.:Creating Your Next Generation OC:.

~Next Generation Characters~
• WHAT IS IT: A next generation character is simply just the child of one or more parents who are main generation characters. The simple definition would be that a next generation OC is the kid of so and so. It’s a term easy for me to understand so I haven’t given much thought to people who don't really know its details. Next generation has a lot of possibilities though and if you’ve never made NG OC kids for a story or anything I would suggest at some point in your creative career to try it just for fun. The example I will be using to reference throughout this guide is my character Taylor, who is the child of Danny Fenton/Phantom and Cecelia Hazel-Fenton. (CanonxOC or OCxOC if it’s Aerone).
• ALTERNATIONS: For clarification, next generation is synonymous with the terms new generation, second generation, NG, 2nd gen, next gen, etc. As in, they all mean the same thing: the generation after the “main” generation.
• PARENTS: All next generation characters are either CanonxCanon, CanonxOC, or OCxOC. This is just a fact; it has no effect on whether your character is good or not. Obviously everyone has parents but for your character or group to be considered next generation characters, their parents need to have some significance somewhere else. They don’t need to have their own show or anything but they need to be pre-existing before your character can be considered next generation. It gets kind of tricky where to draw the line on if it’s a NG OC or not so I would completely understand if you are confused. If you have two characters where the one is a NG OC for sure and the other is their friend from school whose parents are unknown, are both still NG OCs? Well, by definition, no, because the friend is the known/important character, not their parents. But the friend is also in the same generation as the NG OC. It depends on your view, and your canon. Personally I would accept that this other character be classified as NG by association of being the same age as someone in the NG already. But I totally get it if you see it as the other way too. If there is a more clear way that you think I can elaborate on this then please let me know.
• NO-NO’S: The absolute biggest no-no of a next generation is to make your character a copy of the parents. Because then, it ISN’T YOUR CHARACTER!! First of all. It’s also eye-rollingly boring, cliché, and annoying. If you can't make your next generation OC their own person and character, stop right there. Let me tell ya how.
• LOOKS: The kid should resemble one or both of the parents in such a way that you can tell it’s at least possible they would have that kid. They should not look exactly like the parents of course but should contain at least one of their more obvious genetics. For a really basic example, a guy with dark skin, black hair, and brown eyes marries a fair-skinned brunette with green eyes. Their child has a skin tone in between which neither parent has, but mom’s hair and dad’s eyes. The kid should not be a redhead with blue eyes. This is what I’m saying. Unfortunately too many people think they can be “unique” here and be above the genetic limitations of the character couple. The more serious writers and character creators will just deadpan and forget that they saw that. Moving on, another thing to keep in mind with your NG OC’s appearance is to use the genetic limitations to your advantage. It’ll help you narrow down and keep indecisiveness out of the way. If both parents have black hair then you know the kid will have black hair and you can focus more effort and energy into the hairstyle instead of trying to decide from a spectrum of colors.  
o TAYLOR: She has her dad’s skin, her mom’s hair color, dad’s eye color, and is built more like her dad would be built if he was a girl. She would have a body language somewhere in between the two. Her mom would walk a little more sexy and her dad a bit awkward, but both look comfortable around people always.
• PERSONALITY: Obviously again do not take the parents’ exact personality. Take a couple traits from mom, a couple from dad, mix them together, add new, and then describe how all those traits come together and meld over time to create this person. A good character always has their own personality of course but try to always show somehow someway that the NG OC is connected to their parents. Show similarities throughout their bio and story. Maybe they think alike in certain parts. Maybe they have similar ideas or morals or values. Maybe they developed similar thought processes or interests.
o TAYLOR: Taylor is generally optimistic and happy, a super girly girl like her mother (naturally without her influence), clueless like both parents and average intelligence like they are. She has Danny’s hero complex once she gets into those situations but eventually develops her own hero complex from her personal experiences and background. She is an extrovert like both of her parents. She is a bit of a secret dork though she puts up a way more confident, conformist front. She can be under confident and discouraged at times. She can be arrogant and selfish, more so than either of her parents. She isn’t stubborn like Danny. Unlike her mom, she can get angry like her dad. She is naturally graceful, more so than her parents ever were.
