(AU; Trixie, Discord and other characters are different genders; expanded history; Unicorn-centric.)
Trixie Lulamoon, once a child prodigy that attended Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, is now a burnt-out occultist forced to live under the power of his old schoolmate, Twilight Sparkle, and undergo reformation for a crime against the Queen of Equestria. Seven months into his ‘sentence,’ Trixie and Twilight are romantically involved with one another, each trying to juggle the responsibilities of their lives as practicing magicians with the demands of their unorthodox relationship.
This story chronicles a day in their lives.
(Chronologically takes place some time in season two.)
Chapters (10)
Interesting. I enjoyed how the story is being told from Trixie's point of view, and how that pov presents information in a detached, intellectual way. A decent chunk of the terms used I had not even heard of before this, but I was easily able to discern their meaning from context.
Tracking this. No upvote, yet.
I decided to read this based on title alone (Bowie references are a weakness of mine, and T-Rex ain't bad either) and it's really quite different from what I expected. The language is so pompous and self-indulgent, or as Trixie here would say, tinged with "sybaritic predilection", but while it's a bit grating it's also consistent and shows us a lot about Trixie's state of mind. And, despite (and because of) the obfuscatious nature of the language, you managed to pack an impressive amount of world-building and character-building into a chapter.
Very glad I didn't pass this over.
9240980
Thank you for the kind words. I’m glad people recognize the link between the verbosity of the prose and Trixie’s mentality. I intentionally emulated (or tried to emulate) aspects of the writing styles of nineteenth century occultists like Perdurabo and Eliphas Levi (whose vocabularies were alien and archaic even for their time) to not only illustrate Trixie’s emotional need to revel in his own intellectual superiority, but also the tragic process of a magician quietly and gradually departing from reality as normal people (or ponies) perceive it.
I’ve also tried to use the language to capture an air of mystique for the setting, which, being focused on Unicorns (and magic by extension), I thought could stand a little more fantasy.
9241132
And I thank you for not passing it over. The world and character building came very easily to me, as this setting and the ideas I want to explore through it are things that I’ve been revisiting and ruminating on for years (with varying degrees of seriousness).
I’m also a big fan of Bowie and his music, and the ideas he transmitted through his music. My favorite album of David’s is Station to Station, as it’s both the intellectual culmination of his earlier mystical symbolism in Ziggy Stardust and Hunky Dory, and the artistic distillate of his ego in the tortuous ecstasy of personal apocalypse; any definition of self was broken apart within the magical persona of the Thin White Duke, and the elements of it reforged in the athanor of the lachrymose Berlin Trilogy. I think it’s the truest and most beautiful representation of David’s higher self.
I named the story after Oh! You Pretty Things because that particular song has the strongest lyrical foreshadowing of Station to Station’s magico-religious themes, without the pain of the later album; with its focus on Crowleyan and Nietzschean imagery and symbolism.
wat
they are sweet but trixie needs to grow a pair so to speak
9294681
Keep in mind that chapters written from a character's perspective reflect that character's subjective interpretation of events. While Twilight (who is otherwise very objective) sees Trixie as a sensitive genius victimized by a world that doesn't understand him, that isn't necessarily the case. While almost everyone else would recognize that Twilight wears the pants in the relationship, Trixie has (most of the time) convinced himself that he's in control, and just lets her think she's in charge.
For an in-story example of this, look at chapter five, when Trixie's saying he would get a job if he could; Twilight believes he's saying this, sincerely, to comfort himself from the shame of unemployment. Trixie, who abhors the thought of getting a job and much prefers getting a weekly allowance from Twilight, believed he was saying it only to keep up a charade and maintain the status quo. I subtly evince this by showing Trixie smile after Twilight tells him she'd rather have him not work.
Again, that's only Trixie's belief as to why he said it. Just because Trixie thinks he's being manipulative doesn't mean he is, actually. The reader has to decide for himself why any characters actually do anything.
9294758
Alright
not to sound rude and I understand that trixies master was like a second father to trixie but why is he brought up in every chapter
9319632
Trixie's relationship with his master, while informing Trixie as a character, is also meant to mirror Twilight's relationship with Celestia; and this allows to reader to intuit aspects of Trixie and Twilight's relationship. For instance, in the first two seasons (especially in Lesson Zero and A Bird in The Hoof), we see that, while Celestia is a caring and forgiving, almost motherly mentor, Twilight is afraid of her, and usually is kept at arm's length from the Princess (though she longs to be closer to her, as seen in the season one finale). Trixie's master, in contrast to Celestia, was a cruel, manipulative, and sometimes even abusive teacher; but he had a very intimate, fatherly relationship with Trixie, who remembers him with nothing but love and reverence.
Chapters three and six more openly explore the effect either mentor has on Trixie and Twilight's relationship. Twilight, privately, resents Trixie's master for abusing him and, as she believes, leaving him emotionally disturbed. Trixie, much more openly, resents Celestia for passing down what he sees as inferior teachings to Twilight (and other unicorns, thought he cares much less about them).
So, in the story, Trixie's master represents more than the pony himself; he is a symbol of Trixie and Twilight's similarities and differences, and therefore a large aspect of their relationship.
9319867
huh I did not get that at all from the story. then again I normally don't look three layers deep
this was nice I like it and we get to see a little interation with new charecters
Trixie seems like he trust twilight but nut enough to teach her about his practices I wonder why
I am really liking this setting you have created. I am upvoting this story and adding it to my bookshelves.
9563340
I'm glad you're enjoying my stories so much, and I really appreciate your taking the time to tell me so. The setting of my AU is the culmination of my ideas and speculation about FiM's setting, ever since I first started watching in the second season (so some elements don't mesh particularly well with where the show is now). Along the way I've tweaked it to make my stories feel more existentialist and character-driven, such as making Trixie a stallion instead of a mare (which, realistically, is a much bigger change than people credit).
Oh! You Pretty Things should get updated either this week or the next. Chapter nine has had some pacing issues and I've been going through drafts trying to figure out how its atmosphere can color the rest of the story -- and that's a very delicate process when most of the plot occurs in subtext.
9563982
I wish you luck. I need to edit my own "masterpiece" so it looks this good xD
Lol trixie is right
Trixie might have some rose tinted glasses on
Interesting little bit with the point of the stars of the cutie marks.
All these big words and the way Trixie acts make me think of Eugene from The Walking Dead.
And yes Spike, Trixie gave high praise to Twilight. Just accept it.
The interactions may seem banal as you put it, but Character interactions are the bread and butter of any created fiction. No matter how...simple.