On the Subject of Being Cool · 8:25pm May 17th, 2016
This is what I call an IMPORTANT MATTER. Notice the capital letters, as this is something that might prove FUNDAMENTAL for future reference.
Folks, I have a FAVOR to ask of you. Don't worry, it's NOTHING YOU GOTTA WORK FOR. You'll probably LIKE to help me with this, even. You'll be THANKFUL. Or maybe you WON'T BE, but I seem to fail to GIVE A FUCK.
Example of something I see as the coolest fucking thing ever. Then again, I do like cowboys, so I might be biased.
As you might infer from the title, it relates to the idea of something being perceived as "cool". I know this might sound vapid, but I'm not going for a stupid attention-grabbing subject. This is, like, actually serious. This is a thing about SCIENCE.
I mean, not hardcore science. More like Aragón science. It's hard to describe.
Long story short: visually, there are some particular cues that make something appeal to the audience as cool. The specifics vary, but I think I get the grasp of it, kind of. But we're not talking visual medium. I want to talk about the written format.
I don't give a shit about Overwatch, but this guy is just -- he's the coolest. I'd caress his beard as soon as he asked me to.
When you write a story, there are ways to make it cool. Then there are ways to make it cooler. I'm talking both about style and substance -- tho one of them is more important than the other, I'm sure of it.
I've been studying this for a long time, and reading about it for a longer time. I think I'm close, but now I gotta get more data before I do a thing with this theory.
This is where you guys enter the picture.
I mean, fucking Christ, people. Look at this. LOOK AT THIS. YES.
I'd love it if you guys could send me links of stories you found cool. Whatever: fics, blogs -- as long as it's in written format, and doesn't rely on anything else to be awesome, it works.
I mean, I'd like it better if it was something in this website, to be honest. On the short side, if possible -- talking about it being easier and faster to read, here. Don't go and recommend an entire book series just because book forty-seven got you pregnant by sheer force of neat plot points. Make it simple, boys.
In fact, you know what? Just send me links to fics in this website. Way fucking easier. Both for you and me.
TAKE ME. TAKE ME WHOLE. MAKE ME YOURS.
So yeah, that's the gist of it -- have you ever read a fic that made you want to punch somebody because you were full of energy? Or just something you thought was really cool? Hit me up, yo. I wanna read that and see if I'm in the right track.
Take it as a "please recommend me stuff" blog, I guess. You can send me stuff that you wrote yourself, but I'll be super picky there, because this is about the readers thinking the story is cool. Every author loves their stuff.
I mean, then again, you might have written something really cool -- notice the word choice; I'm specifically looking for "cool". Not "sad", or "good", or "well-written" (although please send well-written stuff only). Cool -- in which case, hey, feel free.
Also, I'm not looking for stuff that's written in a parodic way, or as some kind of joke. I mean, like serious cool. Like, stuff that's not written to be cool, but rather, stuff that just is cool. Nothing that's all "hurr durr this story is cool". Genuine stuff.
It will also help if it has cowboys, but I've already read Dust and Harmony, so no need to send that one. It's cool, I know. I want more stuff now.
Trust me, this is for SCIENCE.
And if this works, soon you'll see THE RESULTS of this EXPERIMENT.
Oh and new romance blog coming up soon or whatever. I gotta blog about fanart 'n shit too, so that one's a-coming. And I got interviewed! But yeah more on that later. Toodles!
Strangely enough, Applejack ain't my favorite. Just a stetson ain't enough, darlin'. You gotta earn the saddle.
By the way -- if there's a cool scene in the fic, it works fine, too. Please drop links in the comments if you dare or whatever. Or just don't comment and make me look like a fool. WHATEVER. I DON'T CARE. YOUR CHOICE. I'LL JUST BE CRYING THERE IN THE CORNER.
I suppose linking your works defeats the purpose, but the Sow series always worked well for me. As well as Tavi's birthday fic.
I'm sure I can think of more and I'll try and remember to link them.
I'm really curious to see what Numbers comes up with though.
Just for saying that I would refuse to give you any cool stories. The only problem here is that we're talking about me, so knowing cool stories is an impossibility from the get-go.
I could shoot you numerous recommendations, both on Fimfic and elsewhere, but this probably meets your needs the best.
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Eeeeh.
It does not.
I'm not looking for stuff that's written in a parodic way, or as some kind of joke. I mean, like serious cool. Like, stuff that's not written to be cool, but rather, stuff that just is cool.
Anything that tries to start with a meme is immediately ignored, dude. Nothing against the author, but that's the absolute opposite of the kind of story I wanna read here.
