I have noticed a recurring theme in HiE stories.
Main character is a 15-20 year old male that has a shitty life and if the show is there it's the only thing worth while in life. Also has some background with the military and yet doesn't have PTSD riddled psyches. Finally, THEY ALL HATE EARTH! WHY!?

1249562 Because the earth is full of primitive idiots that will eventually kill themselves, and the world is better off for it.
Also that's because most bronies are 15-20 year old males with self perceived shitty lives that are just 1st world problems.

So the writer doesn't really have to think of a backstory. Gives the character an "excuse" to be in Equestria without the writer having to go any more in depth...

I am writing on a phone so it's hard to type this but PLEASE think outside of the box with characters or work your ass off making them likeable.

1249562
I'll admit, my main character breaks the age one and (sort of) the military one, except the psychological problems are present. No hating Earth, though. Thats just a dick move.

1249562
because they are a bunch of emo faggots who thing everything about humanity is shit and they love equestria for how peaceful it looks.

1249562 Probably because most of the writers on this site are teenagers who think it's "cool" and "edgy" when they make a character misanthropic and have a military background.

Awww. Truth hurts? Isn't that just precious?

We have AC/DC though...

1249562 Well I try to break the mold just a bit with my characters. One is in his late 30s, while he does have a military background, he very much does have mental instabilities. He doesn't hate Earth really, just kinda hates every one equally.

It is just an easy archetype to write really. Most of this community is in their early to mid 20s, and writers are always told from day one to make their characters relatable to the reader. I don't mind military backgrounds, just as long as they are researched and believable. But more often than not the 20 year old E7 super soldier using a Desert Eagle .50 is thrown in there, kinda kills it most of the time.

1249562

It's the fact that people despise this world so much because of the history Humanity has behind it. Though if you'd look at it realistically, Equestria has a much darker history than our own Earth. O.O

Also, people see the land of magical talking ponies as a Utopia where nothing could go wrong. Yet....what do they put into their stories? SOMETHING THAT GOES WRONG! CONTRADICTORY FOR THE WIN!

People think humanity is just violent with no pros behind it. A lot of misanthrope stories tend to be very politically correct, and it irks me. My counter to political correctness: If looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck...IT'S A FUCKING DUCK! Stop trying to calling it something else other than what it really is!

1249602 Bah... that amount of order would drive me insane whiten a week, i don't understand how people could enjoy such quit.

1249562 Well, at least in my HiE, I have a good life. I actually do have a good life in reality. I'm only just restarting my HiE, after seeing how much it went to shit. But seriously, I agree.

1249612 Using the Comedian doesn't make your statement any more valid.

1249628 yes indeed i to love the earth and humanity for the chaos and that happens on a daily basis.True it doesn't have to be all out war or some tragic event,it can simply be a naked dude on the news or some someone say's something racist on t.v *cough*Paula Deen*cough*.

most of the shit that happens in "magical pony land" can be placed into two words.

1249655 You think I seek validation? Ha.

See. When someone voices it people notice. Why isn't there a story about someone with hallucinations going and it bends the truth on if he/she is REALLY there. But no there all Mister Stick up his ass Saint who wouldn't even THINK about betraying his friends for personnal gain.

1249672 Agreed, or when someone almost finds the cure for HIV with a bone marrow transplant, life affirming chaos is best chaos.

If anyone is planning on writing an HiE, feel free to refer to the following video when coming up with a name:

1249562 First, you're just noticing this now?!
Second, these cliches exist because a lot of HiE authors don't want to put the effort into writing a real backstory for heir characters, so they rehash old cliches as a quick way to get their OC to Equestria so that they can move on to having said OC do "badass" and/or fuck the mane six. Possibly both at the same time.
Also, most bronies are between the ages of 15 and 20, so that explains the ever present age range.

