Things that I hate about OC's

[Motion Spark 7,807]

I find that faaaaaar too many OC's have this as a main part of their backstory. I think that the idea could have been a very good one, especially if the character happened to be mentally unstable or depressed or something of that sort, though. However, I see so many OC's with this as a pivotal point in their history, it really detracts from the effect that it would have had on the character.

 

For example, Batman's parents were both killed. That makes quite the emotional reasoning behind why he's become who he is now. Now imagine if the Joker's parents had both been killed, and Harvey Dent's, and The Riddler, and Robin's, and any other charcacter from the series. It makes the idea of the parent's deaths worth less, don't you think?

I get what you mean, like if the pony parents' where killed on it's face and the pony grows up like lalalala~ like nothing happened then yes, but what if the parents' death have a meaning and there's an elaborated backstory behind it? If your concern are the amount of oc's then that's inevitable, coincidences will happen all the time.

[Sky Warden 2,243]

DJ OC's....pick a different talent...geez.

 

THIS! DJ OC... DJ OC everywhere. The worst thing is that many of them have the same hairstyle.

 

 

 

I don't get why having dead parents has anything to do with being a Mary Sue

 

OH! MY! GOD! MY PARENTS DIED BECAUSE OF A MAGICAL EXPLOSION WHEN THEY WERE TRYING TO CLONE CELESTIA!

 

Get my point? 

 

Additional note: yes, that happens pretty often.

 

 

 

LOOK FOR AN ARTIST, don't use PC to create a "unique" pony.

 

 

Um, sir?

 

Well, I don't think it's Pony Creator's fault. It's pretty helpful for those who can't draw. The only issue is the idea. You can blame the person for making those blinding OCs, not the software. Blame the man, not the sword.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Sky Warden

[Mzukiller 233]

You took all the good complaints. I hate that people feel this need to make their OCs dark and edgy and over the top. It's like they forget the FiM is about love and friendship, not the cynical adventures of a blood wizard. Alicorn OCs and OCs that are just as tall as Celestia and Luna are awful. Why does yours need to be like that? You feel like it doesn't matter unless it's basically stealing everything unique about the princesses?

 

This may just be me, being judgmental. But I feel like a lot of the time you can tell how brony someone is by their OC. If it's this over the top Black Alicorn then I consider them rabid, if it's a normal pony that can actually fit into the Show-Universe, then he's normal.

 

I blame that Pony Creator for having such stupid choices.

[Motion Spark 7,807]

 

 

OH! MY! GOD! MY PARENTS DIED BECAUSE OF A MAGICAL EXPLOSIONS WHEN THEY WERE TRYING TO CLONE CELESTIA!

OMG MY SIDES, MY SIDES GIVE THEM BACK TO ME!!!! I CAN'T EVEN XD

 

 

are you serious with that backstory? are there trully backstories like these? :0 OMG!!! @@Twiliscael, I am really sorry, you're right! XD 

[Twiliscael 3,960]

I get what you mean, like if the pony parents' where killed on it's face and the pony grows up like lalalala~ like nothing happened then yes, but what if the parents' death have a meaning and there's an elaborated backstory behind it? If your concern are the amount of oc's then that's inevitable, coincidences will happen all the time.

If they have an elaborated backstory that makes sense and adds depth to the character, then great. That's good for them, and I can accept that. It's just that most of the time, it seems that it's more along the lines of "Oh, he grew up in Baltimare, went to school, yada yada yada, his parents died and now he lives alone and is sad, more yada yada yada..."

 

I'm a bit too critical I suppose, but still, if you're designing a character you might as well make it credible, believable, and realistic to some extent.

[Nomadic 210]

The problem with dead parents is that it's a terribly overused cliché in literature. For example, Bambi, Batman, Harry Potter, The Lion King, etc. all have dead parent stories. To me it screams a lot of times of people either not knowing where to fit the parents within the characters backstory, or they want to have a overly grim/dark/angst-filled character without too much delving into the character itself. That being said it can be done well, although it generally doesn't fit in too well in the MLP:FiM universe, but must be done gently.

