Are OCs better than Canon?

[Rethajni 2,660]

before you pick forks and torches let me explain you why i have some ideas

 

why we make our OCs? because we turn ourselves into pony form and interact with the mane 6 or any other character, but, we make more that are capable of do more than the mane 6 and they adapt even more to our likings, is true Hasbro start with the idea and we can expand it, when we rp we love to follow the story of our OC?  like it or not you can make thousands of crossovers but in the end it has nothing to do with the original show, is a modification you make for your fav character is true that OCs represents a part of you and you cant deny it, we even fell in love with some and make all kinds of art.

Now i would like to know your opinion about it, do you believe general OCs are bettern than MLP itself in one or all ways?

[Windseeker 546]

Sometimes, depending on where you look, original characters can enrich the MLP world via a variety of fanon material. Yeah, I get it, fan fiction isn't some people's cup of tea. I seen some original characters who are not only physically stunning, but originated from fan fiction that delved into deep philosophical concepts and in-depth storylines. Or maybe they are just plain silly and people like them, like Wheely Bopper or Fluffle Puff.

 

I wouldn't say original characters are better than canon characters, that's just silly. There's hardly any original character I don't like.

[zombienixon 330]

If we're talking about mine, then yes. Absolutely yes.

 

[ConcorDisparate 385]

What do you mean, "better" ?

I need some criteria.

Do they allow more imagination ? Yes.

Are they less developped than canon characters ? Depends on the OC, yes and no, I'd say yes, but that's just personal.

Anyway, that does not mean they are better.

5 is better than 1 is you are talking a mark out of ten. But 1 is better than 5 is we are talking about the quantity of spinach left in your plate . It all depends on the criteria

Edited May 10, 2015 by ConcorDisparate

[Moonlight 7,286]

No imo. Even OCs with gorgeous designs seem to have a pretty big flaw with it, whether it being the OC is an alicorn, it has a dreadful backstory, or it just has a personality that is a rip-off of a canon pony. And some serious OCs I've seen are enough to make King Sombra's design look god-like.

[Shanks 10,816]

It depends, because they are OC's there are certain things that can be done with them that are unlikely to be done with characters in the show or cannot be done with characters in the show and present an opportunity for world lore/world building. However there are some OC's that can fall into the Mary Sue/Gary Stu trap though which I have seen though not as much as in other fandoms.

[Lulaypp 2,555]

I think it depends on how you look at it... 

[Ziltoid the Omniscient 286]

I think it really depends on how well made to OC is.

[Sazama Ichida 2,367]

Not unless they're well written obviously.

[The Awesome One 1,315]

Only if they have a nice colour scheme, Mane and Tail, Name and their backstory is very well written. Must not be a Mary Sue and must not have any cliche backstories either.

[Rethajni 2,660]

No imo. Even OCs with gorgeous designs seem to have a pretty big flaw with it, whether it being the OC is an alicorn, it has a dreadful backstory, or it just has a personality that is a rip-off of a canon pony. And some serious OCs I've seen are enough to make King Sombra's design look god-like.

 

well yeah, some people tends to confuse between OC with crossovers also some OC have dark past and thats became boring with time but if you think about it it reflect the personality of the creator so they became more intimate like the essence of the owner

[Landi 600]

It really depends on the oc. I've seen some really good ocs that I might even consider more intriguing than the mane six. But I have also seen some bad ones that are truly cringeworthy. I'd say in general, no, but depending on the circumstance, yes.

[riverhippo 6]

It's purely subjective.

In order for it to be even close to an objective discussion about the quality of character in an OC, we would have to not only agree on parameters of what makes an OC good, but then also understand the fullness of an OC's depth and background. And even some of the OCs I have made I have yet to figure out completely, to the same degree that I have yet to discover my full potential as a real human being.

 

But overall I think my answer is that they have the potential to be better than canon characters.  It's numbers.  Will there ever be an OC in MLPFiM fanon in hundreds of years that is better made than a canon character from a show that only lasted a decade in official creativity?  Probably.  Most wont, but it's a little unfair to pin all OCs to the standard of not being as good as being official, especially since one could argue all canon characters were technically OC creations anyway.  Twilight Sparkle wasn't a character that was found in the ground left to be discovered by animator archaeologists, she too was created from the ground up.

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

10 minutes ago, riverhippo said:

It's purely subjective.

In order for it to be even close to an objective discussion about the quality of character in an OC, we would have to not only agree on parameters of what makes an OC good, but then also understand the fullness of an OC's depth and background. And even some of the OCs I have made I have yet to figure out completely, to the same degree that I have yet to discover my full potential as a real human being.

