On Motivation And Fandom · 1:07pm Jan 13th, 2014
Hey folks just about at the end of of pulling the first of several crunch all-nighters this week and boy do I have a short fuse right now
I'm going to share one of my personal writer's tenets, in a fashion that hopefully won't prove too rough.
Let's look at MLP for a second. The MLP fandom does a lot of silly and dumb things. Even when it's being positive it does a lot of silly and dumb things. This is to say nothing of canon, which also does its fair share of silly and dumb things. What those things are varies from person to person. Let's not go into them here. Odds are I like something you hate. Seems to happen a lot with this show.
Now, as an example of what I'm getting at (and why I linked the story to this post): this Vinyl story you guys have been reading? It's here because I can't get into the established fanon for her at all. Absolutely zero about it I can identify with. No offense to the people who wrote the founding OctaScratch fics or made those animations or tumblrs at all; I've digested and enjoyed most of those (and the rest, I just haven't gotten to) but eventually they all just started blending in, and Vinyl's given fanon personality went in exactly the opposite direction I wanted to see it go in. Like, gratingly so. And since it was so entrenched and popular, one was hard pressed to find any other interpretation.
I was left with little choice. The fandom wouldn't give me the Vinyl that I wanted, and who knew if canon would get back around to her? So I decided to make my own. I like math, I like music, and I like forms of music established long before dubstep (as well as more recent; far as I'm concerned, Miss Scratch loves a good chiptune!). I have a composer in the family and through that was always of the idea that in order to do their job well, a disc jockey would need to be a student of as many forms of music as possible. That's literally all I had going into this. So if you like it (especially you folks who tell me it's true to the mentality and subjects of music) I really appreciate it, because you'd be surprised to find out just how much of this fic is me winging it. 
That said, I wasn't pushed over the edge towards actually writing it until "A Canterlot Wedding" revealed Vinyl's eyes to be magenta, thus Jossing her fanon red eyes. The ensuing anguish and arguments I saw in comments galore while browsing for Vinyl art over the next week made me see red and crash into a wall in supreme annoyance; when I came to, I found I'd somehow completed two chapters of Unison and had a blueprint of the Flux Capacitor drawn up on my desk. It was weird.
But that's just how these things sometimes happen. I wrote Blunder and Lightning back in the day because I liked what Gilda brought to the show and I thought Griffon the Brush Off was... sub-par as an episode -- but also half because I'd gotten really sick and tired of people going "SHE MADE FLUTTERSHY CRY WORST CHARACTER EVAR A BLOO BLOO." (I make sure to only look at Equestria Daily's Twitter feed these days.) Meanwhile I'm working on a Diamond Tiara fic now partially to spite the people who want to see her strung up. I refuse to sugarcoat her, either. Well, maybe a little, but you should see the effect Silver has on the girl. 
Meanwhile I am ga ga over a certain mare from a certain Manehattan-centric episode and will be writing tons about her because... well, she had the courage to do what I once upon a time could not. There's a story everywhere with this show.
The point to all this is that whatever the fandom goes ga ga over that I can't personally groove to, I ignore.* Three years of Doctor Whooves fics. Three years of Derpymania (who I have nothing against at all but did not understand the fuss over until I saw this literally three days ago). Flutterbat. Gore and horror fics. Pimp!Spike. The lone exception is when I see something I think I can work with even if I don't necessarily like it off the bat. Twilicorn is a big example of this, as is Equestria Girls. I ignore or assimilate, hardly because I'm some sort of enlightened being, but rather as a survival requirement for my sanity.
I can't control what canon or fandom does. I often wish I could just so I can maintain my moments of peace, but in the end I'm glad I can't -- as should you -- because I'd've gotten the show canceled long ago. (Look at my output -- I'm all Marge Simpson up in this piece.) What can do, however, is use what creative skills I know I have to enjoy Friendship is Magic the way I want to. Just like everyone else here. The time and energy I could easily spend complaining about what others are doing is time and energy wasted on creating something that could potentially blow all that stuff out of the water (...wait, is that the other way around? It's been three years, I dunno). Or more realistically, just something I can enjoy on my own personal level. My energy runs lower and lower with the passage of time, so I have to spend it wisely. /old
tl;dr expect a story about Time Turner -- and only Time Turner -- eventually. 
Also, lots of stories about how all of Equestria loves Coco Pommel.
And by "Equestria," I naturally mean Marianna Suzette.
Crunch is hell. I'm going to bed. I fully expect to wake up and having regretted posting this. 
