Thought Dissection 4: Live Free or Dissect Thoughts · 6:51pm Apr 6th, 2016
I wonder what I'm going to do when I run out of Die Hard sequels...
Eh, a problem for another day. For now, I've hit something of an inspirational logjam, and I'd appreciate a little help in determining where I should focus my efforts. Read on for what's on my numerous back burner and the opportunity to tell me which ones you want me to prioritize. New concepts have asterisks in front of them.
Writeoff Entries
The following are already written in some form or another; they just need expansion and polishing, though that may still entail a fair amount of work.
Explainer Horse: Book Horse has to give a talk at Leader Sun Horse's School for Very Good Pointy Horse Thinkers, but can only say the ten hundred words humans use most often.
The Flu Blues: What happened to Rarity and Applejack after Discord infected them with a fictitious disease?
* Happy Deathday to You: Shortly after her ascension, Twilight wonders whether or not she died during the process. She never thought that Pinkie of all ponies was wondering the same thing.
Iron Burden: Iron Will is called back across the Saddlantic to the kingdom of Minos, where he must face the obligations he tried to escape.
Time Enough for Friendship: As Twilight explores her new palace, she meets a very unexpected guest. Star Swirl the Bearded is sitting in her throne, and has a confession to make.
Partially Written Stories
I have some fleshed-out bits of these stories, but other parts are nothing more than an outline.
* Decapitation Strike: The story of how Specialist Pinkamena Diane Pie personally ended the Crystal War.
A Fragile Shell: The tragedy of Señor Huevos, a humble sock of Doodleburg.
* Full-Court Press: After Flurry Heart's crystalling, Celestia holds a much needed press conference.
Ponies' Verses: Ungula story. A record of planeswalker activity in Equestria before the Mending, recorded in iambic tetrameter by Princess Prudence XXXVII.
* They Live on in These Parts: Human Applejack is feeling down on Mother's Day, to Sunset Shimmer's confusion. To make up for her faux pas, Sunset arranges a trip for her, to Equestria and from there to Elysium.
Time and Yuletide: At Discord's prompting, Twilight probes into the history behind Hearth's Warming. The deeper she goes, the more questions she raises...
Concepts
These are basically outlines at the moment.
Go Froghemoths!: Canterlot High and Ravnica High are the biggest rivals in Hassenfeld County. (Far more so than with Crystal Prep; CHS wins some of these games.) The upcoming soccer match is sure to make sparks fly, especially after the events of the Fall Formal a few weeks ago.
* Making Sweet Music Together: How Lyra met Bonbon in the human world. Potential Oversaturated World story.
Molecular Gastromancy: Sequel to Buyer's Remorse. As part of her apology, Picky Pepper got Rarity a table for two during the opening of the next big Canterlot restaurant. There are just a few complicating factors: The only friend free during opening night is Applejack, and the owner and head chef of the restaurant is Mr. Flankington, whose cuisine both Ponyville natives remember vividly.
(Yes, Estee's Mr. Flankington. Needless to say, this won't be Triptych Continuum-canon.)
One Last Job: Rocky's a Diamond Dog whose mouth and paws get him out of slightly more trouble than they get him into. He forms part of the world's greatest crime syndicate, as do Madame le Flour, a griffin expatriate from the Prench Alps; Lintsalot, a disgraced knight of Avalamb; and the genius donkey known only as Mr. Turnip. Their mysterious Boss has come personally to direct their final caper.
* Sharktavia i: Sharktavia Evolved: Set on pony-populated Ravnica after The Implicit Neighs. Octavia Melody, an Orzhov-sponsored musician, has won the Genetic Lottery, getting one free hybridization of her patrician's choice! She is... less than enthusiastic about this.
Sideboard of Harmony Stories
The progress of each idea is listed after its synopsis.
The First Demon: Tirek is... different in this worldline. Very different. (Concept)
Friendship is Well-Armed: Ditzy single-hoofedly takes down Nightmare Moon. Then things start getting weird. (Partially written)
Her Name is Maud: Pinkie realizes she has a third sister and investigates the anomaly. (Concept, small excerpt written)
Musical Manaliths: The long-overdue rendition of Rainbow Rocks, now with far more irate Agent Heartstrings. (Partially written)
Twilight Sparkle's Lonely Marks Club Band: The even more long-overdue Ungula edition of "Magical Mystery Cure." (Opening conceived, remainder somewhat nebulous)
Where Parallel Lines Converge: Ditzy discovers Our Town during a cross-country delivery. Things go downhill rapidly from there. (Concept, small excerpt written)
Full Court Press, Time Enough for Friendship, Where Parallel Lines COnverge, Happy Deathday to you
I believe my answers from last time are still applicable here.
