Influences & Inspiration · 7:17pm Dec 25th, 2021
I saw this go around DeviantArt years ago, but trust me to be a decade late when it comes to a meme.
I'm not one for talking about myself, which is why I primarily use my blog to post story notes. But today there's a topic I think is worthy of discussion.
Like many writers, I enjoy slipping references into my stories. The vast majority of my references are dated, and that date is the 1980s. Most of my favorite songs, TV shows, and movies came out in that era. I like what I like, and many of the things I like most are things that were at one time popular, and became the butt of jokes later on.
One of the reasons this list is so heavily biased towards cartoons is because to get on this list, it needed to shape me in some way, shape, or form. Media that impacted me at an earlier age tended to be more influential than those that followed.
Rather than rank them from top to bottom, I'll tackle them in alphabetical order. Keep in mind these aren't necessarily my absolute favorites. There's a lot of overlap (of course!), but not everything on the list is among my top tier of favorites (likewise, a number of favorites failed to make the cut). In order to make this list, it has to have influenced me in some way, shape, or form.
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/praisecastiel/art/The-Care-Bear-Family-312755504
First up, the Care Bears.
Yes, seriously.
Wait! At least hear me out before you click the back button or the unfollow button! Please?
I've been a fan of cute & cuddly since I was a child. I blame this mostly on the candy-colored ursines, though I also watched some G1 MLP as a child. As good as G1 is, it didn't capture my attention back then. I appreciate it much more nowadays.
But the original Care Bears Movie remains one of my favorites. It's not awful. For me, a lot of is pure nostalgia factor, but I can watch & rewatch this movie without tiring of it. For those who haven't seen it and have no nostalgia for it, just skip to Nostalgia Critic's review of the movie for an abbreviated (and humorous) look at the film. The second movie made no sense. There was no continuity, something that irked me then, and is likely the catalyst for me getting into writing fanfiction: to fix plotholes.
This franchise also allowed me to keep connected to my inner child, and appreciate things that are adorable (you know, like pastel cartoon ponies). They're also why I took to G3 MLP. I like cute and cuddly things. Without Care Bears, I can honestly say I wouldn't be in this fandom.
That's a scary thought. Moving on to things that are less shocking...
Source: AlwaysDressesInStyle
Oddly enough, I didn't start watching The Dukes Of Hazzard until I was a teenager. Considering I grew up on reruns of CHiP's, Charlie's Angels, and The A-Team (yes, seriously, I was watching all of these shows in my single digit years), it's odd that The Dukes Of Hazzard didn't even pop up on my radar until I was sixteen or so. I just happened to catch the pilot episode being rerun, and I was very quickly hooked. Cars have always held my attention, so any show utilizing them was an easy way to get my interest. I was also a teenager, and Catherine Bach (Daisy Duke) also caught my attention (because hormones).
The show is cheesy, but it's a good kind of cheesy. Deliciously cheesy, even. The influences of this source on my writing are less apparent in this fandom (something that will be a common theme as we continue down the list), and I was already a car enthusiast long before I was a teenager, so I can't really cite anything about this show that directly relates to my pony writing, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention them as an influence (along with The A-Team, Charlie's Angels, CHiP's, and movies like Smokey And The Bandit and Stroker Ace). But unless I want to focus on Equestria Girls (and believe me, I don't), there's not much that can be done with cars. Until you bring the ponies to Earth. 
Which, as can be seen in my back catalog, I've done. Frequently.
I don’t want the comments to turn into a raging dumpster fire – I support The Dukes Of Hazzard but I very much do not support racism. There are some things that shouldn’t be politicized; things that people from all sides should fundamentally be able to agree are wrong and this is one of them.
I wouldn’t even bring it up (and considered putting The A-Team in this slot), but not doing so would be denying one of my influences. One thing we can learn from this series is to be mindful of what may or may not be considered offensive. Just because something is acceptable today, doesn't mean history will look back as kindly, not even a few decades later. I try to be as inoffensive as possible in my own writing, but whether I succeed or not is a matter of opinion.
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/ribbedebie/art/Helping-actually-hurts-a-lot-sometimes-538264201
Continuing my theme of what can best be described as 'all over the map' comes Eek! The Cat. I consider this one of the four biggest influences on my sense of humor. Much like Leslie Nielsen movies, slapstick is a major component of the show, as were outrageous situations where Eek is the straight man while all kinds of strange things happen in the background. Random is another good way to describe the humor, and good didn't always necessarily triumph over evil. Being kind was the quickest way for the titular character to be injured. "It never hurts to help!"
...The pain was almost always immediate. Not to mention hilarious.