 

Also, I can't draw so I use PC to usually just get a feeling if colours can work together on a OC. So from that standpoint I see it as an acceptable use of equipment, but yes I do agree that if you want to your character to stand out you really should  get a drawn one.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Nomadic

[Twiliscael 3,960]

I blame that Pony Creator for having such stupid choices.

 

I agree. I think that too many people make OC's with a "LOL I'M A BRONY I NEED OC LET'S GO GET GENERALZOI'S PONY CREATOR :DDDDDDDDD" mentality than a legitimate one to make and develop a character for use in art, roleplays, or whatever else you damn well please. If you ask me, if you're making something, you should make it credible and believable. The crazy, stupid options on the pony creator just fuel people more and more to make crazy OC's. I saw one with a mustache, bat wings, bright red eyes, fangs, big red glasses, splotchy color scheme, and a broken horn once.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Twiliscael

[Sky Warden 2,243]

Suddenly so many notifications popped out for a post. :/

 

are you serious with that backstory? are there trully backstories like these? :0 OMG!!! @Twiliscael, I am really sorry, you're right! XD 

 

Look at the additional note, dude. Serious, I am. :v

 

Usually it gets the main hero a radioactive effect which makes him grows into an alpha male Alicorn, and the real Celestia has to personally protect him (cuz the whole fandom hates Alicorn OCs and the explosion has opened a portal to the human world) and take him as her student who later bucks Twilight Sparkle for 24/7. Since he's the only male Alicorn in Equestria, then Celestia and Luna want to... I... I will shut up now. ._.

 

P.S. Personally I like the idea.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Sky Warden

[RockinRarity 1,605]

You know what I love about OCs?

 

It's that their horrible traits have not changed at all, not since they existed in any fandom and nit since they became a problem in the MLP fandom. It is hilarious just how bad everything about clichéd OCs still is after all these years of them existing.

 

Question. Is there a Mary Sue Litmus Test for pony OCs specifically? If not, someone needs to make one.

Edited August 5, 2013 by RockinRarity

[Mzukiller 233]

The problem with dead parents is that it's a terribly overused cliché in literature. For example, Bambi, Batman, Harry Potter, The Lion King, etc. all have dead parent stories. To me it screams a lot of times of people either not knowing where to fit the parents within the characters backstory, or they want to have a overly grim/dark/angst-filled character without too much delving into the character itself. That being said it can be done well, although it generally doesn't fit in too well in the MLP:FiM universe, but must be done gently.

 

Also, I can't draw so I use PC to usually just get a feeling if colours can work together on a OC. So from that standpoint I see it as an acceptable use of equipment, but yes I do agree that if you want to your character to stand out you really should  get a drawn one.

 

When it comes to OCs I really do think people overdo it with the concept of standing out. I've seen a lot of OCs that are unique and not just recolors and that's fine. But it's never acceptable to make your OC a 6 foot tall dragon hybrid just because you want it to be noticed.

 

 

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

Here is just a few things that tick me off about some people and their OC's. feel free to post your own opinions too!

 

Alicorns: Why an alicorn? The only alicorns that we have met so far are only princesses and royalty. I think its kind of selfish that you want your character to have both wings, and magic. Its like saying "Hey, since its my pony I might as well make him the best pony LOL". 

 

Dark OC's: Hey, you do know that not every OC has to be black, with red eyes, or purple hair and blood stains on their hooves right? Also, not every OC has to be some sort of dark warlock or look every similar to Luna. Whats up with peoples obsessions on dark things? 

 

Cannon and non cannon: I hate it when people say that their ponies are related to one of the mane 6 or any other pony thats cannon to the show. I also dislike the fact that some people make their OC's rulers of kingdoms, or siblings of celestia, and other things like that. 

 

Post your ideas!

You got a good opinion and point there bud.

