Entry 3: Twilight Sparkle · 3:50pm Apr 30th, 2013
Twilight Sparkle.
By no means the rarest of the ponies to see in fanfiction. There are a variety of ways to write Twilight Sparkle; a Mary Sue, an Alicorn, an asocial clutz, a duex ex machina that needs to be on the sideline until the plot gets solved, and more.
My favorite non-ship Twilight fics are; A Simpler Time, Petriculture and it's sequels, Nyx's family and it's prequels, and A Teatime Visit,
So how does one write a Twilight Sparkle?
Let us start by examining Twilight’s power; she’s basically the most powerful unicorn ever. If she even sees a spell demonstrated to her once, she can copy it. If she reads about a spell, she can cast it. What stops Twilight from being a Mary Sue is her inability to perform well physically, and her awkward social graces. Of course, given the personal growth she’s experienced, it could be excused if those last two features did not make it into an Adventure story. But if your story does not have the Adventure tag, Twilight should not be an unstoppable force of omnipotent magickes.
Regarding the imagination of Twilight Sparkle, there has been some debate. Compare and contrast how she problem solves in the first and third season openers. In the first, she can barely get through Nightmare Moon’s lamest obstacles, needing five other ponies to help her, among other things, not be scared, calm a moustache lover, and make a bridge. In the third season, she finds the Crystal Heart all on her own, needs only the slightest help from an outside observer to get past one obstacle, obliterates another obstacle, and then finds an imaginative way to effortlessly bypass a potentially time-wasting and strength-exhausting obstacle.
Twilight, in the beginning, had little imagination and could only solve problems via reading about the best way to solve a problem. However, she has grown beyond that, and is very adept at improvising. An ideal scenario for Twilight would, ironically, be something she’s never read of before. She can improvise quite well faced with a new challenge, but when faced with a challenge she’s red up on and is confident about, she will go with the solution offered in the book, and then should that not work she will flail about until one of her friends snaps her out of it.
Regarding her Element; I believe that Twilight’s Element of Friendship does not reference her ability to make friends anywhen and anywhere. As shown in Canterlot, she is actually rather anti-social. However, I believe her element came to her because of the fundamental nature of Friendship being a Two-Way street. She could never make friends in Canterlot; there are too many ponies there who would use her as a status symbol, or to catch the ear of the Princess. In Ponyville, others are willing to be friends with her, so she is willing to be friends with them. She is so devoted to the truth, to uncovering the underlying nature of things, so much so that she could have been the Element of Truth. This need to discover the truth is the reason she is anti-social, and the Element of Friendship at the same time. She selects her friends like she selects her books; the boring ones she sets aside, but the ones filled with knowledge and wisdom she devours greedily. That is the true spirit of friendship; like a good book, you want to read over and over again, each time being surprised at new information you missed, or a comforting favorite phrase.
Anypony else would wear themselves out with as good a friend as Twilight Sparkle.
As for the romance; I am generally opposed to girl on girl romance, however. For My Little Pony I make an exception. Because so many of its characters are interesting, unique, well developed, and it would be a waste just to make up a guy who acted exactly like one of the Mane Six. I have little patience for lesbians, but I have even less patience for pointless, scenery chewing, half-witted OCs.
In terms of romance for Twilight. I think that Twilight’s ideal pairing should be somepony with a lot of common sense. A guy who can take things calmly and rationally, without exploding into chaos. Brainpower isn’t really the issue; Twilight’s friends with Rainbow Dash after all. No need to look for a bookworm, just someone with common sense.
Opposites attracting is also the most viable method of finding Twilight a date, as any pony as introverted as Twilight is would not be able to strike up any sort of relationship with her, and she herself couldn’t be bothered. She’s the element of friendship, but she still needs a match who will have the skills to be friends with her. Definitely someone funny, or someone who is similarly intelligent but in a different field than.
The Ballad of Twilight Sparkle is an appalling shipfic that, while worth a read for the sheer hilarity of the escapades that the mane six encounter (the Cutie Mark Crusaders become suspected of being a street gang, working alongside Princess Celestia and Derpy Hooves), it fails in every single way with regards to romance. However, it has two lines in it that struck me as lines that should be in every single Twilight fic ever. Or at least some variation of those lines:
The Great and Powerful Trixie couldn't do it. She tried to remain angry at Twilight Sparkle, she really did - after all, the lavender unicorn had managed to cheat on her before Trixie had even got around to asking her out! With a building no less! 'The ignominy! The audacity!'
