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Qualities of a good OC?


Sweet Dreams

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Forgive me if this is in the wrong section guys.

So I've seen a whole lot of OC's in this fandom, and I was wondering what you think makes up a good OC.

Personally, I think they should have the same kind of pastel colouring they have in the show. Also, they probably shouldn't be alicorns, in my opinion. And anything too far out of the show's style can be just plain weird.

 

So, what do you think makes up a good OC, and why?

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I think pastel coloring works best, too. It seems the most appealing to me, as opposed to bright neon colors, although whatever colors people want to use for their OCs is fine.

 

I think there is probably no universal definition of a "good OC"...people create them based on what they like, that's all. *shrug* Though it doesn't hurt to have a good backstory, perhaps, and definitely not to make them have godlike powers or anything like that. A good OC should be somewhat relatable, I think.

 

...And my OC is an alicorn, but no worries! happy.png

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(edited)

They need faults. If you role-play with a perfect, Mary Sue OC people are going to get bored and you are going to get bored.

 

Good OCs are usually relatable. You need to be able to be empathize with them and understand why they do things and why they are the way they are if your going to role-play successfully. If you don't understand your own OC yourself, then what hope do other role-players have?

 

Also, I find that good OCs are usually not over the top. For example, Rainbow Dash is the only Pegasus for ages that has successfully performed a Sonic Rainboom. It's kind of annoying if you just come along with this amazing OC that does 10 of them every night in her sleep (without good reason, of course. If you think you can pull of a back story that allows this, then by all means. Just don't be too disappointed if people start to critisise it.)

 

And as you said, a color scheme that fits in with the show is great. I'm getting sick and tired of these black and red Alicorns everywhere.

 

 

 

And anything too far out of the show's style can be just plain weird.

 

I can't stress how much I agree with this.

Edited by Spess
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I would say a good OC has (for the most part) to be "normal".

Alicorn OCs or OCs with very special anatomy/ possibilities/ powers might throw a Roleplay off completely...

That goes for the story as well, no son/ daughter of a god, superpowers, dramatic or not is up to the person.

 

The name would be important, there are a few too generic (I don´t wanna give examples, people might feel insulted), but it should just be a normal name that doesn´t sound like the one of an emperor or something...

 

Color scheme is up to everyone, but too many neon colors just seem very... awkward sometimes, I guess.

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well i can help you on the art side(if you can't draw good like me)

there is this place called the vector club on deviantart with alot of templates

you can use any art program but MS Paint and it should look fine

 

http://mlp-vectorclub.deviantart.com/gallery/36303648

Oh, I don't need any help making an OC, this is just a random discussion. :P

Thanks anyway, mate. ;) Much appreciated.

 

~ Beautiful Nightmare

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Rule #1: No Mary Sues. Don't make your OC a king/queen, god/demigod, or ultimate ninja unless it fits with an RP or you have a good backstory.

 

Rule #2: No Alicorns. Unless if your backstory is flawless. @@Concord flawless.

 

Rule #3: No wierd ass colors, patterns, scars, yadda yadda. Don't put too much black. Doesn't fit with the other ponies. No neon either, unless your OC is a dubstep musician. (xD) ABSOLUTELY no cross-species (I'm talkin' bout them zebraponies!) or mutations! No scars (unless, of course, le backstory). 

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Yeah, I am inclined to agree with the pastel thing. Colors that are too bright look a bit too abrasive for the show style (and I think true-to-show is best as well). However, my ponysona has red eyes and hot pink hair so.... lol.

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(edited)

Don't forget, there's more to a pony than just looks. Yes, your OC should be show-accurate, or at least fairly show accurate. Yes, your OC should be pastel colored like in the show. No, your OC shouldn't be a recolor of Vinyl, Luna, or any of the Mane 6. No, your OC shouldn't be an alicorn.

 

However, these visual issues are nothing compared to the bigger issue: poor characterization.

No, you don't need an angsty alicorn with an oh-so-tragic-woe-is-me backstory that allows it to brood and mope all the time. No, your OC shouldn't be perfect at everything and 'get all the mares/stallions'. No, your OC shouldn't have only one flaw, possibly 'tragic' that it overcomes to become perfect. Those are just the issues I've seen with OCs, but they really bug me. Especially the angsty, tragic backstory ones. Happy doesn't mean boring and angsty doesn't mean dramatic people!

Edited by Windy Runner
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Hmm, well, it's all based on the roleplay or fanfiction. You wouldn't see a Pinkie Pie styled character in a RP about a war in Equestria, for example, it wouldn't make sense to the storyline.

 

For the physical appearance, I generally dislike excessive dark colours (navy and indigo, for example) or excessive light colours (neons). It makes your character look washed out and boring, rather than if you pair a plainer colour with something that adds a bit of a dramatic flare without making it look crazy.

Excessive accessories can make them look too busy unless there is a reason (for example, my OC Razzle Dazzle is the most crazy character ever looks wise). Try to keep it to a few selective things; an earring and a cape, or something, not a huge ol' pile of things like headphones and shoes and a cape and a bunch of other things.

Try not to make your character too abnormal looks-wise, unless they have (for example) an injury or birth defect.

 

One thing; I have a lot of non-pony OC's and some people don't like that. Personally I could care less; it's fun to RP as other stuff from the show. I'm not a fan of alicorns or dragons, however; they're a liiiiittle too crazy and OP for me.

 

 

Moving on to powers now.

There's a few people I see on the Forums with the most OP characters I have ever seen. They can shapeshift into anything (without being a changeling, who generally are considered to have no powers besides that), for example, or take out hordes of enemies with a single spell and save the day single-handedly. They can get away with anything, even murder, because they are just so good at everything; and let's not forget that they're an immortal vampire lord, son of Luna, and they never need to sleep or gain energy back!

NO ONE likes these characters except their creators. All OC's should have a talent and a weakness; for example, if your character specializes in ice magic, then they are susceptible to heat and not as strong in warmer areas. If they can fly incredibly fast, then they tire after a period of time and need an acceptable time to recover. If they do a massive spell, they aren't able to just get up off their feet and walk away; we see Twilight, the most powerful unicorn in the series, struggle after performing magic. Your character is no better.

 

Backstories and personality are the most important thing of all. Now, I have one of the most overdone tragedy characters on the Forum, I do admit it...but I have her for a reason, namely a fanfiction, and as a result I try not to let her story get too involved. If you have someone like that, it's best to keep it that way. Tragedy is fine, so long as you reflect it in a healthy way in your character. Don't get them to do some massive genocide because their sister died in a griffin attack or something, but don't make them overly happy either.

Again, it depends on the RP or fanfiction that you're in.

 

So yeah, that's pretty much all I have to say. I'd write more but this is a bit long already. :lol:

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