism.

         ⋆ If you happen across someone that seems to

        ⋆ just have something against your OC for no

        ⋆ reason, don’t let the negatives get to you,

        ⋆ focus on the positives. Also that

        ⋆ not everyone will like your OC, and that’s okay.

        ⋆ Not everyone likes OCs, and people are just

        ⋆ as entitled to their opinion as you are (as long

        ⋆ as it’s respectful).

         ⋆ I strongly advise you to NOT make OCs that

        ⋆ are meant for everyone in the verse to consider

        ⋆ them just one thing like “badass” or “sexy.”

        ⋆ Don’t create one-dimensional characters with

        ⋆ only one perception of them to be found.

        ⋆ Take a look at Gojo Satoru from JJK. Within

         ⋆ the entire universe he’s considered the

        ⋆ “strongest,” but he has many other attributes

         ⋆ to keep him from feeling so one-dimensional.

        ⋆ Gojo has weaknesses, like his relationship with

        ⋆ Suguru Geto, to help balance him out. He’s

         ⋆ goofy and somewhat unliked by many. He

         ⋆ is a great example of how to create a character

        ⋆ that feels authentic and real, minus the

        ⋆ powers of course.

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location.

         ⋆ Names are a significant part of the character

        ⋆ creation process. Their name can tell the

        ⋆ viewer about them even if it’s subtle. Your

        ⋆ own name matters, so your character’s name

        ⋆ should too. They’re sort of like your own kids.

        ⋆ When naming a character, take into

        ⋆ the area they’re born in, their nationality, and

        ⋆ who the character is.

         ⋆ An MHA OC who was born and raised in Japan

        ⋆ to Japanese parents would most definitely

        ⋆ have a Japanese name. If your character is

        ⋆ born to Greek and Roman parents, then

        ⋆ you’d probably give them a name relating to

        ⋆ their ancestry. Every culture has their own

        ⋆ meanings for names, so it’s important to

         ⋆ do your research and find proper names

         ⋆ relating to who and what your OC is.

character.

        ⋆ Now to move onto the bit about naming a

         ⋆ character based on who they are as a person.

        ⋆ Horikoshi gave Izuku the last name “Midoriya”

        ⋆ because ‘midori’ means green in Japanese,

        ⋆ and Izuku has green hair. Names don’t have

        ⋆ to tie into the depths of who the character is,

        ⋆ but it’s nice to have a little play on words like

        ⋆ that. Giving your character a name based on

        ⋆ on who they are as a person is a nice way to

        ⋆ elevate the creation process and

        ⋆ comprehension of your character. Names

        ⋆ are like a first impression of the character, so

        ⋆ make it count! You don’t, however, want

        ⋆ to go too crazy with naming your character

        ⋆ a name with all these sorts of different

        ⋆ meanings, otherwise it can feel a bit bland or

        ⋆ overdone.

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general deg.

        ⋆ How a character looks is maybe the most

        ⋆ important part of deg a character. If you

        ⋆ make a character with a messy design that

        ⋆ has too many attributes, many would find it

        ⋆ to be a poor choice and it would make your OC

        ⋆ look ‘too busy”. Sticking with clear design

        ⋆ elements to incorporate and then adding some

        ⋆ small ones later is what makes a good design

        ⋆ better. People say don’t judge a book

        ⋆ by its cover, but if a book cover looked too

        ⋆ plain or too complicated it probably wouldn’t

        ⋆ be too appealing.

         ⋆ If you go for a character that looks a little plain,

        ⋆ like Hanta Sero or Neito Monoma, give them

        ⋆ something small and interesting, like Sero’s

        ⋆ elbows or Monoma’s crazy personality (more

        ⋆ on this later). Plain characters can still be

         ⋆ memorable, and it’s nice to have a character

        ⋆ that isn’t super complicated sometimes as

        ⋆ well.