The part where Twilight takes out a book from the library behind Trixie's back, and Trixie treats it like Twilight having an affair with the library. Some variation of this should be in every Twilight shipfic.
'Yep, that's who you fell for'.
The bit where Trixie is made to realize that Twilight is not, in fact, and all-powerful sorcerous who defends Ponyville from Ursa Minors every morning before breakfast, but is rather really awkward and clumsy.
In fact, some variation of this line should be in every single romance ever. Ever.
So, without further ado, and analysis of Twilight’s prospective matches.
Applejack: This pairing works well, if only for the fact that they could easily live the rest of their lives together. But only because Applejack is Twilight’s best friend already, and I don’t see how that’s going to change. In my mind, having watched them grow together through the seasons, Applejack and Twilight act like sisters. There is no chemistry there beyond that. I have yet to read a good Sparklejack fic.
Rarity: Rarity is, in two words, high maintenance. Not the type of pony Twilight should be in a relationship. Curls pulls this off, mostly by playing to Rarity’s drama, Rarity’s need to be the damsel in distress perfectly matching Twilight’s desire to help her friends. And Twilight not worrying about Rarity’s mane even when Rarity gets fussy about it. But otherwise, I’d say their hopes for a long-term relationship are nil.
Rainbow Dash: This is a case where opposites definitely attract. Of all the mane cast, I’d say Rainbow Dash has the best chances of success with Twilight. She’s the best one out of the mane cast to present her with challenges and try to help her be better. That besides, Rainbow Dash can help Twilight when she's in 'epic sorceress' mode, and Twilight can help Rainbow Dash when she's in 'embarrassingly goofy' mode. My favorite SparkDash fic is Twilight's List.
Fluttershy: Fluttershy is far too shy to have any relationship with Twilight. Ever. Can you imagine either one of them making a first move?
Pinkie Pie: JUST! SO! CUTE! Mix Pinkie with Twilight, and you get sweetness rivalling that of any form of sugar! I’m surprised nobody’s done a fic with the two of them meeting as babies somehow. Adorable! I mean, obviously not viable for a long term relationship, but while it lasts, it’s adorable! My favorite Twilight Pinkie fic is A Different Kind Of Magic. The way Pinkie Pie talks Twilight through a potentially life-threatening case being stuck in a mirror is so touching, and the way they both act is SO! ADORABLE!
Popular ships:
Big Mac: This is my third favorite ship for Twilight. It’s like she’s dating Applejack, except without the sisterly bond getting in the way.
Princess Celestia: I’ve never quite understood why anyone would think there’s that kind of relationship between Celestia and Twilight. It’s not because Celestia’s an immortal who met Twilight as a filly – immortals need love too, and as long as she only starts to progress to that stage when Twilight’s old enough I don’t consider a twelve-hundred something loving a twenty something pedophilia. But Celestia is Twilight’s mentor.
There are five different ways you can mentor someone; The Hard Master, who you respect because you fear them, and because you fear/respect them, you listen to their council (my personal favorite, as I owe a great deal to my own Hard Masters). The Motherer, the mentor who teaches with positive encouragement instead of negative reinforcement, pointing out your talents so you can do better instead of pointing out your flaws so you can correct them (and no, I don’t dislike motherers, it’s a perfectly valid method of teaching and I think Princess Celestia teaches this way). There’s the Live Fire Teacher, who teaches by putting the student in situations they’re trying to learn for, neither mothering them nor being too hard, simply standing on the sidelines and forcing the student to learn for himself while adding only a comment of aid here and there (this is the second type of mentor Princess Celestia is likely to be). Then there’s the Yoda, and I don’t think I have to explain to anybody how being insane helps students learn and grow. And finally, there’s the Villainous Mentor, a subset of the Hard Master and the Live Fire Teacher, the Villainous Mentor is someone who teaches his student by constantly attacking him with a wide array of attacks, pushing the student to be better or else they will die, because unlike Live Fire Teacher, they won’t step in if their student looks like he’ll lose, and if they do lose then the Villainous Mentor will consider them unworthy and move on (Depending on which fanfic you read, Celestia also might be this mentor).
