Regarding the OC portion of our server, it’s more plot based then a sort of “free for all”. That means we had to provide guidelines for the OCs to stay in check.
OC GUIDELINES
【 1 】 You are allowed to make your OC any gender, sexuality, race, color, etc.
【 2 】 If you make your OC have some sort of disability, mental disorder, etc. We advise that you research it fully. When you make in introduction for your OC, you must include a detailed description of what the complete definition of the disorder/disability is. We also advise when researching the subject you check multiple websites to make sure your analysis on it is correct. If you falsely describe or roleplay these disorders, you will be immediately contacted.
【 3 】 Please do not make it so that your OC has traits that could offend others, for example: racist, homophobic tendencies, etc.
【 4 】 No Mary Sues! We will not allow all powerful OCs, they must have their own weaknesses and faults. This makes the OC realistic in multiple ways.
【 5 】 For now, you are only allowed to submit two OCs for the main group, only one will be accepted though. As for side characters, you may make only one, for now.
APPLICATIONS
We aren’t going to just allow OCs in, Since this is a plot based roleplay. So we have made this application document for you all to fill out. I apologize if it’s a bit long, I will try to take out some unnecessary questions.
If you happen to finish the application, please submit or dm it to me. More information regarding the plot will be introduced at a later date! Thank you so much for reading.
How To Make A Hetalia OC: Part 4. Skills and Misc.
Four parts posted and one (or two) more to go! Remember to leave a review and send in any writing requests!
SKILLS
Skills are, of course, very important in every fandom. What skills your OC has, and how competent they are at using them determines the placement of your OC in relation to other countries.
You’ll need to think about your OC’s combat proficiency, how good they are at thinking on their feet, how smart they are, how good they are at following instructions or plans, and how long their attention span lasts. All of these things (and more) can be determined by simply doing proper research on the military background of the country you want your OC to personify. Do not give your OC an absolutely perfect military history and make them have outstanding skills in combatives and strategic thinking. That’s just plain overpowered. None of the nations in the Hetalia universe are perfect at everything, so your OC shouldn’t be either. Skills take time and experience to develop, especially if they reflect the military background of an entire nation.
There are also a few different routes you can take, when developing your OC’s skills. You could have them be very poor in certain areas, but absolutely amazing in others (ex. maybe they’re horrible at sticking to a plan, but excellent at thinking on their feet and changing a plan as they go,) just average all around (which is still fine, not everyone can be exceptional always,) or well-rounded in most areas, with some weaknesses. Pick whichever style is best suited for your OC and the country they embody.
Depending on your OC’s background, he or she may also have skills outside of combat. Generally speaking, these skills should be relevant in some way to their country’s origins, even if it’s just for a small side plot you inserted for the sake of character or relationship development. For example, an OC who loves mythological lore and is excellent at telling stories would be a great skill for someone who embodies a nation with outstanding history in literature and mythology. This is a plausible skill for someone to have, without it being related to combat. Avoid sticking random skills onto your OC just to make them seem “cooler” or “more bad ass”, it tends to just feel irrelevant and usually winds up as more of an “informed ability” that readers are told about, but never see, because it’s just there for looking.
It should also go without saying that things like magic, controlling any of the elements, shape shifting into any sort of animal, talking to/understanding animals, teleportation, or any other ability that is in any way supernatural/not something a normal human being could possess are all completely out of the question, as they fly in the face of canon and would create an OC that is massively Mary Sue. It is canon that England, Norway, and Romania are capable of using magic, however the belief of humans being able to use magic has been significant in their cultures for a very long time, so it is acceptable for them to be able to do so.
