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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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So, an entirely new race with hands that resents being weighted down by fate and neutered by so-called harmony? Sounds human enough for me!
I have been reading the story for so long that when I finish I'm still looking for the next chapter button. I read straight through from the first story and am not used to waiting for the next chapter yet.
6186725 At least I don't keep you waiting for longer than a day, right?
6186750 definitely, keep on being awesome.
after working in the sun all day to day I am just going to say this is a good chapter. my head is all fuzzy right now.
6187045 Don't hurt yourself.
6187074
just one of those days. 98 degrees and hummed, and I was helping remove a 75 foot tall chimney.
yep it was a fun day.
No quip on typos?
6187470 I like to keep people on their toes, and see who notices.
6186508 Nnope...I don't think they are human.
Human in general might be aggressive, but they are not so foolish as to keep a grude for many many generations.
The normal people desire a happy and content live. Only the "politicians" that want more.
This should end with a question mark, rather than a period.
This should really be "she turned her nose up."
I wonder if this should be, "a subtle but persistent advantage."
There are two spaces between "that" and "big."
A "slowly-forming" smile.
6188921 Typos thrown into the darkest jail we could find.
6189071 Silver meets the queen, something I was slightly surprised at, since my initial impression was that Wajdi was single and that his harem (and other instances of studding) was his sole source of female companionship. In hindsight, that seems like a rather unlikely scenario - after all, Silver has many wives, yet also has a harem of his own, so why shouldn't the sultan? - so I have only myself to blame for being caught off-guard there.
As it stands, it was quite pleasant to watch the interplay between Wajdi and Jawa, who are not only quite clearly in love, but have learned how to function very effectively as a team. The way that they spoke to each other indicated a very clear bond between them, even despite the point of friction that Silver stumbled upon with regards to how to deal with a particular external threat.
I think what surprised me the most was how Jawa seemed so complacent of her husband's concubines (and, apparently, that his eye roves even beyond them). Indeed, she was upset on his behalf at the implication that Silver might be a bigger stud than him! I call that surprising because of the dynamic that it suggests: that Jawa is Wajdi's only love, and that his dalliances, even with his harem, are purely for personal gratification and to enhance his appearance/reputation. This is in marked contrast to Silver's own growing stable of females, which are acquired either under the guise of duty (e.g. studding lunar unicorns) or are acquired "organically" in terms of his perpetually falling in love.
It's interesting to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each method. On the one hand, forming bonds purely by falling in love over and over is more likely to produce strong bonds with the females in question, but assures that jealousy will be a perennial problem. On the other hand, taking a permanent harem purely for sexual gratification means that the bonds between them and their master will never be as strong as if they were true consorts, but significantly reduces the chances of heartbreak and emotional pain. Which one is better? Well, that depends on what you're looking for...my suspicion, however, is that Wajdi's way is more likely to lead to stability, if only because a heartbroken ruler is a poor ruler.
The flipside to this, however, is that the harem becomes a political sub-body all its own, with its own intrigues, plots, power-plays, and shifting alliances. Leaving aside issues of a harem-girl having a foreign (or other external) backer that she's attempting to spy for or influence the ruler on the behalf of, the majority of harem intrigue tends to revolve around pushing personal agendas via influencing the ruler. These agendas usually revolve around increasing personal power, typically by trying to become the most favored harem-girl or even - if possible - the (or at least a) new wife. However, some may want to push agendas concerning some sort of civil platform or reform, such as urban development for areas where they grew up, etc.
Of course, this state of affairs creates another reason why Wajdi - or quite likely Jawa - would give Silver a harem girl as a gift: it creates a convenient way to get rid of a troublemaker. Indeed, promotions to far-flung locales are a time-honored tradition in terms of removing those that are causing upset, as it gets rid of them without raising a fuss over any sort of "punishment." Is one particular beauty also a cunning power-monger, trying to replace the current queen? Well, surely such a treasure is wasted upon a sultan that can already manage his affairs so well; a new prince, however, just starting to form his own stable of mares would certainly benefit from such a prize far more! Take her, o honored guest, with the best wishes of the sultan and his queen!
Insofar as the other major political affair, that being the situation with the Anubians goes...ah, now there's an issue that the story can sink its teeth into. So they're a humanoid people who make their living from raiding nearby civilizations? And what's more, they've apparently developed this into a way of life that they're comfortable with? The possibilities for intrigue abound!
Consider, for example, how the Anubians are raiders. Okay, but what do they take in their raids? The answer to this is going to spotlight what exactly they can't produce domestically or trade for, either among themselves or other nations/peoples. Likewise, the idea that they do conduct trade is likely self-evident; you can't make a sustainable culture based on raiding, simply because you don't know what you're going to be able to acquire or when you'll be able to acquire it (not to mention that when times are hard, you might not be able to get a raiding party together). As such, there has to be someone whom they're willing to engage in commerce with (outside of other tribes of Anubians; raiding implies a very chaotic, and therefore decentralized, system of government).
That brings up entirely new areas of of political issues. Namely, who is conducting trade with a people that are regarded by most of the regional powers as being a threat? Is it another government that's hostile to these other nations' interests, or maybe a black market syndicate or other criminal consortium? Are some of the local powers trying to influence things by cutting deals to have the Anubians raid one particular country's holdings more often than others, and if so, what are they giving the Anubians in return (e.g. perhaps they're helping one tribe with various internal power struggles)?
Moreover, what's Equestria's involvement with all of this? How are they involved with Saddle Arabia's problems with the Anubians? Is Celestia here to try and talk Wajdi out of committing to military action? Is she working out a treaty (or haggling over the financial aspects of a plan) to let Equestrian traders move through different parts of Saddle Arabia in hopes of avoiding Anubian raiders? Is Jawa resistant to that idea because it would mean "starving" the Anubians of new materials to take, and so drive them to attack more desperately? In other words, why has this particular issue brought Celestia here?
Leaving all of that aside, it was a bit mean of Patty to hold Silver accountable for Aila's death, but at least Shei spoke up and said so. Likewise, she seemed impressed by his response, so hopefully that was just a necessary speed-bump to the two of them (Silver and Patty) forming a more close, surrogate-mother-and-son relationship.
6189250
Done intentionally on my part, mind you. Wajdi was also checking Silver out, seeing if he was the mare-hungry predator he was made out to be, but he barely even noticed the concubines. Fail!
The two are a great team, both as rulers and personally. I like them for being a positive relationship. Happily married couples always feel like a rarity in fiction, outside of 'happily ever after'.
You surely delight in torturing Silver even more than the Text does.
Stay tuned to find out! Hopefully... You give plenty of food for thought in here.
A needed road-bump works. Neither has lingering hard feelings about it.
I guess the Star Wars phrase "uglier than a naked Jawa" doesn't apply here.
6189300 *hovers finger over next chapter button* "No! It's 2am and you have work in the morning!" Dang you Silver, dang you to heck for writing such a compelling story that you made me lose sleep. Why must you be so good? *Turns phone off and heads to bed.*
6777547 Sorry! I write what I must.
naïve
Hah!
"Hey, I calls 'em like I see's 'em."
Never change, David.