Transformation: Penny, Amber, Albi, G5, and the Nook! · 10:41pm Sep 25th, 2021
It changed the future… and it changed us. It taught us that we have to create the future, or others would do it for us. It showed us that we have to care for one another, because if we don't, who will? And that true strength sometimes comes from the most unlikely places. Mostly though, I think it gave us hope, that there can always be new beginnings… even for people like us.
- Susan Ivanova, Babylon 5: “Dreaming in Light”
Hey friends!
So, you might have noticed there’s been a few changes around the place. Such as changes to ME. Maybe this is only a big deal to me, but you know what? That’s okay! It’s going to be fun no matter what.
So today’s a big day! Yesterday, the My Little Pony: A New Generation movie came out on Netflix! I hope you all enjoyed it just as much as I did! Seriously, Izzy is like, the cutest thing ever. I love her.
But I don’t want to spoil anything for you, so I won’t babble about that. Instead, I’ll talk about a few things closer to home. I’ve got a bunch of announcements for you. I think you deserve some time after so much silence from me!
Introducing… “Penny!”
First and foremost, a few months ago, I decided to start living full-time as a girl. And I’ve realized just how many issues were wrapped up in the repression of my actual self. Since that (plus intensive psychiatric treatment, new medication, a new coping regimen, daily therapy, a change in the department I work for, and a bunch of other things), things have radically changed in my life. For example, I’m actually happy with myself for what’s probably the first time in my existence.
And as a bonus, just yesterday (after 8 weeks of waiting), I received my NC-230. That's the code of the California court document better known as "DECREE CHANGING NAME AND ORDER RECOGNIZING CHANGE OF GENDER AND FOR ISSUANCE OF A NEW BIRTH CERTIFICATE."
That’s right. I have a court order declaring my new name to be my actual legal name and to have the legal gender of female.
Now, I’ve made a ton of mistakes over the years. A lot of those mistakes were born out of fear and the need to control everything (see above as to why). And there are still a lot of hurts that need healing, and that takes time.
But today, I’m going to look forward to a bright new future. Because right now, it looks freaking awesome.
The Wildest News You’ll Hear Today!
I’m happy to announce that about two weeks ago, and five weeks after EFNW, I actually started seeing someone long-distance. Someone I’ve known for over 5 years since I sent a PM over FimFiction absolutely gushing over a particular story. Someone who is one of the kindest, most gentle, and most supportive people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. That person is none other than Albi. Yup. You read that right.
The Albinocorn and I are actually dating.
(Seriously, how unbelievable is that? I’m grinning like a total idiot writing it, but yay!)
The Legacy of Albinocorn!
And well, since I’m his girlfriend and stuff, I want to see him really succeed! Albi’s got some amazing dreams, dreams I know he can pull off. He’s easily one of the most talented authors on FimFiction. He practically built the Sunset Shimmer writing fandom from the ground up with his smash hit Sunset of Time. He started the SciSet Ship in Long Road to Friendship before SciTwi ever showed up at the end of Rainbow Rocks! The man’s a master and he doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves.
That changes as of today. Because today is the 5-year anniversary of the launch of Spectacular Seven, the amazing sequel to the beloved Long Road to Friendship. Not only has Albi released a new chapter in his amazing saga, but he is finally, a long last, opening up a Patreon!
(Yes, I may have verbally beaten him until he finally agreed, but hey, it’s okay!)
Now, his Patreon is not all about making tons of money. It’s not about special perks or previews or anything like that (just like mine). It’s about letting people help support him by showing their appreciation to the Father of the Sunset Shimmer fandom (yeah, sue me, I’m calling him that, I’m his girlfriend, I’m allowed). If you have any amount of funds to spare, I hope you’ll help support him!
You can find Albi’s brand-new Patreon right here! Go give him some love!
So… Who Is “Amber Spark?”
So, let’s talk about the new decor.
Some of you already know the name “Amber Spark.” You might be going “wasn’t that the weird unicorn bartender in The Tarnished Crown who may or may not needed to be there? And didn’t she show up in Teahouses of Saddle Arabia as a companion to some bizarre version of the Doctor?” The answer is very much, yes.