~B
*Okay, sometimes I vent to friends, and they vent to me, and sometimes we agree or disagree but either way I do my best to understand and won't ever take that away from them. I have close friends who genuinely like Bats!, which just happened to be the only MLP episode to ever trigger me. Even so, I refuse to stop them from having their fun, so long as they grant me the same courtesy. Being friends, that usually goes off without a hitch!
EDIT: I actually forgot the most important part about all this. Might need a specific blog post later, but for now? Writing to excise one's fandom frustrations is well and good, but if you're going to do that, don't shine a huge light on that fact if you can help it. (I'm aware I'm breaking this rule right now; I throw myself on the sword so that others may benefit.) Let the story speak for itself; let it be the thing you debate with. I do this more often than not because I often have trouble explaining things straight out, so I just have characters do it for me, but still, it's better than having endless flamewars in comments and forums. Even if I don't see eye to eye with the story you put out, I'll respect your crafting of the scenario far more than if you just try to lecture me. Money where your mouth is, and all that.
Finally! Thank you!
It's like people don't seem to get that Silver Spoon is more than a henchmare to Diamond Tiara's schemes. Even though Silv goes with whatever it is Di wants, it's apparent she's the only thing preventing Di from going into the abyss completely.
I mean, has anyone else noticed how much worse Diamond Tiara's behavior is when Silv isn't around??? The Gabby Gums episode was probably the best example of how quickly a Silver Spoonless Diamond Tiara can spiral out of control.
By the way, there's speculation going around that Suri is actually Diamond Tiara's mom and that she and Filthy Rich divorced so she could pursue her career in Manehatten fashion. If this is so, then it's for the best. (I'd hate to see what happens when Suri and Di team up! Nudge, nudge!)
And on another, better note? YAY MORE COCO POMMEL!
I think a lot about Diamond was revealed when they showed that a) filthy Rich was a decent stallion and b) that she was very excited and into her father's presentation. She may be spoiled, but she has love in her and has a good dad. So there's something else a goin on. I just got done putting up a two story colab touching on this.
Also feel better!
So many excellent points
. I like you
. This fundamental respect for what other people like or don't like is one of my fundamental tenets, not only as a fan, but as a human being. It's a problem I have with the Protect Celestia group I'm a part of. I joined the group because I was, and am, interested in exploring facets of Celestia's character beyond the trope-ish "Molestia", "Tyrant Celestia", etc, etc. What I found in the group, though, was a bunch of people who just act like spoiled brats when people do something they don't agree with with their favorite character. I joined the group, not because I wanted in on some whiny circle-jerk, but because I wanted to lead by example—I wanted to have a place where I could find the sort of fics that explored the side of her I saw when I looked at her.
This comment is turning into me releasing some pent-up frustrations, and I don't like that. Moving on. I greatly look forward finally taking Unison: Spectacles and Shades off my Read Later List. And I also look forward to this Diamond Tiara fic. And this Time Turner one. Just keep doing what you're doing, Bookish. Cheers.
Challenging the dominant fanon is good. Even when I like the fanon, it's a good thing to have people going against the grain, doing something different with the characters and the setting, just to remind us all that it is indeed fanon, and to keep us from getting too set in our ways.
Ooh, Diamond Tiara story! I'm one of those rare Diamond Tiara fans she has about ten of, so I'm looking forward to that!
Anyhow, more on the subject, I think reading that finally gave my own views on fanon words with which to state my views, so I'm gonna do that! Fanon... should never be static. It should always be fluid, always be changing, and especially always be flexible. Vinyl really is an excellent example of what happens when that goes wrong. I mean, so far as flipping out about the eye color? Eye color of all things? Which leads to rejecting canon in favor of fanon, which let's be honest should only be done carefully and with precise purpose, and red-eye Scratch annoys the hell out of me for sheer willful denial of the source material and - ahf.
But I digress the point is, more people need to be doing what you're doing. 'I reject your fanon and replace it with my own!' I mean - not getting sucked into that rut and continuing to explore other possibilities so that the character can continue to grow and evolve as opposed to constantly being grinded down into a caricature of itself. I used to like Vinyl, I really did. But how long can one really be attached to a character that's so... static?
I haven't actually read Unison - it hadn't updated in months by the time I found you, see - but now you've picked it back up, and that bit of insight into how you're taking Vinyl above and beyond the Hole of Fanon, I'm definitely going to check it out. Keep doing this sort of thing, yeah? Never give in to the hivemind! Vive la créativité!
