TSpectrum of Lightning
MLP: FiM
Adventure
Thriller
Dive into the secret past of Twilight Velvet—mother of the Princess of Friendship—as she embarks on her first guns-blazing adventure with the Whip-Cracking Crusader. Volume 1 of Daring Did: Tales of an Adventurer's Companion
Violence
Profanity
Alt. Universe
OC
Other
Daring Do
Twilight Velvet
Night Light
Seriff Pilcrow · 119k words · 270 3 · 5.4k views

Answers for the Q&A! (Part 2) · 10:26pm Dec 3rd, 2018

Art by Seriff Pilcrow

Continuing on from yesterday, here is another batch of answers for the Q&A! We're getting into some of the longer answers from here on out, so bear with me!

Twilight_Shimmer asks: “Any plns for a Sequel to ) Spectrum of Lightning once its done?”
johnsparkly251 asks: “What are your thoughts on a sequel after Spectrum of Lightning?”

Ever since I’ve started writing Spectrum of Lightning, I’ve made plans for 5-6 sequels, including one that I’m hoping to get adapted into an audio play like Daring Do Adventures.

This series is going to be long.

You guys are in for a wild ride.

FourShadow asks: “Want some floof?”

Unlike other medications, floof has no deleterious effects at high doses, so yes.

Micro-song asks: “If you had to choose a different pony, other than Velvet, to team Daring up with, who?”

Big Mac – One of my friends ran me through a random ship generator for some fanfic contest, and the result was “Daring Do x Big Mac.” Looking back, I can see the dynamic being hard to work with (they’re both introverts), but I’m still curious about how such a pairing—romantic or not—could work…

I never joined the contest, by the way…

Somnambula – Considering that Daring Do had a short adventure in Somnambula's hometown, there is room for some interesting conversations between the two. A relationship that lasts beyond said conversations, though? That’s something I still have to work out.

Really, any of the other Pillars – It would be like Nathan Drake talking to Francis Drake! Explorer who studies the past meets a historical figure from the past!

Applejack – Daring and AJ have personalities that are alike in some ways and different in other ways. They are both no-nonsense and hold the past to high regard, but whereas AJ values tradition and stability, Daring loves the spontaneity and thrill of adventuring (even if she doesn’t show it in her face). It’s an interesting dynamic that I’d like to explore in a future story that may or may not be connected with the Daring-Velvet series. And besides, if Treasure in the West can mix cowboys with archeologists, why can’t I?

Saffron Masala – Because one ponification of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom wasn’t enough…although given the inspirations behind the Daring-Velvet series, the resulting story might end up looking more like Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Speaking of which…

ipsy asks: “What stories, fanfic or not, influenced you?”
johnsparkly251 asks: “What books/stories have you been influenced by?”

Generally speaking, Daring Did: Tales of an Adventurer’s Companion is influenced by contemporary action and adventure films. Indiana Jones is an obvious influence, but it isn’t the only one. If you’re well-versed, you can actually spot references to The Mummy 1999 (we don’t talk about the 2017 version), the James Bond films, and some Bourne. Still have to find a spot to reference the Die Hard franchise, though.

But the primary influence of Daring Did isn’t a film. It’s a video game.

Specifically, this.

In terms of tone and style, Daring Did is basically pony Uncharted, right down to the logos. The feel is violent and intense, but only very rarely dark and broody. Most of the time, Uncharted—and by extension Daring Did—attempts to maintain an irreverent, pulpy tone filled with explosive action set-pieces and witty remarks. To top it off, Twilight Velvet's personality is partially based on Nathan Drake's. It worries me a little that not many people have picked up on the similarities between Spectrum of Lightning and Uncharted, but one guy from SpaceBattles advertised Spectrum as an “Uncharted-esque romp,” so I’m happy now.

He gets it.

Post-reboot Tomb Raider used to be a greater source of inspiration for the Daring-Velvet series (more on this in Part 3 of the answers). But while the fanfics were being conceptualized and they became less grimdark, Uncharted spread its tentacles, so to speak. Nonetheless, Tomb Raider still has an influence on Daring Did, mostly on the formulation of Daring Do's personality and Twilight Velvet's socioeconomic background.

FourShadow asks: “Fav ship?”

Most of my “favorite” ships aren’t chosen based on my opinion, but how close they are to being verified in canon. For instance, I have a small affinity towards FlashLight—even though I don’t like the way it’s portrayed in Equestria Girls and I don’t think the ship is especially cute—simply because FlashLight is the “most canon-ish” of the Twilight Sparkle ships.

LyraBon is probably the only exception to the above rule, though. I dislike this ship even though it’s heavily implied to exist in canon because it makes me utterly bored out of my skull. I know some people find it cute, but honestly, I’m sick of it after seeing it for five straight years without any waning of popularity. I’d rather see Lyra and Bon Bon get shipped with other ponies, thank you very much, or better yet, read a story where they play a sizable role independent of any romance.

Sheesh, I’m only 23 years old and I already feel like a senior curmudgeon...

That's probably the most I can answer now. Hopefully by tomorrow, I'll have all the remaining questions knocked out. See you then!