1249562 How about a human who believes it his purpose to serve the human race because the traditions of his subspecies of human teaches him nothing else? Brought up to believe that the human race is divinely destine to rule all, he believes in human superiority, but is conflicted by a situation that repetitively beats humans down to an almost worthless place at the hands of another species (Equestrians)? To boot, believes the lies he is told, even killing innocent ponies in the name of those lies, until his life's end wherein he never comes to understand that he'd fought for a damnable liar?

Any different? I'm trying to find a character plot that strays from the norm.

1249562 You have it half right with my characters, being that they all fought in a war with Covenant so we don't really hate earth, it colonies, or it's people. Our issue is knowing a life outside of the constant stress of war and what ever personal demons they my have.

Well because very few people have real creativity so they take everyday subconscious cues that real writers know how to avoid and turn those common everyday ideas into a crappy HiE!

I just got into this website. I don't even know how to reply to comments. Writing on a phone maybe a factor in the latter though.

1249562

I am currently writing a story, and I plan on giving my character back story. However, he is not going to have a shitty life. NO! He wasn't randomly thrown into a Equestria. You'd have to read my story first. I just recently uploaded chapter 3.

1249562

Lazy wish-fulfillment writing, mostly.

Personally, to avoid disappointment, I'd search by ratings. Pay attention to people who seem to know what they're doing. If you want depth . . . those stories are out there, and they're the ones that are constantly recommended. The rest are mostly flash-in-the-pan, I'm sorry to say.

Maybe check out rec's from "Humans aren't Bastards," or the "Good HiE" list. There's a lot of stuff on the site that's thought-provoking, stuff which doesn't feature early 20s angsty male characters. But you've got to wade through a lot of chaff to get to it, I'm sorry to say.

If you read through THIS POST there's a pretty good list of HiE's with non-traditional protagonists midway through.

--admiral biscuit

EDIT: and occasional others, without links (full disclosure: one of mine is mentioned)

1249690 So about this:

Because the earth is full of primitive idiots that will eventually kill themselves, and the world is better off for it.

If I might ask, what makes you think that way?

1249602

1249562 Cause earths a piece of shit.

1249788

1249764 I DID IT! I'M LEARNING! I'M LEEEAAARNING!

1249562 Because some authors just have to piss everyone off with their crappy self-insert OC, sometimes it's not even intentional; and by making them misanthropic and insufferably bitchy because they have had and still have a 'hard' life full of suffering they think the reader(s) will easier symphatize with them. They elevate it even further by disgracing the military. And hey, we all know how it goes right? I actually got a list, just to include a few:

> The protagonist hates the world and humanity just because his/her life sucks, sometimes all by their own doing

> As mentioned above, the character has issues simply because the author believes people will relate to him/her and feel sorry for the sod

> A tragic and/or traumatic backstory that gets added numerous chapters in without any hints about it beforehand whatsoever

> He/she (current majority of this shit is in female HiEs) is sick of humans as their lovers because humans aren't 'gentle' or 'good' enough in bed (almost makes me throw up blood in sincere disgust)

I could go on for hours.

Anyway, there's one particular story with a main character that possess all these traits, and more (alicorn powers granted by Luna's blood, plus all the mares are attracted to him, except Twilight and, for the moment, Fluttershy - and the author keeps piling on more Stu shit as the story progresses - he's actually an immense Gary Stu character. The Stu's name is Isaac (although I call him Gary, for obvious reasons...), and he's probably the most hateable OC I have ever wished death upon since Lance Greenfield from Living The Dream. He is that bad.

The fic is called Somewhere I Belong. You can spare yourself reading it since I have done reviews of every chapter up until ch. 9 (my guess is if you hate whiny OCs you won't read any further), though I'd rather have you read it for the author's sake (and please don't hate on the author or the fic just because the story's main character is an insufferable jerkass who deserves death).

1249562>>1249620

Instead of answering your (OP's) question directly, let me answer why you think they are boring.

Okay. You most likely found this type of character boring right from the start. And the reason is because the lack problems, and ambitions. Those are what make a character likeable.

Hell there's a character like this in cannon. Applejack.

Don't get me wrong. She's cuter than a box of kittens.