Now, maybe somebody else knows a different method of motivating and educating a person, but those are the five types I know of. And does Twilight sound like somebody to fall in love with any of those types? No. Celestia is a mentor first, and a friend second, but she will never be Twilight’s love.
Princess Luna: This is more realistic than Celestia. They both love the stars, and they’re both slightly awkward in social situations. Luna is outside of Twilight’s group of friends, and is probably the element of magic too or something. She’s kind, and funny, and she’d make a good couple to Twilight. A Moonlit Balcony does this really well.
Discord: This one seems almost impossible to pull off, because to me, almost nobody can pull off a proper Discord. There are very few Discord fics out there where Discord isn't either; A Fourth Wall breaking moron, An angsty I'm-only-misunderstood-sorry-for-brainwashing-your-friends-but-I-can't-help-being-evil-because-I-was-locked-in-a-statue-for-1,000-years, or A Pure Evil monster, who feeds the Elements their own siblings. Discord is a complex character, and takes some effort to pull off properly. And yeah, I don't think Twilight could possibly fall in love with either the original or any of the characterizations people attach to Discord to make him easier to write.
Trixie: This… is just so wrong. I can’t even… okay, this just makes no sense. Trixie humiliated Twilight and her friends multiple times. Given the last Trixie episode, Twilight seems to be over it but… but it’s like Twilight and Rarity, only without the established friendship and with the addition of a mountain’s worth of abrasiveness. Even if you subscribe to the train of thought that Trixie isn’t abrasive, she’s just a drama queen that’s all bark and no bite who was temporarily brainwashed by the Alicorn Amulet… even then, she’s too self-centered to be any type of match for Twilight without some heavy, heavy character development.
Cheerilee: I'd say this is an okay match. Cheerilee and Twilight have a lot in common; they're both educated, and they both have a soft spot for their youngsters. Cheerilee is a lot older than Twilight, but that's just something to get over. Granted, I've not seen a lot of Cheerilee fics that pull this off well, despite Cheerilee/Twilight being a popular couple, but if it's done right I think it could have potential.
Special Mentions;
These are the ships that I don’t see very often, but are still noteworthy in my opinion.
Soarin’: From the fic Eros Dreaming. Twilight and Soarin’ bonding over star-watching starts off the romance train, which is then completed by Soarin’ being a perfectly romantic gentlecolt. The only flaw I can find in this pairing is that Soarin’ has yet to prove his ability to tolerate Twilight’s… outbursts. But he’s still my second favorite ship, so somebody please write a Soarin’/Twilight fic.
Roller Reel: From Nyx’s family. Roller Reel started out as a loser, but in later chapters he’s shaping up nicely, having discovered that his Special Talent isn’t useless and putting it to good use. Now, officially, it’s not a shipfic, but I can cross my fingers and hope, because Roller Reel seems to be everything I’ve just described as Twilight’s perfect match. Roller Reel is my favorite OC, and the only OC that I think has a shot at Twilight.
AND MY OTP?
My personal OTP for Twilight Sparkle, is Iron Will. I am genuinely shocked that there are no shipfics for the two of them. Iron Will is goofy, and louder than life, but he’s also an honorable minotaur, and one who’s trying to help and advance ponykind. I imagine them bonding over their love of literature (or at least their love of poetry; you can’t tell me Iron Will’s not a poet with those crazy rhymes of his). And when they dance, everybody will be embaressed to be in the same room as this happy couple. I can also imagine Iron Will being a part of Twilight’s other life as an Element of Harmony and a princess. Can’t you see him taking on Sombra or Chrysalis with his bare hands (of course, it’s the romantic interest’s job to get involved with fights solely because they love their mate and not because they can actually win fights, but Iron Will can at least contribute, while most normal ponies would be reduced to bucking rocks at them as a distraction). The travelling life he leads might be rough on Twilight, but now that she’s a princess, who knows? She’ll be able to go anywhere whenever she wants, and her magic has exponentially increased so she can probably teleport to him any time either one is feeling lonely.
So, yeah, IronSparkle or TwilightWill for the win! Internet; Make It So!
See, Schröder ? That's how you blog .
I agree with most of this .
Cheerilee isn't (that much) older than the Mane 6 though, in "Cutie Mark Chronicles" we see Cheerilee in Raritys flashback and they're both the same seize .
