ME's Blogospherical Device: Part the Second · 1:18am Mar 20th, 2012
The Blank Slates, Background Characters and OCs
I'm about to indulge myself by talking about one of my biggest pet hates of the fandom. This will be about, as you may have gleaned from the title, what I call the Blanks Slates and Original Characters.
Blank Slates as observed in their natural state.
These Blank Slates are, of course, the background characters, but it's a little bit more than that. Some background characters are given enough personality and dialogue to be used properly in fanfiction and other things. I don't mean all background characters are blank slates, we've been given some info about Derpy to piece together a little bit of a personality for her. I mean the proper background characters that not only have no dialogue or personality, but are actually copy-pasted to be used in crowd scenes.
These characters are so unimportant that they are really just props, or background gag pieces and gimmicks. Lyra and Bonbon are very good examples. They're gimmicks; their frequency of being paired up for scenes has become something of a thing for the show. But I often find myself asking why they were the ones that got so much attention from the fandom. What made them so special that the fans decided to use them in art, stories and other products of their own?
Other characters are the same: Caramel, Carrot Top, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, for example. They show up very frequently in comics and fics, despite most not even getting a voice or a personality. They might do one thing, such as Caramel losing seeds or Octavia's little trademark look in the final Season One episode, and then many people take that and define them by it. Hell, this was done with one piece of dialogue: Derpy saying "muffins" in Applebuck Season. Now it's the same tired gimmick over and over and over again: Derpy really likes muffins. If anyone saw the character solely through some stories and comics, they'd think the show would have her hopping around the screen with a muffin on her head and proclaiming her joy for the baked treat every second. All this over one piece of dialogue is an example of the overreaction of the fandom - something I'll highlight later.
I call these characters Blank Slates because that's exactly what they are; things without voices or personality other than what we put in them. They're just shells with labels that a fan can fill in at their own leisure. They are, in fact, no different from OCs. Yet why do we see them featured in their own stories? Why are they so popular despite having nothing at all going for them other than whatever we can imagine they have going for them. Allegrezza is an insanely popular story that is most likely very well written with characterisation done very well, but it shows that there is indeed a popularity for these Blank Slate characters.
Yet despite this, there is also a very alarming dislike - an almost instinctive one - for original characters in the fandom. For many people, there's a little alarm bell that rings every time they see a colour scheme and name made up entirely by a fan. Some will immediately judge a story based on whether it has an OC or not; some even quite radically automatically downgrade a story's rating based on OCs. Others may not do that, but they may still start reading a fic with a prejudice against it based on the fact that it has an OC.
This is the overreaction of the fandom I was talking about earlier. Not everyone does it; not even most do it - I hope. But it still happens and it is incredibly hypocritical. As I've said before, there are very popular fics built around what are effectively props in the form of characters with personality injected into them by the writers. Many who instinctively hate OCs love these stories. Those people are goddamn hypocrites, and this is my pet peeve of the fandom. There is no difference between Octavia and Storm Ironmane; besides the fact that the latter has an incredibly stupid name.
Storm in action. He's faster than Rainbow Dash, stronger than Big Macintosh, more powerful than the Princesses and smarter than Twilight. Go Storm!
I think the dislike to OCs and the love for these background characters can be pinpointed to a couple of things. One actually stems from my example in the last paragraph. If you see an OC named something like "Storm Ironmane", you sort of know it's going to be a badly written story. The name is stereotypically 'cool'. OCs have the danger of having a characterisation that makes them a Mary Sue, or at least an unlikeable character. With an OC comes the complete and utter freedom to do what you want with it, and with that comes the chance of completely ballsing up the character and story.
With Blank Slate background characters, it's a different story. While theoretically, you could make Vinyl Scratch a dainty wallflower who happens to like racing music, and Octavia a drunk, headstrong loudmouth, that almost never happens in practice. The fandom has sort of built its own characterisation for these background characters. It may not be exact every time, but people go in expecting Octavia to be a certain way and Vinyl another. These characters are liked perhaps not because they're the writer's inventions so much as they're the inventions of the fandom as a whole - these background characters belong to us all through the combined consensuses of what their characters would ideally be like.
Of course, this isn't so cut and dry for the rest of them. There are no fixed fanon characterisations for Lyra or Bonbon, except perhaps the former might be a bit more headstrong and free-spirited than the latter. Even Derpy's character has varied wildly. Some portray her as a hardworking, very loving mother. Others portray her as a bubbly, chipper girl. Others even portray her as a full blown retard.
