Today is the last day to join, so if you want in on it, be sure to read over the rules and PM Shakespearicles!OPWA: Interlude · 6:49pm May 16th, 2016
Overpriced Writing Advice
Where you can learn the stuff I paid thousands of dollars to have taught to me, for free.
A Demonstration Of Tips So Far (And An Offer Of Sorts)
TL;DR: I have an adventure comedy fic in mind, but I just do not think I have the time to write it. I’m sharing my initial notes, both as an illustration of my OPWA advice, and also to see if anyone wants to give writing it a shot themselves.
I’m not usually one to do this kind of thing. Truth be told, in the past I turned my nose up at "putting story ideas up for grabs" as it felt kind of lazy. It’s no one’s job to write your ideas for you. If you can’t do it yourself, then it just won’t be written. Simple. BUT, then I thought: This’ll be a fun way of further illustrating some of the tips in my OPWA blogs, and possibly getting some help with this idea to the point that it actually will be written someday. Whether that’s by me, in collaboration with someone else, or someone else entirely, I really don’t care. This just seemed like a fun idea, and I am very curious to see it come to fruition.
SO! My ideas...here’s the basics before I get into the nitty gritty.
Since No Second Prances I’ve been wanting to write/read an adventure comedy with Starlight Glimmer and Trixie. But three is a powerful number in literature, and it can really round out a cast. Anyone who has been writing long enough most likely has heard of the “rule of three” theory that suggests things that come in threes are more satisfying. Think Harry Potter. Think A Christmas Carol. So I thought, “Who’s a reformed character I can add to this pair of baddies-turned-goody-two-shoes?”
Obvious choice is obvious: Discord.
So the barebones idea I had starting out was this--
Problem springs up that the princesses and Elements of Harmony cannot take care of because: reasons. Without viable alternatives, they send Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and Discord. Over-the-top hijinks ensue as these dysfunctional characters have trouble working together. Towards the end, they manage to sort out their differences and tackle the problem--but not without some collateral damage. They’ve saved Equestria from the threat. Mostly. (Princess Celestia fully intends to send them the bill for all the damages.)
But the above concept presents some storytelling challenges, which I list below.
1. What problem would take place in Equestria (or perhaps even neighboring kingdoms?) that the princesses, the military, and the Elements of Harmony could not handle on their own?
2. What problem would take place that would present a challenge to Discord, who is basically the god of chaos, and capable of turning the laws of reality on its head?
3. How does Trixie fit into this powerful team? Starlight Glimmer can rip holes through time and space. Discord can do...well, anything. But Trixie can barely do basic spells. The canon constantly pokes fun that she isn’t even that amazing of a performer.
4. Can Trixie and Discord get along? I think I can see Starlight Glimmer and Discord tolerating each other, or even having a grudging respect for the other. Trixie and Discord though…? I fear that Discord would see a huge target on Trixie’s inflated ego. Conflict is all well and good, but there has to be a balance struck between dysfunction and synergy in these kinds of dynamics. Otherwise, it just feels frustrating and implausible.
5. Who would be the protagonist? My first instinct was to go with Starlight Glimmer because 1) Starlight stories seem to be in demand, and 2) she’s the most emotionally balanced of the team. However, it might be more interesting to read about a more flawed character in the central role. Trixie is obviously the underdog of this powerful group, so reading about how she grows and overcomes challenges might be great. Plus, she’s fairly popular on her own. Then there’s Discord who makes a great anti-hero...but the question I have to ask is: how effective would Discord be playing the anti-hero in a team dynamic?
Possible Solutions
1. If the problem was big enough, it could be that the princesses, the military, and the Elements of Harmony are addressing the problem...just in different areas.
2. What could present a problem for a god? Another god. (But this brings up a new dilemma: What god? It would obviously have to be an OC.)