        ⋆ On the flip side, a character with a complicated

        ⋆ design like All Might or Endeavor should be

        ⋆ simple enough you get it but complicated

        ⋆ enough to understand they’re just a little more

        ⋆ important than the others. Save the more

         ⋆ complicated designs for the characters with

        ⋆ more weight in a story is a technique used

        ⋆ in many other forms of media. Deku, while

        ⋆ being the MC, isn’t as complex looking as

         ⋆ AM because his character is more important

         ⋆ to the people of their world. Later on through

        ⋆ the story as Deku develops as a character and

        ⋆ becomes better known his design seems to

        ⋆ complicate. Designs and appearances are

         ⋆ good story telling tools.

design flow.

        ⋆ When coming up with the actual physical

        ⋆ design of your character, look towards your

        ⋆ inspiration and take elements from that if you

        ⋆ can. Colors, shapes, patterns, anything can

         ⋆ work. Make sure the design itself flows

        ⋆ together as well. If you have a character with

        ⋆ short hair, maybe give them clothing that

        ⋆ either contrasts or compliments the length.

        ⋆ When picking colors, try to go for

        ⋆ complimentary or neighboring colors on the

        ⋆ wheel. Itsuka Kendo’s design for her hero

        ⋆ does this really well. Also be sure to have a

        ⋆ wardrobe for your character! Very important!

        ⋆ The wardrobe should coincide with who your

        ⋆ character is as well. If you have a lazy OC

        ⋆ who’s dressed like it’s their own wedding

        ⋆ every day it wouldn’t exactly make sense.

         ⋆ Also, look at critiques of the characters from

        ⋆ the verse you’re making an OC for. I find this

        ⋆ to be a good way to make your OC realistic

        ⋆ enough yet still original. Don’t follow words

        ⋆ like they’re the gospel though, after all, OCs

        ⋆ are meant for fun.

don’ts.

         ⋆ There are some specific choices when making

        ⋆ a character you should avoid. When describing

        ⋆ one for instance, try not to make it sound like

        ⋆ your character is the pinnacle of beauty in

        ⋆ the world (this is different for if you’re making

        ⋆ characters for your own world and story).

        ⋆ Be careful about making your OC someone

        ⋆ who is the center of attention constantly,

         ⋆ and by this I mean don’t make a character

        ⋆ who makes any and all others ogle or jealous.

        ⋆ (Please note that it is absolutely okay for you

        ⋆ to make your character good-looking!)

        ⋆ Don’t make a character who stands out just

        ⋆ for the sake of standing out. Give them

         ⋆ standing out a purpose that pushes the

         ⋆ character itself forward!

        ⋆ This is specifically for characters that have

        ⋆ curves. It’s okay to give a character a large

        ⋆ chest, just as it is for flat chests. Don’t make

        ⋆ a character have an hourglass body just to

        ⋆ cater towards the male gaze of design. All

        ⋆ body shapes are great, don’t use them just

        ⋆ for sexualization purposes though.

         ⋆ Stepping into the sexualization territory,

         ⋆ please don’t make your underage characters

        ⋆ borderline ecchi characters. Having an MHA

        ⋆ character that wears a skimpy hero suit

        ⋆ in high school with no reason other than

        ⋆ sex appeal is sort of a no-go. Look towards

        ⋆ the critiques on Momo Yaoyorozu for this.

        ⋆ Her suit could’ve been fashioned like Mirio

        ⋆ Togata’s to avoid the unnecessary skimpiness

        ⋆ of a sixteen year old’s outfit.

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        ⋆ Everybody has some sort of backstory, even

        ⋆ if it’s “plain” like having grown up with your

         ⋆ family and only experiencing a few major

        ⋆ events, it’s still a backstory and past. A past

        ⋆ directly sets the stage for your character’s

         ⋆ behaviors and their story, so take your time to

        ⋆ develop the past and backstory for your

        ⋆ character, don’t rush it.

         ⋆ One of the biggest reasons people will call

        ⋆ characters M/G Sues is if a backstory is

         ⋆ overly anything, ranging from tragic to

         ⋆ pampered. Tragedy is a good plot element,

        ⋆ but you don’t want to beat a dead horse.

