Yesterday was June 21st, the summer solstice, but also Ofelia's birthday. So I thought I would share with you some part of the process of creating her.
→Who is Ofelia, and who was she meant to be?
We all know Ofelia as this sweet little hobbit who tends to cry a lot but who is still very brave and, way too often, a bit reckless. And although most of her personality remains what it originally was, some things changed along the way...
At first, I had made Ofelia to be more of a fighter. She was supposed to often get into fights and throw hands at those who would try to provoke her. But I thought better of it. I didn’t really want her to be a violent person. That is why I changed that into Ofelia being reckless and having very little sense of danger. I felt that it would keep this side of her that is tough while not having her being violent.
Another thing about our current Ofelia is that she is in a courtship with Kíli. But that was not the original plan. When I first began to design Ofelia, she was meant to be with… with Dwalin. Yup.
Since I love writing Dwalin x Hobbit!Reader fanfics, I thought that it would be amazing to have a Hobbit OC for him. But the more I worked on her personality, the more I felt like it would be complicated to have her paired with Dwalin. I thought that her sensitive personality and Dwalin’s really tough one would make their relationship hard. I realized that he might make her cry more often than not by accident, ending up hurting both of them.
After a bit of thinking and re reading what I had, I figured she would be a good match for Kíli. And I'm very happy with my final choice.
But who knows...Maybe one day I’ll make an OC for Dwalin…
→The inspiration behind Ofelia...
I would say that I had two major inspiration to make her character.
First, just like Naya (my other OC), Ofelia was partly based on myself. I made her with the traits of my personality that I have trouble accepting, like the fact that I am so sensitive and cry so often or how reckless I can be sometimes.
And all those things that I kind of dislike about myself are what make her such a beautiful character to my eyes. Creating Ofelia was like taking the parts of myself that I see as ugly and making art with it.
The other inspiration behind my OC was a fictional character that has the same name. Maybe some of you have watched the movie Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro, or maybe you haven't.
In this movie, we follow this young girl named Ofelia, who is trying to get back to her father (the King of a fantasy realm) by passing tests and being guided by a Faun.
Here are some pictures of Ofelia from the movie.
( Picture 1 / Picture 2 : Ivana Baquero as Ofelia in Pan's Labyrinth, 2006)
Apart from some physical traits like the length of her hair, or the shape of her nose, and obviously her name, some part of Ofelia's personality were also inspired by this character.
Ofelia, like the young girl from the movie, loves books, mostly tales and legends. They both have a big imagination and are both very brave and would do anything to protect the most vulnerable ones.
Although, they are very different from one another since my character mostly resemble me. While the character from the movie is rather shy, calm and reserved, my Ofelia is outgoing, bold and doesn't hesitate to jump into dangerous situations.
But I like to think that this is the way my OC looked as a child (I usually don't do face claims though). At least...approximately.
→Having the character, but not the story.
When I create an OC, I start by the character themselves, then their story. And if Naya's backstory came to my mind quite easily, I had some trouble with Ofelia's.
I think the hardest part was having her being linked to the quest. So after a lot of thinking (and a few "That's it, I'm giving up"), I simply decided to make her part of Bilbo's family.
After figuring this part out, most of it came naturally to me. I still had a bit of trouble for example with the details of how she came to be in a courtship with Kíli. But I was rapidly able to build her story.
To this day, I'm still trying to figure out some details, mostly about her childhood. And I think that it's a good lesson in the sense that having an OC is constant work.
What helps me the most with it are the asks that I sometimes get in my ask box about my OCs. Little questions like that help creating a more detailed background to the character which is super duper cool.
→The details.