MISCELLANEOUS
I’ve very often run across OCs who have been given disabilities, whether physical impairments, or mental health issues, that would, in reality, have a severe negative impact on their ability to fulfill their role, or is entirely inappropriate and serves no meaning to the plot. This is something that really is best avoided, because it very rarely makes sense. Blind OCs serve no purpose as the embodiment of a nation, simply because they cannot see. The same goes for crippled OCs, or those missing limbs. It has been proven trough the manga that personified nations cannot die or be injured by any physical means, (whether or not they can’t get hurt at all or just heal easily is still a matter of debate however,) so it is extremely unlikely that any of them would be crippled or missing any body part at all.
In this series, things like PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or mental trauma brought on by war throughout history or any serious traumatic event make a lot of sense, but are not a logical thing to have. If you are going to write an OC with PTSD however, make sure you research everything well. PTSD doesn't just mean you have nightmares and you get your super-sexy canon significant other to hug you while you sleep. It also doesn't mean that they can have crippling fears just suddenly not show up in the heat of the moment. That’s simply being logical.
Personality quirks, however, are something else altogether. Different characters (and people in general) have different quirks. You don’t need a quirk to have a unique OC, and you certainly shouldn’t take a canon character’s unique quirk (such as America's love of food, or England's constant tsundere attitude,) and make it your OC’s. It’s perfectly fine to have similar traits to other characters, as people do have similarities just don't overdo it or fall into the "love interest clone" trap. Anything can be a quirk, but be mindful of particularly obnoxious ones, such as pointlessly adding things like “~” to the ends of sentences (adding “~” to the end of anything personally annoys me to death.) It’s likely to annoy readers and roleplay partners alike. Choose personality quirks that can add something to your OC, and that mesh with his or her personality and their country's history. "When in doubt, leave the quirk out."
How To Make A Hetalia OC: Part 3. Past/Backstory and Placement.
Part 3 coming right up! Please leave a review and send me any requests!
PAST/BACKSTORY
In this series, it’s perfectly acceptable for your OC to have a sad past, since historically, history can get very tragic. That said, you don’t really need to incorporate things like rape or abuse into an OC’s backstory. Do these things happen in reality? Yes. Are they entirely too common for many OCs? YES. You can do this if you want to, but be aware that it’s not something that will make your OC unique, and you will have to go to proper lengths to make sure that your OC behaves accordingly. I can tell you right now with certainty that someone who was abused as a child isn’t likely to be perfectly trusting, among other things. As previously stated, the past shapes our present. Although it is acceptable to give your OC a “normal past,” in the Hetalia universe there is a lot of “past” that they have experienced, however there are options other than “sad past” for OCs in every fandom. Keep that in mind. Note that I’m mentioning this because the vast majority of OCs across all fandoms seem to have unnecessarily sad pasts, usually ( sometimes unconsciously,) designed to generate sympathy from the reader/readers. This series has plenty of sadness to go around, so a miserable backstory isn’t really needed, since the present misery will do just fine. I’m not discouraging you from adding any sadness, though. By all means, go ahead and do it. But trying to be tasteful is always a plus.
You should also avoid making your OC related to canon characters. It’s generally a poor idea, as it tends to open up massive plot holes in most fandoms, and it’s completely unnecessary. Also avoid trying to force your OC into being an adopted sibling of America and Canada, Italy and Romano, Prussia and Germany, etc.. That’s their family, your OC does not need to be part of it. Instead, create unique relationships for your OC that blend in with their back story.
PLACEMENT
Placement is important in any fandom. It’s where (and sometimes when) your OC happens to be located, relative to the canon story line. Given that the vast majority of the story of Hetalia takes place throughout the world and explains all of its history, there isn’t much room for you to choose a location for your OC. However, you do have a few choices, like which country they embody, (such as Ireland or Moldova.) Just make sure that they make sense. Don’t pick a country in Asia, and insist that your OC embodies a country in Europe. As long as it makes sense, you’ll be okay. Just remember to do your proper research before settling on anything.
Now that we’ve covered the “where”, we’ll cover the “when”. Your OC’s age does matter a lot in this fandom, because it determines their age appearance, and should also, logically, influence the way they act as far as maturity goes (I will make a post on how to determine psychical appearance based on the age of their country, but it involves a lot of math so I’m going to simplify it first.)