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/76237/as-twilight-falls
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/145596/twilight-sparkle-fixes-everything
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/32548/breaking-twilight
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/26353/and-hell-will-follow-me (Might be biased as a prereader of this story)
I hope that I went looking through my favorites for the same kind of cool you're looking for.
Hmm. Let's see...
Hard Reset: The cover art is only the beginning of the kick-awesome. The sequels are also good, but not in a way I'd describe as punch-promptingly awesome.
Apex: A chimera doing chimera things. In between the sibling bickering is much ripping and tearing of flesh. Again, excellent sequels.
Battle Station Bass Canon: Musical combat battle royale, starring Vinyl Scratch.
BY THE BLACK AXE OF NIGHTMARE MOON!: If you don't mind Equestria Girls stories, you'll love this one. The second in a series, but reading the first isn't especially necessary to appreciate it.
Resolution: Again, Equestria Girls, but it contains one of the coolest siren headcanons I've ever seen.
Alarm Clock: A Derpy story so good it made me want to punch myself for not measuring up to it.
Luna, Princess of Space: The moon princess is made of cheesy sci-fi. And it is delicious.
I hope our views of coolness coincide enough that you find some of these enjoyable.
I've always found this story to ooze cool in a very adventurous sense, which is surprising considering it's brief length.
This is difficult for me, not because the things I find cool are unique to me, but because the only skill I have with literary is acting like an assclown and that's kinda counterproductive for trying to explain something with complete honesty.
Stories that are short and right to the point are great to me. I love having things take as few words as possible to convey an emotion or feeling in writing. This isn't the best example, but it was the best I could find on short notice. The reason I chose this one is because it doesn't have to be profound feelings. Something slightly humorous, due to being subtle or simple is really cool to me too. Although being profound with very little words is definitely cool too.
A fic that takes a profession, and explains it in a way the average person can understand, along with applying the rules to the universe they're in, (basically, magic is real here,) is also super cool to me. Like, a person using their skills in playing poker to contribute towards saving the day, describing in the narrative how to read people quickly and in an effective manner. Once again, probably not the best example, but I remember enjoying this one, so hey.
Lastly, I don't write fighting scenes, I definitely feel writing engaging fighting scenes in a story is kinda hard. If someone can make fights in a story work, that automatically is cool to me. For that, I recommend skimming the latest chapters of the Savage Skies series. It's full of OCs with silly names and everyone has to hook up with someone else for some reason. A lot of the characters backstories are kinda cringey. Regardless, this author definitely knows how to write fighting scenes, and it wouldn't hurt to skim some of the more recent chapters in some of the later stories he posted. Or my taste might be trash, I dunno, I'm definitely not the expert on fighting stuff.
A character who is very physically/magically weak but manages to succeed by being very clever and resourceful is always cool, as long as it makes sense and is actually clever. Sadly, I can't think of an example for that. The Sweetie Belle chronicles has Sweetie train herself to fight well despite not being magically gifted. That was kinda neat, but that story is super long and needs a lot of context addressed beforehand.
Lastly, a story that knows how to not take itself super seriously even when it is really cool always has my respect, but I don't think you need any help with that.
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I was joking. You're among the top five comedy writers on the site, in my opinion. I figured you'd be able to tell. My bad.
Calm confidence mixed with a dash of remorselessness. Classic Cool.
I THOUGHT OF MORE SAY I'M SORRY I'M NOT REALLY SORRY- So a character that can be reasonably angry over something without having their character trait be 'I am angry person' Is very cool to me. Anger is a touchy subject. A lot of characters are too angry at something the author feels is justified, or alternatively, and much more often nowadays, the author is scared to have the character get angry because they're afraid that character will suddenly be scorned by the fans. A line that I feel is a good rule of thumb to follow is if you want to know what's important to a person, see what they're willing to get angry over. If they get angry over everything, they put too much value and investment in daily life and come off as immature and annoying, if they get angry over nothing, they're usually unrealistic. So with that being said...
Here is a really popular fanfic that has the main character open up with being angry with his store being burnt down and not getting any insurance over the matter. He's not angry all the time, or even very frequently at all. The stories opens up with him getting pissed though, and you can tell that this isn't just his constant default.
If you're going to make a 'cool' story, having characters who can reasonably angry is something I feel would be an accomplishment.
I'm sorry if this isn't helping or what you're looking for I'll stop now-
I think I can help you...
This one has cowboys.
This one is pure coolness AND it is Pinkie being awesome. I have in mind one specific scene (the first one of the linked chapter) but the whole fic is absolutely worth reading.
Scootaloo being cool.
Spike being cool
Celestia being diplomatically cool.
