Twilight and the Sphinxes · 9:12pm Aug 20th, 2014
During my brainstorming session between my old editor, current editor, and cover artist, there's one idea that i can't seem to nail down as to how to approach it. As the title oh so subtlety alludes to, its about Twilight's first encounter with our feline newcomers.
A: Twilight is entirely ignorant of both sphinxes and humans upon the colonists being revealed and acts accordingly.
B: Going on her time spent in EQ:G, she recognizes the human parts for what they are, and briefly comments about it. (Yes, EQ:G is canon source)
C: this is far less likely, but my cover artist highly desires it, is to ignore EQ:G and instead have Twilight know of humans through my other fic, Chaotic Touch. Problem with that is, is that CT is not even close to as popular (for various reasons) as Hive, so many readers would not get the reference and be left confused.
If either B or C is chosen, the comment on the similarities with humanity would be quite brief, a comment or 2 at best in that one chapter. So i would like to hear your thoughts on this, dear readers. Please note that no matter what choice is voted for, this matter is merely for flavor rather than becoming a big plot point. No matter what Twilight's previous experience is, she'll move forward the same way.
Let the votes be tallied!
I vote for B
I'm for A. While I can accept that EQ:G is canon (and is okay in it's own right), I prefer fics that that don't exactly acknowledge it. Besides, you've already set up a divergent timeline starting after the wedding, so how exactly would EQ:G fit in with your story? And for the Chaotic Touch pseudo-crossover, I'm not really in favor of that because I haven't read it yet (and thus as you pointed out, be left in the dark).
I also vote for B.
I vote B or C with a slight favor for C, cause Chaotic Touch is an amazing fic that deserves more reads and connecting these 2 universes will help sharing the viewers.
But if you choose C I hope you realize that the connection works both ways. CT obviously is before the Hive-stories. But if there will a huge time-jump in CT (it's possible, Alexia IS immortal) and Twilight appears again Twilight will look like a Changeling (and maybe Rainbow will be mentioned).
TL;DR: I like connected universes and it will help your stories get more (earned) readers. Especially considering the stories have little to none influence on each other...
What 2386163 said. My thoughts as well.
Having red chaotic touch and loving avary minute of it i vote C cuz that story desperately needs some love
It depends. Is EqG canon to your story? Because you left canon before Twilight even became a princess, so it doesn't have to be. I think I might vaguely remember you mentioning it happening, but I could be misremembering. If it did happen, I say B.
The Equestria Girls route would introduce a continuity error: she was an alicorn and a princess at the time of the movie, and it's why she was even there and with her big-crown-thingie out, while she was still a unicorn at the start of the Hive stories (If I'm not mistaken). It could have still happened in different circumstances, but the exposition to cover that would probably take more than would be needed to explain the Chaotic Touch version (Especially since the description of that story makes it sound like you could explain it as "some species from another world Discord decided to toy with").
There is a fourth option, though it could be tricky as well: don't specify exactly where she knows of them. It can be tricky to do right without leaving it feeling as if it's unexplained, but it might be possible, especially if it's a situation where she's inclined to not provide more information. Not sure if it'd work, necessarily, but maybe it's a possibility.
Wouldn't going with C be a continuity error on CT's side? If I remember correctly, Sparkle is an Alicorn, and in the Hive series, she's not. Anyway, I'd avoid B, just because I don't think that even Hasbro is sure on it (I've seen evidence pointing to EG being canon and with it being not canon, both from "credible" sources) and stick with A.
B, assuming that you are considering EQG to be canon not just to the show but to the Hive AU (as in, somewhere between story one and story two Twiling took a trip through the mirror and had a similar experience in human land).
I'd say A, it's simpler that way.
I'm against EQG simply because It happened after Alicorn Twilight. If EQG did happen after changeling Twi It would seem a bit... Buggy
While I haven't read your other work I kind of like it when an author references their other work, it makes me want to read it. So I'm going to vote C.
C. Poor chaotic touch is just so untouched for lore, and personally, makes for a neat bit of cross continuity, also where the heck discord has been.
I'm for A, because if EQ:G would have happened it would have been a horrible experience for Twi.
She would have been seperated from her hivemind and I think she wouldn't have stepped to through the mirror at all, because of this.
I also think A gives a nice opportunity for a clean first contact.
A probably makes the most sense. B doesn't have to have EQG be to the letter, you could alter some parts and have a version of its events that mesh with your story. C seems very implausible, but you could possibly have Twilight encounter other versions of herself, one being from CT who shares that info. Of course the beauty of online fan fics is that if you feel one aproach isn't working down the line you can just reset.
T (FN)
I'd say go with B.
A. Other possibilities introduce horrible continuity errors.
I'd go for A. Since as people noted, EQG shouldn't have happened in this continuity. I assume 'acts accordingly' means 'doesn't really do anything in particular' since it's just another sort of face a creature can have.
