Finished it! Thanks for those who participated. I really appreciate it!

The first bit is just my reviewing two OC's, but the second half has some good tips on characterization. I discuss the different tools we authors have to express character traits in an engaging way as well as criticism vs. constructive feedback.

[Warning, this is my first attempt at a podcast. Do not expect fabulous or you shall be disappointed.]

Got ideas for other topics? Comment below!

4967944 Wow, that was quick.

4967944 So, a reaction to your review:

You can stop worrying about your voice. You sound completely normal and personable, and you're easy to understand. I would say you have a good YouTube voice.

I'm glad you liked Brownie's colors and lack of magic; I originally invented her as a reaction to all the red-and-black alicorns. Some of the problems you highlighted are the fault of my hasty character summary and weren't much of an issue in the actual story (especially the disconnectedness). The name not matching the cutie mark is part of the alternate universe, but thanks for noticing. (It's a river in a canyon, signifying persistence, for what that's worth.)

Brownie's overly-tragic past is only mentioned after the fact in the story. Instead of changing Brownie into a psychological basket case, I would rather change her backstory to match her current personality. A large part of the story is her learning to trust people again. I have long suspected that I got carried away with the emotional trauma. Could you recommend a more appropriate event in her past that would make her paranoid and self-reliant, but not crazy? (The mental effect might be mitigated by the fact that she was 12, almost an adult. I realize I left that out of the write-up)

Yay for drab ponies.

I suspected that there would be no easy answer to those questions, but what you said makes perfect sense.