Basic fanfic concept, inspiration needed. · 1:51pm Sep 24th, 2012
I've been considering a concept for a fanfic, but at the moment I'm feeling it's very basic (and to be honest, as it is right now, I find it to be a bit uninteresting). I would like to hear some suggestions on how I could possibly make it more interesting.
The premise of the story is as follows:
A strange phenomenon has overtaken Ponyville and its number of residents is effectively doubled because of it.
Every pony wakes up to find a complete stranger in their room. Applejack decides to head out and ask Ponyville's resident scientist and librarian for an explanation on what's going on. It doesn't take long for Twilight to figure out that somehow every pony's personality has taken a shape and life of their own. For most residents this doesn't create much of a problem because the ponified personalities for the most part, act exactly like the ponies that they originate from, but for the mane-six and their personalities, it creates a bit of an issue, because rather than acting like their originals, they act like the elements of harmony they are supposed to represent to a perfect extreme, it eventually escalates to a point where the mane-six, or rather their pesonalities, are getting themselves into a lot of trouble.
This souds very similar to a movie I've seen, ever seen "Invasion of the body snatchers?"
Caught this yesterday in the writer's group and noticed it again here when you'd favourited Springtime in Ponyville. May have some ideas for you, or at least places to look, if you want them. What kind of genre are you looking at?
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Yeah, I'd love to hear your ideas!
I think I'm going for a simple slice-of-life/comedy. Also, I think I'm going to make it around six or seven chapters. Unless I really enjoy writing it, then I might add another two.
Well, first off, I'd recommend checking out the old Disney cartoon Gargoyles, if at all possible. There are two episodes about the Eye of Odin which fit this bill rather nicely, and the one involving Goliath does a great job of a normally good trait enhanced to dangerous levels. If you're a fan of Babylon 5, Garibaldi in the fifth season is this as well. Point being that my best advice is go for subtle with the changes as too overt is something I've never really seen play out well.
Big fan of Red Dwarf, but they did something like in Confidence and Paranoia (Season 1, I believe) and it got grating.
Second off, what angle are you looking at? As in, does the town realize that it's the doubles doing this? And, if so, are they aware it's the elements doing it as opposed to them being a mildly uninhibited version of the Six and causing the town to look at them in a new, and/or worse light?
And, of course, I might suggest lowering the scope. Unless it keys into the story as a whole (and if so, then great!) I'd recommend reducing those affected to just the Six, even if the town are all perfectly aware of it. Unless it's a gag about the suddely-there ponies all packing up and, to borrow a line, "Make a perfect copy of Ponyville right over there!" then there'd be an adjustment period where everyone would be dealing with suddenly having a twin and very suddenly being in four-way relationships. It's good gag-fodder, but makes them really caring about what the Six are doing harder to get across when their plates are already full and could dilute the story.
Thoughts?
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Woopsies, you managed to catch me before I even noticed I was tripping.
Thanks for that.
The town's ponies are well aware of the fact that there is a problem because they too (even though it's too a different extent,) are suffering from the problem. They are, however, unaware that the mane-six's personalities are acting out a different character from the originals, and they hold the mane-six responsible for the actions of the elements, causing the six to get a new (and in some cases, worse) reputation.
The fact that the entire town is affected is the thing that sets off the metaphorical alarm bells. It throws the town in a bit of mayhem, and it's also what gives the problem it's identity.
Without the personalities of the other villagers, and with only the "personalities" of the elements of harmony, they would be unidentifiable as "the personalities of the mane-six" considering that they don't look alike and they don't exactly act the same.
I don't plan on doing nothing with the villager's problems with the newcomers... I'm just not sure what I want to do with it yet.