Common OC Problems

[Blue Moon 6,341]

 

Just wondering, does my OC count as bad, since she's completely bright red?

Her red colors aren't all THAT bright, and they suit her. At least they're not neon green with neon yellow tie-died with a black background color, right?

 

Anyways, back to the point.

I personally HATE any OC's that are one or more of the following. If it's more than one, you better believe I'm going to hate on it.

• Alicorn. The people who always make them make them all-powerful, with no weaknesses or pesonality faults. This is the kind of thing that really tugs on my nerves. I mean, if your character can be an Alicorn, then we should ALL be alicorns!
•  
• Any OC that is superclose friends with, a lover of, or a mate of one of the Mane 6. Or main characters in the show, for that matter. (Celestia, Luna, CMC, etc.) and making them follow you around like a second tail ALL THE BUCKING TIME. I mean, you just made up a little character out of a figment of your imagination. Why the heck would the Mane 6 or any other cannon character want to be with them, far less KNOW them?? (No offense to people I know whose charcaters are like this...)
•  
• Royalty. Why should your character be the all-powerful ruler of Equestria? Then we should all be the rulers of Equestria as well! I'll be the ruler of all things choclate, and you can be the ruler of the sky and the sea, and science, and the air, and bananas, and rainbows, and WHATEVER CRAP YOU FEEL LIKE RULING!
•  
• Mary/Gary Sues. Nopony's perfect, so why should yours be? You yourself aren't perfect, and never will be. Stop dreaming.
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• Cannon-character look-alikes. You're not Rainbow Dash's twin sister. Stop pretending that you are.
•  

Tragic backstories are tolerable by me, but it can't be overloaded with that kind of stuff so that you want us to feel sorry for you and blah blah blah.

I DO NOT REGRET ANY OF THE SAID ABOVE!! 

 

 

 

BTW, extra question. Is my ponysona alright? I tried to make her look as unique as possible. Yes, I know I was maybe pushing it close when I made her a very bright red, but she's not all that bright, is she?

 

 

 

Note well how she is not a Mary Sue, she has all my personality faults, and she is not an alicorn.  She is not royalty. She does not look that much like any of the mane 6 except sometimes in a few of her pictures she looks slightly like Rainbow Dash, but that's only because of the expression and the fact that I most likely used a Rainbow Dash picture for the base anyways.

She is not closely acquainted with any of the cannon characters in the show, althoughs she's probably seen them around Ponyville, and said 'hi' to them, politely, but that is all.

See, this is how you make an OC.

Your OC is very good. It is very unique as I have never seen an OC that was all red before. But you might want to put a little contrast between the cutie mark, body, and mane. You don't have to do this though because it looks fine right now. Just something to experiment with.

[Sunbro 4 Lyfe 939]

"eeeh! Those colours are too bright! Or too dark! Or too mary suish! You cant have that many accesories! Alicorns! EEEWWWW!!"

It's my OC and you have no right to say what he/she/it looks like. If I want a pink zebra then I can have a pink zebra alicorn and if you dislike that then shut up! Because I don't have to care! Who said the first one was bad? You. And everypony agreed! Is your word official? No! Is what you say fully agreed on by everpony? No!

 

Those aren't "common OC problems" theyre "common OC decisions." and if you dislike this then don't make a thread stating theese decisions, classing them as problems, and somehow get everypony to agree with you. Because It's YOUR Oc and only YOU can decide how they look.

[SkyeRibbonPwny 406]

This is an awwwwesome thread. It'd be cool if somebody could critique my OC's. I have designed them inside and out in words, but I haven't had any artwork of them made separately, just of the cutie marks and one of them together

But I always wondered if maybe I had made them too dark? There are a whole bunch of darkly coloured OC's out there and i thought it was annoying til I designed my own. Thats my favorite shade of purple and thats the only green that seemed to fit with it. And Quickjet (male earth pony) Had to be green. But I could never decide on a good mane colour so I went with black.

Any body want to have a go at my ponies?

Alot of people claim that I stole her character design by mixing Twilight and Rarity.

No. Thats actually me in the OC.

Edited April 5, 2013 by SkyeRibbonPwny

[Blue Moon 6,341]

"eeeh! Those colours are too bright! Or too dark! Or too mary suish! You cant have that many accesories! Alicorns! EEEWWWW!!"

It's my OC and you have no right to say what he/she/it looks like. If I want a pink zebra then I can have a pink zebra alicorn and if you dislike that then shut up! Because I don't have to care! Who said the first one was bad? You. And everypony agreed! Is your word official? No! Is what you say fully agreed on by everpony? No!

 

Those aren't "common OC problems" theyre "common OC decisions." and if you dislike this then don't make a thread stating theese decisions, classing them as problems, and somehow get everypony to agree with you. Because It's YOUR Oc and only YOU can decide how they look.

