Clutterstep is best OC · 11:14am Jul 28th, 2013
I love reading here on FIMfiction, so naturally I have seen a few OCs in stories and other fanworks (YouTube, TumblrPon, etc.). Frankly, with all those awesome stories I've read and all of the awesome stories I haven't read yet, I didn't think I could choose a favorite. But when I decide to look at those OCs objectively, and without the stories around them (save for background story, maybe) the simple answer is: In my opinion, MLP-Silver-Quill's Clutterstep is best OC.
Now, I know that I have barely seen a fragment of all the OCs out there, and that probably won't change even if I browse the internet for hours every day. But I dare say that, objectively, only a small group of them would be a match for Clutterstep, because he has all the things that make him a good character even outside of any story.
1) Clutterstep is not overpowered. Probably the most important part to a good OC and not quite as easy to pull of as you might think. When you make a new character you're their creator. You'll have some parental feelings towards them and you will want them to make a good impression, not to mention that in the end saving the day is more or less what they are supposed to do. And soon you'll find yourself on the slippery edge of Mary-Sue-land. Not that your character is an actual Mary Sue (or Gary Stu oor whatever). Real Mary-Sue type characters are rather obvious and even you would probably notice that. But it doesn't take much for any character to trigger that nagging feeling that makes you wonder if they don't have just a small tendency to be overpowered, especially since - like I said before - you probably made them so they could help the protagonist or save whatever-needs-saving themselves.
Clutterstep is anything but overpowered. Not only is he an earth pony, and a clumsy one at that. His special talent, the thing that makes everypony good at at least one job, basically subverts itself. His special talent is having unfortunate accidents that eventually lead to a greater good, unfortunate enough that even he believes them to be bad luck most of the time. He means well, but it will get worse before it gets better – or as I like to call it: "The power of bad and better luck" (that actually sounded just as bad in my head).
2) Clutterstep is original. More than two years after the show and the fandom started it's getting hard to make a character that doesn't already exist in some way. Unicorns with a talent for magic, pegasi with a penchant for racing or alicorns in general were hard to sell as original back then. MLP-Silver-Quill had a great idea for a talent that I have not seen like this in any other OC, and that in itself is an accomplishment.
3) Clutterstep's backstory. As far as we know, Clutterstep was adopted and raised by Celestia. He didn't like her, she didn't seem to like him, and they mostly tried to avoid each other.
...Wait, what?
That's right. All the generic expectations we might have are immediately subverted. Clutterstep met Twilight Sparkle and helped her out (in his usual thoughtless way). Twilight gave him a peck on the cheek as thanks, yet she never knew his name (until the events of "A Princess' Tears" (which you should totally read)). And even that is something we only know from a comic, because Clutterstep himself doesn't want to talk about it.
4) Clutterstep is a pony. He is not a self-insert character. Don't get me wrong, self-insert characters can be great if the author can pull them off right. If there's any OC that I subjectively like just as much as Clutterstep, it's Firewall of "Through the eyes of another pony", who started of as a blatant HiE author self-insert (I have a weakness for stupid jokes, and I really like his mane). But even if you make them work, self-inserts are always a bit of a tight fit, because technically they don't belong in that world and they always have that bit of meta stuck on them.
Clutterstep does all of those things just right, and in my eyes that makes him best OC. Now go and read his story.
P.S.: If you think somepony else is best OC, don't be shy to comment. If they're that good, I will probably want to read their story. And by "somepony else" I mean somepony that isn't your own OC. Sorry, but you can't tell me that's an unbiased opinion.
... That's a really hard choice. Really hard. Off the top of my head, the first pony OC that I think of is Moon Mender, I quite like him. Non-pony OCs though, I gotta go with Navarone. Of course this is including the stories around the characters, those two are particularly good ones imo. Without the surrounding story, Mender could be seen as somewhat OP in more recent chapters of the sequel because of... things that I refuse to spoil. Navarone is a Badass(tm) though, and earned the title.
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Two more stories for my ever-growing Read Later list.
...argle...
Dude I feel like clutterstep is a mixture of pinkie pie and caramel. Because it seams like he is doing everything wrong but he happens to do the amazing and the impossible. It gives me the same feeling as pinkie sense, it doesn't and does make sense :). And caramel because clutter is clumsy and tries to help in every way. Wouldn't be surprised if they were second cousins or something like that.
I read A Princess' Tears and I got to admit I love Clutterstep.
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He's just one of those OCs who finds the perfect balance, and I just love his humor.
(Can't believe someone still reads these.
)