I have spent a lot of time thinking about My Little Pony, to put it lightly. Fanfic writing, brainstorming, etcetera. A lot of ideas come up that I can't necessarily work in at the time, or aren't important enough to make it into a story, things like that. So let's make a list, shall we? To note, some of these ideas are old, some of them are pretty new. Some I'll ignore if I've got this really good idea for a fic that contradicts a single point of headcanon. Here we go:
- Each of the mane six have a different sexuality, or at least fall on a different point of the Kinsey scale.
Only Rarity is completely straight, and she finds assumptions made about her because of her profession and love of beautiful things. Applejack strongly prefers males from a physical standpoint, but can form largely intellectual bonds with other mares, falling into a caretaker role with the likes of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie has a light preference for colts, generally knowing how to behave around them if she wants something and finding her instincts falling in place, but is open minded and has experimented since coming to Ponyville. Twilight I consider either evenly bisexual, or perhaps even pansexual; due to her strong magical talent, she has a very receptive soul. It was why she was able to form fast friendships with wildly different ponies as well; Twilight actually operates on a slightly different level than most ponies, simply incredibly in tune with magical auras the likes of which all ponies give off, and physical aspects of a relationship more or less fall in place once she's bonded emotionally with somepony. Fluttershy is close to asexual, having no drive from a physical standpoint, and issues with contact. However, her strong empathetic nature means that ponies often misread her intentions, and she has developed strong bonds with several friends that from an outsider's viewpoint are only barely platonic. Rainbow Dash is, well, gay. It's mostly a power dynamic thing; usually other mares either let her be the dominant one in the relationship, though what she really seeks is an evenness without competition, where she can flip between being the dominant one or letting the other take over for a while, as the situation calls for it.
- Rainbow Dash was orphaned
Dash's mother was unable to care for her, young, single, and with barely enough money to feed herself, so gave Dash up. She was adopted while young by Fluttershy's family, and the two are legally sisters. She knows her past and has since young, given how very different she is from the rest of her family. She and Fluttershy tend not to spell out their relationship because Dash has difficulty admitting she was unwanted. She's never met either biological parent, but has claimed that if she ever meets her mother she'll greet her hind-hooves first. She's had a personal crisis over Fluttershy in the past, trying to reconcile her unconditional love for the pegasus with their relationship as sisters; things have recently become clearer to her, and she understands better that her love of Fluttershy is not romantic.
- Twilight Sparkle is the (distant) descendant of Celestia
The Sparkle line are all, actually, direct descendants of the princess. It began with a royal indiscretion several hundred years ago, but Celestia has always watched out over her line, trying not to favor them but keep them from any great harm all the same. She has never once revealed her link to the mortal ponies, and it has never been an issue. She intervened with Twilight only because she had no choice; that was why she already knew the filly's name. Related to that:
- Twilight's extended family are prominent in higher circles, but not her immediate family
The Sparkle name is several hundred years old, and has always enjoyed good fortune. They have produced a multitude of mages, scholars, scientists, guards, and so on. Twilight's mother was openly scorned for her choice of husband, and cut ties with the rest of the family. Twilight has met her mother's family only twice, her father's family much more often. Her mother's mother in particular has experienced numerous frustrations that Twilight has encountered such royal favor, given that Twilight's mother's rejection was meant to be a temporary punishment designed to teach her a lesson. They have never reconciled.
- Celestia regrets what she did to Twilight
You heard me, what she did to Twilight. She trained the filly in precisely the right sciences and magics to survive an extended confrontation with Nightmare Moon, even subliminally planting the technique of "blinking" (teleporting) into Twilight when she couldn't manage to teach it through traditional methods (it's not meant to be a spell normal ponies can learn; it's an inherent ability that points to Twilight's royal blood). She never intended Twilight to defeat Nightmare Moon, just distract her until sunrise, when Celestia herself would step in. In the worst case scenario, a sealed envelope was to be opened by her most trusted advisor naming Twilight as successor to the throne; she is actually far more direct a descendent than Blueblood, whose claim is dubious and undisputed because no one cares. It was only after Twilight unlocked the power of friendship, and showed clear preference to her day-old friends to her life in Canterlot, that Celestia realized how badly she had used the pony. She purposefully distances herself these days in order to give Twilight a more normal life; secretly, she is nearly heart-broken every time Twilight bows instead of rushes up to her in affection like she used to
- The Nightmare loved Luna
The nightmare that possessed Luna was born of her own jealousy and desires. It never treated Luna as an enemy, and in fact its entire personality was based on the conviction that Luna had to be mistreated and deserved more. It protected her, it did what she couldn't. If it did evil deeds then that meant Luna's hooves remained clean. During their banishment, the nightmare kept Luna asleep, so she wouldn't remember a thousand years of emptiness. After returning to Equestria, the nightmare saw a way out. It never meant to stop the mane six, only test them to make sure it was worthy, and purposefully sacrificed itself so Luna would have a second chance at her sister's side. It died so Luna might live, and it loved her.
- Rarity considers Spike like a nephew
Rarity's well aware of Spike's crush on her, but she also knows that the poor boy's young, lovestruck, and a little confused. She can't break it to him that she needs a pony, not a dragon, but neither does she realize how badly she's leading him on. This is because she does dote on him, thinking him the "perfect little gentlemen". She acts almost like an aunt to him, encouraging him, telling him how adorable he is, and so on. Secretly, it worries her how easily she fits into a semi-maternal role, as she worries it's a sign she's losing her youth. As a side note, this is why she seems increasingly desperate to find somepony to be with, before she finds herself an old spinster.
- Fluttershy resents Twilight
Twilight bosses her around, trivializes her concerns, and generally makes her life more frightening. Had she run into the unicorn during her assertive phase, she probably would have destroyed Twilight. As it is, friction is building, and left unchecked might break apart the elements. Dash has been watching out for Fluttershy though, and is aware some kind of issue exists. There will likely be a confrontation in the near future
- Applejack only recently became aware of her sexuality
Applejack's answer to all questions involving dating has always been "haven't got the time for it". She's considered it a waste of time, and most of her notions of romance have had negative connotations; her parents were an arranged marriage, and so fed up with each other by the time Applebloom was born they had to coordinate who was going to be at the farm at which days to avoid running into each other, eventually finding it easier to never come back, even for their children. She has been flirted with by stallions, typically at rodeos, and on good days will even flirt back a little. She's never even been kissed. Recently, she's had to reconsider things; Fluttershy treats her in a way few others have, and is borderline suggestive, though Applejack knows she can be like that with other ponies. However it still appeals to her... but so does running alongside Dash, the wind in her mane and not a care in the world. She is unsure whether to pursue either mare.
- Twilight reads trashy romance novels
An insatiable lover of books, she spied some underneath her mentor's bed one day when Celestia left her alone there during studies. Thinking only to organize what the maids had 'obviously' forgotten to take care of, Twilight read an entire chapter before hearing Celestia return and hiding the book. Initially weirded out, Twilight returned to them again while a little older, going to great pains to not check them out of the royal library, to the point that she has technically stolen them (and returned them on time, of course). She has managed to accumulate a small (trunk's worth) personal collection that she hides so fiercely not even Spike knows they exist. She has tried her hoof at writing, but is aware all her characters are slightly-tweaked versions of her friends, and destroys most of her own writing. She has shipped herself with multiple ponies at that, more often than not coming back to herself and Song Smile, who is definitely *not* Pinkie Pie
- Pinkie Pie's childhood.... was pretty okay!
After Pinkie Pie's talent came to light, her parents knew she couldn't stay on the rock farm her whole life. They sent her to live with her grandmother, who lived in Ponyville. She visited the farm, and they visited her, quite often. Granny Pie did die of old age while Pinkie was still a teenager, but rather than move back to Ponyville Pinkie found work with the Cakes. She goes back to see her family regularly; Mother's Day, Father's Day, often for New Year's, and Sister's Day (a holiday of her own invention). Blinkie Pie is married and her family is set to inherit the farm, their parents "retired" but still working the farm. Inkie is more obviously unhappy, and Pinkie always tries to get her to come backto Ponyville with her. She has yet to succeed, but won't ever stop trying to bring a smile to her sister's face.
- The Elements of Harmony are sentient
Each element is a force, not of nature, but of ponykind. They are the accumulated spirits of all past ponies, and pony afterlife is a buddhist-like ascension to a collective consciousness that guides all living ponies and weave the threads of fate. Element bearers retain some level of independence in the afterlife, and often impart their wisdom and skill on the living bearers. Twilight has it hardest because her element has few guiding spirits.
- The element bearers are mixed up
Each of the elements can be split two ways. One, into the elements of Earth, Sky, and Heaven, which compose all living things. Two, into the forces of Light and Dark, that counterbalance themselves and represent the inert and the dynamic, the body and the mind, life and death. The problem is, kindness is an earthen element, and laughter is a sky element. Their true potential will never be unlocked because they are fighting the nature of their bearers, and are unbalanced. This is why both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy have talents or abilities unusual for their species; the elements tried to make Fluttershy as earth-like as possible, and Pinkie Pie more pegasus-like. Some of this imbalance has already bled into their lives in more noticeable ways; Pinkie Pie's body overcompensated from being forced into this Sky-role and she thus has an extremely powerful connection to the earth, manifesting itself as a connection to the deep ley-lines of the earth, giving her access to unheard of magic-like abilities. Fluttershy meanwhile is left with a feeling of unworthiness and a weight on her spirit that literally and figuratively drags her down.
- Fate has provided each element bearer with a backup
None of them know it, either. The elements control much behind the scenes, but are not all-powerful, and their sentience has limitations. With forces of chaos in the equation, rather than pin everything on six unprepared mortals, an alternate candidate to each element has been groomed by the machinations of the elements themselves. Unfortunately, left to their own devices since the mane six are working out, these alternate six are beginning to discover their suppressed potential. It has the potential to wreak great havoc on harmony on Equestria, especially if the others discover their fate, and is proof the elements are fallible
- Celestia and Luna were once mortal
Celestia was trained as a pegasus knight in an old pony society, and Luna was a mage. They bore no relationship to each other. When ponykind rose up against Discord, both ponies led armies, exemplars of their kind. They threw their lives at Discord in order to seal him in stone, using the elements of harmony to an extent even the mane six have not matched (yet). The energies involved destroyed their physical forms, but their spirits refused to leave the mortal world while there were still ponies to protect. The elements, and the faith of ponykind itself, restored them to life as alicorns. They claimed sisterhood since both were restored through the same agent, reborn with the same "parents". It is also a mark of their closeness. Because Discord had control of the sun and moon for so long, both had lost all natural rhythm; Celestia and Luna took control of them to restore order. One day, the sun and moon will be able to guide themselves again, and harmony will reign complete. Then, Celestia and Luna will rest.
- Vinyl Scratch has blue eyes
Yep
- Octavia's cutie mark proves her talent isn't the cello
Octavia has a love of composition, and only plays to pay for her pricey Canterlot home. At least, that was what she told herself six years ago. Her spirit has been steadily worn down by isolation, cynicism, failure, and contempt as an earth pony in Canterlot high society. She feels emotionally dead inside, and has forgotten her dreams. The rest of her quartet generally don't try to interact with her, as she's positively creepy at times. Really though, all she needs is something or somepony to wake her up from her living daze.