And i think Head full of Cotton Candy pulls a good Discord off, you should check it out.
And Keeping it Simple has one of the best Big Macintosh' i have ever read while "ship teasing" him with the Main 6 .
And make Iron!Sparkle happen !
Oh and by the by have you received my Messages for the Comics ?
You didn't reply yet .
Most people do poor discord fics because they don't have the energy and stamina to fully analyze him, understand him, and throw themselves into his shoes...hooves...whatever! Anyway, he's somewhat complicated but not impossible to understand, given enough time. Everyone assumes that there was an event that started his "malevolent" spree more than a thousand years earlier. That would be presumptuous at best. Being somewhat a chaotic person myself, I think that he is choosing chaos to simply stir the bowl of eternity. If I can get bored with the mundane and trivial day to day living in the matter of two decades, what can centuries do to somebody like discord, who has a natural affinity for something unique and original? Entropy can create an interest in life, and if you're the only one creating it, then you've attained a purpose to continue your existence. Not saying I'm right (well, he isn't real, so who is?), but that's my best analyses.
if you want a GOOD (and by good i mean jesus christ why isn't this bastard published and a millionaire already??) Cheerilight fic, go here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/57503/the-other-mare
that is all
(warning, serious Twilestia extras, but the core Cheerilee is where it's at)
I think you have really thought this out well and I agree with you on most everything you said, except for Celestia I can fairly easily see Celestia turning into a love interest for Twilight. It starts out as a simple hero worship that develops into admiration and a sort of familial love which could then very easily turn into romantic love. I haven't seen a lot of stories that pull this off well but there are some. I also want to know why you didn't mention Spike since he is fairly popular when we talk about Twilight shipping, but I imagine that it has something to do with the borderline incest.
1044367
Oh, maybe I'm remembering it wrong. It looked to me like Cheerilee was already a teacher and around the mane cast's present age in that flashback.
Thanks for the reccomendations. I haven't received any new messages.
1044443
Thanks Web.
1044375
That's a pretty good analyses.
1044900
But that's the point; you're saying that Celestia is a motherly mentor, and Twilight has a familial love for her. Familial love cannot turn into romantic love. Unless you're a deeply disturbed or confused individual, you should never fall in love with your sister, brother, mother, father, etc.
And yes, this is why I disapprove of SparkleJack shipping, and why I didn't even mention SpikexTwilight. Sometimes people forget that there's more than one way to love a person (or pony).
1044989
I understand where you're coming from (he he cumming) the point I am trying to make however is people are very easily confused by their emotions AND emotions DO change and develop as we grow older so Twilight at a young age who has only known her family and the Princess may mistake her love for Celestia as that of her love for her mother. Also it is possible that Twilight, as she grows older and becomes more and more Celestia's equal, she will develop actual romantic feelings for her mentor. I would also like to say that I think of Celestia as all five types of mentor except for the evil one.
IronSparkle. That sounds like the best idea for an MLP epic. Not just some short ship fic, but a full on, laugh-your-heart-out-comedic, adventure-ship novel fic, complete with a villain, some societal concepts about interspecies relationship stuff (or something to spice it up outside the adventure), some funny-slice-of-life-at-home-short-thingies, and to make it a traditional comedy, a wedding! There needs to be a wedding, dammit! And flesh them all out. I'm talking 600k words of this stuff, with details on everything major. Especially the wedding. I'd do it myself, but I already have too many damn backup plans. So someone take my damn half-plot-bunny. DAMN. AND ADD A WEDDING!
1045320
That's exactly what I'm saying!
1045198
Hmmm, somehow I don't quite see Celestia as a Hard Master. But yeah, I think I get your point that if Twilight can get over her hero worship, she and Celestia could be more than student and master.
But I believe that it's already gotten to that point. Ever since the Canterlot Wedding, I think that Twilight has gotten over her hero worship and become friends with Celestia. Twilight had put Celestia on a pedestal, and was terrified that Celestia would abandon her. But Celestia did abandon her during the Canterlot Wedding, and having pushed through that worst case scenario, I think their relationship has become one of mutual trust.
But Twilight still has a lot to learn, and Celestia is still her teacher. I know that I still listen to advice from my old teachers, even when I've stopped formally studying under them, and even when a couple of them admit I'm better then they are. And I don't think that's a relationship conductive to romance.
