Day 3: Sunflower is a Real Bad Seed · 12:31am Sep 21st, 2020
Stumped.
Nothing done today. Yesterday was busy, tomorrow will be busier: stuck with a day in between, I haven't been all that focused. Should do better on Tuesday, since I have a free run for several days then.
Current planning problem is Babs' sister. Trying to figure out where she fits into all this.
The current cause of my planning problems. It's a sunflower surprise attack!
My general attitude towards show canon is, at least for the first half of the show, that it's firm canon. I might not like certain episodes there (Season Three has plenty in that category): nevertheless, they do inform my approach towards certain characters and are taken for granted as in-universe "history".
For various reasons (continuity problems, different direction, personal loathing of certain introduced elements, etc.), this attitude weakens considerably in the second half. Anything there is optional.
Anything outside the show - such as comics - is optional as well, but there the reasoning is simpler: I don't read it. The show's always been the core of my experience. I'm not a die-hard collector, so I feel no obligation to chase after every bit of pony merchandise.
This matters because of overlap. For instance, Babs' sister is a bit of a complication here.
Sunflower - which I presume is "Sunflower Seed" in full, to match Babs' name - is mentioned in Season Three of the show, but very obliquely, and she apparently has a much more prominent showing in the Annual 2013, an Equestria Girls storyline, with a few minor mentions and cameos in pony comics. So writing about Babs Seed - as I plan to - means her "big sister" needs to be addressed in some fashion.
Everything I know about her comes from the fandom wiki: Sunflower's page on mlp.fandom.com. It's a handy resource for research, so I used that to brush up on this unknown element of the Apple family. So far, based on the strongest characterization I've got (for her Equestria Girls incarnation, mind, in a situation where Babs is apparently portrayed a little differently from show canon), she seems to be something of a glory-chasing snob with no patience for newcomers and a tendency to neglect her pet chihuahua.
The mlp.fandom.com page briefly mentions her design was based on Taylor Swift. Not much to go on, especially in contrast with a rather unflattering role in the Annual 2013. It's trivia I'll probably just ignore for convenience.
So far, I've been working without her in mind, but now most of the cast are solidifying, I haven't figured out yet how to get her involved.
The problem is this: every role I consider for her is already taken by a better-established cast member already. It's one of those cases where an established rich character is better than a blank slate, because the connections just pile up as a natural consequence rather than feeling belaboured.
- Applejack's prior experience in Manehattan, her emphasis on honesty and family, and her odd connection to the world of glamour via the likes of Rarity and Coloratura means she slides into place as a sort of mentor very easily.
- Pinkie is familiar with unconventional families (she came from one, after all), and her positivity and ability to connect with childlike playfulness makes her ideal as a counterbalance to the more serious elements.
- Even Aunt and Uncle Orange are working well as a pair of ponies caught between the pull of Apple clan loyalties and the push of Upper Manehattanite reputation and sophistication. They're simultaneously standing on Babs' side and acting as conflicting foils to her rougher, less refined attitude.
That doesn't leave much for Sunflower to do.
Best I've got is as some sort of antagonist, at least a complicated one, who might have something of an unhealthy or neglectful relationship with her. That would seem natural, judging from the comics. Still, she can't be too nasty an antagonist if Babs feels comfortable enough telling her about her bullying problem.
On top of that, if I'm going for the adoption-by-aunt-and-uncle route, then she's an awkward snag. Like Applejack and Big Mac, she would have known her parents for a while, growing up with them, before Babs was born and whatever happened that took them out of the picture.
It feels like there's something there I can use, but I can't grasp it yet. I don't want to force a solution, but she could be too much of a distraction on top of everything else. An overloaded cast can be a problem: that's why I'm trying to write out the rest of the Main Six as carefully as I can (Rarity's proving a bit tough in that regard, as she's an easy candidate for a Manehattan trip).
I usually go by the maxim of turning a complication to my advantage in a story, but it doesn't happen just like that. I might need more time.
And... that's about it for today. I think I might find a workable solution for this extra character over the next day or so, but for now I'm stuck.
Impossible Numbers, out.
I forgot Babs had a sister. o.o And never realized she was in the comics!
Do you want to use this character or otherwise give Babs a sibling? I think it would be fine to just pretend Babs is an only child if that would make things easier for you. Sure, it might not be 100% canon to the show, but that doesn't stop people from writing in AUs. Such a minor change would maybe just warrant a note in the description if you really wanted to clarify this. I didn't even realize she was supposed to have a sister, and I doubt many people would care if you left them out.
5360081
I've known for a while, but only in an academic sense (I haven't read the comics at all; I just browse the wiki). She's associated with a relatively obscure side character. Hardly surprising she doesn't exactly stick in the mind.
5360095
At the moment, I have no strong feelings either way about her inclusion (apart from hoping she doesn't leave me stumped for long). Although that might just be because I'm still largely in the hazy early stages of planning.
Yes, that's fair enough: I probably will relegate her to a footnote if she proves too troublesome for the story. Still, I would like to see if I can make the sisterhood factor work for me before resorting to that move. You never know your luck.
I mean it is possible she is just not in the picture. That does happen when family members lose touch. Or you could have her be the older sister, jealous of Babs's adoption. Honestly there's a few things you can do with that premise, but it's not like you have to use her.
5360939
True, there is the option of just having her be "out of town" or something. A passing mention to acknowledge she exists, but which also writes her out of the picture neatly. The comic with Babs and Trixie does something like that, I think.