- Colgate understands time intrinsically
She can see its flow and to her each passing of a second is deliberate as a step forward. She could probably travel it freely if she could be bothered. Rather, this understanding has parlayed itself into an intense fatalism, as she can spy the "when", if not the "how" of everypony's death. The hourglass cutie mark represents her ability to mark deadlines, often with terrifying literalism. Berry Punch is one of her only friends because she both believes in Colgate's abilities, and isn't bothered by them. Colgate has told Berry when she was going to die; Berry responded by figuring another drink wasn't going to do her any harm then.
- Vinyl Scratch uses nicknames because she has to
Vinyl Scratch has an extremely hard time understanding and following spoken words, to the point it could well be an undiagnosed disability. She has to put things into song in order to remember them, her cutie mark representing the near incessant whistling she'd perform as a child once she learned this trick. Nicknames are easier for her to remember because they are less words to her and more pure thoughts, her interpretation of a pony's character (or as she calls it, "rhythm"). She plays her music loud to drown out the words that confuse her, and give her an excuse when she can't place some fact somepony told her earlier. A few names stick with her, however, like her mother's and her childhood friend, Octavia. It also led to her delinquency in the school system, as tests were impossible for her unless the teacher let her whistle, and she was never believed when she said she just couldn't learn what she was being taught. Had she received proper aid, her understanding of musical theory and incredible singing voice would have launched her to a career ten times what she currently enjoys.
- Spike's growth is stunted
Dragons really do only grow according to horde size. It was an evolutionary tactic so young ones would not have to compete with parents, and would remain below the radar until they were able to set up their own home. Normally dragons accumulate at such a slow rate their growth is mistaken as being linear with age, and once hordes are accumulated long enough the dragon's body "settles in" and won't revert even in case of lost horde. Spike will eventually grow in size as he inherits the library from Twilight at the end of her lifespan. His mental state, however, is slightly unhealthy, as he has lived for nearly two decades but his brain size is not correct for that amount of development.
- Derpy Hooves has Pinkie-like powers
Derpy's eyes can see things most ponies can't, such as a faint physical representation of a pony's magical aura. Also, they have a tendency to look at sources of incoming danger before they even become visible, allowing Derpy to know if a flower pot is about to fall or something. When she concentrates she can bring them together, but lets them roam because they can help her friends. The only caveat is her powers never help herself out. In fact, for every minor disaster she averts, one happens to her. Her being "accident prone" is actually a result off all the bad luck she stole from other ponies. She stopped Lyra from chipping a tooth on a "Baked Bad" and then tripped on a rake, making her nose bleed. She woke up Rainbow Dash when the mare was about to lose her job from being late too often, and her chair collapsed the next time she sat on it. Luckily, she has an extremely positive attitude, and even if nopony understands what she's doing she has friends who look out for her.
- Caramel is a pre-op transsexual
I don't know, I just think it's a cool idea. He's a bit of a mopey guy, and Big Mac has always looked out for him. He wants to repay that, knowing he's attracted to the stallion, but something holds him back. There's a wrongness about it, a wrongness that pervades many actions he takes. He wakes up feeling shame and doesn't know why. Rarity is the only pony who knows he has issues, and the two are secretly friends. He's afraid of being caught in the boutique when he already gets ridiculed about being Big Mac's "girl", things like that, but she makes him feel comfortable. And he just likes helping out with the dresses. Rarity has recently started purposefully leaving him alone in the back room, half-convinced he'd try one on if given the chance. She wants to use that experience to open a dialogue, convince him of the help he needs to seek in order to ever feel good about himself
- Rainbow Dash could get into the Wonderbolts, if she actually wanted to
Dash hasn't been to a Wonderbolt tryout in three years. She's afraid, because she knows she could make it. Heck, she could make it easily; she held back so she wouldn't discourage her trainees, but her wing-power already is well above the average for the Wonderbolts, and is just a hair's breadth away from Spitfire, who's a living legend. But each year she has a crisis of conscience and comes up with an excuse, just claiming to her friends she needed to perfect her routine instead. Truth is, she's terrified of leaving her friends, and it gets worse each year, especially now that Twilight has come around and made things interesting. The recent extension of the railroad to Ponyville would technically allow her to commute to Canterlot, daily if necessary, but she still isn't sure. Not even Fluttershy realizes Dash is doing this; recently though, some of her friends are finally beginning to wonder, and Dash knows she needs to make a decision.
- Carrot Top is a conspiracy theorist
The Carrot family are really big on the east end of Equestria, and Carrot Top struck out far away from their home turf to bring carrots to Ponyville. Having grown up where her family is all but revered, she is completely flabbergasted at how poorly carrots sell in Ponyville. In time, she came to blame the Apple family, who she now believes are actively sabotaging her and employing a fruit-based cartel to keep Ponyvillans in line and buying their produce. Over time, she's gone a wee bit nuts, possibly due to cutie mark failure insanity syndrome. Her theories range from the Apple family making deals with proprietors to lock her out (why else would the Cakes make apple-cupcakes but not a single carrot cake) to apple cider containing mind control chemicals (she's still trying to figure out how they added it in plain sight during the FlimFlamFiasco). She believes the elements of harmony are a cover story proving the Apple family have their hooks in royalty, and Nightmare Moon and the like were stunts to make Applejack (and her apples) into heroes.
- The role of cutie marks is evolving
For a long time, Equestrian society was very class based. It harkens back to the days of post-Discord rule, when everypony was required to do all they could to restore harmony. Pegasus ponies had to control the wild weather, only earth ponies could heal the land, and unicorns were left to oversee it all. Cutie marks were considered only helpful in maximizing efficiency, knowing who should plant the seeds as opposed to tend the weeds, and so on. The land is finally healing, and in fact the Everfree forest is a prime example of a more natural, chaos-free land, though it has sadly been twisted by poor national policies that drove undesirables (dragons, ursas, weeds like poison joke) into a concentrated area over generations. Psychologists debate on whether "Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome" even exists, or is simply a mix of misdiagnosed anxiety and underlying issues that are not being treated properly. Younger generations are rebelling against the status quo, taking cutie marks as indicators of interests, passions, and natural aptitude, often arguing they come far too young to meaningfully assign a pony's destiny. The mane six are unknowingly split on this issue, with Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash viewing cutie marks as open to interpretation, and Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack viewing them more literally and as self-descriptors.
- Spitfire is Dash's half-sister; neither are aware
Spitfire's father had an affair with Dash's mother, though she kept the resultant pregnancy from him. It was one of the reasons she gave up Dash rather than raise her, afraid of shaming the prominent Wonderbolt captain of the time. Dash strongly takes after her mother; it is possible that if her father ever saw her, he may recognize her. This is almost certain to happen sooner or later if Dash joins the Wonderbolts; her father is their coach, too old to fly at their speeds but far too good to just quit.
- Spike has a strong accent
Ponies are communicating as their vocal chords allow, through neighs and whinnies and the like, though their range is greater than ponies here on Earth. Spike of course can speak their language, but he sounds funny to ponies who have never heard him before. Gilda was the same way, and in fact was one of the few griffons to even bother with the pony language. The red dragon from "Dragonshy" knew enough of the pony language to get by, but many do not; when Spike spoke to those adolescent dragons, he slipped into his natural tongue without even noticing.
- Seaponies exist
Just not in Equestria. They're saltwater, and Equestria borders no seas. Their existence is mostly anecdotal, though Celestia and Luna have both encountered them. There is very little interaction between Seaponies and other races, mostly because the world of one doesn't concern the other. Even Discord mostly leaves them alone, finding them a lot less fun than other ponies.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Pegasus Magic
So I've been watching season 1 with a friend recently. He'd shy away from calling himself a brony because of the implications, but he's definitely a fan of the show. We worked up to "Sonic Rainboom" and spent a while discussing the nature of the titular event. Well, mostly it was me explaining my long-winded theories. I've decided to write those down, since it's unlikely I'll be able to go over these ideas so extensively within a fic.
I will first off provide an explanation for magic that is compatible with show canon, even if not directly supported, and in fitting with my own works. I will then extend this definition of magic to non-unicorns. Finally, we will discuss the specific case of the Sonic Rainboom. Note that I shall operate entirely from within the canon of the show and avoid making excuses based off of the fallibility of the source material.
Firstly, most followers will understand my concept of magic from Spark, much as I loathe the piece itself. The ideas I put forth in it, however, I still mostly support. Magic to me is a primal form of energy located on a separate "plane". For those unfamiliar, a plane can be thought of in a geometric sense. It can be described by a set of equations (the physics of the plane), and can be infinite in size and still possible to move off of. Only certain things (geometrically, points or lines) can exist in a given plane, and are determined by the relevant equations of the plane. The analogy breaks down somewhat in interplanar interactions, in which case we can revise said analogy so that planes are more like geometric surfaces. Two surfaces can intersect in complex ways, and can even be locally manipulated to cause an intersection, though this requires modification of equations. Surfaces, and planes, can even be "patchwork", where different equations apply in different locations.
The point of this is that the performing of magic is something of an energy transfer between planes. It is a forced intersect so that things on one plane can play by a different set of rules/equations. And these are where spells come from. A unicorn's spell is the introduction of a new set of rules for physics. This can cause effects such as levitation, transmutation, growth, alteration, etcetera. The exact effect can be attributed to exactly how the fields involved are manipulated, what universal laws are overwritten. The glow of magic I will say is a side effect of this disruption, because it fits in with my next important point; the horn as a catalyst for magic.
Obviously accessing this plane of magic would not be trivial. Despite the surfaces analogy, "space" between planes doesn't make sense and instead planes could be thought as all existing next to one another (though I have no theories about ordering of planes and whether direct access would always be possible; that is something I've given no thought since currently, only 2 planes of existence are relevant) and separated by a barrier of sorts. This barrier could just be where the planes end, or more likely it is some sort of entity in of itself, perhaps a type of energy or even miniature plane that keeps planes separate. My point for this is that there is an energy requirement for plane interaction. We have seen that spellcasting requires energy, and the more pronounced the spell's effect the more energy it takes (as an aside, this explains the ubiquity of levitation, as gravity is an exceptionally weak force and probably takes only very limited access to the plane of magic to achieve). The reason for this is admittedly not self-evident from my proposed scheme, but it is self-consistent. It must be possible to, in a way, tug the plane of magic (locally) into what we'll call the mundane plane. This supposes a kind of non-magical manipulation, but I don't consider that to be ruled out. To me gravity provides a perfect analogy. The existence of mass causes a warping of spacetime, a manipulation of the fabric of the universe (or, as we care about, the plane). The existence of energy, perhaps specifically a kind of energy biological life produces, could produce a similar effect. "Life energy", for short, though I do not mean for it to sound mystical - energy can take all sorts of forms from electrical to heat. Perhaps the form found in neurological functions would do nicely. The horn is thus a logical way of producing magic, one that makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. In the way that a black hole produces such a sharp warp of gravity our understanding of physics break down, but much less drastically, the horn focuses the relevant energy to enough of a point that the warping of the plane causes it to intersect the plane of magic. As stated earlier, a more pronounced effect would require a larger intersection with the plane of magic, so a "pinhole" tear in the barrier could produce levitation, whereas a much larger gap would allow the transmutation of a rock into a hat or such. As for the specifics of the spell, I would imagine the warping could be customized to great extent by specific regulation of focus and energy levels within the horn. The relatively limited magic of most unicorns becomes apparent in the internal structure of the horn developing according to what specific patterns of energy modulation it is required to perform; like the difference in musculature of a marathon runner and a sprinter. A unicorn like Twilight would have to, likely through a combination of genetics and training, produce a more generalized internal structure that allows her to perform a variety of spells, much like those few people who through meditation and training can control their bodies so precisely.
