Regarding the latest chapter. · 4:23am Mar 24th, 2018
I'm pleased to note that the newest chapter for Scars of the Quill has generated a good amount of attention, and none of it negative. Given the subject matter that came up, I feared some backlash. Anyway, I figure now's as good a time to address some points in the chapter itself, as well as some stuff in the story thus far.
I'm not going to deny that, compared to her canon counterpart, Spoiled Rich has a decidedly worse portrayal in the Quiververse. Part of that is that I tend to lack subtlety when it comes to writing genuine villains - if they're evil, then I want my readers to know that they're evil. And given the fact that canon's shown her to be emotionally abusive towards Diamond Tiara, the idea of her graduating to physical abuse isn't impossible, especially given the right circumstances. Her low opinion of the Mane Six and the language involved, however, is something of an embellishment on my part, but even then, I think there's some merit behind it. After all, if she genuinely cared about prestige, she wouldn't want her daughter to needlessly antagonize anyone close to a national hero with easy access to royalty, let alone six of them. A low opinion of the Mane Six, even after Twilight's ascension, goes a long way towards explaining that.
And as for her rant regarding power and influence? Well, most people can see that she has a point. In real life, corporations and private individuals spend millions, if not billions, to influence lawmakers to vote for or against one thing or another, and the sentiment's existed long enough for it to be brought up in programs like Doctor Who and, more recently, Babylon 5 - I can't find the exact quote, but a similar sentiment was expressed in the episode "The Face of the Enemy".
Now, I like to think that wealth doesn't automatically make someone better than someone else, any more than physical traits or intelligence. It's an advantage, sure, but it doesn't give you the right to do something immoral or unethical. Unfortunately, it does make it easier for you to get away with it, and there are plenty of people who have escaped justice in this world simply because others covered for them or looked the other way. Folks in the UK need only look to Jimmy Savile for an example of that, and I can't be the only one who thinks that Harvey Weinstein will go largely unscathed for his crimes despite the press coverage against him. Other people have gotten away with similar things; I could name a couple, but I'd rather avoid a political back-and-forth.
In any case, Spoiled Rich's actions here are in no way meant to be condoned, or supported. Quiver Quill's response may not have been the wisest course of action, and he certainly let his anger get the better of him, but who here can really say that he wasn't at least a little bit justified?
Anyway, I ask that folks stay tuned for the next chapter. If anyone has any lingering questions regarding what sparked Quiver's actions here, that should answer them, or at least shed more light on why he is the way he is. I didn't choose that title on a whim, after all.
Hey, it all makes sense to me.
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Glad to know that.
Yep, don't see anything here I disagree with.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sure, showing the villain's POV or giving them tragic backstories or reasons for their actions might make them more interesting, or seem more realistic, but that always runs the risk of leading people to excuse the villain's actions*. And don't even get me started on all the times, regarding both pony and non-pony, both canon and fan-work, that the protagonists get a pass on any and all wicked acts they commit because they're the "good guys". Besides, the "everyone is the hero of their own story" angle isn't entirely accurate. Sure, there are a lot of people out there like that, probably the majority, and plausibly even the vast majority, but there are people out there who are just plain evil - people who have thrown out all sense of morality, propriety, and decency for the sake of gratifying their own desires.
*Something that, disturbingly, the show writers seem to advocate in certain scenarios, looking at how they handled Discord, Starlight, Tempest, and Wallflower.
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I have nothing against making a villain realistic, or making them someone that you can relate to, but I take issue with just excusing their actions, particularly if they've done something terrible. It happens far too often in real life, and I'd rather my stories not reflect that.