I hope this helps.
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Something like this?: Poker Night
Short stories: 1 ; 2 ; 3
Longer stories: 1
butterscotch, who brought me into this magical world of fanfiction: 1 ; 'punch somebody because you were full of energy'
'if there's a cool scene in the fic': http://www.fimfiction.net/story/43468/4/saros/stellar
Also, I would really enjoy reading something in the style of Flip a Coin, just so you know.
And this. I don't know words to properly describe this. I don't know if it is cool, or not. I don't care. The Floor is Lava has nothing to do with cowboys, or stetsons, but I think I actually punched something after reading it. Can't remember what, or who it was, sadly.
Perhaps this is all 'cool' ficks I can remember now.
I sure have 130 ficks in my favorites, but they tend to be more relaxing and slow paced.
Don't know if 'cool' would fit them.
I'm going to link some very long stories, and I'm sorry for that. It is entirely possible to just skim some of the chapters to get an idea of what's going on.
Starlight over Detroit is a Noire mystery set a couple of decades after the events of the show.
This Platinum Crown manages to always up the stakes and has some truly incredible fight scenes.
Harmony Theory is set thousands of years after the show, with an unknowingly time travelling Rainbow Dash in the main role.
The Lunar Rebellion is the story of how Equestria was split into a civil war after the banishment of NightMare Moon.
Rites of Ascension is an AU where Twilight's latent alicorn abilities are discovered way earlier than canon. Also invasions, dark magic and betrayal.
The Celestia Code allows Twilight to really shine as the powerful and cunning unicorn we all know she is.
I know these are long, sorry again, but they are the stories I think of when you ask for cool stuff
I honestly almost recommended Crime and Funishment to you, completely forgetting that you wrote that.
Welp, back to the drawing board.
well i found this one pretty enjoyable
IN ALL SERIOUSNESS i may not read a lot of non comedy fics but austraeoh's kept me on the edge of my seat for a while. its mysterious!! and cool!! rainbow dash is pretty damn accurate!!
...
i am not a good authority on "cool" stories! oops?
("I gotta blog about fanart n' shit too" audibly vibrates)
Sis. Sis.
You should read this one fic Dust and Harmony by this one asshole.
Sis.
I doubt youll find anything cooler than this.
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36274/twilight-sparkle-gets-a-free-salad
it has an audiobook reading that is also very cool.
CBA to link because mobile, but The Lunar Guardsman is really, really cool. It's also past 150k by now and incomplete, so there's that.
There's also that fic which you really like, about Pipsqueak and Co. getting drunk and stuff. I completely and utterly forgot the title, but you should know what I'm talking about.
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Aw, y'all so sweet. Saying my stuff is cool. I'm going to blush at this rate.
I mean, it's a rather transparent attempt at flattery, but on the other hand, it works! So, hey.
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Oh my God. What is happening to your avatar? You used to be so ripe and healthy. Is this what awaits for us all? Is this the result of the inexorable passage of time?
As per the comments -- nah, bro, comment as much as you like. It's interesting to see other points of view on this subject. Makes one think 'n shit. Neat recommendations, too.
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Ditto to y'all. Awesome recs. I'mma reading this, or at least skimming through them (some are long holy shit. All for the sake of art, I guess).
(And it'll be weirdly similar to Flip a Coin! That was a weirdly accurate supposition. What the weirdly fuck.)
Also holy shit FanOfMost you rec'd Princess of Space. We're officially friends now. Let's meet up to get some coffee and donuts and gossip about which boys we like.
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Oi, no need to apologize! (And thanks for the compliment, that too). I probably came off too harsh, sorry for that. You still took your time to send me a link, which is kickass on its own right, god dammit.
It's just that the story wasn't what I was looking for, and for some reason I chose to be a jerk about it. I'm an idiot, I guess. FOR SHAME. FOR SHAME.
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You forgot the pompadour and the leather jacket -- but yeah, pretty much. That's when it comes to substance. Then, I'll be talking about STYLE.
Knowing you and your Celestia Code, chances are I might ask you to preread THE PROJECT I'm studying this for, by the way. Or at least to skim through it and judge if there are enough leather jackets or whatever. I don't know.
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One day I'll find out where you live, Kit. And then I will punch you in the dick.
Sunset: A story of Twilight being bad ass. Any more detail would be spoilers.
Glory: A story of Blueblood being bad ass. Only read the first chapter, that's where all the cool stuff happens, the later chapters are just additional resolution stuff. I enjoyed them, but it seems like you have a lot of fics to read in a short time.
