Public Service Announcement - Pinkie Pie is actually a character · 6:06am Apr 19th, 2014
Hey.
We need to talk.
Just you and me. One on one. Just between us.
Come on in. Sit down, please.
No. Not there.
I’ve been hearing some things about you. Some very scary things. I’m worried about you.
Not there, either.
There’s this gal we both know, and her name is Pinkie Pie. I’ve been hearing bad things about what you’ve been doing with her. And it’s making me sad.
No. Not there, either. Actually, how about you just stay standing. Because you suck at sitting down.
You also suck at writing Pinkie Pie.
Here’s the thing. Despite what you seem to believe, Pinkie Pie is not a one-off joke. She is also not a series of jokes. Just because you’ve written Pinkie Pie into a scene does not mean that you are required to also write a joke for her to tell. If you do feel it is absolutely necessary to the integrity of the scene that she tell a joke, please make sure it is a joke that is related to the scene in some meaningful way.
Because Pinkie Pie is also not a non sequitor. She is not an absurdity, lacking sense, reason, and meaning. If you write Pinkie Pie into a scene, write her into the scene. She should be a conscious, participating member of the scene, an integral part of the action, or she shouldn’t be in the scene. If you write her into a scene, make sure that she has a reason, a vested personal interest, in the scene and the actions taking place in that scene. Just like every other character.
Because Pinkie Pie is a character. She is self aware. She has a defined personality. She has aspirations and motivations. She has flaws and strengths. She has emotions. She develops and maintains real relationships with other characters. If you write Pinkie Pie into a scene, you must devote as much time and attention to her character as you do every other character in that scene.
I understand Pinkie Pie can be a difficult character to write. It’s easier to get into the mindset of a character like Twilight or Applejack, and understand how they view a certain situation or problem, how they think. But if Pinkie Pie is in your scene, you have to get into her mindset, too. You have to try to understand how she will view that particular situation or problem, what reaction she will have, and the thought process behind that reaction.
But most importantly, if you take nothing else away from this talk, I want you to understand that Pinkie Pie is not a joke involving breaking the 4th wall. Not only is it not required that you write a 4th wall related joke for Pinkie Pie, but if you do, it won’t be funny. Because it is uncreative and cliche. Don't do it.
Now please leave.
You smell bad.
I am of the opinion that my story perfectly captured Pinkie Pie's essence, thank-you-very-much :P
Hear hear! I've read very few fics that have done her well.
But I smell like bacon, and bacon smells good.
What's funny is how writing pinkie ponk correlates so little with the overall quality of the fic. You see great writers fall flat on pink all the time but for some reason some of my favorite B authors just write her amazingly like season 1.
Preach it, Hoof.
There's only one part of this that I disagree with (other than the implication that I'm bad at writing Pinkie
), which is the blanket '4th wall jokes aren't funny' statement.
The problem with 4th wall jokes, particularly in fan fiction, is that people don't understand why 4th wall jokes are funny, but try to write them anyway. Therefore, we get a lot of 4th wall jokes where the 'joke' is that they acknowledged the 4th wall, and... that's it.
That's pretty awful.
Every time I see Pinkie say "blah blah blah the readers" or "blah blah blah next chapter" I cringe.
But if you actually make a joke out of it, with a set up and a punch line, they can be pretty funny. This takes actual effort, unlike just acknowledging the 4th wall, of course. Also, it usually takes subtlety, and asking fan fiction writers to be subtle is kind of a waste of time.
I've done one 4th wall joke in my Fimfic writing career, and I think it was pretty decent, though it definitely isn't the funniest joke in the chapter, let alone the scene. I waffled on whether or not to include it, but in the end I went with it just because it made me smile.
Pinkie Pie deserves better, certainly. She's not a joke, nor is she psychotic - she's a sensitive, enthusiastic advocate of happiness, and the headcanon that prevails amongst most writers is falsely rooted in grandiose comedy for being subjected to wild creative ideas.
Certainly she's hilarious and fun, but therein lies the problem - the reason Pinkie is wired so badly is for the balance she loosely maintains. Although our party pony extraordinaire is everything frivolous and free, she's also riddled with guilty expectations and troubled by failing others.
Having said that, there are many works that present Pinkie as a deep and meaningful sort. Sometimes they can stray too far from the measure, but they're trying to exemplify an extreme in an opposite to the common portrait of our fuchsia fanatic.
Good stuff. Love to see a Pinkie supporter speak out. Er, type out. You know what I mean!
so true :(
I don't smell that bad!
...
*Sniffs armpit*
...
*Passes out*
Pinkie Pie is not a "thing" that you put into scenes just to make them funny or just so that you can complete the Mane 6. She voices her own opinions, and is sensitive towards the actions done upon her, but mostly her friends.
Pinkie is a character that has and will always be dedicated to making everyone's day better or to keep them company in times of problems and such. She is not some psychotic maniac or a retarded character. She devotes most of her time on making the ponies she knows smile and treat them with respect in her own little ways.
Some people say that Pinkie is an attention whore, especially in Pinkie Pride, but what they did wrong is that they completely brush off her actions on Party of One. She was seen as not a maniac, but an insecure pony that could make false truths about the situation of which she has not a single clue on what it is, it was also kind of shown that she was selfish on the terms of being left out or ignoring what other people need (i.e rest) at that moment.
She grew from being insecure, and even being selfish after that episode, on Too Many Pinkies when RD and her were relaxing by the lake, RD was relaxing by the lake and as she asked Pinkie for some peace and quiet, that was what Pinkie did (in her own way).
Pinkie is not a joke nor a gag to make your story more funny, she is a character that feels emotion just like everyone does.
~ The Watcher 509
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Two fellow Pinkie supporters in a day?
Oh yes
Why is it not possible to favorite a blog post?
Because right now I really want to favorite this.
This is so true. 9 times out of 10 Pinkie is only there for jokes -many times bad or over-used ones- and 4th wall breaking.
I'm actually in a collab right now, and I'm Pinkie Pie. I'm probably going to keep this open, and constantly look at it just so I won't be tempted to do anything too stupid.
I'll be going now, but I don't stink. For your information, I just had a shower.
Quite
Pinkie Pie is hawt
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You said it! Hurrah!
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:D
This should be required reading for anyone who includes Pinkie in a fic (*cough* or in an episode *cough*). Pinkie Pie isn't my favorite character, but she is a character, and she deserves to be written as one. She's far more than just an absurdity engine.