An Experimental Excerpt - The Pink Pioneer · 9:19am Oct 24th, 2016
Sometimes I write. I promise. The process usually involves a huuuge ton of time thinking of how awesome an idea of mine would be... without nailing down many specifics or getting on with the damn thing. That said, once I do get writing, I can achieve a decent length in a short amount of time. I suppose that fits my personality; long bouts of distraction coupled with short, intense bursts of work.
With that said, the following is an idea that's been on my mind recently and I kinda like it. It's not done yet, nor will it ever be confirmed to be done. But hey, that's what blogs are for, right? To shitpost your creative spittle? Something like that.
Anyhoo, no more delays. Enjoy this extract and we'll discuss it below:
“Let’s go over the basics,” Maud told me, standing with her arms crossed over her chest. Her face looks neutral as ever, but I could read all the signs. She was excited but also nervous. Nervouscited, I called it! It’s the best feeling. Butterflies in your stomach and a tingling sensation flowing through your veins. I should know—I was feeling it too.
“Right!” I replied, lowering the pink mask over my face. Well, it was really just a band that went over my eyes. Pink, with a red love heart that was placed riiight between my eyebrows. I designed it myself, like the rest of my outfit, for I knew that if I was gonna stand any chance of winning crowds, I’d need to look as distinct as possible!
You can call it an art, you can all it a sport, or you can call it just plain ol’ fun! Whatever label you slapped on it though, one universal truth was that in Equestria, fighting was one of the most important things around. That miiiight sound a bit silly to you but don’t worry, most of us don’t do it just to beat people up. The training required helps hone both body and mind to their peak and the friends you make and the crowds you win over make a few bad bruises totally worth it. That’s just my opinion, though. Still! A fighting circuit with thousands of fans can’t be wrong, can they?
Fighting has a long history in Equestria, maybe ‘cause it allows us to express ourselves in unique ways. Every fighter has their own personal style but if you like being technical, you can usually pin down three different styles based on the different types of people through the land.
First, you got Magicians. Magi, for short. Like the name implies, they do magic! It’d be kinda silly if they did anything else, let’s be honest. Magi fighters excel in dazzling displays of magic and wonder, whether it be technical stuff like illusions or teleporting, to just straight up blasts and lasers! The best Magi can do a bit of both, like Sunset Shimmer, who’s one of the strongest pyromancers around.
If that sounds totally overpowered to you, don’t worry, there’s limits to every Magi. Mind spells are totally Banned, with a capital B. Plus, the majority of Magi are kinda puny when it comes to physical strength and they really don’t have the stamina for long, drawn out fights.
Next, we got Pilots! Pilots are people with the awesome ability to conjure magic wings that let them fly. Neat, huh? This gives them a huge advantage in fights, ‘cause they’ll always have the high ground. Except, er, I guess it’s not really the ground, huh? Anyway, Pilots are super duper speedy and agile. Some even have a small amount of control of magic, like the legendary Spitfire, whose lightning fast punches and kicks are powered up by fire! Sorta like Magi, they’re mostly technical fighters but a few can be grapply and strong too.
Then there’s people like me, or Maud, my sister! We’re what people call Earthen, maybe ‘cause we’re the opposite of pilots. We can’t fly and our control of magic is very limited. But we don’t need any of that flashy stuff anyway. Not when we’re the strongest and toughest folk around! Seriously, if a match lasts long enough, there’s a decent chance the Earthen fighter will win just from sheer endurance alone. If we get a hold of any Magi or Pilot, they’re goners. One of the most famous fights in recent history was the huge (and I mean HUGE) Big Mac (told you) versus the Flim Flam brothers, both Magi. Bloodied and beaten, the bros thought they’d won the match but then one of them stepped slightly too close to the lying form of the Mac…
The end match bell rung about ten seconds later. It was brutal.
I lashed my leg out, towards a blue punching bag. There was a resounding thud as my white boot collided with the bag, vibrations from the impact crawling up my leg. Hell, I could even feel a gust of air as the bad flew from my foot.
Maud nodded at me. “A strong start.”
See, we Earthen were tough cookies but that didn’t excuse a lack of training. The same applied for all types of people, really. Our abilities were inherent in everyone but only through hard work could they truly shine.
I beamed at my sister, then quickly glanced back to the bag. It had just reached the arc of its flight and was swinging back to me. And I was ready to meet it. I clenched my fists, narrowed my eyes, took a deep breath and…
Butted the bag with my head.
There was a meaty thud, the bag making very close contact with my skull. Despite the pain spreading over my head, I gritted my teeth and endured it. The stronger an Earthen is, the more pain they can just outright ignore. It still happens, obviously, so every Earthen has to be extremely careful about pushing their body pasts its limits.
