OC Origins #2 · 9:55pm Dec 23rd, 2014
: "Welcome esteemed readers, to the second edition of OC Origins. In case you weren't here to read the previous one and are now interested in doing so, here's the link.
"The subject of today's interview is the duo of Geoffrey and Bridgette from A heavily-armed, shark-riding velociraptor in Ponyville, the two being rather recent additions to Razalon The Lizardman's pool of OCs. While no official artwork exists for either character, the following image is a good representation of what Bridgette looks like:
"Amazing the things one can find with a simple Google search, eh? But alas, nothing for Geoffrey exists as of now. Oh well, on with the interview!"
Describe Geoffrey and Bridgette and their intended purpose in your stories.
Geoffrey and Bridgette are a mercenary duo who do odd jobs in exchange for money. Their relationship occupies a middle ground between that of pet & master and partners, on account of Bridgette's limited sapience, but Geoffrey still treats her with utmost respect, and would dread having to leave her. In a way, their relationship is akin to that of Toby and Henrietta from Rev. W. Awdry's The Railway Series, but ten times more absurd and non-nonsensical.
Geoffrey and Bridgette are my go-to excuse plot characters. Whenever I've got an idea that's meant to be stupid and humorous, I make them the protagonists by default. The very idea of a raptor/shark mercenary duo is absurd, even for a land of colorful cartoon horses, at least when looked at from an omniscient perspective. Therefore, making them the lead characters of any story that exists for the sole reason of existing period fits perfectly. I've only used them once in this capacity outside of their debut story, but I'm pretty sure I'll be writing them some more sometime down the line.
What, if any, real world experiences were Geoffrey and Bridgette's characters based on?
People would question my sanity if I said I've had real experiences with a raptor/shark mercenary duo.
Nothing in real life led me to create them, at least not outside the internet. I was browsing through Google one day and happened to come across the picture which I used for the cover art of their debut story. Being a stickler for the absurd and ridiculous, and wanting to write a new pony story, I decided to write something geared toward the insane wacko portion of fimfic's userbase.
But I'm also someone who takes people's expectations, crumples them up, and chucks them out the window. I decided to make the story look like an absurd trollfic at first glance, and then when people actually read it... they're convinced at first that it in fact is, BUT... reading past the first few lines will reveal that the story's description actually wasn't being ironic, and that nothing bad will happen. So it was a trollfic in essence, but not in the way people might've expected it to be going in. But despite the story's surprisingly sensical nature, the very idea of a raptor and shark sitting down, disciplined, and chatting with a pony is enough to keep people interested, because it's completely different from how the cover art portrays them, and people like surprises. Then at the end, as a reward for reading all the way through, they're given exactly what they thought they'd get with Geoffrey and Bridgette showing their wild side as depicted in the cover art.
...I guess I got a little off-topic there, huh?
It's alright as long as you're being informative. Now, where do Geoffrey and Bridgette's names come from?
When coming up with potential names for them, I had it in my head that Geoffrey would speak with a British accent, because let's face it, it only compliments the absurdity of his character. I'm not good at writing accents, however, so I ended up dropping that aspect of his character, but still figured British-sounding names would fit the duo. As to why I went with Geoffrey and Bridgette specifically, it may have been a subconscious thing of me remembering the characters of the same names from Total Drama Island, but I'm not entirely sure.
If Geoffrey and Bridgette were added to the show's cast, what kind of role do you think they'd have?
If Geoffrey and Bridgette were to ever appear in the show outside of a scenario where Discord goes apeshit with his chaos and they're one of his chaotic machinations, then clearly the writers need a good slap upside the noggin and to get checked for drug usage.
And now for the final question; do you believe the duo of Geoffrey and Bridgette are an example of OCs done right?
It's kinda hard to say for sure whether they're objectively good OCs. I suppose if you judge them solely by their designated role as excuse plot-specific characters, then yes, they're good OCs. Don't read any of their stories unless you're looking for borderline crackfics, at least as far as stories with them as the lead character is concerned. I might use them as side characters in more serious fics in the future, but to be honest, they're at their best when you can get a good chuckle from reading about their exploits.
"Thanks once again for the interview, Razalon."
Always a pleasure.
"And might I add how lovely that Twilight picture at the top of your page is."
Indeed it is.
"Glad to see you were able to get the banner back after knighty's recent update. Anyway, take care everyone, and be sure to tune in every Tuesday afternoon for more OC Origins! Bye!"
