FanFic Writing Guide

Characters

We begin by providing an in depth examination of the characters in the PowerPuff Girls show. By understanding the characters and their motivations, it becomes much easier to write a story. Remember, design your characters in detail first, then develop the rest of your story.

Blossom

Role: Blossom is the leader of the PowerPuff Girls.

Personality: She is confident, although can be a bit pompous and overbearing at times. She often gives advice to her sisters even when it isn't asked for. Blossom sometimes tries to act as a parental figure to her sisters; this is usually met with resistance. However, when it comes to crime fighting, her orders are seldom questioned. In the rare instances when Blossom does something wrong, she will try to shift the blame rather than take direct responsibility for her actions.

Intelligence: Blossom is the smartest of the PowerPuff Girls. She is an A+ student in school. She studies conversational Chinese in her spare time.

Problem Solving: Blossom always attacks a problem by creating a plan first, then acting on it.

Morality: Blossom is the moral compass of the group. She is usually the one who has to make hard decisions based on the moral implications of the situation.

Unique Abilities: Ice breath.

The PowerPuff Girls have no mother. Blossom unconsciously attempts to fill this role. She is usually the first to accept the Professor's frequent lessons in morality. She then strives to impart his wisdom to her siblings. Blossom's didactic nature often makes her seem bossy and overly-righteous to her sisters. She scolds her sisters whenever they do not act in a manner that she deems as moral.

Blossom's relationship with the Professor is unique. The Professor is a single parent with no significant other in his life. Blossom tries to compensate for this by trying to be a perfect little girl in his eyes.

Examples:	•	Uh Oh Dymano: Blossom promises the Professor that the girls will use the Dynamo even though she feels it is a bad idea.

	•	A Very Special Blossom: Blossom steals a set of golf clubs for the Professor because she knows it's the gift he wants the most.

	•	Members Only: Blossom decides to help the other superheroes even though they shunned the PPGs from their club.

Blossom's ability to fight crime can be hampered due to a moral dilemma.

Examples:	•	Insect Inside: Blossom doesn't want to hurt the cockroaches that are taking over Townsville.

	•	Fallen Arches: Not to risk being disrespectful to her elders, Blossom refuses to beat up the gang of old time villains.

	•	Not So Awesome Blossom: Mojo knows Blossom would never lie. Her inability to deceive Mojo gives him the upper hand (temporarily).

Buttercup

Role: Buttercup is the tough, tomboyish Powerpuff.

Personality: Buttercup is always ready to fight. She is usually the first one to attack an enemy head on. She doesn't care much for elaborate plans like Blossom. While she has a tough exterior, she is emotionally insecure.

Intelligence: Buttercup seems to be extremely intelligent. However, she would rather fight and train rather than study.

Problem Solving: Buttercup acts first without thinking through the possible repercussions of her actions.

Morality: Buttercup is impulsive and self-centered. Consequently, she sometimes does things that are immoral. However, she always learns from her mistakes and comes back around to the side of good.

Unique Abilities: Nothin' special.

Buttercup is jealous of her other sisters and the special attention they receive from the Professor. She doesn't feel that she is the smartest like Blossom or the cutest like Bubbles, so she tries to make up for it by being the strongest and toughest. Her feelings of inadequacy result in her being very cruel at times. She constantly bullies Bubbles, and has at times challenged Blossom's authority.

Examples:	•	Buttercrush: Buttercup has a crush on the Gangrene Gang's leader, Ace. She is attracted to his "bad-boy" image.

	•	Paste Makes Waste: Buttercup takes great joy in teasing Elmer Sglue.

	•	Ice Sore: Buttercup is extremely jealous of Blossom's new super power.

	•	Cover Up: Buttercup uses a lucky blanket to give her confidence.

	•	Speed Demon: Buttercup flaunts her victory in the race. She comments to Bubbles that she won because her hair is more aerodynamic. In reality, Buttercup is jealous of Bubbles' hair and uses this as a way of making herself feel better at Bubbles' expense.

	•	All Chalked Up: Buttercup's disregard for Bubbles' chalk drawings causes friction.

	•	Not So Awesome Blossom: Buttercup "rubs it in" when Blossom fails at saving the day.

	•	Nuthin' Special: Buttercup is frustrated that she doesn't have a special power like her sisters do.

While all three girls are the same age, Buttercup exemplifies many of the problems middle children feel. Blossom's mature personality and leadership role make her seem like the oldest. Bubbles' childlike behavior makes her the adorable baby of the the group. Buttercup is left stranded trying to find an identity for herself.

