Fielding concerns/questions for I, Chrysalis · 5:33am Oct 25th, 2015
What do you guys think will be in the next chapter?
What would you guys like to see in the next chapter?
How do you see this playing out?
Keep in mind, I do have everything planned out, even if some aspects of the story seem to be poorly conceived plots. A assure you, I do stuff for a reason, even if it's something some readers might think predictable and silly. I'm having fun writing the story and I do listen to my readers, making little adjustments here and there. Think of it as a bit of an experiment between me the writer and you guys the readers. This is just a fun experiment for myself and I want to grow as a writer.
I respect all opinions of my readers and even though I might disagree with what might be said, I still welcome all input from you guys. Even though I write for myself, I also will admit a part of me wants to write for you guys. After all, you enjoy reading my silly little words. I enjoy the fact you guys take the time to read them. It is a humbling experience.
If I never said it before; Thank you all for joining me on this journey down my imagination. Even if some of it might be predictable, I have fun with it. I only hope you guys do as well.
Also: Anyone else stoked for Fallout 4?
I preordered my copy!
I'll want an epic game to play when I move into my new house!
Oh...the above image is relevant to the story. Can you see what it is? PM me if you think you know!
Hmm, I'll be sending the odd note I find here on that image.
But, I think, and its odd, but so far.. Celestia has been the antagonist here, more than anything. The nature of both her judging and obstructive nature. She has been the implacable foe. Not directly, but indirectly. She has put and placed every little roadblock, in measured tones, seeing and viewing, what chryssalis has done. The next chapter is where she drops the ultimatum. I would almost bet money on it, coupled with the image above. I'm darn sure it likely will have her reversing the question and tables more than they have been.
Luna here, I think is just as much the machination piece as unintentional devils advocate in that while she is approaching a different angle, its ultimately celestia's view in the long term benefits. (Though she does benefit)
And perhaps what makes me wonder, is why that she would let what occurred happen as it did? Thats the big question. She had to have known. The span of time to have this occur, in looking over things. Thirty seconds, a minute tops? That response time. It seems a poor choice of revenge by proxy for what image true, and image false she has perpetuated here. It's odd, but i think at the end, we are going to have a dead daughter, a broken and dead queen, and everything will fall apart. Celestia may win, but ultimately its a pyrrhic victory at best.
I get our protagonists view on her past being one of her ways to make us relate, and its done well. But given the tensions done, and the messages pushed. She is seeing she can't protect her against what is arrayed, and she is clever enough for one final choice. And why I saw this will end poorly. Even if she manages to escape (and be tracked). Even if she can only get her daughter away. It wont be a victory, just a means of control by the sun.
The queen wont win, its almost forgone in this choice of tags and particular nature its taken. The only question that gets answered is how much she sells her life for, and that of her daughter.
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Jesus Christ that's a bleak-ass prediction, and I hope you'll forgive me if I say I hope you're wrong. Anyway, what I want to see in the next chapter is Celestia and Luna showing some culpability for their two prisoners who were brutally assaulted and damn near murdered. As for how I see this fic playing out? I honestly don't know, but I will say I'm hoping for a happy-ish ending for Chrysalis, Atalanta, and possibly their lost hive, if survivors remain. I'd also like it if the ponies themselves could similarly share these possible good fortunes. It might not happen that way, but I want it to. I like a good story with lots of hardship and conflict, but I generally need some semblance of a happy ending when it's all said and done, because that means that the characters' struggles were worth it.
As for FO4, I'm practically shitting myself with excitement for it... however, the new videocard I bought to be able to even run it on my PC seems to be too large for my case, and I have no money to buy a new one.
So it could be some time before I can play that hopefully magnificent game.
3495247 I hope so as well, but dark with chrysalis as the protagonist (Never ends well.), and her kid here (This is the major wildcard). Well, I can hope, but in what ive seen towards things and how they go. It doesn't rain, it doesn't pour, it floods for the poor lady in the best cases.
