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Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm finally making this after sitting on the idea for so long, I've wanted to make a post like this since I ed the Amino tbh! Just bare with me and that the ideas I share in this post DO NOT mean your OC is worse than others, lame, unoriginal, or anything like that. Any creative thing you guys make is art :blue_heart:

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Table of contents

i. Starting off

ii. Creating the story

iii. Deg the character

iv. Strengthening the character

v. Finishing touches

vi. Final thoughts

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Starting off your OC may seem easy, but the absolute very first step in creating an original character is

What kind of story do I want to write?

Being in the Gorillaz Universe (or any fandom universe honestly) the character should revolve around the lore and story of the fandom you're in. Ideas could include

• Romance

Does this OC have a romantic affiliation

• Angst

Is this OC an old forgotten friend, someone who got separated from the band, or an abandoned child?

• Whimsical

Did this OC meet the band randomly? Were they a regular person that somehow got involved with the band on accident? Are they from OUR world going into the Gorillaz world?

• Drama

Is this OC an ex band mate or ex relationship? Was this OC also a victim to one of Murdocs schemes? Maybe the OC has a vendetta against the band for something they did?

The first thing you should decide is what kind of story you want to tell with this character. While some OCs can be made just to look cool or to draw creative fan art when you're bored, an OC should have its own story, there should be something there, something for the character and the lore of the world to work off of. From the story, you can create the character!

Jumping right into the story, the next thing you should do is w r i t e the story. You don't have to be a good writer or have good grammar or spelling to write a story. A story has to be as creative as the design of your OC (we'll get to that) Using the ideas from before, or your own ideas, you can slowly flesh out a storyline that you would want your character to exist in!

• Romance

Perhaps your character fell in love with one of the band , and everything is perfectly normal; a proper slice of life storyline. Maybe there are issues the characters go through; does your character struggle with their own flaws, or maybe the flaws of the band create conflict with your character?

• Angst

Say your character was old friends with the band, until they were lost at sea during the battle on Plastic Beach? What else would happen to your character? Would they try to get back to the band? Maybe your OC grew up without both parents, and years later discovers its one of the band . How would the character deal with that? Would they try to the band?

• Whimsical

Could your OC work at a coffee shop and accidentally meet the band? Maybe your OC spills coffee on Murdocs Cuban leather boots, and as payment they have to work for the band. Maybe your OC wins VIP concert tickets and gets to meet the band, only to fall in love or start a rivalry.

• Drama

Did one of the band screw over your OC? Maybe your OC is best friends with Paula and decide to try and make a rival band. Could your OC be an ex with 2D and try to get revenge by dating another band member? Maybe your OCs goal is to get revenge on the parent they never had?

There are lots of storylines you could create with an original character! They can be as simple as a slice of life or as complex and exciting as an action adventure, horror, or comedy. Overall, the story comes first, and once you have the story, the character comes next!

This will probably be the most fun part for most people, and it's also one of the most important! Deg your character can be extremely easy, giving a simple face claim or basic description, but the creation of an original character must go deeper than that.

• Body

Every part of the OC is important, including the body. Is your OC overweight or underweight? Do they have any scars or tattoos? Are they tall, short, somewhere in between? What are their eyes like, their hair, skin?

•Species

I put this one second because, while making demons and anthropomorphic characters is cool, it's hard to fit into the story of Gorillaz! Yes, Gorillaz live in a world where demons, aliens, and spirits exist, but they are used sparingly. Would the band really include a demon into their band? Would 2D date an OC that is an anthro cat? These characters can be unique and creative without having to be out of this world. That being said, maybe you want to make an alien that works for the mob boss from the M101 videos, trying to get revenge on Noodle and Murdoc. Maybe your OC is the ghost of a pirate, given a body by the boogyman and dedicated to killing Murdoc. Perhaps your OC is an ACTUAL cat that the band adopts, and the story is told through the eyes of their pet? Possibilities are endless, but you have to think outside the box.

• Color Palette

Even if you aren't an artist, the color palette is crucial to making an OC. What is their skin tone? Is their hair an unnatural color? Can you describe the color of their eyes without directly saying the color? Does the OC have a specific closet color, wearing only one color or having a variety of pastels?

• Unique Features

Again, this one is similar to the species topic. While it is amazing to have impaired, transgender, unique sexuality, and other beautiful people being integrated into media, it has to flow with the story. It's understandable to want to push your own qualities onto an original character, that character will start to become more of a persona, rather than an OC. A character does NOT have to be transgender to have it be a creative character. Humans are amazing and diverse as it is, they don't have to be a statistic.

Author's Note: I'm in no way saying that you shouldn't make your OCs transgender, gay, bisexual, or physically and mentally impaired. I am just going by personal experience in seeing that so many people that make original characters make them one thing just to say, hey look at how cool my character is, they're transgender because they're cool! If the only characters personality is that they're gay, it's the same as saying the only characters personality is that they're clumsy. Characters have qualities outside of one or two factors. Being in the LGBT community is just a factor, and shouldn't be exploited or pushed as the MAIN quality.