Placement also determines things like whether or not your OC is in a particular place to witness or participate in any given event. Keep in mind that your OC cannot logically follow around any given character 24/7, or partake in every historical event, so be very conscious about where you decide to add them in. Also avoid stealing the thunder of other characters- don’t have your OC sail in and effortlessly defeat the Spanish armada that another country was historically meant to defeat, in order to usurp their spotlight. Doing so is a great way to set your OC down the path to Mary Suedom, because it makes your character seem like the world revolves around them… literally. This does not mean that your OC can’t be competent, however. They can, just not at the expense of other characters. There are better ways to demonstrate your OC’s competence (which will be covered in a section or two).
Here it is! Part 2! Please remember to send me a message on what you think of these Hetalia OC development posts, and message me if you have any requests for me to write!
PERSONALITY
Personalities for OCs can be very diverse, as humans in general can have a wide range of personality traits. However, there are some things to keep in mind.
Whatever personality traits you choose for your OC should, ideally, not contradict with each other. Avoid things like “they’re really, really shy, but they also love to talk”. Those two traits contradict each other far too much, and don’t make sense. It’s okay to have traits like “they’re relatively shy around new people, but open up more with someone they’ve come to befriend,” since that isn’t contradictory.
Also avoid copying the personalities of other characters too much, especially if the character is your OC’s intended love interest or best friend. However, keep in mind that while, in some cases, opposites can attract, that’s not always true, and it can often result in a poor, short-lived relationship, because the two people clash too frequently. Striking a balance is ideal for a long-winded relationship, but, as it’s your OC, you’re welcome to do as you wish. Not every couple can last forever, and maybe you don’t want your pairing to be perfect. Some people enjoy clashing couples. An example is the tsundere relationship between my Republic of Ireland OC, and England, because they don’t get along all that often, but do care about each other in their own ways even though they both would never admit it to each other.
Keep in mind that personality traits also influence who your OC can and cannot get along with. Most people can’t get along perfectly with everyone, because humans in general have diverse personalities that will clash with certain others. If your OC is aggressive and argumentative, they are likely to clash with characters who share this trait. Meanwhile, a shy and quiet OC might find it difficult to make friends with someone else who is shy and quiet, because it’s likely they’ll just be too shy to approach each other, and no one will be brave enough to take the first step. Also be absolutely sure to take the history of the country your OC embodies into account when designing their personality. Our pasts play a huge role in molding us into our present selves, and this should especially apply to characters in the Hetalia universe. Someone whose country has been betrayed by others a lot in the past may find it difficult to let new people into their life, while someone who has never really experienced betrayal may be very trusting and naïve.
Personalities and history also affect relationships in the Hetalia universe (and obviously elsewhere as well.) Your OC is going to have a major problem if one of their dislikes is the Allied Forces (which I’ve seen a few times before), and they have an alliance with a few members of the Allies, or has relatively good ties with some. This is especially bad if your OC has issues with nations who seem to be in authority in general and their love interest is someone like America, Germany, or Russia, as all three are very large and impressive countries.
Another thing to keep in mind, for this and any fandom, is that your OC’s mere existence should not suddenly cause characters to behave differently or out of character and bend to their will. For example, no matter how perfect, gorgeous, and amazing the nation your OC embodies is, someone like Romano isn’t going to suddenly turn to butter in their hands. That’s just not like him at all- it’s outright stated that he’s hard to get along with, so nobody is going to get anywhere with him fast. The same goes for any other character- if they start ditching their responsibilities as a nation to hang out with your OC, it’s time to rethink things a bit. Ideally, your OC should interact with the rest of the cast accordingly, not warp the characters around them. If your OC does something that a character would normally hate/strongly disagree with, but they’re suddenly totally okay with it, that’s a pretty sure sign you’ve created a Mary Sue. Remember: blend with the canon, don’t distort it. Be sure to have your OC develop a proper relationship over time with their intended love interest or friends.
