What are some OC dos and don'ts?

[SixShooterOutlaw 237]

Hi I'm redesigning my oc (she looked like a lot of OCs I have seen  ) and I wanted to know some dos and don'ts so I don't end up with a bad oc.

 

    Thanks Everypony! 

Edited July 6, 2015 by SixShooterOutlaw

[Aurora Rains 164]

I find it helps to come up with a backstory for your oc first then work on appearance from there.

[JonasDarkmane 19,777]

Making a rather believable backstory for Equestrian standards. Not too OP OC and perhaps some interesting story related to the cutiemark (unless the pony doesn't have one). 

[Odyssey 5,713]

Hello @SixShooterOutlaw. As this topic is seeking out help for redesigning an OC, I have moved it from General Discussion to the Original Characters sub-section which can be found at Creative Resources.

 

I think I can help if you like. What do you need help with specifically?

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

I've a few points that I like to try and adhere to:

1. Name your OC first, then name the cutie mark. Remember, your OC is not born with his/her talent and will not know what it is until they get it. My OC is a linguist and his name is "Deuterium".

2. Don't be scared to base aspects of your OC's personality on your own. In most senses, every OC has a little bit of their creator in them.
3. Try to avoid commonly-used names in the series, things like star, sparkle, rainbow, shine, that sort of thing. It makes the name seem unoriginal.

4. Don't make your OC overpowered, but don't make them underpowered either. Try to make an OC which you'd reasonably expect to see walking down the street in their hometown - try to avoid alicorns, royalty or high class, being original in this area is difficult, but still possible.

5. When developing your OC, try and write down some of the things they might say in response to certain situations. Try to get into their head, understand how they think.

6. Most importantly - make it yours! Do what you like to your OC, as long as you keep within these boundaries

[PencilSketchPony 100]

Don't re-colour cannon characters. And don't make a REALLYdepressing backstory.

[Pez 106]

Dude. Do what you choose with your OC! I made OC a young blank flank colt who is the dragonborn and also has a stone called the stone of solution. There are people who say "You can't make your OC that way!" or "Dragonborn is too OP! Change your OC!" Here's the thing my OC is not OP. My OC has to struggle to meet the goal he is trying to get to. If dragonborn was so OP then think about playing Skyrim. It's not that easy. (Unless you're on novice.) Don't ask what people think. Here are Do's and Don'ts!

Do create any OC you want.

Don't give in to hate. There truly are no Don'ts just Do's! Like that famous dud always says "JUST DO IT!"

[Nyan Neon 50]

Dude. Do what you choose with your OC! I made OC a young blank flank colt who is the dragonborn and also has a stone called the stone of solution. There are people who say "You can't make your OC that way!" or "Dragonborn is too OP! Change your OC!" Here's the thing my OC is not OP. My OC has to struggle to meet the goal he is trying to get to. If dragonborn was so OP then think about playing Skyrim. It's not that easy. (Unless you're on novice.) Don't ask what people think. Here are Do's and Don'ts!

Do create any OC you want.

Don't give in to hate. There truly are no Don'ts just Do's! Like that famous dud always says "JUST DO IT!"

Criticism is something you always should accept unless you really don't care about what anyone else thinks about your OC, thus not making it worth sharing. Of course you don't need to agree with the criticism, but don't just call it "haters" and be like that. Remember, artists who don't accept others opinions are seen as close minded and pretentious.

By the way, i'm not talking about you/your OC. I'm just saying that this advice is not very good/was badly worded.

[Rqsky 56]

Don't make it an OP (overpowered) alicorn! You can make it an alicorn, just don't make it overpowered. AKA Mary Sue.

 

Don't use the red and black color scheme! So not original. Heck, don't use black at all in the color scheme.

 

If you're going for a more detailed OC rather than a ponysona (your personality in your OC) then make his/her back story believable.

 

Don't name him/her with a name that can't even be pronounced.

 

 

Well, that's all I have to say on the matter! I hope I helped?

[SixShooterOutlaw 237]

This is some info on my OC!

