Would Anyone Be Interested in a Collaborative Story Project? · 8:04am Apr 10th, 2017
EDIT: Group here: https://www.fimfiction.net/group/212240/the-break-away-collab-group
So I had this idea for a collaborative story project. After researching the Alicorn Amulet, Twilight has discovered something important. Every time someone rejects the amulet's promises of power (whatever form they may take), it weakens the Amulet's magic. In theory, if enough ponies should be tempted by it and reject it, it would destroy the amulet forever. Of course, the reverse also appears to be true: when a pony falls to the amulet's influence, that strengthens it.
So the idea here is that each chapter covers a different character's temptation and (theoretical) rejection of the Alicorn Amulet. What it shows them and how they react is completely up to authorial discretion.
In order to help illustrate this, I have already written a rough draft of the prologue and first chapter. You can find them right over here. Obviously, not all chapters need to conform to a specific tone or idea.
I don't want to dress this up as a contest or impose some sort of deadline. I just thought I would ask if anyone was interested. If there's enough people to cobble together a complete story, then I can start a group or something for people to discuss ideas. Depending on how many people are interested (if any), I would also personally edit/preread all chapters (so if you have ever wanted to experience my criticism in a more intimate way, now's your chance 
). I also don't necessarily want to dictate how any of them should be written, but obviously I'm expecting some level of grammar and literacy 
And of course, if no one is interested, that's okay too.
Comments discussing the merits/de-merits of the idea, constructive criticism, and other advice are also welcome. This is the first time I've ever seriously considered any sort of collaborative story effort.
EDIT: Group here: https://www.fimfiction.net/group/212240/the-break-away-collab-group
It is an interesting idea! In fact, I even have an idea for Twilight, and some inklings of ideas for others as well.
4490635 Dibs on Luna
She's the idea I had for the last chapter. Every other character is fair game though.
I'm down but my chapter would probably be a really silly pony with a really silly Tim Tatian
Ooh! I am very interested!
I already have some ideas for ponies I'd have tempted.
4490646 Even when I was writing this up, I knew someone was going to go meme-y. I figured at least one person would try Ditzy Do/Derpy + muffins or something like that
Scootaloo-At risk. Her thirst for flight and to impress her idol, Rainbow Dash may persuade her to put on the artifact, if only to achieve that permanent power rush-high.
Obviously, we're looking at ponies who have little to gain from wielding such a device or those who quietly regard it as an abomination to slowly weaken it.
The tests must be structured such that ponies with much ambition automatically fail, as well as those with a history of violent confrontations or coercion of other beings into doing what they want.
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*clears throat*
Yes, who could possibly want to do that particular pony...
In all seriousness, She of the Seven Bubbles would probably be a perfect candidate. What could the Amulet offer her? What could she possibly need that overwhelming magical force could provide?
For the record, I have several ideas, some of which don't involve alternate universes and planes of existence.
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So I got my first draft of the Twilight chapter done; ended up putting out a bit over 3000 words in 3 hours. Lemme know what you think! Feel free to leave comments or whatever, and lemme know if you feel like it fits into the idea well.
And that goes for people other than Cleverpun as well. I set my chapter up as Chapter Two, as I figured it would make sense for her to go after Cadance, and I'd love to see what people think about it.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OfE2YzyqGozNbc8CA5dDh5-uxJpne4_LSt-5yrK0eE8/edit#
My thought while making this chapter is that the amulet is insidious and wouldn't necessarily attack different ponies in the same way. I thought about what would most tempt Twilight to put it on, and I came up with a different sort of idea for it - one that played off of who Twilight was, and what might actually work to convince someone like her, who is braced for the amulet to try and mess with her.
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I'm not sure if that's really a correct way of looking at it. A pony with no ambition many not have much force of will, which might just make them more vulnerable to the amulet. After all, if you're already awesome, the amulet doesn't have much to offer you. But if you're a loser, what do you have to lose?
Trixie, after all, was a loser, not super amazing, and fell under its sway precisely because she needed the amulet in order to feel awesome.
Someone with no visible ambition is probably more dangerous, not less. Rainbow Dash might be insulted by the idea of needing some stupid amulet to be the best flyer in Equestria, but if you're someone who can't even make the Academy, that sort of power is likely to be a lot more tempting.
After all, it is much easier to dream about winning the lottery than it is to go out and seize the day.
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You seem to be confusing ambition with self-confidence. Rainbow Dash has both. A pony who didn't want to be the best flyer, or the best anything really, would be hard to tempt, as would one who already believed she was the best. The pony who would be easy was the one with ambition but without self-confidence and/or ability.
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I think the more salient factor is how important status is to any particular individual, not necessarily how they rank in any particular hierarchy. A "loser" who focuses, say, on relationships and community is unlikely to be interested by offers of power and prestige, simply because they don't view either as important in the grand scheme of things.