What I like the most about creating an OC is all the little details that you add to make them a unique being, and the stories behind them. Here are a few examples :
I mentioned in her Character Sheet that Ofelia has a very small, and barely visible, scar above her lips. This is one of the very first details I created about her, remainder of her original "violent" personality. Ofelia got this scar in a fight. And I didn't feel the need to take that out of her story. I mean, didn't we all get into at least one fight in our lives? (Probably not, but you get my point)
Another thing is the tattoo on her ankle. This is pure me. Of course, if I had made Ofelia to be a dwarf, she would have been covered in tattoos. But no, she's a Hobbit. So I gave her one tattoo. And at first, I didn't even know what it was. I just wanted her to have a tattoo. But the more I wrote about her and worked on her personality, I finally found something that made sense. Since she was born during midsummer, Ofelia has a small sun tattoo.
It took me so many tries before finally getting to draw a portrait of Ofelia that I liked. But in the end, I managed to do it. I gave her a headband. And after drawing her many times, I simply kept adding the headband. This is how I came to write her always wearing some kind of "scarf" her hair. And of course, yellow is her favorite color to wear.
→Ending Note.
If you have read this until the end, thank you. I loved making this post.
I think that creating an OC is a very complicated and delicate process that varies from one person to the other. And in the end, it feels like you've just met a new friend. So I really enjoyed sharing those little things with you.
And a very happy birthday to you, Ofelia.
All Time Tags : @imnotevenhere9 @shethereadinghobbit @elvish-sky @katbby16 @dark-angel-is-back @shalinizhara @elarinya-nailo @thewhiteladyofrohan
People I think could be interested : @grunid @messiambrandybuck @laurfilijames @guardianofrivendell @cassiabaggins @claraofthepen
Yes, I made another OC. And I am so happy to share her with you all. I hope you will love her as much as I do and as much as we love Naya.
General Information and Appearance:
Name: Ofelia Took
Nickname: Kíli calls her Feli, although she hates it.
Gender: Female
Origin: Hobbit from the Shire
Birthday: June 21st TA2896
Relationship Status: In a courtship with Kíli
Height: 3’7, she is quite tall for a Hobbit
Skin Color: Pale Ivory
Hairstyle: Cut to her shoulders. She wears her courtship braid on the right side of her head.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Features: She has a small scar above her lips, barely noticeable, and a tattoo on her left ankle.
Accessories: She has an orbital piercing on her right ear and both her lobes are pierced.
Personality, Relationships and Hobbies:
Personality:
Ofelia is hot-blooded and impetuous. She often acts before she thinks, even if it puts her life in danger. But she says she likes it, she likes the thrill. She has always been like that, even as a child, which would give her family a few heart attacks.
She is also extremely sensitive. She cries often, mostly when people yell at her or when she is angry/frustrated. It often results in people calling her a crybaby and she hates that more than anything.
She often pretends that she is a tough, cold-hearted person who does not care about anything, but when you really know her, you quickly realize that she is an absolute sweetheart.
Relationships :
Ofelia is Bilbo’s cousin. She is the daughter of one of Belladonna’s many siblings. As children, they were really close to each other. But they grew apart and kind of stopped talking. That was until the quest.
Ofelia never had many friends. So when she joined the company she was extremely excited and tried to befriend everyone. Including Thorin. She would even sit next to Bifur and listen to him talking to her even if she could not understand a thing. But out of all of them, she found a best friend in Ori. From the outside, they look completely different. But they actually are very similar.
Ofelia and Kíli probably fell in love the moment he pushed through Bilbo’s door. But if you ask them, they will tell you that it happened later on. They immediately clicked together. But when Tauriel came into the painting, Ofelia thought Kíli had fallen in love with her instead and kind of walked away from him. It is only after reclaiming Erebor, and long long talking sessions, that she proposed her courtship, respecting all dwarven customs.
Hobbies:
Ofelia is an avid reader. She loves any type of book but her favorites are legends and tales. When Kíli is sick, she likes to read to him until he falls asleep.
She is passionate about plants and medicine. At first, it was just a hobby but one day, she decided to ask Oín to become his apprentice. Of course, everyone was delighted, mostly Kíli who always encourages her to pursue her dreams.
My OCs were both born on the date of a Sabbat. Naya was born on December 21st, Yule, the winter solstice. And Ofelia on June 21st, Litha, the summer solstice.
If you look more closely, their personalities match the mood of their season.