But she really doesn't do anything, and is kind of a Mary Sue.

You see where I'm going with this? Give your character something to work towards, and give them personality quirks like being easily angered or being touchy about certain things, and then develop them from there. That's why characters are likable.

1249846
Ugh. Not THAT one. The guy in that is the VERY character I was talking about. Misanthropic guy goes to paradise and bangs every chick he sees. It's gotten old, died, and is spinning in it's fucking grave.

1249587
How about a 100 year old female vampire?

1249942
If she's hot... I will fave. Never said I was morally perfect.

1249925 Indeed. In-sodding-deed. Isaac is beyond hateable and treats everyone like shit (and everyone treats him like shit, but he shrugs it off because he's a 'saint'). It's all the same; the mane six (and all the mares of the village) fall for the whiny bitchbag. Honestly, what respectable girl would bang that guy? And what's with the 'every mare is in heat but the most resilient stallion can't last for more than 2 minutes so everyone must fuck Isaac because he can last 13 minutes at his worst'?

Seriously, no disrespect to the author, but when I see stories like with shitty characters like Isaac getting that popular I almost want to quit reading fanfics.

1250026
Yep. He sucks as a character. I'm not even sorry for saying it. Here's something else. 95% of these stories have the MC have no experience with women yet can get all females to fuck him. No logic it has.

1250093 No logic at all, m'lord.

1250098
We also need more "grey" characters. One's who are on a Highway to Hell but think it's worth it. Like if say if a guy goes to a version where their all either attractive anthro or human and the dude lies about being an important ambassador to get the women and any tribute he would ask as tithe. That's what I would do. We need more badish people going there.

1250193 Devil's Regret/Devil's Due. The main character there is rather likeable. For a violent, trigger-happy asshole, that is.

1250217
Groovy.

1249622
It's a goose.

Dunno about misanthropy, but, generally, use a tragic backstory for a character is usually a way for justificate the desire of the protagonist for stay in Equestria, instead of coming back to Earth.

My two stories, Return to Fake Roots and the sequel Live a Life, or Forge It, are gilty for tragic backstory, and late teenage human.

However, the character doesen't hate Earth or humanity, and the second character is a female young architect with a decent life, and a lot to lose.

1249562 Woot my two human OC's avoids all of these. Mid to late thirties, successful business partners in a private space exploration start up. One has a PhD in some form of mechanical engineering, the other one is a Mensa member with several degrees. No military, never heard of the show and the survivor is severely depressed when his one chance of getting home fails.

So how many cookies do I win?

Guilty as charged about my human OC being an 18 year old. But idk what other trope I honestly put on him really. So idk what opinions I'll get. But he also has a split personality that talks to him, but its basically his jimeny cricket and dosen't get control over his body. And nothing tragic to be honest with my writing. Is tragic past kinda crucial to Human characters? Also he kinda liked his life back on earth, since he just had an ordinary life. Nothing special, just ordinary. That also crucial?

I also have him follow a strict code about how its wrong being attracted to a pony in a conversation with his conscience when it comes to their points of views since I put him in an anthro world. Plus best of all? No fucking on first sight and none of the mares are attracted to him. Cause Friendship is magic (had to use that term, sorry). . . That and I'm avoiding the whole thing about shipping him with any of the mane 6 or background and supporting characters really.

But still don't know what kind of tropes I might have put in.

1249562
Not every military veteran is "riddled with PTSD."

Not me. My OC in one of my fics has the same life as a lot of HiE Protagonists, but he doesn't hate his life. Not only that, but he's heard of MLP and he isn't a brony. Pretty much any brony in equetria fic ends up having the human wanting to stay. Not my OC, he wants to go home and doesn't want to stay any longer than he has to.

I'm not trying to self-advertise my fic, I'm just saying it's not the same as all the others. Although I don't really mind fics where the human wants to stay, I feel like I can relate to those protagonists.

Oh, he is 20 years old, but that's the only cliché I can think of.

1249619

Mankind produced Mister Rogers. I don't understand how anyone can be misanthropic.