Inspiration and Delays · 12:21am Dec 12th, 2014
So, for today I think I will review the series that I've been reading for about two weeks now:
By SamRose
As I mentioned in my last blog, I had high expectations going in. Let's face it, it's a crossover involving one of my favorite horror games (horror being my favorite gaming genre), and it stars Pinkamina. And let's not forget the 1160+ upvotes. Surely this would be worth my time?
Well, yes and no. Each story takes a different member of the Mane 6 and puts them through the eponymous town, but takes a drastic change in direction from the games.
Silent Ponyville
The first story reveals that Pinkie is having hideous night terrors, which prove so horrible and pervasive that she finally goes to Twilight looking for relief. After a quick search of the library, Twilight finds and performs a 'Mind Delve' spell that sends Pinkie into a ghostly version of Ponyville that, true to the game, occasionally alters to an 'Otherworld' variant complete with hideous monsters. As Pinkie explores the town, she comes to realize that her nightmares and the monsters are directly related to events of her past, events that she'd made herself forget. The entire story centers around Pinkie's quest to rediscover these lost memories and face her the truth.
There are a number of things Book I does wonderfully. The best thing it achieves is to incorporate common fanon concepts into the story: differentiating normal Pinkie and straight-maned Pinkamina; a use of Slendermane that isn't eye-rollingly ridiculous; and including the events and themes of the oft-ridiculed Cupcakes in a way that fits perfectly and brilliantly. Yes, this story did the impossible: it utilized Cupcakes in a way that actually makes sense. That alone floored me and makes this a story worth mentioning.
The big reveal and 'true' ending weren't anything original or particularly unexpected, but still fit into the narrative very well. The alternate endings provided (themselves a reference to the many alternate endings the games tend to offer) were mostly goofy, but at least two were truly dreadful and well done. All in all, the original was the best and, had it been the only one written, would have been fine.
Silent Ponyville 2
Silent Ponyville 2 takes pretty much the same concept as the first story, only this time has Fluttershy suffering the nightmares and undergoing the Mind Delve. The story takes a few different steps, mostly due to the difference between the starring characters; whereas Pinkie occasionally has to fight for her life, the more fragile Fluttershy completely avoids fighting and spends most of her time running away and solving puzzles. This is by no means a bad thing, as it shows the author is well aware of how to handle different personalities in similar situations. Even so, the general goal is the same: something really bad happened in Fluttershy's past, she's repressed the memory of it and needs to rediscover those memories.
Silent Ponyville 2 is, genreally speaking, not as good as its predecessor. Part of the problem is that Fluttershy is joined in her journey by Rainbow Dash (who is her marefriend in this continuity) and Pinkie (who refuses to let her go in without help). Rainbow and Pinkie prove more of a distraction than anything and really don't add much to the story, only playing parts at certain, pivotal moments but otherwise not being around at all. The overall mystery was a lot harder to guess and the twist was the most original of the series, but the way it was spaced out and told was less immersive and intriguing that its predecessor. All in all, SP2 felt a lot like 'Fluttershy faces a bunch of terrors and puzzles and runs away a lot.'
Despite the solid twist, SP2 wasn't as creative or interesting as its predecessor in the overall. Although it did a good job of incorporating Fluttershy's fanon elements, it focused a lot less on doing so, which hurt the overall impression, and the presence of Pinkie and Rainbow didn't help matters.
Silent Ponyville 3
Silent Ponyville 3 takes a radically different approach from its predecessors. Instead of the usual nightmares and Mind Delve, we have Celestia detecting an evil power in Ponyville and attempting to remove it, which results in the entire town being engulfed in fog and falling into the horror world of the previous two stories. This leads to the very surprised and confused star of the story – Twilight – wandering the town in search of her friends and mentor. Rather than being about the main character discovering some terrible past secret, SP3 is about Twilight learning secrets to Celestia's past and trying to reconcile her image of Celestia with the reality of her dark actions from centuries past.