         ⋆ Make sure you have good balance with your

        ⋆ character’s story, and I’d recommend revising

        ⋆ and revisiting it often so that way you have

        ⋆ fresh eyes to catch any iffy bits. You don’t

         ⋆ have to garner sympathy for a character to

        ⋆ make a good one.

         ⋆ When writing a sad backstory, be careful

         ⋆ about the things you include when writing

        ⋆ them. If you choose to include almost any

        ⋆ tragedy, do your research on it. If a family

        ⋆ or friend died, have a proper response and

        ⋆ impact on the character aside from it making

        ⋆ them a little more emotionally closed off or

        ⋆ anything of the sort. I personally think the

         ⋆ anime Wonder Egg Priority has great examples

        ⋆ of how different bad events impact characters.

        ⋆ Also, there’s nothing wrong with making a

         ⋆ simple character! Kyoka Jiro is a very popular

        ⋆ MHA character, and her backstory isn’t

         ⋆ necessarily tragic. It’s all up to you on how

        ⋆ you decide to make a character, just

         ⋆ that every person and character

        ⋆ has had good AND bad things happen in their

        ⋆ lives, nothing is fully black or white.

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        ⋆ Quirks are tricky to come up with, and often

        ⋆ times it’s hard to try and be totally original

        ⋆ with what you make considering the thousands

        ⋆ of MHA fans with OCs and other anime power

         ⋆ systems. Just that it’s okay if your

        ⋆ power is similar to something else, it doesn’t

        ⋆ devalue everything else you’ve done!

power scaling.

        ⋆ In every verse there’s always a scale of least

        ⋆ to most in of power. In MHA, AFO and

         ⋆ OFA are considered the most, while being

        ⋆ quirkless is considered the least. The good

        ⋆ thing about such a vast series is that there’s

        ⋆ many examples of power scaling, and it can

        ⋆ help you decide how strong your power is.  

         ⋆ Use examples! Look at sources! Unless your

        ⋆ character is a god in your own story, don’t

         ⋆ give them godlike abilities as a fan made

        ⋆ character. Also, when it comes to MHA,

         ⋆ the chances of certain things

        ⋆ occurring. I’m not here to tell you what to

        ⋆ do with your character, so if you choose to

        ⋆ make an OC with multiple powers go ahead,

        ⋆ just know that it probably wouldn’t be very

        ⋆ “realistic” so to speak.

the quirk itself.

         ⋆ Like I stated earlier, coming up with something

        ⋆ 100% new and original is basically impossible

        ⋆ in this day and age. That’s okay. There’s

         ⋆ a million anime’s and fantasy media with

        ⋆ a million different powers present. If you

        ⋆ give a character an electricity based quirk and

        ⋆ someone jumps right to saying it’s a carbon

        ⋆ copy of Denki Kaminari’s it’s fairly easy to

        ⋆ brush them off as long as you and most

        ⋆ others know that it really isn’t. Everybody

         ⋆ gets their own inspiration from something, and

        ⋆ I find that looking into other media for ideas

        ⋆ is a good place to start. Get a base idea of

        ⋆ what you want down, and then source out

        ⋆ and gather ideas on how to flesh the power

         ⋆ out.

weaknesses.

        ⋆ I will say this as many times as possible;

         ⋆ everybody and everything has a weakness.

        ⋆ AFO and All Might, two very powerful

        ⋆ individuals, each have a weakness. If you

        ⋆ give your OC a power like control over

        ⋆ someone, give them a drawback or liability

        ⋆ that comes with the power, like Shinso’s

        ⋆ brainwashing. If brainwashed a person can

        ⋆ do just about anything he asks, but if there’s

        ⋆ any physical disturbance then the trance is

         ⋆ broken so to speak. A drawback also depends

        ⋆ on the power the character has. Mirio Togata’s

        ⋆quirk makes him entirely impermeable, and as

        ⋆ such he loses the ability to breathe or see

        ⋆ when going through objects. Katsuki

        ⋆ Bakugo’s quirk relies on the amount he

        ⋆ sweats, which is both his strength AND

        ⋆ weakness. Make your character’s power

        ⋆ a scale with adequate strengths and

        ⋆ weaknesses, and you’ll find people will

        ⋆ even praise what you came up with.

