Alright, so here we are again. Not sure if any of you caught my previous rendition of the 'author's notes' section in HoaD, but since it seemed to be well received, I've decided to start making a habit of it. As per usual, I intend to do my analysis of the plot first, and I'll try to keep you all from clawing your eyes out while reading this. If I'm entertaining enough, maybe you'll even enjoy these. There will probably be typos in here; enjoy that, because I'm not fixing it until my plane lands on the 22nd.
Alright, here we go!
WHY THE STORY WAS THE STORY IT WAS
I don't intend to cover the entire story, just some of the reasoning behind parts that I thoroughly enjoyed. Even so, we'll do that in semi-chronological order, so let's roll back to chapter one.
The entire premise of this story is Aurus. I'd like to take a moment and reflect on that, to better prepare us all for the discussion I'm going to have in the character section. The changeling people? Changing because Aurus is leading them to. Peace? His idea. An idea popularly shared, but his all the same. His character embodies quite literally every moral ideal this story encapsulates, at least in the early chapters. But in case it wasn't made clear, change is a major factor in this story, and so not even Aurus is static enough to remain the sole focal point of the story.
The council makes a point of going the 'want you, need you' route to get Aurus involved in the throne, and he seems to take it surprisingly well, despite his steadfast initial resistance. Though not explicitly explained, Aurus decides to bear the burden of kingship voluntarily because he believes he is capable of bringing about the future Korrick asked him to, or that at the very least it's his obligation to try. He is, of course, a miserable politician. Far too idealistic and big-hearted, doing whatever comes to mind or feels necessitated.
In my personal opinion, much of his confidence is actually an expression of inexperience. He acts readily, exploring the possibilities of his actions on instinct because he has absolutely no contradictory evidence in the past that his ideas won't work. He operates on the old adage 'you don't know until you try', and what many of your perceived as overzealousness, or maybe even overconfidence, I meant to portray as simple optimism and carefree spirit.
Stepping ahead, I absolutely had to use Derpy. Had to. I felt freaking great the entire rest of that chapter because of that little 'welcome to Ponyville' scene with her. The resulting 'no Derpy, no' scene with Twilight was equally fun for me, and together the two accomplished one major thing; they changed the tone of the story for the next few chapters. Using those two to sort of break the ice, I was able to migrate away from the thick of the politics and into a more comfortable setting as Aurus went about his quest for peace on a small scale.
More lighthearted goodness with the train scene, dragging Aurus kicking and screaming into the car. Hilarious, right? Good old slapstick.
Wrong, the poor guy is terrified of trains, and you sick people probably thought it was hilarious. Glad I'm not the only one. Anyways, aside from trying to flaw-out Aurus a little, this scene also served the purpose of introducing a small grim note, directly before the first assassin attack. An overused tactic, where things get just a little worse right before something really shitty happens, but effective nonetheless.
There's nothing much for me to really say about the spy hunt, other than that I enjoyed the living snot out of it. I used so many ideas I had just floating around, mashing them together until I had worked out an elaborate code for the silent communication stuff.
Nomination for best part of the story [pre-finale] is that freaking doughnut. God oh God do I love the doughnut stuck to Malik's head.
Time-skippy goodness, because all the stuff with Malik and Gerd later in the tale is covered in the next section. On to the training montage, which never happened. I didn't do a montage, but I actively split the scenes up so that things were constantly happening out of focus from Aurus. His training time was my cue to really start delving into some of the other characters, particularly Korrick, Chrysalis, and Gerd. The escape from prison scene was a really fun write, and for me it had a 'you have five hours to get out before the bomb explodes, but the room has no door' feel to it. One of those riddles that someone poses to you and you're like 'seriously, how in the bloody hell would I get out of this room?'
I ramble. But they're my author's notes, and if you're reading them that's on you. As the title of this chapter says, nobody is going to stop me.
Big time skip; avatar state fight with Gerd! Not an actual reference, mind you, just a convenient and overused state of being for untold power in any story. I first got the idea to kill Gerd with wild magic early on, and sort of designed Zarkoj around that premise. In the end it really helped to even the gem out, as I was worried after introducing it that I was going to write myself into a corner and be unable to stop it reasonably. But in the end it all worked out.
Killing Chrysalis was just sad for me. I actually liked her. She was snarky, rude, and rather unfriendly on the surface, but at the end of it all she was finally getting somewhere. Unfortunately, I saw very few ways to make her change apparent and powerful enough without offing her, and so I gifted her with a dramatic death that rocked the changeling history books.
And lastly, the reforging of T'rahk Enox and the destroying of Zarkoj. What a wonderfully fun scene to write, and though I know the decapitation of our villain was the climax, its that beautiful falling action that caught me in the heart. I enjoy bringing the desert sands back to life in such a pleasant, albeit it obvious, way. Also, it makes a nice springboard for what you've all been wanting me to say; sequels.