3. Play up some ability or aspect of Trixie’s personality from the canon. OR have Starlight Glimmer request Trixie’s presence primarily for moral support, as Starlight does not wish to be alone with Discord. Trixie could accept with the dual reason that she wishes to further improve her reputation, and also to get into the good graces of the Equestrian crown.
4. This could be the driving force of the conflict in the group. If Starlight is the protagonist, then she would be caught between being loyal to her friend (Trixie) and keeping a powerful ally at their side (Discord). It could be that Trixie and Discord relate to one another in their mutual love of tearing down Twilight Sparkle (though, after No Second Prances, this may no longer be a thing with Trixie.)
5. Starlight might just be the safest option, considering the possible solution to problem 4.
So with all of this in mind, I tried to see if I could come up with an initial theme to move forward with. If you guys recall my OPWA post on finding story theme, you can see what all of this means:
NOTE: I’m writing this with the idea that Starlight Glimmer is the protagonist. If you change who is the main character, you’ll have to retool everything to fit them instead!PLOT
External Conflict - Rival god has arisen to wreak havoc in Equestria.
Outer Problem - Trixie and Discord do not get along.
CHARACTER
Internal Conflict - “The ends justifies the means.”
Inner Problem - Starlight Glimmer’s fear of letting down Twilight.
Misguided Goal - To prove to Twilight Sparkle that she has progressed as a pupil by solving the problem in a swift and effective manner, regardless of the methods used.
THEME
Internal Conflict Resolution - Understanding that Twilight is more than just her teacher, but also a friend, and she’ll be there for her no matter what.
External Conflict Resolution - Helping everyone find common ground to unite against the threat.
Combined Solutions (AKA Story Theme) - ...Friendship is magic? (
)
And that's all I've got! 
Oh, the things my bored housewife brain occupies itself with...
That is certainly a possibility. Though you could also go for a problem that the others don't or can't even perceive existing. I am reminded of The Best Night Ever in which Blueblood has a problem that neither of the Princesses believe is even possible until they are given some pretty convincing evidence. Even then, they can't help because they only have a day each loop and don't know where to begin.
An idea that came to mind is that Equestria is changing, but the only ones who can see the changes are Starlight, Trixie, and Discord. Starlight and Trixie because Trixie happened to be visiting Starlight at the time the changes started and Starlight noticed some sort of timey-wimey nonsense and threw up a shield to protect herself (since she has experience with that sort of thing). Discord is immune because he's fundamentally outside the rules of reality anyway.
Alternatively, it could be Discord himself. Either a past/future version of him or an alternate version. One neat idea that a lot of fanfiction brings up in regards to Discord is part of the reason he's insane is that he's able to see and experience all realities at once. You could do a bit of meta-crossover with this if you wanted to, with the big bad Discord being from one of the more nasty fiction universes (like Fallout: Equestria).
Alternatively, Discord could simply not be able to affect whatever is happening. Chaos magic is, pretty much by definition, chaotic and there's no guarantee that the power level of the stuff is consistent from one instant to another. Some days Discord may be as magically inept as a standard earth pony, other days he's a god incarnate. Chaos magic is fundamentally whimsical and unpredictable, even in its own terms.
But Trixie can sell a lie almost as good as Flim and Flam. She's also quite creative, able to best Rarity and Applejack with simple cantrips at tasks of their own choosing. One doesn't need anything particularly powerful if one can use those things to good effect. The Grease spell in D&D is one of the most useful spells there are and it's a level-1 Mage spell, for instance. But its utility far outweighs its lack of raw power.
I also think you're grossly underestimating her power here. I'm not sure why you think she can barely do basic spells; she seems quite competent at magic overall. She just doesn't have the self-discipline for study that Twilight (or Starlight) has. She also much prefers showy effects to efficient ones. It is as much about the performance than the effect to her.