By contrast, a "winner" determined to push themselves further is likely to be more aware of where they fall short, and to think, "Why stop there? We can only have one pony at the top." Cheap and efficient power is attractive to those who value power, not necessarily those who don't have it.
Of course, that also allows "losers" who do view higher status as a ticket out of misery, and "winners" who couldn't care less about further enhancement. All else being equal, though, I'd be more cautious of the explicitly ambitious and driven, for the simple reason that they're also explicitly looking for ways to enhance themselves.
After all, Trixie's revenge plot was basically a way to restore status lost through being humiliated and being outed as a braggart. She cared deeply about her perceived status, and the clearest way of establishing that is to find someone higher up the ladder than you and knock them down a few rungs.
(The other notable aspect of Trixie's corruption is that she had no clear idea beforehand that the amulet even had a corrupting influence, but merely a vague warning that it was "far too dangerous". This might have made it easier for her to fall victim to it; she can't guard against what she isn't expecting.)
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I left some comments and fixed a few typos. I mentioned an idea I had about the Amulet, but I'm not sure it'll work with everypony else's.
I'm calling Pinkie Pie, unless my idea gets shot down. I think her chapter might need to go towards the end, though.
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Applejack might be an interesting character. She could want to harvest all of the apples, and no one will help her. The Amulet appears because it's become strong enough to do so, and she just puts it on for a minute. Then, she's only interested in maximum productivity in the short term. I might be a good editor. This story idea has already attracted legendary writers, and it would be fun to edit for them.
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You're confusing power with ambition. The former comes around as a result of acting on the latter while placing hard work and luck into your endeavours.
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Self-confidence? Now that's a factor I forgot to look into.
I may be. Is there a deadline?
I'm fairly interested in contributing to this fic, since this seems to be much more character- than plot-based. I call dibs on Moondancer, since it looks like no one's done her yet and she's one of my favorite side characters. And, being a massive bookworm with a thirst for knowledge (and also an affliction of the disease called loneliness), I think her reaction to the Amulet would be neat to see.
This also gives me the opportunity to work alongside writers much bigger than myself, and I think I could be a helpful editor too. Just not sure when we can be expected to submit our chapters.
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I agree with Rose.
Ambition is the pursuit of power and prestige for its own sake (as I use it, at least). I think ponies who spend all their time trying to become or to appear more powerful (
) are much more likely to be tempted by the promise of ultimate power.
However, there is something to be said for the appeal of power to the powerless. (Again,
.) But I'd think a pony with no ambition at all would have little temptation. To be tempted, one needs a fire in the belly (and not just 
): a need for achievement, or revenge, or to prove themselves, or to turn their lives around. Temptation arises because something you want is at your hooftips.
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But if one doesn't have a healthy amount of ambition, then one will never accomplish anything. Or does ambition in this case directly refer to an unhealthy amount?
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Actually, I second this. What is the deadline?
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It depends on what you mean by ambition, to be fair. I tend to view the word with a more negative connotation than is typically implied, in large part due to my personality.
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Okay, I've started Pinkie's (assuming you want it) but it's important that it goes very close to the end. Is that okay?
I have ideas on Sunbutt, so I would totally go for her. Probably near the end since the silly idea in mind fits more with it being 'weaker' at that point.
I think I have an idea for Rarity.
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A pony without drive is a pony without willpower. Everyone wants something, even if it is nothing more than a cup of coffee.
The worst people I've met are not people who wanted to be astronauts and failed, but the people who never really dreamed at all because they felt that they would never succeed, that the world was rigged against them, that just didn't care enough to better themselves. People who just kind of skate through life.
In real life, a lot of cults specifically target directionless people because the cult can offer them direction.
I was going to leave this to people who write fiction with a bit more regularity than I do, but then I got an idea for the amulet's temptation of Carrot Top which would play out somewhat similarly to the Ring's temptation of Samwise. And truth be told, I don't think I can resist a thematic crossover with my favorite books starring Best Pony! So I'll give it a go, I guess.
4491548 Willpower and Drive aren't fully in sync. Yes, you can argue that 'An alcoholic resisting the temptation of drinking is more driven to stay sober' but at that point...Willpower and Drive are the same thing.
Someone who wants for nothing - and here I am talking in the Buddhist sense, for example - would be more resistant to the Amulet's power. It has nothing to tempt them with.
Someone who 'never really dreamed at all' doesn't mean that they have no desire. It just means that desire is buried under other, malformed layers that distort it.
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Did you see Skywriter's post in my blog?
