Following a necklace and a trail left by an old friend, Sunset Shimmer enrolls herself into Friendship Academy, a school ostensibly for teaching the foundations of Harmony to all. Soon after arriving, however, she finds herself entangled with not only the strange, seemingly emotionless Starlight Glimmer, referred to by some as the "Crystal Mare", but with the five Elements of Harmony. These mares participate in events called "Magic Duels", seeking the power of the alicorn, and its ability to "revolutionize the world". Now bound to these dueling games by virtue of her keepsake necklace, Sunset Shimmer fights forward, both to protect her new friend and uncover the truth of not only the games, but the Academy itself.
(Conceptual Crossover with Revolutionary Girl Utena.)
NOTE: Completely rewritten as of 1/9/17. For details, please read this blog entry about the subject!
Well, I'll give it that: with all the lesbian shipping this fandom already does, this is really the most natural crossover there could be. Not sure I'm really going to follow this, though... I'm not fond of anime to begin with and the whole gratuitous, fanservice-y nature of Utena makes it one of the less tolerable-looking at the best of times.
Still, best of success to you.
7791634
It is really weird that this Crossover pretty much has zero presence on here. That's part of why I decided "Why not?" when I sat down with it. I'm honestly not much of a fan of either fanservice or anime in general in most cases, but RGU's a classic in crazy, metaphorical storytelling. If you've been avoiding it based on looks without sitting down with it, it's a really smart show if you're into that sort of thing. (But definitely sit down with the anime, and not the movie, if it's your first exposure.) If you've tried it and didn't like it, well, I'll admit, it's definitely not for everyone, so I can't blame you. Its a show that at times can be very uncomfortable for many, many reasons.
7791665
I've seen some bits and pieces and had the basic plot explained to me, which doesn't actually sound too bad by itself, but the whole gratuitous lesbian romance subtext and the fanbase of really creepy mouthbreathers it seems to attract always really turned me off of it. Call me shallow, but I think in a lot of ways, you can tell the quality of a piece of fiction by its audience. It's one of those situations where two matching pieces just tend to find each other.
Still, I'll give this a chance, anyway. Nothing says you can't lead this into a direction I'll like more than the source, after all.
7791943
I don't know anything about the fanbase. I avoid those for the most part on principle, unless I have some vested interest otherwise, like writing weird Crossovers with small, pastel horses.
I have my usual outline of things prepared for this story, though. I never commit without it! The Crossover is mainly for the concepts and storytelling methods, which are the things that make RGU stick with me nearly 20 years later more than the content of the story itself. I've definitely got my own spin to put on things, though!
Holy fuck this is awesome! I see you're drawing both from the anime and movie here (does that mean we'll get to see Sunset Shimmer turn into a car?).
I will admit, I'm not sure what to think of this as a serious fusion fic, considering SKU and MLP are no where in the same galaxy stylistically, narratively or thematically, but I'm definitely interested in the ride and your choices.
Really hoping Sunset will be way more observant than Utena so there are less "if Utena was more observant we could have avoided this plot point" moment.
Oh! And are you doing the Black Rose arc, or are you skipping over that?
7792055
How you fuse two properties so dissimilar is half the fun, isn't it? Though, I'd argue MLP and RGU actually have more parallels than the surface lets on. You just need to get a bit creative... but that's the thing RGU is good at.
The main thing I actually haven't finalized yet is how many "arcs" this story will have. I've mapped out all the key points into what I hope is an interesting ride but I don't know how much time I'll need to cover them all, so I suppose it'll be a bit of wait and see. I can say I've drafted some stuff on how I would interpret that particular arc if I need to use it. I'm just trying to keep the story streamlined, so its more of a question of if I'll need it to tell the story I have in mind.
Also, I actually draw a bit from the manga as well, but you won't see it as often because it's been a long time since I've read it.