 

But overall I think my answer is that they have the potential to be better than canon characters.  It's numbers.  Will there ever be an OC in MLPFiM fanon in hundreds of years that is better made than a canon character from a show that only lasted a decade in official creativity?  Probably.  Most wont, but it's a little unfair to pin all OCs to the standard of not being as good as being official, especially since one could argue all canon characters were technically OC creations anyway.  Twilight Sparkle wasn't a character that was found in the ground left to be discovered by animator archaeologists, she too was created from the ground up.

Well yes, but we all understand OC us used for fan-created characters that are put into another work and are not officially part of it. But a good OC is a subjective matter, but there are objective matter over those as well, like how well developed, written, or believable are, also subjected to the rules of the world they are part off and new rules adapted to that world as well. 

[riverhippo 6]

1 minute ago, Steve Piranha said:

Well yes, but we all understand OC us used for fan-created characters that are put into another work and are not officially part of it. But a good OC is a subjective matter, but there are objective matter over those as well, like how well developed, written, or believable are, also subjected to the rules of the world they are part off and new rules adapted to that world as well. 

The problem I have with separating canon and fan-created content to that degree is it suggests that there is a litmus test to what is considered canon in regards to its quality versus something fan-made. When really, the only qualifying condition something has to meet to be canon is: is it in the show? I like to think MLPFiM is pretty flexible when it comes to it's canon, because the setting of the show is based on characters that were all made by humans projecting into this world. And in that way, I kind of see them the same, not that canon must always yield the possible fanon it encounters, however.

I remember when Andy Price and Katy Cook were asked about the comics and if they are canon with the show. They always struggled with the answer because there was no real answer that they determined when they made it, or when they reviewed their stories with people overseeing the MLP story property. They basically said "They are canon if you want them to be" which to me was their way of saying that the world of MLPFiM has enough flexibility to contain most of the creative values people can put into it.  I know this begs the discussion of the sacrality of the show allowing outside content to infect it, but it tells the story of the creative value in the show being to the same potential as anything else that could ever be put into it.

If the question is "do enough people agree that a particular character is good enough to co-exist with the canon of the show?" it all depends on the society built around such circumstances, like Derpy for instance.

[Will Guide 21,360]

4 minutes ago, riverhippo said:

I remember when Andy Price and Katy Cook were asked about the comics and if they are canon with the show. They always struggled with the answer because there was no real answer that they determined when they made it, or when they reviewed their stories with people overseeing the MLP story property. They basically said "They are canon if you want them to be" which to me was their way of saying that the world of MLPFiM has enough flexibility to contain most of the creative values people can put into it.  I know this begs the discussion of the sacrality of the show allowing outside content to infect it, but it tells the story of the creative value in the show being to the same potential as anything else that could ever be put into it.

If the question is "do enough people agree that a particular character is good enough to co-exist with the canon of the show?" it all depends on the society built around such circumstances, like Derpy for instance.

That's a well written thought I agree with

[Lucky Bolt 35,063]

Hmm...it depends on the OC I'd say. 

[ShadowEclipse 1,209]

It really varies of what you prefer. I like both OC and characters from the show equally. 

Edited October 3, 2019 by JHauxhurst

[Splashee 28,564]

On 5/6/2015 at 6:15 PM, Balareth said:

do you believe general OCs are bettern than MLP itself in one or all ways?

Good designed OCs can be as good as the Mane 6 for sure.

But we have to think about design here. What sells? Mane 6 was created to sell toys, and to stand out. They managed to do that, and we are all here because of that. OCs on the other hand, are mostly created to make us fans feel connected to the show. If we fans really wanted to make ponies that stand out, then Hasbro would see us as competition and try to stop us.

But OCs are in general better, because we can make our OCs OP (over powered)

[LightsAction 1]

Again, it depends on the OC. This doesn't just count for MLP, but every fandom. I mean, look at Screwball and Zany! Although not a fan of DoD ( I enjoyed BoD,though), something must be good enough about them that they're referenced in YT videos/animations. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the OCs that you mostly just toss aside.

[Cash In 22,305]

It ultimately depends if the OC is well written and is compelling enough. I've seen many characters which lack substance, but that can be changed if the person behind it can revise it and put in the extra effort.

[Lunar Glow 676]

I've actually thought about this a lot, and I completely agree. I wish that instead of using the same 30 background ponies for every episode, Hasbro should've allowed for fanmade OC's to be included in the show. Think about it; we're doing everything the writers do when they're writing a new character. Having the fanbase do it would certainly make the show more for it's audience. There would be so much more color in Equestria knowing that everyone living there had an actual backstory and personality.

[EpicEnergy 23,218]

I think canon is better, but OCs are still really amazing as well.

[Splashee 28,564]

Currently, most OCs are better than the Pony Life ponies, and fillies as well!

 

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

OCs are easier to write about than canon characters cause it’s easier to understand your own characters rather than worrying about writing about someone else’s and messing up the characterization