noise."Field Notes from Equestria · 12:07am Dec 4th, 2017
Here comes another one.
Obligatory Monty Python Reference
Like a lot of writers (I assume), I wind up with lots of little ideas that wouldn't really fit into a proper story, or at least not one that I happen to be working on at any particular time. Generally, they're little worldbuildy ideas, and as often as not I make myself a little note so that I'll remember them.
In fact, since we live in the modern age, I generally text myself that little note.
Here's an example:
Mare with a meth-making cutie mark
I don't know why I thought of that on Sept 21 of this year, but I did, and so I sent myself a little message so I'd remember.
And it does bring to mind some questions, doesn't it? What would such a mark look like? Would a mare with such a mark be obliged to make meth? If she got caught, could her legal defense be that she's doing what her cutie mark is telling her to do?
That one in particular is most likely to wind up getting used (if it ever does) as some throwaway joke in a comedy fic, or it might not be used at all. I suppose I could base a story around it; heaven knows I've based stories around similar concepts.
Some of them did wind up getting written down in the form of little stories, though. Vignettes, if you want to be really literary about it. And then I thought about gathering those together in one place, in one story.
Like most of my other collections, it's going to be perpetually incomplete, 'cause I'll add chapters whenever I write something that I want to add to it.
I also encourage my readers to take any ideas that they like from the vignettes and use them. If it tickles your fancy or inspires you in some way, that's great! Or, feel free to share an idea you have in the comments (here or on the story proper); maybe it'll be something that inspires me. Heaven knows that I've written a fair number of stories because somebody else tossed out and idea and I latched onto it like a staving remora. (Or Bad Horse specifically dared me to not do it.)
Dead Deviantart Link
There isn't a lot in the way of story notes, but I've got a few.
Mrs. Hawkins was my second grade teacher. I actually did like her, and to the best of my recollection, she never shot down any life dreams I had.
A hackney is technically a worn-out carriage that used to belong to a noble but is now for hire. There's a whole list of different coach types here, which might be useful to some writer.
Golden Prize (and going forward, any pony unless otherwise specified) is an OC. She gets her name from Robin Hood and the Golden Prize.
OPP'verse?
Noice.
4741204
Nope, this one's a standalone.
4741212
Well, another story for which I will eagerly wait for updates. You seem to have a knack for those.
The interesting question is, how do cutie-marks shape society? Take your meth cook, for example. When the police get reports of drug abuse, do they just go out and round up the ponies with drug based marks? Or are they surprised to discover that the criminals they arrest all have crime based marks? Would ponies even think to ask about a cutie-mark as a form of identification?
If there is a meth making cutie-mark, is there a meth addiction mark?
What about a hobby? If Lyra and Applejack were to set up as buskers on opposite corners, who would get better tips? Lyra, because she is a professional following her destiny? Or Applejack, because she plays so well in spite of music not being any part of her mark?
And what happens to ponies whose marks become obsolete? How does the night-soil pony earn a living when the flush toilet and sewerage systems come along?
Life must get pretty weird when your destiny is stamped on your flank for all to see.
4741422
I do my best.
4741448
Well, I have to figure that a successful criminal isn't going to have a plainly obvious mark, but who knows? If unicorns have signature spells, and the local police know them, might they use that in their investigation? And is that any different than known criminals in normal police investigations? I mean, if the Canterlot police knew that a pony had a safecracking cutie mark, and a safe got cracked, wouldn't that be the obvious first choice of ponies to question?
And for that matter, what is a crime in Equestria? And what's the sentence? I think that we tend to assume similar things to human law, but maybe that's not the case. Rainbow seems to break a lot of property with no consequence, and it's a wonder that the CMC aren't in juvie.
I tend to think that they do, yes. And I think that that's why so many pony clothes don't cover their mark. I'm not sure if there are any actual canon examples of that, though.
Maybe, maybe not. I assume you could enjoy meth without having a special talent for it, in much the same way that people can enjoy alcohol or cake. But there could be, I suppose.
That's another good question. I'd assume that Lyra is a better musician overall, because that's what her mark is for, and she presumably practiced her talent a lot growing up. Of course, for any number of reasons ponies might like Applejack's music better, anyways. Being technically proficient isn't a guarantee of success.
My guess would be that such marks fall by the wayside as technology advances. Maybe as plumbing and sewer systems come into common usage, fewer young colts and fillies get night-soil marks, while more and more of them get plumbing marks. I suppose there would always be ponies who are interested in following their parents' hoofsteps, or are just curious about old tech, and as long as some of it is around, they might be able to make a go of it.
Or else they could diversify. Sell outhouse memorabilia. Branch into cleaning up pig pens and cow pastures and the like.
Heck, it's certainly not a problem we humans have solved.
I suppose it might. But then life would be kind of weird if we all had tails, or moving ears, or were naked most of the time.