• Member Since 12th Dec, 2011
  • offline last seen 40 minutes ago

Impossible Numbers


"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying, And this same flower that smiles today, Tomorrow will be dying."

E

Sunshine Smiles is totally a serious businesspony. Totally! Like, prestigious enough for all those Canterlot types, you know? Um.

Chapters (1)
Comments ( 13 )

Wow. You know, this is kinda how I started working for myself back in 2006.
Well, not exactly. But yes.

Oh, that poor thing. Dove into a shark tank in a swimsuit made of bacon and barbeque sunscreen.

After all, the suns rays didn’t strike venom into ponies like this.

Sunshine, let me tell you about ultraviolet radiation...

In any case, wonderful little social tragedy, though it did end on a high note. Also a fantastic Blueblood. One rarely sees that particular verbal tic in fan fiction, much less the particular blend of charisma and callousness that made the fandom hate him in the first place. All told, thank you for a great read.

Fun stuff! We need more Item Salesmare Sunshine, even though she doesn't sell any during this story.

And congratulations on the feature! :coolphoto:

9210312

Oh gosh, I hope not, you poor devil. I was deliberately trying to write Sunshine Smiles as a terribly naive disaster-waiting-to-happen. :twilightoops:

9210318

Yeah, but it's so nice when all the sharks come over and start nuzzling her. See, they're sooooo friendly...

Also, I'm glad you especially singled out Blueblood. I think it's been a while since we've seen him in action, but it's easy to forget that he was, in his own selfish snobby way, kind of graceful. I mean, he says "one" to talk about himself! Ironclad proof if ever it were needed.

One rarely sees that particular verbal tic

I see what you did there.

9210648

Honestly, given my own view of her competence, it's only a narrow thing she even realizes running a business sooner or later involves selling things. Points for enthusiasm, though.

Thanks! That feature was quite a nice surprise. Stories about background characters usually find it harder to get in, so it's worth appreciating when one manages it. :twilightsmile:

That was cute! Sunshine was the star of this story, and I loved her exuberance. Even though her initial goal seemed vapid, I was happy to see her attain it (at first) and worried for her through the confrontation with Blueblood. I also felt bad for her finding out she hadn’t gotten advice from anyone else before opening. Wouldn’t someone tell her she needs to do more, or were they really going to let her go bankrupt in a matter of weeks? She kind of rides the airhead line at the start, so her decision to get help from Joe at the end felt like nice character development.

I think the bit about her fiddling with the books could have shown up earlier in the story as characterization. It’s actually pretty interesting that she’d fib, and it helps show that she’s way more serious about getting into the ballroom than running her shop. It might also create more early tension if we knew she’d gotten in under false pretenses (even if she’d personally downplay it).

Joe and Blueblood are great. This is a side of Joe we don’t see in the show but it felt believable. I get the impression there was someone in Joe’s early life who mentored him, and he might see helping Sunshine as his way of paying it forward. As for Blueblood, one does feel that certain ponies are in dire need of a solidly-placed hoof to the jaw. The verbal power play between them was fun, too.

Overall fun with great characters! :raritystarry:

Very well done. I really liked the characterizations involved her. Sunshine, Joe and yes, Blueblood too. XD

I want to see the one year later sequel.

Fun stuff.

I imagine her as being from a well-off and indulgent family (noted the uncle was the one renting her the shop): they let her go play at being a shop owner because they'll be there to catch her when it goes under.

Lovely work, Impossible. It's come up in other reviews I've left, I ken, but you've got a real panache for fleshing out and portraying the internal lives of characters who'd otherwise be mere spear-characters. Sunshine's exuberance and Joe's kind practicality come over good and strong here, as does Blueblood's refined prickness.

Sorry about the massive delay in replying, everyone. I was trying to think of what to say beyond "thank you" and ended up putting it off. But better late than never, right? As a minimum: Thank you all for the comments!

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This comment in particular I felt warranted a fuller reply. Well, here goes...

I also felt bad for her finding out she hadn’t gotten advice from anyone else before opening. Wouldn’t someone tell her she needs to do more, or were they really going to let her go bankrupt in a matter of weeks?

It's a fair point, especially if you think of Moonlight Raven's role in all this. I suppose I see it more that Sunshine Smiles went ahead regardless of what anyone else said. As characterized here, she is somewhat emotional and reckless.

I think the bit about her fiddling with the books could have shown up earlier in the story as characterization. It’s actually pretty interesting that she’d fib, and it helps show that she’s way more serious about getting into the ballroom than running her shop. It might also create more early tension if we knew she’d gotten in under false pretenses (even if she’d personally downplay it).

Hm, I suppose, though since she'd be in denial at that point, I don't know how to introduce it in a way that feels natural. After all, she'd have no obvious reason to bring it up, and it is told from her perspective... It's something to consider, though, for suspense purposes.

Sadly, I can't really think of anything else to add. I just enjoyed reading the in-depth comment so much, and I don't think I could really do it justice.

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Thanks! Blueblood in particular I was anxious to get right, since he's a mixture of charming (how Rarity fell for him in the first place) and charmless (do I even need to explain?).

9211753

Sorry, I've got no plans in the pipeline there. In any case, I'm trying not to make promises, given my track record. We'll just have to see how things go. I'd certainly like to revisit these characters again.

Also, thanks for the comment. If nothing else, at least it's flattering you liked it that much to say this! :twilightsmile:

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I assume having wealthy uncles is sort of the default in Canterlot. Then again, they might not be the charitable type when it comes to ailing businesses? Some of them presumably didn't get wealthy by being nice.

9212908

One sees uncharted territory, one chases it. Like a dog with a thrown stick. Almost. :applejackunsure: Eh, I guess that analogy needs revision. Anyway, it's quite refreshing to have this much freedom when giving characterization to other cast members. Glad you liked it. :scootangel:

9250668

But why would a ruthless business Pony invest in a probably doomed business to begin with?

I actually think you wrote Blueblood more politely than most, here. He reacted with 'of course' when complimented - which got across his narcissism, but when it came to asking her to leave he was actually more tactful than I'd thought he'd be. He was still unkind, but not overtly or loudly disgusted and aghast to the point I expected him to act. More like an adult snob than a spoiled child, so I guess Celestia's been taking him under her wing a bit. :derpytongue2:

You wrote Sunshine as one with child-like enthusiasm, and of course we feel sympathy for her, her being ejected from a place she's been wanting to be for some time. It is sad that she is clearly too naive to discern certain things, like just how snooty, empty, and uncaring those in the social circle she's gauging for really are. :unsuresweetie:

Donut Joe was kind to offer her assistance, especially considering how painfully ignorant she was in the very thing he was going to end up helping her with. I expect that her business may actually have a chance with him teaching her, and supposing her establishment prospers, she'll end up right where she wanted to be... only to realize that someone like Donut Joe is worth more than all the upper-class business snobs in Canterlot. My fanciful side thinks there's potential for a romance there, but it could be a good friendship too. :twilightsmile: Thanks for sharing! :pinkiehappy:

And so with that, Pony Joe, jedi master took sunshine something-something as his padawan.

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