Expository post for "Sunset Shimmer Hunts the Undead" no one asked for #2: Character sheets for the rookie hunters: · 3:15pm Nov 17th, 2018
Sunset Shimmer
Strengths: Pretty well the undisputed leader, whose will and charisma keeps the team together and facing the right direction. Experienced pistol user. Her delinquent past gave skill in street-fights and lockpicking, while her pony past gave lessons in magic and monsters lost on most humans. Is what the ponies call a “smart cookie,” able to quickly digest and retain studied information while also producing plans and coordination on the fly. Can’t use proper magic without her pony horn, but remembers ritual words and counter-spells that have served well against sorcerous foes. Has a growing pool of contacts able to fill her team’s holes when needed.
Weaknesses: Bounces a bit too easily between borderline overconfidence and self-doubt, although readily sets both aside when innocents are in dangers. Still in that awkward stage where she wants to assert herself as an adult but ponders her mother’s approval. Plans to tell Celestia as little as possible about her independent hunting out of worry she’ll order Sunset to stop, and ignores the voice in her head that says it’s a bad idea.
Applejack Apple
Strengths: The marksman of the group, with experience and genuine skill in a multitude of weapons. Also easily the toughest and strongest of them – Twilight once postulated this might be a bit of retained pony magic, which Applejack vehemently denies. Reprises her role in any setting as the group’s voice of common sense. Also often serves as the voice of empathy, trying to cool tempers before they flare out of control. Is pretty much the only one who can ask Adagio to modify her behavior and get a positive response.
Weaknesses: Forthright and stubborn, she often has problems grasping the big picture or seeing the subtleties of a situation. Is probably the least enthused about hunting – she’s mostly in it to watch Sunset’s back. Never quite learned to ignore insults, which either hurt or enrage her depending how close to home they fall (except for the overused “redneck,” which gets nothing more than an eye-roll these days). Suffers from mild depression, although like Redheart has found blasting monsters to be remarkably therapeutic.
Adagio Dazzle
Strengths: Skilled with knives, and her siren physique gives her impressive speed and flexibility. The combination of both makes for a terrifying melee combatant. More familiar with monsters than perhaps any human alive, and knows just where to cut them to make it hurt. Will easily lie or cheat for the slightest edge, and will give a little leg if it helps things along (guys can’t resist a little leg). Probably will not betray the party.
Weaknesses: Note the clarification in the last sentence of the above paragraph. Is the predominant source of the group’s friction, being standoffish on the best of days, hostile or mocking on the worst. Is as bad with money as she is good with knives, indulging in restaurants and fashions by burning through her student loans. Actually tried to murder Sunset in the past – while this isn’t a complete deal-breaker (Sunset once tried to kill AJ, after all), her lack of remorse and predator-prey views on life are a bit disconcerting to those trying to be her friend.
Twilight Sparkle, a.k.a. “Human Twilight”
Strengths: Dark mistress of unholy mad science. Has begun the huge and perhaps doomed task of studying monsters and magic scientifically, paving the road for a codified pool of knowledge to aid future generations. Is genuinely enthused and passionate for this, making her a reliable partner for Sunset. Is a rich mommy’s (and daddy’s, and brother’s) girl who can get most reasonable financial needs accommodated. Her science occasionally breeds practical results, allowing her to field strange and effective weapons in battle. Her mad science can be lazily used by the author to get the group out of any number of problems.
Weaknesses: Can have trouble seeing beyond her glasses – no sooner does immediate danger pass than she gets lost in her own theories and musings, sometimes for days on end. Her sheltered life and innate shyness give her tremendous anxiety when her friends aren’t around to sit between her and strangers. Her mad science can be lazily used by the author to get the group into any number of problems.
Wallflower Blush
Strengths: Wasn’t there and you have no proof. The one member of the group with actual supernatural powers, and has a fair idea how to use them. All the riches in the world wouldn’t even tempt her to betray the others – the few precious people who care for her existence.
Weaknesses: Her power has limits. Studies with Twilight showed it makes her more ignored than invisible, which falters when she carries weapons or even an intent to harm. This might be for the best, given the results when Applejack tried to teach her gunplay: Wallflower panicked at the first shot and dropped her pistol (a giant no-no), marking the only time Applejack ever lost her temper with the girl. They quietly decided to abandon further efforts, making Wallflower a bit less useful when her specific power doesn’t come into play. She makes up in other ways, studying first aid and volunteering for stakeouts – partly out of team loyalty, and partly from a desperate wish to remain in their minds.
Feel free to give suggestions for these little exposition posts, my dudes. Hope you enjoyed.
Darn it, I want that on my business card and I'm not even a woman. I do hope Twilight makes some strides forward in the study of the supernatural.
The thought occurs that if they could teach Wallflower martial arts of some kind, she could be devastatingly effective. This, of course, is a very large "if," mostly borne of RPG-trained attempts to get away on technicalities.
I enjoy these quite immensely.
4969498
I suppose if she carried an intent to remain unharmed...
You are going to do more of these, right?
Please?
I so want Sunset to get magic back someday in the story, even if it'd break the power levels. But it should be in a funny/ridiculous way, such as growing an unicorn horn and having to go around with a hat or something like that.
Or with The making her a horn tiara or something. As long as it's funny I'm game
Also loved the Dark Mistress of Technology title. She deserves it
Wait, if Adagio still has her Siren body does it mean she's still immortal?
And goddamn how horrible do you have to be with money to be poor after a thousand years?
4969918
The immortality is fueled by the magic, so I'd say no.
It's like
Year 1 to 1003: "My singing/manipulation nets me any luxury I want. I get jewels, but I can always get more so I discard them when I get new ones, and I have no need to get a job or invest or anything because I'll always be this way."
Year 1004: "Shit."
4969940
Fair enough. I can see her going back to equestria in her old age if helps, though.
That is, if a certain farmer doesn't steal her heart forever
4969957
"That's mine, dammit! Give it back!"
Eh, Adagio was more of a passive, usually non-lethal parasite than a predator. Like, nobody was at risk of death throughout most of the Rainbow Rocks, so she really can’t use that excuse or pretend to act like she’s too alien for human morals; unlike a werewolf, she knows she doesn’t need to kill, so anyone she does kill is completely on her.
Not saying your characterization doesn’t make sense, as long as you aren’t going to try to excuse her actions by claiming she’s too alien for human morality or some such.
4971520
Mmmm... not me excusing her, no. More like the philosophy she was raised with.