I think that's pretty common, ain't it? People who regularly change their avatar and name like me are minority, most people keep one or the other constant for the sake of identity. Easy to lose people online unless there's something memorable associated with you. Etc.

I think that's pretty common, ain't it? People who regularly change their avatar and name like me are minority, most people keep one or the other constant for the sake of identity. Easy to lose people online unless there's something memorable associated with you. Etc.

Well, I just thought it's very interesting how people can totally not care about the show anymore yet continue to use their pony OCs because that's how they're recognizable.

To me my OCs don't represent me whatsoever but I can see it in tons of other people. Some people don't really have the ability to be who they are IRL due to whatever circumstance that could be stopping them, so they like to make one and post it here. Personally though, I am sticking to one character now, and I never am going to change my name. Obviously I'll be Ryzu but my profile will consist of happy from fairy tail.

That makes sense actually. My first original character was actually a dragon largely inspired by the old Spyro the Dragon games. For a long while that character (who I had just simply called Captain Spyro) largely stayed the same, and I kept that persona t a lot of boards I visited.

Then of course I made some changes as I turned that simple OC into a full fledged character in his own universe; and with a bit of a design and name change.

I can imagine my main ponysona being the same way.

I really appreciate people taking the time to share their backstories around their characters! I encourage others to do the same as well!

With my OC, it all started with just trying to make a pony who was like me... but at the same time, Sterling became a unique character of his own. Similar to me, but there's some changes. But... nevertheless, Sterling is indeed my ponysona. He wants to be a doctor/scientist, loves music, and used to have a hard time associating himself with others because he was quirky and clumsy. 

Difference? He's got two OCs as possible wives. I don't. But it's alright . You can read about one of them in an RP called Rhapsody in Blue.

Over the internet as a whole, I tend to be amorphous as I go by different names in different places. In the brony fandom I am known as SunBurn. Well, partly why I don't go by my OC all the time is mostly because I can't make good colored drawings myself so I generally tend to go with an avatar that mostly represents an idea or a state of mind.

The avatar I'm using here is just a random pony I drew up when I joined the site. I didn't feel the Fhaolan avatar I normally use was particularly appropriate. http://fhaolan.deviantart.com/art/Fhaolan-382668507

That Fhaolan is definitely a character, not directly me. But it is the character that has represented me on the Internet for about twenty years now. So yes, he is effectively me. He has a backstory and everything.

I suppose this random pony is now the pony Fhaolan, but I have trouble thinking of him as an OC because there's nothing but an image. No backstory, no characterization. It's just an avatar that happens to be hanging beside 'my' name. Some day I should do something about that.

But you're right. A person's OC does become them after awhile. My OC just isn't a pony, yet.

I guess my OC, Treble Bolt is exactly how you put it. In order to stand out uniquely in the community, having an OC pony usually isn't the key (I mean, just look at Dr. Wolf). I wanted an OC to reflect who I am not only as a person, but also by what I can do that is unique to me. That's how Treble Bolt came to be. I do plan to keep using that ponysona for everything, and I'm so smitten by her that i have been hunting for good plushie maker so I throw my money at them to have my own OC "come to life." I put a lot of thought into how she should look as well as her cutie mark, and even though it may not be as good as other fanmade OC's (I'm no paper artist), I take pride in it nonetheless (To the point to where I tried to draw her, hence my avatar).

A lot of people can and do make OC's to fit in with the community better, only to drop the OC once they leave. However, there are many who take their creations to heart and really make the OC a part of who they are. It does seem silly in retrospect, but creativity does birth some amazingly beautiful, yet sometimes silly things.

Come to think of it, there are many reasons why OCs from this fandom have so much appeal outside of it. I personally would put one to the art style. I like the fact that the character design is standardized to a few different models with the same general silhouette. Changing things such as the colors, mane, tail, wing, horn, and accessories on what started out as a standardized model actually does a lot to accentuate individuality and self-identity within the pony world, rather than having the base model (which provokes connotations of mass-production) hinder it. It reminds me of painting a race car in series where most cars use the same base model.

The vast setting of MLP is also very conducive to writing. I don't really intend on using my MLP OC outside the fandom, but I have another version of my OC made for an original project that shares almost everything in common with the MLP version, and I attribute that similarity to the nature of the fandom and the world of MLP. They allowed me to create a character I genuinely feel attached to, which is special to me as I don't normally create OCs and definitely did not produce as much fanart as I did before this fandom.