Chapters My Little Pony: The Next Generation
Well then, if you’re reading this, that means you’re reading this….. but it also most likely means you’re just really bored and want to see some dumb 14 year old fail at creating a new generation of My Little Pony. If that’s the case, then I don’t blame you. Before we begin I would just like to address the reasons why I’m doing this:
Reason #1: I’m bored
Reason #2: Writing is the only thing I’m somewhat good at so when I thought about this idea, I thought I’d have a go at it
Reason #3: Some other third thing
Now, here are some of the ground rules for this “challenge” if you will. When creating this new generation, I can’t use ANYTHING from Friendship is Magic (but knowing me, I’m going to end up breaking this rule and not even notice)
However I CAN use things that didn't originate from Generation 4, like the different types of ponies, cutie marks, etc. Another thing to keep in mind is the demographic the show is MEANT for. Now I’m not saying I’m going to make it unenjoyable for people outside the intended demographic, I just can’t make the show for the purpose of keeping the Brony fandom alive.
Friendship is Magic started out the same way, it was targeted towards little girls, but it unintentionally created the fandom. But hopefully, my “take” on the franchise will be just as appealing. (odds of THAT happening though are ⅕ ) Basically, this isn’t going to be like Fallout Equestria which has swearing, gore, and sex. It’s going to be a new, TV Y rated, generation created by a mediocre storyteller.
Something else worth mentioning is that I am NOT going to take suggestions from comments (if I ever get any that is) I’m not doing this to be mean and stifle people’s creativity, I just feel that I write better independently and that too many different visions would cause some chaos. A camel is a horse made by committee after all. I’m also not going to make any animations out of this because I’m not good at that stuff, but if you want to see GOOD MLP animation then I suggest Mr. KupKake on youtube, he’s brilliant! (Should I feel ashamed for placing an advertisement for a favorite animator of mine in hopes it will gain him some extra subs? Yes. Am I? No.)
But if you do want to create anything based on this series, knock yourself out. (It’s like I’m assuming this is actually going to be good) And finally I hope you enjoy this series, I know this kind of thing shouldn't be on FimFiction, but I decided to try it out and see what happens. If I am able to inspire anyone to write stories, be it Fan Fics or original novels, then that’ll be good enough for me.
So sit back, relax, and get ready to experience the magic of something besides friendship, this is:
My Little Pony
The Next Generation
My Little Pony: The Next Generation
The Beginner's Guide to Creating Characters
Now if there’s anything you loved from a good show, it was probably the characters. So, naturally, I plan to make likable, relatable, three dimensional characters. Easier said then done.
Well let’s take this one step at a time, first, what makes a character likable?
Well for me it’s always gone down to one basic principle: Is the character someone you want to be, or be with?
If you think back to your childhoods, or even recently, you’ll probably remember seeing a character in a Videogame, or a TV show, or read about one in a book and thought, “Man, wouldn’t it be cool to be THAT guy/girl/thing?!”
For most of you this is probably the case, and it’s not surprising. Who wouldn’t want to be Superman and fly around, have super strength, and score hot women? Who wouldn’t want to be Indiana Jones and go on awesome adventures, find treasure…... and score hot women?
Basically, when you give your characters interesting and fun lives and abilities that are so much so that it makes people want to be that character, that usually means they’re likable. But then again, there’s also characters who are a different kind of likable.
Take for instance, Charlie Brown, from The Peanuts. Now I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be too happy if all my life consisted of was being called a blockhead every time I turned the corner. But the fact that Charlie Brown endures it all, and keeps trying things even after multiple attempts the resulted in utter failure, makes him a likable character. So when you give your character admirable personalities and traits, it also makes them likable, even though they may not be all that strong or powerful. You may not want to BE him, but you do appreciate him. This also ties in with part 2 of the principal: “is the character someone you want to be WITH?”
