After magic has been restored everything should have gone back to normal and everypony was supposed to forget about the Royal families deception of Zephyr Heights... Except they didn't.
With Queen Haven going back home early to "straighten everything out" the sisters hope that they won't be landing in jail either, but that's not good enough for Pipp. Her second family, her fans, all the pegasi that called themselves the PippSqueaks felt betrayed and hurt by their idol.
Pipp wants them back more than anything, she wants to go back to Zephyr Heights and make it right with everypony and to do that she will have to dig deep into why she even is an idol and will end up doing something she has never done before to try to get them back. Open up on live TV.
This is great -- you really focus on both Pipp and Zipp, and bring them out as real, solid characters with both external "faces" and internal motivations, not to mention the will and ability to solve their own problems. Pipp's solution here is well presented and completely in-character. Nice work!
11009237
Thank you! I honestly did as much research (aka rewatching pipps scenes lol) as I did actually writing lol because I wanted to basically give pipp a character arc that would work with what we've seen in the movie. I'm glad you liked it!
11009243
That's definitely the way to do it (being able to re-stream the movie is a blessing!) More than half of "selling" a character is being able to speak with their canonical "voice" and personality, and you handle that well here.
11009246
Thanks, I won't lie I had the pipp and zipp prison scene on a loop on YouTube for half the dialogue lol but I'm excited to read your stuff later when I have the time! I've been adding a lot of g5 to my read later list it's great stuff
Social media is a sickness. The least Pipp can do is use a CGI vtuber avatar so people can take her at least a little seriously.
Why insult the audience by trying to pretend you aren't already wearing a phony facade when you can be upfront with it? Everypony already knows it, and the ones who don't are the ones who should be in a (padded) cell.
11009327
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11009403
Oh, I still like little Pipp. But there's room for a lot of character development. I hope she learns to use her platform to spread real truth instead of shallow makeup tips and nonsense.
Pipp answered: “What spake I of love! I am bringing gifts unto ponies!”
“Give them nothing,” said the saint. “Take rather part of their load, and carry it along with them—that will be most agreeable unto them: if only it be agreeable unto thee!
If, however, thou wilt give unto them, give them no more than an alms, and let them also beg for it!”
...
A philosopher asked Pipp: “Without words, without the wordless, will you tell me truth?”
Pipp kept silence.
The philosopher bowed and thanked Pipp, saying: “With your loving kindness I have cleared away my delusions and entered the true path.”
After the philosopher had gone, Zipp asked Pipp what he had attained.
Pipp replied: “A good horse runs even at the shadow of the whip.”
(Damn. Why isn't Twitch Vtubers reading Nietzsche audiobooks a thing?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Twitch/comments/9b0phr/reading_books_on_twitch/ )
And I hope somepony from Bridlewood sends Zipp a copy of Marechiavelli's writings to help prepare her for the throne.
11009523
While I believe that Machiavelli's works are very applicable to the modern real world political climate in the little to non-existent political climate in G5 equestria their works would at best be wasted and at worst create (at least compared to everywhere else in equestria) a pretty horrific place to live lol
You know I've always found Nietzsche quotes really cool but as a whole I've never really been into nihilism, which is weird because I do also really enjoy nihilistic and cathartic cyberpunk stuff. Either way I agree that reading quotes would be pretty neat but I personally feel that mlp doesn't mesh well with it (if you're trying to stay even somewhat idyllic like the canon universe).
I agree that overall social media is a sickness but I would also like to point out that it is my belief that the reason isn't with social media itself and is more just in peoples nature. The easy to point out real world equivalent of being fake online is being polite and most socially adjusted people do it as well as try to impress strangers with their looks and such to make a favorable impression. I believe social media is just a wide reaching extension of that. A widely used measure of how close you are with someone else (friends wise) is how much you can act yourself around them. I figure it would be pretty in character for Pipp to attempt to just drop the act and be natural around her fans online as opposed to doubling down on her fake internet image if that makes sense?
11009684
Nietzsche is not nihilism. Quite the opposite.
And that second quote was actually a Buddhist koan.
11009837
Ah my apologies then, i never read their stuff past a dozen quotes or so but I was always under the impression that it was nihilistic. I would bet its the small sample size of quotes I've read from them but thanks for correcting me
11009842
You are correct: Nietzsche is literally the definer of active and passive concepts of Nihilism.
His basic philosophy is that: Overcoming and thus making meaning of and through, the World that has no inherent value or meaning, is the most basic strength that can be had.
Its the entire plot and theme of "Thus Spake Zarathustra"
11010129
Ah ok, thanks for letting me know! I'll have to check in on their stuff at some point when I find the time.
A rock-solid perfomance. Well done
11010428
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it
I don't think it's possible to have a big following and not be fake. The reason is simple IMO - as the person gets more and more fans, those fans themselves are different from one another (their beliefs, opinions etc) and it becomes very easy to upset some of them. A "real" Pipp would have fewer fans.
Then again, I don't think I watch any "influencers", ok, maybe one person could be considered that (I watch YT videos about some topics, like audio equipment, but don't usually watch the "general" ones). I am a fan of some musicians, but I do not really care about anything other than their performances - if there's a concert, a new record/CD release etc. So, I guess, I am not an expert on this...
This was some great characterization of Pipp and Zipp! I also agree that Pipp got the short end of the characterization stick, so it's nice to see fics like this make the rounds. If there's anything to nitpick in this fic, it'd be that paragraphs may sometimes go a bit too long so the pacing feels non-stop, but other than that, you've done a good job!