Ofelia, who was born in summer, has a firey temperament. She is always joyful and wears a big bright smile. Yet, a part of her is delicate and sensitive, and she can break easily if you're not careful.
Naya, born during winter, is quiet, composed, and she radiates peace. Everything about her is pure, even though she can be harsh sometimes. People fear and crave her at the same time.
Although Naya doesn't care much about when her birthday is (I mean, it could have been any other day, right?), Ofelia is rather fond of the fact that she was born during midsummer. This is why she wears a necklace with a Sun pendant.
If Ofelia and Naya were invited to a party by Elrond, what would they wear ? ( headcanon that maybe Ofelia would like to try some elven dresses for the occasion ! )
Hi darling! Sorry it took me a bit of time to reply!
Naya mostly wears the same type of outfit when she must attend any kind of gathering. She'll wear a long dress (either blue or green, but she likes blue better), with arkenstone-looking jewels and some fur.
Ofelia would definitely wear an elven dress for the occasion!! If she can wear a yellow one, she'd be the happiest. But a blue or white one would do as well.
Hi ! For Naya and Ofelia : Do they sometimes wish they had powers like Gandalf? Have they ever tried to learn magic?
Hello darling! I missed your questions!
For both of them, the answer is no.
Naya, on one hand, is very content about her life and in all honesty, the thought of magic or having powers never even crossed her mind.
As for Ofelia, she thinks it is amazing, but not for her. She is afraid of the consequences that it could have if she made any mistakes, and she is really happy with simply being a healer. She thinks it is a form of magic in itself, more subtle, but really powerful.
23. Who would this oc consider their family? What is their relationship with these people?
Apart from Bilbo and the family she joined by starting a courtship with Kíli, there aren't much people that Ofelia considers to be family.
The first person, and most obvious answer, is Ori. He is her best friend she sees him as a brother. She also sees Nori and Dori as family since they are Ori's brothers and she often see them (although she feels closer to Dori than Nori).
Then, it would have to be Oín. He teaches her all about becoming a healer and he becomes kind a of a father figure to her once she settles in Erebor. Of course, he is more a teacher and mentor than a "father" to her but she loves him a lot nonetheless.
27. How does your oc handle fear?
Depending on the situation, she will go from panicking to completely shutting down. The more she is afraid, the less she will react.
28. What’s your favorite thing about this oc?
Well first it would have to be her name, I love the name Ofelia and I named her after a fictional character that I dearly love.
And I suppose that I love the fact that she is all the things I don't like about myself. But that's what makes her amazing and loveable. It's kind of like I was learning to love myself through Ofelia.
60-If your OC could change one thing about him/herself, what would it be?
Naya is very confident and happy about the person she is, but there is one thing she doesn't really like about herself : She is brutally honest. Like brutal. She often ends up hurting people accidentally and she doesn't like that.
Ofelia is less confident. Sometimes she would like to be someone else. Someone composed and calm, and who doesn't cry everytime they are frustrated. She often feels as if she's the ugly duckling who stains Kíli's family portrait. He told her a million times that she isn't but she doesn't believe him.
Hello, dear! You've been visited by the random character question fairy! :D ~☆
Does your character listen more to their head or heart? Do their emotions control them, or do they control their emotions? Has there been a time when they've regretted following their emotions/head?
Yess thank you!! 💕
Naya :
In many situations, Naya will pick the reasonable choice. Although she will sometimes let her heart decide, she mostly thinks with her head.
I don't think she ever regretted any decision that she made. I mean, if she wasn't sure of something, she would have simply not done it. She doesn't even regret refusing Thorin two times before accepting his courtship.
Ofelia :
I'd love to say that Ofelia thinks with her head but at this point I think that sometimes...she doesn't even think at all. But yeah, her emotions definitely prevail over her reason.
But even if she has the tendency to throw herself head first into danger, she has a really good intuition. Most of the time, she knows that it is NOT a good idea to do this or that. But she tends to think "If I don't do it, I will regret it" and doesn't listen to her guts.
