Why do bronies use red and black OCs for "evil" characters?

[ShatteredCrown]

Another question that's been in my mind, is why do some bronies mostly use Red and Black OCs, especially for "evil" characters? Is it due to a lack of actual talent?

[QuickLime]

Stereotypical  "Bad guy" Colors, like how a good character is always like white with blue eyes

[Lyipheoryia]

Well, I've found more than a few Mary Sue Red-and-black alicorn OC's.  Specifically for evil...well, I don't know.  Probably because they think the colour combination is cool, or just because they were too lazy to master and create another OC.

[QueenCerali]

huh. I actually haven't ever done that. I base the colors off of that character's more unique attributes, not their alignment. but red and black look good together, and they do look kinda evil.

[NightmareMuffin]

Another question that's been in my mind, is why do some bronies mostly use Red and Black OCs, especially as evil characters? Is it due to a lack of creative skill?

it's nt just bronies. Dhx artists do it, too.

Nightmare Moon is black

Tirek is black and Red

Chrysalis is black

I think bronies picked up making their own charas black and red as a case of "monkey see, monkey do", becase those that DHX did are the cool guy, and black and/ or red is cool for their own charas

[Imagination]

It can be a lack of creative skill, sure, but I've seen some red and black villains that are fairly well done. This isn't exclusive to Bronies either, I see it a lot in other fandoms *cough*furries*cough*.

 

I know for a lot of seasoned RPers, the red and black combination is avoided for this very reason, and that's fine. But really I think what makes an evil character bad is the features/abilities given to them from the get-go, and how the player handles that character.

 

Alicorn black stallions, yeah, they're bad. But that's because they're the 'ultimate evil/ultimate power/ultimate edge' type of characters, and those aren't interesting or fun to play with at all. Some villains are a blast to play with, and they don't need to have the power of the cosmos to do it. So it really all falls into creative ability and the ability of the player overall.

 

For instance, I have a semi-villain red and black OC, Ace GoLucky, who's a con-artist and a cheat who has a talent for cards. No super magic ability, no diabolical plans, and no moodiness/edginess. Just a jerk who knows a lot of card scams.

[TheFinestSorcerer]

If I'm using the colors red or black it's usually in the clothing or articles the pony wears. From cloaks, hats, capes to maybe even jewelry. But I almost never use black or red as base, primary colors for OCs... GRAY maybe. But not black or Red. In the assumption I'm using a villain of course.

[Blueblood]

I think the key word is not "evil" but "edgy."  The color scheme is used to signify things being "dark, cool, and stuff."  And if I had to pinpoint an origin for Black and Red being the go-to color scheme for that, it would probably be Shadow the Hedgehog.  He's the most prominent character I can think of that would have been around in most of the fanbase's formative years of media consumption.

[Bramble Rose]

It's a color scheme that's represented evil for a long time.  Darth Vader, for instance.  A lot of nazi uniforms involved red and black - even though they weren't thinking, "We're the baddies!"  the rest of the world sure thought that. 

 

Black is the color of darkness, which hides who knows what dangers?  Especially in the days before electricity came along, and everything was lit up all the time - the dark was when predators came out.  Not knowing what was there was ... dangerous.  Even if that which came from the darkness didn't come for you directly, it might come for your livestock - a slower death by starvation if your livestock is slaughtered.

 

Red, on the other hand, is the color of blood.  I don't really need to go into that.

On a more general level, though, colors have meanings to us.  Colors evoke things at a subconscious level.

 

http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

 

"Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love."

 

Red evokes intense emotions for us.  And a good villain - or edgy character, or dark hero, or what have you - needs to evoke intense emotions.

 

"Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery."

 

And these things are not always 'villainous', but it lends itself well to a good villain.

 

These things don't just happen randomly.  We've got some pretty strong associations built into us from generation after generation.

[ZephyrBurst]

I've always thought of it as a lack of imagination or trying to have a cool/edgy character, without any further thought put into it.