Honestly, I don't see why not. Discord doesn't care about the lack or presence of a gigantic ego, he's going to mess with everyone -- including Starlight and Trixie. While, yeah, he'd definitely take her down a few pegs, I can also see him being rather impressed with her creativity. Chaos is as much a force for creation and unique solutions than it is for wanton destruction and madness, after all. Actually, the first thing that came to my mind is Discord offering to teach Trixie some chaos magic. In her hooves, chaos magic would definitely end up... chaotic as Trixie loves showy effects and the whiz-bang of magic. Both Trixie and Discord are Large Hams, so they could bond over that aspect of their personalities as well.
Starlight, on the other hoof, is very much like Twilight: boring but practical. Any showiness is a side-effect as opposed to something specifically sought out.
Starlight as the protagonist does make the most sense.
At the moment, I've only got a possible answer for one thing:
What can pose a threat to a god of chaos?
How about the literal personification of harmony and order taking control of the body of the most powerful magic-user it's ever come into contact with?
That's right, I'm saying Twilight Sparkle gets brain-jacked by the Tree of Harmony.
3948567
Ooh, that's good!
Meh. I wouldn't be in the mood for writing Discord and co. fighting... Past Discord? Future Discord? ALTERNATE DIMENSION Discord!? I mean, someone of skill could do it justice, but I'm personally not pumped by the idea. Also, someone with less experience could turn it into a weird circle jerk of gags. Yeeesh, no.
But hey! This idea is out there, so if someone wanted to do it, I'm giving them license to use my notes for their own purposes. Whatevs.
That's decent headcanon, and there's certainly a logic to that. Sure.
Mmm... can I get some canon evidence of her being a good liar? She didn't come across as particularly cunning to me, from what I can recall... I mean, yes, she's a performer. But being a performer might just mean you're a good entertainer--not necessarily a good liar. Her magic tricks were rudimentary. I didn't say they were subpar. Just... average. Which, in this team, would make her "the Duff".
And I call shenanigans on her "besting" Rarity and Applejack. All she did to Rarity was make her upset about her bad hairdo. AJ was doing rope tricks without magic, and Trixie magicked a rope to tie AJ up. That doesn't really equate beating them at their own game to me.
But your argument with the D&D spell is a valid one. I remember a Pathfinder Witch I made using a basic float spell to magnificent effect. It floated her over a moat filled with nasty creatures. The DM was SUPER PISSED he failed to take into account that she could bypass his big bad monsters entirely. (Of course, our idiot ranger ruined her expert handling of the situation by leaping into the situation for no reason, thus putting his life in danger and forcing everyone to deal with the moat monsters anyway
)
That was also one reason I said "play up some ability or aspect of Trixie’s personality from the canon." She could be the Badass Normal and MacGyver the hell out of whatever problems the team comes across. Her justification could be: "Oh, trust me. When you're traveling alone on the road all the time, you learn a few tricks!"
Perhaps. I guess I just remember there being a choice moment in boast busters when Twilight bests her at something that doesn't appear all that hard. I'd have to go back and re-watch the Trixie episodes just to be entirely sure.
I already conceded in my post that there could be ways Trixie would be useful. But the fact of the matter is, she just doesn't measure up in terms of raw power to Starlight or Discord.
I'm not seeing the creativity bit (at least, beyond your average performer--Discord wouldn't be impressed with anything average). But if someone writes a story with the idea and makes it work, then cool!
The reason I bolded that line is because: 1) My interpretation of these two is that they like to be center-stage...and they DO NOT like sharing the spotlight. 2) Trixie is obnoxiously boastful. It's literally ingrained in the way that she talks. I don't think Discord would START as being overly eagerly to knocking her down a few pegs. You're right--he just sorts of does that to everyone. But I think Trixie would find herself insulted enough to want to push back, thus encouraging Discord into goading her further (because he's just that kind of guy). It would keep escalating until they outright hated each other. But again, that was just my thinking.
3948594
...The Tree of Harmony is sentient?
EDIT: to make my post read less suckish.
3951748 Why not? The map clearly is.
Go watch "To Where and Back Again." You'll love it!