A little background on Amber Spark. She was originally designed as an R63 Novel Idea (a gender-swapped Novel). She was based on Novel, then turned into something that I was more comfortable with. She was set up as a fun little character for that scene in Crown with the idea that she could give Rarity the little push she needed to get her flank in gear. Rarity would have done it anyway without Amber’s help, but Amber’s kinda impatient sometimes and wanted to keep things going.
However, as time went on, I developed the idea of Amber Spark as a ‘worldhopper’ or ‘planeswalker.’ I think I’ve talked about this a couple times. But as that happened, Amber Spark became her own character with her own flaws, goals, rules, and backstory. While the concept might have been vaguely self-inserty, she is anything but now. Heck, I have an incomplete 25,000 word backstory for her, which eventually leads into the events of And a Sky Full of Stars.
Amber Spark is heavily influenced by the concept of ‘Hoid’ from Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere, a worldhopping agent who is doing something in the various worlds Sanderson is building. He’s often there to give characters a little nudge, or a little hint. He shows open often in the “end-credits” moments of his books. That’s what I want Amber to be.
And yes, there’s a reason she shows up in Wavelengths so often. Amber has her own mission… and that mission may not always align with what’s best for our heroines.
So… Why Are You Suddenly “Amber Spark?”
Novel Idea never had any in-story moments and I never planned to have him show up. In that sentence though, is the problem with the Novel-Idea handle. Novel-Idea is definitely male. Yes, he’s still a cute pastel cartoon pony, but he’s still a he.
I’m not.
And while I used to make the joke that “novels don’t have a gender,” that just doesn’t fly with me anymore. I want to have a user name and profile that matches who I am.
Hence, Amber Spark.
Now, before you string me up, I know it’s a “sin” to have one of your own characters be the same as your user name. Crystal Wishes did this the other way around and got flak for it she didn’t deserve. But I think that’s because we’ve all seen the power-trippy self-insert fics. For you long-time readers, you know that’s not my style. Amber isn’t ever going to become an alicorn, show off some insanely OP magic or anything like that.
This is less me putting myself into my own stories and more me appropriating the character for my own devices outside the narrative.
Also, I really like the name. I think it fits me really well, and for several months, I actually went by the name “Amber” in real life as I was deciding on what would eventually become my legal name (which is Penny, BTW).
The Nook Reopens Its Doors!
I’ve talked about “Novel’s Nook” (which then went to “Amber’s Nook,” “The Nook” and then “Penny’s Nook) a bunch. It’s the Discord server where a bunch of folks from all walks of life just hang out. You know what happens on Discord servers: all sorts of silly stuff. But the Nook wouldn’t be what it is without the people there. So, I want to give a few special shoutouts!
To Albi - For everything.
To Pony - The Nook would have folded years ago without you. You are a master and a genius at finding the coolest and best art around. Be it MLP, Owl House, Little Witch Academia, RWBY, wild and fantastic concept and character art or the cutest damn ships you’ve ever seen, you find it all. I don’t know how you do what you do, but I am so grateful for it.
To Jay - You have stood by my side for years and you have such a bright future ahead of you. I cannot wait to see what you pull off in whatever you decide to do. You have amazing gifts. Your art is epic. And you’re just fun to be around. Thank you.
To Drakey - You keep the Nook grounded. You’ve always got a fantastic meme on hold, and, you never lost your passion for making them fun and entertaining. Congrats, I’m down for them now. You also have been of huge help to my boyfriend, so that gets you massive points in my book too. ;)
To Krickis - I know you have your own home, your own server, but I love when you drop by. You’re snarky, sassy and utterly brilliant. You understand the wonder that is the author who knows the love of ‘tormenting’ their audience. And you’ve got a bright soul. I don’t have the words to express how amazing you are.
To June AND Fourths - I don’t care if you’ve been in the Nook for only 5 weeks. I couldn’t imagine the Nook without you at this point. Both of you are hysterical. June, your keysmashes are stuff of legend. And yes, I confess that I totally ripped you off with mine. April, you know just the right quip at the right time. Damn if you don’t have brilliant timing. Thank you, both of you, for everything, in the Nook and beyond.
