Alicorn OC's..are they really that bad?

[paradoxical 1,735]

The two problems I have with Alicorn OC's in stories or RP are the reason behind the Alicorn and the feeling of distance from the show.

 

Most Alicorns are Alicorns for no good reason.  If it's because you can't decide between flying and magic, flip a coin.  If there is a real story reason, fine.  But generally there isn't a real story reason (OP story excluded)

 

If everything seems like it's supposed to be like the show except for it's focusing on an alicorn -- that seems off.  So it can trash the mood of the story.

[Everleaf 541]

No not at all it often comes down to writing HOWEVER I split alicorns into 4 types having to do with ability/power

 

Celestial: Likely the most powerful of the lot celestial alicorns tend to have control over the celestial bodies such as the Sun/moon/stars ect, when EVER creating a celestial alicorn I would be very careful considering they are some hassle to write well

 

Element:  With ability such as fire/ice/air/nature ect, they tend  to come quite close to the celestial alicorns, though their power level over this element is a lot more controllable

 

Emotional: such for Eg Twilight and Cadence these alicorns likely the weakest next to pegacorn tend to only have ability with emotional creating ability such as love/friendship and are often formed by magic after formally being a normal pony these are fine and can be messed with though you still need to keep this to a limit

 

 

Pegacorn: These are the rare offspring of a unicorn and a pegasus and it is likely very possible though they have come to having both wings and a horn they are laterally only ponies born with both features, though this  offspring is rare these are easy and you can work with them like any other pony

 

 

 

Everleaf (my oc) tends to go onto the line of a element based alicorn being alicorn of the Everfree giving her a lower ranked ability with nature only being the protector of the Everfree which tends to be very minor in comparison to higher ranked alicorns

 

 

 

so I guess it goes to writing but if any case you like your oc I'm cool with this no matter how it is, it's your oc, it's not canon, just enjoy.

Edited November 13, 2014 by Everleaf

[Arctofire 227]

 

She isn't a Sue because she is challenged, but she borders dangerously close to being one. After her reformation, she has no real character flaws aside from being pushed to limit by other ponies. She's unnaturally powerful for no reason. She is loved by practically everybody and whomever doesn't is made to look like a huge douche who just needs to see the light, etc.

 

Nyx is a borderline Sue though, because she did get her ass kicked by Everfree animals and was given challenges during her time as Nightmare Moon

 

I'm afraid to say that you guys obsess over this whole Mary Sue thing. I mean the fanfic was very, very, good and it was one of the most tragic but sticks with you stories I have ever read. She was a sad and tormented character, with MANY flaws, her whole arc is about that. As Nyx she was frightened that she had to be Nightmare Moon, and the moral of the story is that what you are isn't who you are.

 

If you put this level of thought into every piece of literature Harry Potter would not have been critically acclaimed. Because he is the biggest Mary Sue on the Planet.

[Hive King 2,001]

@@Everleaf,

The Pegacorn thing I don't agree with, the fact that Twilight has to ascend to become an alicorn suggests something far more than just birth. A pegacorn feels like a really cheap excuse, you basically create an alicorn, but pass it off as a genetic hybrid

 

Other than that, good post, though we haven't seen any elemental alicorns and the power thing is debatable(I prefer to put them in tiers based on performance, not on their spectrum of expertise)

 

I'm afraid to say that you guys obsess over this whole Mary Sue thing. I mean the fanfic was very, very, good and it was one of the most tragic but sticks with you stories I have ever read. She was a sad and tormented character, with MANY flaws, her whole arc is about that. As Nyx she was frightened that she had to be Nightmare Moon, and the moral of the story is that what you are isn't who you are.

 

If you put this level of thought into every piece of literature Harry Potter would not have been critically acclaimed. Because he is the biggest Mary Sue on the Planet.

Past Sins was good indeed, this owes to the quality of the writing and like I said, Nyx is only a borderline Sue, she's not a Sue. 

 

As for Harry Potter, he's the furthest thing from a Sue ever. He's not a particularily strong wizard, Dementors slapped him around in book 3, he hauls ass from werewolves and dragons, Voldemort basically makes him his bitch without the backfiring of the Elder Wand(a victory achieved by luck), and his Quidditch isn't even unbeatable either, he's lost in it before.

[paradoxical 1,735]

Let's work with the most OP of them all.  Superman. 

 

By what I assume is the DC powers definition (Superman then everybody else with bad guy of the week a contest for Superman) he's OP.

 

The question is: is his character interesting?

 

When he's Clark Kent he has some fantastic stories.  But FOR ME, whenever I see somebody challenge Supes and that's the whole story.  I get bored because there's nothing there.

 

The OC Alicorns tend to fall into that category (for me). 

[VulpineTaco 525]

Considering that alicorns are the most powerful species in Equestria, yes. They are overpowered and therefore bad. Also, they're SO uncanonical.

[Hive King 2,001]

Let's work with the most OP of them all.  Superman. 

 

By what I assume is the DC powers definition (Superman then everybody else with bad guy of the week a contest for Superman) he's OP.

 

The question is: is his character interesting?

 

When he's Clark Kent he has some fantastic stories.  But FOR ME, whenever I see somebody challenge Supes and that's the whole story.  I get bored because there's nothing there.

 

The OC Alicorns tend to fall into that category (for me). 

OP?

Lol, Superman is weak shit in the grand scheme of things. Also, Superman gets beaten up...a lot. The guy jobs so hard at points, sometimes due to morals, sometimes because Batman is more popular

[The Shadow Stallion 127]

I'd like to jump in, by saying Alicorn OCs are uncanon... Well technically all OCs are uncanon. They aren't technically part of the story.