It's not quite the same without the elevator and the entire Student Council saying it. Unless our Council of Friendship doesn't actually believe in it?
It's good enough to win against a death goddess according to the Carmilla webseries!
And now I'm really curious as how you're going to deal with the castle. Is it real, like in the manga? Or real but actually a monstrosity like in the movie? Or merely an illusion, like in the anime? Or something else altogether? I can't wait to find out!
Hrm...I'm not sure how I feel about this? I feel like the metaphor associated with "the power to revolutionize the world"/"power of Dios" when you attach it to something more concrete like become an alicorn. Or maybe it's just a reader point of view thing since I know what alicornhood entails in MLP proper but these AU characters don't.
Gosh so many questions! I guess I'll just have to wait for more chapters :p
7796599
The passage right below that does outright say they have no idea what it means, and that someone besides them recorded it, for what it's worth.
All I can say about this is that much of the symbolism is reinterpreted and repurposed. The differences should hopefully already be beginning to show, but if not, hopefully they will soon.
It's good to see I'm at least succeeding in getting people to ask questions, though!
It's fun littering every Chapter with tiny hints of what's going on and seeing who notices what.
I admit, the current Student Council set up with the pre-recorded line is starting to grow on me -- I really appreciate the different tone it gives to the meeting. And as the chapters go on, the various metaphoric/absurd additions to the meetings are getting better too.
I'm not sure what to think of Discord appearing in this fic, especially since he seems to have his full powerset and the crusaders are already being our Greek chorus. I suppose that's something to figure out in future chapters :p
I'm a little confused as to Fluttershy's motive for dueling. The outward part of her motive is obvious sure, but it's not backed up with a "shining thing" so to speak. Maybe this is on purpose and it'll be revealed later. Lol this is becoming just as question filled "wait and see" as Utena proper.
I'm also enjoying the faster pace!
7800727
It wouldn't be a proper RGU Crossover if it didn't raise about five hundred questions and answer about five!
Glad to hear the faster pace isn't negatively impacting the story!
That was a worry of mine.
On my end, it's interesting for me to juggle things around to get all the key character development I need in place at the speed I'm going. I've actually set this story to a rigid allotment of twenty already-named Chapters, which is quite out of my usual element, as normally I'm happy to take a relaxed pace and large word count to develop things. (My other published story on here is testament to that!) I think being forced to move so briskly is part of what's helping me belt out these Chapters far faster than I originally intended to.
You gave her Nanami's weapon. I can't believe you gave her Nanami's weapon
Nice chapter but I don't have to much to say about it
Though I wonder how Pinkie lost her light in the first place?
7802932
Hey! It was definitely the most fitting choice. I was tied between that and just giving her the edgiest weapon I could think of, but I like Nanami too much to not at least give her a minor reference even though her character has no real analogue in this story.
I suppose there's only so much to comment on while things are still in their build-up phase,
If this does follow the anim mostly, then there will be a part where....
Awesome chapter. Cant wait for more
7811805
There's about five-hundred ways to complete that sentence, each one worse than the last.
7812299
Thank you!
More's coming soon! I've been feeling like these first six Chapters dragged on a bit as I went around more or less "setting the scene" for everything. Now things can start going into high gear, though!
7812380 tbh I have no idea about this anime thing so I thought that was high gear
7812384
Oh my. You're in for a treat.
I hope you enjoy the ride from here!
Awesome chapter!!! Would it be helpful if I saw the anime?cause I have no idea what's going to happen next...
o
7814019
That's up to you, but you definitely don't need to. I'm only expecting most people reading to have about as much of a grasp on the plot right now as Sunset Shimmer does. That's not to say its impossible to have figured out more than her, either, though...
We're only one-third into the story, as well. What's going on isn't going to unravel itself in any obvious manner so soon! (I've stated in other comments that this story will be 20 Chapters total.)
7814847 i asked my friend who loves anime if he has watched it an he has and he said that the student counsellor has something to do in the next....arc?...have we met any student counsellors yet???