To Ebon - I still don’t really get why you stick around. I’m so happy you’ve built such a brilliant and friendly server for you and yours! And every time you show up in the Nook, it brings a smile to so many. Honestly, the time you marched in one night and went “What in tarnation did I just walk in on?” still makes me crack up. You have stood by me when almost anyone else would have just walked. I cannot thank you enough for helping build the road to the future.
Now, I could go through my entire list. I could talk about dissecting the Sunset Shimmer on the Enterprise-D with Arc. All of Heart’s glorious quotes. Celestias_Disciple for taking an hour and a half to teach me how to play TSSSF on Tabletop Simulator. Condray for his epic cosplay at EFNW. How Corejo forced me to watch Centaurworld, something I both love and hate him for. Nat’s perfect gayness. Mel keeping us up to date on contests and the epic nature of everything he does (seriously, he is so much smarter than me...). Adge for just being HER. Not to mention newcomers Tempest Twi, Bree and Devious Divine, all of whom have taken great pleasure in embarrassing the hell out of me.
I just wanted to give shoutouts to a few people, but now I feel bad I couldn’t hit every single soul.
However, what I really want to announce, here and now, is that it is no longer Novel’s, Penny’s or Amber’s Nook. As of today, it is officially Amber & Albi’s Nook!
That right folks, Albi has decided that it would be a massive hassle for him to split off from the Nook, where he’s happily made his home for years now. Instead, we’re going to be sharing the Nook! Anyone who joins either of our Patreons will automatically get a special role in the Nook.
Not only that, but there are special roles and channels dedicated to Albi and his fics. So if you just want updates from him (and come on, everyone needs Albi updates), then you can get those!
But we are no longer bottlenecking access to the Nook. In fact, if you want in, all you need to do is click the link right here!
The old me was obsessed with control, rules and the letter of the law over the spirit of the law. The person I want to be is a welcoming, loving person who celebrates having fun and building awesome communities over making sure everything stays “just so.” Mind you, there are still rules in the Nook (it’s an SFW server, be nice, no spoilers outside the right channels, blah blah blah), but I’m not gonna be some draconian overlord swinging a banhammer around.
The Nook exists to connect people and build friendships (and to geek out about Sunset Shimmer). I hope you’ll join us!
So What’s Next For Amber?
Well, I’ll probably spend the next week or so finding all the “Novel Ideas” (HA! I got to use the joke on my old self! I think that means I win the game) buried throughout my blogs, stories, synopses, websites and more. For anything GoE related, the handle will remain Novel Idea, though let’s be honest, there’s almost certainly not going to be any new GoE stuff.
But more importantly, I am delighted to announce that this coming Monday at 10 AM Pacific, Act I of Clear Skies will come to a close with the chapter named “Treasures.” While I don’t have an Act II ready to go (and honestly, I haven’t even gotten more than 1000 words into the first chapter of Act II), I do plan on finishing the story.
Right now, when it comes to stories, a lot of things are calling my name. There’s some original fiction I’d like to play with. I have a loose concept for a completely original Visual Novel (no ponies… at least, not cartoon kinds). I’ve been working slowly on a revision to the quiet story (and never released) The Fallen Tower, which talks about the pain and anguish of separation from the people you love.
But I’m also heavily considering coming back to Wavelengths and finally finishing the Dreamers Arc. Let’s be honest, Sunset deserves better than where I left her with Raven rushing to meet her back in As the Raven Flies. I will confess that her trials are far from over, but this was the tipping point.
I just need to figure out how to pull off what I want to do.
I’m not the same person I was when I wrote Sunset’s journey in Wavelengths. So much of what she experienced is a mirror of my own experiences, and I know that’s been difficult for some people to read. I guess that means it’s authentic, which does make me happy, even though I never wanted to cause anyone any actual grief.
But now, as a person who’s undergone (and is still undergoing) a transformation, it’s hard to get back into that state of mine. And it’s also super personal to get back to that mind space, so it’s hard to get there.
But I know what I’m going to do today.
I’m going to enjoy the G5 movie a few more times. I’m going to hopefully celebrate just the wonderful people who are in my family, my MLP FAMILY. And as someone who loved the G5 movie, I feel like the spark is back. I felt like the movie captured it perfectly. The snark, the sass, the humor, the magic, the fun… all of it.
This is a whole new beginning. Not just for me. But for all of us.
