Hi. It's gapty. Read a fic today. Or don't. They're both the same to me. Just don't tell knighty I said that.
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There is only one game left. One game to remain undefeated, to be remembered as a chess legend in Canterlot High School. However, my opponent is Twilight Sparkle.
Huge thanks to The Sleepless Beholder and RunicTreetops for proofreading this fic!
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I love how this story is both about chess AND about life, and the protagonist's realizations about how to live it. She makes meaningful progress in personal growth during a chess game against Twilight Sparkle.
I just hope that after this game, Velvet Sky can still hang on to her realizations, and build upon what she saw and understood.
Anyway, good story! Thank you.
(I would also like to note, for potential readers, that this story doesn't require the reader to be knowledgeable about chess to appreciate it.)
It seems every time I see a chess related story from you (like this one, too!), I really enjoy it.
If anyone is curious to see them all, this search seems to show all of gapty's chess related stories.
Goodness, what a rollercoaster of a match! Not to mention what Velvet had gone through in her head. She now has a lot to think about.
And this is a great example of how context changes the meaning of words.
Wow. That was something, alright. Amazing piece of introspection. How you managed to make a chess game as tense as a life-or-death duel, I’ll never know. Also, love how you made Twilight the grim reaper (”Her scythe hit me with all its might and killed me.”) and I love the repetition of “cold, calculated and emotionless”.
Fantastic work, and into Best of Drama this goes!
It is interesting how Velvet blames her ardent failure on everything besides herself. She blames Twilight's friends. She blames her lack of support, yet never seems to ponder the idea that she is outclassed and outmatched by Twilight, that perhaps, the real reason she failed was due to her insurmountable weakness.
Friendship had nothing to do with it, as there is nothing wrong with individuality, nor does being alone somehow hamper you. A lack of companionship has no authority over her inability to succeed in the face of difficult odds.
Twilight's friends had nothing to do with her success, just as they had nothing to do with Velvet Sky's failure. There is only one person who should be blamed. Velvet Sky herself.
Tl;dr, blame yourself for your defeat and no one else. Improve, get stronger, and win. Also, there's nothing wrong with being focused mostly on yourself, and nothing wrong with being interested solely in your hobbies. Friends are neat, but they're by no means mandatory.
11851839
In all honesty this is going to read the way it does, and I can't imagine myself wording my statements any other way, but there are many issues I have with these sentiments. To start with, you open with direct misinformation, knowingly or not.
"It is interesting how Velvet blames her ardent failure on everything besides herself."
First and foremost Velvet isn't using others as an excuse for her loss, she actively admits her own failings for the match:
.
.
She also mentally notes her opponent's skill to a point of admiring they way in which they lose:
.
.
The we get into the outside life part, and Velvet once again holds herself accountable for her lack of support by others:
.
.
And to drive this further home we have the last few lines:
.
.
"Friendship had nothing to do with it, as there is nothing wrong with individuality, nor does being alone somehow hamper you. A lack of companionship has no authority over her inability to succeed in the face of difficult odds."
I believe this to be a sort of halftruth, you are correct that the biggest contributor to her loss is the fact that it's her vs Twilight faustdamn Sparkle, there isn't a fic nor fan of the show that doesn't assume Sci-Twi is anything less than a technical genius.
But being alone is absolutely something that hampers you especially in a competitive environment, from chess to fighting games to 1v1 sports the single easiest way to limit yourself is by limiting your competition. It stagnates your tactics, narrows down what you expect and causes you to be caught off-guard by newly-developed strategies.
Now admittedly, that doesn't specify friends per se, but part of Velvet's lament is neglecting the rest of the chess club: an outlet she very well could have used to better herself if she hadn't dismissed it out of a superiority complex.
While it's true that friendship isn't some sort of wonder-glue that fixes everything, the basics of social interaction and companionship are important to fight off loneliness and provide assistance when just yourself isn't enough. Humans by nature are social creatures and having emotional support can be a great boon to your confidence, something that would be important to have when "in the face of difficult odds"
Now ultimately the amount of group interaction people need is not the same for every person, Like you said: "there's nothing wrong with being focused mostly on yourself, and nothing wrong with being interested solely in your hobbies." This is absolutely true, but only if you emphasize the usage of the word mostly.
TLDR: Pointing out the factors that lead to you failing and another succeeding is not denying that it was ultimately you who failed nor they who succeeded, and without help nobody will catch you when you fall.
11851839
11851917
To add one line of thought to what Box-Corner said: Is this loss about chess at all?