The purpose of this guide is to help you create an OC that fits in properly with the Hetalia fandom, without breaking established canon laws, making them too Mary Sue, etc. The purpose is not to shame anyone for doing anything wrong, although some parts of this guide may be pretty blunt.
As the memo states, this guide is based entirely on the Hetalia anime/manga. I would strongly advise that you watch all of the episodes AND read the manga chapters (even though there are a lot) before you read through the guide, so that you don’t wind up finding any spoilers, and most importantly, so you are up to date and aware of all the established canon laws of the Hetalia universe.
Thank you, and please send me a message about what you think, or if you have any requests for me to write!
APPEARANCE
In the Hetalia fandom, you do have some freedoms with your OC’s physical appearance. However, there are also quite a few limitations.
Hair
Your OC should never have any unnatural hair color, like pink, blue, or green. Colored highlights are also out of the question. The most “unusual” hair color allowed for OCs would be white, like Prussia (Although I don’t recommend stealing his thunder.) Any natural hair color is also fair game, as is evidenced by the rest of the cast. And please don’t insist that your character has natural jet black hair with natural red, pink, green, etc. highlights, because that is not genetically possible.
Hair length is also something to take into consideration. Pretty much every Hetalia character takes part in their nations’ wars, so having really long hair is not a good idea unless you plan on having them wear it up/back, as long as you don’t make them wear it down during a battle or anything of the like. Also avoid overly-complicated hairstyles like fancy drill-shaped curls or over-the-top hair decorations like flower and bows. Even though Hungary, Belarus, and Liechtenstein have things like flowers and bows in their hair, things should be kept fairly simple and convenient. Also avoid hairstyles that cover one or both eyes (I hate it when people use this to describe any OCs.) Having one eye covered does not add to your character's mysteriousness. That said, it’s perfectly fine to have a feminine hair style, just as long as it’s restrained if necessary, and doesn’t inhibit the OC’s ability to see and fight.
Skin
Taking a look at the canon cast, you’ll notice that all of the major characters have skin tones ranging from quite pale to somewhat tan. Since there aren’t many canon embodiments of the countries of Africa or South America, nobody is particularly dark-skinned, unless your OC is embodying one of those countries. You should try to choose a skin tone in accordance with what’s the most common in the population of the country you choose. Also avoid extremely pale “vampire white” or grey skin tones. If thy represent an island country or one that rests on the Equator, they’l most likely be pretty tan. If they represent a more northern country that’s usually cold and/or snowy, they’ll most likely be a bit paler. You get the idea.
Eyes
Any natural eye color is fair game, ranging from blue all the way to nearly black. Stay far, far away from things like red eyes; that’s an extremely rare thing, and would look very out of place. Yes, Prussia does have red eyes and Russia has purple, but that’s one special quality of theirs, and I would not recommend having your OC steal their thunder. The goal is to aim for more natural, realistic hair, skin and eye colors, because that’s what the rest of the cannon members have. Try to avoid Heterochromia (two different eye colors), because it’s very overdone in every fandom out there, and you don’t see it on any of the other characters, either. Heterochromia isn’t a common enough feature to warrant the huge number of OCs with it. Things like white or God damn color-changing eyes are to be avoided at absolutely all costs.