1044989
any time, Cheerilight is my favorite Twi ship, with Pinkie on the follow up.
I'm with you on the Trixie thing (and Celestia), I don't get the hype
1045507
Celestia has some Hard Master aspects but for the most part no that is not a part of her teaching style, until she sent Twilight to Ponyville in order to get real world experience, for instance when she had Twilight and crew go remove the dragon I believe that was a real world test just like everything else Celestia has had Twilight do up until the Coronation. I also want to point out that the master pupil relationship CAN turn into a romantic relationship, it wont happen every time or to everyone but it will happen. Also because Twilight only ever interacted with her family and Celestia, I think that their relationship could have easily turned the love they already shared into a more sexual fashion, especially after Twilight made friends that were not a part of her family. Celestia was the first pony Twilight ever loved, not in her family, then Twilight grows up and gets some friends and learns about different kinds of love and the childish feelings, maybe even her first crush, become something more and something new. Like I said it can happen and Twilight is the only pony I can easily see it happening to, what with how introverted she was in her childhood and living with the Princess.
"My personal OTP for Twilight Sparkle, is Iron Will."
Lolwut....new headcanon....life is now complete.
Oh, and for any ship where the two characters are too shy to initiate, you can always get away with it if you work for away for initiation to happen. Else there would never be any FlutterMac ever.
Finally, I think Twilight's earlier inability to think up her own solutions didn't come from a lack of imagination, but rather just from rigidity. It's not that she lacks the mental function to come up with her idea, it's just that she isn't used to coming up with her own plans, and all her life she has been taught that the books are right. The reason she get's better isn't because she increases some mental capacity of hers, it's because she's had more practice improvising. Even after she get's better at improvising rigidity remains a part of her personality.
1051477
Well Rigidity kind of is a lack of imagination. Sort of like darkness is a lack of light. All her life, she's never had to come up with anything outside of what her books told her. The one time we have recorded where she's asked to use her imagination, the test for the School For Gifted, she fails miserably and has to be rescued by a dues ex machine granting her access to phenomenal cosmic powers. I'd say she lacks imagination.
Well yeah, they could still be set up on a date by somepony. But then one of them would have to make the first move in turning the 'set-up' into an 'actual date'. You could even have Fluttershy secretly be a princess and then be arranged to marriage Twilicorn. But one of them would still have to make a 'first move', otherwise it would just be marriage not romance. Admittedly though, in the aforementioned scenario, one of them probably would make a first move. So I'll give you that.
1052485
I disagree that rigidity is the lack of imagination. They aren't really opposites at all, being inflexible may appear as a lack of imagination, but the cause is completely different, at least at least in some situations. Also, keep in mind that imagination can refer to different things, ex. mind's eye, spontaneous imagination, social imagination ect. so the concept of a lack of imagination is a bit more complicated that would first appear.
1052671
You make a fair point. But I simplify things because you can get the same result either way. The square root of nine plus two is still five, so why not say three plus two?
In this case, Twilight is rigid. We both agree on that. But what does rigidity mean? Deficient in or devoid of flexibility. Inflexibly set in opinion. In short, a lack of an open mind to possibilities not yet considered. A lack of imagination.
Although, you do have a point about different types of imagination. She must have some social imagination, otherwise she wouldn't be so snarky. I was just noting her lack of imagination in regards to her problem-solving skills. Because that's what a story is; problems, and the solving thereof.
1052876
Oh, and back on the topic of Twilishy, there are others ways the relationship could initiate besides a deliberate set up. The way I think of it's not that any relationship is strictly incompatible, it's just some are more difficult or more unlikely than others. Besides, as far as I can tell Twilight Sparkle isn't really shy, just introverted.
1053682
Granted, yes.
hello! the reason Twixie exists, well, while it is true that they don't have much interaction in the show. i don't believe the pairing had any firm roots besides the characters themselves. Rather, the pairing is almost exclusively formed by two things: one, the old "opposites attract" model of a pairing, a real-life relationship trait where two people of opposite personalities would make the best couple (i.e. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash), and two: every story made about the two, whether it's shipping, friendshipping, or just mere acquaintances, the formula is almost the same.
