What's it like to live in Canterlot, home of the princesses, assorted renowned celebrities and sophisticated ponies?
Well, it all comes down to who you are, really - and if you happen to be a fairly ordinary earth pony, you can get on with life quite easily with few distractions.
But what happens when life plays you an interesting hand, and suddenly you're thrown into the spotlight?
This is a tale of the everyday, and how it can turn from ordinary to extraordinary with a twist of chance.
This is a tale of friends, of laughter, of love and of life.
This is a tale of who we are, and how we got here.
This... is Sketchy Salad Symphony.
Chapters (52)
Can't wait for more updates!
All right, I'm integrating that bit about the equinoxes into my headcanon. (Wouldn't it be the Autumn Equinox Celebration, though?)
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I went with Summer Equinox as it's occurring at the end of Summer / beginning of Autumn. That, and it's what the person whose characterisation of Octavia I'm working with named it as well :p The only other equinox occurs at a time of year I associate more with Spring than Summer: usually around March. This one on the other hand occurs in September, which, depending on your climate, still counts as Summer.
If anything, it would probably be the Spring and Summer Equinoxes. Granted, that's naming them both after the sun, but I expect it's quite possible that in the years Luna was absent, any name that they may have had in celebration of the moon may have faded from memory. Well, with at least one notable exception!
Luna acting as a Weeping Angel? Cleeeevvvveeerrrrrrrrr.
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I saw the opportunity for mischief and couldn't resist. I see Luna as having a childish nature, which therefore includes enjoying a prank or two.
And, being a Who fan, I couldn't resist making the reference. :D
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The episodes of the Weeping Angels made me paranoid for a good while around statues and I found myself constantly looking back while walking outside at night.
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I live in a flat with one other person, and I made the mistake of watching the recent two parter with them in on my own, in the evening.
Suffice it to say, I wandered around the flat with the the lights on everywhere after that!
A little note for my readers
The next chapter of Symphony may take some time to appear here. This is simply because I am trying to keep a buffer of one to two chapters' worth of content ahead of what appears here with my writing - and 4th Movement is HUGE. 5th Movement is probably going to be big as well.
Because of that, and the aforementioned buffering, I don't want to post 4th Movement until 5th Movement is finished. Rest assured, however, it will be well worth the wait!
Also, a big thank you to everyone who has commented and rated so far, I was not expecting such a high rating for the very first fic I submitted here. It's given me extra motivation to keep going and keep writing.
Stay tuned, Symphony fans!
Just a really damn enjoyable story to read. My one complaint is that you lay Salad's accent on really thick, to the point it makes me cringe slightly to read at times.
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Thanks! Apologies if you find her accent a bit difficult at times - it's difficult as someone who lives in the UK to find a decent source to compare it to for phonetics.
Just a brief update here to let you guys know that after a brief bout of writer's block, Symphony is once again trundling along at a steady pace. I should have more of it up soon.
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Thanks, you too! =)
Oh, you.
Y U SO AWESOME.
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I just am. Thanks! :)
Okay, I'll be honest; I do NOT understand these intermezzos at all. While I still find them quite enjoyable, I just don't get them.
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You aren't supposed to - yet. They are there to add a little bit of intrigue - consider them as a brief glance into a small snippet of time. Some of them have already been explained by the narrative, if you put the pieces together.
Another little hint: most of them are looking into snippets of the past. The very first Intermezzo was looking back at when Sketchy was to move away from Canterlot in his childhood. The dialogue is between himself and Salad.
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Ah, I see. Much better.
>Octavia rebuffs Sketchy
>rage
>explanation promised
>phew... at least it'll get better
>Octavia tells him
>RAGE
>RAGE SOME MORE
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*Laughs* An interesting little note about that. This story is a combination of original content and adaptation of a ginormous RP log that I built up with a friend who plays Octavia. There's a little bit of art reflecting real life in this tale, because I as an RPer genuinely had little to no idea that she was playing Octavia that way.
All I can say to you is, keep reading. Chapter updates are going to start coming thick and fast over the next few weeks, because I'm now into adapting the log material proper. That's going to mean less work in terms of the ideas department (although I will be making tweaks here and there) and more content to come on a faster basis.
It also from experience so far means slightly longer chapters. 10th Movement, which is sitting ready to go already (as I always try to keep a chapter buffer in store) weighs in at a heft 8985 words, bigger than every other chapter so far. It is a very enjoyable read though, even if I say so myself :)
I'm getting mixed signals from Octavia's side of the relationship, and wishful thinking from Sketchy's. Not a good combination usually.
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Mixed signals certainly. Wishful thinking by Sketchy seems a bit harsh, ignoring all the little stuff from earlier in the night because those could just innocent enough, if a girl, who you like and she knows it, invites you to stay the night at her home late at night, in the same bed, well I don't know any other way that could be thought of. Sketchy seemed almost unbelievably accommodating of Octavia's "mistake".