SP3 suffers from a lot of issues compared to SP1 and SP2, proving that trilogies can sometimes fall apart. Roughly two thirds of the story focus on Twilight exploring Silent Ponyville looking for her friends rather than uncovering Celestia's secrets. There's this sense that the author felt obligated to include all of the Mane 6 (and Spike, he wasn't forgotten) in the story, and that served to be even more distracting than Pinkie and Rainbow were in SP2. The overall mystery feels far less haunting than it did in the other stories specifically because they aren't about Twilight, and the issues that she uncovers for Celestia are incredibly predictable. The conclusion of the story was by far the worst part of it, trying to swiftly change the atmosphere from a horror to an epic and failing completely. I was particularly annoyed when Twilight, after behaving decently in-character throughout the story, suddenly jumped ship and went completely OOC in the last chapter.
That's not to say everything about SP3 was bad. Unlike the previous entries, some characters actually died, which gave the entire story a greater sense of permanency and seriousness. Once the new editors came in about halfway through the story, the atmosphere and immersion vastly improved from what it had been throughout the entire series. Despite her poor behavior in the last chapter, Twilight felt very in-character throughout the majority of the story and watching her be crushed by the things she was forced to do was effective.
But the positives don't outweigh the negatives. One of my bigger complaints was the complete lack of an explanation of the events of the story. It is made abundantly clear from the very beginning that something is actually in Ponyville causing all these horrors, but exactly what is never made clear, and the characters all conveniently forget the issue that prompted Celestia to investigate in the first place.
On the whole, I would recommend the first story in the series for its great plot and strong ideas, although it does take a strong will to read through the hideous prose. The second story would only be vaguely recommended for those curious to see what Fluttershy's issue was, as it was pretty solid, but neglecting it wouldn't really be a bad idea. Only those determined to get through the whole series should bother to look at the third story.
Ideas
In my last blog, I mentioned that the Silent Ponyville series was giving me some interesting ideas. I am now 90% certain that I'll be writing my own Silent Hill crossover. I've given it a lot of thought and the potential for creativity is just too much to ignore. But, it won't be happening any time soon. I've been looking over my story plans and have concluded that I need to write and finish at least five of my other planned stories before I can get started on it. Still, the concept is there and I'm really looking forward to the possibilities.
But that's not the only bit of inspiration I've had lately. Earlier today I read this bit of insanity by the undeniably crazy Parasprite. Now, I typically don't like crackfics, and those who know me are aware that it's very hard to make me laugh about anything. I have a sense of humor, but I am also a very reserved individual who finds raucous laughter... unseemly. If you want me to laugh, crackfics are not the way to do it; I don't like stupid and/or random humor. But Para went out of her way to let advertise the story to me – something she rarely does in my case – so I threw in my RiL.
Well, I didn't laugh... but I did smile all the way through. Stories like this leave me in a sense of awe, as I acknowledge that I could never, ever write something so insane as what this story offered. More interestingly, it actually succeeded in amusing me, a rare achievement for a crackfic (you'll note that my crackfic bookshelf only has two stories in it).
But here's the rub: the opening of the story actually gave me a sudden idea. No, it's not humor – I can't write that to save my life. All I can say is that it's about Luna and relates to her time on the moon. I don't know when I'll get to working on this idea, but I'd like to thank Para for giving it to me before I forget who is responsible. So thank you, Para; your nuttiness might have achieved something other than... well... nuttiness.
And now I'm starting something new: an update schedule. I'll try to have this available with every blog post so that people can be aware of when their favorite ongoing stories by yours truly are going to update next. I think I've made it clear by now that I'm very good at keeping my schedules, which is just one part of a story's quality level and something I'm rather proud of. Now that I've established for myself my own writing speed, I feel comfortable letting people know my updating intentions. So, without further adieu:
Update Schedule
Frequency: Friday, December 12 Pushed back to Monday, December 15 due to some real-life interference.
Reddux the Tyrant: December 20 or 21
The Gentle Nights: Audience of One: Sunday, December 14
Stats
Total Word Count: 1,021,000 (+7000) over 24 stories
Follower Rank: 499th (+22)
Overall Ratings Average: 94.19% (-0.11%)
Highest-Rated Story (Not Counting Stories at 100%): The Gentle Nights @ 98.98% (2 Weeks)
Story with the Most Votes: Tyrant @ 1808/48 (2 Weeks)
Story with the Fewest Votes: Sweet to Eat: Tales of Nightmare Night @ 16/1 (2 Weeks)
Longest Story: Trixie vs. Equestria @ 144,000
Objection! Using Slenderman is always eye-rollingly ridiculous.
2647705
Overruled!
I still say that my original use of the character – the one you didn't read – is actually capable of avoiding eye rolls.