“Creative,” Maud commented. “You may need to use every part of your body if you wish to perform well at the Camp.”
I held a hand out and kept firm as it caught the bag on its rebound. “Even my chest?” I asked, grinning.
My sister just stared at me. “Yes.”
“Oh.” Nooot the answer I’d been expecting. Shaking my head, I turned back to the bag and gave it a solid punch. “It’s only the Equestrian Junior Fighter’s League. Emphasis on Junior. None of us are gonna be big league names there.”
Maud’s tone didn’t change one bit. “There will be fighters from all over Equestria here. Perhaps even beyond Equestria. You should be prepared for any situation you come across.”
I smiled and shook my head, then kicked the bag. “I’m not expecting to win, Maud. I’m not even wanting to. This is an opportunity to train and meet new friends!”
“I agree,” Maud said, probably with a nod too. “That isn’t an excuse to slack off.”
“Nooo.” I smirked, then jumped and spread my legs out in front of me. The tips of my boots smacked against the bag, sending it flying once more. I landed on the training mat below me, grinning at Maud with a peace sign and a wink. “There’s still gonna be crowds there, so I’m definitely gonna put on a show for them.”
Make no mistake, fighting others like me was great but the real thrill of the fight came from the crowd. Hearing them shout your name, cheering you on as you use their energy to leap to greater heights… yeah, that’s what I lived for.
There's a bit of a story to this idea, it didn't come out of random. See, I currently live in a student house and two people here really love wrestling. Some of my friends online like wrestling also. Taking this into account, it's not surprising that I've watched a bit of wrestling through osmosis. And as I did (enjoying it too, of course), I came to the realisation that wrestling fits Pinkie Pie really damn well.
Think about it. Wrestling is all about acting through these crazy storylines and showing off to the crowd as much as possible. It's a medium that's as insane as it is entertaining, two things Pinkie is very good at. So from that, it doesn't seem so farfetch'd that Pinkie would be a wrestler who'd specialise in flashy, silly moves and gets morale boosts from the crowd. A Face, I think that's the term. A good guy wrestler.
I've always wanted to write an adventure fic myself. Or at least, a fic with stakes. With fights. Action, baby! This idea I've had provides exactly that in a very simple and traditional format. Pinkie joins a Junior Fighting League, meeting new allies and enemies along the way, overcoming new and interesting opponents along the way and perhaps some overarching plot about her facing off against some particularly douchebag fighter.
Of course, not being well versed in wrestling, I can't really do a fic solely based on the sport. Thankfully, Equestria is a fantasy world and this translates well to an idea like this. The three pony races become three different types of people, all with separate innate abilities that make for an easy explanation into varied fighting styles.
For Pinkie, her inspiration and style is obvious:
Who else but a stylish, energetic wrestler like R Mika? (Plus it helps she's hot let's be honest.)
The plot isn't really something well defined, other than the vagueness above. I do know, however, that Rainbow Dash would be her first fight and become her rival for the early parts of the story, before finally becoming her friend and trusted ally. Rainbow would obviously be a speedy fighter, her signature ability being, of course, the Sonic Rainboom. It'd involve launching the opponent in the air, flying and punching past them repeatedly at high speed, before grabbing them and smashing them back down to the ground in a small rainbow explosion.
As for Pinkie's 'signature move', I haven't really defined one for her yet, other than getting a second wind from the cheers of the crowd. But that's not really flashy and she could use another ace in the hole she can use reliably (always getting back up thanks to the crowd would get stale fast).
But er... yeah. There's my rambling thoughts on this silly Pinkie Wrestler idea. Maybe it intrigues you, maybe it won't, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
-JaketheGinger
P.S.
Not octopi will be harmed in writing any of this schlock.
Well, I'm intrigued. As for a signature move, I'm not sure what Pinkie could do that would justify the name "Party Cannon," but I could see her using a hold that looks remarkably like a really big hug.
This sounds really interesting and I'll look forward to it. If you don't mind I have two questions: First fromw what I read it sounds like does it take place in the Equestria Girls (Women?) world or in a humanized alternate universe? And the second one would be how old are the characters and what body types (height/weight) do they have? Do you use your own headcanons or do you "recycle" parts of the bios of the heistverse?
And for a signature move, maybe "Flugelhorn Flash"?
DJPon63
4269109
Well her main 'moveset' as it were would involve lots of grapples and hugs, so a super duper grapple might not work. Perhaps I might go for something like explosive punches and kicks, that release confetti on contact with an opponent.
4269333
The latter. I'm heavily inspired by my good friend Merc the Jerk, who I shall shamelessly shill right here. Although given you already mentioned Heistverse, I'm sure you're well aware of his material.