"You never go full retard"
Though her character has narrowed down considerably since her speaking role, we still have plenty of wiggle room to fill her in with ourselves. So still, this all doesn't really answer my question of why these characters are so popular. Vinyl and Octavia may have something of a fanon personality, but Lyra and Bonbon have little outside memes; other than that, they're essentially OCs. So why are they so loved despite being as subjective and unknown as the OCs so many people are aversive to?
I think it comes back to the fact that they're something we can all identify with as a whole. These characters, despite having no voice (besides Bonbon, she has several) or personality, are familiar to us. They're a part of the fandom in that they're templates that have been used over and over again, and we've grown used to having them around. Despite not knowing them as characters, we know them as symbols or tools; memes and a collection of stories that sort of narrow them down, or at least pin them down for long enough for us to like them. Unlike completely new and completely built-from-the-ground-up OCs, who we haven't had time to fall in love with or identify as a part of the whole of the fandom. OCs just don't have the exposure that the Blank Slates do. They're made by the individual; they're not a community-contributed creation, which is effectively what the background characters we love so much are.
I'm not saying that people who hate OCs are bad or anything; there are often legitimate reasons to hate many OCs. I'm just saying people shouldn't instinctively hate OCs they haven't given a chance, and shouldn't go into a story with the fixed mindset of "OCs=bad". Especially when they love what are essentially OCs; or at least Original Characters made by the fandom rather than a single person.
I do wonder why it is that some of these new, Season Two characters who don't have any speaking roles or personality get more fics made out of them than side characters or background characters who at least have an establishing line of dialogue or a scene. It might have something to do with familiarity, but I'm sure they'll get their due at some point in time.
One of these days I'm going to write a story featuring a wallflower Vinyl who finds her confidence through music, a loudmouth, abrasive Octavia who keeps up an air of dignified superiority, a hyperintelligent Derpy, Lyra and Bonbon who aren't doing each other (gasp!) and Carrot Top who acts as silly around the Straight Man Derpy (where it's usually the other way around). I'll call it "My Little Blasphemy: Fanon is Subjective".
What Equestria is like
A lot of people think Celestia is an absolute ruler; her word is law and her wrath is terrible. She is literally two steps from going full tyrant on the happy-go-lucky denizens of Equestria and runs the government almost single-handedly.
I do not. I don't even think she plays all too much an important part in actually governing the country. It makes sense, if you think about it. We never see her do anything that's actually important; no tax reforms or decrees or government rulings of any kind. She just goes to public events and pops up at ceremonies. She does this quite frequently, as well, which seems to me like she has free time to do it. She even visits Twilight's town for brunch and stays there for a meeting with the Mayor. If she really did run the government, she would most likely not have time for this.
In fact, her very personality doesn't seem to me like the type to try and run everything for her little ponies, or take an absolute role in government. I think Equestria is run more like the United Kingdom, or perhaps even pre-2011 reforms Morocco. I think she most likely delegates the running of the country to a Prime Minister Head of Government and Parliament and remains the Head of States (alongside her sister). This was likely done after reforms over the course of a thousand years and the country grew in size and average people became more and more powerful and democratic.
I think the Sisters' roles are more ceremonial and traditional than anything; they raise the sun, go to public events and participate in government a little bit, but otherwise leave the government and the bureaucracy alone to most of their devices. They likely also have a more-than-theoretical ability to act as a countermeasure to an authoritarian, over-controlling Parliament/Prime Minister, like what the monarchy's theoretically supposed to be in the UK. If a PM or Parliament gets too powerful or out-of-control, then the Sisters can bring them into line. Not just through their immense magical power, but also through the popular support of the Public (which would be the British monarchy's weapon against a tyrannical PM, theoretically).
Not to say they have no decision in government; they most likely have considerable amount of input. They also likely hold an Ultimate Defence of the Realm-type role when dealing with threats to the nation; as well as acting as Commanders-in-Chief of the defence forces or whatever the Equestrians have. They still have enough time and prerogative to go around Equestria acting as the public face of the government; attending ceremonies like the Gala or the Running of the Leaves or the Young Fliers' Competition. They also have enough pull with the public and government to go and deal with problems (like the parasprite problem in Fillydelphia Celestia claimed needed her help, if it wasn't just an excuse made up off the top of her head so Twilight could save face) - most likely because they have the magical capabilities to actually fix many of those problems.
Democracy is also most likely evident in Equestria. I'm never sure about those stories that say there is no such thing as democracy in the country; like the story Ponytics. It is most likely, in my mind, that the mayor of Ponyville was voted into office. She's pretty incompetent (fussing over and screwing up the organisation of Winter Wrap-Up; the childlike sponsorship of the bet between the Apples and the Flimflam Brothers), so she couldn't have been appointed based on merit. She doesn't look like an aristocrat or a noble, so it's not likely she got the job based on feudalism. She might have had a wealthy friend or family member in government who managed to get her appointed to mayor of a town, but I think it's more likely and safer to assume democracy exists in the show. If democracy exists on the municipal level, it's safe to say that it also exists on the national level.
