Ships and public speaking · 4:03am Oct 12th, 2018
The things that are on my mind sometimes.
So, I've been reading a bit more ponywords lately, and have noticed that some of my intake recently has been shipfics. I normally don't do shipfics because of the reputation they have, but I decided to give a few a go just to shake things up. As I was reading, my mind drifted back to my own writing, and how I have generally avoided ships of any kind within Empress Returns.
Really, it comes down to waffling. I get these ideas of interjecting romance into the story to help build character relationships and the like, but then I swing around because it would feel forced and because I'm bad at writing romance. The last thing I want is for the story to turn from Warhammer to Lovehammer (though I heard that particular story is pretty good), and when I write romance it kind of tends to either dominate the work or just feel tacked on (*cough*Mare of Steel*cough*). Heck, the reason I made Celestia give that speech about not taking a mate or lover back in God Empress was meant as a preemptive shut up to potential shippers because I didn't want to deal with that (I like to thing I've matured as a writer since then).Also an abandoned plot point about Luna being Cadence's mother, but that's something else entirely.
Anyway, where am I going with this? I have no idea, just wanted to talk about shipping.
Also public speaking, which is probably what I should have focused on. I'm writing a scene where Twilight gives a rousing pre-battle speech and find myself as tongue tied as she is. I'd go back to Helsreach for inspiration since that has one of the best pre-battle speeches in 40k courtesy of Chaplain Grimmaldus, but Twilight isn't Grimmaldus and I don't want to look like I'm copy-pasting that speech and just correcting terms here and there. So I thought I'd ask you guys: what do you look for in your rousing pre-battle speeches?
I liked the one in Independence Day. Corny as heck and as hammy as Shatner it still did a good job.
Well, what would Twilight look for in a rousing speech? Did she study military history with any of the same vigor with which she devoured magic lore? Did the Empress impress upon her the importance of statesmareship? Did she take notes when her brother would inspire the Guard?
My guess is that Twilight wouldn't play up individual strengths or just say "The Empress protects". She'd probably talk about friendship, strength in unity, the power of disparate talents focused on a common goal, while attempting to ease people's suspicions now that the genestealers have been weeded out. Maybe she'd mention the people counting on them, both on the planet and the wider galaxy, and maybe she'd tell them that the Empress believes in them, or maybe she wouldn't.
Hope that helps a little.
Wait, Luna as Cadence's mother.....
Am I the only one who thought you were implying Celestia thrusted her Power Sword into Luna? Or Luna slept with....well really anyone?
4952010 Princest was not was I was going for, believe me.
The stallion was going to be the first captain of the Lunar Knights who would have acted as something of a morality chain to Luna once she started going off the deep end, but I just couldn't get their relationship to work properly and being the impatient high-school writer I was, I cut the entire arc and just left that point hanging.
4952011
Ah damn, I mean, um....
Anyway, interesting
That was a good speech, I think the Imperials would appreciate it. Now whether that speech is something Twilight would come up with...
Speech idea:
Today you stand alone on the battlefield. Yet you stand not because you want to, but because you have to for those who can't. You dream not of what you are, but of what you want to be. You dream of a time when your friends and family are not in mortal danger, a time where there is peace and prosperity for the Imperium. It is within these dreams the the Imperium still breathes. It is your ability to stand not because you want to, but because you can, that the people of the Imperium yet have a chance to live normal lives.
Not sure about ending I was kinda winging it
Shipfics are great.
For the speech I'd look at Twilight's speech in Magical Mystery Cure, as well as Celestia's comment on "what it means to be a Princess".
And the Shakespeare "band of brothers" speech.
Quick reminder about the hopeless odds, swing around and talk about how impressive her army is, reference an ideal relevant to either her country or the story, and end on a battle cry.
Just fill in things relevant to your story and character, and boom. In and out. Done.
Twilight Sparkle trying to give Imperium troopers moto...nice bait, goy.
Oh! As to romance, some of the best sorts of romance are the ones that are kind of stumbled into. If I might make a suggestion; just tell me the nasty bits, by Cackling Moron, begins a series of sweet, clueless, somewhat meandering stories recording two people falling in love in spite of themselves.
As far as a story about two people finding love goes, I highly recommend it.
Are they trying to rally for a push or just hold out until reinforcement/extraction arrives? Do they even know that the full might of the Crusade fleet is about to arrive?
These are all important factors. It's my personal opinion that Twi has done her best motivational speaking on small scale.
Though that could be because anytime large groups are being swayed in the show it's usually a musical number, which while comical in current context, doesn't really fit. In fact, it seems like a very eldar sort of thing. Or chaos. Neither association is going to help Nikolai and Twilight's situation.
4952158 It's mostly a hold-out rally; Twilight the ever optimist has faith Celestia will save them (she is on her way), but many of the Guard have resigned themselves to martyrdom. She initially doesn't want to give a speech because she tends to work better on small scale as you said, and she's had no time to prepare, but Ruth and Mir'shen encourage her to give it a try.
4952236
for overwhelming emotional inspiration
For when all seems hopeless
4952236
I would expect a heavy emphasis on the bonds that bind them together. Finding courage in even the most timid of souls, and there are none such here.
I know that this is an old blog but I have an idea for how you could do a trial run for shipping in a story. Make a story about the abandoned plot of Luna being Cadence's mother but treat it like the deleted/alternate scenes bonus feature on a special edition DVD.