Pretty much anything by MrNumbers. Specifically, The mare who once lived on the moon, Rarity loses her innocence in a poker game, and The demesne of the reluctant twilight sparkle. Lots of stuff by the descendant, though the one that caught my eye was Children of a Lesser Dragon God Boy Whelp Thingy Guy. Everything by AestheticB. And of course, the whole Austraeoh series, though it's ridiculously long and the actual coolness factor varies from book to book and chapter to chapter. I could probably go pull out a few examples of awesomeness, but it'd take me time to find them.
More to come after the kid is abed, those are just what popped to mind.
(I was also going to recommend A Hell of a Time, but I think you know that one ;)
Edit: oh, and most of the works of Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch
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I'd be happy to preread it!
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Oh hey, Lapis was a friend of mine for the longest time. Is he still writing?
Knocked out 1,000,000 words in... 2014 I think. The bastard is a freak of nature and I hate him for it. >:C
Celestia Code comes to mind.
This blog makes me wish I'd started those "Badasslestia" and "Take-Charge Twilight" groups ages ago, because then I could just point you to those. :C
I definitely recommend The Archer and the Smith. Its also in my top 10 fics on the site. Also from Sharaloft, Harmony Theory is also great cool fic, although it is long. I would also consider reading Short Skirts And Explosions' The End of Ponies. Also, the Austraeoh series is pretty cool too. It is written by SS&E as well, and contains plenty of badass characters and an epic scale to it.
I don't think we have the same template of coolness. All your cool pictures are of cowboys with guns, as if coolness meant being able to kill. I think of it as nearly opposite:
- Going down with the ship.
- Devoting yourself to a hopeless quest, like Don Quixote, or Captain Ahab, or "Save the Records"
- Maintaining your sense of humor or pride in mad circumstances: No Picnic on Mount Kenya
- Being brought in chains before the tyrant, and giving him the middle finger. My recent short story "The Element of Audacity" is something like that.
- Adric's death in Dr. Who
- Rocky Balboa
- Having the power to crush someone and keeping your cool. My short story "The Quiet One" is like that. That's all my cool stories, so no more links to me.
- Playing through the whole Hero's Journey plotline, gaining the adulation of an unworthy society, then giving them the finger and shitting on their gratitude to show what you think of them, like in the movie High Noon or the story "Damnation Alley".
3952291 Oh, yeah, I'll second "The Archer and the Smith". Cool post-apocalyptic Lyra.
Hmm, in my top fic bookshelf I have a lot of "greats" fics, some sad, some funny; I went thoug for those I thought the most "coolest" in a "surfing in a shark-infested ocean while playing yenga" way.
Free Fall is a Free-for-all literally Scootaloo doing cool stuff, though maybe the fic is trying a little "to be cool". Everything with Scootaloo probably has (or SHOULD HAVE) at least one cool scene (or a lot of depressing orphan stuffs). In fact, if you want to grasp the meaning of "cool stuff", you should stop reading and stare instead a picture of Scootaloo for six or eight hours straight. That should work.
On Different Pages Super short, super funny in a very smooth level and barely at all romancy (an Appledash relationship that you could easily make pass for friendship).
NightmareJack Again, cool and short fic. The tittle says everything.
The many complications of Interspecies Romance I think this is one of the coolest fics I've read, and would be my most reccomended for the case.Heavy appledash though.
EDIT: I just read the interview,awesome
; also, while my english is far to be actually good, most of what I get I also have it thanks to seeing MLP withouth subtitles and reading fics in this site; in that levele, you aren't afraid to be speaking with somebody in english and suddenly use the word "somepony" instead? 
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I have no idea what to recommend, because coolness is a really nebulous concept to me. If you asked me to describe the coolest thing imaginable, I wouldn't have a clue where to start.
As a tiny, tiny, tiny help, just ignore all of my stuff. Whatever your definition of cool, my shit probably don't fit.
Well, reading this blog, it looks like you're asking for Bad A** more than simply "cool". "Cool" in and of itself is the general idea of something that is popular and/or attractive to a specific group, usually for a specific reason or attitude. The type of cool (I think) you're looking for is along the lines of Bad A**ery (totally chill in any situation and isn't afraid to whoop a** when necessary [whether violence or just creaming someone at some skill]), and so I will suggest one of my favorites in this regard:
• I'll Kill You With My Teacup - By Cloud Hop
If I remember any others, I'll be sure to post 'em here.
Good luck!
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Good call. I don't often go in for parody fics, but that one was epically cool.
(It probably helps that I want to have all of Vin Diesel's babies, and biological impossibility be damned.)
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I like to change up my banana, usually depending on my mood, no special meaning behind it.
