Sep
6th
2012
Contest Time! · 12:31am Sep 6th, 2012
Well, I mentioned that we were doing a contest for Claude & Monet (and shame on you if you're not reading that!) so we're going to do one here, too, tailored for our bronies. Write here about who your favorite AAG character is and why. Winner will be chosen by a committee (read: my wife) on September 21.
Winner will receive a copy of each of the pictures of the Ponies of the 70's that I'm doing for the upcoming Artists Alley at Intervention. So what is "Ponies of the 70's", you ask? Simple: what happens if the 70s meets Equestria? Here's an example:
Have fun!
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Shinzakura · 361 views
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THE HORROR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Question first are Be a human characters included?
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When I say All-American Girl I mean both the main AAG storyline and the BH sidestories. So yes.
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Okie Dokie Lokie boss, I'll post mine later.
Question: Will we see a 70's DJ? We've already gotten a good idea of the 60's version from her Halloween costume on "that" night, but frankly I think she needs more art. A mere cover image with a face-hoofing Rarity is not enough!
Well then, after a quick reread of the story, I am more at odds as who to place here.
Richard, Moria, Bob, Mike, Lyra, Bonbon, all the characters that have already been given stories really shine in their own way.
But still the I don't think I'm capable of putting together a "everyone of them is awesome in their own way speech" at the moment so for this instance I tip my hat to Twilight Sparkle.
This story has really shown what a grown up Twilight Sparkle could look like. And her past experiences and study of friendship as really brought her far. She was one, if not the biggest, doer and mover in the story. Despite the burdens she had to carry, she showed how flexible and determined she was.
Sandalwood's disappearance, the search through dimensions, the initial talks with the humans, the foalnapping incident, the trial, her continued services through the years, and her continuing sacrifice to save the lives of Rarity, RD and AJ. Simply put she has done a lot, has sacrificed so much and is willing to go even farther still, she is simply amazing. If there was one pony who is a vital part of the story I guess I would say it is her. Just to make it clear though, DJ is not vital to the story, she is the REASON there is one.
Now this little contest has really made me think and appriecate the characters more. The sad part is considering the current situation of things and what Twilight is intent on doing, sometime in the future of this story the ending chapters of Pink Eyes may have a big contender in terms of buckets cried.
I would be the first to admit to you that I maybe a person who is easily moved, but I know what I like.
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Actually, I'm thinking about drawing DJ in the Lennon outfit to add to the contest.
That picture gave me a good laugh xD
~Have a good one
Probably will have something written on the 21st. Got a character in mind already, and just need the free time, which I'll have on Friday.
Well, guess it's time for me to put in my entry, and naturally I've decided to just go with the obvious and say why I like DJ so much as a character. Twilight Sunburn was a close second, but there isn't exactly a whole lot I can write about her since it looks like her big plot purpose reveal is in the next chapter, I just seem to really like the idea of a potentially renegade Changeling/Pony hybrid.
Anyways, about DJ. One of my biggest pet peeves about many modern main characters is that, while defined to have flaws and such, it's always just above the point where there could be situations where you could simply dislike the character, as if the author fears that if this happens the audience will turn in opinion about the story as a whole. This is not the case with DJ. Do I still like her? Of course, but there have been times where it's clear she's not being the heroine of the story in little miss perfect fashion. She's made mistakes (telling off Cinnamon Star before learning she was Fluttershy's adopted daughter), then made monumentally stupid mistakes (all conversations with Luna prior to the end of Singapore Sling), and the psychological issues stemming from the Foalnapping and presumed rape incident clearly haven't healed over, which isn't helped by Rarity's refusal to accept Sandalwood's fate. All of these point to a character who is deeply flawed in ways that at times really go against the perception of "heroine" and anybody you would want to root for. However, for me, those only serve to make DJ that much more real of a character in my eyes. She's pretty well developed, yet at the same time as so much further to go in the story, coupled with the fact she's a human mind in a pony body makes for a unique and interesting character. Even if her taste in music decided to reside in my father's CD album collection.
I'm going to go against the grain here and choose Commander Micheal Hengst as my favorite character. Why? Well, to explain I'm going to take a bit of step back to go into what roles a character actually plays.
"Roles a character plays." When I go off on that line I'm not talking about tropes like The Hero, The Dragon, or The Chick. I'm talking about what a character is actually meant to do. Why are they there? Why are they in the story?
One of the most common roles for a character to fill is that of the audience surrogate. It is through them that the audience learns about the fictional world the story takes place in, how it works, and the people that inhabit it. Among this group are characters like Luke Skywalker, Shinji Ikari, and virtually every single one of The Doctor's companions. Not among this group is Commander Micheal Hengst.
No, the group that Mike belongs to is one that isn't done very often these days, and when it is done usually isn't done well: the role model. They're the characters you look up to. The characters that you watch as a kid, try to emulate, and your parents don't panic or get mad when you do. They're strong, virtuous, compassionate, and generally stand-up blokes and dames with few flaws. That last bit is what usually makes people call out "Mary Sue!" whenever such a character appears, and one of the reasons why they've fallen out of favor in recent years. Though there are a few that are still around, Superman being the archetypal example that has been examined extensively.
That's why Mike's my favorite character in AAG. He's loyal, loving, compassionate, stays calm under fire, does the right thing whenever he can, did not begin sexual relations until he was married (now that is something special), acts honorably in all of his dealings, and is free from any mental problems. Sure he may not have any big flaws, but flaws do not make a character more likable any more than strengths make a character a wish fulfillment vessel, and in a role as an example for others to follow those flaws would only hold him back at his job, both in story and out. In short, he's a character with the sort of character that I'd like to be when I'm 35: an honest bloke and a stand-up member of the community.