As previously mentioned, sometimes we don’t want to BE a character for certain reasons, but we DO want to be WITH them. Going back to The Peanuts, I don’t know a lot of people who would want to BE Snoopy, but I sure do know a lot of people who want to be WITH Snoopy, who is just as likable as Charlie Brown and the rest of The Peanuts Gang.
This is also the case for characters like Pikachu and Scooby Doo, we want them as friends or pets, but not to be inside them. (no, not THAT kind of inside, get your mind out of the gutter)
Okay, now let’s move onto what makes a character relatable.
There’s not really any sort of principle to this one, as far as I know of. You just need to make sure that your character, human or not, has human emotions. What do I mean by this?
Well, let’s take a look at Gromit from Wallace & Gromit. Even though he’s a dog and he can’t speak, he still has human like emotions that us humans have on a day to day basis.
For example: in The Wrong Trousers, when the penguin (AKA Feathers McGraw) takes over Gromit’s room and pretty much ends up replacing him (doing things that Gromit would do like getting the newspaper and helping Wallace out with certain things) we see Gromit display emotions of sadness, anger, and jealousy.
Not only can we relate with him with the emotions he has, but we can also relate to him with the situations he’s put in.
Think about it, a lot of us have probably had a friend who met someone new and started hanging out with them more and more and almost completely forgetting about you. There’s even some cases where a friend forgets about another all together, sometimes making it known that they don’t want be friends anymore.
And even though the situation in the example of Wrong Trousers might not be EXACTLY like the scenarios I just talked about, we still know the feeling of being ignored by a friend or a loved one because they’re too busy hanging out with someone else.
And we typically become sad, angry, and/or jealous when it happens, just like Gromit.
Another thing that makes characters relatable is how they act. This includes their interests, their habits, how they deal with certain things etc.
I’m going to use Twilight Sparkle as an example this time. Twilight, who likes to read, learn, study, can sometimes be a perfectionist, and sometimes has trouble being social (at least in the beginning she was) is a lot like my sister who shares similar qualities with her.
And THAT’S what makes good relatable characters, good relatable characters, it’s the fact that when a character has human emotions, situations, and qualities that cause people to see themselves or someone they know in the character.
That way they can connect with them and have a closer relationship with the character. Not only making them relatable, but once again, likable.
Alright, it’s time for the last step on our list, making your character three dimensional.
And no, I don’t mean three dimensional as in a 3D model, I mean three dimensional as in a character who is more complex than a cliché stereotype. Meaning it’s a character that feels more real, more “dimensional” if you will.
One thing I find that helps when making characters more three dimensional is that you should put some of YOU into the character. (again, not THAT kind of in)
The reason why it helps to do this is because no one knows YOU better then YOU. And the more developed and believable personalities, qualities, and traits you give your character, the more three dimensional and real it will be.
One thing to keep in mind, is that a repeating catchphrase, laugh, or any sort of repeated action does NOT, and I repeat, NOT make a fully three dimensional character. It’s okay to give them a catchphrase or some other repeating gimmick if they have more of a character than just that gimmick.
In other words: saying “Well excuse me princess” 100 times does NOT make you a developed character (or ANYTHING ELSE besides annoying) but if you ARE a more developed character than saying “good grief” or “cowlabunga” every once in a while is fine. (If you catch my drift)
Another thing worth mentioning is don’t make your character just have ONE emotion. If you’re human, which you most likely are, you know that you’re not always happy or sad all the time. Some days you’re happy, others you’re sad, sometimes it’s both.
You can of course still give them an emotion they’re most known for like Pinkie Pie who’s known for always being happy, or Fluttershy who’s known for always being sweet and shy. But then again, those characters also had moments when they didn't act like their usual selves (i.e. Party for One) making them, of course, more three dimensional.
And finally, make sure you give your character flaws. The reason why is because when you make your character perfect, they also become bland, and un-relatable.
