What features of some OCs do you really dislike?

[SilverStarApple 849]

HYPER-TRAGEDY.

OMEGA-LEVEL GRIMDERP.

DARKSEID, OR ANYTHING SIMILARLY STUPIDLY-NAMED.

ANYTHING THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT CAME FROM AN INFERIOR DC COMIC.

Generic "Omg I'm so cheerful and peppy!" female protagonist.

Generic weak-ass spineless cowardly pathetic mentally-deficient male protagonist that only exists to have the plot happen to him.

The entire concept of actually making OC (including personality and all).

I just dont see the point.

This kind of schtaco.

 

Your inability to understand a concept is not an argument against it. Now, spread this message through the depths of Fimfiction.net, and make sure others understand it as well as you now do.

[frecklesareblooming 225]

Pretty much what everyone else hates:

 

More powerful/important than Celestia and Luna 

Weird color combinations

Huge anime eyes

Stupid and pointless cutie marks

Multiple ponies in love with them

[SilverStarApple 849]

Grey and black - It's the new red and black! ...My OC is silver-coated and wears a black suit with a blue tie, I'm talking about black-maned gunmetal-grey edgy ponies that try to look like the lovechild of Not Important, the black-haired guy from Metalocalpyse, and Captain Levi from AOT.<br />Captain Levi from AOT. Every time he shows up and has his protagonist aura of godmode active, it feels like I've stopped watching a well-written show and started reading an awful fanfic.<br />That low-standards throw-rug of a mare that hangs out in bars, drinks, only sleeps in her own bed when every other bed in town is broken, punches out "Lewd" strawman stallions twice her size with ease, gets in barfights and never suffers consequences, drinks like an idiot and never suffers consequences beyond "Oh man, my hangover is super bad today. I'm doing it again tonight anyway yolo!", is loved by everyone you're supposed to like, and lives the dream the writer wishes she could.<br />WhateverVerse. Look, if you've made some major canonical changes and it properly feels like a whole other world, go ahead. But if the whole "Verse" is nothing more than a few headcanons and the existence of an OC or background pony everyone likes, why bother putting your work in that "Verse", if this "Verse" is barely any different from Canon Equestria? Oh, right, I forgot. Talentless writers with no inspiration seek to poach some fans from writes with a few hundred fans and an ego the size of the moon, and a group will soon be formed to keep the eternal circlejerk going, multiple authors writing "Side stories" in the "Name of main character goes here"Verse.<br />Ultra-edgy hyper-violent fighter fights stuff in SombraVerse.<br />Ultra-edgy hyper violent fighter can win fights using his "Amazing" shadow-themed transformation.<br />Batponies. I don't want to be That Guy, but the entire species appears to be beyond saving.<br />Lazily-made no-personality Pegasus OCs. For some odd reason, this problem hits Pegasi the hardest. Maybe because Earth Ponies are the normal boring race you have to choose, while Unicorns have magic.<br />Non-magical Unicorn. Why? Are you trying to impress people? Or make a statement about how much life sucks when you lack inspiration or anything your kind is supposed to have to make you special.<br />"My specialness is having no specialness at all!"<br />Ripping off Dante.<br />Ripping off Dante while having no idea what makes Dante cool.<br />Spooky Scary, the cute cheery pony that just loves to jumpscare ponies!

twilythebookworm, on 29 Mar 2016 - 02:07 AM, said:

Pretty much what everyone else hates:

 

More powerful/important than Celestia and Luna

Weird color combinations

Huge anime eyes

Stupid and pointless cutie marks

Multiple ponies in love with them

The ponies already have huge anime eyes. And the "Multiple ponies in love with them" thing could be done right, if it's not "Oh no, two girls love me, and I don't want to break either one's heart, so I'll date both and let them both beat me when they find out!" crap. Listen, I like anime, I make anime-inspired speeches, TTGL is a beautiful show that sums up the human experience, a battle with depression, and the rise and fall and re-rise of mecha anime at the same time, Death Note ended when L died and Light won, and even I hate trashy harem anime crap. Sitcom tropes that wouldn't look out of place on a live-action american TV show combined with the same tired tsundere crap. Who even likes Tsundere? If a girl's one redeeming quality is that she's not a jackass 100% of the time, it's time to start looking at different girls after dumping that one, not trying to win her love with some stupid sidequest.