With this in mind, we can extend the use of magic beyond unicorns. The existence of pegasus magic is evident foremost by the spell-like abilities of their kind, such as the ability to treat clouds as solid objects, a feat we know for a fact can be reproduced via a spell (Twilight, in "Sonic Rainboom" finds a spell to let non-pegasus ponies walk on clouds). Furthermore pegasus flight only makes sense if magic is introduced into the equation; even with hollow bones and low body fat, a pony of that size would be no more able to fly than a human flapping their arms. However, if wings were something like less-developed horns, specialized to partially neutralize gravity or produce additional lift, then flight makes sense. The lack of a glow can be attributed to the low and diffuse level of planar manipulation that occurs. Beyond that, effects at increased speeds such as the unique trails pegasus ponies can leave (Dash's rainbow, one of the Wonderbolts' leaving behind lightning-filled clouds) can be explained as side effects of the increased magical output. Variation in ability is as sensible as it is for unicorns, the result of genes and training, and things like Fluttershy's cart in "Feeling Pinkie Keen" can be explained as not enchanted, which by common sense would be an extremely resource-expensive achievement, but as a pegasus "spell".
With all this in mind the Sonic Rainboom is barely worth mentioning. I believe it actually has no relation to breaking the sound barrier, though it could be. What is actually happening, to get a little less formal, is that Dash is tearing this interplanar barrier a new one. The horn of a unicorn focuses their life energy to cause a localized, and conscious planar intersection. Dash, however, is producing such a build up of energy as she attempts to produce more and more propulsion per wing-stroke that she is causing a massive planar intersect with her entire body as the focal point. The only specific manipulation is intrinsic; for Rainbow Dash it manifests as a wave of rainbow energy, but it could be for Spitfire that a similar feat would produce fire, or so on. The shockwave effect is natural from the sudden influx of magical energy, but because it is Dash herself causing this planar interaction, the effect follows her, becoming stable after the initial rush of energy (it is likely that a local equilibrium is reached, explaining why she produces one shockwave) to produce the lasting rainbow trail observed.
As a final thought, this suggests that non-unicorn magic will be subtler because any accesses to the plane of magic by non-unicorns would be gentler, more gradual instead of a sudden energy spike - the difference between dipping your toe in the water before easing in, and doing a cannonball. It does not imply that it necessarily has to be an active spell either, as there can be light interactions between planes (two planes barely interacting, or interacting at points where the barrier is thin because, like two geometric planes, perhaps their equations meet up). Physical feats are more likely since non-unicorns have no apparent way to focus their life energy, but it is possible that there exists some way to do so, even if it is for some specialized effect like the pegasus wing.
I will first off provide an explanation for magic that is compatible with show canon, even if not directly supported, and in fitting with my own works. I will then extend this definition of magic to non-unicorns. Finally, we will discuss the specific case of the Sonic Rainboom. Note that I shall operate entirely from within the canon of the show and avoid making excuses based off of the fallibility of the source material.
Firstly, most followers will understand my concept of magic from Spark, much as I loathe the piece itself. The ideas I put forth in it, however, I still mostly support. Magic to me is a primal form of energy located on a separate "plane". For those unfamiliar, a plane can be thought of in a geometric sense. It can be described by a set of equations (the physics of the plane), and can be infinite in size and still possible to move off of. Only certain things (geometrically, points or lines) can exist in a given plane, and are determined by the relevant equations of the plane. The analogy breaks down somewhat in interplanar interactions, in which case we can revise said analogy so that planes are more like geometric surfaces. Two surfaces can intersect in complex ways, and can even be locally manipulated to cause an intersection, though this requires modification of equations. Surfaces, and planes, can even be "patchwork", where different equations apply in different locations.
The point of this is that the performing of magic is something of an energy transfer between planes. It is a forced intersect so that things on one plane can play by a different set of rules/equations. And these are where spells come from. A unicorn's spell is the introduction of a new set of rules for physics. This can cause effects such as levitation, transmutation, growth, alteration, etcetera. The exact effect can be attributed to exactly how the fields involved are manipulated, what universal laws are overwritten. The glow of magic I will say is a side effect of this disruption, because it fits in with my next important point; the horn as a catalyst for magic.
Obviously accessing this plane of magic would not be trivial. Despite the surfaces analogy, "space" between planes doesn't make sense and instead planes could be thought as all existing next to one another (though I have no theories about ordering of planes and whether direct access would always be possible; that is something I've given no thought since currently, only 2 planes of existence are relevant) and separated by a barrier of sorts. This barrier could just be where the planes end, or more likely it is some sort of entity in of itself, perhaps a type of energy or even miniature plane that keeps planes separate. My point for this is that there is an energy requirement for plane interaction. We have seen that spellcasting requires energy, and the more pronounced the spell's effect the more energy it takes (as an aside, this explains the ubiquity of levitation, as gravity is an exceptionally weak force and probably takes only very limited access to the plane of magic to achieve). The reason for this is admittedly not self-evident from my proposed scheme, but it is self-consistent. It must be possible to, in a way, tug the plane of magic (locally) into what we'll call the mundane plane. This supposes a kind of non-magical manipulation, but I don't consider that to be ruled out. To me gravity provides a perfect analogy. The existence of mass causes a warping of spacetime, a manipulation of the fabric of the universe (or, as we care about, the plane). The existence of energy, perhaps specifically a kind of energy biological life produces, could produce a similar effect. "Life energy", for short, though I do not mean for it to sound mystical - energy can take all sorts of forms from electrical to heat. Perhaps the form found in neurological functions would do nicely. The horn is thus a logical way of producing magic, one that makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. In the way that a black hole produces such a sharp warp of gravity our understanding of physics break down, but much less drastically, the horn focuses the relevant energy to enough of a point that the warping of the plane causes it to intersect the plane of magic. As stated earlier, a more pronounced effect would require a larger intersection with the plane of magic, so a "pinhole" tear in the barrier could produce levitation, whereas a much larger gap would allow the transmutation of a rock into a hat or such. As for the specifics of the spell, I would imagine the warping could be customized to great extent by specific regulation of focus and energy levels within the horn. The relatively limited magic of most unicorns becomes apparent in the internal structure of the horn developing according to what specific patterns of energy modulation it is required to perform; like the difference in musculature of a marathon runner and a sprinter. A unicorn like Twilight would have to, likely through a combination of genetics and training, produce a more generalized internal structure that allows her to perform a variety of spells, much like those few people who through meditation and training can control their bodies so precisely.
With this in mind, we can extend the use of magic beyond unicorns. The existence of pegasus magic is evident foremost by the spell-like abilities of their kind, such as the ability to treat clouds as solid objects, a feat we know for a fact can be reproduced via a spell (Twilight, in "Sonic Rainboom" finds a spell to let non-pegasus ponies walk on clouds). Furthermore pegasus flight only makes sense if magic is introduced into the equation; even with hollow bones and low body fat, a pony of that size would be no more able to fly than a human flapping their arms. However, if wings were something like less-developed horns, specialized to partially neutralize gravity or produce additional lift, then flight makes sense. The lack of a glow can be attributed to the low and diffuse level of planar manipulation that occurs. Beyond that, effects at increased speeds such as the unique trails pegasus ponies can leave (Dash's rainbow, one of the Wonderbolts' leaving behind lightning-filled clouds) can be explained as side effects of the increased magical output. Variation in ability is as sensible as it is for unicorns, the result of genes and training, and things like Fluttershy's cart in "Feeling Pinkie Keen" can be explained as not enchanted, which by common sense would be an extremely resource-expensive achievement, but as a pegasus "spell".
With all this in mind the Sonic Rainboom is barely worth mentioning. I believe it actually has no relation to breaking the sound barrier, though it could be. What is actually happening, to get a little less formal, is that Dash is tearing this interplanar barrier a new one. The horn of a unicorn focuses their life energy to cause a localized, and conscious planar intersection. Dash, however, is producing such a build up of energy as she attempts to produce more and more propulsion per wing-stroke that she is causing a massive planar intersect with her entire body as the focal point. The only specific manipulation is intrinsic; for Rainbow Dash it manifests as a wave of rainbow energy, but it could be for Spitfire that a similar feat would produce fire, or so on. The shockwave effect is natural from the sudden influx of magical energy, but because it is Dash herself causing this planar interaction, the effect follows her, becoming stable after the initial rush of energy (it is likely that a local equilibrium is reached, explaining why she produces one shockwave) to produce the lasting rainbow trail observed.
As a final thought, this suggests that non-unicorn magic will be subtler because any accesses to the plane of magic by non-unicorns would be gentler, more gradual instead of a sudden energy spike - the difference between dipping your toe in the water before easing in, and doing a cannonball. It does not imply that it necessarily has to be an active spell either, as there can be light interactions between planes (two planes barely interacting, or interacting at points where the barrier is thin because, like two geometric planes, perhaps their equations meet up). Physical feats are more likely since non-unicorns have no apparent way to focus their life energy, but it is possible that there exists some way to do so, even if it is for some specialized effect like the pegasus wing.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
In The Background
I've been putting the spotlight on some more background ponies recently, and it's been getting me thinking. Background ponies are a lot like OCs, but there's just enough difference between them that you've got to pay attention. These ponies have a given setting. I'm always a bit irked when Vinyl Scratch shows up in Canterlot so she can be shipped with Octavia. Sorry, but we've seen that she lives & works in Ponyville! If you want to say that she moved to Ponyville later or moved to Canterlot from Ponyville then you can do that, sure, but at least say so. The show creators are really just drawing BG ponies more or less at random to fill scenes, but that doesn't mean you can't use their appearances for cues. Go to Winter Wrap Up. Find your BG pony. Which team was she on? What does that say about her? Things like that. That's how fanon develops anyhow. Bon Bon x Lyra and all that.
Speaking of, a very important thing when you're writing a BG pony is to actually write her. As in, do the writing yourself, and don't let fanon do all the work for you. I dislike the homogeneity around some of these characters. There's no reason a pony with an hourglass cutie mark has to be a dentist. Call that wall-eyed pony Bright Eyes, go ahead! Maybe she doesn't even have a daughter. These characters are excellent places to blur the lines between original and fan fiction, with far more leeway than we usually have. I don't want to see that lost to an ingrained fanon that makes readers reject or criticize pieces as if they had contradicted actual canon. For goodness's sake, that's one reason I wrote Kindness's Reward. I had a point to prove - Trixie is a character of her own right, not a prop, as she's often treated in Twixie ships.