Thanks for the story!
11010859
I don't think you're wrong but I also don't think you're 100% right and I think it's a really interesting discussion to have. I do agree that the the more of a fan base you have the more diverse it will be and be increasingly difficult or impossible to please them all. From my own experience as a twitch streamer and from my streamer friends (none of us are huge but we're average sized) whenever we would change the content (and in this case all pipp is doing from a viewer perspective is changing her content by being more of herself on camera) you do lose some fans but you also pick up new ones and in the end it usually balances out.
I also don't have any experience or knowledge with music but either way I feel like with pipp even though she'll definitely lose some fans over that change she'll probably pick up some new ones that will probably stick around. At the least I think it'll be interesting to have viewer feedback during the creative process and as long as she doesn't cave into every single request then she'll be fine if that makes sense?
11011275
Thanks! I honestly am loving writing Pipp and that she deserves all the love she can get
Not a nitpick at all! I'll be the first to admit I need to get better with writing and I felt that too, with the overly long paragraphs and stuff but I didn't notice till after I uploaded this and I wasn't really sure what to do about it. Before I write the next non crackfic that I've got planned I plan to do some research into how to avoid that and stuff and really try my best to get better at it so I'm crossing my fingers! Pipp and all the G5 cast deserve the best treatment and one day I hope I can say that I can do that for them. Thanks again for the comment, I wish you the best!
11011281
People will probably assume she is fake anyway, since everybody is and there is no real way to prove otherwise.
Maybe if she starts being direct "your favorite color is yellow? That color sucks, I hate it") people could believe her, but even that could be a character.
I think that people always play a character, depending on who they are interacting with (people behave differently with parents, best friend, boss and a random stranger on the street).
I guess feedback is useful, as long as you do not mistake the opinion of a vocal minority to be the same as the opinion of the majority.
Then again, I have not watched many (if any) videos of the type that Pipp is shown to make, so I really wouldn't know how it is.
11011404
I agree, there is no real way to prove stuff and I haven't met a single person irl or fictional that behaves the exact same way around everyone but yeah its a definite skill to be able to handle feedback that may or may not be the majorities' opinion.
I guess for me at least it boils down to that I believe the MLP universe is less cynical and most ponies in it are way more wholesome and trusting/naive than the average human. So while I will agree that it almost guaranteed wouldn't work IRL it is my belief that there's at least a chance it could work in Equestria.
Even if you're not an expert (I don't think I am either personally, I think I've just scraped the surface myself) in what Pipp would be streaming and stuff I want to thank you for being devils advocate and all! An echo chamber is no room for growth and if I decide to continue on down this story line in later stories then discussions like yours are some of the most valuable to me so thanks!
11011415
Oh yeah, ponies do seem a bit more trusting (at least of leader figures - how easily Sprout managed to rally the Earth ponies for war).
I agree that echo chambers are not very useful and there is no discussion between people who have the same opinion.
If I was Pipp's fan, I probably would just watch her music videos (and buy CDs or records) and would not care either way. After the lie was revealed, I would partially blame myself for believing it and partially her for lying. However, if I liked her music before I would continue to like it, though I would not want to see her in a government position for multiple reasons, but one of them would be the lie.
Anyway, keep up the good work!
I literally just rewatched that part. She’s right. Nice little details, there.
Wait, what happened with Zipp's poll?!
11029958
In my head at least it was a success just like with Pipps but since Zipp wasn't putting her future on the outcome it was just a regular opinion poll. At least that's how it went in my head but I didn't want to interrupt Pipps post answer elation with the outcome of Zipps poll.
Not gonna lie, i struggled getting past the first half of this fic because it hit a little too close to home. I have two older sisters, and, having someone you love and admire so much act the way Zipp did, well, it is painful.
I don't think any of them were wrong, they had entirely different perspectives. I like the way you handled their relationship, and how it both feels in character, but better fleshed out and developed.
It was a great read, in the end.
pipp might've lied about flying, but she's also one of the 5 ponies who gave flight back to thre pegasi, so she deserves credit for that, at least
this needs to be in the upcoming show, OwO
11052522
Thanks! I personally really love stories where no one is really right or wrong but they just have valid points from their own personal perspectives and I tried to get that to work here. I'm sorry you had to struggle so much at the first but I'm glad you liked it overall!
11079375
Ooooh that would be amazing! Thanks for thinking that and I agree too
11079543
your wellcome, :)
Very good story!! I'd love to see something like this for Pipp in the future! I actually kinda felt for Pipp during her message to The Pippsqueaks in her interview.
That being said, there are quite a number of grammar issues in this story, mainly regarding parts where a comma should have been added, like in the following line:
There should be a comma right after, "killer."
A semicolon would work better after the word, "gorgeous." A comma would also work after "glow," and "ocean" in that last sentence. Finally, the S in "it's," isn't supposed to be apostrophized.
It's "were," no apostrophe.
That first sentence is a question, therefore also requires a question mark at the end.
"Its" needs an apostrophe, and a comma is needed after "livestream," "castle," and "ZTAT."
I think the right thing to say at the end would be, "Are you, Zipp?"
There needs to be an S at the end of the word, "know." A comma is also needed after the word, "So."
There are plenty of other grammar errors involving a lack of commas, or using the wrong punctuation marks, but I don't have time to go through them all. I still enjoyed the story, don't get me wrong.