In fact, the more I think about it, the more this place seems to be shaping up to function like the UK. Its aristocracy are a bunch of old-money people who don't actually run anything (Blueblood seems to spend more time attending public functions than anything) and it's likely that there are democratic processes that lead to Prime Ministers and Members of Parliament.
Or that's just my view. For all I know, the Sisters do actually run the country as absolutist rulers and make the time for all their activities as well, but there's still going to be someone under them who makes sure everything actually runs. If this is so, I can picture in my mind a sort of ponified Thomas Wolsey. Or maybe Celestia is completely in control; not needing something so pathetic as a chancellor
Celestia don't need no Dragon. She's her own Dragon.
Parting Words
Thanks once more for reading this highly opinionated edition of my blog! Expect future topics to be: Villians, Alicorns, Romance and How to Make Your Very Own Original Character!
Remember to Comment!
I get the feeling you weren't actually serious about MLB:FIS, but if you were I'm totally reading that, lol.
MLB:FIS sounds like heaven.
The reason most OC ponies are disliked is because of the after taste effect for most people: mary sue OC characters, we've had so many of them that (most) people are sick of it.
The reason the background and side characters are so very well liked is that: while they do (sort of) have a personality, it's not defined enough.
So people can write stories about vinyl scratch taking over Equestria with an army of ravers and nobody would be able to say that that's not how vinyl is (though many would) because it's all fanfiction, and in the overarching story... It's all fiction.
here:
Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity. ~G.K. Chesterton
Pleasant days.
I think you're rather spot on with both the subjects. Background are familiar from the show, and thus offers more security in that they won't go berserk and save the world a couple of times than the amount of Storm Ironmanes running around giving OC characters a bad rep. I mean, just look at Fallout Equestria! That is possibly the biggest gathering of OCs this side of the Discordian era, and that's still seen as one of the greatest stories in the fandom. Sadly I am as biased as most other bronies, 'specially when dealing with the "One of the Mane Six falls in love with an OC character" genre of fics. I know I am just prejudicial and silly, but everytime I see OC and one of the mane six in a ship-fic my MSA (Mare-y Sue Alarm) goes berserk... I don't even know where I got the thought from! I've barely read any OC stories in any fandom I've been part of before MLP, barely even here... but I digress!
About the princesses though, I do actually think they are the absolute rulers of the land, but in everything else you say I think you're correct. I see Equestria as a Constitutional Monarchy, where the Princesses are head of both State and Government, and the people vote not for who shall rule the land but who shall hold the uppermost minister posts and thus rule the ministries and everything inside, though they all answer to the princesses and ask them for uttermost approval of plans, ideas and reforms and so forth. I do want to think the princesses have more say in what happens in their lands, but that's just me being fix in how I think a monarchy should be ruled and biased through the fics I've already read which touches the subject. Can't say I know how the system in the UK works, but from what I've heard and seen I'd say Equestria is rather British!
Please make MLB:FiS. It sounds GLORIOUS.
You've basically summed up how I feel about OCs and why they shouldn't be hated merely for being an OC character.
I've always given fics with OCs a chance and really appreciate it when they're done right .
It's the whole "IM AN ALICORN PRINCESS NAMED FAIRY SUPER BLOSSOM WHO'S RELATED TO CELESTIA BUT AM MORE POWERFUL! I MAKE OUT WITH TWILIGHT!" or bland, one sided, uninteresting characters that irritates me and are greatly despised by the rest of the fandom. Some people just won't give the author a chance to show off a good character and just think OC = BURN WITH FIRE. It saddens me because most of my favorite fanfics have or are nothing but OCs.
Also I've never thought about the sisters ruling that way, makes sense. I never really like the whole tyrant Celestia thing.
MLB:FiS must come to pass.
I really like your views on how the Equestrian government works. I've never thought of the Princesses as controlling every little detail, but I still always think of them, or at least Celestia, as very busy with little free-time, and as having to pull lots of strings to make time for those trips to Ponyville we see in the show. I like your view of them basically just being overseers, letting Equestria run itself and just making sure it doesn't do anything dumb. It would even fit with Celestia's motherly personality.