Of course, while you have a lot of leeway, there's still cues to take. Look at Applejack. Can you imagine Rarity's voice coming out of her mouth? She's designed to suggest certain things - in Applejack's case she's exceptionally one-dimensional, and in fact her character design sums up... pretty much everything about her. For another example, let's take Cheerilee. Would "smiling sunflowers" suggest schoolteacher to you? Not necessarily, but it's not contradictory. Making her a nurse's assistant or such would've also worked, but you wouldn't have expected her to be a baker, would you? So Roseluck probably does run a flower shop, but then again, there is leeway to be had. Especially with certain cutie marks. Ditzy Doo's bubbles probably don't directly relate to bubbles (my own fanfic aside) but perhaps she just tends to drift where the winds take her, bringing smiles to those who look up as she passes.
The character doesn't exist in a vacuum either, and the best way to define one pony is to define several. If you say "X and Y are friends" you have to say why, and that defines them both. Perhaps they're both in the same business, perhaps their families are close, perhaps one's secretly crushing on the other and tried to get to know her when she saw her pass by one day. Works especially well for very different personalities, because you usually have to dig a little deeper. Maybe X is extremely hard working but would go crazy if Y didn't drag her out to have fun occasionally, and as much as X protests, she secretly knows she needs it.
Whatever you do, don't make an AJ either. You shouldn't literally draw their entire personality from their appearance. A flower cutie mark may suggest they run a flower shop or love growing things. Great. Now, what do they do in the winter? Are they a morning person or a night owl? What do they do in their off time, and who do they spend it with? What are their life goals? Have they dated much? Where were they born? You don't have to actually think out a series of questions like these, but the point is that if any one of these questions were asked you should have an answer. More importantly, your character should have a reaction to any situation they're in. A good test of how deep a character is is to see how they'd respond to an outrageous situation. What if a lifelong friend or total stranger walks up one day and kisses them on the lips? What do they do if they're shipwrecked on a stranded island? If it's somehow up to them to stop the princess from eating the dragon? A flat character only exists effectively within certain parameters. If you don't know how your character would react in an outrageous situation, think why. What personality trait are they missing? Maybe you haven't considered how panicky or calm they are, how logical or emotional, etcetera.
Also a special note: A unicorn has magic to aid with their special talent. This is different from their special talent being "being good at a certain type of magic". My interpretation of Colgate is that she essentially acts as fate's wildcard, her talent being that she can pinpoint the path a pony is on and where it leads, and she has magic to assist with this, most notably seeing a pony's "hourglass" of life. This doesn't mean her talent is that she has powerful time magic - not at all. She accomplishes her talent through mostly mundane means, with magic to help guide her. That kind of thing.
You know I had more to say but have forgotten it. Isn't that always the way? Anyway, may edit this later.
Speaking of, a very important thing when you're writing a BG pony is to actually write her. As in, do the writing yourself, and don't let fanon do all the work for you. I dislike the homogeneity around some of these characters. There's no reason a pony with an hourglass cutie mark has to be a dentist. Call that wall-eyed pony Bright Eyes, go ahead! Maybe she doesn't even have a daughter. These characters are excellent places to blur the lines between original and fan fiction, with far more leeway than we usually have. I don't want to see that lost to an ingrained fanon that makes readers reject or criticize pieces as if they had contradicted actual canon. For goodness's sake, that's one reason I wrote Kindness's Reward. I had a point to prove - Trixie is a character of her own right, not a prop, as she's often treated in Twixie ships.
Of course, while you have a lot of leeway, there's still cues to take. Look at Applejack. Can you imagine Rarity's voice coming out of her mouth? She's designed to suggest certain things - in Applejack's case she's exceptionally one-dimensional, and in fact her character design sums up... pretty much everything about her. For another example, let's take Cheerilee. Would "smiling sunflowers" suggest schoolteacher to you? Not necessarily, but it's not contradictory. Making her a nurse's assistant or such would've also worked, but you wouldn't have expected her to be a baker, would you? So Roseluck probably does run a flower shop, but then again, there is leeway to be had. Especially with certain cutie marks. Ditzy Doo's bubbles probably don't directly relate to bubbles (my own fanfic aside) but perhaps she just tends to drift where the winds take her, bringing smiles to those who look up as she passes.
The character doesn't exist in a vacuum either, and the best way to define one pony is to define several. If you say "X and Y are friends" you have to say why, and that defines them both. Perhaps they're both in the same business, perhaps their families are close, perhaps one's secretly crushing on the other and tried to get to know her when she saw her pass by one day. Works especially well for very different personalities, because you usually have to dig a little deeper. Maybe X is extremely hard working but would go crazy if Y didn't drag her out to have fun occasionally, and as much as X protests, she secretly knows she needs it.
Whatever you do, don't make an AJ either. You shouldn't literally draw their entire personality from their appearance. A flower cutie mark may suggest they run a flower shop or love growing things. Great. Now, what do they do in the winter? Are they a morning person or a night owl? What do they do in their off time, and who do they spend it with? What are their life goals? Have they dated much? Where were they born? You don't have to actually think out a series of questions like these, but the point is that if any one of these questions were asked you should have an answer. More importantly, your character should have a reaction to any situation they're in. A good test of how deep a character is is to see how they'd respond to an outrageous situation. What if a lifelong friend or total stranger walks up one day and kisses them on the lips? What do they do if they're shipwrecked on a stranded island? If it's somehow up to them to stop the princess from eating the dragon? A flat character only exists effectively within certain parameters. If you don't know how your character would react in an outrageous situation, think why. What personality trait are they missing? Maybe you haven't considered how panicky or calm they are, how logical or emotional, etcetera.
Also a special note: A unicorn has magic to aid with their special talent. This is different from their special talent being "being good at a certain type of magic". My interpretation of Colgate is that she essentially acts as fate's wildcard, her talent being that she can pinpoint the path a pony is on and where it leads, and she has magic to assist with this, most notably seeing a pony's "hourglass" of life. This doesn't mean her talent is that she has powerful time magic - not at all. She accomplishes her talent through mostly mundane means, with magic to help guide her. That kind of thing.
You know I had more to say but have forgotten it. Isn't that always the way? Anyway, may edit this later.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Originality
You know I have no motivation to write anything other than pony fanfiction, and never have? It's the oddest thing. Who knows, perhaps I could try my hoof at writing more professionally (pffffft "profesionally") one day but I don't have any intention. So why do ponies bring this out in me? It's the diference between a sandbox and a box of legos, actually.
Original pieces of writing are, as much as they can be, entirely from one person's head. You're working with a blank canvas, you're sculpting in your sandbox. There are certain limitations on what you can do, but just like you can either build a bucket-castle or those giant scupltures of sand, so to does skill determine what you'll create in your work. But there are tools there, and you need those tools. Archetypes, cliches, character models.... I can't imagine trying to just sit down and make up an entire world, populated with original and realistic people. Our minds are full of pop culture, for good or ill, so perhaps that's even harder today than it should be. It's hard not to default to things you know exist in other works or have heard about - more then once I've been caught borrowing ideas from other authors, either obviously or obliquely, and while on occasion I do this purposefully it happens just as often without my intention.
On the other hand, writing fanfiction is playing with a box of legos. You have a lot of different shaped pieces, and maybe even a couple models with pieces specifically designed for that model. But you can take everything apart and rearrange it, though rarely do your additions work better than the original. You can assemble things how you see fit, but if you're jamming pieces together then something has gone wrong. This is how I see it at least - I have, let's say, Fluttershy and Twilight, these two models, and I have these pieces that go with their sets, now how can I mix and match them? Some bits are ready-made and all you have to do is accentuate this or that, some things you have to build up nearly from scratch. Look at the models you're given and you can figure out how to make your Vinyl Scratch or your Bon Bon or whatever.
Because that's one thing I really enjoy. Especially in My Little Pony, you occasionally get these blank areas where you can fill it in as you please. Background characters and secondary characters. They're really almost OCs, but people tend not to write them as self-inserts and the reader is more willing to accept them as part of the world they expect. Of course our own "pop culture" comes into play in that you're likely to write a character as you've seen them written, especially one like Luna or Scratch, but it's still up to you and you have plenty of options. So it's really almost like writing original pieces, when you focus on background characters, and that's the funny thing. Of course what you do have is a world. Constructing worlds are hard, because there's a lot that needs to lay implicit, but still be worked out so you don't accidentally contradict yourself later. Worlds need to have mechanics that can't be explained so directly, like how the pegasus ponies control the weather in Equestria, and it all needs to fit some theme in a way - like how both the "tame" wildlife and controlled weather of Equestria fit to show both an idyllic land and ponykind's total dominion over their country. So BG characters in a preset world is really more of a starter set for writing original works - you can learn how to make interesting characters while already having a setting for them to explore and interact in.
Original pieces of writing are, as much as they can be, entirely from one person's head. You're working with a blank canvas, you're sculpting in your sandbox. There are certain limitations on what you can do, but just like you can either build a bucket-castle or those giant scupltures of sand, so to does skill determine what you'll create in your work. But there are tools there, and you need those tools. Archetypes, cliches, character models.... I can't imagine trying to just sit down and make up an entire world, populated with original and realistic people. Our minds are full of pop culture, for good or ill, so perhaps that's even harder today than it should be. It's hard not to default to things you know exist in other works or have heard about - more then once I've been caught borrowing ideas from other authors, either obviously or obliquely, and while on occasion I do this purposefully it happens just as often without my intention.
On the other hand, writing fanfiction is playing with a box of legos. You have a lot of different shaped pieces, and maybe even a couple models with pieces specifically designed for that model. But you can take everything apart and rearrange it, though rarely do your additions work better than the original. You can assemble things how you see fit, but if you're jamming pieces together then something has gone wrong. This is how I see it at least - I have, let's say, Fluttershy and Twilight, these two models, and I have these pieces that go with their sets, now how can I mix and match them? Some bits are ready-made and all you have to do is accentuate this or that, some things you have to build up nearly from scratch. Look at the models you're given and you can figure out how to make your Vinyl Scratch or your Bon Bon or whatever.
Because that's one thing I really enjoy. Especially in My Little Pony, you occasionally get these blank areas where you can fill it in as you please. Background characters and secondary characters. They're really almost OCs, but people tend not to write them as self-inserts and the reader is more willing to accept them as part of the world they expect. Of course our own "pop culture" comes into play in that you're likely to write a character as you've seen them written, especially one like Luna or Scratch, but it's still up to you and you have plenty of options. So it's really almost like writing original pieces, when you focus on background characters, and that's the funny thing. Of course what you do have is a world. Constructing worlds are hard, because there's a lot that needs to lay implicit, but still be worked out so you don't accidentally contradict yourself later. Worlds need to have mechanics that can't be explained so directly, like how the pegasus ponies control the weather in Equestria, and it all needs to fit some theme in a way - like how both the "tame" wildlife and controlled weather of Equestria fit to show both an idyllic land and ponykind's total dominion over their country. So BG characters in a preset world is really more of a starter set for writing original works - you can learn how to make interesting characters while already having a setting for them to explore and interact in.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Rainbow Dash Needs Love
I don't know why, but it came to mind that I have a few thoughts about shipping Dash. It's a popular subject, and sometimes it almost feels like training wheels for shippers - you can fit Dash with nearly anypony, so start with her. Well, first off, you can fit nearly anypony with anypony else. Try to find one of the mane six that *doesn't* work with Twilight. People just tend to focus on Dash. I imagine it has something to do with her being a fanon lesbian, but even that hardly explains it... it's not like she's the only popular pony, even within shipping.
