Writing Rarity in A Dream of Sunny Days · 5:26pm Jul 28th, 2016
I don't really have a way to prove it, but according to the number of comments each chapter receives and the feedback I got from multiple readers, I think it's fair to say that Rarity is my most popular POV character. She was probably one of the most challenging to write, but also the most fun, especially at the end. There's a lot more of her scenes coming that I really like.
While I usually focus these character-themed blog posts on character analysis, I wanna talk a bit more about my process here. I think that the reason why the Rarity chapters are so fun is that she's the character I expended the most on. I always try to remain true to who the characters are in the show. The only change I made to Rarity's personality is that she's not quite as prissy as she can be in the show. She still dislikes dirt and cares about her appearance, but I chose to portray her as much more willing to compromise. I don't really see it as out of character, since the characters must always be adapted to the type of story told.
The big change I made to Rarity is her political acumen. This is kind of hinted at in the show, with her interactions with High Society. Overall though, we really have no idea of how politics in Equestria work, and how the various characters relate to it. Applejack had a run-in with municipal politics in the comics, and Twilight's role as a princess is sometime shown in the show. That's about it.
I find Rarity to be the best character for this kind of situation for multiple reason. First of all, we know she's both an expert at social manipulation (A Dog and Pony Show), and very good at noticing details (Rarity Investigates). I needed one of the main characters to share the Canterlot spotlight with Silvermane, a character I created with this specific story in mind. Also, she's in her element within the nobility. One thing that was important to me was putting all of the characters in an environment they would feel comfortable in. This way we get to see how the changes to Equestria affect a place they thought they knew well.
This particular skill set of Rarity's is perfectly suited to the situation she finds herself in. Here, I think I also have to address something I could have done a bit better with other characters. Rarity is in control during a lot of her chapters. She still has to make compromises and terrible decisions. Overall though, she's in her element, and she gets things moving. This extra bit of political acumen allows her to understand much more of the situation than other characters. If we compare her to Rainbow Dash, whom I left about as smart as she is in the show, she's probably easier to relate to. Also, unlike Applejack, she still gets her little victories, rather than being swept away by the events. I'll go more in depth into this when I write my post-fic analysis, after the entire story's published.
In my defense, I will say that this is true in the show as well. Rarity is often the most mature character. Her episodes often resonate well with older viewers, and the fact that she manages her own business on her own speaks volume about her character. I don't think I could realistically portray Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie with the same level of responsibility.
Overall, I think that the Rarity chapters are probably the best ones. I try to look at both my successes and failures when looking to improve, and there's a lot I did right with her.
I wouldn't sell Rainbow short; she's the head of the weather team for all of Ponyville, and organizes any necessary meetings they require, such as in Hurricane Fluttershy.
Personally, in terms of maturity, I'd rank them something like:
1: Twilight = Fluttershy - Both are quite mature, being good with responsibility, and are good at rolling with life's punches (Twilight was a lot worse at that before The Crystal Empire, at least when it came to Celestia). Twilight is a bit insecure about living up to what she sees as her responsibilities as Princess of Friendship (or at least, she was in season five), though.
3: Rarity = Applejack - Rarity is mature enough to run a successful business chain, but she tends to collapse whenever she meets misfortune, and can sometimes take things too far. Similarly, Applejack co-runs a farm, and is quite level-headed, but she's also quite stubborn, and can get stuck following ideas she's convinced herself are good despite evidence to the contrary.
5: Rainbow Dash - She's mature enough to head a town's weather team, but she lets her emotions rule her actions too much, and doesn't think through her actions enough.
6: Pinkie Pie - She's shown a little bit of responsibility (taking care of the babies for a short period of time, and seeming to work part time for the Cakes), but she has trouble with keeping from getting distracted, is sometimes tactless, and she can let her imagination get away from her.
4119526
How mature the characters are is hard to determine, as it seems to change from episode to episode. Rainbow Dash, for example, is very mature and responsible in Hurricane Fluttershy, as you pointed out, but the complete opposite in Mysterious Mare-do-well. We could say the same of Twilight, comparing her in Lesson Zero and Bridle gossip. This is all necessary in a cartoon where each character jumps from being the main character, support character, and comic relief.
I would note that when I referred to Rainbow Dash, I did not talk about her maturity, but her intelligence. Rainbow is great at on the spot quick thinking. She'll see a bird heading her way and instinctively dodge it. Ask her to make sense of a political situation, however, and she'll be lost.
I can see where you're coming from with your ranking. I'm not a big fan of ranks personally, as the characters are all smart of mature in their own way. I will grant you that I might not have expressed myself properly in the blog post. I do mostly write these things out of boredom.
When it comes to maturity, I think that one of MLP's great strenght is how the characters are all both mature and childish in their own way. Even Pinkie Pie is shown to very responsible and dedicated when it comes to remembering birthdays and the like. The Mane attraction also hinted at the behind the scene works she does when organizing events. She kept on dealing with the ridiculous demands, because she thought that her party's success depended on it. That's being mature and level-headed.
In the sense of A Dream of Sunny Days, (where I initially came from with my argument) Rainbow Dash isn't necessarily dumb. She's just in way over her head. She probably would have done a much better job as a sergeant or other field officer, rather than having to come up with larger strategies. It's why when things went bad, her reflex was to jump into the action. Now, this is something I did on purpose for reasons I won't go into here.
Anyway, I think all of the main characters have shown maturity at one point or another. They've also all been terribly childish. As fanfic authors, we tend to default to the more mature side of a character. Really though, when expending upon them, we can go either way.