Goodness, you have a lot of stories to sift through. Good luck. You're one of my favorite authors on this site, so I'm looking forward to whatever results from this.
I'm also kinda surprised you know who I am.
I don't know if my idea of "cool" matches that of any other sapient being in the multiverse, but here's a small selection of my favourites that I believe fits the bill:
Short stories:
• The Song of Syhlex. Celestia, the shield of Equestria.
• The Sacrifice of the Knight Bolo. Self-sacrifice for the sake of strangers is very cool.
• Power Surge. Twilight and Luna beat the stuffing out of each other.
• The Father of My Children. Carrot Cake shows what it means to be a true stallion.
• Genesis. Twilight learns how to be a god.
• Bird of Hermes. Twilight is a little too cool.
• They Call Me Flightless Fury. A dragon asserts his rightful place on the pecking order.
• A funny thing happened on the way to the throne room. What is deity?
• Wyrmlysan. Both Luna and a dragon are awesome in their own ways.
• A Slice of Humble Pie. Igneous Pie is humbly bad-ass.
• Why No One Messes With Celestia. Exactly what it says on the tin.
• Hurricane's Way. Rainbow Dash is always cool, even when she's trying to be romantic.
• Raven. What's cooler than the ultimate expression of loyalty and commitment?
Mid-sized stories:
• Tangled Up in Blues. Groovin' through life, making other ponies happy, no matter the cost.
• The Moonstone Cup. Twilight comes into her own as a magical prodigy.
• Higher Flier. An unusual OC who is just awesome, despite breaking most of the rules of good character design.
• Apotheosis. Twilight learns the truth behind godhood.
• Ptolemy. Mind-meltingly confusing; Twilight basically rewrites the universe. I think.
Long stories:
• Sharing the Night. Twilight figures out why alicorns are so screwy. Also, Librararchy.
• Twilight and the Spartan Stallion. Spartan Stallion. 'Nuff said.
• The God Empress of Ponykind. Celestia creates everything.
Note that I haven't read some of these in years, so my synopses may be a little off.
(Augh, I really need to organize my library. It took me an hour just to scan through my favourites so I could compile this list.)
The Immortal Game
The very first chapter gives an indication of the coolness that persists through this story.
Basically, war with gods.
Thinking of something I find cool, well. The first that comes to mind is this.
You can also try this one, or this, this one's cool, and this one has an interesting writing style.
Cool is probably a little subjective, but those are my picks.
If I could pick my own, I'd probably include The Clover Chronicle, because I know what I have in store for it.
I see people already recommended Hard Reset, This Platinum Crown and Alarm Clock, so that's all to the good.
For my part, I tend to go with a more understated sense of coolness. Less "fuck yeah, punch the air!" moments, and more quiet smiles and a sense of epic wonder. Then again, it's hard to get an overt reaction from me. So, recs... Fair warning, I haven't re-read these.
The Education of Clover the Clever might fit. It's largely comedy, but in its absurdity there is a sense of the incredible.
Celestia's Angels is probably closer to what you're thinking of.
The Second Sun has an undercurrent of this, in the idea of an uninhibited warlord Celestia going out for a night on the town.
It's A Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door is an old, slow story, but some of the later worldbuilding elements struck me as very cool, particularly the gifts the three travelers pick up.
Whom The Princesses Would Destroy... is probably the exemplar of my weird ideas about cool. It's a very Pratchettian tale of the understated triumphs of civil servants in a world that is a little bit mad, and in that, for me, is an exuberant triumph.
Contraptionology! can be very cool, depending on your predilictions. If you're the sort who cracks a smile over stories like Girl Genius, then this will probably suit. It's ponies and mad science - is it comedic? Yes. Is there some serious themes in there? That too. Is it cool? Well, that depends how much of an appreciation you have for mad science, I suppose.
School Daze... Okay look, it's a pile of comedy, earnest 80's references and heartwarming. But damnit, I'm a teacher, so this is cool to me.
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You are welcome to try if you can find my dick
Have you ever read any stuff by Aragon?Currently I'm rereading Eyes without a Face. It's very grim, but I'd highly suggest it for it's approach on its darker theme and the poetic writing style. I'd link it, but it's 2:30 in the morning and I would rather hope you forgive me.
I feel like "cool" could mean lots of things but I'll try. I think Alarm Clock is pretty cool. Also I love it to death. 50k isn't long, is it
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Okay, okay. Hard Reset should be obvious. That leaves me with ... wait, Fridge Horror is one of your stories. That one was damn cool though. Well, I'm out of suggestions.
Speaking of Cowboys, have you seen some of SunnySundown's crap on Applejack?
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