OC's In Fandom

[deirdre-aithne.livejournal.com]

So, I've got a question, and as far as I can remember, no one's asked it yet on the comm. And since it's very relevant to my current H/D project, I figured- why not?.

How much of a place do you see for OC's in fandom and fanfiction? Specifically, I'm interested in everyone's thoughts about their home as supporting cast, not as members of the main pairing of the fic.

An OC who used to date Harry or Draco and played a large part of their backstory and is discussed, but never seen, or an OC who has a decent amount of screen time to serve the plot, or to provide a friend to one of the main characters- do these people have a place in fanfiction?

Or should all characters be canonly (making up words like woah!) recognizable, even if it wouldn't suit their characters to use them?

How many OC's is 'too many'?


*eagerly awaits some opinions*

And, if you happen to have a moment, why not drop by the OC POLL on my journal? *bats eyelashes*