O.C criticism.

[Blues-Music]

Spoiler: show

By the title you would think i'm here to criticize your O.C's well wrong i'm here to talk about an issue on the forums. As you may now the O.C section is made for placing O.C files , and allowing others to comment about them. The problem is that when someone finds something wrong about the O.C , and points it out he is considered insulting instead of criticizing. Why does this happen? Do people expect to be showered in compliments when they log on to the forums? If someone directly insults you then sure go ahead , and get angry , but this is the 4th time this week someone closes a thread , and calls me something just because I pointed out an obvious flaw. If you did this too keep reading. If you post something here you should take the consequences , and accept all the criticism you get. Criticism isn't even a bad thing since you NEED criticism in order to find out what is wrong about your O.C so you can in turn FIX THE PROBLEM if someone says "Wow you suck at writing go give up this sucks since its OP." you have the right to say something about it , but since you post something directly to the public where everyone can see on purpose at least expect to be told whats wrong. Do you seriously think you managed to get your O.C perfect on your first try , and think that everyone telling you whats wrong is just trying to make you look bad? NO they try to help you make it better , but you reject their help , and insult them right? If you don't do this , and actually accept criticism then you are awesome. If you don't then instead of posting something go open Microsoft word , and type in what you were going to type here , and put it in front of the mirror , and tell yourself how awesome your O.C is.

Sorry for all the rage here , but this is a problem that needs to be solved. I might get banned for sharing my opinion on the thought considering this is a bit mean however I honestly think who does this deserves it. Also no before you go all "OOO you have to be nice when you do it , and don't hurt every ones feelings your making us sad." junk I already said you only have the right to call them something back if they insult you , and not when they tell you whats wrong about your O.C in your "shower me with compliments PLS." posts.

[Rad Thunder]

Whoa. Big rant.
So you're upset because people are getting mad when you critique their OCs? I'm sorry I didn't want to read the whole thing, so I'm just taking a guess.
In any case, I always ask for opinions before I make new OCs, Like my new one Harpy Siren, so I can get input on how others think beforehand.

[Morning Glory]

Are you interested in the opinions of others on the matter? Because I have a few things I'd like to say on the issue.

I've been watching you come up against other members on several occasions concerning this issue. I wonder if there's a way to build that bridge instead of burn it.

I agree with you, for the most part. If someone puts their OC up, they should expect criticism. And I've always believed in giving honest criticism. However, one thing I try to keep in mind is that we have several younger members on the forum. For them, sometimes their OC (however clunky, OP, Mary-suey it is) is the best they can do. They're still learning and experimenting, and we should try to nurture that. But it's ok to criticize it anyways. It will help them grow. However, my formula for critiques is to give balance. If you're going really dig in to what's bad about this OC, find whatever you can that is good about it and mention that as well. Pick out what might work better and suggest it.

While stark, bald-face criticism is what the more grown-up of us might want, young folks generally need some guidance to follow it up. So, say all you have to say about how bad it is. Then say as much as you can about what is good, even if it's just the color concept, one slight point in the bio, the cutie mark, whatever. If a first-time poster puts of their OC, and all they hear is negative, they might get really discouraged and never try again. We don't want that. Instead, reach out, tell them what's wrong (all of it), and then offer to help. Explain that black and red alicorns with no parents are over used, and try to pick out some small features that you liked and build off that. We're about helping each other here at LoE. I think you'll avoid a lot of the upset from other members if you just add a positive section to your critiques. Just to be clear, I am not saying remove any of the bad. Just add a good as well. Not only is it a little more kind, but it will actually help new writers more that just saying what's wrong and leaving it at that.

[ShadowHeart]

I am sorry Blues and I was really scared when you posted that cuz it was quite intimidating. However, the name of the game was tactful criticism and there is such a thing and even if you're gritting your teeth in anger, say something nice anyway and try not to be so witty. On my hand I'm sorry for not explaining it further and I'll try to repost and I can't wait to see your comment on my new OC page. I also made a miscalculation on Shadow's wing size. Really sorry Blues, and I hope you don't scare me again. 

