Reader vote Numbah 2! Tounge twisters, what will happen with the language barrier? · 6:49pm Jul 1st, 2012
Alright, to be honest I wasn't planning to have a vote on this particular subject. But since the new chapter is taking longer than I though it would I thought this could keep you guys occupied for a little while.
So, like last time we will have a vote on what's going to happen later down the line. polls close at the end of the month so cast your vote in the comments here or in the comment section of the story, either way your vote will be counted.
This little session is regarding the language barrier and whether or not it stays later in the story.
So away we go!
Option #1: Troy will eventually get zapped by some REALLY powerful magic and can understand ponies now, however due to *redacted* the spell is incomplete and only three ponies (only one of which is part of the mane six) can understand him. This is what I was originally planning to do. If this option is chosen Troy will be able to understand pony speech, but can't talk back most of the time. At least not without some mime-ing
Option #2: Everyone understands everybody, Troy will understand ponies and ponies will understand Troy. Note, they will still be speaking their respective languages, they just can understand what the foreign words mean.
Option #3: Nobody understands, The language barrier holds strong. Troy can't understand what the pony language and they can't understand him either.
Choose which option you want to see the most, enjoy everybody!
P.S. First contact will come either in the next chapter or the chapter after that. Fun times to be had.
I vote 3, spell of understanding is way too cliché
i vote 1
Make 'em do sign language!
If it's 3, are they still capable of learning each other's language? As in, the hard way? I want them to be able to understand each other, somehow, but I'd prefer that the language barrier wasn't broken by ZE MAGICKS!
206621
sign language requires fingers, Troy is fine in that department but the rest of the cast are severely lacking.
206627 Adapted sign language?
206626
They can, but it has been stated that Troy is incapable of reproducing certain sounds made by ponies, so someone would have to learn English.
Why don't the CMC try to teach him the language? and some basic words
206631
They might be able to incorporate gestures into speaking to help get the idea across, but I don't think they can realistically get a conversation going that way. Though they will probably start off on something like that.
I think I vote for number 1.
I vote 3. Everything else has been used and abused to death. I don't think I've ever run across a story that stayed #3 throughout. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra_dealwithit.png
Option 1 for me
Number 1 / 3
#1 but with less understanding, make him actually have to learn some of the language instead of getting completely over it with a simple spell.
I choose option 3, it gives more realism to the story and it makes it quite longer also he should be able to learn the language later in the story by having somepony teach him the basics of the Equestrian language but Troy wont have a fluent accent more like a really bad immigrant first time language ( sorry for being a bit offensive there )
I guess I'll go with option 1.
I vote for 1
. I want the story to go on as you originally planned it to, I'm also curious to see what ponies he is going to be able to speak to, and how it will be for him to understand everypony, but only be able to speak to 3 ponies. 
I can't wait to see the next chapter!!!
Numero Uno!
I vote number 3!
Carry On
Honestly, it could really go either way between 1 and 3. Magic is tricksy and while humans don't have any inherantly, it isn't necessarily impossible for them to work with it. That said, if you do go with one, it might be better if you went more with "Humans run off of slightly different rules than ponies, so magic that works like 2+2=4 for ponies, might work more 2+2=sdflkasjbklj on people", which certainly would be more fun. So... I vote tentative 1, otherwise 3.
I say #1.
I vote for #3.
i vote for 1
3 please. Or atleast have twilight work with celestia/some scholar for several chapters to develop the option one spell.
Option 1, I feel, is a good idea. I wonder who of the mane 6 you would link the translation to, though.
Hmmmmm...
I kinda want to say 2, but only if it happens at the very end of the story, after the climax in the denouement when everything is winding down so he can say goodbye to everypony or whatever is going to happen...
I dunno... I guess 3. Give Troy a chalkboard. Have them draw pictures to communicate. Maybe have him slowly learn to understand their language, even if he can't replicate it himself.
I vote option 3 since I find those interesting.
But something like basic actions and some sort of eventual understanding just not right off the bat and stuff.
Number 3 Please! Thank you!
I vote for número uno! It sounds the most interesting.
How about like in option one he gets hit with a really powerful spell and understands the ponies but needs relearn how to talk since it is an entirely new kind of words.