Trixie comes back for some reason, contemplates on what she believes what Twilight has done to or for her, depending on what conclusion she comes to, and tries to make amends. as they get to know each other, they start to develop feeling for each other.
in all honesty, this formula could be done for all pairings, not just these two. sorta like, oh i dont know... Iron WIll and Twilight?
Disclaimer *I was just joking, there was no spite there, it's late and my minds going on snappy jokes and oh sweet celestia why am i still typing.*
All in all, i'm just saying is that you should not see a pairing as just the relationship in the show. not all the pairings are from it.
That is all.
1058193
Bah, I'm no good at detecting internet spite. Or sarcasm for that matter. Just don't mention it, and I'll probably ignore it.
The thing here is; opposites do attract, but only up to a point. For example, Twilight and Rainbow Dash. They're opposites; one is sporty, the other smart, one a show off, the other self-conscious. But imagine, if you will, whether the pairing would work if Rainbow Dash didn't like reading? If Twilight wasn't an epic mage hero in her spare time with levels of awesome to boot? Imagine if Rainbow Dash was a servant of chaos who took no consideration for how much her pranks hurt others. Imagine if Twilight was a complete sceptic and refused to believe that the Sonic Rainboom could ever be preformed.
Opposites attract yes, but it's almost impossible to get pure opposites to attract. This is why Foe Yay has to be handled with a great deal of delicacy - being on opposite sides of the alignment spectrum tends to lead to bad relationships. This is why so many brothers and sisters in fiction end up hating each other; despite their familial bond, there are some buttons even twins can't push without absolutely losing someone's love.
With regards to Twixie (and FlutterDash for that matter, though I haven't discussed that yet) There are opposites that can be played with, but all in all there are just not enough similarities for the characters to bond over, and help strengthen their relationship to the point where they can see past their differences.
I agree, the atonement setting is a popular way to set up a relationship (though I wouldn't say an Iron Will/Twilight fic would come off this way). In fact, I am a favorite of a Trixie fic that does this (though Trixie is not paired with Twilight in that fic). It is quite the romantic situation, and it's probably why people constantly ship Katara with Zuko.
However, even if somebody atones, they are still fundamentally that person. Stories are conflict, life is conflict, a person is a method of overcoming conflict. Atonement changes how a person feels about something, but that does not change how a person problem solves.
Even if Trixie is apologetic to the Mane Cast, I can't see a situation where Trixie humbly begs for forgiveness. The very idea rankles me. That's not how Trixie works. Trixie would loudly declare her status as a changed mare in front of the entire town, and sweep them away with a grand gesture to ensure all is forgiven. Presumably, the grand gesture will go horribly wrong somehow.
That is not the kind of pony I would ever ship someone like Twilight with.
1059855 While everything you said is true, there is one thing about trixie. This can be said double for any character on the show that doesn't have much character depth. There are two Trixies. One is the Trixie you see in the show, and the other is the Trixie developed by the fandom. Show trixie is two vauge, and as such what we know of her makes her a complete mismatch to Twilight. However, the fandom Trixie is a different story, as this Trixie is given more depth. yes, most of the fics give her this depth through some sort of life-changing process, but others have her in a more conflicted way.
One such example is a story i read a while ago called Was There Ever Any Doubt? The story has Trixie returning to Ponyville to try to amend her mistakes, and to ask Twilight if she could help her be more humble and actually make friends like her's, of which Trixie does not have. During this whole thing Trixie has to deal with not only the ponies who she disgraced in her last visit to the town, but also her inner demons who berate her constantly for thinking she could ever have a life like Twilight's. Through these tribulations, trixie slowly evolves until she becomes a completely different character.
Also, keep in mind that Trixie isn't the only one in the pairing. There are some fics where Twilight is the one who develops the crush. For an example of this, try looking up Teardrops and Snowflakes. In this fic Twilight, for reasons she can't explain, cannot stop thinking of Trixie. ever since the Boast Busters episode events, she has been thinking of her non-stop, and she doesn't know why that is. So, she decides to track her down, believing the answer will come through her. when she finds Trixie she realizes that she has a thing for someone like Trixie.
P.S. both stories are good reads, even if you arent a fan of the Twixie pairing. i recommend them.
1060134
Thanks, I'll give it a shot. I'm not a fan of 'can't stop thinking about her' romances either though.
1060500 yeah they can be a pain, but that one really caught my interest. shame this one has been put on hiatus for a while.