[Night Pony]

Wow i just read your post on Shadow's OC (after I read Shadow's OC of course) and 60% of it was a negative opinion rather than criticism. The only criticism was the last paragraph detailing all the 'bad' things in the OC. Try to make your criticism like Morning pointed out.

[Gracie Sky]

Normally, if I don't like how a particular OC is shaping up to be, I just don't comment on it. There's a lot of OCs I don't think I could criticize without sounding mean, or I think giving criticism would be taken defensively or be futile on my part. Most of the OCs I give my opinion on are ones I see that spark of hope that they have the potential to be something better with a little guidance.

Now, concerning the issue you are facing, I think if a pony is extremely flawed in its design, it merits pointing out those flaws. If someone defends their position, it probably means they either don't want to believe you, or they don't care about these flaws. Someone ready to defend their point of view will seldom reverse such views. I'm pretty opened minded myself, but I've had my share of times where I've defended all sorts of my work from criticism I frankly didn't believe was true or would be beneficial to the work. Looking back... I still wouldn't change it, because I still think I'm right. Whether I'm actually right or not is not the question.

Nonetheless, I've learned from these experiences and hopefully became a better author myself. But, when I see the symptoms of a fortress of opinion around an OC, I don't attempt to walk through the landmine. The most I'd do is send a postcard with a single recommendation.

[Blues-Music]

Since you all had the same idea here is my rebuttal:
I do not say whats good about O.Cs because all I need to say is the negative sides. I would normally think a feature of his O.C that I did not post as negative would be assumed as positive. Like I post "This part about your O.C is bad because...." I think its pretty safe to say that they got the message that the other parts were okay. A post will be too long if went "That's good , that's bad , that's good , that's bad." when I can easily say whats wrong , and not mention the good parts so they can now they weren't bad.

[Smoke_out]

The only reason i get mad is when someone's "critique" consists of a sentence/paragraph instead of an actual critique.
I would rather someone tell me how my character is either too strong or not fleshed out enough instead of telling me "it's OP/ a mary sue/ completely unfair"

When other's respond with simply stating that it's an over powered OC i tend to lose it, especially if i requested that people give me advice on how to change my OC's design/story to make it more fair and acceptable.

Granted, it's not fair of me to just snap at them about it, but i'd still prefer they actually critique instead of belittle

[The Wandering Magus]

The only reason i get mad is when someone's "critique" consists of a sentence/paragraph instead of an actual critique.
I would rather someone tell me how my character is either too strong or not fleshed out enough instead of telling me "it's OP/ a mary sue/ completely unfair"

When other's respond with simply stating that it's an over powered OC i tend to lose it, especially if i requested that people give me advice on how to change my OC's design/story to make it more fair and acceptable.

Granted, it's not fair of me to just snap at them about it, but i'd still prefer they actually critique instead of belittle

Sometimes I do that, but usually I also add suggestions for improvement, like "try not to X" or "try doing X"

[Midnight Breeze]

I've been reluctant to offer criticism ever since a certain poster got so offended by my feedback that she locked the thread and then called me out in the Pony Off-Topic section telling everyone that I was being mean to her. Nevermind that she actually ASKED for feedback in the title.

To be honest I don't like any OC that has out-of-universe characteristics. Being from another world, being immortal or hundreds to thousands of years old, being a hybrid between two species, having a power doesn't exist in the FiM universe, ect. I don't see why people even bother creating fan characters if they aren't going to play by the rules of the FiM universe. Whenever I see a character like that, I really don't even bother posting. When I see a character that could work as a healthy in-universe character, but needs some points addressed, I post as respectfully as possible.

People should be prepared to rebut any point of criticism on a character. Only two people have offered criticism on my characters and writing, and each time I addressed every point they made one by one; either explaining to them my reasoning for the point they addressed, or conceding that they were right and scrapping/changing the point if possible.