I'll admit my OC started out as a red and black Alicorn

 

Then I started...trimming away aspects that didn't fit with his character until I ended up with what I have now

 

And yes, I also used a Ponymaker because not everyone can afford commissions and I started making my OC long before I discovered people that will take requests for drawing OCs

 

But, through trial and error, I finally have an OC I'm happy with

Why is she red and black? Is that poor colour combination truly so vital to her characterization? You've done well by desaturating the colours, but they still don't really go together.

"This is my Zebra OC, Ziggy/Zander/Zally/Zack/Zackary, a generic-ass Zebra with no original character traits at all. LOOK AT THIS ZEBRA, LOOK AT HOW INCLUSIVE I AM FOR CREATING A ZEBRA! MY STORY RECYCLES THE TIRED OLD PREJUDICE SUBPLOT AND DOES NOTHING CLEVER WITH IT, IF I EVEN BOTHER TO WRITE A STORY AT ALL

Look at me, I have nineteen OCs made in the Pony Creator and no stories!

JESUS SYMBOLISM- just kidding I'm amazed that I've never seen a single religious symbolism thing in my entire time in the brony fandom. Then again, we're not sonic fans. Every brony that doesn't spend four hours a day downvoting all they see unless it's 1200-word trash on Fimfic.net gains a point.

Look at my thirteen OCs, and their one-note personalities! Lookit, they're talking to each other and reacting to stuff, isn't that cute?

BIG RED OC

FOREST GREEN COMBINED WITH MUD-BROWN FOR THE TEN THOUSANDTH TIME

Brown boring OC with nothing interesting about him at all. Guess he must have ran into the "Anything interesting, any semblance of power, any deviation from the norm? SOOOO! SOO SOO SOOOEEEE!" crowd.

gamer OC with gamer CM and maybe gamer powers

Supposedly smart OC smiles vacantly and serves as a second assistant to Twilight while supposedly on her level or higher.

Edited March 29, 2016 by SilverStarApple

[Socks and Broken 22]

Pretty much everything else is saying, but also cutie marks that are, like, three things together and are completely unrelated.

[Zeal Crown 196]

Oh man I could go on forever about this! I'll try to make a small list though, because I believe I may have a lot to say.

 

 

 

Of course, there's the classic alicorn OCs problem. Alicorn OCs are such a tough topic, because this community has so many of them. I really don't know why, but there's a lot of people who feel as if they think they should be 'the (now sixth) alicorn of the universe' but very few of them are ever incorporated very well. People using alicorns as their species for their ponysona makes me cringe every time. Unless there's some god or perfect human walking among us, none of us should have alicornism as none of us are perfect. Don't even get me started on "pegacorns" because those are just alicorns. You cannot tell me otherwise.

 

My solution: If you really truly feel the need to make an alicorn OC, just please put them in a place where they actually could be an alicorn. Right now there are only 5 known alicorns, so either make this one not known (easily by putting them in another place off of Equestria. There's so much unexplored area outside of Equestria, it should be incredibly easy) or put the alicorn in the future. All of my OCs, I like to think, are born past the whole mane 6 age of Equestria that seems to be the current age. It gives me an excuse to create technology and is fun to not have the mane 6 overpower whatever they feel. Creating an alicorn and putting them in the future would be placing them in undiscovered territory and could potentially work.