11851940
Judging by the last line of the story (which DANG does it slap) I can safely assume that it's more a metaphor for Velvet's approach to life in general, which to be fair we both more or less implied at points.
Ether that or this was a very subtle one-sided romance tragedy considering how much Velvet gushes about Sci-twi's prowess (I wouldn't blame her), but that is probably just my shameless shipper's-twitch acting up again.
11851917
"In all honesty this is going to read the way it does, and I can't imagine myself wording my statements any other way, but there are many issues I have with these sentiments. To start with, you open with direct misinformation, knowingly or not."
More of a mistake on my part than an attempt at misinformation, though I do still stand by my original point. She does seem to place quite a large amount of emphasis on friendship and companionship around the end to the midpoint of the story.
"But being alone is absolutely something that hampers you especially in a competitive environment, from chess to fighting games to 1v1 sports the single easiest way to limit yourself is by limiting your competition. It stagnates your tactics, narrows down what you expect and causes you to be caught off-guard by newly-developed strategies."
This is an interesting statement. Speaking purely from anecdotal evidence, I've found that for the most part, I thrive typically completely on my own. Do you have any sources to back up these claims? It seems like an interesting contrast to what I have grown used to in my own life.
Especially in fighting games. People being around me while I play fighting games serve mostly as a distraction, a hindrance, rather than a bonus.
"While it's true that friendship isn't some sort of wonder-glue that fixes everything, the basics of social interaction and companionship are important to fight off loneliness and provide assistance when just yourself isn't enough. Humans by nature are social creatures and having emotional support can be a great boon to your confidence, something that would be important to have when "in the face of difficult odds"
I suppose this is where the true problem lies. While these potential benefits are possible, I don't see the point in relying on friendship and companionship alone as a way to gain confidence. Speaking once again anecdotally, all of my confidence comes from within, from myself, and myself alone.
Loneliness isn't something to fight off, it's something to embrace. Something that simply is. It's like trying to fight against the having skin or having blood in your veins.
I will not deny that these things could potentially help others, however, where I disagree is in the concept that these crutches are somehow mandatory. Like how I ended off my tldr. Friendship is neat, sure, friendship is cool at times, ok. But in no way is it mandatory, and in now way should it be placed on some sort of pedestal as the end all be all. I despise that line of thinking.
"This is absolutely true, but only if you emphasize the usage of the word mostly."
Is it? Are people and social interactions truly that important? I can understand networking and working together to achieve a common goal, but I see nothing particularly important when it comes to interacting with others.
"Now admittedly, that doesn't specify friends per se, but part of Velvet's lament is neglecting the rest of the chess club: an outlet she very well could have used to better herself if she hadn't dismissed it out of a superiority complex."
This as well. I doubt that interacting with them would have honestly helped much in any objective capacity. Directly challenging them could improve her skills sure, but talking and being friends with them is a completely unnecessary action if one's goal is simply to improve. There are better ways to do that.
"TLDR: Pointing out the factors that lead to you failing and another succeeding is not denying that it was ultimately you who failed nor they who succeeded, and without help nobody will catch you when you fall."
I wish this was pointed out more explicitly in the narration. Though that's not a dig at the story, of course, I enjoyed it.
11851940
Probably not, it seems to have more to do with Velvet's self-image, and her over-reliance on chess to give herself confidence/to fuel her ego.
11851988
The best example I can give is American chess player/martial artist Joshua Waitzkin, short version: he notes that reducing your pool of challengers is like being a big fish in a small pond, you will be the best, but are limited by your opponents and if you move to a bigger pond, you will be dealing with other fish as big or bigger that have gotten used to the pond while you have yet to do so.
Those are not his exact words, but he has very good insights from his book: The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance an autobiography he wrote about his experiences.
Now admittedly, I agree that Velvet has a small pond, even with her chessmates, but she didn't bother with anyone, while the story didn't emphasize it, she could have continued challenging Twilight to keep track of her pace but opted not to.
As for fighting games, a good number of competitive melee players* also encounter this, for the longest time everyone thought Yoshi was in a much lower Tier until aMSa came from Japan with techniques they never practiced against, sort of a reverse situation, and to some extent it points to the reverse having merit. But since the biggest tourneys for a game with such limited accessability can quickly stagnate, they were initially surprised by anything remotely "new" because professional players never sought out competition that might try those tactics.
As for the factor of confidence, I am mostly talking of situations in instances where self-worth is defined by self success, and only self success. In which notable failure can really shatter that confidence if you have nothing, or no-one to help stabilize after a heavy metaphorical blow. You might not need friends/acquaintances/connections, but they can be one of the things that can help you.