Yes, it is your OC and you have every right to do whatever you want with it. Just note that if you make one of these common problems (or decisions if you prefer), be ready for people to point out some of the issues. And keep in mind, this thread isn't for insulting people's OC, it is trying to make some of the problems in OCs more known so there is less of these problems. This thread is trying to help people.

[An Old Head 4,816]

Here's my OC that I made last December; I welcome comments on it. Is she too boring? How good is my colour scheme, etc.

[Blue Moon 6,341]

This is an awwwwesome thread. It'd be cool if somebody could critique my OC's. I have designed them inside and out in words, but I haven't had any artwork of them made separately, just of the cutie marks and one of them together

skyjetedit.png

But I always wondered if maybe I had made them too dark? There are a whole bunch of darkly coloured OC's out there and i thought it was annoying til I designed my own. Thats my favorite shade of purple and thats the only green that seemed to fit with it. And Quickjet (male earth pony) Had to be green. But I could never decide on a good mane colour so I went with black.

Any body want to have a go at my ponies?

There is nothing wrong with darker colored OCs. It can be harder to this kind of OC, but if you manage to pull it off they can look great. And it looks like you were able to do just that.

[SkyeRibbonPwny 406]

"eeeh! Those colours are too bright! Or too dark! Or too mary suish! You cant have that many accesories! Alicorns! EEEWWWW!!"

It's my OC and you have no right to say what he/she/it looks like. If I want a pink zebra then I can have a pink zebra alicorn and if you dislike that then shut up! Because I don't have to care! Who said the first one was bad? You. And everypony agreed! Is your word official? No! Is what you say fully agreed on by everpony? No!

 

Those aren't "common OC problems" theyre "common OC decisions." and if you dislike this then don't make a thread stating theese decisions, classing them as problems, and somehow get everypony to agree with you. Because It's YOUR Oc and only YOU can decide how they look.

Wow. Crap. It's an opinion. Sheesh, if you don't agree simply say that, Don't throw a temper tantrum. Nobody is aiming this directly at you. 

[Blue Moon 6,341]

Here's my OC that I made last December; I welcome comments on it. Is she too boring? How good is my colour scheme, etc.

 

Her name is Flipturn and she is quite self-conscious. n.n http://mlpforums.com/page/roleplay-characters/_/flipturn-r2235

Aww, she's pretty cute. She seems just fine and the color scheme works. She kind of reminds me of a female version of TheLivingTombstone's OC. This isn't a bad thing, just something I wanted to state. 

 

Nice Job.

[Sunbro 4 Lyfe 939]

 

Wow. Crap. It's an opinion. Sheesh, if you don't agree simply say that, Don't throw a temper tantrum. Nobody is aiming this directly at you.

Hush now. It's not a temper tantrum, it's my argument with exclamation points in it. I merely speak aloud rather than ask, "Is my OC bad?" I just say " WHATEVER!" and ignore all bad points (unless valid reasons are given and frequently. Then I listen to the majority.)

[SkyeRibbonPwny 406]

Aww, she's pretty cute. She seems just fine and the color scheme works. She kind of reminds me of a female version of TheLivingTombstone's OC. This isn't a bad thing, just something I wanted to state. 

 

Nice Job.

Lol that is all I can see now. I think its more the color scheme though. Body shape albeit female, is  different and the overall appearance is rather unique and quirky. I bet she can change her mood at the drop of the hat lol what with the name and all. I love the name FlipTurn, and the cutie mark is simple and good. Lol Living Tombstone. Doesnt he have red tips though? lol

Edited April 5, 2013 by SkyeRibbonPwny

[N.W. 3,619]

This is my OC( Drawn by a friend, also the creator of my OC)

 

And my friends OC is also in this one(once again drawn by my friend)

Simple, not to flashy

[Klick-Klack 299]

Well, it's kinda inevitable. I personally think that character in design should be portrayed either via physical attributes, such as unique manes ect. as opposed to accessories. Sometimes a body image is simply not enough to claim a character. My OC could not be defined with just his body. I have to draw his actions/creations to display his true self. This maybe could be the reason why people apply so many accessories/bright vibrant colours to their OCs. Trying to fill in all their uniqueness(is that a word?) in one body. And then again, you have people clothing their OCs in modern human combat gear with a m4a1 strapped to their side -.-

[~/XC- BRONY\~ 310]

i dont know if you can really say someons OC is improper, mainly because it is there OC. Maybe they like bright and flashy colors? or maybe they like how vinyls mane looks? all i know is i am happy how my OC turned out!

 

 

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

The biggest reason why people think that alicorn OCs are not right, is because some people just take it too far with them and end up making some perfect mary sue or some dark evil character. I have four OCs. Three are pegasus and one is an alicorn. My Alicorn OC, is a very developed one. I think that some people are not serious enough or mature enough to take on an alicorn OC. 

[Pinkazoid 3,493]

Here's the thing

 

Why do we care? Why do you care?

 

It's a matter of opinion, they wanna make their OC's bad, how does it affect us?