 

My OC may have purple hair with dark black hair, but he's not evil or dark, so that's a good thing.

 

I will say I do hate when there are pegasi OC's that state there are faster than rainbow dash, that's been done to death!

 

Luckily for me, I stated that my OC is just moderately fast.

[♞RedLotus♞ 360]

HEY GUY&Z LOOKE AT my new OC :DDD!

 

 

His name is DARKL0rd UltraX!

 

He is super cool and eveyone likes him cuz hes awesome and like no pony can kill him bcuz hes secretly big mac, and he has lazor visions!!!!!!!!!! 

 

Princess luna is his mom and princess celestia is his GRANDMA! He is also the daughter of discord! 

 

His parrents died because 100000000000 years ago he actually killed celestia and discord so he could be teh ruler but hes much better! He is so cool but he had a bad case of diareah once so he has like a bad childhold omg so deep :'(.

 

BUTT wait! He is not marrrry sclu at all! he aCTUALly has some weaknesses! He has a minor vision problem bcuz he watyches too much television so he needs glasses but glasses r ugly like ew no swag at all, his eyes turn into random colors like m00d rings!

 

He is secretly applejack but has a big crush on big mac becuz hes bi but the problem is that he is also secretly big mac! He is also rainbowdashs dad and fluttershys mom thats why hes so nice but he can fly like at the speed of light!

[Nomadic 210]

 

When it comes to OCs I really do think people overdo it with the concept of standing out. I've seen a lot of OCs that are unique and not just recolors and that's fine. But it's never acceptable to make your OC a 6 foot tall dragon hybrid just because you want it to be noticed.

 

 

That's a fair enough argument, and yes I agree that when your trying to make a guy unique you can completely overdue it. I just meant from a basic visual perspective that using PC almost always leads people OC's to look rather same-ish.

[Sky Warden 2,243]

 

 

HEY GUY&Z LOOKE AT my new OC :DDD!

 

 

 

I know that we all hate some things about OCs in the fandom, but no need to post something like that. It can be considered as spam.

 

By the way, guys, it's the person, not Pony Creator. :v

[Flutter's lover <3 8,206]

 

Well, I don't think it's Pony Creator's fault. It's pretty helpful for those who can't draw. The only issue is the idea. You can blame the person for making those blinding OCs, not the software. Blame the man, not the sword.

 

This, I use pony creator, because I can't do art. and if you want good digital art, you have to invest in a drawing tablet like a Wacom Bamboo. So Pony Creator is the next best thing, and then I can take that into Gimp and fine tune it even more..

 

I really hate it when people blame Pony Creator for bad OCs....it's the person creating the OC's fault,not theprogram's fault

[Blue Moon 6,341]

I have no problem with alicorns as long as the backstory makes sense with the show, and the OC doesn't end up as a Mary Sue. 

 

Dark backstories have a bad repuation mainly due to the fact that most of the time they do nothing for the OC and end up being unnecessary. Dark backstories that actually serve a purpose are fine, even though they don't really fit within the MLP canon universe. 

 

I also don't like it when OCs are related to a canon pony. It's usually best to keep your OC separate from canon ponies.

 

As for the design; I see way too many bad designs. Is it really that hard to come up with a good color scheme? Just keep it simple, and not flashy. 

 

One thing that doesn't really have to do with OCs is when people say an OC is bad just because it is a Pony Creator image. There is nothing wrong with Pony Creator; some people have bad drawing skills, and Pony Creator helps let other people come up with a design easier. It is very possible to create a good OC with it. Just because a lot of ponies made from it have bad designs doesn't mean all ponies made with are bad.

[akalink 163]

I've noticed that alot of OC's parents died... One of my OC's parents died, DOES ANYONE HAVE AN OC WHO'S PARENTS DOESN'T DIE?!?!?! that is all

LoL! My oc's mother died, but it was to explain a certain aspect of his character. What I don't like in OCs are when they have extra non pony stuff, horns, lion tails, tiger stripes. It doesn't make sense, ironicly my oc has a skeleton face so I kind of being hypocritical 

[Limey 524]

OCs. Oh, where do I begin.

