Alicorns are the best-known of the OC types whose power is most often abused (though for some people, just USING power is enough to warrant the banhammer) through insane feats of nature-warping magic and familial relations. Some of the worst examples of these OCs include princesses who are not only in-your-face and self-righteous, but also talented and powerful to the point of excess. You see a bad OC. I see someone who needs to learn how to write up a character. Here are a few pointers to help your royal companion:

--Let them be themselves!

-----------------------------------------------------

Too often do we see situations in which an Alicorn is used as someone’s self-insert, an extension of the creator into that universe. Not necessarily is it a bad thing for this to be the case, actually, it’s an alright thing to do. After all, who do you know better than yourself? What separates a good OC from a bad one, however, is how subtle this fact is. A good OC is an OC who is within character all the time, and doesn’t blatantly give away the desire for the writer of the character to manipulate the facts of life. What’s important is that when you write a character, you give them your personality, but explain it with THEIR OWN goals. Don’t try explaining a character’s life by making an example of your own. Once you’ve defined what the character has been through, stick to that. You’ll soon find, if you do, that your OC will have suddenly become very much his own character, not just yours as their owner!

--Give them something to do!

-----------------------------------------------------

Alicorns are meant to be these fantastical, all-powerful, god-like ponies. This usually means that they would do really important things as well, like, say, raising the sun and the moon. To be basic about it, it’s very important that you give your royal an integral job in keeping the world going. Too many OCs have mundane cutie marks, and yet OP magic, to the point where you wonder why their maker wanted an Alicorn, not just a unicorn. In other words: Alicorns are a big deal. Treat them like they’re a big deal.

--Consider the Family Tree

-----------------------------------------------------

Celestia and Luna are sisters. Cadence is their niece. This is all we know so far. The worst OCs in this category are the ones who are the sister’s third sibling, or perhaps not affiliated with the royalty at all. The family tree is grand and extensive. As such, you shouldn’t see issue with placing your character further down the genetic line. What harm will it do, after all? Explore the tree, give the princesses not just “the rejected sibling” or “the long-lost parent”, give them a family member!

--Don’t overdo it

-----------------------------------------------------

No, seriously. Don’t overdo it. Characters are allowed to be accomplished, but keep it within the realm of reason, not just in reality, but within the show’s reason too. Even Celestia hasn’t accomplished EVERYTHING, don’t hold yourself to the standard that an OC has to be really successful and amazing, because that’s just not true. In fact, if anything, your OC should be anything but that. At the same time, however, they shouldn’t be completely unaccomplished. Take a look at what the characters of the show do on their high end of accomplishment. Strive to make something similar to that! Don’t be afraid to imitate sometimes, because imitation is a good inspiration for originality, in my opinion!

--Never stop improving!

-----------------------------------------------------

Characters are never complete from the first step. Or the second. Or the third. Even if a character strikes you as fantastic, don’t be afraid to accept new concepts and ideas! You never know what you’ll find, it might bring a new, brilliant light to your character and their purpose! Perhaps it takes your OC in a new, more interesting direction! Just don’t forget: prodding yourself helps. Make your character as complete as possible. If there are holes in their story, fill them. If something doesn’t make sense, correct it, no matter how much you want to keep it in. Mind you, you’re more or less striving to make an OC that COULD exist in the canon, not one that overwrites it, no matter how much you don’t like the established canon.

Now, some advice on design:

--colour your character wisely

-----------------------------------------------------

Ever seen Freestyle, that all-too-famous OC? Don’t go that way. That character is electrically coloured to the point of insanity. Not only is it a bit grating to the eye, but in all honesty, it just doesn’t look like it’s a part of the show. Pastel colours are the natural tone, and brightening that up is no way to make your character more unique. (Remember, you’re still striving to make your character believable in terms of the show.) If anything, you should colour to fit your character’s theme or style. If they’re water-affiliated royals, give them good sea tones! If you want to emphasize a part of their personality, colour them in such a way that would emphasize this, such as mellow colours for a mellow character! (yellow and pink, for example? c; ) Theming the character is the name of the game here.

--Don’t overdo it. Again.

-----------------------------------------------------

I really can’t stress this enough. OCs are too tempting to overdo. Don’t clash colours unnecessarily, don’t make things overly ornate, don’t accessorize them to the point of fakeness. Let their natural beauty define them as characters. OCs are best defined in personality by the way they look, and what they do is indicated by how they dress, in a general rule sort of sense. Just as their story can have extra bits of trivia, the characters can have accessories to spice up their design. Overdo this, however, and just like having a profile with too much trivia, your character becomes hard to follow and uninteresting.

--Keep it proportionate

-----------------------------------------------------

Some things just don’t look good together. For example, putting Celestia’s wings on Cadence’s body looks overdone. You need to keep in mind that certain body types and shapes only allow certain wing shapes and sizes. Match the body to the wings, the head to the hooves, the horn to the… everything, and don’t skip steps just for the sake of “style”. Seriously, try to make everything match.

In conclusion, I’ve said this twice, and that’s because it’s important: the key is that, within the canon of the show, your OC COULD exist. They need to be believable in the terms of the show. Not looking to do that? Well then, you’re making an alternate universe character, not an OC. It really is a different thing. To all those who may judge Alicorns as bad right off the bat, let this guide show you that some creators are trying to improve their infamous title. Now, for today, I bid you adieu, and also, Big Mac is best princess.