Man, I'm still grumbling over that idea from yesterday.
2647754
Don't let it bother you; my head is a story idea factory.
I've always felt that the world of Ponies was too...what's the word...Innocent? I just cant reconcile the idea that any kind of horror fic could ever take place in Equestria. Tragedy, war, death? I can see those with good explanations, but unless this is an entirely different continuity, like in Lunarium by Tramper, I cant see anything close to grimdark or horror ever happening. If you're trying to make be believe that Silent Hill could invade Ponyville then you had better do a damn good job of explaining why.
Crack fics are a different beast altogether. It takes a special kind of thinking to write them, and a lot of "something" to make them actually funny. But maybe I just have high standards for comedy. Eh.
2647958
I see you're one of those types who accepts the world of MLP as the show depicts it. I do not. I believe we're not being shown the full story, and I approach all of my stories with that in mind.
But believe me, I have a backstory in mind that will make the concept of Silent Hill in Ponyville work. Can't elaborate on it now, but I can assure you it'll make perfect sense once it is revealed.
2647748
The jury is out on that one. :B
2647990
Truthfully? I don't know that you'll ever get to it. That would require you to slog through a couple books of No Heroes, and I doubt that's even on your RiL. Might be a good thing; I'm really not confident that my very first MLP fics would score well in a review.
2647963
I find your reply ironic (I don't know if that's the appropriate word or not), considering my favorite kind of fanfictions are crossovers and big adventures. I can accept major changes to canon, provided it is either explained really well, or is entertaining enough that I just don't care. See the fanfic I had in mind that we were discussing for the former, and any good Deadpool fics for the latter.
My real problem is with the horror genre as a whole. I've never been good at handling horror. I can watch/listen to someone play a horror game, no problem but I won't watch horror movies and I can't play the games myself. I don't like excessive gore and I don't like that crippling feeling of isolation and doom that most horror perpetuates. I also tend to get nightmares from them. Not fun.
Back to the issue at hand, however, I only look to canon for Relationships (I can't stand shipfics) and the way the world is supposed to work and other baseline things about the world itself. The World enamors me more than the characters, and the potential for exploration and storytelling is why I prefer fanfictions over the source material half the time.
However, when something based in canon is grossly mischaracterized or misrepresented with no real explanation, it irks me to no end.
2648054
I tend to prefer explanations myself, although I am also a fan of 'Weird' fiction, which operates under the premise that unanswered questions can actually be a good thing (my Sweet to Eat stories are designed around this concept). There are a lot of standards in my view of what makes good literature, but one of the major ones is realism. With the rules given for the story, do these aspects make sense: the premise of the story; the reasoning behind the events; the characters' reactions, choices, failures and successes. Failing this test will evoke my ire very quickly.
If you can find a way to pass these tests – and you usually can, unless the idea is simply bat-shit insane – then any topic can be interesting.
It saddens me that you don't like ship fics. They are fun to write and read, and there's absolutely nothing in the show approving or refuting them, so they don't fall outside of explanation. I prefer to keep my view of character relationships malleable so that I can take advantage of any ship I feel like sailing for any given story. Also, I should point out that romance is one of my favorite types of story.
Horror is also a favorite, but I can understand your view regarding it. It saddens me, because this means you won't be able to read a large number of my stories. Being scared is thrilling and so worth it. But I can understand that you can't take it; I happen to have a cousin who is a lightweight in the horror factor as well. I've managed to get her to watch me play a number of horror games – she particularly liked Fatal Frame 2, which pleases me greatly as it's one of my all-time favorites – but could never play the game herself or watch a horror movie on her own. Every year we have a Halloween get together where I make her watch at least one horror movie. It's the only time of the year she'll tolerate it.
2648146
I find Romance to be one of the most boring, straightforward, and uninteresting types of stories out there. Especially when characters I understand in one light completely clashes with the entire idea of the relationship. Also, they're every fucking where. Practically every other fic has the Romance tag, and ONLY the Romance tag, on it, and it usually some tired and overused ship or some batshit insane ship that I can't fathom. The ideas are all samey and boring. Romance. There's only so much you can do with it, and almost all of it's been done. I highly doubt there's a shipfic you can write that hasn't already been done, or is too delusionally crazy to make any real sense.