Much like MLP: FIM, Eek! was very good at getting celebrities to guest star. Mr. T, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Heather Locklear, Bobcat Goldthwait, Fabio, and a pair that also made cameos on FIM: "Weird Al" Yankovic & William Shatner.
A quick example: A number of scientists are sitting around a computer room documenting a tornado. One is quick to point out that it's headed straight for a trailer park and there's nothing they can do about it.
...Only for another to point out that the trailer park had moved at some point in the past.
This causes panic because there's no trailer park in the path of the tornado.
A little while later a dump truck drops off a load of trailers right in front of the twister, and once they're sucked up into the vortex, the scientists all cheer.
If this doesn't help explain my warped sense of humor, I don't know what will.
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/stingroll/art/Garfield-and-Friends-338372178
If I have to choose one of these sources as the absolute biggest influence on me, then it has to be Garfield. Sarcasm is an art form.
Garfield gets a bad rap these days, and I don't understand it. He was huge (in more ways than one) in the '80s, and yet these days he's considered more of a punchline than anything else. I've noticed this in a lot of the things I like: many of them were popular at one point, then attracted a backlash hatedom. The problem is, I either never stopped liking them, or didn't start liking them until after the hate started. MLP is the only fandom I've ever been in while it was relevant. I've been on the pony train since 2011, and I've stayed long after most have left. Y'all are likely stuck with me for life at this point.
And like Garfield, I also enjoy good food (yes, including lasagna).
So love him or hate him, he's the single largest influence on my writing.
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/corankizerstone/art/GO-GADGET-GO-162107813
Inspector Gadget is another of my influences. Please note that the above image isn't a very good reflection of the show. The characters are present, and the Gadgetmobile is a rocking second generation Toyota Supra, but Gadget's taken a level several dozen levels in badass. Still, this image is a favorite and way too good not to use! The title character does a fairly good job of being clumsy, a complete ditz, and a cloudcuckoolander. *Coughs* Minty, Minty, Minty...
Gadget always wins, but not because he's skilled or even mildly competent. Most of the time, the day is saved by his tween niece, Penny, and their dog, Brain. On the rare occasions he's responsible for good triumphing over evil, it's usually completely due to dumb luck (though there were a few occasions he leveled-up in badass and saved the day on his own merits).
Takeaways from this: surrounding yourself with good people ponies can overcome your own deficiencies and sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Also, never underestimate kids. One of the reasons Cozy Glow appeals to me as a character - she's a smart kid (so was I, though I was slightly less megalomaniacal ).
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/fainalotea/art/If-We-Hold-On-Together-SPEEDPAINT-505033580
The Land Before Time shows how different genera of dinosaurs can come together through friendship and teamwork. Where have we heard that before (well, except that part about dinosaurs)?
I’ll focus on the original movie and completely ignore the dozen or so sequels and the animated series. For my sanity and yours!
A Don Bluth film, The Land Before Time has action, adventure; not to mention danger. It also has cute moments, and one of the saddest character deaths in animated film history. It hits all the emotions. This is important – one can play to one emotion or many of them, but the key is pulling it off. The Land Before Time does so.
There’s another recent movie that pulls off a similar emotional roller coaster ride. Action, adventure, danger? Check, check, and double check! Cute moments with adorable, silly characters? Yep, yep, yep! Finally, a character losing a parent (in this case, during a timeskip)? Check. All of which can be found in My Little Pony: A New Generation, and I’d argue that the new movie pulls it all off just as successfully as The Land Before Time did decades earlier. There’s a reason the G5 film has such a high critical rating.
While the glory days of our fandom have long since passed, it’s my sincere hope that G5 can bring back some of the folks we’ve lost over the last decade and spark the love of ponies in a new generation.
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/conphettey/art/Minty-777088661
This one’s a bit of an oxymoron. It’s also blatantly obvious to anyone who’s read any of my stories. FIM is what brought me into the fandom, even though I’d been exposed to MLP since I was a child.
I only started watching G3 after I’d joined the herd. The thing is… I liked it. I really, really liked it. Unironically. Minty is best pony, hooves down. I don’t understand how anyone can watch A Very Minty Christmas and not enjoy it. Sure, it was made for little girls and it shows, yet it’s still enjoyable. It’s cute, and there’s even some action/adventure. Nopony can fall to her (near) death quite like Minty (and Thistle Whistle, who was also falling to her death… despite being a pegasus). Also, how many holiday specials can claim that the character who saved Christmas was also the one who ruined it in the first place?
Minty – a well-meaning, but clumsy perfectionist. She won me over, and even Cozy Glow has never been able to bump her out of the top spot (but don’t tell Cozy that).