And it’s a future that’s going to very bright.
With love to all of you!
<3 - Amber Spark
I'm so proud and happy for both of you, and for the Nook. I'm honored to be considered a part of this community and see great things in the future for it.
Whaaaaaaat? :O Awesome!
First off, congrats on your transition Amber. I'm happy that you feel more comfortable in your skin now.
Second, congrats to you and Albi. I wish the two of you well.
Third - thanks to not having a Netflix sub anymore, I haven't seen the G5 film yet. Given the amount of praise it's been getting, it sounds like it's at least a good starting point for a new series. But, I have watched a few official clips on Netflix's YouTube, and yes, Izzy is adorable.
Long time no talk, but I think a hearty "Congrats!" is still in order!
Congrats, on everything! Especially being yourself, and in being happy! I watched you struggle from a distance, since I don't know you all that well, as a lurker around the Nook. Knowing you're happy now, makes me smile, because you deserve it!
And now I guess I have to actually read Albi's stuff.
Oh well, I didn't need to sleep tonight anyway.
Congrats on stepping fully into your true self and finding a new partner! I'd hop into the Nook if I wasn't already distracting myself from my own writing with a half-dozen discord servers already.
I do have a question, though. Don't you already have a wife and child? If they're okay with you dating, then great, more love to go around. But either way you should probably tell them. Unless things aren't going well on that front and you didn't want to bring it up lest it kill the mood. In which case, sorry.
Hi, Amber! It’s great to finally see you.
Also lol this means you’ve got cooties.
I’m thrilled for you and Albi. I’d happily go in the Nook, but I can’t keep up with my servers as it is.
In any case, here’s looking forward to more from you both!
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We both know which way that love-hate scale tips.
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You have been an amazing part of the Nook for years, not to mention a massive support for the guy I've grown to care for a great deal. The Nook--or I--wouldn't be the same without you, DC.
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I KNOW! It's so weird, right?!
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Thank you so much!!!
(And yes, Izzy must be protected)
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Yes indeed for the first, and thank you kindly for the second!
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Sleep's overrated. Celestia knows I've lost most than a few night's sleep because of Albi.
...because of his STORIES. DON'T GET THE WRONG IDEA.
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Thank you for your inquiry, but I don't think a public FimFic blog is the best place to have that conversation. It's rather personal, don't you think?
I will address at least one part of it: this isn't some big secret. All involved parties are have been informed.
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I'm a girl. I've always had cooties.
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TOO LATE!
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No worries, my friend. I admit to being in many a muted Discord server myself... probably WAYYYY more than I should be, but I love "stealing" emotes, soooooo...
Don't worry, you'll definitely be seeing more of us!
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...yes, yes we do.
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I never said they were recent.
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Of course because of his stories! I hear through the grapevine they're quite amazing!
Congrats, Amber! And Albinocorn!
This whole blog is full of awesome and personally, I'm looking forward to any writing you two do. Be it pony or non-pony!
P.S. it's about time Albi opened a Patreon
From that EFNW retrospective of yours that reignited my writers drive, to briefly getting to say thank you in-person during the following year's EFNW, and reading pretty much everything you've written (Minnie and Moonie are too cute together), I'm very glad to see all these positive changes. And I can't say congrats enough for finding yourself and stepping into a new relationship.
Yep, Izzy was too much for my poor heart. She brought so many smiles. And darnit if I wasn't always wanting to give Sunny a hug every time she looked upset.
This! This right here. I know there are flaws and not everyone feels the same, but I walked to work this morning listening to the OST and was almost dancing through the crosswalks. Three viewings this weekend didn't blunt the feels at all. You said it perfectly. It feels like the spark is back.
Congrats on, uh... well, on a lot of things! Sounds like you're progressing toward getting a bunch of stuff sorted out and moving forward in life, which is exciting.
I'm really happy for you.
I am way too high for this s*** nah but seriously I'm happy for you (I am high though)
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Gotcha, fair enough. I won't pry.
Congrats! I'm happy to hear that you're feeling good about yourself now. Also, thanks for convincing Albinocorn to open a patreon.
I'm glad it sounds like things are going so well for you, and good luck! :)
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Congratulations for everything. You too, Albi. You both deserve it.
Congratulations on, well, everything!