 

 

 

Red and black OCs are every artist's nightmare. Not entirely literally, but I can't stand them. Most of the time, they share the trait of alicorns too. Red and black OCs are such a clog on the eyes and are only made because people want to create hardcore OCs that they think can counter the lovable feminine world by being so hardcore! They're gross and are usually just created because people think they're cool, which they are not. I mostly see them with tragic hardcore backstories too, just to add to the effect of a totally metal pony. It just doesn't work, and no one will like it.

 

My solution: If you want to make a red and black OC, just please make it work. The famous Blackjack from Fallout: Equestria, Project Horizons, has a red and black mane, but has a white coat. Her design is pleasing to the eye because the red and black are not the dominant color choice. I think another excuse would be if the colors were not natural for a pony. Ponies can dye hair and fur, so why wouldn't this work? Hypocritically, I have a red and black OC, but his story goes like he's a tattoo artist and thinks red and black is cool, so he simply made himself red and black because he thinks he looks cool. (Zebra, so just white stripes to red)

 

 

 

Mary Sue OCs are every writer's nightmare. The biggest gripe is that these characters are unrelatable because they're perfect. No one can relate to a perfect character, because humans (and ponies) make mistakes. No one is perfect. People make mistakes, and people have weaknesses. Except for your OC apparently, which has no problems at all, is perfect in every way, and is loved and adored by everyone! In story writing, it creates no conflict or tension because the Mary Sue is already perfect, so the reader knows the character will be able to pass this obstacle with little to no effort. It's very boring and really turns people away from wanting to see more of the person's work. *yawn*

 

My solution: Just don't make them. If you suspect a character is getting to the Mary Sue level, just give them a weakness. If you are able to give a character a personal weakness rather than a physical one, that's so much better! A perfect personality is none-existent, and this would make great sense! High or low ego, not being as intelligent in easy fields, even just being scared is easy enough. It's hard to give a character a weakness, but it makes the character more realistic. Trust me, you'll love an imperfect character more than a perfect god. (And please, do we have to say Gary Sue? Why is Mary Sue a gendered thing? Just please don't)

 

 

 

The thing I may hate most above anything is tragic/dark backstories. My goodness, if I see even a hint of a bad backstory, I will have very little patience to keep reading. "Her parents died and her only sense of happiness in life is when she's asleep because it's the only time she isn't in constant agony. She hurts all the time too because she's so dark." No one can relate to that! No one wants to see something so dark in a world where magic is literally powered by friendship! Do I even need to point this out? It's just terrible. I believe people create backstories like these to 1. Create a character where the creator thinks they could fix them if they could just talk to them, which is just terrible, and 2. To make a hardcore pony. I've stated before, a hardcore pony feels weird and unnatural in the pony universe. Good luck making them fit.

 

My solution: If you write the story in an alright fashion, and not make it too dark, it can work, and I hesitate to say that. It's hard to do, but it is entirely possible to give an OC a dark backstory and still create a good OC. Let's say, a parent died. How did they die? Hit by a car...how dark is that? Slightly dark, but it's realistic. It can happen, and has happened. Now the character has to live their life with only one parent, but that is what made them who they are now. Because they lost their parent at an early age, they have trouble making friends for fear of losing them the same way, but then has this moment where they discover how lonely they have been and decides to stop fearing friends and embracing them. In a world that is fueled by friendship, this would be perfect! It's may be dark, but not too dark. People may relate because of how they may have lost something and have been scared since the day. There's more examples, but I'll leave your creative mind to think of them.

 

 

 

Something I really wish didn't exist is beautifully designed characters with crap stories. Characters that I wish I could have designed, but have such a rushed story. It's sad really. I believe this is because a person will overdesign a character and not think as to why they look the way they do. The beautiful character already sells me just from the design, but then feels fake as the story could have been put out through a random google search and answer.