 

While I don't like Neon Alicorns that are OP or Mary Sues, I won't tell them "HEY, YOUR OC IS BAD, YOU NEED TO MAKE A PERFECT ONE LIKE MINE"

 

Feel free to look at my OC in my profile, not really that flashy or anything.

[Dreadmallon 353]

I believe my OC may possibly be crossing your personal limitations on OC's with appearance, mainly.

 

 

But I try to justify that within the story. I wouldn't say he's overpowered, as he's a unicorn who is about as powerful as Shining Armor (or Cadance, somewhere around there).

[Miss Light Diamond 2,802]

I can see what you mean in some ways...except the thing about Alicorns. I think if you do an Alicorn correctly...than they can be awesome...but if you just say they're an alicorn who grew up in ponyville yadda yadda...than that's a little bit silly.

[Castle Bleck 19,364]

I'm currently brainstorming an alicorn OC (go ahead and grab your torches/pitchforks, everypony) who follows the Brilliant, but Lazy trope to the letter. His traits are inspired by anime characters such as Shikamaru Nara (Naruto) and Kazuma Yagami/Kannagi (Kaze no Stigma).

 

He is intended more for "slice of life"-type genres than action/adventure.

Edited April 5, 2013 by Anti-Villain

[PinkiePie Forever 65]

To be honest, any OC I see that I couldn't imagine in the real show I classify as a bad OC. You have to get a just right color scheme, cutiemark, hair, etc. It's not that easy making a good OC. 

[Ficta_Scriptor 165]

I've never really cared about the appearance of OCs, simply because just about anything could work within the confines of the show. Hell, I swear Cadence breaks almost every code of the 'bad OC' handbook but I didn't see anyone going mad when she was made canon. 

 

Personally, I think the whole 'Mary Sue' card gets waved at OCs far too often. As an avid fanfiction reader, I've noticed trends where authors deliberately spout off a bunch of obtuse character flaws in the first chapter just so people can't lambast them. It's annoying, and it's often unrealistic. And it's all because a bunch of tw*ts see an OC being polite or nice to others and immediately shout "MARY SUE!" as if they're some kind of world-renowned character critic. 

[Blue Moon 6,341]

I've never really cared about the appearance of OCs, simply because just about anything could work within the confines of the show. Hell, I swear Cadence breaks almost every code of the 'bad OC' handbook but I didn't see anyone going mad when she was made canon. 

 

Personally, I think the whole 'Mary Sue' card gets waved at OCs far too often. As an avid fanfiction reader, I've noticed trends where authors deliberately spout off a bunch of obtuse character flaws in the first chapter just so people can't lambast them. It's annoying, and it's often unrealistic. And it's all because a bunch of tw*ts see an OC being polite or nice to others and immediately shout "MARY SUE!" as if they're some kind of world-renowned character critic. 

Princess Cadence is one of the few examples of how an alicorn can be done well. She wasn't overly flashy and the colors contrasted well. She wasn't all powerful too.

[ToxicNinja78 148]

...um...ye...yeah... *hides my alicorn OC*

I don't understand this. Why do we have to critisize people? I say, you wanna make your pony black or an alicorn, go for it.

[Ficta_Scriptor 165]

Princess Cadence is one of the few examples of how an alicorn can be done well. She wasn't overly flashy and the colors contrasted well. She wasn't all powerful too.

She managed to send an entire changeling army packing because of the 'power of love' deus ex machina and cast a protective shield around the entire Crystal Empire for several days, despite shields being Shining Armor's special talent. From what we've seen, she's arguably the most powerful pony in existence.

[Windwaker 194]

Well, I HATE alicorns! They are so dumb! Just stick to Pegasus or Unicorn, not both! GAWD! SWEET CELESTIA! JEEZ! GARBLECOPTOR!

 

Oh, @ZLTavs can you tell me if my OC (Appearence) is proper or improper? I might change it, but I need opinions from other ponies!

[Fluttermena 1,223]

There's a bit of a misconception regarding OCs, there's a difference between regular OCs and ponysonas. Ponysonas are meant to represent you, either as a character you want to present yourself as, or as a ponified version of yourself. Most people only have one ponysona (although there's no rule against having several, and you're welcome to make your ponysona as flashy and over the top as you want.
A lot of people use the term "OC" when referring to their ponysona, but actual OCs are meant to be used as characters in fanfics or roleplays, and you can have any number of them. They can be heroes, villains, supporting characters or bystanders, you can have a varied cast of OCs, all of them with their own personality. Using your ponysona as a main character in stories is frowned upon because it's just an author self-insert and the story becomes a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author.
 
I have over 20 OCs, and I'm planning to use them in an "elsewhere fic" eventually. I have a ponysona that has no reason to be in fanfics, and a second ponysona (my username) that I created as a joke: an insane, possessive, Pinkamena-like split personality of Fluttershy (if you read "Pattycakes" on Fimfiction, you'll get the idea...).