First off, I am actually very disappointed by this fandom's treatment of Rainbow Dash. You see a tomboy and decide she must be gay? Way to absorb the show's central feminist message guys. And don't get me started on those I've heard who have *actually* used her mane as pointing to her sexuality. It's Equestria. Rainbows -.- .
That being said, my headcanon has her gay mostly just because I like shipping her with mares more than with colts. You can draw the insinuation (remember this is a kids show!) that she has a somewhat physical relationship with Gilda, and I like to take her as the kind who'll want to play the shining knight to somepony, which means if pony society is anything akin to ours she'll more likely seek out females to allow her to fulfill this role. Still, I make pretty much anypony straight/gay/bi as it pleases me (I've had Fluttershy be implicitly straight in "Thunder and Lightning", not so much in "Kindness's Reward") but if I broke it down I'd have to say AJ is the only pony I'd see as "completely" straight. But we're getting off topic, aren't we?
Let's start with a popular ship, and one of the very first I was introduced to. AppleDash. The reasoning is pretty cut and dry - they're clearly close friends as is, and they're the only ones who can keep up with one another, physically at the least. The difference in maturity levels would also clearly come into play as more than once AJ has reined Dash in, and would provide something of a protective figure to Dash. Unfortunately, the ship has some big flaws that I don't often see addressed. Neither pony is really emotionally available, so not only would they have a hard time getting together, but any change in their relationship would likely go unnoticed by the other pony; if one of them slighted the other the bad feelings would be left to fester, or if one of them wanted to get more serious they might hold back, unable to read the other's intentions. You also have how differently they live their lives. Applejack's crack-of-dawn lifestyle wouldn't fit well with Dash's "1 pm is still kind of like morning" attitude, and while this seems like a small thing, it's indicative of how they live their lives, lives they'd reasonably expect their partner to partake in. And when the fights do break out, nearly every one would threaten their relationship. Neither pony is the kind to back down - AJ has been seen to, but only in times of crisis, and Dash has never once admitted to be wrong. Reconciliation would come slowly, and likely leave old emotional wounds in the relationship that would scar rather than heal. Dash is simply too immature, and AJ too emotionally unavailable, and neither would be willing or capable to make the relationship work in the long run without some serious character development by one or both sides.
Rainbow Pie started out kind of weeeeird for me but isn't a bad ship. Pinkie I see being the likely one to initiate the ship (I may have read too much of Butterscotch Sundae's works) again due to the fact that Dash isn't the quickest to admit her emotions, even a positive one. Her friendship with Pinkie could possibly be at stake (admitting a crush and finding it unrequited can hurt) so she'd probably fear losing that as well. But Pinkie's more than open enough to get Dash to open up, and her carefree attitude would match Dash's easily. Dash's need for attention also jives with Pinkie's need for companionship, and they're not likely to wear one another out either (get your mind out of the gutter, I mean from day to day). Pinkie kind of strikes me as the type to seek out somepony when she's feeling blue, Party of One notwithstanding because she had nopony to seek out in that situation. The only problem would be that neither pony is good at being particularly serious or dealing with complex problems. If one of them suddenly had an issue that isn't resolved with a good cry and snuggle session, the other would likely be at a loss. Both would probably enter the relationship with the anticipation of something fun and less-than-serious, not necessarily casual, but both are the kind to date without necessarily falling in love with the other pony. Of course over the course of their relationship they can grow and change, and perhaps survive any crisis, but it's one of those ships where you have to work the characters and get a little creative.
Since I may as well cover all the big ships, we'll go with TwiDash next. Twilight and Dash hit that sweet spot where they're different enough that they complement one another without being at odds with one another. They're both pretty single-minded ponies with attention issues, but focus on being good friends. Twilight can be snarky and does have a sense of humor, enough that her banter with Dash would likely be enjoyable to both, even if Dash's pranks would probably go over the top for her on occasion. She can rein Dash in like AJ would but wouldn't be so quick to argue, and Dash would in return offer a way for her to lighten up. Twilight is also pretty well rounded emotionally - "Look Before You Sleep" is actually a good example of how she is slow to react but will still speak up when there's a problem. The drawbacks are of course that there's not a lot of common ground between them to begin. Twilight's more suited for independence, and would expect any partner to be fine being left alone until she's available. Dash would want a lot more engagement than that, while meanwhile being likely to dismiss or underplay Twilight's own pastimes without realizing the harm she would be inflicting in doing so. So they'd again probably have to grow a little to work, but not any great amount. However, actually putting them together to begin with isn't the easiest task. The way they met didn't have a lot of give and take, and since then they're stance towards one another seems to be more "oh, you're part of the gang" rather than "oh you're one of my close friends". They get along but it's their mutual social circle that keeps them together.
Three ships in and I'm what, half way done? Let's see, AJ, Pinkie, Twilight.... oh yes, Fluttershy. I... don't like Flutterdash. On the surface, it works great. We have a strong preexisting relationship, and the two do offer a needed role in one another's life. Fluttershy has the patience and caring to feed Dash's ego in good times and tend to her in bad, and she's somepony even Dash could open up to. She'd let Dash fulfil that protector role, which she would likely want in a partner - not out of weakness, of course, but timidness. The problem is that their relationship would not give Dash any reason to become more emotionally available, and in fact might worsen her treatment of those around her. Fluttershy would simply not bring up her problems to Dash's face unless pushed (think Art of the Dress) and Dash would never push. If anything Fluttershy might get passive aggressive, which would only alienate or confuse Dash if she took notice. Otherwise we've seen that Dash already knows she can boss around Fluttershy (Sonic Rainboom) and Fluttershy would do her best to fulfil all Dash's demands, many of which she probably shouldn't. Dash needs somepony to play level-headed counter to her, but Fluttershy wouldn't be up for the combative role required and the break-up would be quite painful. The only way to salvage it would probably be through a long adventure-style fic that would both strengthen Fluttershy's resolve and serve to make Dash more receptive via having to rely on her friends in crises.
Hem, let's see, now that I'm sure to get some angry comments, I think we're through the mane six. Rarity x Dash isn't a thing so I won't bother analyzing it. Since it's been planted in my head I'll admit it's kinda cute, but maybe we'll get to that back over on my DA. Only a couple big ships with side characters come to mind, but let's start those with a disclaimer. I will be using *my* version of the side characters, which means what's headcanon for me, whether I've written it or not. I'll explain those characters as I go, as I have been doing for the mane six anyway.
Rainbow Fire. Spitfire, the captain of the wonderbolts and one of two named wonderbolts. In this capacity she would be two things: Firstly, awesome, and secondly, responsible. She'd be pretty good for Dash in a lot of ways. They have plenty in common, and Dash would be good for lightening Spitfire's no doubt tiring days as a manager while Spitfire would know when to hold Dash back, but would only do so on rare occasion compared to others, which would help Dash to pay attention when Spitfire does say 'no'. There are potential problems in their maturity difference, and Dash would probably have to get used to some ego deflation with Spitfire at her side, but it's not unworkable. It's an interesting ship because only it and Appledash pair Dash with someone who wouldn't really let Dash take on the protector-knight role (in fact, in Rainbow Fire I imagine Spitfire wearing the pants in the relationship.... figuratively speaking). That however does play to their maturity difference and implicit age difference, and is simply a different role for Dash than usual.
Finally, I've saved the best for last. Yep, my favorite ship is Rainbow Scratch. Vinyl Scratch is just too cool. I like to describe her as a "cool flame", somepony who lives their life by passion, but is still completely in control - not a hothead like Dash. She's wise enough that rather than "hold Dash back" like I've talked about other ponies doing she could probably convince Dash that it was her idea to hold back all along. She'd definitely understand Dash's drive, and Dash would probably understand her as a kindred spirit in that regards. She'd probably be harsh on Dash's ego, but not to a ruinous extent. I know I'm speaking with a bias, except all of these are my opinions, and in my opinions, Rainbow Scratch works. The big problem, which kind of came into play in my fic "Thunder & Lightning", would be Scratch's unspoken assumptions about Dash. Probably without even knowing it she would have expectations she would want Dash to fulfil, and even though she's not quick, Scratch is just the kind to make it obvious that she thinks this or that of Dash. So if she was having a problem, Dash would not likely open up to Vinyl at all, as that would both prove Vinyl right about her ego being too big and admit that she's failed Vinyl in some way, even if both ponies aren't entirely conscious of that angle. It'd be up to Dash to either stand up for herself and risk flaring Vinyl's temper or find another way to deal with her issues, or Vinyl would have to recognize the pressure she was putting on her partner.
I've probably missed something. Has somepony shipped Dash with Celestia? Hang on, I want that one, nopony write that, I'm calling it. Hmm. Luna? Trixie? Lyra? Colgate? Nope, can't think of anything. Well, that's what I think of our rainbow-maned fillyfooler. Of course if it *does* turn out she likes colts....well then you'll hear the collective "frick!" from fanfic writers/readers across the world.
First off, I am actually very disappointed by this fandom's treatment of Rainbow Dash. You see a tomboy and decide she must be gay? Way to absorb the show's central feminist message guys. And don't get me started on those I've heard who have *actually* used her mane as pointing to her sexuality. It's Equestria. Rainbows -.- .
That being said, my headcanon has her gay mostly just because I like shipping her with mares more than with colts. You can draw the insinuation (remember this is a kids show!) that she has a somewhat physical relationship with Gilda, and I like to take her as the kind who'll want to play the shining knight to somepony, which means if pony society is anything akin to ours she'll more likely seek out females to allow her to fulfill this role. Still, I make pretty much anypony straight/gay/bi as it pleases me (I've had Fluttershy be implicitly straight in "Thunder and Lightning", not so much in "Kindness's Reward") but if I broke it down I'd have to say AJ is the only pony I'd see as "completely" straight. But we're getting off topic, aren't we?
Let's start with a popular ship, and one of the very first I was introduced to. AppleDash. The reasoning is pretty cut and dry - they're clearly close friends as is, and they're the only ones who can keep up with one another, physically at the least. The difference in maturity levels would also clearly come into play as more than once AJ has reined Dash in, and would provide something of a protective figure to Dash. Unfortunately, the ship has some big flaws that I don't often see addressed. Neither pony is really emotionally available, so not only would they have a hard time getting together, but any change in their relationship would likely go unnoticed by the other pony; if one of them slighted the other the bad feelings would be left to fester, or if one of them wanted to get more serious they might hold back, unable to read the other's intentions. You also have how differently they live their lives. Applejack's crack-of-dawn lifestyle wouldn't fit well with Dash's "1 pm is still kind of like morning" attitude, and while this seems like a small thing, it's indicative of how they live their lives, lives they'd reasonably expect their partner to partake in. And when the fights do break out, nearly every one would threaten their relationship. Neither pony is the kind to back down - AJ has been seen to, but only in times of crisis, and Dash has never once admitted to be wrong. Reconciliation would come slowly, and likely leave old emotional wounds in the relationship that would scar rather than heal. Dash is simply too immature, and AJ too emotionally unavailable, and neither would be willing or capable to make the relationship work in the long run without some serious character development by one or both sides.