 

My solution: Think about the character of the OC first. Who are they? Are they a pony who likes dogsled racing? Considering they need snow, they may like to wear winter clothing. Are they a scientist? I'm sure a scientist never enters a lab without a lab coat. It's easy! If you really want to design the character's looks first, then just think about why they would look that way. An insecure pony would not often try to look good naturally. (unless you are going for the stereotype of 'beautiful character doesn't think they're beautiful') A pony who is often drawn and seen in a dress may have the character of liking dresses. Easy!

 

 

 

The pony generator is controversial. Is that even a thing I have to tell people anymore? It's an easy way to make an OC, but is often just bad. Along with the anatomy not being entirely correct, most people make rushed OCs just to have an OC. Once these OCs are made, they'll use this pony generated pony as their icon and such, and you can tell. I hate seeing them. I can understand why people do this though; not everyone is Leonardo.

 

My solution: Because not everyone is Leonardo, I can see why people use this. The problem is that it's ugly. It makes for a great reference though! So why not just use it as a reference and ask someone to draw the OC for you? That way you'd have a good looking OC who is not clearly from the pony generator. Easy and simple!

 

 

 

Pure black or pure white colors on OCs is often not a subject that is talked about a lot, but it's something that needs to be said. Pure black or pure white is just, ugh. I can see it being ok in the eyes, as it's just that way. Being anywhere else, be it the coat, mane/tail, cutiemark, accessories, ect. is just obvious and not good looking. It's not a big problem, but it's still a problem I see a lot

 

My solution: Just make the black lighter and the white darker. Easy! What else do I need to say?

 

 

 

Bright pastel colors goes the same way. They are hard on the eyes and just hurt. Usually these colors are presets on some art programs (most often MS Paint) and are just easy to use. I encourage everybody to not use them though. in fact, don't use anything preset. Even backgrounds on phones and such, don't use presets. I hate them.

 

My solution: Just dull down the colors. It's better if you can make the colors match and work with each other. Another easy solution that doesn't need much explaining.

 

 

 

Mane and tails that don't match are just weird. Easy mistake, and easy fix. These lists are getting shorter and shorter because there's not much to say about them.

 

My solution: Just make them match. If one is braided, the other should at least look braidable.

 

 

 

Now, what exactly is a bad cutie mark? A bad cutie mark would be something that uses logos, number and/or letters, or just a common symbol used in everyday scenarios, such as a stop sign. Why do I not like these? Logos because it's such an easy route to take, numbers and/or letters because they shouldn't have to be something to read, and common symbols because they are often man-made (pony-made?) and just don't seem to work most of the time. A cutie mark should be something that, at the very least, hints at the pony's passion. It should be something simple but understandable. A firework? They probably like to make/launch fireworks.

 

My solution: Just find an easy alternative. If a pony may be smart, don't use a math equation or something, use a graduation cap or something. (I don't know what I associate with smart people, I'm sorry) Scientist? Don't use some theory or something, a beaker is just perfect! It may be harder, but the work is thousand times worth it.

 

 

 

I'm sure there's more, but I believe I've listed some of the major ones. I should also mention that these are just my opinions on the topics and are not an exact representation of what everyone thinks of your OC. No matter what people say about your OC, a good OC is only a character that you like. Just please consider these sort of stuff when making an OC, as I'm sure more people will be open to discussing or roleplaying with your OC. Thank you!

[That Guy with the CMB 5,873]

Ponies who are too colorful, are DJs, and have Vinyl's hair. I've just seen it way too much. Also, OCs who are alicorns, super tall, super buff, immortal, etc....

[Scarlet Kitten 28]

Pretty much everything that has already been said, now while I'm not against tragic backstories, they have to have some sort of meaning behind it, for example, the OC was an orphan because their parents died due to illness, a cart/car accident or they were captured and killed during either the Changeling Invasion or King Sombra's reign, and not something like just like "They were abandoned just because" or "The parents were alcoholics/junkies"..