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        ⋆ Many can consider a character’s personality

         ⋆ something that makes or breaks a character,

        ⋆ and I’m inclined to say that I agree. I can’t

         ⋆ begin to list the amount of characters I’ve

         ⋆ immediately put on a shit list based on how

        ⋆ they’ve been written. Something to look at

        ⋆ could be those typical protags that

        ⋆ seem to be adaptable to every situation no

        ⋆ matter what. They aren’t very well liked,

        ⋆ and they even come across as generic or

        ⋆ as the author’s self-insert. Give your OC

        ⋆ a personality with strong and weak points.

traits.

         ⋆ If your character is a class clown, maybe

        ⋆ they can’t take things seriously and people

        ⋆ get frustrated with them for that. If your

        ⋆ character is cold, give them something

         ⋆ that makes the cold shell melt, like a pet

        ⋆ or hobby. No character is entirely happy

        ⋆ or closed off, and incorporating things

        ⋆ like immaturity or attitude can make them

        ⋆ seem a little more realistic. Give them things

        ⋆ that make them good AND bad. No villain

        ⋆ is entirely evil, like Toga for instance. Her

        ⋆ character is a victim of the society

        ⋆ that failed her, but she has good traits like

        ⋆ caring for her allies and love/empathy.

quirkiness.

         ⋆ Everyone has something that makes them a

        ⋆ little “quirky” so to speak. Give your character

        ⋆ likes and dislikes, hobbies, dreams, etc.

         ⋆ Deku’s note taking and obsession with

        ⋆ knowledge of heroes is what makes him

        ⋆ quirky in his own world. I’m sure you have

        ⋆ your own interests and things that make

        ⋆ your personality, so apply that to characters

        ⋆ you make.

relationships.

         ⋆ You personality basically determines the types

        ⋆ of people who will hang around you. If you’re

        ⋆ rowdy and loud, you’ll probably be friends

        ⋆ with people who are attracted to that. Just

        ⋆ like you, your character’s personality and

         ⋆ attitude can directly affect who hangs

        ⋆ around with them or even who would date

         ⋆ them.

         ⋆ To step into the romance category, if you

         ⋆ make your OC peppy and happy all the time

        ⋆ and pair them up with someone like Bakugo

        ⋆ or Todoroki, you’ll have to find a way to make

        ⋆ that relationship develop naturally and do

        ⋆ justice to the CC. Neither Bakugo nor

        ⋆ Todoroki would instantly fall for your OC

        ⋆ because that’s just not who they are. Even

        ⋆ their own friendships with other CCs took

        ⋆ time to develop after all. Take care with

        ⋆ the romance you develop between

        ⋆ characters, because even creators get crap

        ⋆ for forcing or pushing relationships.

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        ⋆ The final things I have to say about creating

        ⋆ OCs is that it literally doesn’t matter what you

        ⋆ do. OCs are for you. This guide is only a

        ⋆ tool to use and consult if you feel like

        ⋆ you’re struggling with making a realistic

        ⋆ character.

         ⋆ When you post your character for the

        ⋆ world to see, expect people to say

        ⋆ something about what they see. Take their

        ⋆ words in stride while also staying true to

        ⋆ yourself. You’ll find people who like what

        ⋆ you do just like those that don’t. Stay with

        ⋆ the people that make you feel good.

         ⋆ Also, try alternative versions of your character!

        ⋆ Different colors, different looks, personality,

        ⋆ etc. Trying multiple versions can help you

        ⋆ feel fulfilled with what you’ll eventually land

        ⋆ on knowing that you tried every option you

        ⋆ thought of.

         ⋆ That concludes CCC’s tutorial on creating

         ⋆ realistic OCs! Thank you so much for

         ⋆ reading this far if you did!

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:pencil: #CCCArtReview :pencil:

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