Take Sonic the Hedgehog for example: even though he is very skilled and has a good heart, there were moments when he would make a mistake or break a promise. (at least in the shows and comics)
This wasn't because he was bad, it was just because he had a moment of wrongdoing, because he isn't perfect, like human beings.
Making him not only just three dimensional, but also relatable, and likable. Ladies and gentleman, we have gone full circle! Boo-Yah!
My Little Pony: The Next Generation
Alright, it’s time to apply what we talked about last time to create our show’s protagonist(s).
Now obviously I’m not going to write my entire thought process and different types of characters that led up to the final ones because that would take too long and be incredibly boring. (I probably bore you enough if you read chapter 2)
What I AM going to do is give you a synopsis of the final characters, and some of reasons why I created them that way.
Alright, now before I decided who the main characters were going to be, I wanted to decide HOW MANY main characters there were going to be.
Obviously, there were six main characters in Generation 4, but that doesn’t mean there has to be six in this one too.
After some thought, I decided I’d have there be two main characters. I also decided the two would be siblings, brother and sister. Why? Well any good writer will tell you to write what you know” as in, write about things you know about or have experienced.
As previously mentioned, I have a sister, so writing two characters that have a brother-sister relationship will be easy for me to write since I know what it’s like to be in a relationship like that.
And because they’re brother and sister, they can blend their way into learning lessons about family, teamwork, etc.
Since this is a show for little girls, I’m going to make the sister the more important of the two because, well, do I really have to explain this?
Alright, so the first character of the two is Paintbrush, the sister. She’s a unicorn who likes to paint. (duh) She’s usually a very positive pony but sometimes has moments when she isn’t too happy with her life’s conditions. She also regularly gets annoyed by her brother who’ll get too later. She usually spends her days off in her own little world, constantly zoning out, sometimes at times when she should be doing anything but. She doesn’t have that many friends but not because she’s shy or antisocial, she just usually spends her time imagining. Also, the area she lives in doesn’t have many people to really hang out with. She’s a level-headed thinker who likes to solve puzzles, brain teasers, and any other form of thinking problems. She isn’t all that athletic although she does appreciate a good jog or walk from time to time and is also a healthy eater. She’s very critical when it comes to her paintings, as well as other things, so she’s a little bit of a perfectionist. She’ll try one circle 1000 times just so she can it exactly the way she wants it to be, she’s very much a quality over quantity type of mare. She can cause problems because she tries so hard to get everything just right that she usually forgets about something she was supposed to do or NOT do. She can also be very adventurous, especially when it comes to finding a new location to use as reference for a painting. She’s usually well mannered, even when she doesn’t necessarily like somepony. She can work well with others, unless it’s about something in her area of expertise like art. She’s kind, but doesn’t get a lot of opportunities to display that kindness, but when she does, she’ll do her best to make you feel loved.
She’s Paintbrush
Alas there can’t be a duo if there isn’t two of them, so meet Neapolitan, the brother. Neapolitan, is a reckless, cocky, skillful action hero of a pegasus….. at least, that’s who he WANTS to be. You see, Neapolitan, actually has an alter-ego named SkullFace, who is an all black stallion with red eyes and a skull face cutie mark. Neo himself doesn’t have any of these attributes, but, there’s nothing a can of black paint and red context can’t fix. No, he isn’t a superhero or a daredevil, it’s just a disguise he puts on at school, and everywhere else, so he can fit in with the cool foals. He’s a kind of pony who wants to be the center of attention and is constantly worrying about his reputation. Why does he go out of his way to completely change his appearance? Well, not only is it because he wants to be cool and popular, it’s also because he was born with a PINK coat. And a character like Neo DEFINITELY wouldn’t want a little something like THAT on his reputation. One thing that Neo does have going for him is that he’s extremely good at getting what he wants. He’s good at betting, persuading, and pretty much anything else that will help him get his way. He’s also extremely athletic and muscular, able to push himself to limits far beyond his peers. The thing about Neo is that he sometimes finds that what he has to do to keep his popularity up, may not be what he WANTS to do. For example, while he may say he would “love” to do nothing more than talk about crushes with the other colts, deep down, he really has a craving to do something artistic like his sister. And when he does discover something that he enjoys and has a knack for that isn’t all that “hip”, he pushes it back down and tries to forget about it. He tries to have a good heart, but more often than not his selfishness gets in the way of doing the right thing. And while he does like to get on his sister’s nerves, he still loves her with all his heart, even if he doesn’t openly admit it. In the end, Neapolitan is a pony who is strong, but is incredibly lost when it comes it being himself.
