Concept for an MLP:FiM fic, to be written someday, perhaps... · 9:55am Oct 18th, 2014
An idea for an MLP:FiM fic has been buzzing around in the walls of my brain-place, for a long while now. That idea is summed up as sort of a "crossover", but more of a semi-original concept based on the alternate reality from the popular, and incredibly awesome classic film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." that directly relates to the ponies and the characters from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, imagined as "toon actors" and a story based entirely around the ponies, Hasbro, the show and an entire murder mystery that takes place in this version of reality where Friendship is Magic is a popular tv show starring our favorite ponies, and revolving around them.
While it could be considered, in some regards, as a crossover pseudo-sequel, for the most part, the plan, at least for now, is that mostly only references to the events of the original film would ever come up (and even then, only rarely, and loosely related to the direct events of that film), but none of the actual characters, setting, locations, or even the time period from Who Framed Roger Rabbit would remain. No actual Roger, Jessica, Baby Herman, Eddie Valiant (he would be long since passed anyway), Judge Doom or anyone would be left, in switching from the 1940's to current day's 2014. It's primarily an MLP fic, and I want it to be perceived as such. I just want to get that out of the way.
While trying to rationalize the details and come up with a suitable premise and starting point, I wrote up this quick summary of the idea. (That may even drastically change from this early concept, if it even gets written at all.) I can ATTEMPT writing this, perhaps. But no promises. It's just such a large idea to attempt to write.
But nevertheless, here's my old premise concept, from a month ago. Enjoy, for what it's worth, I suppose... for now, anyway.
"In Hollywood, California, 1947, the Judge Doom case, solved by Eddie Valiant and the toon that would later go on to be his detective partner Roger Rabbit, sparked a decades long push towards sweeping civil rights reform and ushered in a new era of justice, equality and fair legal representation for all toons, and would culminate in them finally becoming recognized both legally and socially as equal rights citizens under the "Toon Rights Commission" established as legislation under the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
During those years, and up until the 70's would start to wind down, the Rabbit & Valiant Private Detective Agency, enjoyed it's second, long-lasting era of success, until the pressure from the more mainstream law enforcement agencies and the dwindling need for freelance investigators finally brought an end to the existence of the once-respected agency after the passing of Eddie Valiant and the subsequent retirement of Roger and Eddie's descendants from the family business, leaving the fate of toons and people alike, now in the hands of state law enforcement, court systems, and police stations around the country... albeit with specialized "toon divisions" capable of handling their more unpredictable nature.
And so the world of human beings and toons had progressed since then all the way from the 40's and 50's to the 90's and the 2000's, much as you would imagine, up to the current year of 2014. Gone are the golden days of theatrical animated cartoon shorts, since the onset of Cable Television Networks, as well as the days in which Toons simply were content to be called just "toons", any longer.
Further passed the years, and so too, did the mainstream popularity of current television shows over the years, from Ren and Stimpy, Buster and Babs Bunny, and The Ninja Turtles, to The Transformers, Finn and Jake, Aang, Korra, Zim, Bart Simpson, and even the modern popularity of Japanese overseas stars like Son Goku and Monkey D. Luffy.
Those once called toons, now mostly preferring the terms "animates" (or "animes" for the Japanese stars) don't JUST aspire to simply make people laugh, but also strive to be taken seriously for their unique and beloved form of art and entertainment, whether to be laughed with or to be taken seriously as born actors. Yet, the world still goes on MOSTLY as expected.
That is... until the mysterious re-appearance of the long-banned "Dip" onto the black market, and the sudden disappearance, and subsequent shocking murder of Rainbow Dash from Hasbro's massively popular 'My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic' TV show would become the first animated murder since 1947, and raise specters from the past, anew.
It's these events that cause fate to bring together a young, human, college-age, aspiring law student face-to-snout with the accused... the former tv star, now turned desperate party-pony-on-the-lamb.
Which begs the question to be answered and the mystery to be solved, once and for all...
"Who Framed Pinkamena Pie?""
And that's the idea, in a nutshell. To be honest... I'm not even convinced that if I did attempt this, that "Who Framed Pinkamena Pie?" would even be the title.
It sounds good from the standpoint of relating it to the direct events of the movie, but I only am borrowing and setting it in the same universe, an entire 67 years later. Aside from it involving "cartoon characters as actors" and the fact that the Judge Doom case actually happened, and set civil rights in motion, it's pure backstory, not even all that necessary past that important world building.
Would I bring in a member of Eddie's descendants or Roger himself to cameo or at least reference their existence? Well, from the standpoint that people might question where the hell Eddie's family, or Roger himself went, I might have to. But other than that? Nothing is tying me to include any characters other than the universe and the old case's existence of the fact that it sparked such essential civil rights movements, and the fact that "history does tend to repeat" in the fact that we have a murder mystery and Pinkie Pie is a suspect in Rainbow Dash's murder, as castmates on the Friendship Is Magic tv show.
But nothing is barring me from bringing any of those elements in, either. I just feel as if I want to keep as much of it out, as I can. I want to tell a story that involves Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, a murder mystery, the Friendship Is Magic show, Hasbro themselves, and as much real world flavor as I can bring in. And of course, many cartoon cameos both from western and Japanese animation, in a way I feel a modem day WFRR sequel would want to explore.
That is if I even do commit to fully doing this. I don't even know. As a first MLP fanfic ever, it is a little daunting and certainly a little scary to try, when I think about the entire scope this kind of a story might require.
I might write something else, first. I did always want to try some Twilight Zone or Tales From The Crypt-esque dark-humor-horror short-story what-if tales, set in Equestria, after all. Or this could end up being the only post I ever make on Fimfiction. Who knows? The wind may carry me in many different directions.
But whatever. I'm just rambling now. Heh.