• POWERS: The biggest no-no about this is to give the children the same power, or, God forbid, BOTH powers of their parents!! I cringe when I see this because hybrids come in all kinds of random forms and the odds are against a hybrid being more powerful than their parents. Now, if you're willing to make a large batch to show off different hybrid power combinations, that's fine. To have one powerful one, make a weak one. There should be balance, always. Not everyone is strong and not everyone would get powers. If a purebred has a kid with a human, the likelihood of having a purebred child is possible but not probable! Having a human child from that combination is also JUST AS LIKELY. But the most likely thing is something in between. Not an exact fifty-fifty split either!
o WEAKNESS: There is nothing wrong with having a weak powered character. In fact I would actually encourage it over someone strong. It keeps things interesting. If you’re planning to make a strong character though, always make sure they have some kind of power risk or weakness, even if it’s not something to dwell on.
o PERCENT: Don’t be afraid to use weird power percentages like 72% Vampire and 28% Human, especially if you have a lot of characters. It’ll put into perspective and help you keep track of who is more powerful than who too.
o INHERANT VS. ACQUIRED: Not all acquired powers are passed down genetically!!!!!!! Pay attention to the parent’s powers and know it well before deciding to give your OC part of their powers. Two parents could have acquired weird abilities in their lives or be able to use powers through objects that affect it and still have a complete normal human kid who can't do anything they do.
o TAYLOR: She is mostly human and far inferior to both of her parents who have powers. Taylor is 10% ghost as opposed to her dad’s 50%. She has a few of his powers, but not much at all. She is weak in that sense but makes use of it.
• INTERESTS: This is the thing that has little if anything at all to do with the parents. In most cases, people will develop interests on their own despite other people trying to sway them different ways. This is one of the best ways to show off your OC as being their own person, defined from their family in some way. What your OC likes is a huge reflection of who they are.
o TAYLOR: Having grown up most of her life without a mom, she still tends to gravitate toward similar interests. Due to her upbringing Taylor is also a bit meaner and more superficial than her parents ever were. Being a bit spoiled has allowed Taylor to get what she wanted usually and develop a wide variety of interests she was never deep into. Her interests include dancing, shopping, mani-pedis, gossiping, flirting, hanging out, swimming, tanning, and makeup.
• HISTORY: Every next generation character comes from somewhere. Their own backstory should include a bit about their personal connections with their parents and tie-ins to their lives as well. Even if they never knew their parents, their parents are still significant to their backstory and should always be mentioned. Try to always ALWAYS avoid any kind of unnecessary tragic backstory that doesn't wind up with anything positive or irrelevant. Also avoid the opposite extreme which would be the happy-but-slightly-fighty cliché family consisting of parents, a brother, and a sister all trying to just be normal and they can't quite get it. Gag me! That's super boring not to mention unoriginal! Have some kind of interesting dynamic somewhere and add in a few ABNORMAL family memories.
o TAYLOR: Her dad’s arch enemy kidnapped and raised her and her brothers from infancy and faked all the right documentation. Taylor had no knowledge of this until she met her real parents so she actually grew up quite happy and well-looked after. Not to mention, the evil man who raised her actually ended up loving her as a daughter in the best way that he could. When Taylor discovered the truth she was distraught but this opened up an opportunity for her to accept the past and grow as a person. She has a bright happy future ahead of her.
• ROLE: A major point of a next generation character’s existence is to honor the parents. However you do that is your choice. Even if the star of your story is a next generation character, make sure the parents have some significance or mention somewhere. Or else, how will a reader know its next generation? The only thing that shows random people that your story or character falls under the NG classification is the nods to the parents throughout your work.