Rainbow Pie started out kind of weeeeird for me but isn't a bad ship. Pinkie I see being the likely one to initiate the ship (I may have read too much of Butterscotch Sundae's works) again due to the fact that Dash isn't the quickest to admit her emotions, even a positive one. Her friendship with Pinkie could possibly be at stake (admitting a crush and finding it unrequited can hurt) so she'd probably fear losing that as well. But Pinkie's more than open enough to get Dash to open up, and her carefree attitude would match Dash's easily. Dash's need for attention also jives with Pinkie's need for companionship, and they're not likely to wear one another out either (get your mind out of the gutter, I mean from day to day). Pinkie kind of strikes me as the type to seek out somepony when she's feeling blue, Party of One notwithstanding because she had nopony to seek out in that situation. The only problem would be that neither pony is good at being particularly serious or dealing with complex problems. If one of them suddenly had an issue that isn't resolved with a good cry and snuggle session, the other would likely be at a loss. Both would probably enter the relationship with the anticipation of something fun and less-than-serious, not necessarily casual, but both are the kind to date without necessarily falling in love with the other pony. Of course over the course of their relationship they can grow and change, and perhaps survive any crisis, but it's one of those ships where you have to work the characters and get a little creative.
Since I may as well cover all the big ships, we'll go with TwiDash next. Twilight and Dash hit that sweet spot where they're different enough that they complement one another without being at odds with one another. They're both pretty single-minded ponies with attention issues, but focus on being good friends. Twilight can be snarky and does have a sense of humor, enough that her banter with Dash would likely be enjoyable to both, even if Dash's pranks would probably go over the top for her on occasion. She can rein Dash in like AJ would but wouldn't be so quick to argue, and Dash would in return offer a way for her to lighten up. Twilight is also pretty well rounded emotionally - "Look Before You Sleep" is actually a good example of how she is slow to react but will still speak up when there's a problem. The drawbacks are of course that there's not a lot of common ground between them to begin. Twilight's more suited for independence, and would expect any partner to be fine being left alone until she's available. Dash would want a lot more engagement than that, while meanwhile being likely to dismiss or underplay Twilight's own pastimes without realizing the harm she would be inflicting in doing so. So they'd again probably have to grow a little to work, but not any great amount. However, actually putting them together to begin with isn't the easiest task. The way they met didn't have a lot of give and take, and since then they're stance towards one another seems to be more "oh, you're part of the gang" rather than "oh you're one of my close friends". They get along but it's their mutual social circle that keeps them together.
Three ships in and I'm what, half way done? Let's see, AJ, Pinkie, Twilight.... oh yes, Fluttershy. I... don't like Flutterdash. On the surface, it works great. We have a strong preexisting relationship, and the two do offer a needed role in one another's life. Fluttershy has the patience and caring to feed Dash's ego in good times and tend to her in bad, and she's somepony even Dash could open up to. She'd let Dash fulfil that protector role, which she would likely want in a partner - not out of weakness, of course, but timidness. The problem is that their relationship would not give Dash any reason to become more emotionally available, and in fact might worsen her treatment of those around her. Fluttershy would simply not bring up her problems to Dash's face unless pushed (think Art of the Dress) and Dash would never push. If anything Fluttershy might get passive aggressive, which would only alienate or confuse Dash if she took notice. Otherwise we've seen that Dash already knows she can boss around Fluttershy (Sonic Rainboom) and Fluttershy would do her best to fulfil all Dash's demands, many of which she probably shouldn't. Dash needs somepony to play level-headed counter to her, but Fluttershy wouldn't be up for the combative role required and the break-up would be quite painful. The only way to salvage it would probably be through a long adventure-style fic that would both strengthen Fluttershy's resolve and serve to make Dash more receptive via having to rely on her friends in crises.
Hem, let's see, now that I'm sure to get some angry comments, I think we're through the mane six. Rarity x Dash isn't a thing so I won't bother analyzing it. Since it's been planted in my head I'll admit it's kinda cute, but maybe we'll get to that back over on my DA. Only a couple big ships with side characters come to mind, but let's start those with a disclaimer. I will be using *my* version of the side characters, which means what's headcanon for me, whether I've written it or not. I'll explain those characters as I go, as I have been doing for the mane six anyway.
Rainbow Fire. Spitfire, the captain of the wonderbolts and one of two named wonderbolts. In this capacity she would be two things: Firstly, awesome, and secondly, responsible. She'd be pretty good for Dash in a lot of ways. They have plenty in common, and Dash would be good for lightening Spitfire's no doubt tiring days as a manager while Spitfire would know when to hold Dash back, but would only do so on rare occasion compared to others, which would help Dash to pay attention when Spitfire does say 'no'. There are potential problems in their maturity difference, and Dash would probably have to get used to some ego deflation with Spitfire at her side, but it's not unworkable. It's an interesting ship because only it and Appledash pair Dash with someone who wouldn't really let Dash take on the protector-knight role (in fact, in Rainbow Fire I imagine Spitfire wearing the pants in the relationship.... figuratively speaking). That however does play to their maturity difference and implicit age difference, and is simply a different role for Dash than usual.
Finally, I've saved the best for last. Yep, my favorite ship is Rainbow Scratch. Vinyl Scratch is just too cool. I like to describe her as a "cool flame", somepony who lives their life by passion, but is still completely in control - not a hothead like Dash. She's wise enough that rather than "hold Dash back" like I've talked about other ponies doing she could probably convince Dash that it was her idea to hold back all along. She'd definitely understand Dash's drive, and Dash would probably understand her as a kindred spirit in that regards. She'd probably be harsh on Dash's ego, but not to a ruinous extent. I know I'm speaking with a bias, except all of these are my opinions, and in my opinions, Rainbow Scratch works. The big problem, which kind of came into play in my fic "Thunder & Lightning", would be Scratch's unspoken assumptions about Dash. Probably without even knowing it she would have expectations she would want Dash to fulfil, and even though she's not quick, Scratch is just the kind to make it obvious that she thinks this or that of Dash. So if she was having a problem, Dash would not likely open up to Vinyl at all, as that would both prove Vinyl right about her ego being too big and admit that she's failed Vinyl in some way, even if both ponies aren't entirely conscious of that angle. It'd be up to Dash to either stand up for herself and risk flaring Vinyl's temper or find another way to deal with her issues, or Vinyl would have to recognize the pressure she was putting on her partner.
I've probably missed something. Has somepony shipped Dash with Celestia? Hang on, I want that one, nopony write that, I'm calling it. Hmm. Luna? Trixie? Lyra? Colgate? Nope, can't think of anything. Well, that's what I think of our rainbow-maned fillyfooler. Of course if it *does* turn out she likes colts....well then you'll hear the collective "frick!" from fanfic writers/readers across the world.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Month-Long Fic
So many of you may have seen the "National Pony Writing Month" started up on Equestria Daily. Yours truly will be partaking in the event. When I've sat down and focused on a single piece, I can get through an easy 3,000 to 4,000 words a day, but I've never sustained this pace for more than about a week. It'll be interesting to see if I can manage it for longer than that. I have an idea for a storyline that should last me the month, but I don't have a lot of details down. I'm hoping that once I put aside all other distractions, and with the break I've taken, it'll all come together just like "Spark" and "Kindness's Reward" did. It should have adventure, daring-do, world-building, and of course, shipping. Lots and lots of shipping. Also Scootaloo! P.S. Only one person knows anything about this story, and he doesn't know he knows - it's not one of my editors either.
Unfortunately, this means that pieces I was working on are on hold. I'm not going to apologize or anything, you guys all understand :P . Besides, I've already given you all both stories and about a dozen summaries, so no whining xD . And at the end of it, I should hopefully have a novel sized piece to show. That's the other thing - I'll need to write 50,000 words, which is a good deal larger than Spark's 30,000-odd word count. I may burn out around that mark, who knows. I think it's more likely I'll overshoot it, but we all know what an ego I have xP.
Because the point of this fic is to see what *you* can come up with in a month, I won't be seeking the help of any editors, even though a nice couple of bronies have just offered :) . However once the competition is over I'll likely take my piece down for a little bit for editing and then re-post the final draft. Of course this just had to happen in September, didn't it? I'm heading back to school in under a week now. Guess school will just have to suffer.... for the sake of ponies!
Unfortunately, this means that pieces I was working on are on hold. I'm not going to apologize or anything, you guys all understand :P . Besides, I've already given you all both stories and about a dozen summaries, so no whining xD . And at the end of it, I should hopefully have a novel sized piece to show. That's the other thing - I'll need to write 50,000 words, which is a good deal larger than Spark's 30,000-odd word count. I may burn out around that mark, who knows. I think it's more likely I'll overshoot it, but we all know what an ego I have xP.
Because the point of this fic is to see what *you* can come up with in a month, I won't be seeking the help of any editors, even though a nice couple of bronies have just offered :) . However once the competition is over I'll likely take my piece down for a little bit for editing and then re-post the final draft. Of course this just had to happen in September, didn't it? I'm heading back to school in under a week now. Guess school will just have to suffer.... for the sake of ponies!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Friendship is Magic, but Shipping is Science!
Well, perhaps not "science" but it is formulaic. We'll get to that. Hello everypony! This is the blog of Avery Strange, aka AVeryStrange, aka "that weird shipping author with the big ego". Kidding! Well, kind of, it takes a bit of an ego to assume anypony on the internet cares about what you have to say. Anyway, a bit of an introduction. With Equestria Daily disabling anonymous commenting I decided to go ahead and set up a blogger account. Sure I could use the name/url option just fine, but I felt I may as well make one of these to streamline my commenting. But, since I have it, why not use it? I know, I know, I already have my journal on DeviantArt. I figure this blog will serve as a place for my longer rants and for things not directly related to my stories, whereas my journal will become more of a news outlet. Also, since long entries eat up space on DeviantArt, this will be a nice place to ramble.