2386379 I like this reason more than mine: it's the most straight-forward rationale.
I favor A, unless you're going to more or less fully write out a version of Equestria Girls with a changeling queen Twilight.
there is technically another choice in were through her vast studies as both celestias student and a chaingling queen she could have come across smoe ancient writeings that mentioned humans in old legands especialy in e legands and writings from rookhaven therefore alwoing her to know of humans but not the sphinxes
sorry for the bad spelling my keyboard is acting up
Yup, I'm fan of B.
I vote B. If you're holding to canon, then use the canon.
B, because I enjoyed much of EQG, sure the ending was weird, but I recently watched a canon video trailer for the new one where Sunset said it was Weird and stupid so we can attribute it to a moment of dumbness.
2386742 But given this is an AU, there's only so much that can still be canon after the wedding.
Others have already mentioned: You've diverged from canon in a way that makes EQG impossible to integrate into your continuity; at least not without modifying it to the point it would be a completely different story.
I vote for A.
Have all of my B.
I vote for A
It's the most logical choice.
B, unless you have a magnificent idea(s) for A.
Ok, so option C would connect two potentially different universes to one big one. If option C is voted upon, will it change how the other story (Chaotic Touch of Harmony) continues on? Last I knew she was a normal alicorn and covertly ruling with celestia and luna by learning from the humans and installing her own version of the secret service in Equestria.
It seems to me that if Option C is chosen there will have to be a bit of rewriting for your other fanfic so everything lines up better.
Is this true?
2386761
True, but pretty much all the baseline for Twilight's reactions from prior to Queenification are from the Canon. As such, if the author is wanting to make use of Canon for the baseline, then use it when it's called for. I'm not saying 'have a Changeling Queen Twilight go to Canterlot High', I'm just saying that her recognizing body parts vaguely from a single adventure years previous makes sense in this context.
Especially since the author has stated it's just a topical 'strange, those are human bits involved' sort of response, not an in-depth analysis of where the parts could come from, followed by an 8-page dissertation about genetic drift and the possible origins of the Sphinx race.
2386901
Of course not; s/he's saving that for the sequel to the upcoming story.
A
EQG never happened.
Unless it is well written… then it was lightly mentioned.
B. Though a great many of us didn't like EQG for one reason or another, it happened and is - in my honest opinion - canon.
Besides, looking at the trailers and previews for EQGRR, seems like it may just redeem itself. Hopefully...
2386899
If option C was selected, it would be assumed that, in Chaotic, Twilight had been a Ling all along, and a full queen by the time Alexia received the tome.
As for option B: it would be more along the lines of: Twilight was visiting Cadence in the empire (with Spike) back when she stilled used the Element of Magic for her crown. Just so happened during the princess fancy get together that was going on at the same time. Sunset steals said crown, and runs into the portal. Twi chases after, and takes it back. Probably with some weak connection to the Link still active so she wouldn't go crazy. (the portal being open would be why the connection is still present.)
At present though, it seems to be a toss up between A and B, but I'm going to wait a day or so before tallying the votes.
A - because of logical problems with B and C... or C because I like Chaotic Touch.
2386909
Or intending to do it as a blog post
2386966 I'd be cool with either.
2386952
Ok, so again assuming option C, Twilight is a full on changeling queen. A tiny bit of rewriting would be necessary because she uses her mane as an example to Alexia for how energy is stored in an alicorn.
I'm not sure what you had in mind for future events for Chaotic Touch of Harmony, but I would suspect that Twilight would want to find a way to visit earth because they (Twilight and Alexia) seemed to be bonding in a close friend sort of way. The more I think about it the more I don't think they could fit very well in their respective timelines as things are set up currently; a bit of rewriting would be necessary.
Fourth option:
Twilight, being incredibly well read, recognizes humans from old myths and legends. Optionally, she could speculate that these Sphinx are the origin of those myths.
2386970
Hmm... we need a Tumblr dedicated to info about this story, and backstory stuff, and biology notes, and, and...
Well, Everything. In a blog. Forever.
As much as I love Chaotic Touch, it would feel awkward in my opinion for the two stories to be linked. Mostly in part due to Twilight's very different rolls in both stories. I'm of the mind for A mostly due to my personal dislike of Equestria Girls but both seem like they would make more sense than C.
2386993 That sounds suspiciously like an argument not to re-read the Hive-verse stories.
2387005
No, it's the PERFECT reason to re-read the Hive stories, because it'd just be Twilight's notes about everything, but not eh stories themselves! It's brilliant!
i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/293/715/e99.jpg
2387013 Comment liked if for nothing else than that awesome Spike pic.
2387004
That was kind of my thoughts, more or less. Different roles, different responsibilities, different timeline, and thus, different universe. It would be kind of clunky to try to mash the two universes together at this point I think.
Seeing as she (if memory serves) was a regular unicorn when Twilight was transformed into a changeling, I think that Option A would be the best course of action.
Option C!
Gives me a reason to read your other stories