I'm especially tired of "Main Character(s) shipped with everybody" syndrome. That irks me to no end. Especially when there's differences between the characters that makes the relationship alone hard to fathom. See TwiLuna, TwiDance, TwiLestia, Twi x Spike, Spike x CMC, SpArity depsite the age difference, etc. Also, all the Mane 6 shipped with each other ships. Shipping just kills me inside. Especially when the author in question uses some incredibly insubstantial and flimsy reason for why the ship "works".
Are they heartwarming? Yes. Can you get those same feelings from other fics that have nothing to do with Romance? Yes and they can do it better.
I don't mind Romance so long as it's not the whole focus. If some characters are together and the relationship they share is a part of the character then by all means. But Romance as a standalone is boring. It's only wish fulfillment, fap material, or cheap pulls of your heartstrings. There is nothing interesting or substantial about shipfics.
Mind you, this is how I alone feel about them. We're all entitled to our own views.
I've always felt that canon dictates relationships and if they're nothing more than friends, then that's it. Why push something that has no real bearing or basis in the reality of the show?
I dunno, perhaps it has something to do with me being a guy, but there are no good shipfics out there in my eyes.
2648188
It has absolutely nothing to do with you being a guy, considering I'm a guy and I disagree with you one several points. But I wanted to point out two things. First, because it amuses me and is indirectly related to this topic:
Second:
Try this on for size.
Anyway, I have no time to argue all your points. I agree with some, disagree with others. I can see you're pretty hard set in your (misguided and foolish) beliefs, so I will make no attempts to convert you from heathenism. I shall merely pray to the shipping gods that they have mercy on your poor, blasphemous soul.
2648196
LunaxOcty? Interesting but still probably predictable. Post Season 1 finale, after Pinkie and Flutters ruins the "party" Octy was playing at. In a fit, she runs outside to sulk or something and notices Luna, probably crying. They somehow get to talking, and somehow wind up feeling thing. Octy plays a song to soothe Luna and Luna tells Octy her fears and doubts. Fast forward to Season 2 and Octy is with her for Nightmare Night and is trying to comfort/support Luna afterward. A scene in which Octy somehow enters Luna's own dream and helps her out somehow. They eventually come forth and affirm their feelings toward each other in a subtle or surprising show of affection, complete with a kiss. They fear what their relationship will mean in the eyes of public. Luna gets help with "catching up" from Octy and Octy is still trying to break class barriers, without using their relationship as a crutch/leverage.
How am I doing thus far? I'm probably completely off the mark but maybe something I said inspired you in the back of your mind.
I'm already a heathen in the eyes of most, your threats don't frighten me. I bow before no God(s). Unless you count Discord, cause he's hilarious.
Edit: I went and searched up "Luna Octavia" on the search bar for FimFiction. I saw at least 3 other fics, not written by you, with a similar premise. Whether they were based on yours or not is up for grabs, but they are there.
I think it'll be cool to see your Silent Hill crossover when you get to it.
And just cause I'm curious and you mentioned it in an above comment, why do you view the show differently than what it is presented as? Like, is there any reason in particular?
2648239
You got one or two points right, I'll admit, but you're not entirely there. The opener is only half-accurate, Octi wasn't there for Nightmare Night (which I only just finished writing), and despite 45k of material so far neither of them have felt any of these 'feelings' for one another, although that will be coming (obviously). Unlike most romance authors, I don't believe in love at first sight and refuse to have it in my stories. Add to that that my Octavia was intentionally designed to not meet a lot of fanon expectations and it's a little different, though it's still a romance so some obvious steps are to be taken.
Actually, The Gentle Nights: Audience of One is a remake of The Gentle Nights, which was an entry for a romance contest designed around the pairing of Luna and Octavia. I almost guarantee those other stories you found were the other entries to that contest, although I hear there was one LunaTavia story that existed waaaaay back before Season 2 even aired.
2648262
The show wants us to think of the world of Equestria as peaceful and harmonious and crime free and everyone gets along and it's all sunshine and rainbows.
That kind of reality is impossible. It has never happened, it will never happen, and no amount of magic or technology or misguided social programs will change that.
