Notes for the Finale of The Siren (Chapters 43-53) · 2:16am Jul 6th, 2023
These are the notes for Chapters 43-53 of my fanfic The Siren, i.e. the finale. Don’t read until after you’ve read the chapters in question.
Chapter 43
Crouton’s species
This is a variant on another Dr. Who villain, the Cybermen. (Who were used as the basis of the Borg in Star Trek, in case she seems familiar to you.) The creepiest version of them were in their first appearance, The Tenth Planet, where they had those mouth flaps and sing-song voices. The metallic body came from the current iteration:
Crouton’s vulnerability
In the Cybermen’s first appearance, they were vulnerable to gold. This was removed in a later episode, by saying that the Cybermen had “upgraded” into a form without that vulnerability. The “auo field” I mention later is named from the Latin word for gold.
Crouton hasn’t upgraded herself to remove the vulnerability, because she fears she will lose her personality as well.
Rozetri
I told you back in the notes for Chapter 3 that this would be on the test. It was only 40 chapters ago, for crying out loud!
…Do you know what’s even more annoying than making sure that a god’s pronouns are always capitalized? Making sure Tin speech is monospace bold and only made up of lowercase letters, spaces and periods.
Chapter 44
N-verse vs. E-verse
The Classic Doctor Who series spent some time in the “E-space”, which is the same concept described here of an external mini-universe adjacent to our own universe. In showed up in three serials from the 1980–81 period.
Crouton’s name and origin
In the Dr. Who comic strip there is a character called Kroton, the only person ever to have retained their personality after being converted into a Cyberman. (Rather confusingly, there’s also a Doctor Who serial called The Krotons, who have no relation to the comic strip Kroton.)
There was a small group of Slugs who didn’t think like the rest
In the Classic Doctor Who serial The Evil of the Daleks from 1967, the Daleks seek to isolate the “human factor”, which will make Daleks so clever that they will be invincible. Instead, they accidentally create a race of “humanized Daleks”, Daleks with the minds of human children, who are curious, resist following orders blindly, and who wish to co-exist with other species instead of exterminating them. Once their minds mature, a civil war results between the two breeds that supposedly destroys all the Daleks forever. (This happens at the end of, like every Dalek serial.)
The Doctor Who comic strip brought these humanized Daleks back in the series Children of the Revolution from the 2000’s. Unfortunately, that series ends with them all being destroyed by a psychic monster on the planet Kyrol, and to date they haven’t appeared again.
Chapter 45
Prismia
Prismia was the villain from Princess Cadance’s origin story, Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell.
Five Celestia-damned seconds
Ooh, swearing. Well, I’ll definitely have to raise the rating to Teen now.
Queen Chrysalis’ relationship with her nymphs
This has always puzzled me, in the fanfics that tried to portray Chrysalis as a loving mother caring for her many children—you know, the ones that are supposed to create a moral dilemma in the reader. Because Chrysalis is obviously the worst kind of mother in existence, and if she existed in our legal system the State would have no choice but to put every one of those nymphs into foster care. Because even as horrible as foster care in this country is, it’s not as bad as a mother who would literally eat one of her children rather than suffer a single moment without an accustomed luxury.
At least, that was the way I read her from her first appearance.
So this is my headcanon on Queen Chrysalis and her nymphs.
(This is why changelings shouldn’t include clothes in their transformations.)
This is it! This is the final exam! All of the references will have callbacks! All of the setups will have payoffs!
I hope you were taking notes.
“All ponies but the late Meadowbrook…”
Interlude 2D, in case you want to go back and re-read that part in light of this revelation.
Chapter 46
Some of the dialog (and lyrics) in this chapter was taken from the screenplay to the episode “The Best Night Ever”, by Amy Keating Rogers.
In this chapter I’m basically trying to fix the Mane Six’s miserable experiences, therefore completely negating the very good lesson of the episode (“friends have a way of making even the worst of times into something pretty great”). Hey, a lot of other authors have done it before me, and I only managed to get to Spike, Rarity and Applejack before the universe caught fire.
Tabula Rasa
The TV Tropes website has a page where the Daring Do series of stories has been mapped out. Several of these have even been turned into fanfics. In the universe created by this page, Tabula Rasa is one of Daring’s sidekicks. Just as Daring is a color-swapped Rainbow Dash, so Pr. Tabula is a version of Twilight Sparkle.
Spike seems to know everypony in Canterlot
Based on “Suited for Success”, I’d say that this statement is accurate. And he spent a ton of time in the Palace. So the only reason he failed to warn Rarity about Prince Blueblood is because he never learned that she had a crush on him.
Sometimes Rarity could be so weird
Kind of like her voice actress.
This is the good kind of weird. In case that wasn’t obvious. I can only wish I get as weird as Tabatha St. Germain when I grow up.
Twilight’s mountainside
Chapter 12.
Chapter 47
“The number of individuals who were able to resist [Discord’s Hate spell] was pitifully small: 5 ½.”
The ½ was Siren Twilight Sparkle.
As for the five? That’s the two princesses who are above ground, the two aliens, and…
Hmm…
I guess you get to pick who that fifth pony is.
In the middle of this chapter are some quotes from “The Return of Harmony Part 2”, written by M.A. Larson (the friendship lessons).
Spike?
You’ll have to tell me which of the endless series of cliffhangers starting with Chapter 44 is your favorite. This is mine.
Chapter 48
This chapter has no cliffhanger!
Hmm…you are quite correct. I guess I owe you all a refund.
Chapter 49
Venusian Aikido
The Third Doctor era of Doctor Who started in 1970, which was still in the midst of martial arts mania. (See notes to Chapter 40.) So, when that incarnation of The Doctor needed to kick somebody’s ass, he used “Venusian Aikido”.
Chapter 50
My characterization of Silver Spoon
There are plenty of stories that make Silver out to be the victim or reluctant follower of Diamond, and I’m usually fine with that. It was just this once that I wanted to make her a co-villain, evil in her cold manipulation, but not going out of her way to be sadistic like Diamond is (was).
Golden Peytral
Like her mother from Chapter 46, this is an original character.
Chapter 51
You know, if this was about twenty or thirty chapters earlier, I’d be adding a 
character tag at this point.
Polished Pewter
Original character.
(There are no notes for Chapter 52.)
Chapter 53
“Wipe them out. All of them.”
How evil is Queen Chrysalis? Darth Sidious evil.