 

I'm not too fond of alicorns, but if the alicorn say has some form of limitations, like they are an alicorn but they have magical limitations or can't do magic due to an accident or something, that's different, because they are not OP af.

 

and I think the whole "lost sibling/relative" or "bf/gf" of the mane six or Princesses speaks for it self, I'm not bothered by it if say the backstory is the oc was an orphan and Luna brought her/him to her orphanage/colony (Depends which storyline you follow) because that is neither lost relative or bf/gf of the mane six or the princesses.

 

For example, I have two ocs (brother and sister) who lost their parents to murder when they were still foals and they run away, then are found by Luna and brought to her orphanage and are cared for by her, thus they look up to her as a motherly figure/rolemodel.

[Mentis Soliloquy 3,025]

I've been Role playing on these here forums for a while now, what 5 months now? Yes I know that is not long (for many out there), and this is my first foray in RP in general not just MLP but you may ask, 'why is he talking about RP?' Well this is because in my opinion were OC's shine or, fade. It's one thing to make a OC but to put it to the test to step into his/her horse shoes is somthing on another level and this needs to be understood and accepted.

 

I'm getting a little off topic, anyway the only thing I dislike about OC's is poor thought all people have different levels of talent, commitment, care, imagination and so on. We can't judge an OC poorly even if it's a re-skin of say RD because that may well be the limit of someone's creativity, however if they put in effort and make them good well I don't judge. The same can go on the far scale where someone makes a unique stunning OC that is quite mind blowing, however if the creator put little to no effort into it, then it makes it bad. (in my opinion) 

 

The main point is each OC must be judged on the skills and talent of the creator, there is no wrong or right creation it is all a matter of perspective, and generalization is not good in my opinion.  

[4HFan 476]

Why does everyone hate black and red OCs? I used the pony generator and mine came out as a black/red alicorn. So what? I like the color combination and he isn't that hardcore, and of course his backstory is a little sad, but at least it's original. And I have the answer for all of those anti Alicorn stereotypes, so if a pony does something worthy, they receive a horn/pair of wings. But what if their fate is set on a road full of challenges that would make them worthy and they would need said horn/wings to overcome these challenges? (That is also my theory for Flurry Heart) So don't judge a pony by its appearance ok? And my OC's backstory is set a thousand years ago so it works. And he isn't immortal/invincible, in his story he looses to King Sombra and is locked away for a thousand years. All I'm trying to say is don't be so quick to judge.

[Zeal Crown 196]

Why does everyone hate black and red OCs? I used the pony generator and mine came out as a black/red alicorn. So what? I like the color combination and he isn't that hardcore, and of course his backstory is a little sad, but at least it's original. And I have the answer for all of those anti Alicorn stereotypes, so if a pony does something worthy, they receive a horn/pair of wings. But what if their fate is set on a road full of challenges that would make them worthy and they would need said horn/wings to overcome these challenges? (That is also my theory for Flurry Heart) So don't judge a pony by its appearance ok? And my OC's backstory is set a thousand years ago so it works. And he isn't immortal/invincible, in his story he looses to King Sombra and is locked away for a thousand years. All I'm trying to say is don't be so quick to judge.

 

Well as I said, red and black OCs are (Just hear me out) the general stereotype of a hardcore OC. The color combination is appealing to dark themes and is understandably used. They've been matched with many alicorns, Mary Sues, and dark backstories. People may have just seen enough of them for none of them to stand out. I'm not saying your OC is bad, as I don't know enough about them, but just understand the frustration that comes from people. I'm not telling you what's wrong or right, just to think about what's been done.

 

If I may ask politely, may I possibly know more about your OC's story? I would not wish to critique without your permission, but I would just like an understanding of your point of view. 

[4HFan 476]

You can read his story right here: https://mlpforums.com/topic/148830-the-chronicles-of-damien-bolt/?view=findpost&p=4421077

 

But as a heads up, it's still in a first draft and might not be very good yet.