I am very interested in your stance on loneliness, how does one embrace being alone if that is something that is initially bothering them? to me the idea of accepting being alone does nothing to fix the problems it might cause. I'm not doubting it's possible to do so healthily though, and would like to hear some elaboration on it all things considered.
I guess what I'm trying to say though, is that I find it to be a very fragile position to go through life mostly alone. Even if you are confident in your abilities there might have been something you missed that could harm your way of life that someone else could have caught, or something that could make life fundamentally easier to get through with help. Not even friends specifically, it could be family or even just business partners.
All that aside, thank you for replying. You have been very polite and I find good arguments in what you have said.
*one can say what they must about competitive smash, melee matches are basically two speedrunner-level glitchhunters beating the snot outta each other.
So Twilight is Tigran Petrosian. And if Petrosian sacrifices a rook against you, you're doomed.
11852012
“The best example I can give is American chess player/martial artist Joshua Waitzkin, short version: he notes that reducing your pool of challengers is like being a big fish in a small pond, you will be the best, but are limited by your opponents and if you move to a bigger pond, you will be dealing with other fish as big or bigger that have gotten used to the pond while you have yet to do so.”
Interesting, I have a mild interest in chess, but no time to engage in the hobby. It’s true what they say, you learn something new every day.
“Now admittedly, I agree that Velvet has a small pond, even with her chessmates, but she didn't bother with anyone, while the story didn't emphasize it, she could have continued challenging Twilight to keep track of her pace but opted not to.”
See, I agree with the idea of challenging others and of course, challenging Twilight as many times as possible. My specific gripe is that you must make personal connections/friends to do so.
“As for fighting games, a good number of competitive melee players* also encounter this, for the longest time everyone thought Yoshi was in a much lower Tier until aMSa came from Japan with techniques they never practiced against, sort of a reverse situation, and to some extent it points to the reverse having merit. But since the biggest tourneys for a game with such limited accessability can quickly stagnate, they were initially surprised by anything remotely "new" because professional players never sought out competition that might try those tactics.”
And this I understand as well. I agree that there is much to be learned from others, of course, I am learning from you right now, and perhaps the opposite is true as well. My specific and only gripe is this concept of mandatory, all-consuming, all “good” friendship. Where individualism, or even generally being introverted, is seen as something “Wrong” or “Bad” I heavily disagree with this standpoint.
“As for the factor of confidence, I am mostly talking of situations in instances where self-worth is defined by self success, and only self success. In which notable failure can really shatter that confidence if you have nothing, or no-one to help stabilize after a heavy metaphorical blow. You might not need friends/acquaintances/connections, but they can be one of the things that can help you.”
Interesting. Typically, I’ve had no one to emotionally "rely" on when it comes to things like this. Usually, regardless of the pain I may feel, I just push through regardless. The pain swiftly becomes irrelevant. Both physically and emotionally.
“I am very interested in your stance on loneliness, how does one embrace being alone if that is something that is initially bothering them? to me the idea of accepting being alone does nothing to fix the problems it might cause. I'm not doubting it's possible to do so healthily though, and would like to hear some elaboration on it all things considered.”
Simple. I used to feel somewhat alone as a child. I wanted friends, blah, blah, blah. Eventually, I realized how little I needed friends, and decided against it. I learned that it no longer interested me, and even beyond that, it seemed more of a detriment than a benefit.
I accepted that quite simply, the potential loneliness was something I no longer wanted to change, and then I suppose it just became a part of me. To the point where it no longer affected me in any significant way.
“I guess what I'm trying to say though, is that I find it to be a very fragile position to go through life mostly alone. Even if you are confident in your abilities there might have been something you missed that could harm your way of life that someone else could have caught, or something that could make life fundamentally easier to get through with help. Not even friends specifically, it could be family or even just business partners.”
Do you mean alone emotionally or physically? I do not believe that life can go smoothly entirely without people(unfortunately) but when it comes specifically to emotional connections, to becoming “friends” with others, such a thing is unnecessary.
If you have a business partner, while it is possible friendship could form, it is ultimately not needed to fulfill the mutual interest of whatever the two of you are attempting to do.
Make no mistake, I understand that working together with others, combining your power, or even thinking with others can be a net positive, and in some fields is necessary. But none of that requires being friends.
“All that aside, thank you for replying. You have been very polite and I find good arguments in what you have said.”
To you as well, I enjoy encountering opposing viewpoints to my own. So this has been a pleasant experience. Thank you.