[ToothpasteThy]

Shadow the Hedgehog Syndrome. Excess angst. Added violence for flavor.

[tacobob]

Hmmph! My character Fire Walker is red..And her father is black. Both are very nice horses.

 

[Lux]

But, Night Watcher is a black Pegasus mare and she isn't evil. And Fire Heart is red and although chaotic is nice.

 

And Garnet Facet... ok he's a red and black Crystal pony colt and he's edgy so I guess I bought into the stereotype with him.

 

But yeah, black has been a symbol of darkness, things hidden, and the absence of color/light. And red is a symbol of passion, anger, and power.

[Zealot]

The whole 'red and black is a bad character design' thing really irks me. It's a colour scheme which is sometimes used, doesn't make it a mark of a bad character.

 

I remember one of my first characters who was black and red. I was originally thinking that because they were military and warhorses are black, they should be black too. They had a bit of a temper, so I added a red flash to their hair to signify they were a little angry. Suffice to say the character was written off by most people until I changed the colour scheme, then all of a sudden it was a good character. This was before I knew of the 'trope' which the bronies love to bang on about.

 

People need to stop judging a book by it's cover. It may be an overused design, but that doesn't mean it's a bad one.

[MidnightMask]

Red and black, the colors of evil. It was a trope before MLP, it'll be a trope after, for a lot of the reasons already mentioned.

Is it overused or easy mode? Maybe. But it's nearly a human universal, one of the reasons Darth Maul ended up looking like he did. Seriously, the artists involved apparently did some research to put him together. A few cultures find white to be a more evil color, due to the color of bone and the way a corpse goes pale, but red and black will always be front runners. Even nature agrees. Black widow spider anyone?

Seriously, I don't think anyone deserves to get bashed for putting one of these together, though perhaps the best bet is to blend these colors with a third to get the best balance and a unique artistic flair to the character design.

Gray Red and Black: Megatron.

Red Blue Black: Most of Cobra's color scheme.

Red Black White and Blue: Mumm-Ra, the Ever living

I dunno, there's a whole article on color and alignment over at TV tropes.

I do think putting thought into a ponies color scheme will get better results visually and character wise, conveying personality clearly. Red and black, generally, is going to be conveying edge, but adding a third color or using them primarily as highlights may make it easier for a character's more unique traits to shine through.

[ShatteredCrown]

The whole 'red and black is a bad character design' thing really irks me. It's a colour scheme which is sometimes used, doesn't make it a mark of a bad character.

 

I remember one of my first characters who was black and red. I was originally thinking that because they were military and warhorses are black, they should be black too. They had a bit of a temper, so I added a red flash to their hair to signify they were a little angry. Suffice to say the character was written off by most people until I changed the colour scheme, then all of a sudden it was a good character. This was before I knew of the 'trope' which the bronies love to bang on about.

 

People need to stop judging a book by it's cover. It may be an overused design, but that doesn't mean it's a bad one.

The problem is, too many bronies keep using that red and black combo in an effortless desire to make they're OCs "edgy" or "cool" , it has become generic.

[Zealot]

The problem is, too many bronies keep using that red and black combo in an effortless desire to make they're OCs "edgy" or "cool" , it has become generic.

 

I know what bronies perceive as a 'problem', my point is you shouldn't give a damm if a pony is coloured black and red. If it's a good character then it's a good character, you shouldn't judge a character based on a colour scheme. So what if people keep using it to make things 'edgy' or 'cool'? Does that somehow detract from the hard work of a writer who puts love and care into their pony character who is well developed and well thought out, but just so happens to be red and black? No! Of course not. Why should it? But oh no, apparently just because it has been used by a lot of bad characters, that apparently means that all characters with that scheme are bad? Right? That's the logic there? Pretty sure it's practically stereotyping or something, I mean, come on... 