While compliments are all well and good, they won't help the person improve. From my point of view I get a little annoyed when nobody gives me honest feedback on something. A person who points out flaws in your work isn't doing it to hurt you; they're doing it to help you. I'd rather get negative reviews than no reviews at all, myself.

[The Wandering Magus]

I've been reluctant to offer criticism ever since a certain poster got so offended by my feedback that she locked the thread and then called me out in the Pony Off-Topic section telling everyone that I was being mean to her. Nevermind that she actually ASKED for feedback in the title.

To be honest I don't like any OC that has out-of-universe characteristics. Being from another world, being immortal or hundreds to thousands of years old, being a hybrid between two species, having a power doesn't exist in the FiM universe, ect. I don't see why people even bother creating fan characters if they aren't going to play by the rules of the FiM universe. Whenever I see a character like that, I really don't even bother posting. When I see a character that could work as a healthy in-universe character, but needs some points addressed, I post as respectfully as possible.

People should be prepared to rebut any point of criticism on a character. Only two people have offered criticism on my characters and writing, and each time I addressed every point they made one by one; either explaining to them my reasoning for the point they addressed, or conceding that they were right and scrapping/changing the point if possible.

While compliments are all well and good, they won't help the person improve. From my point of view I get a little annoyed when nobody gives me honest feedback on something. A person who points out flaws in your work isn't doing it to hurt you; they're doing it to help you. I'd rather get negative reviews than no reviews at all, myself.

Review my OCs?

[Midnight Breeze]

I've been reluctant to offer criticism ever since a certain poster got so offended by my feedback that she locked the thread and then called me out in the Pony Off-Topic section telling everyone that I was being mean to her. Nevermind that she actually ASKED for feedback in the title.

To be honest I don't like any OC that has out-of-universe characteristics. Being from another world, being immortal or hundreds to thousands of years old, being a hybrid between two species, having a power doesn't exist in the FiM universe, ect. I don't see why people even bother creating fan characters if they aren't going to play by the rules of the FiM universe. Whenever I see a character like that, I really don't even bother posting. When I see a character that could work as a healthy in-universe character, but needs some points addressed, I post as respectfully as possible.

People should be prepared to rebut any point of criticism on a character. Only two people have offered criticism on my characters and writing, and each time I addressed every point they made one by one; either explaining to them my reasoning for the point they addressed, or conceding that they were right and scrapping/changing the point if possible.

While compliments are all well and good, they won't help the person improve. From my point of view I get a little annoyed when nobody gives me honest feedback on something. A person who points out flaws in your work isn't doing it to hurt you; they're doing it to help you. I'd rather get negative reviews than no reviews at all, myself.

Review my OCs?

I already did. 

[The Wandering Magus]

I've been reluctant to offer criticism ever since a certain poster got so offended by my feedback that she locked the thread and then called me out in the Pony Off-Topic section telling everyone that I was being mean to her. Nevermind that she actually ASKED for feedback in the title.

To be honest I don't like any OC that has out-of-universe characteristics. Being from another world, being immortal or hundreds to thousands of years old, being a hybrid between two species, having a power doesn't exist in the FiM universe, ect. I don't see why people even bother creating fan characters if they aren't going to play by the rules of the FiM universe. Whenever I see a character like that, I really don't even bother posting. When I see a character that could work as a healthy in-universe character, but needs some points addressed, I post as respectfully as possible.

People should be prepared to rebut any point of criticism on a character. Only two people have offered criticism on my characters and writing, and each time I addressed every point they made one by one; either explaining to them my reasoning for the point they addressed, or conceding that they were right and scrapping/changing the point if possible.

While compliments are all well and good, they won't help the person improve. From my point of view I get a little annoyed when nobody gives me honest feedback on something. A person who points out flaws in your work isn't doing it to hurt you; they're doing it to help you. I'd rather get negative reviews than no reviews at all, myself.

Review my OCs?

I already did. 

o ya uh... review my... new OCs?