Body Type
Your OC can have any body type in a certain spectrum, since many are involved in their country’s military. Notice that the characters range from small and slender (like Italy,) to big and muscular (like Germany,), but there isn’t anybody who looks overweight. Logically, since many have military experience, seem to be rather active, and are practically immortal deities, being overweight is probably difficult. Any combination of height and muscularity, such as short and muscular like Japan’s canon body type, or tall and somewhat slender, like Sweden, and everything in between is fair game. Bust sizes are also variable among the women, but keep in mind that an OC with larger breasts should probably be based on statistics of the average breast size in the nation they embody (hence Ukraine.) Also bear in mind that muscle weighs considerably more than fat does, so adjust your OC’s weight accordingly. I recommend just Googling a height to weight ratio chart for this, because you don’t want an OC over 6’ that weighs under 100 lbs. Also, don’t make your OC exceedingly muscular without giving proper reasoning, or without making them do any kind of training or military service. Germany, although he’s already built like a cluster of steel beams, still works out regularly in order to stay in shape. I recommend making your OC particularly strong if the nation they embody has gained independence from another over a stretch of time. Just like America, and my Republic of Ireland OC, gaining independence takes a lot of strength and skill, and they would probably have benefited from that.
Also note that your OC doesn’t have to mirror his or her love interest’s height, for any reason. While it’s perfectly acceptable for them to be the same height, or be close in height, I’ve noticed a trend where characters who are very short to begin with tend to be paired with even shorter OCs, and so on. There’s nothing wrong with having a short OC (or a really tall one), but, in the interest of helping people create unique OCs, I thought it would be helpful to point this trend out. A lot of height-related decisions also come down to the personal preference of the OC’s creator- people who like pairings with large height differences may make a very tall/very short OC to complement the canon partner, those who prefer same-height pairings will likely try to avoid large gaps. Regardless of trends in OCs, it’s your choice, so long as it makes sense with the rest of the character’s body and age. An example of height difference is my Republic of Ireland OC. I ship her with England in the story I am writing, and she happens to be taller than him. Even though it’s only by an inch or so, the female does not have to be significantly shorter than their love interest
Clothing
The clothing in Hetalia seems to vary by a fairly large range. I’d recommend basing your OC’s clothing on modern day fashion and be sure to match it with the climate of that nation as well. An example with my British Isles OCs is that they dress rather warmly most of the time, because their countries’ weather tends to be pretty cold. However, you still shouldn’t put your OC in jeans, those look too out of place and are rather unprofessional unless they are just lounging around. Band T-shirts and brand-name clothing should also be out of the question. Avoid things like school uniforms, Lolita fashion, or goth clothing at all costs, school uniforms aside if you’re writing in a W. Academy setting (just make sure they’re appropriate for such a prestige school.) Look at the main cast and background characters for inspiration for your OC, but don’t directly copy any of it.
If your OC partakes in their nation’s military (which is highly likely, given the series), they absolutely must wear the proper uniform. This means that you should research the current military uniforms from their country, and base their uniform on that. Using alternate weapons to fight in the modern time like bows and arrows, axes, swords, or anything other than the given, current military weapons, is unacceptable. Yes, characters like Spain and Denmark have axes, but I doubt they really use them during modern-day conflicts.
Shirts range from collared shirts in various colors, to T-shirts, to hoodies. Basically, anything is fair game, as long as it’s simple and practical. Avoid putting your OC in a corset, bustier, or, again, anything like a band T-shirt. All of the shirts seem to be plain, single-colored pieces of clothing, with details like buttons (everyone with a collared shirt), or in America’s case, his mochi character (which still is a bit odd.) You want your OC to have full freedom of movement. A corset, bustier, or anything restrictive/time-consuming to put on is a big problem, since your OC is probably a busy person since they embody an entire God damn nation. Feel free to play with your OC’s shirt’s neckline, but avoid things like cleavage cutouts or super-low necklines, that would likely be considered too unprofessional, as they commonly are in government or military establishments. If your OC is ever in a World Meeting setting, make sure they give the image to the reader that they are dressed professionally. By professionally, I mean suits and ties, or any kind of business skirt or dress. Your OC should not, by any means, show up to a World Meeting in any kind of showy, tight, or at all skimpy clothing.
