Incoming Blog Posts PT II: Previews · 6:26am May 30th, 2014
Introduction
Hello again.
So, as I stated before, I have a different sort of announcement here. Instead of talking about what is going on now, I wanted to share with you guys some of the ideas I have for the future. The following are several story ideas I had that I am either working with off-and-on now, going to work on once I finish Starcrossed, or ideas I still have on the fringe of the drawing board that, dependent on reception from you guys, personal experimentation with the premises, and general ability, may or may not see the light of day. These stories run the gamut: Everything from a Taken style action mystery, to a ponified reboot of a spaghetti Western movie, to a slice-of-life romantic drama about a couple of young adults in college, to an HiE war story homage to a classic samurai movie. But I've talked enough, so let's begin with the previews.
All Along the Watchtower
Description
Rangers. They are some of the most feared and mysterious ponies in all of Equestria. A remnant of an old time who serve as the spies, explorers, and saboteurs of the royal crown, the rangers are few in number in spite of their fierce reputation. Few have ever seen one while on duty, and still fewer have ever spoken to one, and this clandestine nature breeds rumors ranging from invisibility powers to shapeshifting abilities.
Naturally, the newly appointed Sir Night Light, Lieutenant of the Royal Guard, has his suspicions of the rangers, but when his fiance Twilight Velvet is captured and held by a corrupt mercenary gang, he will have to team up with an enigmatic ranger. But as the young knight notices that the ranger's methods are unorthodox at best and morally questionable at worst, can he trust this agent of the shadows to be any better than the villains they are tracking?
Explanation
My idea for this was partially inspired by the Jimi Hendrix song of the same name, specifically the part about two riders, the Joker and the Thief, going to save the Princess. As I said above, this story is mostly based as a thriller where our two leads with conflicting personalities and methods must work together to find and rescue Twilight Velvet. When I was describing the stories tone to a friend, I said it is the thematic opposite of Starcrossed; while Starcrossed is a romance story with a little action to keep the plot on a quick pace, this story is mostly action with slight romance and drama to deepen and slow down an already pulse-pounding action story.
The story has a broader scope, however, in that it is the first story in a series that I wanted to do involving the ranger in question, and hopefully will spawn a few already brainstormed sequels if people take to it. Not much else to say on this one lest I spoil anything.
Little White Lies
Description
Quill, a young stallion with a love for writing, has enrolled at Manehattan University and majors in History. Quill is still idealistic. He wants to help other ponies in whatever they need. Little does he know that a great deal of it is to atone for his past...
Iris, a young mare with a talent for acting, has enrolled at Manehattan University to major in Drama. Iris is materialistic. It's nothing personal, but she looks out for herself rather than others. Little does she know that a great deal of it is to atone for her past...
Now, as fate throws the two into an ever deepening romance, they must both confront the lies they have weaved over the years, or suffer the penalties of deceiving the ones you love.
Explanation
Now, let me stop this right now. No, I am not stealing a storyline from Vinyl and Octavia: University Days. Yes, I have read the story, and yes I realize it takes place in the same setting with the same genre. I get that, without a sample for proof, you would only have my word that this isn't a mindless, soulless clone of that story. However, on my word and honor, it is not a badly thought out rehash of University Days with OC characters. Pinkie promise.
What the story actually is is a coming-of-age story of two ponies who have created tangled webs of lies and deceptions that mask their pasts as well as their inward, true personalities from others and how the cognitive dissonance of their lies in their relationship have consequences. This is also a story that I have had in the making for quite a while, mostly because it happens to star several OC's I have developed and fine tuned over the course of two years since I joined this fandom, and again, while the romantic relationship between the leads is the central conflict, there are side characters that introduce their own subplots and deeper struggles running in the protagonists themselves. Given that Chapter One is already all but finalized with this story, I expect to ship it out as soon as I'm done with Starcrossed.
A Hoofful of Bits
Description
Appaloosa. A town of greed, vice, and sin.
Honest folk don't last too long here. The two warring factions of gun and whiskey runners- the Baxters and the Rojos- make sure that those who manage to stay alive in this town are under constant oppression. The only people who come here now are mercenaries and fighters who hope to make some quick blood money.