There are hints in the show itself that not everything is as sunny as we are led to believe. Hints about spiked punch, so alcohol and/or drugs exist; we see police, so there must be crime; there are royal guards, so there must be threats to the crown; monsters exist to threaten the citizens, so there are probably bounty hunters and mercenaries; enemies of Equestria show up every season, so there must be wars, or at least political rivals; nobles hold charity auctions, so there must be poor, hunger and other types of strife in the world; dark magic is repeatedly shown to exist. Mark my words, there's a hell of a lot more going on behind the scenes than we know about, but because it's a kids' show we aren't allowed to see this darker side of Equestria.
No Heroes itself was based entirely around this idea. The first two books were written specifically because I wanted to highlight the potential elements of this 'dark side,' and my view of both Celestia and Luna were developed based upon how I originally conceived of them handling such a world given what the show does and doesn't tell us. Everyone sees Celestia: wise, kind, gracious, loving, caring. Setting the image of a perfect little world where everything is roses.
Nobody sees Luna. What is it she's doing behind the scenes? In my view, nobody sees her because she's busy making sure the dark side of Equestria is kept at bay, via whatever means are necessary. Nopony sees her because that would ruin the pristine picture Celestia has painted over the last thousand years, a picture Luna is determined to preserve. Let Celestia host galas and eat cake; Luna has a world to protect.
The entirety of my primary headcanon for the world and its history is centered around these ideas. Even the existence of the Archons was conjured up specifically to address how Celestia could retain power for a thousand years despite not having her imminently more 'national security' capable little sister to back her up. Simply put: Celestia is the liberal diplomat. Everything she does sounds nice and pretty and fair and makes the public nod and think the world's just fine. Luna is the hardcore conservative, making sure the ignorant public never finds out just how horribly wrong all their views of the world really are. Equestria can't survive without them working together, as monumentally frustrating as that may be at times.
I stopped reading Silent Ponyville somewhere around chapter three. Just lost interest. Though there are some good crossovers out there. Creeping Darkness is a particular favorite of mine, and Siren Song is another.
2649019
Silent Ponyvile's biggest failure is in its writing. I don't blame you for quitting early, reading through that prose was an exercise in patience.
2648883
I like that, it's really interesting. And from reading No Heroes myself I know you've put a lot of effort into creating that world.
So, I can respect that you see the show like that. We all have our way of looking at it that gives us the most entertainment.
Personally, I'm following so many AUs and continuities I find it easiest to imagine canon really is as nice as it seems, if only to keep it all straight in my head.
2649123
I'm actually not too worried about keeping the different AUs straight. I almost always read only one story at a time and have no problem accepting the headcanon material of other authors, provided they can justify their reasoning. Keeping things straight in my head only becomes a problem when returning to an AU (say, for a much-delayed sequel) and trying to remember its specifics, but it typically comes back to me fairly quickly.
2649281
Ha, most of the stories I'm reading are still updating, so I tend to jump from story to story as they advance. Do you read stories only after they finish? I can see the appeal of that.
2649314
Absolutely, unequivocally. I refuse to start reading a story that may take months to update or will never update at all. That may seem hypocritical considering I am always hoping to gather new readers with every chapter I provide, but remember: I'm far better at maintaining a regular update schedule than the vast majority of writers out there. I'm finding it so uncommon that I have no faith in other authors to do this.
2648883
I can understand that. My guesses were in no particular order, but i'm glad to see i got some of it right.
There is actually one shipfic I genuinely enjoy, though it's still updating.
I also had a random idea for a one-shot, something I've never done before. Kinda silly, kinda sad, kinda mindfucking.
2649325
Yeah, there is a definite appeal to it, when I look for new fics I always have complete checked since there's no point to finding a cool new fic that hasn't updated in months. But for authors whose work I enjoy and consistently look forward to, it's worth it for me to keep up with their fics that are still updating. Even if it takes a month or so for an update to come out.
Question are you and RainbowBob going to continue the Them verse?
2658838
RainbowBob is out as far as writing new stories go, although he may do it if the inspiration hits him. He's given me all rights to the universe, though, including the option to decide what is and isn't canon in fan works. I have another four stories planned, but won't get to writing them until I've finished one of my three ongoing projects.
If you want to be aware of any future stories when they happen, I recommend joining our group Stories of Them. It's nothing special, just a spot where we can put all current and future stories in one place for easy locating.
2659238
Okay thanks
I agree with the thing about crackfics. I've never really understood the appeal. However, I do do the "maniacal laughter out of nowhere while reading something" thing. Particularly odd-sounding, cause my laugh sounds like a twelve-year-old-witch's cackle.