18-Early twenties. Something around there. As for heights, I never really give exact measurements. I'm kinda bad with that. But given Pinkie is an Earthen here, and they're supposed to be tough, she'd be 6'0'' minimum. As for her body type, it'd pretty much be exactly R Mika's. A perfect blend of muscle and fat, all in the right places. (Personally I never bought into the headcanon idea that a human Pinkie would be chubby. She's way too active for that sort of thing and, compared to some of the Mane 6, she works really damned hard. Any fat she's getting from sugary treats is going to where fat needs to be, baby.) For the rest, it'll likely be what you expect. Dash is shorter and leaner, Applejack is toned as hell, Twilight... may have a little chub, because honestly if any of the Mane 6 were slightly overweight, it'd be the one that doesn't do much other than sit and read books all day.
Oh, and Big Mac is a Goddamned titan, of course.
Like I said earlier, I'm heavily inspired by Merc's stuff, 'cause he's so damn good at the writing craft it's a bit scary. That said, I do try to be original (like every writer must at some point in their lives). There'll be similarities, but there will be differences too. Merc's worldbuilding tends to be a bit more serious, and grounded. This story, in comparison, takes place in a world where fighting is revered as a time honoured tradition and pastime. It's gonna get a bit out there at times.
But where character bios and such are concerned, yes, those will be my own. (That's probably what you were asking in the first place, fug.)
4269369
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much that you answered my questions in so many words! (I'm a fan of long answers :p)
Does that mean that you'll follow the "inofficial" canon that earth ponys are the strongest and tallest, that Unicorns are average humans, height- and weightwise, and that Pegasi are the shortest among them? Or will you portray it in a more diverse or, please don't lynch me for it, "realistic" way? Like, just because Dash is going to be the shortest member of the Main Six that doesn't necessary mean that Chyl-shit, I mean Fluttershy, has to be the second shortest of the bunch, right?
And you mentioned that your world takes place at the heights of wrestling. Do you mean that it takes place in an alternate a 21st century where wrestling is still hyped, or more in the 70s or 80s of "our" timeline?
Yeah, I would have another question about if you put romance or allusions to sexualities in your wrestling universe, but I think I'm getting a little too annoying and nosy, heh
.
(Don't worry I know that you don't have all the answers to my questions right now (or ever) and you can honestly say if you didn't think about it yet or if you never thought about it, and the comment about the timeline isn't explicitly a "Yes" or "No" question. I merely wanted to give you a "what if", sorry
.)
I'm super excited to read the first chaper
DJ-Pon63
4269438
Only for Earthen, since their inherent magical ability is very physical in nature, the vast majority of Earthen fighters would be pretty bulky. (There's still variance in that, of course, but all will be at least one of the following: tall/buff/fat. It's not necessarily a hard and fast rule though and perhaps a fighter may come along that will shock the fighting scene with a tiny physique, yet incredible strength!)
It's more of a fantasy world, since it has magic and stuff. I haven't put a lot of thought into this yet, admittedly, although it's somewhat close to how Equestria is in the show. Edit: Although Pinkie herself is based off wrestling, many of the other fighters will not be. I just feel wrestling fit Pinkie the best but it's not the sole focus. This Equestria welcomes most styles of fighting provided they aren't too gruesome.
Romance? Eh. I didn't plan on it, but sometimes when writing a fic you end up really liking a certain character dynamic so you decide to push it into romance territory. As for sexuality, well, Pinkie is based off R Mika... her outfit will inherently show off a bit of skin. That said, since it takes place from her perspective, she won't feel the need to comment on it. Other characters may, however. So I suppose the answer is... kinda? In a subtle way. It won't be the main focus on anything, I imagine. I think characters should be allowed to be attractive without it always leading to outright sex.
Pinkie needs to defeat an opponent with her chest at least once just to make that moment even funnier.
One thing you could do is have Pinkie develop a move throughout the story.
If this is based off of professional wrestling, rather than tournament style fighting from an anime (which is another place to get some ideas if you want the Shonen genre is FULL of it), then I highly recommend looking at Mexican Wrestling. I could see it being a fun influence on Pinkie and I think it would fit here well. Traditionally the often wear masks so she could wear that as well perhaps Mare Do Well and that can influence the early part of the story where she is a rival to Dash.
4269493
Yeah, I totally agree with you, though I may should have worded it differently. I didn't mean sexuality in the sole sense of having on screen sex. I think the better word would have been attraction. Like, Dash seeing Soarin in his suit and her eyes linger a little too long, or even roaming over his body and the others commenting about her crush, for example.
DJ-Pon63