 

First off, Pony Creator. I realize that many people can't draw very well, and I know I'm probably going to come off as rather elitist here, but I really, really don't like pony creator. Especially when people pimp out their ponies with all the accessories and a horrible color scheme. Every pony I've seen created by PC just looks cold and emotionless.

 

Secondly, the parents issue. I have an OC who's father died, and that's had a massive impact on her backstory and her personality. And that's just one parent. Some OCs have had their entire family ripped apart by Timber-wolves but they literally do not give two shits when it's brought up in an RP.

 

And lastly from me, Alicorns. On the one hand, I don't mind them in fanfics where say, Celestia's been killed and overthrown or something like that. But in RPs I simply can't stand them. It's basically saying "Lol my OCs better than yours cuz she's special". It can really ruin a RP. More than bad grammar. Yes, they can be pulled off, but 99% of the time they can't.

 

HEY GUY&Z LOOKE AT my new OC :DDD!

No lazor vision. Disgusting.

[Inactive01 5,299]

Well, some people (like me) like to be ordinary. Then we can play around with their experiences. In all of them, I've never had him interact with the Mane 6 romantically. The only interaction I had was to save the world from an evil force that was strangling Equestria to its knees! And the fact that my OC took care of some of Fluttershy's animals when she needed help; it was part of an internship he did in Ponyville. Furthermore, I've had him undergo experiences I went through in my life, especially bullying and peer abuse. That's not really dark isn't it?

 

Also, I haven't seen that many alicorns as an OC. In fact, a lot people stay away from that because of how overpowering they are and how unwelcome they are to any roleplay. 

 

The idea of using Ponycreator is just to have an idea of what your character looks like. I used it because I felt that it goes well with the signature. Plus, the concept of emotion and feeling is accomplished by the imagination. The point of roleplaying is to let your imagination soar. The pictures are there as a guide for your imagination to wonder what facial expressions they could have based on the show's animations. The emotions and feelings should come from your imagination, not from a drawing. It is up to you to determine what a pony's feeling based on how a person describes the world around them in the eyes of the pony they're playing as. Drawings are meant to be aids, not substitutes for your imagination.

 

And the dark stories. Lots of people like dark plots. What's wrong with that? I know they can be excessive and it gets peevish at times. Nonetheless, life isn't meant to be easy, and if the creator feels that this is what they want to portray, then so be it. The true richness is seeing how this darkness can turn into day. How the past can be overcome with hope... for the future. My biggest peeve against dark plots is not that they are dark in the first place, but rather that they do not become resolved. Life has resolution in some way, and that is one of the big aims of literature. Of course, some literature can use dark stories as a criticism against the society the characters live in, which is also completely fine.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Sterling Crimson

[Onylex 2,837]

I just think some people go a little to far with it, they just get a bit too carried away. Not really staying true to the whole "original character" thing. When I go to make an OC I generally try to say away from things like:

• Alicorns
• Dark and dramatic backstorys
• Cannon and having a relation to the mane 6
• Abstract or crazy color schemes 
• OP OCs like more magic than twilight or flying faster than Rainbow Dash

I dont hate anyponys OCs but, when you do stuff like what I listed it just doesn't feel like you stayed original. 

[Anneal 2,197]

As a long-term roleplayer, I'll say some of them. I don't actually hate them, but I recommend they shouldn't be used, unless you are experienced and have the capability to pull it off.

 

Physical or mental disabilities: Not only is this overused, but it is often misused that it is literally an insult to the people that do have such a disability. Most OCs I see with this are usually "helpless, insecure, and rejected". Usually blindness and/or dementia are the disabilities that are most often *mis*used, from my point of view.

