Why I can't keep an update schedule and "Most Dangerous Game" contest ideas · 4:45am Jun 18th, 2014
TLDR: I'm trying to figure out a gap in the plot of TBTK and want someone else to decide what side-project distracts me for a week or so.
So, anyone who's reading TBTK and noticed I at one point promised weekly updates has probably also noticed it's been a month since the last one. Beyond some general depression about my life overall, I just haven't been very interested in Chapter 3. I know that's a bad sign when even the author doesn't like it, but I have to set up a few things before I go back to the barrage of action scenes and cliffhangers that will make up the rest of the story. What it basically comes down to is, I want to maintain my alternating narrators, giving Sombra a chapter, then Twilight a chapter, then back to Sombra, etc. But the next major plot point has to come at the end of a Twilight chapter, leaving me with two full chapters to work through first.
So yeah. Once I work through this hazy bit where I'm not totally sure what I'm doing, updates should really pick up in pace. In the meantime, I think I've found a brief distraction from this big project that might help get me back to it. But before I can start on it, I need to be sure of what I'm doing with this one. Explanation of that problem below:
Obs has started this contest, and it caught my attention because it's the sort of thing I do anyway. However, I'm not sure what I want to do for it, and I only get one entry.
So you people help me decide—which of these do I write for the contest?
I'm also welcoming commentary of any kind on both concepts, because I might do them for their own sake eventually.
“Fading”
(Human in Equestria, Sad/Tragedy)
A strange creature arrived in Equestria, and studying it soon became a pet project of Celestia’s. However, the outsider grows ever weaker, and Celestia is faced with something she has rarely felt as she watches his life fade away: helplessness.
(Inspired by Five Days and a conversation about it. Long story short, rather than “being cut off from magic kills you”, magic is somehow toxic to humanity. As Equestria is saturated with it, and the most effective pony medicine relies upon it, the human’s fate is sealed from the moment he arrives. Celestia is so engaged in his death because she’s been involved with him since his appearance, and isn’t really prepared for a situation where she can only cause further harm.)
(And it seems Sir Hat wrote a prequel while I had limited computer access and I never noticed. His prequel seems to cover similar ground, going by the description in the feature box, but I haven't read it yet and won't be terribly concerned with that.)
(Untitled)
(Alicorn OC + Possible Mane Six shipping, Comedy/Slice of Life)
In the aftermath of Twilight’s battle with Tirek, a unconscious stallion is found among the rubble. An unconscious alicorn stallion. Nopony knows who he is or where he came from, least of all himself, but Twilight is determined to get to the bottom of this, while (insert OC name here) just tries to find his place in Equestria.
(Afraid this might drift into parody turf, but the basic concept is an alicorn without the god-tier power they normally have, and who would really just be a random anypony except for that part where he’s got both a horn and wings. “Possible” shipping because the personality he’s developing seems very compatible with Rainbow Dash, but he’s going to adopt “annoying Twilight” as a personal pastime, which is a common romance lead-in. However, I’m still not sure if the story will develop in either of those directions.)
Number 2. While I'm typically cautious of an Alicorn OC and use of the term "God-Tier" to describe alicorns in general (Demi-God seems more appropriate), the possibility of seeing a well-writen Alicorn OC is to good to pass up.
I wouldn't mind seeing an Alicorn OC with Dashie; I'd definitely read it. It would be nice to see an alicorn OC that is capable without being grossly overpowered like is normal. Too few good alicorn OCs... sad day.