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A general rule of thumb for me is the more specific the drive, the more interesting the character. There are exceptions, such as the protagonist from The Master (hey, speaking of cults) who's so interesting because what drives him is kind of a mystery to us, but usually characters are more intriguing and more relatable if they have a clear drive that we can point. Doesn't have to be simple, although it certainly can be, and I often find the most endearing drives are the ones that tell so much about a character in so few words.
So you have to wonder, what are the drives of each of these characters that the Amulet can exploit? I would think they have to be very human in the sense that we can relate to them, and to not make the pony being tempted come off as dumb or unlikable for considering the temptation. Unless you're doing it for comedic purposes, I guess.
4491606 That angle would be fun too, but mine is a bit more...well, as I said.
It works best when the Amulet has been weakened. But it would work best once group is in there because mine idea is something of a tonal shift compared to yours/Clever's.
Hmm. This is a really interesting project. I have this ridiculous idea for one involving a background character whom the Amulet tempts with the prospect of taking over the Narrative and earning a name. ...Wait, I just came up with an equally ridiculous idea where a Mary Sue OC named... Stormbringer Ashmane or whatever sneaks in and tries to steal the Amulet, but the Amulet is so disgusted by SA's character that it breaks the connection all on its own.
Okay, serious ideas. There are basically two potential win conditions for the Amulet here: either convince the subject that they want to take the power, or convince the subject that they need to take the power. So if we pick a character like, say, Maud, which one applies to her?
Although, as I'm thinking about this... what if I turned it on its head? Imagine Fluttershy putting it on. Power horrifies her; the last thing she wants is to have to try to rule or be destructive. But what if the Amulet tempted her with the corruption? Break apart her shyness, give her ambition, make her someone capable of defending her friends. It's a crazy concept, but not impossible, I don't think.
Alright, this quickly outgrew my projections! I have made a group for all further discussion!
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/212240/the-break-away-collab-group/threads
I'm currently at work, so I will type up more in-depth responses to everyone when I return home.
Everyone go talk on the group page. I've already posted some threads which ask three important questions about the project: what is a better name for it? How should we choose who gets what characters (and why can't we have multiples)? And last but not least, is it worth imposing some sort of deadline?
4490709 I will give it a thorough look this weekend: I've got work stuff most of this week. (Damn your excessive efficacy
)
4490702 One Idea I am throwing around is discarding the meta-plot entirely, and just making it a series of thematically similar vignettes. This would allow more authorial freedom, and also mean that people can do repeat characters if they want. All the AU.
4490819 4490830 Since I have work this week, I will begin editing/prereading any complete entries/chapters this weekend. I guess it's not a real deadline, but anyone seriously interested should have at least some idea--an outline, concept, something--about what they want to do, within that timeframe. Additionally, discussing the how and what and specifics on the group page would also be helpful.
4491648 I think the idea is broad enough that comedic and dramatic takes needn't be mutually exclusive. But we will see.
4491988 Question. What would happen if e.g. someone wore the amulet but found out that the things they did were so despicable that they decided to throw it away? Meaning what would happen if someone rejected the amulet AFTER they wore it.
4494189 That's one of those things that's up to authorial execution and planning. Since in the show, Trixie gets tricked into taking off the amulet, there's no precedent for what happens if the user takes it off of their own free will. Which means that the author could do whatever they wanted, provided they could explain and justify it.
I think that such an action would certainly weaken the amulet. The question is whether it would cancel out the power the amulet gained from corrupting the pony in the first place. Would it be a net gain, or a net loss?
4491648 4491562 4491410 4490801 4490654 A reminder to everyone who expressed interest but has not posted in the group's character selection thread: I'll be starting to put together the initial outline next week. Anyone who is seriously interested in participating should select which character they are going to do for their chapter, and present a basic concept for that chapter in the appropriate threads.
Anyone who has not posted in these threads by the end of the week (give or take), will be assumed to not be participating. Again, we are still in the early stages. Discussing concepts and ideas, not actually writing yet (unless you are TD).
And of course, if you can't participate or changed your mind, there's no need to feel bad about it. I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware of what was going on.
4494189 A reminder to everyone who expressed interest but has not posted in the group's character selection thread: I'll be starting to put together the initial outline next week. Anyone who is seriously interested in participating should select which character they are going to do for their chapter, and present a basic concept for that chapter in the appropriate threads.
Anyone who has not posted in these threads by the end of the week (give or take), will be assumed to not be participating. Again, we are still in the early stages. Discussing concepts and ideas, not actually writing yet (unless you are TD).
And of course, if you can't participate or changed your mind, there's no need to feel bad about it. I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware of what was going on.
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Oh thank Celestia, I was worried I'd end up being that one guy who said he'd participate and ends up dead in the water with nothing to show whilst everyone else has ~11k in the first week.
This is still going, right?
4646916 Yes. Although real life has stalled the project somewhat, I do still intend to get it finished.