Bubbles

Role: Bubbles is the sweet, sensitive member of the group.

Personality: Bubbles is the embodiment of eternal innocence. She loves coloring and fuzzy animals. Bubbles is overly sensitive most of the time, but if she gets mad, she can whoop enemy butt. Bubbles has an optimistic view of life.

Intelligence: It's very difficult to gauge Bubbles' intelligence. She expresses herself in childlike terms. When confronted with large multi-syllable words, she will pronounce each syllable individually. However, there have been instances where she has demonstrated a high level of intelligence. In fact, she can speak Spanish and Japanese (not to mention squirrel, cat, etc.). When writing your stories, assume that Bubbles has the average intelligence of a normal five year old child. While this is not the limit of her intelligence, it will put you in the proper frame of mind to write lines for her.

Problem Solving: Bubbles is the most passive of the group. She usually relies on her sisters to make the first move and then follows their lead. However, she can become quite independent and aggressive when pushed.

Morality: Bubbles' morality is that of a child. She has a rudimentary understanding of right and wrong. Complex moral issues are difficult for her to comprehend.

Unique Abilities: Can speak many different languages as well as communicate with animals.

Bubbles' character is pretty straightforward. She is a five year old girl who has super powers. Because of her childlike nature, she doesn't have too many complex characteristics to examine.

Examples:	•	Insect Inside: Bubbles is terrified of cockroaches.

	•	Octi Evil: HIM takes advantage of Bubbles' innocence to try to get the girls to fight with one another.

	•	Boogie Frights: Bubbles must face her fears of the Boogie Man.

	•	Ice Sore: Bubbles doesn't like the idea that Blossom has a super power that makes her special. She fears she will loose her status as the one who receives the most attention.

	•	Bubblevicious: Bubbles is tired of being treated like a baby. Her fury gives her newfound strength, but at a cost.

	•	All Chalked Up: Bubbles is tricked into releasing her inner hurt and anger as chalk monsters.

	•	Stray Bullet: Bubbles inadvertently gives a squirrel super powers in order to save it from dying.

	•	Bubble Boy: Bubbles is tortured by having to take part in boyish rituals.

	•	Neighbor Hood: Bubbles is tricked into giving a criminal all of Townsville's money.

Bubbles sometimes talks in run-on sentences. You may want to use this technique from time to time when writing lines for her.

Professor Utonium

Role: Professor Utonium is the creator and father figure to the PowerPuff Girls.

Personality: The Professor is a kind, moral, and optimistic man. His inventions are based on an extremely idealistic view of the world. He loves his girls dearly and tries his best to impart to them a strong set of principles to live by.

Intelligence: Professor Utonium is the most intelligent person in Townsville.

Problem Solving: The Professor tries to solve his problems using science and logic. However, his idealistic nature usually taints his judgment.

Morality: The Professor's views are pretty much something out of the 50's. Kind of like Donna Reed, Leave it to Beaver, and Father Knows Best all rolled into one.

Unique Abilities: Scientist. Can make complex inventions in a short amount of time.

The Professor is a bit of a square, but fits in well with the rest of the population of Townsville. His inventions are usually flights of fancy that are based on abstract concepts. The Professor uses logic as way to try to qualify and quantify these ideas into something tangible.

Examples:	•	The Professor tries to make the perfect little girl from sugar, spice and everything nice.

	•	Pet Feud: Professor Utonium develops BEEBO, the perfect pet. But the girls overfeed their cuddly pet and it leads to catastrophe.

	•	Town and Out: The other scientists make fun of the Professor calling him a "square".

	•	Criss Cross Crisis: The Professor tries to disprove the old saying, "you can't mix apples and oranges" literally.

	•	Power Prof: The Professor attempts to help the girls by being a superhero. His constant doting make him an annoyance to the girls.

The Professor constantly tries to merge his logical thought processes with his idealistic and innocent nature. Many times his attempt to solve problems in this manner leads to mayhem.

Examples:	•	Mr. Mojo's Rising: Mojo JoJo reveals that he was once the Professor's pet monkey. The Professor gives MoJo super powers to make up for his neglect. The Professor soon learns that it was not a good idea to give MoJo super powers.

	•	The RowdyRuff Boys: The Professor gives MoJo JoJo the formula for creating the PowerPuff Girls under the belief that he was helping someone write an article for their school newspaper.

	•	Uh Oh Dynamo: In an attempt to protect the girls from harm, he ends up contributing to the destruction of Townsville.