But it’s more than just Minty, Minty, Minty. Star Catcher and Skywishes with the former’s magical butterflies. Rarity, with her infectious giggle. Kimono’s wisdom to live outside of town (and Minty’s blast radius). Rainbow Dash always dressing in style (those who have met me now know my screen name is a misnomer, I never dress in style; it’s 100% a nod to G3 Dash since ‘Rainbow Dash’ was already taken). So many are quick to dismiss G3’s characters as flat and lacking personality, and my immediate response is ‘did we watch the same thing?’
I’ll never understand why some bronies feel the need to defecate on the legacy of the MLP franchise. There are moments that are full of cringe (Newborn Cuties comes to mind), but you have to keep in mind they were written for a much younger demographic. G1, G2, and G3 are our history. G5 is our future. Either way, there’s more to MLP than just G4, and I really think we should celebrate all generations of ponies.
Regardless, the earlier generations have probably had the biggest influence on my pony writing. MLP as a whole will certainly reflect on any future influences maps.
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/tonatello/art/Pole-Position-Cars-164330853
The most obscure of my influences is one of the biggest. But much like The Dukes Of Hazzard, most of those influences are irrelevant to this fandom and my writing here. Previous works, things that can be found only in notebooks packed up in boxes in storage (and should be avoided at all costs), definitely took inspiration from Pole Position, a cartoon show that's most famous for its theme song (which is epic!) and for not being anything at all like the video game it's supposedly based on.
Some might call that a problem. Those people have never played Pole Position. Drive an open wheel racecar around a track, and try not to make your car explode by hitting something. The writers had soooo much to work with here.
Instead we get Wheels and Roadie, a pair of cars ('65 Mustang and futuristic concept car with then fashionable gullwing doors), that are controlled by computers. This show was very obviously inspired by Knight Rider, but that's not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination. A vintage Mustang that can talk, turn into a hovercraft and hydrofoil, and has a targa roof (a thing no Mustang has ever left the factory with). I've liked Mustangs since I was a toddler (as in, my memory doesn't go far enough back to remember a time when I didn't like them). This struck so many chords with me as a child. I can remember watching this at about four or five years of age, and my love of Mustangs predates my watching this show.
I've watched the episodes as an adult. Unlike so many other cartoons of the era, they've mostly held up (ignoring the clunker of an episode The Chicken Who Knew Too Much). There's very little from Hanna-Barbera I can watch these days (I watched a lot of it as a child). I loved The Smurfs as a kid, but can't make it through an episode as an adult. Even the nostalgia couldn't save that one for me.
I have to give props to DiC, everything from that era they produced that I've seen as an adult has held up: Pole Position, the first season of Care Bears cartoons (before Nelvana took over), Heathcliff, The Real Ghostbusters, Dennis The Menace, and of course the aforementioned Inspector Gadget.
It's also one of the few things our community has never ponified to my knowledge. I'll have to fix that one of these days. Therapy Session including Wheels and Daisy was a start, but I think this one deserves a full crossover.
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/tamvakisphoto/art/Scooby-Doo-cover-Coloring-82504081
Scooby Doo is another of my bigger influences, though not in the way you might expect. I haven't really written any mysteries, and the only time I wrote a ghost story (Old Habits Die Hard) the ghost was real. In terms of how my mind works, I enjoy reading mysteries and I'm a fan of both The Cat Who... series and the Mrs. Murphy mysteries. I'm also a fan of Father Dowling Mysteries, and read many of the Hardy Boys stories as a kid too.
The thing is, I can't write them.
The aforementioned Old Habits Die Hard had the entire last half re-written the night before I published it because I realized I spoiled the ending halfway through.
I cringe when people pick up the idiot ball in a work of fiction. I don't watch horror movies (gore and extreme violence aren't my thing anyway) because with few exceptions, I'm not willing to suspend my disbelief enough for them. I think very logically*, and I find it nearly impossible to shut that part of my brain down to write a mystery. My pieces fit together too well. It's not really a mystery if everyone (including the characters) knows the outcome by the end of the first act. 
Someday, though, I'd like to write a proper mystery. The influence here is really for the genre as a whole (with Scooby serving as an example), and that's making sure all the pieces fit the ultimate conclusion of the story. And it never hurts to throw in a Red Herring or two. Right, Freddy?
*I can also think very illogically. Pinkie Pie is one of my favorites to write, and she's a hard pony to get right. Thinking outside the box helps. But there's often method to her madness (and madness to her methods). What she does makes sense to her, which is something a lot of people miss when writing her.
