It is done. Quorum Sensing 2 is up for approval. Some obvious questions to answer. · 7:31pm Jun 30th, 2015
Well, Inkscape decided to bork on me a couple of times during the exporting process (and always on the faces, too), but I managed to get the cover art done, and the Quorum Sensing sequel I've been sitting on for Thor knows how long is now up for submission.
A couple of questions that might pop up:
What about Scootaloo's Second Skin?
Second Skin does not factor into the plot of this story. This is a separate canon, written around the time I was writing Second Skin, partly. Second Skin is not going to get a continuation from me. I can't write a continuation to it, because it contains characters that aren't mine, ie Moonfire (the changeling). Moonfire (the author) said he'd write a sequel to his side of the story, I cannot in good conscience interfere with that. I also do not know how his side is going to end. I'm done with the Second Skin canon. Any continuation will come from other authors.
There's too much Rumble in this story and not enough youknowwhat!
That's not a question, but thanks for noticing, regardless. The main plot elements of Blue Moon Bloom focus on Rumble, and it's meant to portray a contrast between him and Scootaloo. Rumble, because of Chitter's relationship with him, is part of a world that ponies aren't normally privy to. Scootaloo, for obvious reasons, has to deal with things most ponies don't. You can sort of compare it to Flight Camp, where both the OC's strengths and handicaps provide a contrast to Scootaloo's strengths and handicaps. There are some things you need other pegasi for to compare to.
Is X going to happen? Please tell me X is going to happen!
The story is completely finished as is and will update... oh, let's say weekly. So no, there will be no deviating from its current path. You may be right about a few things, you may be wrong, but whatever's going to happen, is going to happen.
What's that red stuff around Rumble in the cover art?
Originally it was supposed to be bloodstains, but a) that's kind of gory, b) it made for lack of symmetry with Scoots, and c) I still can't draw worth a damn and this was easier.
Why 'rousettes' and not 'bat ponies'?
Plot-relevant reasons. Can't really say that much about it without spoiling the whole thing.
Why the Teen rating? This is pretty tame.
Mostly to cover my donkey in any eventuality. There are a few scenes and implications that I wouldn't try to get a ten-year-old to understand, so the added threshold is kind of justified.
What you wrote there is stupid! Season 5 already debunked that! Do you hate it that much that you ignore its glorious contributions to canon?
I don't really hate it, I just haven't seen it, and as such I'd appreciate you don't try to spoil anything. I'm planning to wait until any episode drama blows over (because there's always episode drama every few weeks, let's not kid ourselves), and just watch the whole Season in one go, couple of weeks after the finale when Discord probably dies or something. That lets me concentrate on sequels and other material without getting flooded with new ideas or having to rewrite things as I go along. I enjoy ponies more when I don't have to wait in between episodes, that's the long and short of it. As it stands, this story was written in part before I even saw Season 4. It has since been edited to match up a little better, but it didn't need much.
Are you going to write another sequel once this story is done?
Well, now, that's a hard one to answer, isn't it? Especially for newer readers who haven't seen the blogs with the answer to that question. If I say 'yes', then you'd already know the ending leaves things open. If I say 'no', you might deduce that things are final. So let's just say that I'll let the story go its natural course.
You should feel awful for that stuff in chapter (insert number here). Have you shame?
No. I am a recovering chaoist, you see. I have no sense of shame, but I have a sense of decency. It might not match up with everyone else's all the time, particularly regarding other cultures.
How dare you portray (insert touchy subject, probably inter-racial or inter-cultural relationships, here) in chapter (insert number here). Have you no morals?
Well, you see, I'm also Flemish. That's Dutch Belgian, not Dutch Dutch. The difference, to quote one of our esteemed scholars:
A Dutchman will be willing to die over his principles, whereas a Fleming, by definition, has none.
There may be some things that'll upset readers or trigger them, but honestly, you should know I don't do black/white morality. If not...
You're a terrible writer and you wrote a terrible story! Why can't you be better?
I am. Better, I mean. I'm better now, with the story finished and published, than I was when I started the story. That's all I'm aiming for at this point. There will be flaws, but hey, I've sunk way more time into this one than any other story so far, I think, so if I don't publish it now it'll never get done. I think bad stuff defines a story just as much as the good stuff does. So yeah, it might turn some off, but it'll turn some on, too.
Take care, everyone. Hope this answers the important questions, and I hope you enjoy the story as it unfolds.
Peace,
Cracker
Well, rousettes are a genus of old-world fruit bats, so let the speculation about Flutterbat-like origins begin.