 

Canon basically meaning part of the actual show/story. Is not the Unicorn with ice magic uncanon as that has not really been seen before in the show? Is not the warrior earthpony or the pegasus scholar? I could go on, but point has been made! I think. Monkeywrench has been thrown into the machine!

[yayayayayala 1,668]

Why, no...no they aren't, when they're handled right. :3

[Tom Snyder 4,112]

I never attempt it, cause i don't see the point of trying. Mine are just the three races.

[Rebel the Wolfgirl 5,605]

No, as long as you know what your doing and actually try to develop them.

[VulpineTaco 525]

I'd like to jump in, by saying Alicorn OCs are uncanon... Well technically all OCs are uncanon. They aren't technically part of the story.

 

Canon basically meaning part of the actual show/story. Is not the Unicorn with ice magic uncanon as that has not really been seen before in the show? Is not the warrior earthpony or the pegasus scholar? I could go on, but point has been made! I think. Monkeywrench has been thrown into the machine!

But, in the grand scheme of the show, alicorn OCs have no possibility of existing, whereas one of the three usual races could, in fact, be real, and therefore could fall snugly into "fanon".

[Invincible 2,091]

Not all of them, i suppose? The OCs are a little annoying because of how canonically rare Alicorns are, and the symbol of status that entails being or becoming one. I suppose if done proper, they can be compelling, interesting characters. But a lot of that depends, you know.

Edited November 14, 2014 by Captain Random

[Arctofire 227]

 

Past Sins was good indeed, this owes to the quality of the writing and like I said, Nyx is only a borderline Sue, she's not a Sue. 

 

As for Harry Potter, he's the furthest thing from a Sue ever. He's not a particularily strong wizard, Dementors slapped him around in book 3, he hauls ass from werewolves and dragons, Voldemort basically makes him his bitch without the backfiring of the Elder Wand(a victory achieved by luck), and his Quidditch isn't even unbeatable either, he's lost in it before.

 

I stand corrected, but I think that he is perhaps borderline sue along with Nyx. Everyone likes him, strong wizard, e.c.t. But he is like Nyx, still challenged.

[A goat 323]

That depends on how they're made. If their design is cool, they aren't op, and they have a good backstory, then I'm perfectly fine with an alicorn oc.

[Queen Sparkle 104]

Yes, and I'll tell you why:

People are basically self proclaiming themselves as gods/demi-gods when they have a Alicorn OC. In order to have an alicorn OC, one would have to know the ancient history of Equestira and the origin of Alicorns to have an actual good representation of what an Alicorn OC should be. 

Now there are a few Alicorn OC's that can work, even without knowing of the definite purpose, but they had better be pretty damn good/realistic. 

I'm not sure I've actually seen a good Alicorn OC yet.

What about pen strokes alicorn oc Nyx I'm trying to make my alicorn ocs descripted.

[Stone Cold Applejack 381]

It's not that they're bad it's just their backstories are bad.

[A Majestic Keldeo 42]

Well yes since most alicorn OCs are generic and bland. Plus they take little or no effort to create.

[AmberDust 1,118]

It's not that Alicorn OCs are bad, it's just that a lot of amateurs instantly gravitate towards making Alicorns because they think that physical specialness can cover up the lack of creativity behind the character.

Another thing is that Alicorns are meant to be deity-like, and the in fact, there were only supposed to be two in the entire series, so seeing Alicorns as OCs with bs backstories are hard to accept.

[Empty Room 512]

99% of the time, yes.

 

This is because of many flaws that are common amongst these OCs.

 

1. Overpowering. These tend to be common, such as an alicorn that is "stronger than Celestia and Luna combined".

 

2. The colour scheme. This can often translate into other OCs that aren't just alicorns. Often, the colour of said OC will be multicoloured with about 16,000,000,000 colours, which doesn't come off as unique, but straining to the eye.

 

3. The backstory. It is often full of clichés such as "alicorn whose parents died in an accident" or "was abandoned as a child", or even worse, the whole "human-turned-pony" schtick.

 

4. MARY SUE. This trope is exceedingly common. If you're unaware of what a Mary Sue is, it is a character that has no descernible flaws or weaknesses.

 

There's more to it, but those are the ones from the top of my head.

[Lunas Husband 2,777]

I don't mind them.. as long as they are not bucking overpowered... as a mad man! I have seen a few really good ones! and some bad ones... but never the less like I said I don't mind them... after all one of my Oc's is myself..... So blah.

[The Shadow Stallion 127]

Im thinking mayhaps somepony could make a list of a traits a Good Alicorn OC should have? Or a checklist of some sort to make sure certain bad traits aren't in the alicorn OCs. Might help make better Alicorn OCs in the future.

[skbl17 199]

I don't have an alicorn OC, but my answer to this question would be a no.

 

On the surface, I don't see a problem with alicorn OCs. It's when they're given tremendously overpowered abilities (out of context) that I start having problems with it, but I could say the same for overpowered unicorn OCs, pegasus OCs, and so on.

[Guest]

Hey there @@Everleaf, and @@Starora, just so both of you are aware, I have merged your threads with an older thread which similarly discusses/questions the (often negative) perceptions of alicorn OCs. Please ensure you use the search function before making a thread, just to check if your thought is better suited as a post in an existing thread or requires a new thread altogether. Many thanks.

[MinunShy_Kay 53]

I don't see what's wrong with Alicorn ocs. I feel like as long as the character is well and with in boundaries then what's the problem? I never really understood the dislike for alicorn . In fact, I kinda wanted to make my oc, a pegasus, into an ailcorn but after talking it over with my ssp and discovering the community distaste towards them I decided not to