THE CHARACTERS WERE PRETTY NIFTY
Thanks for that, all-caps section header. You're right, the characters were very fun and helped to create a dynamic cast that really kept the story moving.
I'm going to start this section by apologizing, Fluttershy-style. I am very aware that many of the characters, particularly the majority of the Mane Six and Luna, did not get their screentime. I definitely could have made better use of them, but currently I'm pleased with who appeared how often.
Now, on to the main event:
Aurus: You know what's about to happen. I'm going to argue the ups and downs about how he either is or isn't a Gary Stu. Clearly I'm not in this to change your opinion, just to force-feed you mine. Here's my take on it; in the traditional sense, I do not think Aurus is a Gary Stu character.
Some of you are shaking your heads and rolling your eyes, and maybe those of you who forgot to take your meds today are throwing keyboards or something. Just relax and listen to my reasoning. My take on a Gary Stu is that he is a character designed for the sole purpose of being well-liked and all-powerful. Pretty standard, right? Boy, does Aurus ever sound like he fits the bill.
But in many places I make it known that he is not all powerful, or fearless, or sure of himself. For fuck's sake, he's afraid of trains, people. But I digress. While it's true that he had so much raw energy that he was basically 'unstoppable' even from the beginning, it was made very clear that he was clueless as to how to use it. Much of the story focuses on his growth in power, something a real Gary Stu doesn't need at all. His reliance on the other characters to teach him? That's standard character growth any hero in a halfway decent story undergoes. Best part is that if I had done that to Chrysalis or Twilight, nobody would be complaining, strictly because they're not OC. I can't help but feel there's a certain level of stereotyping going on here that OC's are generally Gary/Mary.
In defense of the 'but he's so freaking....grrr, Razorbeam, you know nothing of Gary Stu' people out there, he is abnormally well liked, and he doesn't exhibit a whole lot of hesitation or restraint. So what say we meet halfway, eh? He's not completely Gary Stu, but he could definitely use a personality nerf. Man this character section was long.
Gerd: Stereotypical god-complex villain with a righteous hunger for power that even curls Chrysalis' toes.
Wait...
Anyways, he was so very minor in the beginning, making his appearance not completely unexpected as the bad-guy, but not perfectly predictable. Once he appeared, most of you went 'that makes sense' or 'saw it coming', but the truth of the matter is that between when you last saw him in chapter two and when he finally comes back in chapter six or seven... admit it: you forgot all about him.
His reliance on Zarkoj was the obvious weakness, and all in all he was a wonderfully predictable bad-guy with a relatively unexpected and gory demise that made everyone happy because everything about this guy catered to the douchebag-hating center of your brain.
Korrick: I will say this right now; favorite character. Anytime he was involved he was either doing something boss, something clever, or something right. Honestly, he's more Gary Stu than Aurus at some points. He played the ever-necessary voice of reason and ready guide for the fledgling hero. He reminds me of a grandfather figure of sorts, and I'm excited to make use of him again in the future.
Chrysalis: A nasty little devil-turned-saint that made my writing life interesting. I did my best to redeem her without actually redeeming her. She never realy regretted what she had done, but she wasn't afraid to change moving forward, and that in my opinion shows more growth than what happened to Malik, who completely regretted his life.
Malik: Then again, he was a murderer and she wasn't. He was a fun little character, playing the worm in the apple and relaying the much needed 5W's to Aurus and keeping him posted. The redemption of such a wayward soul was really a turning point in the story where it became clear to not only the reader, but also that characters that Aurus' quest for peace had meaning. He acts well as the 'man who's soul is cleansed' character, and every time he appeared I felt great enjoyment.
I'm not going to hash out any of the Mane Six or minor characters, sorry to say. Last thing I need is to write a 10k word 'author's notes' that you all feel obligated to read.
THE PART I ACTUALLY LIKE WRITING
This is the part where I thank every last one of you for reading and bearing with me on this little adventure. It is also the part where I do this, so that people will stop asking me:
Yes, for the love of Christ yes, there will be a sequel. At least one.
Maybe if I bold it, people will see it.
I love writing for you guys; it's a blast every time I post, waiting for your reactions and watching you all share the same enjoyment reading my story that I get out of writing it. It warms my heart to see you all so pleased and happy, and I hope that the rest of my writing career, both for this marvelous community and the rest of my life to come is just as wondrous and enjoyable.
Every word, smiley, or warm wish I receive from my readers absolutely makes my day. For all of you who want me to continue writing, who keep urging me on to be the best author I can be: thank you. From the bottom of my heart, your support means more than you will ever know. I will always be writing, and I hope that you glorious and supportive viewers will always be reading.
I'll be seeing you again soon. Thank you, for everything.
Regards,
Razorbeam.