 

Having an OC centered at their disability does not make your OC "better"; instead, it'll be seen as a way for your OC to gain sympathy and cause drama. (unless you're intending for your OC to intentionally act that way) 

 

A disabled OC can STILL be a decent OC, just as long as you try not to center it on his or her disability. In my opinion, it would be much more plausible if the OC simply coped with the problem, allowing his or her disability to be a small issue in life.

 

Dead parents: Also overused, and generally seen as lazy in an application. It is, however, perfectly fine if a parent passed away, but chances are, the OC had already carried on with his or her life rather than mourning for his or her dead parent. 

 

Outcast: If one fact is correct for this show, it is that ponies do NOT act like complete bullies and reject your OC. Yes, I know that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon do act mean to the CMC, but it does not justify your OC being unaccepted by society. 

 

Extreme Introvert: If your OC won't interact with anyone, then you should really stop roleplaying. Roleplaying means collaboration, not hiding yourself in solitude. 

 

Relations with Main or Supporting Ponies in the Show: This makes you act like a fanboy/girl, along with restricting the people who either want to apply or already applied for that character, stagnating the cast pony's development. 

 

Same color: Not very appealing; I advise people who are creating OC appearances to use different colors for mane/tail, coat, and eyes. Saturated colors should be avoided at all times, including red and black.

 

Same mane/tail as the Mane 6: Again, very uncreative and lazy. Don't do this. 

[DiscordPF 139]

I've found that no matter where you go, you will find the people who make the Mary Sue OCs.  Unfortunately we have such an active fan base, which in turn means that not everyone who writes fanfiction is as skilled or talented with writing as they should be... I'm not really an exception to this myself, but that's why you get an editor to keep you in check

[Dusk Dream 137]

Oh no, don't look at my avatar, don't look!

 

I'm sorry if i would come over as a bad OC creator. I used the Pony Creator because to be honest, even my drawn stickmen turn out to look horrible! For the black color : I honestly don't see the massive problem, if you don't OVER-USE it. I tried to make a super dark pony, but i ended up deleting him because it looked awkward and stupid.

 

And now i'm stuck with Dusk dream, but i don't think he's that horrible...

[Sugar Pea 2,682]

I used to see no problem with Alicorn OCs, but now I give myself a facepalm for every one I see.
About dark OCs...yeah you know what, let me start a tiny rant on these types of OCs, people think just because their OC is dark it means they have to have such a f*cking cliche name (like darkfire or shadow wing). I wouldn't have such a huge problem with them maybe if they didn't have obnoxious color schemes, have a boohoo back story, or act like a bunch of outcasts and very unrealistic. If their character was put in the show, i'm sure hasbro would make a bigger deal out of it more than the Derpy incident. Maybe if they were one of Luna's royal guards with bat wings, I wouldn't give a damn...but god dammit it looks like half of those people just slapped a bunch of colors and crap on there and were like "Yeah, I TOTALLY took my time on this."

I probably sounds like the biggest jerk right now about this and I apologize, but it's my opinion....so again i'm sorry but that's how I see 90% of them "dark" Ocs.

Edited August 6, 2013 by Nature Of Fluttershy

[Anneal 2,197]

I used to see no problem with Alicorn OCs, but now I give myself a facepalm for every one I see.

About dark OCs...yeah you know what, let me start a tiny rant on these types of OCs, people think just because their OC is dark it means they have to have such a f*cking cliche name (like darkfire or shadow wing). I wouldn't have such a huge problem with them maybe if they didn't have obnoxious color schemes, have a boohoo back story, or act like a bunch of outcasts and very unrealistic. If their character was put in the show, i'm sure hasbro would make a bigger deal out of it more than the Derpy incident. Maybe if they were one of Luna's royal guards with bat wings, I wouldn't give a damn...but god dammit it looks like half of those people just slapped a bunch of colors and crap on there and were like "Yeah, I TOTALLY took my time on this."

 

Dark genre OCs aren't bad, but they have to be wisely executed to be ideal. They should also be limited to roleplays that do not follow MLP canon, since their history does not fit the atmosphere of Equestria, let alone MLP.