OC

OC is an acronym that can refer to several different concepts in different contexts.

Original Character: In fan fiction and role-playing communities, an original character (OC) is a character created by a writer or participant rather than drawn from existing works. OCs are used to expand settings, explore new ideas, or participate in collaborative storytelling. Discussions about OCs often cover alignment with canon, backstory development, and community guidelines.

Orange County: The initials OC commonly denote Orange County, a geographic name used for multiple counties in the United States and in other countries. The most prominent is Orange County, California, a populous region that includes cities such as Anaheim and Irvine. Other examples include Orange County, Florida; Orange County, New York; and Orange County in several states, with the term appearing in media, maps, and local government.

Telecommunications and computing: In telecommunications, OC stands for Optical Carrier, a family of line rates used in SONET/SDH networks, including OC-1, OC-3, OC-12, and beyond. In computing and hardware contexts, OC is also shorthand for overclocking, the practice of running a processor, graphics card, or other component at a higher clock speed than specified by the manufacturer.

Other uses exist in specialized fields and organizations, but OC typically requires contextual cues to determine its intended meaning.