 

Name: ShutterBug

 

Talent: Animal Photographer

 

Personality: Introverted, Can be talkative, Easily distracted unless when working, A bit stubborn, Loyal, Can be sassy or sarcastic at times, Has a slight temper, Can be hyper,

 

Pet: A Cockatoo

 

Bio: When she was a filly she loved to take pictures of her family's pets and one day she found out it was her special talent and got her cutie mark.

Edited July 17, 2015 by SixShooterOutlaw

[P-Jay 1,987]

it helps to give an explanation for anything/everything regarding abilities your oc can do.

 

and i find that having a private RP with someone as a 'test drive' can really give you a good feel on the oc's personality.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

 

 

Criticism is something you always should accept unless you really don't care about what anyone else thinks about your OC, thus not making it worth sharing.

I don't see the correlation between accepting criticism of your OC and the OC being "worth sharing."  Because there isn't one.

 

Remember, artists who don't accept others opinions are seen as close minded and pretentious.

Artists (not sure how artists even came into this discussion) who let others decide how they make their art have no minds of their own.

There are no real do's or don'ts; the fandom is stupid strict about the fan creations of others.  Even if their own creations are equally silly.  I'll have a go at some anyhow:

 

Do: Enjoy yourself.  Don't: Let others' opinions (which are inherently subjective) decide what you do with your OC.

[InfectedPone 1,548]

Some good tips I can think of are:

• Don't be an Alicorn
• Use a sensible colour scheme
• No pony recolours
• Don't be too unique
• Keep backstory believable

[Nyan Neon 50]

I don't see the correlation between accepting criticism of your OC and the OC being "worth sharing."  Because there isn't one.

 

Artists (not sure how artists even came into this discussion) who let others decide how they make their art have no minds of their own.

There are no real do's or don'ts; the fandom is stupid strict about the fan creations of others.  Even if their own creations are equally silly.  I'll have a go at some anyhow:

 

Do: Enjoy yourself.  Don't: Let others' opinions (which are inherently subjective) decide what you do with your OC.

By that I mean OCs who are made for fanfics and such. If your character isn't enjoyable to others besides yourself, you won't grow as a writer or whatever media you're doing.

[TerribilisScriptor 107]

By that I mean OCs who are made for fanfics and such. If your character isn't enjoyable to others besides yourself, you won't grow as a writer or whatever media you're doing.

this would actually rais an interresting question: how does one measur the enjoiment others draw from his creation/OC ?

[Radiobolt 186]

1. Please DO NOT RECOLOR. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen "OCs" and they've only been recolors of Canon Characters. It literally drives me insane, this is not Original. It's considered copying!

2. No Alicorns unless you have a really really good reason. I mean come on, there's only 4 in all of Equestria! If everybody made their OC an Alicorn, they wouldn't be OP and cool anymore.

3. Be original! Use your own manestyles, colors, and name. ^^ don't copy anybody else, or it won't be an OC, ya know?

4. Create a good backstory that's believable. This makes it easy to RP and/or write with your character. No really scad back stories, or something that's just very cliche.

Edited August 30, 2015 by Radiobolt

[Skygunner 352]

DO -  Make an OC however you want.  If you really really really really want a 500ft talk metal mare who shoots lasers out of her 20 eyes.  

go for it!

 

DONT - Expect everyone to willingly accept your OC,  or even like them.    Somewhere out there, somepony will appreciate 20 eyeballed laser mare,   not everypony however.

 

 

 

If the target audience is you and you alone,  make what you like. If it's for a specific situation,  cater it to that.    Not helpful right?  Here's a list of a few thigns that will also help.

 

 

Typically, ponies don't like it when. 

-Your OC demands some aspect of their characters to be different.

For example, making an OC that is meant to be feared.   They might have the bravest stallion in the world,  and wouldn't be afraid of your pony,  but if you say he has too,  well,  that irks them.

Really anything your OC does,  shouldn't directly influence other ponies base character,  unless the RP demands it.

 

- Your OC is over powered

If you need this explained.....

 

ah whatever.  Look at the show.  Are the powers your pony possesses the sorta thing that any of citizens of Ponyville can do?   Maybe more on the celestia levels of power?   Tirek/Discord levels of power?

