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An LU Ramble

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To Whom it may concern,

I'd like to let those who still like and/or care about the fandom that I've got some interesting ideas brewing for the original characters of Loonatics Unleashed.

To those who may have cast it aside, I still ask/suggest that you read and/or observe these things; simply because they're stuff I've been toying around with in my head for a LONNNNG while now.

Honestly, I took everything to the next level. (So to speak)

I dealt with the show as if it weren't a childish cartoon, but instead took the characters and gave them LIVES, a trait which I have come to think the writers lacked when creating the show.



My personal opinion is that for a show to be successful and memorable, whether it is animated or live-action, it has to invest some sort of emotion grabbing characteristics in its characters. That is to say that the characters have to be a little "real", as in, real people with real things that they do, or have done, or will do that happen in REAL life.  I'd like to bring in one example of a show that I regard very highly and has proven to have a sufficient fan base, possibly because of this concept: Teen Titans.

Although a majority of the success of this show was because it was based off the template of an entire comic series before it's time, I think that makes sense in relation to what I'm saying about writing.

I compare Teen Titans with Loonatic Unleashed because they're both shows about a group of superheroes who live in a tower and not only save the city but save the world on a frequent basis. Now, in my mind, when I think back on Teen Titans the reason I am filled with such delight is not because it was the best "superhero" show I'd ever seen, but because it was one of the best show's to get in touch with its characters and to reach out to watchers about topics and issues that were believable, for the characters themselves, not just in context with the show.



Robin basically had OCD when it came to Slade

Cyborg battled insecurities with his being half-robot

Starfire dealt with adjusting to a new planet and foreign things

Raven had to deal with the darkness inside of her and the remnants of her evil father

Beastboy once had to come to terms with the fact that not only was he part animal, but as such there was an uncontrollable side of him that he had no clear knowledge of.



This may sound like a fanatic rant, about Teen Titans (because it is a little ;P) but think about how much more the show became because of these and other tidbits about the heroes' PERSONAL lives. That is what pulled the viewer in. That's what caused people to pick favorites for that show. Ex: I love Beast Boy for being the comedy relief, but I also love him because of his secrecy and the intriguing mystery of his life before the Titans (especially towards the end when that became important and relevant)

This carries on to my love of Rev in LU. Granted, they TRIED to get personal with the characters, they just sucked at it. For instance, Rev was first my favorite character because I follow Rob Paulson diligently. Then, because he was hilarious and cute, THEN because of his great lines, but I'd officially say that I really fell in love with the character of Rev after the Family Business episode when his family was shown.

Rev was the ONLY Loonatic to have his family shown. (Probs because everyone already loved him by then and also Rob hadn't been getting many lines before [Rev says like....two things per episode sometimes]) After the episode with Rip and Rev's parents and all that, I really started to think about Rev. I wondered and thought about WHY the events in that episode could have happened, rather than taken them as "just a show". Why DID Rip hate Rev? And how could it be that Rev didn't already know this?

It may seem like a plot hole, but instead of criticizing I tried to make up answers, that would fit the personalities I'd observed of Rev and his brother.

I'll take it to another place. What if you thought about each of the Tic's individually? We've all wondered of their origins before the team after the flashback episode (which was an attempt at character background, to their credit). But what if you went back even further! Making up explanations for things in the characters' personalities, like why Lexi seems so sporty and strong while she's fighting, yet still seems girly with her interests and whenever she's a damsel in distress. There are people like that in the world. Some of them are Tomboys, or any form of those girls to a lesser extent. But why might she be a tomboy? There are things in her life that could have to do with that.

Ask these questions, and any others for every character in ANYTHING and you're bound to get caught up in a bunch of ideas and life stories.

And although in the end you may think, "...hey....this show wasn't all that good anyway..." who cares about that in the end? What have you been able to make of it?!

Honestly, that's why some OC's are created; as a way to interact with a preexisting setting and change things about it using your own idea/character.

Though it all depends what their original purpose was for.

Love interest OCs are usually only to affect the lives of one or two of the characters. The others following suit as if they've met a new friend. I like the idea of random OCs who serve the purposes of all things in a character's life. Friends, family, enemies, teachers, idols, admirers, you name it. Those who allow you to further explore the canon characters' selves the way they TRUELY are...meaning, not their OOC, crazy, "WTF?", selves but the way they actually are on the show.

Like Rip.

I'm partly convinced that he was someone's OC who just happened to make it to the storyboard room.