He's Neapolitan.
And now that we have our main characters, it’s time to give them an adventure they will never forget….. in the next chapter.
My Little Pony: The Next Generation
Now a show needs just as good of a world(s) as it does characters. If you're making a show (or a movie) that takes place in modern day earth like The Office or Parks and Rec. then you won’t really have to put a lot of creativity into that world because it’s, well, OUR WORLD. But then again you may have to make a more imaginative world if you’re writing a story that takes place in a post-apocalyptic future but god knows we enough of those!
A word you’ve probably heard relating to fictional worlds in TV and Movies is “Atmospherical”. What do people mean when they say this? Well a simple way of saying is that a world is atmospherical when you feel like you’re IN a world.
For this I’ll use an example that we’re probably all familiar with: Equestria. Think about all the places in Equestria, and better yet, think of the detail. Ponyville, Canterlot, The Crystal Empire, these are all places that have atmosphere.
And when I say they have atmosphere, I don’t mean they just have buildings, I mean they have buildings with color that fits with the world, and buildings with architecture that fits with the world. In other words, everything in a world is designed to play a role in shaping that world.
For example: Canterlot, from the outside, consists of buildings that seem to have a lot of curves and spirals, and it’s color pallet seems to be light shades of yellow, gold, and white. All colors that are associated with royalty, remember that because it’s going to be important later. The architecture (the way the buildings are designed) aren't that of the kind you would see from medieval times, but rather that of Arabian. Okay so the two aren't SPOT ON with each other, but there is some of it in the way that most of the structures are very curved and cylindrical and how the roofs of the buildings start of fat and then decrease a they go up (AKA Hershey's Kisses). Then again there still is a LITTLE bit of a medieval element there especially with the castle, but I also see influence from the Italian Renaissance.
Now just because that’s how I see it doesn’t mean that’s how you or the shows creators see it. The architecture of fictional worlds, like many things in art, can have multiple interpretations. The important thing is, is that the design of the world tells you what the tone and the mood of the world is.
If you’ve taken 7th grade language arts then you’ll know what these two words mean. But just for the fun of it, I’m going to talk about them anyway.
Tone is how the author, in this case, the show’s creator(s) feels about the subject, in this case, the world. And mood is how the reader, in this case, the viewer, feels about the subject (the world again).
Going back to Canterlot, the way it’s designed suggests that the tone and mood is along the lines of happy and peaceful. Remember when I talked about Canterlot’s color pallet? Well the the fact that the colors are very bright shades adds to the tone and mood we established earlier. But the actual COLORS chosen are there to establish the fact that it’s a place of royalty, and, surprise surprise, IT IS!
But if we we’re to make those colors darker, make the buildings a little (or a lot) more broken down, and maybe even change the weather to make the clouds darker and gloomier, that tone and mood from before would DRASTICALLY change (AKA Fallout Equestria).
And keep in mind that not ALL of Equestria looks like Canterlot, and that’s something that gives worlds atmosphere: variety. The Everfree Forest isn’t like Canterlot just like Texas isn’t like Oregon. The design of every single location in a world is tailored to driving home it’s tone, mood, and purpose. But, all the locations usually have a similar theme to create the world. And using the theme of the locations in Equestria, one could tell that it’s a world of Fantasy and Magic, and SURPRISE SURPRISE, you fill in the rest.