Is that a Pathfinder reference I spy in Froghemothy guise, or D20? Also, when you run out of Die Hard, perhaps go for xXx and... uh... that car... racing thing? Or do the Expendables movies have colonic extensions? I'm not actually sure.
My votes (in no particular order) are:
Time Enough for Friendship
Time and Yuletide
Happy Deathday to You
Go Froghemoths!
and
Musical Manaliths for the Sideboard of Harmony
So many good choices!
Explainer Horse, Happy Deathday, Iron Burden for the completed ones.
For the partials, They Live on in These Parts, Yuletide.
For the concepts, One Last Job.
I like the sound of The Flu Blues ^^
I'm most interested in They Live On, Froghemoths, Sharktavia, TS's Lonely Marks Club Band, Happy Deathday, and Flu Blues. Hope that helps a little!
Can someone explain to me why Sharktavia seems to suddenly be a thing?
I want Explainer Horse so much I can taste it.
For
obviousreasons, I vote Sharktavia.Well, my vote's for pretty much anything MtG related, though the Sharktavia one is at the bottom of that list (and in any case, I thought her ocean-form was Octotavia?).
I like The Flu Blues, Happy Deathday to You, Time Enough for Friendship, Decapitation Strike, Full-Court Press, and They Live on in These Parts.
ONE LAST JOB! ONE LAST JOB!
My votes are for:
Explainer Horse
Full-Court Press
Go Froghemoths!
Sharktavia i: Sharktavia Evolved
And pretty much all of the Sideboard of Harmony stories except for Musical Manaliths and Twilight Sparkle's Lonely Marks Club Band.
I'll repeat my whimsical idea from last time of co-releasing the Time Enough For stories. I am also always down for good poetry (Ponies' Verses), and Full-Court Press is probably best done now while the iron is still hot.
ATTN: THIS IS NOT A BALLOT
Gah! I translated the whole mane cast and a heap of secondary characters months ago, and then never posted it anywhere. (I know people'll probably have to reload that link. Sorry. Imgur's the only site I know of that'll let you upload pictures without an account.) I don't know when that writeoff was, but I feel a bit swooped. Still, an actual story is on a whole 'nother level.
You gotta move somewhere with room to grow! How about James Bond movies? "Dissector No", "From Thoughts With Love", "Tomorrow Never Dissects Thoughts", "Octobrain"... no wait, these don't work at all.
"2 Dissect 2 Thoughts" that's even WORSE
I'll get back to you.
Is this inspired by PP's recent blog post? (Uh, spoiler alert for that link if yes, I suppose.)
Having read the draft: change the title. This is basically doing the same thing as Face/Off, and that really doesn't suit the tone.
Oh, my. Do we want to see Starlight get totally owned now that she's a goodish guy now?
I gotta go for the implicit neigh's verse fic naturally. But really, anything sol/comedic gets my vote.
3852177 what they said.
I love everything about the phrase "Pinkie Pie notices an anomaly." Go nuts!
Go Froghemoths!, Sharktavia, or any of the Sideboard stories
Well, i'm gonna have to go with the Froghemoths. More Ravnica is always good
Happy Deathday to You
They Live on in These Parts
Sharktavia i: Sharktavia Evolved
Friendship is Well-Armed
Ponies' Verses
Time Enough for Friendship
My top choices, frankly though I will read anything you write. I think im close to 80% through all of your completed works.
"ten hundred words humans use most often."
... Humans. Not Ponies? ... Well, Discord. That explains everything.
***
Her Name is Maud
Explainer Horse
Time Enough for Friendship
Happy Deathday to You
Time Enough For Friendship and Where Parallel Lines Converge both stand out to me, so those are my picks.
Pretty sure Explainer Horse is going to win. The description alone had me laughing.
Oh the endless possibilities!
Writeoff Vote – Iron Burden
Partially Written Vote – Full-Court Press
Concepts Vote – Go Froghemoths!
Sideboard of Harmony Vote – Musical Manaliths
I vote for Explainer Horse, Ponies' Verses, and Time Enough for Friendship.
I'm most interested by Froghemoths, myself.
My answer is always "whatever gives us more ETSAB!Lyra," but i'm not sure which of these that is.
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If you haven't read it yet, there's always One Day I Found a Multiverse in My Pajamas.
Also, I'm working on part 2 of the list of things Lyra isn't allowed to do.
Whatever happened to explainer horse?
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Sitting somewhere on my mile-long back burner.
Hope I got the latest one...
Just noticed that the Explainer Horse curse also enforces correct grammar and spelling?