Delays, Damned Delays, and Slander · 1:46am Dec 7th, 2019
As might be obvious, there aren't any updates to my three ongoing stories this week. Hopefully, that will change next week and the remaining weeks of 2019, as vacation time will allow me more writing opportunities. There's also no new story this week, for the same reason. I do hope no one gets fed-up waiting, as despite these week-long delays, the actual writing process of each story is a wonderfully unique opportunity for growth as a writer due to the challenges with each one. Plus, it's just fun. 
But that doesn't mean there will be nothing this week! Far from it. For tonight, I shall be posting two things right in this blog. First, a short explanation for each ongoing tale (Anarchy, Midnight, and Trixie) as to what their great, unique trick is that makes writing them simultaneously fun and challenging. And Secondly, I'll post a short quote from each story! Just to whet the appetite, and provide completely out-of-context nonsequiters. How fun!
So, getting us started: The Legend of Trixie
Agents of the Crown have made inquiries on our behalf (thank Bon Bon and Octavia for me!) that seem to indicate Jack Pot, a Las Pegasus resident and travelling magician, is the most likely candidate for being Trixie's father. There's is a strong familial resemblance, both in coloration and profession, as well as the fact that Trixie was arrested two years ago by the LP Police Department for savagely beating the stage magician during a performance. No charges were filed. Yeesh.
What makes LoT tons of fun to write is the same reason it takes me a while to get that story's chapters done. I'm fairly comfortable speaking with the Great and POWERFUL accent required of Trixie, but then I need to go over the text multiple times to make sure I've added all the little meta-details, as well as decided upon which details AK Yearling (or as she's better known, Daring Do) will comment upon. And I need to keep track of all these things, since my OCD demands consistency and inter-connectivity with my other stories.
Next: Anarchy: Pony of Chaos
Ann’s face hit the dirt, the rest of her following. For a moment, all she could feel was the ache in her muzzle, all she could hear was the pounding of her heart in her ears.
For some reason, she could hear somecreatures yelling ‘ham, ham!’ Or, was it ‘and, and!’
No… it was definitely ‘Ann’.
Apple Bloom was on her instantly, prying open one of her eyes. Which helped, as Ann couldn’t quite open it on her own.
“I’m okay,” she said, though she wasn’t sure if anycreature heard it. Sounds weren’t working right.
“Ann!?” Cheese leaned in, tears in his eyes… his huge, beautiful eyes…
“Hey Cheese, just give me a minute… I can’t feel my legs.”
She held up her forehoof, just to show him. And then, she stared at it. There was something strange about it.
She could see through it.
“Well that can’t be good…”
Anarchy is a joy to write. She's just a fun combination of precocious, cute, and sad. Kinda like Trixie, actually. The trouble is keeping the story itself lighthearted when... let's be honest. Childhood is anything but lighthearted. And this is the first large-scale deployment of OCs in my stories. I tend to prefer writing canon characters, as they have well-defined traits and motives. But OCs are so open to interpretation and abuse. We all know what happens when you get a "great idea" for a black-and-red Alicorn to show up in a story...
Finally: All These Midnight Days
“Did I miss something?” Trixie swiveled her head back and forth between the grimacing Midnight, the flabbergasted Twilight, the shocked and embarrassed Flash, Derpy, and the utterly stone-faced Sunset.
Sunset flicked her gaze over to the magician. “Midnight just hit on Flash.”
“Oof,” Trixie cringed, and leveled her own incredulous look at Midnight, “Not a great start, Bestie. Hitting on your friend’s ex? Or, current? Honestly, I can never tell…”
“It’s not like I knew that!” Midnight threw her hands up, “I don’t even remember him! Although at this rate, maybe I should have a friggin’ list of the people I can’t remember from my own life! Next you’ll tell me Fluttershy has a brother!”
After a moment of near-vacuum-level silence, Midnight sighed and said, “For the love of…”
Midnight's fun... as well as its challenge, comes from the balance of tone. There are some heavy themes woven throughout this story due to the whole Split that occurred between Twilight and Midnight. The story sort of demands that they occasionally discuss the existential horror that is their lives now. There's even an upcoming bit where the sisters have to debate whether or not they technically killed the original Twilight Sparkle to exist. But I like comedy, and these characters have all that potential there as well. It's a challenge to keep that balance between grim existential debate and silly high school fish-out-of-water comedy. But whenever I feel like I've hit the balance just right... it feels magical.
Alright. Enough of my yammering. See you next week. I hope.
I do love the idea of Octavia as an agent of the Crown. Looking forward to updates whenever they come.