This first post also actually marks my 10,000th page view! I have a screenshot of it but I'm terrible with my image editor so I can't get a nice picture of it up. What do you want from me, I'm only a writer! Heh heh, sorry about that. Anyway, you bronies are just crazy @_@ . About two months ago, after seeing all the wonderful fanfictions out there, something in me perked up, and ideas started to come to me. I've always been imaginative; my childhood was spent daydreaming about characters from my TV shows or books, so this was nothing new. What was new was that I convinced myself to start writing these down. The first few were terrible, let me tell you. The first ponyfic I ever wrote is this goes-nowhere TwiShy fic that is simply beyond repair (sorry, never showing it :P). I know, I was a shipper from the beginning. A few false starts later, and Thunder & Lightning happened. The first thing of substantial length, the first where I wrote a story with rising drama, a climax and conclusion. After convincing myself of the virtues of internet anonymity (I'm a private person), I made myself a gmail account, used that to start up a Deviantart account, and posted it in 16 tiny parts. It was incredibly sloppy. I didn't know what I was doing, but I was also thinking "Well, what does it matter how it's divided if you can just hit next or previous?" I was being quite silly, but I didn't expect anyone to find them out. I just put them up there, figuring a few people might come across them and leave it at that. It was more for my benefit than anypony else's. A few people did notice, I got encouraging words, especially since it was so obvious I was a total newbie. Then... Spark happened
I can't even remember where the idea originated. I loved TwiLuna, but I wasn't having an easy time finding a lot of it (Okay, so I could've looked harder in the Equestria Daily archives... there's a lot of stuff there you guys!) I also, at the time, very much disliked Celestia ("Trollestia" was a term I was familiar with, but only in reference to canon events). As I wrote the story it grew out of control. I needed an obstacle that Twilight's teleportation couldn't bypass, and it always intrigued me how in the show she doesn't understand how she teleports but does it anyway. So before I knew it I was explaining the mechanics of magic, and then as Nightmare Celestia became the villain of the story I naturally had to write some origin for them, and golems eventually came around. Twilight's origin was clear shortly after. Anyway, I'm rambling and have gotten extremely off-topic. My point was that it was a crazy time that really showed me both how much I could do as an author and where my limits were. After posting that, one of the first comments I got was a sweet brony telling me that I should post this to Equestria Daily. Again remembering that it'd be "Avery Strange" putting herself out there, and not me in any personal sense, I followed the guidelines and emailed this to Seth. I refreshed hourly until it went up. Then I emailed Seth for listing it as "Twilestia" but that was my fault because he has a section called "major characters" in the submission format that I listed "Twilight, Celestia, Luna" in when clearly he just wanted the ship :P . Anyway, back on topic, to my surprise, a lot of you loved it! A few critics hit the nail of the head with the story's drawbacks, but it proved to be the beginning of quite a successful string of stories.
And in two months I've gotten just shy of 250 watchers and over 10,000 pageviews. I hope I deserve it. You all have been very kind to me - even my biggest critics are just so polite. Most of the time, at least, I was told Spark was a "Piece of s##t" for harming Celestia, but hey, haters gonna hate. So I've been thinking about how to Celebrate 10K pageviews. I don't have much for you guys, I'm sorry. I can't throw out something quick like an artist might be able to, and was unprepared. I'd have to have started preparing back at 7K, I suppose. So, anyway, this is what I can give you: my thoughts.
Firstly, finally getting to the title, I'm going to explain why I've made the claim I can ship "everypony". I claim this jokingly of course, but my point is that people aren't considering enough shipping possibilities, and I've hoped I've proven that there are good pairings out there that aren't being explored. My stories don't fit a mold, certainly not, I'm not saying there's anything cookie-cutter about anypony else's stories either. But there are things I consider in each story in order to make it successful. For those interested, I'm going to share them now. For those who don't care, there's some goodies at the end.
1) What brings, and keeps, two ponies together? This may seem obvious, but it's the groundwork for the entire story, so it requires the most attention and is often all but ignored in ships. If done right, the story takes on a life of its own and can become far more than just a shipfic. A good example would be "Off the Edge of the Map" which, while only light-shipping, clearly could've been heavier on the romance without detracting from the story (albeit not too much heavier, I recognize). For those that haven't read it, just briefly it's that a stunt of Dash's manages to send her and Fluttershy into the middle of the sea, and they face death time and again on their way back. The thing is, this premise is excellent for a few reasons. Firstly, you have all the time in the world to build the relationship, as you can make the trip back to Ponyville anywhere from a day to a month to a few years (though obviously you'll have to spend more time on non-shipping elements in the latter cases). Secondly, you give them a reason to be in one another's company and interact heavily. You need your reason to not just put two ponies in the same room but get them to talk to one another. Nothing breaks the story flow quite like than having one pony just randomly show up just to be part of the ship. Even if the reader knows what they're getting into, it's a pretty obvious "oh here comes the shipping" moment. Twixie stories are typically pretty bad at this, having Trixie show up as if for the express purpose of falling in love with Twilight. "The Ballad of Twilight Sparkle" for example deftly avoids this by having a solid reason for the timing and why they've been brought together. Of course there's an exception to this, but we'll get to that.
2. There needs to be common ground. Separate from "why they're together" is why that togetherness leads to a relationship. You could have Trixie and Twilight marooned on an island, and if you wanted to you could write it so that they end up hating each other - it's quite easy. Both being independent, a bit bossy (if you don't believe me, Twilight is really quite bossy in Dragonshy, Winter Wrap Up, Art of the Dress...) but otherwise likely having different ideals would easily lead them to split over methods of survival, how to reach help, etcetera. That old addage "opposites attract" is deceptive. Even ships like Jackity (Rarity x Applejack), when done right, give the two ponies something to bond over. Whether it be a surprisingly similar mindset, their roles as older siblings or business owners, or even a rodeo (it's been done) there needs to be a reason for them to enjoy one another's company. This is all obvious, but you'd be surprised how many take this for granted. Again, a good number of Twixie fics take it for granted, as do a few Rainbow Dash ships. But the thing I'm hoping to show here is that so long as you can find common ground, you can find a ship. Luna and Rarity are both eloquent artists in their own rights, and with the right interpretation you can make Luna just old-fashioned enough to agree with Rarity's views on ladyship. Vinyl Scratch and Pinkie Pie both love to party and to dance. Madame LaFlour is a useless sack of flour, and Sweetie Belle... I'm kidding. Have I shipped these ponies? No. But with the right premise from (1), I've given a reason for a bond to form. This is what makes crack ships work.
IIV) Give a reason for the relationship to turn romantic. Again I'm going to site "Off the Edge of the Map" here because it's such a great storyline and counter to heads-over-hooves style ships. Dash's and Fluttershy's bond tightened over their adventures, but being best friends or having shared experiences does not mean you're in love with somepony. Often this reason takes the form of a single event, a moment where their relationship is tested and proven. But don't get me wrong here. Love cannot be justified logically. "Just because" often works, in some manner, though this is far overused. But there needs to be a reason why this relationship is different from their friends. Since I'm going to assume that anypony following my blog has read my stories, let's work with Kindness's Reward. Fluttershy was primarily attracted to Trixie due to her inner strength, a recognition of her passion and dedication, something Fluttershy found lacking in herself and longed for. Trixie, despite how she seemed, was also a very receptive, empathetic pony, easily swayed by Fluttershy's mood (you'll remember how often I had Trixie "inexplicably" obey Fluttershy's requests or react to her body language). However, to various degrees these traits can be found in her friends, and actually many of the same things I explained here are why people ship Fluttershy with Dash (passion), Pinkie Pie (empathy), or Applejack (a bit of both). Side note: Yes AppleShy isn't common but it was in one of the first fics I read, it's stuck with me Anyway, so I of course had to have a reason Fluttershy fell for Trixie yet hasn't fallen for any of her friends. In this case it was partially the level at which she got to know Trixie, having heard her entire life story, and another part was the level of response she got from Trixie, who, having no other friends, came to care deeply about what Fluttershy thought and listened to her in a way that we've seen the rest of the mane six do not (Dragonshy, notably). Every fic needs to have something like this. The relationship has to stand out as special. Notably, this makes it very easy to ship some ponies (Trixie, Vinyl Scratch, Luna) who have few or no connections (in canon or fanon) at all, so long as you don't make them come across as desperate of course.
2x2) There are levels of romance. A few people "criticized" Luna's Day Out for having Luna and Fluttershy "fall in love" in a day, when sadly they simply just didn't understand the fic's purpose. Luna was heartsick, and Fluttershy ended up crushing on her. It was two infatuated ponies testing the waters, not two madly-in-love mares consummating their love. Now, almost everypony goes for the "soulmate" level because it's so satisfying. The kind of ending where you can hear wedding bells in the distance. But sometimes a satisfying ending can be two ponies simply snuggling together in front of a fire, or agreeing to see one another the next time one comes to town (I'd complain about how nopony ever has Trixie stay a roaming mare at the end of the story, except I can't really make that criticism...) or whatever. I'm not just talking about light-shipping, though that is part of this. Some stories simply work better on a gentler note. A side note to this: you can also explore different stages of a ship. That's the exception I was talking about earlier, you don't always need to focus on the premise if you dive in after the initial come-together moment to explore from there. In Thunder & Lightning I actually have Dash and Scratch together off the bat, but this story focused on changing their relationship from "hooking up" to "being together" - in another way, what started as I primarily light, non-serious relationship turned into love. The thing is, you still need to reference the original coming together, to give context to their current state if nothing else.
16-11) The ship can't happen in a void! Only rarely can you reasonably set up a scenario where it's just the two characters (*cough* Spark *cough*) and in any case supporting character can add a lot. They can provide drama, they can be a vehicle for tightening the relationship (example: say Twilight's just trying her hoof at dating, but can't bring herself to confess her crush on Rarity. Dash, who's she's confided in, could threaten to spill the beans herself unless Twilight does something, taking a tough-love approach to helping her friend. It can be more subtle than that though) and just generally make the world more realistic. Obviously you don't always need to fit them in much, you rarely need so much as a side-plot, but it makes it seem like this story is actually something that's unfolding in the world of Equestria
Penultimately, ship fics can be driven either by events or the characters themselves, not that any story is solely reliant on one or the other. Thunder & Lightning was very close to entirely character driven, Dash's laziness kicking off the story, Fluttershy's feelings of betrayal providing most of the drama, etcetera. In Kindness's Reward, it's an event that provided the linchpin for Trixie and Fluttershy's love, the whole dragon thing, but much of the drama was produced by interaction between Trixie and Fluttershy. Which way you go depends on how you want to tell the story, and your vehicle for romance. Ship fics lend themselves to adventures, where two ponies fall in love by working through tough times together, learning about one another and coming to rely on one another's support. But you can very easily go the slice-of-life route that fics like "The Melting Pot" do so excellently. Most of this should fall into place as you're writing, but it's important to identify where your focus is, and make sure not to neglect either side improperly. If you're stuck on how to make two different ponies come together on their own, throw something at them - maybe Octavia's house burned down, and the only pony she can turn to is her old music school roomie Vinyl Scratch. Or if the story stalls, see if that's because you haven't had enough happening. On the other hand, you'll want to make sure your characters can explore their evolving feelings. You won't need anything random to happen if conflict, drama and plot can evolve naturally from your last plot point where Twilight freaks out that somepony else has a crush on her or something.
Now, lastly, is what for lack of a better term I'm going to call the "style" of the ship. I often describe my stories as "fluffy". I write ships where the relationship is always reciprocated, with plenty of happy endings, trying to give a warm fuzzy feeling. But there's a lot of different ways to express "love". You can have a "racy" story without writing clopfic, and sometimes it can actually be done eloquently, though of course it won't be everypony's thing. Still, neither will anything else. You could write something more dramatic, a love triangle, or perhaps a love hexagon or who knows what. Remember that "ship" is only short for "relationship". Which means that a successful ship may never have the two ponies express their feelings, whereas an unsuccessful one might have them hook up but fail to have any emotional involvement. Your readers have come to see a bond develop, not to read about pony makeouts (unless you took that racy thing and ran with it....). Unrequited love can be interesting to explore, or you could explore less conventional relationships - perhaps Trixie and Twilight keep up a rivalry, but it's simply their way of connecting with one another, so to an outsider their "love" is quite dysfunctional. Of course you don't have to make something unique for the sake of it, but you don't want to start writing cookie-cutter "they met. They talked. They fell in love. The end" kind of stories.