Neck wear also varies by character, however not everyone has something around their neck. Notable neck wear includes Russia and his scarf, Austria and his cravat, Germany and Prussia with their Iron Cross medallions, and basically any other characters with their usual ties. You have the freedom to put pretty much whatever you want around your OC’s neck as long as it blends in well with their nation’s fashion, culture, or climate, and avoid copying other characters too closely. If you absolutely must have a scarf on your OC (which, to be honest, you should try to avoid, as it’s unique to Russia,) make sure it’s a different color and length than Russia’s (I’d also advise against copying Austria’s cravat, mainly because his clothing choices seem to be stuck in the 18th century.) Part of the point of accessories, from a character design perspective, is to make each character stand out i their own unique way. That said however, avoid things like spiked chokers and the like, it doesn’t work with the setting at all. Also avoid super-fancy things like lacy Lolita collars. Simple necklaces or neckties are all completely fair game.
You also may have noticed that none of the characters have been designed to have sex appeal generated by their clothing, so keep that in mind when designing your OC’s attire. For this reason, skimpy, impractical clothes are something best avoided (especially in a World Meeting setting.)
Species
Honestly, I shouldn’t have to put this section here at all, but, since I’ve already seen vampire Hetalia OCs, I feel obligated to. There aren’t exactly any workable species besides humans (which is, honestly, the only thing your OC should be, at this point.) If I’m going to be honest, I’ll tell you that your OC should probably be a personified country. It is beyond easy to accidentally create a Mary Sue OC just by making them a regular human, so please don’t do it. It’s often times not necessary anyway.
Also, it goes without saying that your OC should absolutely NOT be a vampire, werewolf, demon, angel, elf, fairy, half-vampire, half-neko, or anything else that doesn’t exist in the series proper, or for that matter, in the real world (as someone who likes to critique fanfictions, I have actually seen all of these used at least once before.) This is a fairly realistic series, England’s invisible friends and a few other things aside, so keep the mythological creatures out of it. There is no reason that a Hetalia OC needs to be a vampire at all, even if they have anything to do with or whose country is around Romania.
It also goes without saying that wings, horns, tails, or animal ears of any kind are things no Hetalia OC should ever have.
Final Important Notes on Appearance
It’s also worth noting that, your OC’s appearance should reflect the country of which they embody. The smartest thing to do would be to stick to European ethnicity, which you can mix, unless they embody an African, Asian, or South American country.
You can also play with the genetic combinations of your OC, like considering about what kind of features they might have. The characters in Hetalia have distinctive features, (even background characters!) such as differently-shaped eyes and noses, and eyebrows, so you can work with that. It’s a perfect opportunity to create something far beyond a generic character.
Unrelated to your OC’s origins, but related to his or her physical appearance: don’t be afraid of adding things like scars. If your OC is the literal embodiment of a nation, they’ve been leading an active lifestyle, and literally have had to go through centuries of war and conflict. You’re not required to have any scarring on an OC, of course, but it’s something you can consider.
Tattoos are another story, however. Again, just like my British Isles OCs, (I apologize, I will reference to them a lot in these posts,) your OC should only really have a tattoo/tattoos if it has some relevance to their country’s culture or origins. Ex. Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England (according to my headcanon,) all have at least one Celtic type of tattoo, which ties them together through their countries’ Celtic origins. Also, the Moldova OC I made for polarbearsnowglobes has a tattoo of a quill and scroll, because the section of the world where her country is located has extensive contribution to literature, so there is a reason why she has it. Your OC does not have to have a tattoo, especially if it has no real meaning to them, and I would recommend going by the saying “When in doubt, leave the ink out.”
Piercings are probably something to avoid, for the most part. A piercing or two in each ear is for the most part acceptable, but I’d advise against anything beyond that. Modern-looking things like snakebites, piercings across the bridge of the nose, gauges, bars through the ear, nose piercings, corset piercings, and anything else beyond the standard one or two-per-ear are best left out, as they clash terribly with the setting. Take note of the fact that nobody in the series proper is ever seen with a face full of piercings.