[ShatteredCrown]

I know what bronies perceive as a 'problem', my point is you shouldn't give a damm if a pony is coloured black and red. If it's a good character then it's a good character, you shouldn't judge a character based on a colour scheme. So what if people keep using it to make things 'edgy' or 'cool'? Does that somehow detract from the hard work of a writer who puts love and care into their pony character who is well developed and well thought out, but just so happens to be red and black? No! Of course not. Why should it? But oh no, apparently just because it has been used by a lot of bad characters, that apparently means that all characters with that scheme are bad? Right? That's the logic there? Pretty sure it's practically stereotyping or something, I mean, come on...

I'll agree that there might be some good ones but those are in the minority unfortunately, I don't want to be stereotypical but I don't see the stereotype, I have yet to see a large number of OCs using the mentioned color combo without it being lazy and unoriginal.

[Rosewind]

Heyo, I got the report. As of right now this looks like a legitimate, healthy discussion. Carry on!

[MidnightMask]

What if they're named Checkers and really love playing board games?

[ShatteredCrown]

What if they're named Checkers and really love playing board games?

Wouldn't that be black and white.

[Lyipheoryia]

Wouldn't that be black and white.

Some boards are red and black.  Though-yes-most are black and white.

[Zealot]

I'll agree that there might be some good ones but those are in the minority unfortunately, I don't want to be stereotypical but I don't see the stereotype, I have yet to see a large number of OCs using the mentioned color combo without it being lazy and unoriginal.

 

Well, that is the stereotype, right there. 'a large number of brony created fan characters that have black and red colours are bad characters'

 

Thinking like this is at it's worst, very dangerous. I mean, I'm not saying that it's an incorrect statement, I don't have the necessary data or insight to make such a claim. Maybe most black and red characters are bad, but that's a 'maybe' what if they're not? If you're going to write off a character based on their colour scheme then you've conformed to the stereotype and may well have put down a writer who worked hard on their character as well as writing off a good character with an excellent story.

 

So yeah, if you don't want to stereotype then just go in with an open mind. Don't judge a pony by it's colours, go in with an open mind. Then once you've actually seen the character, make a decision. 

 

And also as a further point, don't write something off if it's 'unoriginal', nothing is anymore, I'm sorry, but there are only really a few plotlines and a few character archetypes anyway. If it's fun, enjoy it, don't get worked up over 'tropes' or some such, it really isn't an issue.

[ZephyrBurst]

It's not the problem of the color scheme chosen, but rather the traits that tend to follow it all being roughly the same. Go and look at character profiles through all the MLP sites (and not just MLP either) and you'll start to see some common trends that are eye roll inducing. I think this also has to do with us ingesting so much media as well. We're saturated with it and so we pick up on the patterns that occur often. The ideas that follow these sorts of character designs are in some respects, not inherently bad. But due to being saturated with it, it gets tiring. Whether that's fair or not is another story.

[ShatteredCrown]

Well, that is the stereotype, right there. 'a large number of brony created fan characters that have black and red colours are bad characters'

 

Thinking like this is at it's worst, very dangerous. I mean, I'm not saying that it's an incorrect statement, I don't have the necessary data or insight to make such a claim. Maybe most black and red characters are bad, but that's a 'maybe' what if they're not? If you're going to write off a character based on their colour scheme then you've conformed to the stereotype and may well have put down a writer who worked hard on their character as well as writing off a good character with an excellent story.

 

So yeah, if you don't want to stereotype then just go in with an open mind. Don't judge a pony by it's colours, go in with an open mind. Then once you've actually seen the character, make a decision. 

 

And also as a further point, don't write something off if it's 'unoriginal', nothing is anymore, I'm sorry, but there are only really a few plotlines and a few character archetypes anyway. If it's fun, enjoy it, don't get worked up over 'tropes' or some such, it really isn't an issue.

Why not at least make an attempt to be original? Think of new ideas. Because I'm pretty sure there are a plethora of colors out there rather than the painfully overused red and black combination. And if the creator of a red and black oc manages to make character that's not cringey, more power too them. However they all tend to look like the SAME THING.