.....that's just harsh Tavy doing that to poor Sketchy
AND US! gah so confused now
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I think of it all as this: Octavia has had somewhat of a compartmentalised existence. She's devoted her life to music study, and hence has spent very little time acquainting herself with societal norms. Hence, she's unfamiliar with certain things, such as how it could easily be misconstrued if you invite someone to stay the night.
On a simpler note, she's very fond of him and didn't want him having to walk home on his own late at night, nor did she want him to be uncomfortable.
As for Sketchy, well. Far be it from him to turn down an invitation of hospitality, especially so late in the day. He considered it though - but that said, would you turn Octavia down if you could tell she had something special she wanted you to see? :p
Rest assured, Sketchy knows it's not to be - if that hadn't already been established, he probably would have fled; and he was on edge the whole time up until he realised she was honestly ignorant of the implications.
That Octavia, what ever was she thinking.
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Hahaha <3
Holy hay, my mind just exploded thirteen separate times. What just happened?!
Oh, wait, nevermind. Awesomeness just happened.
Still, I had to facepalm a few times at the parts where Octavia invited him into her home... at night... in her bed... and NOT seem to grasp the implications. You explained it well and I think it fits your characterization of her.... but still.
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His characterization? Mm, indeed.
Wow that must have been awkward, like when kids want to play your instrument. It'd be best to say no, but then again you don't want to upset them.
Oooooh WHATS GONNA HAPPEN NEXT?
I'm on the edge my seat Sketch!
over 65k ,still incomplete
what the buck did i get myself into...
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Welcome to the insanity :D
>>DoctorWhooves
"Two's Company, Three's a Crowd" - 106000 words, fifty-seven chapters(seriously), and still incomplete. I'd say this one is fairly average in length.
Which doesn't mean it's not amazing. To the contrary - it's one of the best fics involving Octavia I've read, and I eagerly wait for an update.
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Thank you very much for the compliment on the story!
More will be coming relatively soon: I have a whole chapter's worth of fic sitting ready to go, but I'm not releasing that until the chapter I'm writing is done. I like to keep a buffer up where possible :)
I don't often read OC stories, but I must say, this, THIS right here has me interested!
The personalities of the various characters in this story are quite interesting. Looking forward to reading more. :)
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Thank you! I'm glad to have piqued your interest :)
I absolutely LOVE the way your depict the princesses in this story! It's exactly how I imagine them in the head-canon; Great and powerful goddesses, yet kind, loving and playful. It makes me so cheerful! Sounds a bit sappy - but whatever - This chapter brightened up my day. :D
All these interludes... I'm looking forward to finding out their meaning!
As Cyclone said, just simply a really enjoyable story to read. :)
35590 They're most likey part of a grand scheme to be revealed at the end. Either that, or simbolic/metaphorical.
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As mentioned in a previous comments, the intermezzos are a break to the normal narrative, and an introspective look into brief snippets of time. They have mostly been looks back into the past: the first one is a dialogue between Sketchy and Sally the day Sketchy told Sally he'd be leaving Canterlot, for example.
They also serve as a little bit of foreshadowing in some areas; if you are able to determine who is speaking to whom, you may get a little more insight into the content of some of the chapters - and, in some cases, a bit of foresight into what is coming.
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It's not sappy at all :)
That is more or less exacty how I think of them myself; while they may be tremendously powerful and capable of incredible feats, they are nevertheless the same as everypony else underneath. They have feelings, needs and ambitions; they are capable of experiencing the same gamut of emotions as the "normal" ponies around them.
And hence, they're just as capable of being able to love and laugh at life as anyone else - perhaps moreso as they've lived so much longer and been able to learn what's truly important.
247317 Gotcha.
*Now goes to reread all of the intermezzos*
247331 Couldn't agree more. :)
Aurora Flare?
Perhaps.
Octavia's actions towards Sketchy are a bit confusing, but it's nice to see Sketchy getting a break. I'm looking forward to seeing how their relationship plays out in the coming chapters.
Speaking of which, you know you're reading a good story when it makes you really feel things for the characters. I felt so happy for Sketchy all throughout this chapter. :)
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Octavia's actions are confusing as she herself is a little confused. As mentioned in my earlier comment, she's had a somewhat compartmentalised existence - hence she's a bit unfamiliar with certain societal norms.
As you'll see in the next Movement after this one you've read--and indeed as mentioned in this one--she genuinely was not aware of how this sort of thing could be taken. Call it naiivete or innocence or what you will, it's simply something she's not experienced before and hence was unaware she was making any sort of faux pas with.
Hm. This chapter didn't really capture my attention like the others. Not really sure why, but I did think that the huge opening scene with Freeze Pop was... distracting. I'm more attached to the Octavia/Sketchy arc, so I guess the Freeze Pop/Blacklight parts just weren't as interesting.