7814932
This Chapter did include the introduction of three new characters over the course of the party, so we might have!
7814944 blueblood trixie and sombra...so sombra is the counsellor and apparently there are supposed to be ramatches against the 6....how are you gonna fit it in 20 chapters???cant wait to find out
7820223
Thank you for the high praise! My stride isn't empty yet, so expect more updates soon. I just took a break for a few days for Christmas.
I've definitely got some strong plans in mind for bringing things together in the remaining two 'arcs', so hopefully they don't disappoint.
Thank you for reading!
Awesome chapter!!! I knew trixie was gonna turn evil
.
7822878
Thank you!
If you truly want an answer, read Sunset Shimmer's initial (physical) description in Chapter 1. Hindsight makes certain choices in descriptive narration glaringly obvious. Another hint by omission is that the idea that the symbol she sees everywhere is a cutie mark never occurs to Sunset, despite it reasonably being one of the first things we as readers might expect her to suspect.
Funnily enough, neither Sunset Shimmer nor Starlight Glimmer were originally meant for their current roles, so I understand the skepticism at this particular combination. Though, after some drafting, this is definitely the cast I felt fit best, as strange as it can be sometimes. Glad to see you're warming up to it, as well!
7822799
Was there ever any doubt?
You've received a Blunt Review for this story.
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/202157/blunt-reviews-group/thread/296917/blunt-shimmer-la-jument-revolutionnaire-by-guywhowritesthings
7833199
I saw! Thank you very much for your time.
Awesome! Personally i didn't think there was anything wrong with the other chapters but it is your story. Looking forward to more and longer chapters!
7856730
I think as you get through the new version of the story, why I decided to bomb and rewrite it will become more and more obvious, if the reasons in the blog post aren't enough on their own.
More awesome chapters
7861750
Hopefully the reason I decided to rewrite this is becoming more obvious, now!
Awesome.
..how many chapters is this story going to be do you think?
7866583
Twenty, just as I've always said it will be. The pacing of the story hasn't changed, in that regard. I'm just spending a lot more time with each Chapter individually. My hope is to be able to cap off this backlog of rewritten Chapters with one or two new ones to get it to the halfway mark before updates slow to a more reasonable pace but I can't promise that yet.
Revolutionary Girl Utena is the manga where a little girl makes a tiny robot girl that vaguely resembles MegaMan.EXE and makes her fight other tiny robot girls, right?
7867668
You're thinking of Angelic Layer. Another great classic, mind you.
Revolutionary Girl Utena is a (very) mature, school-based, very loosely magical girl anime about adolescence with sword fights, layers of symbolism, and a whole ton of creatively pushing content past censors.
Another great chapter!
7869012
That's why I love it. It's the hook I link to anyone I want to get interested in the series.
And don't worry, I know those feels. Take your time.
7868905
Thanks!
...
wow almost twice as many words already
. Awaiting the next chapter!
7871613
Yup!
More importantly, there's now enough bits that it should actually be possible to suss out part of what's actually going on. Either that. or leave things more confusing than ever. Both are acceptable, really.
Another great chapter!
I started watching the anime since chapter 2 of the old story and I have gotten to the final episode.... It was awesome....is the story gonna be like the anime????
7874919
Depends what you mean by "like the anime".
I'm obviously following broad strokes as they're applicable, but the details and motivations should be becoming increasingly jumbled as the story itself is following my own character motivations and overarching plot. (Part of the rewriting was to help make said details stand out more and make the story feel less like 'the anime but with ponies' as that's not the intent.)
Update soon?
7979887
I've been trying to get one out, actually!
I just haven't had the time to sit and write or do much else on the site as much as I had been. The most I've been able to do lately is pop on the site's Discord room a bit. Hopefully that changes soon, I'd like to get this story going again.
Sorry for the long wait!
Update soon?