Does your character have glasses, or do they wear s? Would your OC have their ears pierced? Lots of jewelry or do they keep things minimal? The tiniest bits of information not only keep your character interesting, but also realistic. All these factors, from the body to the accessories, help strengthen the character you are building!

Here's the part that can get tedious to some people; fleshing out the character. With every tick of information given, there should be a reason behind it. People aren't drug addicts because they are drug addicts, something brings them to that position. Quirks can make a character stand out, but it should not make the character, it should be a PART of the character.

• Personality

What's the first trait that comes to your mind when you think about your OC. Maybe they are clumsy, easily forgetting things and is often late to things like school, work, band practice. Is your OC short tempered, starting fights with the band easily, lashing out randomly and causing more drama amongst their friends? Don't forget to flesh these ideas out! Why IS your OC so easily irritable, why DOES your OC sleep in and miss band practice? Humans aren't born with personality, they are grown into it through a variety of different importances in life. Were the OCs parents abusive and that causes them to grow short tempered? Maybe your OC has been heartbroken too many times and they struggle with keeping a relationship with a band member. Does your OC resent having their parent abandon them or they dream of reconciling with them?

• Skills

Do not make your OC perfect, this is told time and time again, but that doesn't mean make them useless either. Think about The Breakfast Club, each character had skills that leveled from most of their personality to a simple party trick. Don't have your character just already know how to play any instrument, or already have them be a good singer. Even 2D got singing lessons from Damon Albarn! (and that's canon too!) So maybe your character can roller skate, or maybe they can hold their breath underwater for a really long time. These skills are the types of quirks that don't need to be fully explained. That's the difference between a skill and personality. You shouldn't have to go into detail about why your OC can roller skate, it's just a fun little fact about them, but maybe they had an accident when they were roller skating and have a scar on their cheek, or maybe they helped 2D learn how to roller skate for the Humility music video!

• Unique Features

Back at this again! If you do plan to have your OC be from the LGBT community or physically or mentally impaired, there should a reason and back story behind it. The biggest and most important fact about doing this however is to

Do your research, so much research!

study up on diseases and illnesses, portray a disability properly, if it's a fake illness (such as Hanahaki) go into the details of this illness. Think about how people would react to this character. If they are gay, is it the first thing they tell people? Or do they mention it in ing conversation? If your OC was in an accident and permanently handicapped, do they use it to get their way, or do they over come their issues and work towards not being a victim, or to no longer be shown as weak?

• Trauma

Trauma can always be used in dramatic and angst filled story plots, but I'm here to state a serious fact for a moment. Not only is certain things against this Aminos guidelines, but those same certain things are normally against all Aminos guidelines, period.

Author's Note: this guide to making an OC can be used for any fandom, on AND off Amino, not all of this part applies to OCs, but it applies when it comes to making an OC in this community.

Gorillaz is no stranger to Trauma. Murdoc having an abusive father, Russel losing his friends to gang violence, Noodle meeting her real father and regaining years of memories she didn't have before, 2D being victim to bad parenting, drug abuse, and Murdocs torment. While trauma can be good and dandy, you should keep it story related and properly done.

Do your research, so much research!

Don't make your character a victim of any trauma just to, again, make that the only personality trait. Humans aren't just one dramatic event after the other. Even the worst of lives still have good moments and happy memories. Was your OC a victim to robbery, and now lives in fear and has to triple check every door before bed? Maybe your OC was in a car accident and can't drive with Murdoc because of his behavior. Maybe your OC overdosed one time and now tries to help 2D get over his addiction. Don't have these traumas just to have them, help them further the storyline along.

Author's Note: One of my all time favorite books (just book, not movie) was SPEAK, a story about a young girl in high school learning to cope with being a victim to assault by one of her classmates. The entire book is focused around this girl getting over her fear, finally standing up to the classmate, and telling her parents. It's extremely emotional and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend. I bring this up because she wasn't a victim as a quirk, there was a legitimate fear, reason, and progression in her story.

While the design and story are important, the design and story of the CHARACTER are what make the OC so incredible!

Be sure to clean up your character during and after making them. Are there any contradictions in age, personality, or storyline? Is this a character you would want to meet in public? If no, is it because it's a bad character, or because they are meant to be a dangerous character. The biggest question you should ask yourself when making an OC for Gorillaz is

Does it fit with the story?

Recreating Jamie's story to fit in a fifth band member or love interest is fine, but does it fit with the lore of Gorillaz? Would Murdoc really say a person in a crowd just stood out and now he wants to be a better man? Or would multiple flings with the same person start to have him show feelings that he tries to brush off sound more realistic? Would the band try all they can to fight off against a rival band in a battle, or would they shrug it off because they have better things to do, or treat it like a joke because they know they'll always be the better band? Not only do you have to focus on a cohesive story and original character, but you should also try to keep the characters already in place for you, the same. Build off of the characters we know and love, and your OC should easily fit in with the band!

I hope this long overwhelming post inspired or helped a few of you learn about Original Characters! This wasn't meant to insult a character or characters, but rather personal opinions and basic concepts from one person who just likes to write stories. This doesn't have to apply to Gorillaz, it can apply to any fandom, or even your own story! Just to keep every detail important, quirks stay as quirks, personality stay as personality, and keep the character creative!

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