I choose 1, but have him barely understand everything, and no magic. Put humour into it from the CMC trying to teach him how to speak it, and his (eventual) learning of the new sounds.
#3 for me + the idea of him learning the language the hard way (no magic!).
Going for option 3 here, seeing as Troy is apparently highly allergic to magic.
Option #3: no stupid magic here, if hes gone learn to talk he or the pony's are gonna learnt it the hard way whit hard study and books.
Sure communication why be hard at first but it will be more fun that way whit Tory not knowing if the pony's are gone kill or lock him up, and the pony's not knowing if hes gone eat them, they already know he eats fish, and whit Tory last chapters sneaking around (to there best knowledge) trying to snatch your fillys up it's not that far fetched assumption to make.
SO #3
Option 3 for the WIN!!!!
I prefer Option 3, language spells seem a bit too neat and tidy.
I'd say option one or thee. I'm leaning more toward option three. A spell seems convenient and the premise is overused. However the idea that the spell would be incomplete or imperfect is interesting.
3 please.
i vote 3,
simply because i want him magic resistant
I cast option #3 as my vote.
Even if he can't speak pony due to biological limitations, he can still write well enough.
Not to mention I'm still really pulling for humans+magic=NOPE!
Well, at least all that arm-waving and arcane babbling you did was impressive.
— Remand Flavor Text, Magic: The Gathering
(Stolen from TV Tropes((Someone send a rescue team please, I seem to have gotten trapped in here.))
Hmmm, tough choice.
I can throw two out right away. That's just bleh.
One is...alright, but the whole 'poof magic fixes everything', or at least helps the situation, is kind of cliche. Really, the language barrier needs to be broken to explore some of the more interesting aspects of human-pony interaction, but it shouldn't come down easy which is why I'm adverse to option number one.
On the other hand, I really do eventually want him to start communicating with the ponies, and it seems with option three that's not going to happen, or at least will be every difficult.
In the end, I'll go with number three, although I really hope he still tries to develop some sort of workaround for the sounds he can't make. Writing perhaps or some sort of improvised sign language? Maybe one of the ponies tries to learn some English and helps translate what he tries to say?
current tally:
Option 1: 16
Option 2: 1 (it was posted on my user page, but hey, still counts)
Option 3: 21
Option 3 is in the lead, Seeing as I'm trying to be really nice I'll let you vote for your favorites. so anyone on the fence can say i want option 1 and 3, and it will count for both.
Important: If you are voting you need to indicate what number you are voting for, otherwise I wont know what you want.
Feel free to make suggestions, but they may or may not be taken into consideration.
I say #1. Being able to understand them but not being able to properly talk back to them is the kind of situation that will cause hilarious shenanigans. And shenanigans are fun.
I vote for #1
My vote goes to option 3... Rudimentary understanding would be possible if interaction takes place based on images for instance once you get to interacting. I'd say keep to the plot you planned on, and stick to: 'how would a normal human with no magical interaction, and no skills beyond normal for a human react if dropped into the MLP:FiM world'. There is a language barrier, and while the language might be considered alien to both parties involved, some basics might be able to be learned over time.
You have established magic doesn't do much for Troy (other then cause bleeding, tho that may be due to the nature of the spell used, whereas other spells might do other things (or even nothing)). Option 1 would therefore be out on my book. Powerful magic is more likely to kill Troy instead of providing something beneficial. Heck, I was wondering what'd happen if Twilight actually got a spell to launch at Troy.
Option 2 would not work either based on the interactions with the CMC you've already hit upon. Changing that all of a sudden would take the story itself, and drop a lot of the actual flow of the story, making it loose it's coherence and thus the interest of some of the readers.
I choose option #4: Magic Pony X can understand him with a simple translation spell, but, as he's immune to the arcane, Troy doesn't get to know that. It let's him suffer more and, let's be honest, isn't the point of any character to suffer for our amusement?
i have to go with 3
the thing i love most about this story is the fact that the answer to every problem isn't MAGIC
Troy has always found a way to get pass all the barriers that try and stop him without magic and it's nice to see how he tries to overcome those barriers, plus i am kinda interested to see how the ponies react to him when they find out he has no magic at all.