Another thing to keep in mind is that just because a world or location is mostly “empty” doesn’t mean it doesn’t have atmosphere. Because, believe it or not, the feeling of emptiness or loneliness is ALSO tone and mood. Just make sure you give it an appropriate color pallet and design.
Another way at looking at a world's atmosphere is by looking at the worlds in video games, a media where the world is more important than ever.
If you’ve ever read or watched a video game review, you’ve probably encountered the words “linear” and “non-linear”. In video game terms, linear means a game that has little to one pathway and non-linear means a game in which the player can explore multiple pathways that may or may not lead to different endings. (Now I just scratched the surface as to what linear and non-linear games are, there’s more to them, I just wanted to give you a basic idea).
Now, let’s apply linear and non-linear to a world in a TV Show. A linear world would probably be the basics things needed to make up a world and nothing more (e.g. civilization, wildlife, etc). But a non-linear world would be much more complicated and would have multiple things going on at once with all kinds of objects filling up every nook and cranny, making it feel like, a world! And while you can’t necessary explore it besides the places the characters explore, you still feel like you’re there.
I don’t know who said this quote but I agree with it: “The background is it’s own character, and it is just as important as the actual characters.”
What this quote means is that even though the background (or world) doesn’t move or speak like a character, it still IS one because it has traits and personalities (features) that you can identify. So in a way, worlds have their own emotions. One world will be happy, while the other is sad, metaphorically of course. And again, like characters, they aren’t always one emotion. The happy world can be sad sometimes and the sad world can be happy sometimes.
And if artists didn’t care about creating creating worlds with atmosphere, than concept artist and background artist wouldn’t be a thing.
Now I can’t really describe you the worlds that will be in TRA (The Rainbow Adventures) sense worlds are more of a visual thing. The reason why I could explain Canterlot is because, well, there’s already a visual of Canterlot. As I’m writing this I have another tab open with an image of Canterlot that I used for writing this chapter. Anyway, be on the lookout for the kind of worlds I create in the “Pilot Episode” chapter which is…. the next chapter? OH MY CELESTIA! IT IS!
Yes, you have finally made it. After all my ramblings and poorly written sex jokes, you made it to the actual episode. Now because FimFiction doesn’t allow scripts I’m going to write the episode like it’s any other Fan Fic. After the episode I’ll have a chapter that will wrap everything up in a hopefully, nice little bow.
And with that, I hope you enjoy the episode.
My Little Pony: The Next Generation
Well, now that we have our characters, it’s time to decide what the plot of the show will be.
And when I say “plot”, I mean the premise of the show, not the plot of the pilot episode or any other episode specifically.
For example the premise of Friendship is Magic was usually the Mane 6 solving a problem in Ponyville using friendship, teamwork, etc. Occasionally they would go on quests and adventures, but those usually take place during season premieres and finales.
And again, I'm not going to put down my entire thought process because, again, that would take ages. To summarize I made sure that I had a good strong plot line for a kids show that could fill multiple 30 minute episodes.
So without further ado, here’s the premise:
In the town of Indigo, a family moves in to start a new life. Part of that family is a brother and sister, Neapolitan and Paintbrush. As the two start to settle in, they accidentally discover a rainbow that takes them to a dimension called “The Prism”, a place where no color exists, except for a pony named Spectrum. (Spectrum is a pony who has a hollow inside for the only thing he’s made out of is a rainbow) He tells the siblings that because they have found the rainbow, they are now tasked with the responsibility of putting the world known as “The Canvas" back together. The Canvas was once a peaceful planet, but when arguments arose on how their world should progress, The Canvas split up into six different planets. So now it is up to our two heroes to travel to these planets and restore The Canvas back to it’s original state in:
My Little Pony
The Rainbow Adventures
So obviously this show is going to be more adventure based than slice of life based. Is this a bad idea?
Probably.
But no time to worry about that now, for it’s time to move on to the next step: creating our worlds.