And I can't stand bad grammar. I have a near OCD obsession with everything being grammatically correct.
2648188 Have you ever read anything by Jordan179? He's actually logically, reasonably explained TwiLuna (fanon... ish), FlutterDash (canon), RariSpike (canon), and a few others that I've probably forgotten. Thing is, it all makes sense. He writes essays sometimes and posts them as blogs, so you might want to check those out if you don't want a full-blown story.
2648883 The implied darkness of the show is actually quite overwhelming. And, by any chance, would you read a finished story with an unfinished sequel when the first ends on a cliffhanger/doesn't really feel complete?
2660367
As long as the first story is 'complete,' I would read it. I wouldn't even check to see if the sequel's completed yet, and if it isn't and I want to read it, I'd just file it under my 'incomplete' bookshelf.
2660446 Oh, cool. Have you read Dusk and Dawn by 2percent? (It seems I'm on a promoting spree right now.
)
2660485
Eh, I'll throw it on my RiL. The premise seems absurdly obvious, though, and that leaves me with a lot of room for doubt.
2660367
Where exactly in Canon did it say that these ships are a thing? As far as I can tell, none of the characters, aside from Cadence and Shining, are in any real romantic relatinoship with one another, and with the way things are going, and the way they are characterized, I can't see any reason why they ever would. RariSpike is a one-sided,slightly manipulative but still greatly appreciated relationship with no real romantic setting. I don't understand where people get these ideas from, outside of blatant self-indulgence.
Speaking of, I'm verrrrry touchy when it comes to RariSpike. In a lot of the fics I've browsed on the Front Page, it's rape and molestation, at least in terms of our laws. Spike is a child. A self-sufficient and rather mouthy adolescent, but a child nonetheless. He can't be older than 12 in the show, and the idea that Rarity would ever do anything more than humor his crush at this age I just can't agree with. If he's older, and proves himself worthy, that's one thing.
But I can't reconcile that they could every sire a child. Adoption? Surrogacy? Sure, I can see that. But the idea that in any fic that magic or genetics can be used to bring about the conjoining of two different species to create a chimera fetus, or two mares to conceive a child is almost repugnant.
Mind you, this has nothing to do with sexuality and everything to do with creating life in a way that is physically impossible, and/or magically unfeesable. Even if is was, it's on the level of necromancy, bringing life to something that shouldn't be. Nobody should have that much power over life, and it just doesn't make sense logically. Even Magic has to have certain laws and quantifiable properties to it, it can't possibly be some maguffin that can do anything if you try hard enough or know the right spells. There has to be some level of laws and/or regulations that prevent these kinds of dangerous tampering with the building blocks of life, or natural laws that all magic must follow.
Of course, I could just be considered talking out my ass and spouting headcannon as fact, or "it's just a show, why are you taking this so seriously?" Well, in my mind, this universe and it's fanfiction deserve better. I know I can't expect everyone to be a master writer with years of experience, but I can at least expect them to learn, and do things in a way that make decent sense, provided they aren't writing a crack-fic or over the top comedy.
2660501 It's not absurdly obvious, though some people could figure it out if they tried. Depends. But it's actually really interesting.
2660515 It doesn't explicitly state "that these ships are a thing" in canon. It's been a while since I read that particular explanation, so I can't really remember exact details, but I do recall that there was a chapter in one of the stories in which Rarity reflects on her relationship with Spike. Something about by the time he'll be an adult by dragon standards, she'll be middle-aged, and she doesn't want to encourage a child. It really makes sense, it's backed up by logic and canon, and it's in character. I'm too tired to actually give a good explanation, but it's actually reasonable.
2660584
Obvious Concept #1: Nightmare Moon won
Obvious Concept #2: Twilight Sparkle now works for Nightmare Moon (either brainwashed or taught the 'truth' about Celestia and changed sides)
Obvious Concept #3: Forces loyal to Celestia are fighting forces loyal to Nightmare Moon
Obvious Concept #4: Twilight is the superweapon of the Nightmare Forces
Yeah, it's about as obvious as a story can get. Some predictions:
Likely Event #1: Trixie vs. Twilight in epic showdown (that won't be written properly)
Likely Event #2: Spike tries to find a way to 'save' Twilight from her new path. Odds are 50/50 he gets killed for his efforts.