 

If you answered anything other than "ponyville"  they're probably overpowered.

 

This isn't inherently a bad thing,  and really depends on the RP at hand.  Sometimes and OP character is fun,  most the time,  not. 

 

- Your OC is annoying

Oddly enough, some people like having really annoying, or excessively stupid characters with really no redeeming qualities.  Would you want to play with a intolerable person in real life?  no. You wouldn't,  so why would you expect anypony to play with them in an RP.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

Regarding "annoying" characters; I would say that a character can be annoying, as long as he/she isn't automatically loved and accepted by everypony else. What bugs me is not a character with an irritating character trait; for example, being greedy, being a pranker, being a wisecracker, nitpicky or selfish to name a few; but a character who has this trait and doesn't reap any consequences for their behaviour. So yeah, feel free to give your pony a few annoying traits, but don't have them loved by all! This can work in your favour as overcoming that trait might give them some character development, or perhaps their trait brings on a happening which has a great impact on them. This kind of thing makes a character interesting.

 

What doesn't is a character who, for example, is lazy, selfish and bratty, but other ponies love them regardless. That is a common Mary Sue trait, to be loved by all. You don't have to have enemies, but don't make your character friends with everypony. Oh, and don't say that other ponies don't like your character cuz they're jealous! That's a common cop out.

[Gestum 2,493]

Don't make your OC an alicorn, and don't try to use the exuse that your OC is a pegacorn or unisus. That only makes your OC worse.

[DaisyDream 16]

My two cents on OP OCs.

It really depends on what environment your OC is going to be in. If you plan on using your OC in roleplay with other people, you need to take into account the other people, and what the particular rules of that RP are. If you are going to write fanfic with your character in the canon FiM world, you need to take the rules of that world into account. If you're OC is just going to be written into your own world, then don't worry about what anybody else says, just make your world and characters internally consistent. 

 

A character that is OP for a particular roleplay setting might be a perfectly normal pony in canon Equestria. Similarly, a character that is OP in Equestria may actually be underpowered in whatever fan fiction you are writing. So just make your OC's skills work for whatever environment you are putting them in.

 

Oh and if the OC is just an image you are going to use to represent yourself in posts and such, just make it however you like. An image doesn't have any powers at all, so nobody can call it over powered.

[AmberDust 1,116]

Here's a little hierarchy of importance, 1 being most important, and descending from there.

1. CANON. Make your character fit into the canon world. Having an assassin pony just isn't realistic, considering the setting. This rule applies to all aspects of your pony's design, from backstory to physical appearance and everything in between.
2. PERSONALITY. Realistic or relatable personality. Think of all the mane six. Even though they're all so different, you can still really empathize with all of them, because their personalities are so believable. Make sure your OC acts and thinks like a real person would...remember that nobody's perfect!
3. BACKSTORY. Its honestly not all that important, and can be as uninteresting as you want as long as it logically leads up to your pony's personality. In the show, there's a lot of backstory we don't know about, so don't be afraid to leave some blanks for later retconning as you further develop your character through roleplay or storytelling. The only reason I put this at number 3 is because a lot of people go overboard and ruin their character with an over-complicated and oftentimes unrealistic backstory. Try to avoid overly melodramatic or otherwise over-the-top backstories. Remember, this character grew up in the happy-go-lucky world of ponies...not Gotham city.
4. APPEARANCE. It's usually good to choose appearances last, so you can mold it based on the character's personality and upbringing, instead of vice-versa. Sometimes, starting with sketches can help you develop your character, but its important not to let the appearance be the main focal point. Don't let your character become a caricature because of the way they look!

 

And I think that's about it. Hope I was helpful.

[Venomous 18,813]

As long as you don't make them super overpowered or super annoying... You're fine in my book.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

Regarding backstory; I'd also state, no dead parents, please. I've seen far too many orphaned OCs and it gets old really fast. Yes, you can have an absent father or mother, but they don't have to be dead!

[Wicked Funky 2,955]

Alot of people are fine with this, But it's something that can bother me sometimes, When an OC is related to a cannon character... I just don't like it :/