But when a mysterious stranger possessing crack shot skill breezes into town, both sides will erupt into the long coming fight, with the unknown stallion caught in the middle.
Explanation
Any fellow western fans probably knew from the title exactly what this story is about. The fic is a pure, shot-by-shot, scene-by-scene ponification of the movie A Fistful of Dollars. Given that it follows the movie completely, I don't think there is anything else to add other than you could expect all the adrenaline laced gunfights of a story based completely off of a Clint Eastwood movie.
The Seventh Soldier
Description
Soldier: Noun. One engaged in military service, especially in the army; a skilled warrior
Private Thomas Falco has never been noticeable in his career. After serving a full three years in the army, he was never commended as a soldier, never given a pat on the back, and never even displayed any exceptional skills in the military field. He has spent the last three years as an obscure soldier in a sea of lookalikes, riding the line of mediocrity all the way to his discharge. So, when a magical being from another dimension states that he has been selected as one of seven of the greatest warriors throughout space and time to defend a world in an alternate dimension, he is pretty skeptical.
It doesn't help that the being is a six foot tall, talking winged unicorn claiming to be a princess.
Explanation
This story is an idea I had to take the genre of Human(s) in Equestria and fuse it with the yet another classic movie, Seven Samurai. While it isn't scene by scene like Hoofful of Bits is with Fistful of Dollars, The Seventh Soldier does have a similar plot, which centers around seven soldiers taken from different places, time periods, and even alternate timelines, being selected to defend Equestria from an oncoming threat. While Private Falco, as you can guess from that description, is the everyman protagonist as a simple modern day U.S. Infantryman, the other six are highly colorful characters, exemplifying diverse backgrounds and experiences with warfare, from the stoic Roman Centurion to the cavalier Royal Air Force Pilot. This fic will contain tons of war and action while hopefully avoiding the massive cliches that many military HiE stories fall into.
Conclusion
So, that's all of the ideas I have that I feel like discussing for now. What do you guys think? Do you like them? Hate them? Have criticism? Suggestions? I'd love to hear any feedback on what your thoughts are and, as always, thank you for your time.
Peace,
Commander Fowler
Your stories seem interesting. I would like a chapter or two to see what I really thing of them. The idea I like the most is Along the Watch Tower.
2158637
Thanks. In the near future, after finishing the next chapter in Starcrossed, I might be able to release a small chapter or two as a taste of each. Glad you're interested.
I happen to like "A Hoofful of Bits," and the Seventh Soldier. Though, The Seventh Soldier happens to be the one I'd like to see the most.
2168378
Cool. What do you like about them? I'm trying to gather some general opinions to see what the audience is thinking.
2168502
On the "Seventh Soldier" part. I find it interesting how, when he is dragged along with Sixth other soldiers from history and the world. I find it hilarious how he is "normal" and everyone else is like overflowing with awesomeness.
As as for the "Hoofful of Bits" part. What's better than a Clint Eastwood like story.
2168539
Yeah, I was kind of going for that average joe vibe with Falco. Especially since the other six have very flamboyant style.
As for hoofful of bits, I know what you mean. I love Spaghetti Westerns, especially the dollars trilogy, and hope to make it a scene by scene recreation of the original
2168653
Seven Soldiers Part: I bet he's going to get along just fine... not. He's going to get teased at ever corner.
Other part: Yeah, I like them too.
2168665
Not so much teased... It's kind of like the Jason Brody principle from Far Cry 3. At the beginning of the game, Jason is a mostly normal dude, but by the end of the game, he has been trained to the point of becoming Son of Rambo. Similar thing goes for Falco. When he starts out, he is a barely competent soldier. However, without spoiling too much, he grows as a soldier to the point of being able to proudly stand alongside the other heroes.
2168712
I would of understood the first part of your reply, if I knew what Far Cry even was. As for the rest. I look forward to it happening in the story. Bring it on.
2168717
First, definitely check out Far Cry 3. Easily top ten video games of all time on my list.
Second, will do. Look forward to writing it.