Likely Event #3: AJ – who may be the only other member of the Mane 6 to have survived the initial fight – reveals the 'truth' to Twilight
Likely Event #4: Twilight, in a last minute realization of what's going on, turns on Nightmare Moon
2660608 Obvious Concepts #1,3,4 are right, #2 only partially.
Likely events are all incorrect... a couple are close, but still not what happens.
And even if it does have some obvious things, it's a little difficult to write all that without it being obvious. It's been written too many times. This one was well-written, though, and I enjoyed it.
2660623
3.5 out of 4. Yep, without a recommendation I'd have never touched it. Anyway, it's on my RiL now, so at some point in the distant future I'll get to reading it. We shall see.
2660633 Indeed, we shall.
2660584
The fact that there are hints toward Sparity in canon is why i'm so touchy about the ship. Most fics I've seen dealing with the subject are not handled well. Many of them feel very self-insertish, or just don't feel in character. That, and the rest it seems don't even try to acknowledge the many hurdles such a relationship would have, age being foremost.
I've always felt that Rarity can see the potential in Spike, but knows in her heart that it wouldn't work, and him being a dragon has nothing to do with it. After all, it's still only a childhood crush, and in the back of her mind, she knows that it would be better for him to find a female dragon, as while he was raised by ponies, he can't deny his heritage. Who knows? Perhaps one day, there could be a whole lineage of dragons on friendly terms with ponies, living among them while young, watching over them while older, and defying the stereotype of greedy, dangerous beasts who do nothing but sleep and hoard treasure. Spike could be the beginning of a new era for the pony world, and to.....what's the word...
I guess, I just care about Spike and what he represents, and I see the potential change he could bring to the world. He's not going to be a baby dragon forever, but that doesn't mean he has to either become a pony, or become a normal dragon. I feel that Spike could change the world, and limiting him to his crush on Rarity and their relationship makes me wanna weep for his potential, the same kind of potential we see going to waste, every minute of every day in this world we live in.
I'm not saying Spike can't have a relationship with her, I just feel like that's all people see him as, and that saddens me. Spike needs more love, and not in the romantic way.
2661049 I agree. We need to see Spike well-written more often... especially in the show, because so often, he's just there for comic relief or whatever it's called.
And yes, I agree with you that most Sparity fics are written badly. Self-inserts always bother me, especially in romantic situations.
And I think the word is revolutionize.
2661058
Revolutionize? Maybe. Evolve? Possibly.
I've always liked fics in which Dragons are explored, especially ones in which they are given some amount of magical clout, and are capable of intelligent conversations and relationships, despite their age. Fics where the Dragons don't have to be the giant, sleepy treasure guardians, but depending on how they are raised, can become more.
Spike doesn't necessarily have to be the hero. He could just be the catalyst. The first in a long lineage of a symbiotic relationship between the new, dragon guardians/citizens, and the pony folk who help care for, and teach the dragons in the ways of Friendship and the Magic of it.
The Dragons evolve, become smaller, more lithe, but also more intelligent. Condensing their strength and magical potential in smaller bodies capable of doing so much more than their almost feral predecessors. Perhaps even unlock a history behind the dragons and their decline, leading them to being the bullies and beasts they are today.
2661079 That would be fun to write about. Except I can't really write, so whatever.
It's easy to imagine Spike taking that role. He's already practically a part of a pony family, raised in pony society on pony values and cultural beliefs.
2661127
Heh, I'm good at pumping out ideas, plot pieces, and general stories. I just can't flesh them out into full stories.
I tend to get attached to certain characters, and when something like Sparity or FlutterDash pop up, and it doesn't mesh or just isn't good quality, it irks me to no end. I feel I've read enough shipfics to know when I don't like a pairing or a plot piece or the quality of the story as a whole.
The world just doesn't lend itself to a lot of the types of shipfics out there, imo.
And I absolutely can't stand when people base a ship off of the stupidest, smallest, most insignificant detail that in no way could result in a relationship based solely off of that detail. That only works in the minds of the most deluded of fans who feel that their headcanons are more important than the reality of the show.
2661138 I don't really mind romance that isn't canon, as long as it's well-written and makes sense in that particular story, even if it doesn't adhere to canon. AUs are my favorite genre on here.
2661175
AUs and Crossovers tend to be the ideas that pop into my head the most. I just get bored and tired when the romance is the only thing driving the story. Also, I get irked by bad, predictable writing that plays itself off as serious.