So are we seeing Warm-Coco or Hot-Coco? ^.-
Let me just say that I largely agree with you about the way fans are about their beloved fanon personae of ponies with literally NO characterization. Vinyl Scratch is one of the more obvious ones since, to me, she loves all kinds of music. Sure, she picks on Octavia's love of classical music, but only because they are old FRIENDS and Octavia pokes her back about more modern music, so they kind of balance each other out. (Especially with some of Vinyl's antics, but that's just because she loves life and wants to experience all she can) My apologies for spurting my head canon. ^^;
Let me just add that I know how you can feel and sympathize. I have seen too many authors give up on a concept (one outright DELETE the story) just because a few vocal ass hats want to live in an echo chamber and only see or hear the same thing over and over again. Screw those people and whatever entitled horse they rode on in!
(I also need to re-read Unison from the beginning since it's been so long, but if I remember right, there was a reason I fav'd it. ;D)
It has been nice to your refreshing take on Vinyl, and the message of enjoying the show the way you want to and letting others do the same is exactly right.
And while I don't agree with you on everything, I'm going to continue to enjoy those stories of yours that do click with me.
Keep up the good work.
Did you see reharmonized ponies #3?
I watched it on Youtube, and man, it made me feel feels for DIAMOND TIARA, of all ponies.
I don't want to over-hype it, because sometimes entering into an experience over-hyped can lessen the enjoyment you get out of it, but man...it impacted me.
So, have you seen it?
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I'm not so sure that's correct. We've seen Diamond Tiara without Silver Spoon along once, in Ponyville Confidential, and in that episode she was arguably the nicest she's ever been to the CMC. She didn't insult them and treated them the same way she treated the rest of the newspaper staff. Even her blackmail was a step up from her usual "being mean just for the sake of being mean".
I love defying prevailing fanon, and I agree that more people should not only do so, but do so without fear.
My most recent story included a super-intelligent Derpy, and people loved her! She has a fondness for baked goods, but muffins were most definitely not mentioned. (She offered Rarity some croissants.) No one cared. I included a scene where Lyra confesses to being uncomfortable around humans; not only was I not attacked, but some people were actually amused.
Writers don't have to give in to making their characters fall in line with someone else's headcanon, no matter how popular it is. They shouldn't.
1714299 1714726
So Silver as the actual evil influence of the duo, then?
I would read the hell out of this. I think we've just hit upon the holy grail of anti-fanon here.
...
1715119! Make it so!
(I would but I'm busy trying to have my cake and eat it too with this DT thing.) Bonus points for having Sad Diamond In Rain/Snow.
I actually wasn't very interested in Unison, despite thinking the author is a pretty cool cat. This blog actually makes me much more interested in that story, as I too am not overly fond of the dominant fanon depiction(s) of Vinyl.
Still going to wait til it is done to start reading it though.
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Maaaaaaaayyybbeee.
Or maybe Silver's family is old money and Diamond's is new money - and Diamond Tiara is desperate to win/keep Silver Spoon's approval. So if being mean to the "peasants" is what Diamond Tiara thinks will earn Silver's approval, it doesn't actually matter if Silver Spoon really wants her to be mean or not.
For extra pathos, mix in the usual fanon that Silver Spoon just goes along with Diamond Tiara's insults to keep her friendship going. It's like Green Isn't Your Color - only spanning four seasons.
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I may have to try this myself after all...
1715320 Bwahahhahahahahahha!
Erm, ah - I mean, sure you should totally do that!
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YAY COCO POMMEL
For the record I know of the Suri/Diamond's Mom theory and really like it. That said I try to keep my headcanon lean so as to keep my stories flexible with the show. It's kind of a never-ending compromise so as to avoid stress later. This is a big reason why you see me imply events or character associations but hold off committing to them unless I'm 100% sure I either want to or that the show's left it to pasture.
There's a thing I let happen in the latest Unison chapter that I'm deathly scared will come back to haunt me, for example, but sometimes I also just have to say, "ahhh, whatever."
1714313
Totally agree with this. I wish we got to see more of Filthy. He seems like a great dad if a bit unable to keep up with his daughter. I forever wonder where the disconnect is.
Got a link to that collab? No clue when I'll get around to reading it (and once I start reading ponyfic again I have about 20+ fics to evaluate for the EQG group
) but I'd like to at least toss it on my Read Later and know of its existence. 
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Keeping your headcanon as lean as possible is likely the best route to take. Especially since it helps power your penchant for implications -- easily your writing's greatest strength.