I completely agree on the government being like the UK. The only way she could handle all the problems that Equestria face would be if she is omnipotent. Know for the first topic. I have never really liked OCs or blank slates. This way before coming to this fandom. When I saw the first season it was the mane six that I feel for(and Spike). The personality and development of these character is what keeps me interested in the series. In fanfics I prefer stories that follow these charter preferably at least two just for interaction. I don't mind light use of OCs for plot development, enemies, or sacrifices. I do have a problem when they become to numerous. For me its hard remembering ever made up characters in some of these stories of course there's always the exception. Now for blank slates I really don't care. They fall into the OC line of thought for me. I can tolerate the in small doses but I just can't read a story dedicated to them and I have tried numerous times. now that I think about it Luna was a blank slate for log while. Even with her having a episode we still don't know a lot about her or her sister. So for now I plan to stick with mane 6 stories with lite OCs. Oh, you really should write that story I think I could read something that destroy the fandoms conceptions of the characters.
I agree with your thoughts. I try to avoid bringing in prejudice based on where the character came from. I find I can often tell a 'bad' type OC within a few paragraphs if not the description itself nearly all the time. So it really does not waste that much time to me to try if the subject matter sounds interesting at least.
You raise a very good point. Looking at my set of tracked stories, a large percentage of them and my favorites among them use OCs heavily. Hell, Synchronicity introduced an entire Original Species (sort of). Other favorites in the list, like primalcorn1's Scootaloo Dash trilogy and Stories in Stone use extensive amounts of OC's, both as substantial background characters and as main characters.
But for all that, I still find myself crossing out the OC checkbox when I search for new stories. Because, unfortunately, as great as those stories are, they wind up drowning in a sea composed of dishwater OC's and Mary Sue OC's. OC's are just too unpredictable to reliably look for. Even when I go to read a well liked story with the OC tag, my thought process tends more towards "prove me wrong" than "I'm going to enjoy this story," because of the trend.
In that regard, I think the blank slates are more liked and more used because of that guardrail effect. A bit like those yellow diamond speed limits on twisting roads, there isn't an actual punishment for not obeying, but if you screw up you won't find any sympathy from onlookers. Can you make a story where the Cakes actually run an underground pony-trafficking ring? Sure. It might even be good. I'm sure there's a story that could be worked into that about the twins. But if it crashes and burns, nobody's going to console you over the flaming wreckage because the character warnings were in place and you probably should have known better.
Also for MLB:FiS you need the Prime Minister to appear so that he can do legalizing and to bemoan that "the public just loves the royalty don't they? It's not like they ever raise taxes oh no. They just smile and wave." or something similar to that.
I would read MLB:FiS.
ok heres my belief on OC's and Blank Slates
would be ashamed at the narrow sighted ness of these fellow bronies. but alase i digress oc's are usefull for non cannon purposes and most story's that have caught my fancy have usually had oc's in them and were actually good but then again... to each his own. anyway oc's arent bad aslong as there used properly like harmony in EOP, moonbeam in ATFN, or even the sun in Eternal. the only problem for me is when a story is completely devoid of the cannon characters thats when i am a little prejudiced but then again "chip happens"as stated in the ambassadors son anyway yes thats my opinion on those two items. now to rest my poor fingers and get back to fan fic reading oooo and also i'm making a story now that actually uses oc's too, so do tell me if its going to be a mary sue its called From the ashes i need someone to tell me if its any good before i shoot myself in the foot from bordom
.or so i can scrap it entirely if it's garbage. 
first i'll start with blank slates they are basically oc's that have already been defined and are ready to use based on the authors ideals about the characters, they have an open dialogue usage and personality's based on characters, and most authors stick with the typical fandom ideals of the blank slate characters having the use of an already fully designed character that is not cannon makes it easyer to flesh them into the story your working on so less work and yess there is the buffer that if you dont suckseed in making it work then its good cause people dont particularly care aslong as the story is good. the only other thing i'll add about that is that i think blank slates are ok aslong as they arent abused or turned into mary sue type characters.
now to the OC's origional characters are usefull in that you can add them anywhere in the story but a good author sticks with a set of oc's and uses them throughout the story or atleast uses them properly rather than turning them into mary sue op hogwash otherwise i've been spoiled in that i've read a copius ammount of good story's maybe not fallout equestria but end of ponies has turned out to be one of my favorits even if it exploits oc's and blank slates up to the eyeballs it is a good read for those who are able to read through over twenty thousand words a chapter [without going derp on the verboseness of this story.] it is a beautiful example of how ideotic it is to automatically assume that oc's are bad. i mean even
anyway i agree that the government system would be somewhat like the british system of parlament but unlike that system celestia gats final say on major things like tax and laws the ideas have to make it through parlament then get past the primepony then anything superduper important goes to celestia for approval or revision then aproval that is if she approves it at all. anyway thats as much as i can simplify it. thanks for reading this Garble-รณ-NonSence