If the writing is bad and it knows that it's bad and uses that to it's advantage, that's one thing; but there's nothing worse, imo, than a self-insert fanfic where nothing interesting happens,where the plot is driven only by romance and cheesy, predictable, badly written plots like pregnancy, wedding, settling down, coming out to everyone about their secret relationship, and characters that I could never, ever, possibly see together, like Discord x Twilight fics. Yes, they exist, and they use such bad writing and plot elements and yet they're popular, it drives me nuts.
Or god forbid all the "fanon ships" like Lyra Bonbon, Vinyl Tavi, Time Turner Derpy with sparkler/dinky, the Lotus Sisters, Big Mac x everyone including AJ, Breaburn x everyone including AJ, etc. All these tired, boring, predictable ships.
and don't even get me started on shipfics featuring foals. -shudders-
2661188 DiscoLight is really annoying to read. I could never imagine Twilight in a relationship with someone like Discord. CheeriMac isn't really terrible, and VinylTavia makes for funny moments, but I tend to avoid the others.
2661208
Give me Twilight being inducted into the uses of Chaos Magic, and how radically different it is from the structured Harmony Magic and I will be delighted to read as she struggles to change her entire mindset when it comes to learning this "new" kind of magic. There are no books, there is no studying, there's only spontaneity and whim and whimsy. It'd be hilarious and almost dark to watch as Twilight breaks under the strain of raw, untamed chaos magic, only for Discord to bring her back at the last second. Discord is the only mentor she can rely on in this situation and it's tearing her to pieces.
But little does she realize that she's had the potential and affinity for Chaos Magic all along. She forces the raw energy around her to harmonize and uses it to fuel her spells. It's not her magic reserves that are draining her, but the sheer strain of taking magic out of the air and forcing her will upon it to do what she needs.
But no way in Tartarus would she ever see Discord as anything other than maybe a crazy uncle/mentor who can show her a cool new way to look at the world, and a possible powerful ally if it really comes down to it.
As for the other ships, CheeriMac will always have this stigma about it pertaining to the Love Poison. Who knows if it's just a remnant of the poison, or if there's real feelings there, and the doubt will eat away at them, and their relationship will suffer. That's my headcanon anyway. Something that alters your mind on that kind of scale can't NOT have lasting effects. i.e., Lesson Zero and Big Mac taking Smarty Pants.
And the fanon ships, I just don't see where people come up with these things. You see two interesting ponies in the background talking, and suddenly there's an entire fandom behind them and stories about their background and how they're a couple despite no actual information being given about them. And people take these ideas as gospel. It's rather ridiculous. Not to say that they can't be good stories, but it's gotten to the point that it's just...
2661213 It is pretty ridiculous. But I think I'll just let people waste their time how they want to waste their time. Most of them enjoy it, so whatever.
2661604
I suppose. I just wish there was a better system for popular stories. Maybe make several lists, one for each story type with no repeats so every story gets a fair shot, maybe having an option for each story to have a central genre tag with supporting tags. We could keep the all genre's popular box on the front page, but it'd be nice to see some more lists. I'd rather not have to sort my way through a myriad of biased and/or singular groups to find decent stories.
Imagine a set of lists of popular stories based on Genre, Completed vs Incomplete, One-Shots vs Epics, Newly Published, Newly Updated etc... This would be different from the Recently Updated and Published lists already on the front page as these new lists would focus on HOT new stories and HOT new updates, not just any old story/update.
Speaking of sorting stories, I wish that the "Show Mature" option was more detailed or had more options than just a sweeping purge of ALL mature stories. I mostly just wish that Clop fics had their own separate category and purge setting from other mature stories. I'd rather not have to wade through pages of testosterone fueled, self-insert masturbation material to find a decent story of a more mature, non-sexual nature.
2661765 That would be extremely helpful. Knighty needs to do that someday.
I just keep mature off. I hate clop, and I get nightmares easily, so there's no reason for me to have to see them.
2662152
Which is why I wish Mature and Clop were separate categories. Cause I know of a few good mature stories that aren't big on Gore and feature no Clop whatsoever. There's just strong enough language and themes like (physical/mental) abuse present that make it mature without that being bad.
2662349 It would be nice if in the filter there was an option for tags we don't want in the story.