Sunny needs your help! POLL ATTACHED · 9:08pm Jul 4th, 2017
Alrighty everyone, seeing as Empty Skies will be reaching it's conclusion soon, I've come to think about the fate of my story. So, I need everyone's help:
Should I keep Empty Skies going?
By that, I mean as a little series. That would include a series of one-shots set in the ES!verse, and/or possibly a sequel.
OR Should I leave ES as it's own story?
Of course, no matter what an ES Sequel/One-Shot won't be my next story. I already have the plans for a third one in the works after ES's completion.
And hey, if you're really dead set on other stories set in the ES!verse, be sure to give me a few suggestions on what you'd want to see in the comments. We still have the Friendship Games to explore after all.
Link to Poll: http://www.strawpoll.me/13356970
It'd be lovely to see more, but I can count on one hand the sequels that are better (or even as good as) the originals. So adding more might well just drag the whole thing down?
4593721
Thanks for the input! That's a good point about sequels; planned wrong, they can be incredibly risky. That's why if I did one, it'd probably be after I finish a third project at the least. Definitely after I'm done with Embracing the Fog.
4593766 I think Empty Skies, much like a shipping story, is about characters forming bonds where none existed before. And that, I think, is the most interesting thing in those stories. Sunset goes from not-friends with the Wonderbolts to friends with them, that bond is formed and the dynamic between the characters changes as a result.
Explanation by way of brief tangent, if I may:
There is a rule I heard from Zero Punctuation, stemming from video games with detailed character backstories. If your character has a backstory more interesting than the actual story, then your story is focusing on the wrong part of their life. Whatever the most interesting story is, that's the bit you should be telling, not including as history somewhere.
For me, the most interesting story for characters becoming friends (or hooking up) is the moment/period of them becoming friends (or hooking up); after that it's comparatively plain sailing and (dramatically) downhill from there. And since that's happened in Empty Skies, I don't think a sequel would ever be as compelling.
Please don't get me wrong, I would love, love, love to read more Wonderbolt stories from you, but I think they're better served as fresh ideas started from scratch rather than trying to carry on and extend a self-contained narrative.
4597563
Oh, no need to worry about that. All of Anon-A-Miss will be covered in ES; I'm not dragging it out through several stories. And I'm planning at least one chapter will be devoted to the aftermath of it.
The point of this poll was one thing: Would everyone like to see more, or should I simply keep ES as it's own story? The majority seem to say yes, they want more of Sunset's relationship with the Wondercolts. What I may end up doing is eventually run a small compilation story where each chapter is a separate one-shot of the ES verse focusing on Sunset and one of the Wondercolts. It wouldn't touch the original story itself, wouldn't technically be a sequel, but would still be apart of the ES!verse (Or the Clipper!verse, as Uria and I have jokingly started calling it).
4594288
Of course, Empty Skies will always be the founding of Sunset's bond with the Wondercolts, and besides the series of one-shots I mentioned above, the other stories in the ES!verse wouldn't have their bond as the complete focus. But because of the events of Empty Skies, the Equestria Girls timeline as we know it won't be the same. That was what I was going to focus on. Thus, any sequel I try to tackle will become it's own narrative, just set in the different situation that ES sets Sunset in.
And don't worry, I always love writing about the Wonderdorks, more stories about them will come. After ES is done, Embracing the Fog will take the center stage of my attention, and another story will fill in its place as the backburner story. It's just how my writing system works.
4597563
4594288
Speaking of ES, Chapter 5 will be out today!
A/N: I’m writing this as a way to suggest how the aftermath can go.
“I told you so.”
“I know, Rainbow.”
“I was right and you were wrong.”
“I know, Rainbow. You don’t need to rub it in.”
“Oh, I got to, AJ. I got to. You and Rarity were so sure, but now you have to bite the bullet.”
“Fine, OK? I was wrong! Happy?”
“Yeah, thrilled.”
“This ain’t easy for me, Rainbow. My little sister started this all. It’s painful and embarrassing.”
“And you were being stubborn, especially when Pinkie, Fluttershy and me were trying to tell you.”
“It just seemed so obvious.”
“Yeah, but that’s your problem. You just looked at the surface and did not want to dig deeper.”
“So, how’s Rarity handling it?”
“Pinkie’s with her. She called and told me that Rarity’s been eating ice cream to help her get over what happened.”
“Yeah, it shocked her silly when she found out the truth. I really do owe Sunset Shimmer an apology, right?”
“Yeah, we all do. I know she was a bitch, but she’s not anymore. We should’ve trusted her.”
“Yeah, I should’ve too. It’s just hard to swallow.”
Also, how many chapters you got planned until the ending?