A Step-By-Step Guide on How to Successfully Bait C2 · 1:20am Jan 14th, 2016
I've seen some bait in my day.
I first got into pony (and later reading ponyfic) at the beckoning of a friend of mine towards the end of our senior year of high school. I read a lot. He read a lot. We read very different things, however. I was already off the [Romance] train and generally avoided it like the plague. He was obsessed with TaviScratch. We decided it would be a good idea to do a fic exchange of sorts. I'd pick out five of my favorites for him to read. He'd do the same for me.
Just so you have an idea of the timeframe: I sent Background Pony his way. It was maybe two or three chapters long.
Anywho, I read a bunch of the stuff he sent me. Vinyl and Octavia: University Days and Two's Company, Three's a Crowd are absolutely dreadful. Especially the second one. But I soldiered on because I was going to hold up my end of the deal. I still made sure to complain at him every day at school, though. Except, during that complaining, it became pretty obvious he wasn't keeping his end of the deal. I was pretty mad. I read some stories I knew I was gonna hate, but if it meant my friend was gonna read actual stories, I was down. I gave him a hard time about this for a solid three to four months.
This is pretty low quality bait, though. You could even make an argument that it's not bait. He's just a jerk who didn't hold up his end of the bargain. The result, however, is the same. I read [Romance], and I had a bad time.
You too can make me have a bad time, and you can do it with some high quality bait. All you need to do is follow this very easy four step guide, and you'll be well on your way.
Warning: This blog contains spoilers for Gunsmoke by Wanderer D.
Behold the face of false promises.
This guide assumes a couple things about its readers:
1) You are not soft. More specifically, when it comes to baiting C2, you operate under a "go hard or go home" mentality. You're going to go all-out, or you're not even going to try.
2) You know C2. After all, it's hard to lure him her in if you don't know her.
3) You are a competent writer. If the story is just bad, C2 will never reach the point where she gets baited. She'll just leave early. That said, this part isn't entirely necessary. C2 has been known to continue reading bad stories because the concept was just that much of a hook.
Baiting C2 101
Step 1: Write a good fic. Feature Sunset Shimmer as a (preferably the) main character. Inform C2.
This is the easy part. It's pretty self-explanatory.
An excellent example of Step 1.
Step 2: Make sure C2 is hooked before you introduce one (or more) romance(s) to the story.
This where it gets tricky. See, if you just have the [Romance] tag on the fic, C2 will figure you out, and the bait won't work. Truly successful bait only happens when C2 doesn't know what she's getting into. So that means you can't have the [Romance] tag, but you can work around this by spreading out your chapter publications so you can wait to add it until the story is over. Or something. The main takeaway here is that [Romance] shouldn't be present for a large portion of the story before it kicks down the door and demands to be an integral part of the story. On top of that, C2 needs to be having a really good time with the story before that happens.
No [Romance]? Check!
C2 having a good time? Double check!
The first signs of trouble aren't until the story is well under way (chapter eight here)? Check!
Step 3: ???
Execute Order 66.
The trap is sprung.
Step 4: Profit
Revel in successfully baiting C2.
RIP C2
[4:14:06 AM] Csquerade: No, but seriously
[4:14:09 AM] Csquerade: D pls
[4:14:14 AM] Csquerade: You badger me into reading it
[4:14:19 AM] Csquerade: There's no [Romance] tag
[4:14:40 AM] Csquerade: But
[4:14:42 AM] Csquerade: "We find Sunset Shimmer adorable. If we do not hear from Twilight Sparkle's Diary that you have claimed Sunset Shimmer as your own, soon we will."
[4:14:44 AM] Csquerade: D pls
[4:14:45 AM] Csquerade: :(
[4:20:25 AM] Csquerade: "We are here..." Princess Luna grinned. "To discuss how to win Sunset Shimmer's heart for yourself."
[4:20:28 AM] Csquerade: Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
[4:52:43 AM] Csquerade: I see you online on Fimfic
[4:52:49 AM] Csquerade: Don't you hide
[4:56:25 AM] Csquerade: I see that upvote on that comment
[4:59:55 AM] Csquerade: I'll get you back
[4:59:56 AM] Csquerade: Somehow
[5:01:35 AM] Csquerade: I see that Away changed to Online
[5:01:52 AM] Wanderer D: LOL
[5:01:59 AM] Wanderer D: I actually had this off
[5:03:13 AM] Csquerade: I have never been so baited in my entire life
[5:03:52 AM] Wanderer D: lol
[5:04:20 AM] Wanderer D: well, I was watching some anime
[5:04:37 AM] Wanderer D: so... I turned off Skype so it wouldn't drown my supposedly high bandwith
[5:05:13 AM] Wanderer D: but I have to admit, it was fun watching you complain and still read
And with that bit of reveling, this guide is finished.
Armed with this easy to follow guide, you too can bait C2. Happy fishing.
D confirmed for worst mod.
3684564
Oh yeah!?
Well
Well
Yer a butt!
I want to say something to rub it in but this is literally the first thing I'm doing since waking up and all I got is.
You just got The D.
Brain isn't working yet, give me a few hours
3684608
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan
No, but My Roommate Is a Vampire is awful. D:
Poor C, I can jus see you caught on the fishhook, flailing your cute lil arms.
3684785
The worst part is that sometimes, I can't unhook myself.
*takes furious notes*
3684905
I'm not sure you qualify for the "competent writer" part
3684801 *petpets* I know the feeling. A friend of mine is designated as my help when I'm addicted to a terrible story.
3684926 rude
3685458
Get rekt, yo
Now that things have settled down on other fronts, I hear this guy is in the consulting business. Might help in avoiding future 'elaborate ruses' of this nature.
static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_large/public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/01/16/Screen%20Shot%202015-10-01%20at%2016.28.42.jpeg
Edit: some comment about RariJack or SunDagio or other portmanteaus which purport particular perturbation to C2.
3685553
Sky pls
3684905
*is also furiously scribbling notes*
*compares notes with Floyd*
*be discussin and theorizin all like*
41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_liqba4DgEK1qipk10o1_1280.png
3685755
No, Twilestia is not acceptable bait.
3685811
What? Dude, I'm hurt. Hurt. I would never stoop to that level.
In unrelated news, check out my latest fic.
i.imgur.com/LVzaAqb.png
3685866
I'll give you an A for effort, but an F overall for linking the chapter directly. C'mon, Pav.
3685866
So, about my SunLight mystery fic idea....
I'm almost terrified to ask if you've noticed the other two stories I've written featuring Sunset Shimmer. You weren't all that thrilled with the first two, for starters.