[Zeal Crown 196]

You can read his story right here: https://mlpforums.com/topic/148830-the-chronicles-of-damien-bolt/?view=findpost&p=4421077

 

But as a heads up, it's still in a first draft and might not be very good yet.

 

My, your story is a long read. I'll tell you what, I'll read it tomorrow and talk about it over on that thread as to not spam up this one. How's that for a plan? I've really got to go to bed.

[DixonTheAdversary 1,632]

I actually don't hate anything about OCs. You could have a red 'n black alicorn with zebra stripes and bat wings with all these accessories and be a child of Celestia/Luna and be friends with all mane 6 because you are the seventh element and have enough magic to destroy the universe and have one of the most unoriginal names ever and your OC is apparently a DJ for some reason.

 

I would still roleplay with you even if you had this character.

 

(Sorry for using and so much in my describing of an OC that most people hate)

[Black Sabbath 2,486]

I can't stand alicorn OC's that are unable to fly or use magic. What's the point of making them an alicorn then? 

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,302]

I might occasionally poke fun at this or that OC, but it really doesn't matter what I think of someone else's character.  I don't get to decide how they express themselves creatively, and, oftentimes, the person doing the criticizing has either made someone else's subjective "hate" list or been guilty of doing some of the very things they're complaining about.  Hypocrisy is abundant in this fandom.

 

Before someone quotes me with this tired crap, "You sayin' that I can't criticize / judge / hate what I wanna criticize / judge / hate??!?2?"

 

No, that's not what I'm saying.  But if you can be critical of something that doesn't really affect you in the least, I can damn sure be critical of your criticism.

 

"But it does affect me because I RP; other characters are too powerful and make my OC look bad!!#!1  How are we supposed to have a believable cyberpunk / war / romance / comedy / futuristic discotheque / friendly zombies / sparkly vampires / underwater / Pokemon high school-related RP if all their characters are OP!??!?"

 

That sounds like an unfortunate situation...  That I don't care about.

[Jest (Inactive) 875]

Gonna' just be repeating what everyone has said already but here goes  

 

 

• Alicorn Oc's with no legitimate reason for ascension, people just do it to be edgy or over powered.
• Non - Magic species being able to have unrealistic abilities, Pegasus being able to create natural disasters and such
• Super dark colours, not only are they a nightmare to draw they look horrible
• Super bright unbalance colours or to many colours, the simpler the better.
• Clothing, I really detest any form of pony clothing bar a few exceptions like the WB outfit etc.
• Accessories like watches and bracelets
• Tragic background, mental illness, suicidal tendencies, abusive parents / past.
• Cybernetic OC's
• OC's that are popular with everyone
• Contradicting personality, or personality that covers literally everything 
• Clearly recoloured versions of the mane 6

[hollow-shades 129]

-Alicorns without good backstory

-Recolors

-Red and black

-Cutie marks with no sense at all

[Zamasu 20]

Mainly recolors and cybernetic OC's.

Edited March 29, 2016 by Twily

[4HFan 476]

My, your story is a long read. I'll tell you what, I'll read it tomorrow and talk about it over on that thread as to not spam up this one. How's that for a plan? I've really got to go to bed.

Sounds like a plan to me. I'll see you there tomorrow.

[SilverStarApple 849]

I can't stand alicorn OC's that are unable to fly or use magic. What's the point of making them an alicorn then?

THIIIIIISSSSS!

 

...Is something that I undoubtedly agree with. Someone making their OC an alicorn, and then saying "It's ok, she's only a weak pseudo-Unicorn with terrible magic and flight abilities, and she suffers discrimination every day for looking silly, and oh em cee that's so tragic!" is completely idiotic, and only helps cement this fandom's ridiculous "If your OC is too strong, it's automatically a sue. Only mediocre and bland everyman ponies are acceptable".