	•	Telephonies: The Gangrene Gang make a prank phone call to the Professor telling him he won a million dollars. The Professor stays on the phone for the entire day (maybe longer) waiting to claim his prize.

	•	Daylight Savings: The girls get a curfew, which proves to be a bad idea when the villains find out.

	•	Criss Cross Crisis: The Professor's plans goes awry when he tries to switch apples for oranges causing the entire town to switch from one body to another.

	•	Get Back, Jojo: Mojo uses the Professor's time machine in an attempt to prevent the Professor from ever creating the PowerPuff Girls.

Writers many times define the composite personality of a character by the individual personalities of that character's children. For example, in the movie The Godfather, Vito Corleone's character was comprised of all the attributes of his children. Sonny represented his temper. Michael was the cool, calculating, and impassionate part of his personality. Fredo was his calm, compassionate, family-loving side. An argument can be made that the Professor's personality is a composite of the three girls. Blossom represents his logical and moral side. Bubbles represents his innocent and idealistic nature. And yes, Buttercup's personality is evident in the Professor at times.

Examples:	•	Cat Man Do: When the girls bring home a cat, the Professor tells them about the time when he was a child and asked his parents for a pet...and they said NO!!!

	•	Collect Her: The Professor tortures the villain by breaking his PPG collection one by one until he surrenders.

	•	A Very Special Blossom: The Professor dismisses the Father's Day gifts given to him by Buttercup and Bubbles when he gets the golf clubs he wanted so badly.

	•	Pet Feud: Professor Utonium takes away the BEEBO from the Mayor in a humiliating manner.

	•	Collect Her: Professor Utonium uses "torture" to get the villain to reveal the location of the PPGs.

	•	Cover Up: Professor Utonium believes Buttercup's green "blankie" gives him special abilities too.

	•	The Mane Event: Even the Professor can't help from laughing at Blossom's misfortune.

	•	Get Back, Jojo: The Professor wasn't always a nerd in school. In fact, he was a total brat!

MoJo JoJo

Role: Evil villain. Primary antagonist of the PowerPuff Girls.

Personality: MoJo isn't just naturally evil; he goes out of his way to be evil. He is a megalomaniac obsessed with destroying the PowerPuff Girls. He is narcissistic and self-centered. He spends all of his waking hours planning his next evil deed. MoJo is ill-tempered and usually vents his frustrations on others.

Intelligence: MoJo is actually quite intelligent...for a monkey. However, MoJo's plans are ill conceived and always end up in failure. For all of his "book smarts," MoJo always seems to miss the obvious.

Problem Solving: MoJo tries to solve his problems by constructing an overly-complex plan. His plans are based on idealistic concepts, like the Professor, but without the same rate of success.

Morality: MoJo strives to be evil. His morality is diametrically opposed to that of Professor Utonium.

Unique Abilities: Scientist. Can make complex inventions in a short amount of time.

MoJo has many "father issues" based on his past relationship with the Professor. He was the Professor's rambunctious pet, but was pushed out when the PowerPuff Girls were born. In retaliation, MoJo strives to work against everything the Professor believes in.

MoJo emulates the Professor in many ways. He is a scientist that creates inventions from extremely abstract and obscure inspirations just like the Professor. However, his level of intelligence is no match for the Professor and he continues to fail in his evil endeavors. MoJo subconsciously wants the Professor's love and approval; however, his egomaniacal personality and undying obsession to destroy the PowerPuff Girls prevents him from ever getting close to his estranged surrogate father.

Examples:	•	Just about every episode with MoJo JoJo in it.

MoJo almost never uses contractions. When writing for his part, don't use them either. MoJo also has a tendency to repeat himself. Try to structure your lines in a way that they say the same thing, but in a different way.

Examples:	•	Los Dos Mojos: Possibly the best example of MoJo speech.

	•	Just about every episode with MoJo JoJo in it.

Brick

Note: The following is based on my own personal feelings and what I have used for my fanfics. The RowdyRuff Boys are not well developed in the original show, so feel free to deviate from this if you like.

Role: Brick is the leader of the RowdyRuff Boys.

Personality: Brick is a natural born leader. He is Captain Kirk, Sun Tsu, and Machiavelli all rolled up into one. He is the source of almost all of the RowdyRuff Boys plans. Even though he strives to be cool and calculated, he becomes visibly frustrated when his plans do not work as expected.

Intelligence: Brick is the most cunning of the RowdyRuff Boys. While he could successfully focus his efforts to his school work, Brick would rather read "Art of War" than do his homework assignments.