I try to be an optimist, but well, as a former cynic/realist, well, when you get her at the mercy of celestia and luna both, well... I havent seen it end well with a dark tag. Not even close. And I like some of the places and directions that some writers take the queen. It's just, dark tags and her end up like a fly hitting a car at 120mph.
I just can't realistically see a happy end here for her. (No matter how much I can hope for it.) Not from this standing point of view. Celestia either breaks the queen, the threats to her daughter do, or she takes the final solution.
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Well, as much as I want a "happily ever after" or something close to it, if it does play out that way, that Celestia, Luna, or other ponies in officially sanctioned positions of power kill her or her kid, then I hope they get their pyrrhic victory, and that it comes at a truly catastrophic cost. That is only if they actually play a part in Chrysalis or Atalanta's suffering mind you. Should Chrysalis end up perishing at somepony elses hooves and the Princesses and their ponies had nothing to do with it, I could let it go.
I'll be honest though, if Atalanta ends of dying as cheap padding for emotional impact, I'll probably bail on this fic. Not only do I not like reading things like that in general, but it's often done in a hamfisted manner to portray someone as totally evil and irredeemable. Drives me nuts. What did you think of that Celestia pic by the way- PM if you're cool with it, I just wanna see if I'm close.
3495259 Celestia is not a tyrant, despite what Chrysalis thinks. Chrysalis has quickly gone from being one of the greatest threats to Equestria to a victim of fanaticism.
3495267 I removed the sad tag, remember?
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3495267 In that I dont think it will happen. Thats the part i've enjoyed here. There is quite a great deal of implied peril, but its been kept far and above the belt here. She has been an innocent, which is why the latest aspect of this has me debating the choice of why it went (managed to happen) from a leadership angle. If she dies, its not going to be at either alicorns behest. Its actively in their best interest to go above and beyond to aid the little one. And I view both have. But the issue is that chrysalis here has been pushed back and back again into the corner. And when you have nowhere out, nowhere to go, you start looking at going through.
In what i've seen of the authors views, and how he writes the endearing changelings. I don't see a cheap death remotely for antagonist or protagonist at all.
3495273 In that, im agreeing, she isn't, but while she is trying to play the short and long game. Even luna is seeking alternate paths here, and actually managing to make dents. But well, their guards, are quite more willing to let certain things slip, let alone the maids and caretakers. And not everyone will balk and money, revenge, or power after what she did to them in her past actions. All you need is a moment to drive home the point. As you've shown.
3495213 I don't see Celestia as the antagonist nor putting any roadblock. But she does distrust Chrysalis, especially after what Chrysalis did: Kidnapped her niece Cadence, attack Canterlot during a wedding, & threatening her ponies. She is presiding over the judgment of Chrysalis but she is not an implacable foe, & Chrysalis as a prisoner for what she did, she will have her freedom restricted, its a given when you are a prisoner. Chrysalis is plotting to escape & contact her people, & Celestia wisely suspect that. But despite Chrysalis is a prisoners, she has some privileges unlike any normal prisoners. She is not being mistreated, she is treated according to her regal status as a queen, provided with more then decent foods. Even the power to fire her representative.
And Luna... I feel Luna seems to know a lot more about the Changelings, I may be wrong but that is my feeling. And I wonder if it has to do about this "curse" that even Chrysalis feel she must somehow "break" so to speak, to save her people. I wonder if Luna is the key in all this.
Celestia obviously distrust Chrysalis, & may be afraid that if she is allowed to make contact to the remnant of her hive (if there are survivors of course), Chrysalis may lash against her & her ponies. But she is also aware of the upcoming threat of the Tiger Princess & her more deadly Ravagers . Somehow she hopes to reason with Chrysalis how to deal with this upcoming threat, I may even wonder of a far of chance she might ask Chrysalis for help . But what Twilight did with the truth spell, & now the attack of these fanatical ponies. Things will get harder.
Chrysalis is the product of her society, a very violent one where even cannibalism occur among changelings. In her younger years she saw her mother killed & witness the destruction of her hive. And to survive, he had to be on the tips of her hooves & be distrustful of everyone. She is skittish & will react defensively, & in the last chapter, she let her guard down for a moment & she was attacked by fanatical zealots. What will that do to her? She will distrust the ponies even more & hate Celestia for allowing it to occur under her nose.