Rip was a character used to bring out something different in Rev: his passions.

Rev hadn't been thought of as an inventor himself until this episode, his commitment to helping his father was another thing, and lastly his love (mainly his brother) was shown to its extent, as they showed us how far Rev would go for someone he cared about, which was as far as speeding headfirst towards the ground at lord knows how many miles per hour just with the sheer hope that the fricken thing would jump off of his brother's head!

WTF!?

Did anyone know Rev would get this crazy before that?! I mean he probably knew he could pull up in time. But gadamnit what if that thing didn't jump off???!! (Someone actually wrote a 1-shot scenario of this and I LOVEEEEDDDD ITTTTTTT)

My point is that if you look back on the show, you can very well find instances where that side of Rev was glimpsed. It's got less to do with his worry over Rip and is more because of his confidence. Rev is plenty confident in many things that he does. But if you see him as just a part of the show, you don't really dwell on that. You sort of just laugh at it. But think about it. The writers knew SOMEWHAT how to connect watchers with the characters, but they didn't do it enough. They made it more about the situations than the characters.

That's a reason I love to draw and write about the Loonatics in their "down time". Because I've already gotten so much into discovering who they are beyond the suits that I don't even bother to operate in the same way that the show did with them being in hero mode 24/7. (Also I need to work on fight scenes, but that's neither here nor there)

I think a reason I can't get over LU is because I'm still very inspired by it. I feel like with it being a bad show we were given a template for something that could have become greater. And though your efforts on the dead show may not bring it back or even matter, at least your thinking about it expands your mind, and helps you to understand characters more, or even different types of people better (though it kind of sounds like something only a writer may seem to care about).

I guess what I'm trying to say is, we all know Loonatics Unleashed wasn't the best show in the world, but it was entertaining for quite a few fans. And though the years may have taken a lot of those "die-hards" away, there continue to be fans who come out of the wood-works to enjoy a piece of canon fan art or GOOD fan fiction that's not about all of these OCs and other characters just so they can get a little bit closer to the feeling they once had while watching the show.

Believe it or not people DID love those characters...and some still do *cough cough nudge nudge*. But I feel like if fans took more time to explore what more they could have been, while still keeping true to their characteristics, some wonderful things could be thought up.

And that's not to say that creating OCs or having one is terrible *cough again*, as a matter of fact OCs are really fun to create and to have interact with the already existing characters. But don't forget the characters either. It all started with them. Yes it gets much more interesting to create a whole story for a character made from scratch, but think of it this way.

The Loonatics were pretty empty characters to begin with. But there were SO MANY clues to their lives. Things that only super-fans may have noticed, or maybe not even that. Paying attention to the details in the backgrounds or in the characters' words can tell you a whole bunch about their lives.

But you should have fun filling in the blanks.

And with that, LU was only a template. I'm just expanding upon it.

Be ready.


-Sincerely DarkInSye
I MAY make this #20. My Inspiration, but only if I can't think of anything else before it starts to bug me.

Anywho. These are my serious SERIOUS opinions on Loonatics Unleashed, which I've begun reflecting upon ever since some of my good friends, first meet through the series, have voiced their apathy with the show and I'd realized that I was still far from it.

You can agree or disagree, I honestly don't care I was just sharing, and not for any other reason than to
1. explain upcoming submissions
2. give my whole "I'm ____ with LU" :twocents:

Yes, I really do believe I have yet to understand all the show had to offer. By taking the standpoint I mentioned I've already entered myself into a whole new realm of thinking about the show.

I think he first sign of that was my starting the fan-fic "Harriet's Scrapbook" which was intended to chronicle Rev's entire life (and I have a fair amount of it mapped out already) based on what I've learned from the show, what was IN the show, and what fans had begun to think about him.
(Sadly it is far from completion and I'm undergoing a lot of thought about it)

Mainly the point is that the show really hasn't "died" for me yet, and I don't expect it to for a little while.
This has mostly to do with the fact that i was so withheld about my opinions and thoughts on the show, and the situations I'd conjured up (even for my own OC!)

And now, I'd like to slowly let others in on these situations.

I will be touching upon topics that should have shreds of canon-ness in them that will be recognizable. My art will no doubt reflect the same.

Like I said.
Be ready.
It should be quite entertaining.
© 2011 - 2024 DarkInSye
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superfan001's avatar
THANK YOU!!!!!! YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT THIS!!!! AND I AGREE WITH YOU 100%!!!!