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/jbwarner86/art/Family-Togetherness-375859416
The Simpsons isn't necessarily one of my all-time favorites (I don't think it cracks my top fifty in all honesty; but I'll happily admit that it's a better show than many things I'd rank above it), but I certainly find them enjoyable and have seen most episodes from the first dozen seasons or so. One of the problems with a long-running series is that eventually the body of work expands well beyond what can easily be binge-watched.
One thing I've always admired about the show, and one way that it overlaps with my own sense of humor, is where it sets up what appears to be an obvious gag (example below) and then subverts the heck out of it. I love things like that (expect the unexpected! - we're getting to that one momentarily).
Homer needs to get to a second floor window, so he buys a bunch of balloons. Cue the G3 Pinkie Pie moment when a bunch of balloons lift him up to the sky, right? Nope, he trades them to a guy in a cherry picker for temporary use of his vehicle.
There's a reason this show's been on for more than three decades. And while I haven't seen any new episodes in a few years, I'll still rank this as one of my bigger influences from a sense of humor standpoint.
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/jbwarner86/art/Magna-Cum-Looney-96985345
Expect the unexpected. Wait, that's mentioned in the theme song to...
Tiny Toon Adventures.
Yup. I'll give a shout-out to Freakazoid!, Animaniacs, Pinky And The Brain, and even The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries here too, but TTA was the first, and remains my favorite from all of these. With Tiny Toons, it was like taking the classic Warner Brothers characters and updating them for a new generation. But they were smart enough to not just make Baby Looney Tunes... (well, at the time they were smart enough to not make such a thing). Younger versions of existing cartoon characters was a trend at the time, with Muppet Babies, Flintstone Kids, and A Pup Named Scooby Doo being prominent examples. Hanna-Barbera absolutely milked that formula for all it was worth, and then some.
Zany antics, '80s (and early '90s) pop culture references, and lightning quick jokes, this is another of the strong influences on both my sense of humor and my writing style.
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/dan-the-artguy/art/Autobots-85-groupshot-456533036
Rounding out our list is another favorite of mine, though like some of the previous entries, I can't say it's had a big influence on my pony writing.
...Well, with a few exceptions.
See, Transformers (G1 specifically) is also a Hasbro property, and I've been known to drop quotes from the 1986 movie into fics. I've also taken to recycling Autobot names for the names of Royal Guards.
But there's not a lot of ways a bunch of alien robots fighting a civil war on a planet that isn't their own really relates to a bunch of pastel ponies. So what I'll say on this one is that it features a large cast of characters, which leads to keeping them all straight (something I find impossible in the Michael Bay travesties movies) and giving them all unique individual personalities. FIM also has a large cast of characters, and many of them are background ponies that fans passionately argue over. Transformers fans are also quite passionate.
Those are my primary inspirations, influences, and muses. So I pose the question to all of you: what are your biggest influences? Not necessarily your favorite franchises, but the ones that have had the biggest impacts on your own writing.
My biggest influences were TRON, Short Circuit and PDQ Bach.
And Ghost in the Shell and Douglas Hofstadter, I guess.
5620757
No disassemble!
Was there anything even remotely racist in Dukes of Hazzard? Or do snowflakes just go rEEeeeEEeE at the (not-even-actually-) confederate flag? Betting it's the latter lol
Cartoony reckless gun usage, property damage and ethnic stereotypes aside, the A-Team was more controversial for behind-the-scenes stuff than anything else. A bunch of good old boys treating the rest of the cast and crew like crap.
Though with magic still seeping into Equestria Girls-world and the possibility of more Magical Girls spontaneously appearing and not knowing how to handle their powers, I still think Sci-Twi and Sunset should build a KITT AI and other gadgets into an old Sweet Apple Acres farm van (preferably black and red) for a mobile base of operations, since they probably can't afford a SHIELD helicarrier.
5620782
It's the flag. The show itself wasn't racist. If there were any moments in the show that were, I don't remember them. For the last ten years or so, whenever Warner Brothers licenses companies to release merchandise of the General Lee, the flag must be covered in the package and any images of the car must be shown from an angle that doesn't show the car's roof.
5620804 Yep. reee
5620870
"What kind of unbelievable asshole can't distinguish between slaveowning confederates and modern day rural southerners?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYj9CSxlGSk&list=PLwCiRao53J1y_gqJJOH6Rcgpb-vaW9wF0&index=3
3:48
5620911 lol
Interesting; thanks for sharing.
As for influences on me, though... that I don't know, sorry, though the question had occurred to me early in this blog. I'm also pretty low on time at the moment.
Oh, though I think I'd be pretty surprised if Douglas Adams wasn't one.