Saturday, March 9, 2013

Pony Thoughts of the Day: Character Arcs (Part Two)

There are still a couple of characters whose arcs haven't been finished:

Applejack doesn't have an arc, which is a big part of why I find her boring. There's no clear way to give her one, either--she already has everything she wants, and all of her vices appear in one episode only. If she could acquire one, maybe something to do with the loss of her parents or the family responsibilities that get in the way of her enjoying herself or something like that, it would help the character a lot.

Spike is always either a loyal servant or a greedy jerk; he has no other modes in which to relate to people. And now that Twilight's need for a voice of reason is decreasing, his position as her servant is making less sense. He's tried latching onto being others' servants (Applejack, Rarity), as well as increased the frequency with which he enters greedy jerk mode, but that's not really growing. There's potential here for an arc, and it's never too early to warn kids away from Nice Guy Syndrome.

3 comments:

  1. I actually like Applejack best of the Mane 6. She's steady, loyal, and yes, boring. Boring is good; it means nothing bad is happening; it means my friends and coworkers are one more day closer to coming home safely. Everyone needs someone they can depend on to listen and be there no matter what, and Applejack is that to her friends and family. Even though that looks boring, it's still important.

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    1. That's fair! And I'd say, of the mane six, Applejack would be the one who'd be the best to have in your corner. I just don't find her as entertaining or interesting to watch as the other ponies, and it annoys me that she has had more episodes dedicated to her than anyone other than Twilight, and yet everything we now about her character is still exactly the same as what we knew 60 episodes ago.

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    2. Fair enough. Hey, I even agreed that she's boring, which is kinda opposite from entertaining or interesting. And it wouldn't be a bad thing if they let her grow some, instead of not needing to learn anything ala the cider making contest.

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