Yet another topic on the story I won't be writing for a while! (I know, it's getting annoying, but this story is one I'm REALLY nervicited about.)

So, I've been working on an OC for months, but I still feel he's missing something. I add a bit to him whenever I think of it, but I don't know when enough will be enough, when he'll be good enough to be considered a 'fleshed out' OC. Does anyone know what it takes for a fleshed out OC, or when I should stop adding/need to add more?

Flaws.

And I mean real flaws. Not the soldier with a stick up his ass - he's a soldier, it's his job. Not the adorably shy unicorn, the anarchic prankster bat pony, or the hard-drinking detective who doesn't play by the rules. Boring, overdone, nonsense. "Flaws" that just make them bad ass, entertaining, or woobies making a cheap tug on the heartstrings.

Now: That bad ass soldier? Going blind and keeping it a secret. The unicorn? Thinks mud ponies should stay on their farms - nothing personal, nothing mean, it's just where they belong. The batpony's lack of professionalism has put her job at risk as she accumulates absences and tardies, slowly turning her coworkers against her and possibly endangering lives. The hard-drinking detective drinks too hard, and (worse, in the eyes of his fellow bad-asses) attends A.A. meetings with all the other pathetic, out-of-control losers.

Didn't these exhausted trope characters just get more interesting? Don't they have more potential for development? Glaring, "wow, sometimes I don't like this guy" flaws to overcome are what separates characters from Mary Sues.

4580928 Put other characters in the same situationS your OC finds himself in. If they all behave differently than he would, you've got a very unique OC on your hooves.

4581197
Would self nitpicking, procrastination, and public speaking issues all count as decent flaws if I make them affect his daily life enough?

4587625
i'd say so, yes

4591938
Thank you Eris. ^_^

4591941
i'd say don't milk the usage of canonical flaws when making a character

they still gotta stand out, y'know?

4591949
Yeah, yeah. I getcha. ^_^

4587625

I'm probably not a good one to ask. I generally preach stepping on the gas when it comes to character flaws, but there must also be an awareness that most people/ponies are generally decent and non-psychotic. Everything should be great so long as

--the flaws are "real" (see my rant above)
--the character feels human (human, pony... you know what I mean)

4580928 PM BROKE NEED TO TALK PRONTO IT IS VERY IMPORTANT!