Also, you know what else sucks? The Pony Creator.<br /><br />...And of course, the way it spreads like an infection into the OCs made with it if left unchecked. You can easily tell when a crappy OC was created with the Pony Creator, because most OCs use one of the cliche Pony Creator hairstyles. You know what I'm talking about. Generic center parting, rough circle of hair over one eye, that sort of thing. Please, fanfic writers, put some originality into your manes and give your OCs better hairstyles!<br /><br />Also, I hate when people think "Original species" just means "Pony with a weird monster tail".

This is really more of a fandom thing than an OC thing, but I hate how so many people on Fimfic.net seem to be small-name big-ego so-called experts who insist that their hatred of all OCs and ridiculously wide net of pet peeves make them the objectively perfect OC Reviewer, even though they'll often say things like "Just another OC" or "Why do people even make these?".

[Koumorikichikun 62]

I don't usually like pooping on other people's OCs, but a few things are a no no for me when making original characters:
 

• Unappealing Colour Design - Using colours that don't mesh well together, using harsh colours like deep red. MLP characters typically have colour palettes that work well together, and of lighter tone. A good rule of hoof is NEVER use black or red, and if you have to, use dark grey instead of black and a lighter tone of red... 0 Hue full saturation red looks awful.
• Mary Sue - Really talented, No flaws, extraordinarily nice, everyone wants to be her boyfriend/girlfriend, etc... makes for a very dull character, although its kinda funny when done in jest.
• Forced relation with main characters - She's Rainbow Dashes long lost sister! ... Not only is it kind of a groaner, but its just unbelievable. It's not much better when you put them in romantic relationships with the mane 6, either.
  And worst of all...
• Recolor of an Existing Character - If you have to use an existing character's hair, at least try to add other stuff to help differentiate it.

[Merion 783]

Dumb names that are supposed to sound exotic. I just love it when people throw tons of punctuation marks and random diacritics in the middle of their OC's names to make them look cool. (The name is impossible to pronounce, but don't you dare misspell it! That's just SO ignorant and offensive!)

 

 

Colors that don't go well together with inconsistent saturations also really get to me. It seems like a lot of people just don't understand how colors work together and make them look horrible. Either like swampy dark messes with no distinguishing features or rainbow overly saturated eye rape.

 

 

YESSS, THIS.

The Christmasy red-and-green OCs are the best examples of awful colour schemes.

LIKE THIS ONE. Seriously, red-green gradients just don't work.

 

 

 

My solution: Just  make the white darker.

 

So... grey? :'D

Edited March 30, 2016 by Merion

[The Nth Doctor 662]

Why is she red and black? Is that poor colour combination truly so vital to her characterization? You've done well by desaturating the colours, but they still don't really go together.

First, that's actually a dude 

I like feminine male characters

 

Second, Red and Black have always been my favorite colors and I don't care what people think about them, I'll use what suits my personality

 

I like using ideas people claim as cliche/overdone and toying with the expectations that usually come along with the character

 

Would my white, black and blue OC fit your needs better?

She's basically an inversion of my male; even their Cutie Marks are the same

[MDLineArt 93]

It's because of this thread I am partaking a challenge to take some of the biggest gripes from the community and see if we can twist it into something suitable for the narrative in the OC thread.  It's likely to fall on it's face, but that's to be expected, so anything that results from this not being completely face-desk worthy I'll take as a win.

 

Thanks for the ideas guys

[Concerned Bystander 2,902]

Alicorns. They're meant to be special, but are so overused that they are just another race of pony.

Red and black. I've got nothing against, the colour scheme per se, it's just that is has become such a cliche now.

Close links to the mane 6 or royal sisters.

Dead and/or abusive parents. Yes we get it, you've got more edge than a Japanese Blacksmith's shop.

Severe mental illnesses. See above.

Powers such as being able to manipulate time, or cross into other dimensions.

 

And so many more. I could go on, but I'll save a few.

Edited April 2, 2016 by Concerned Bystander