Problem Solving: Brick approaches problems like a chess game. He always tries to be a step ahead of his opponent. While he always tries to beat his opponents by using strategy over brute force, he is ready to dish it out at a moment's notice.

Morality: Brick intrinsically believes that the "ends justify the means". However, he finds that in order to be a superhero, he must temper his judgment with compassion and concern for the people he is trying to protect.

Unique Abilities: While it hasn't been developed yet in any of my fanfics, he will most likely have "fire" breath.

Brick is the most mature member of the RowdyRuff Boys. He takes on the role of leader naturally. While his siblings may disagree with him from time to time, they have faith in his abilities as a leader and will follow his orders. Like Blossom, Brick tries to come up with a plan before fighting.

In my fanfics, the RowdyRuff boys do not have a clear father or mother figure. This lack of moral guidance allows me to take the RowdyRuff Boys in a different direction than the PowerPuff Girls. The boys need to find what it means to be a hero based solely on their own experiences. I believe that this will allow the stories to take on moral issues without the necessity for a single point of view to be followed. In other words, the issues won't have to be as "black and white" as they seem to be with the PowerPuff Girls. The line between good and evil can be more blurred.

Butch

Role: Butch is the toughest of the RowdyRuff Boys.

Personality: Butch is a lot like Buttercup in many ways. He enjoys fighting and has a short temper. He often delivers cutting remarks to his siblings, which can be insulting at times. While he thrives on competition, especially with his brothers, he does not share the same insecurities as Buttercup.

Intelligence: Butch is about as intelligent as his brothers. However, he has no love for Brick's plans. He would rather meet his enemies head on rather than trying to avoid the battle through strategy.

Problem Solving: Butch acts first without thinking through the possible repercussions of his actions.

Morality: Butch is impulsive and self-centered. However, he does have a strong sense of "warriors' honor". This belief system is similar to that of ancient Japanese culture and that of the Klingons in Star Trek series.

Unique Abilities: None yet.

While I strive to differentiate the RowdyRuff Boys from the PowerPuff Girls, some similarities will inevitably surface. Of all the characters, I'd say Butch and Buttercup are the most alike. They are both stubborn, impulsive, and self-centered. Ironically, these are the very things they dislike about each other. It is an interesting dichotomy that can be the source of many plot points and wonderful exchanges between the two.

Boomer

Role: Boomer is the solicitous member of the RowdyRuff Boys.

Personality: If Bubbles is the embodiment of "eternal innocence," Boomer represents "innocence lost." Boomer is thoughtful and sympathetic, yet can be at times the most formidable of the three. Boomer is usually the first to consider the moral implications of the boys actions. Boomer can be a bit pessimistic at times.

Intelligence: Boomer's intelligence is on par with his siblings.

Problem Solving: Boomer tries to reason his way through a problem. However, like Bubbles, he can become quite independent and aggressive when pushed.

Morality: Boomer is a superhero because he wants to help people. His view of morality is simplistic and childlike. Good and evil to him are two separate and distinct concepts. Like Bubbles, his innocent nature sometimes gets him into trouble. Unlike Bubbles, Boomer's morality continues to become more cynical as he matures.

Unique Abilities: While it hasn't been developed yet in any of my fanfics, he will most likely a super power that is similar to Bubbles. Something like superb math skills, or technical ability.

Boomer acts as a foil to Brick's Machiavellian nature. Boomer serves as a reminder to his brothers that being a superhero is to serve and protect the people in their town. In turn, Boomer learns from Brick that not everything is what it seems. Evil does not always show itself; it lurks in the hearts of men and women everywhere.

Boomer represents the boys' maturation through life's experiences. He is the innocent child in all of us that eventually grows up and becomes an adult.

One of my ideas for a RRBs episode would be the discovery that Boomer is colorblind. I feel it's an interesting idea since:

	•	It's about as opposite as you can get from Bubbles' love of color.

	•	His brothers are red and green. Colorblind people can't distinguish between the two. Funny eh?

	•	His sort of "black and white" outlook on the world meshes well with his general outlook on life.

	•	It's cool to have a character with a disability as long as it's not disabling.

	•	The episode could involve a villain with a hypno device that utilizes red and green flashing colors to put people under his spell. Since Boomer is colorblind, he is the only one immune to its effects. Yeah, I know. I ripped it off the X-Files. Okay, so I'm a thief! Whaddya gonna do about it! (Smashes a bottle on the edge of a nearby table.) Now, who wants a piece of me?! Eh?! Eh?!

Introduction

Characters

Themes

Plot

Unwritten Rules