3495312 The nature of her past is allowing us to really as the readers to connect in a way to empathize with her as a protagonist. As for celestia, i view her as an antagonist, far more in the passive sense of things. Not an active one, but in that dealing with her, chrysalis has to act around her. She can't directly confront her in traditional senses.
As for the non-traditional means of holding her, well, I think its more they stand more to gain from compliance than threats. The early chapters show what she does when they try to fight and subdue her. The stick didn't work, and isnt going to, because she has something to fight for. And worse from that standpoint, something to die for, and live for. Hope is a dangerous thing as a prisoner to have in a wardens sense of things. A carrot approach works far far better here. So they have.
Luna, well, I think in part, she can likely watch, but the more she tries to push in to a very different mindset, the more she likely warps the dream into nightmares. As for her nature, luna has been very much open in a changeling sense of perspective. She can understand luna, and there is common ground to be had there. Destroyed by other means, but they do have a means of civility and open conversation.
As for the hive lashing out? I can't see it, they don't trust her as a leader anymore, its a blink and miss it, when she breaches into the bond for them. And really, could they repeat the same with an armed, unhappy people and military that would make sure to not take prisoners with them? It would be a slaughter of changelings. Let alone of the sun takes the field against any formal army or group. The ravagers, eh, she told luna of them. Even she wouldn't see them used against equestria. As for twilight, she was rebuked enough to really hammer home the leagues she was playing at overall.
I've been enjoying the story so far (despite my blunt statement about being dissatisfied with the current chapter's ending events). You've been doing a good job of examining Chrysalis' perspective and perceptions of events and of her captors.
With that in mind, I have to say I disagree with most of the commenters, who like to complain so bitterly about how Celestia is a tyrant. Here's the thing: we don't actually know that. We see this story through the eyes of Chrysalis, and her perspective is one of distrust and paranoia. She has a massive attitude of superiority and would find a reason to hate the Princesses for any decision they make regarding her fate, and that's clear. Everything they do to restrain her is bemoaned as cruel, but conversely, if they give her a measure of freedom, she sneers at them for being weak. There are no courses of action that would ever lead to making them seem good, because Chrysalis has already decided that they're bad and will always find fault. I think people whining about how evil the princesses are forget that we're not seeing things as they are, but rather, how they are according to Chrysalis. It's a good sign that you're doing your job as a writer that people are so strongly drawn into relating to the main character, but at the same time I wish those readers would think for themselves enough to maintain some awareness of that process. It would foster much more intelligent discussion of what's actually going on in the story. Oh well.
As far as what I want to see... well, I want to see what you write because you want to write the story your way. I think that's how the story will be the best it can be. You have to love what you're writing, not be trying to write what you think other people might love. I trust you. Write it your way. It'll turn out great, you'll see.
Well I like the way the story going so far. I really don't want to change much... How about Atalanta Playing with a little red ball just like her mother did?
Sorry if that wasn't much.
Oh whats this! Fallout 4 on PS3? nice.
Chrysalis lay in bed and remember something new about her mother.
Some interrogation between Chrysalis and Celestia.
Also i dont want TyrantCelestia route in this story.
I want to know more about those gods.
3495335 Well, people form their own opinions and I don't mind that. I've already got the story's end planned out.
3495393 I think that can be arranged. Oh, I have a PS4.
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3495696 Funny you should mention that. You'll get a glance next chapter.
3495766 oooh yeeees. Wait... Was the booming voice the gods? Oooooooooooooh oooo. And I want to see Twilight get treatment for her problem.
Somehow when you mention the gods I see my three "gods" in my headcanon. One of them comes from the Greek God shapeshifter Proteus. Protean is also an adjective that describes changelings perfectly. The other is a shapeshifter titaness Metis whos name connoted magical cunning.
Don't mind my rambling.
Well, I certainly can't wait for the next chapter.
~ Neon Lights