As for me, I like casting Vinyl Scratch as a lover of all things late-80's-early-90's, stuck in dubstep with no way out because that's all her fans seem to want (frustrating her to no end), best buds with Octavia, very open-minded towards other ponies and their tastes no matter how odd. Oh, and the reason she never speaks onscreen in the show? Every other word out of her mouth is an F-Bomb.
Now THAT'S a headcanon!
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Awww, thanks for the praise! I'll do my best~
RE: Protect Celestia: been part of that group for a while too (I fell in love with Celestia from the first episode; Luna, meanwhile... ehhhhh? I guess I like her but I just can't get excited about her like I do Celly or even Cadance -- so of course those two get all the flack and Luna gets all the love
) and I can sympathize. The circle-jerky stuff is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad (though sometimes you have hilarious things like WHAT IS CELESTIA'S POWER LEVEL REALLY HERE IS SOME MATH THAT MAY OR MAY NOT ACTUALLY BE MATH) and some of the posts do make me roll my eyes and go, "sheesh guys someone's just screwing around we don't need to raise the flags on every little thing."
Still, I enjoy the spirit of the group and through my dealings with him I respect Celestia's Paladin (the founder) a whole lot -- even if he sometimes is the most Applejackiest Appejack ever to Applejack.
So I keep it in my feed.
...maybe just turn off the forum feed for that group and keep the story feed for the group on?
I'll get to work on those future fics ASAP! Let me know how Unison treats you -- and just grit your teeth through the first chapter. It gets better from there, I promise, but I've given up trying to fix it.
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That's pretty much exactly my experience, and the reason why I'm still sticking with the group. Just gets annoying sometimes, ya know?
And I'll make sure to comment, or pester you on skype when I read Unison. Giving writers feedback is, like, my thing.
Flux Capacitor???
Does, does that mean that Vunyl, Gilda, DT and Coco are going to team up on a far-out adventure through time and space to save the Infinite Equestrias from a threat from beyond the walls of the Negative Zone?
And that you're writing it???
Oh man. This is going to be the best. Day. Ever....
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That's fine as long as the purpose is to write a story, preferably a good one. If you don't need to snub fanon to write your story, it's probably best and nicest not to. There's no reason to brandish your headcanon just to spite other people. If you do that then you are no better than the one who insists on doing so in the comments.
No one should criticize an author for adhering to canon, regardless. That's just not nice and sticking to canon is, in my mind, probably the safest way to go unless the story demands otherwise since it will be less jarring and confusing to the reader.
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Sticking to canon isn't the same as sticking to fanon. In canon, Vinyl Scratch has magenta eyes. A large chunk of fanon still holds that she has red eyes, despite official images and animation to the contrary. Guess which one I'm going with if I ever write a story about her?
I like it just fine when authors stay with canon. It's when they feel they have to buckle under pressure and write according to someone else's fanon that I start wanting to write something contrary to that.
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Well if I ever dared to write about Vinyl I'd probably stick to magenta eyes. I do like the color though, so maybe I'm biased. The writers seem to as well, just take Celestia and Rainbow Dash for example. Happy coincidence I suppose. You do what you feel like.
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Yeah, it's nice to have different flavors of stuff. :D
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Still deciding~ Keep in mind that "hot" won't mean clop, though.
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Thanks! And yeah, that's all I ask. Don't bend over backwards for me -- enjoy what you do, and when you're done, thanks for stopping by. :)
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See you next year, then.
You're a super-cool cat too, girl! Oh, and caught your blog from a few days back -- welcome to Team Fabulous.
It's fun here! We Make Things all day and and drink Hot Cocoa all night.
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I just tried watching it.
...I'm sure everyone worked hard on this, but man, is there a version of this story I can check out somewhere that doesn't send me into fits of cringing restlessness?
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Not gonna lie, having made my own viable headcanon (is it fanon at this point? Some people are telliny they've adopted it as such for themselves which blows my mind) really enhances my ability to enjoy Vinyl merch.
The weird thing is that if she'd had a canon characterization, odds are we'd see people everywhere trying to bend and even break it! (I know I would! Unless Iiked it.) What makes fanon different?
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I'd say that's actually a pretty great headcanon, if (ahem) completely in keeping with your personal style.
1716149
Damn it! That was my Christmas 2014 surprise! How did you of all people figure it out?
spoiler: it ends in a 4-way ship. or not. who knows?
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I've seen artists get nitpicked on fanon things, but fic writers? Have to say this is a new one on me, even if I am good at staying under my rock. :O
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Hot Coco? Oh my. You do realize this has become an innuendo, right?
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Something something slurping something?
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Well, it's based on a fic. I haven't read it, though.
It would obviously be without the voices, though, so you might like it better.