Well, I hope at least some of that helps. Now, I'm not handing down lessons here, or anything like that. I'm simply explaining what tools I'm using to make ships, cracked or not, happen. If you're not interested in any of that, I decided that for the rest of this celebratory post I'll just talk about... ships! And a bit about myself.
My favorite ship of all time? Probably TwiLuna. Followed closely by TwiShy, Rainbow Scratch, Flutterdash and Flixie. As you can see, I kind of like shipping Twilight and Fluttershy, and it's kind of funny that they're my favorite characters but not my favorite ship. TwiLuna I like because I feel Twilight deserves an intellectual equal, somepony who can appreciate her passions like none of the mane six seem to. TwiShy is just full of cuddles and d'awwww. Rainbow Scratch... the coolest canon pony paired up with the coolest fanon pony, enough said 8) . Flutterdash, well, I just feel like Dash needs somepony to rein her in and Fluttershy needs a knight. Which is also why I like Flixie.
You know I hated Celestia, Trixie, and Pinkie Pie right after season one was over? Celestia was just too perfect, except for being subtly mean, Trixie was just a tool for a really in-your-face morality episode, and Pinkie Pie was less a character and more a prop for both comedy and plot-convenience. The fandom has changed my mind on the first two.... still don't really like Pinkie Pie. But it's amazing how that can happen at all. Cumulatively, we've created an awesome world, and have explored every one of the characters in depth like the show could never manage. We've given them backstories, hidden depth, complex emotions and relationships... I'm pretty sure I know some ponies better than I know some of my friends. Perhaps why I usually don't have any trouble giving them voices in my fics.
I don't think I'd write a self-insert anytime in the near future, but I have wondered about what my OC would do in Equestria. Perhaps she/I would write trashy romance novels... it's not creepy if she's a pony too, right? Hehe, despite the fact that I'd never touch clopfic in real life, the idea amuses me. I've heard of this "conversion bureau" thing but I really like more the idea of just telling the stories of your pony-self in Equestria. Problem is, it leaves Equestria saturated with artists and writers. We need some more bricklaying ponies, you know? I may write an OC fic one day, but of course, I'd need a few other OCs to help populate the story.
I cannot think of anything else to write. Once again, thank you for all the love, I hope to return take that love and harness it for my next mushy fic xD . If you have any suggestions for what I should write here, I'm all ears (note I'm talking about the blog, not my stories). Thanks for sitting through all that!
This first post also actually marks my 10,000th page view! I have a screenshot of it but I'm terrible with my image editor so I can't get a nice picture of it up. What do you want from me, I'm only a writer! Heh heh, sorry about that. Anyway, you bronies are just crazy @_@ . About two months ago, after seeing all the wonderful fanfictions out there, something in me perked up, and ideas started to come to me. I've always been imaginative; my childhood was spent daydreaming about characters from my TV shows or books, so this was nothing new. What was new was that I convinced myself to start writing these down. The first few were terrible, let me tell you. The first ponyfic I ever wrote is this goes-nowhere TwiShy fic that is simply beyond repair (sorry, never showing it :P). I know, I was a shipper from the beginning. A few false starts later, and Thunder & Lightning happened. The first thing of substantial length, the first where I wrote a story with rising drama, a climax and conclusion. After convincing myself of the virtues of internet anonymity (I'm a private person), I made myself a gmail account, used that to start up a Deviantart account, and posted it in 16 tiny parts. It was incredibly sloppy. I didn't know what I was doing, but I was also thinking "Well, what does it matter how it's divided if you can just hit next or previous?" I was being quite silly, but I didn't expect anyone to find them out. I just put them up there, figuring a few people might come across them and leave it at that. It was more for my benefit than anypony else's. A few people did notice, I got encouraging words, especially since it was so obvious I was a total newbie. Then... Spark happened
I can't even remember where the idea originated. I loved TwiLuna, but I wasn't having an easy time finding a lot of it (Okay, so I could've looked harder in the Equestria Daily archives... there's a lot of stuff there you guys!) I also, at the time, very much disliked Celestia ("Trollestia" was a term I was familiar with, but only in reference to canon events). As I wrote the story it grew out of control. I needed an obstacle that Twilight's teleportation couldn't bypass, and it always intrigued me how in the show she doesn't understand how she teleports but does it anyway. So before I knew it I was explaining the mechanics of magic, and then as Nightmare Celestia became the villain of the story I naturally had to write some origin for them, and golems eventually came around. Twilight's origin was clear shortly after. Anyway, I'm rambling and have gotten extremely off-topic. My point was that it was a crazy time that really showed me both how much I could do as an author and where my limits were. After posting that, one of the first comments I got was a sweet brony telling me that I should post this to Equestria Daily. Again remembering that it'd be "Avery Strange" putting herself out there, and not me in any personal sense, I followed the guidelines and emailed this to Seth. I refreshed hourly until it went up. Then I emailed Seth for listing it as "Twilestia" but that was my fault because he has a section called "major characters" in the submission format that I listed "Twilight, Celestia, Luna" in when clearly he just wanted the ship :P . Anyway, back on topic, to my surprise, a lot of you loved it! A few critics hit the nail of the head with the story's drawbacks, but it proved to be the beginning of quite a successful string of stories.
And in two months I've gotten just shy of 250 watchers and over 10,000 pageviews. I hope I deserve it. You all have been very kind to me - even my biggest critics are just so polite. Most of the time, at least, I was told Spark was a "Piece of s##t" for harming Celestia, but hey, haters gonna hate. So I've been thinking about how to Celebrate 10K pageviews. I don't have much for you guys, I'm sorry. I can't throw out something quick like an artist might be able to, and was unprepared. I'd have to have started preparing back at 7K, I suppose. So, anyway, this is what I can give you: my thoughts.
Firstly, finally getting to the title, I'm going to explain why I've made the claim I can ship "everypony". I claim this jokingly of course, but my point is that people aren't considering enough shipping possibilities, and I've hoped I've proven that there are good pairings out there that aren't being explored. My stories don't fit a mold, certainly not, I'm not saying there's anything cookie-cutter about anypony else's stories either. But there are things I consider in each story in order to make it successful. For those interested, I'm going to share them now. For those who don't care, there's some goodies at the end.
1) What brings, and keeps, two ponies together? This may seem obvious, but it's the groundwork for the entire story, so it requires the most attention and is often all but ignored in ships. If done right, the story takes on a life of its own and can become far more than just a shipfic. A good example would be "Off the Edge of the Map" which, while only light-shipping, clearly could've been heavier on the romance without detracting from the story (albeit not too much heavier, I recognize). For those that haven't read it, just briefly it's that a stunt of Dash's manages to send her and Fluttershy into the middle of the sea, and they face death time and again on their way back. The thing is, this premise is excellent for a few reasons. Firstly, you have all the time in the world to build the relationship, as you can make the trip back to Ponyville anywhere from a day to a month to a few years (though obviously you'll have to spend more time on non-shipping elements in the latter cases). Secondly, you give them a reason to be in one another's company and interact heavily. You need your reason to not just put two ponies in the same room but get them to talk to one another. Nothing breaks the story flow quite like than having one pony just randomly show up just to be part of the ship. Even if the reader knows what they're getting into, it's a pretty obvious "oh here comes the shipping" moment. Twixie stories are typically pretty bad at this, having Trixie show up as if for the express purpose of falling in love with Twilight. "The Ballad of Twilight Sparkle" for example deftly avoids this by having a solid reason for the timing and why they've been brought together. Of course there's an exception to this, but we'll get to that.
2. There needs to be common ground. Separate from "why they're together" is why that togetherness leads to a relationship. You could have Trixie and Twilight marooned on an island, and if you wanted to you could write it so that they end up hating each other - it's quite easy. Both being independent, a bit bossy (if you don't believe me, Twilight is really quite bossy in Dragonshy, Winter Wrap Up, Art of the Dress...) but otherwise likely having different ideals would easily lead them to split over methods of survival, how to reach help, etcetera. That old addage "opposites attract" is deceptive. Even ships like Jackity (Rarity x Applejack), when done right, give the two ponies something to bond over. Whether it be a surprisingly similar mindset, their roles as older siblings or business owners, or even a rodeo (it's been done) there needs to be a reason for them to enjoy one another's company. This is all obvious, but you'd be surprised how many take this for granted. Again, a good number of Twixie fics take it for granted, as do a few Rainbow Dash ships. But the thing I'm hoping to show here is that so long as you can find common ground, you can find a ship. Luna and Rarity are both eloquent artists in their own rights, and with the right interpretation you can make Luna just old-fashioned enough to agree with Rarity's views on ladyship. Vinyl Scratch and Pinkie Pie both love to party and to dance. Madame LaFlour is a useless sack of flour, and Sweetie Belle... I'm kidding. Have I shipped these ponies? No. But with the right premise from (1), I've given a reason for a bond to form. This is what makes crack ships work.
IIV) Give a reason for the relationship to turn romantic. Again I'm going to site "Off the Edge of the Map" here because it's such a great storyline and counter to heads-over-hooves style ships. Dash's and Fluttershy's bond tightened over their adventures, but being best friends or having shared experiences does not mean you're in love with somepony. Often this reason takes the form of a single event, a moment where their relationship is tested and proven. But don't get me wrong here. Love cannot be justified logically. "Just because" often works, in some manner, though this is far overused. But there needs to be a reason why this relationship is different from their friends. Since I'm going to assume that anypony following my blog has read my stories, let's work with Kindness's Reward. Fluttershy was primarily attracted to Trixie due to her inner strength, a recognition of her passion and dedication, something Fluttershy found lacking in herself and longed for. Trixie, despite how she seemed, was also a very receptive, empathetic pony, easily swayed by Fluttershy's mood (you'll remember how often I had Trixie "inexplicably" obey Fluttershy's requests or react to her body language). However, to various degrees these traits can be found in her friends, and actually many of the same things I explained here are why people ship Fluttershy with Dash (passion), Pinkie Pie (empathy), or Applejack (a bit of both). Side note: Yes AppleShy isn't common but it was in one of the first fics I read, it's stuck with me Anyway, so I of course had to have a reason Fluttershy fell for Trixie yet hasn't fallen for any of her friends. In this case it was partially the level at which she got to know Trixie, having heard her entire life story, and another part was the level of response she got from Trixie, who, having no other friends, came to care deeply about what Fluttershy thought and listened to her in a way that we've seen the rest of the mane six do not (Dragonshy, notably). Every fic needs to have something like this. The relationship has to stand out as special. Notably, this makes it very easy to ship some ponies (Trixie, Vinyl Scratch, Luna) who have few or no connections (in canon or fanon) at all, so long as you don't make them come across as desperate of course.
2x2) There are levels of romance. A few people "criticized" Luna's Day Out for having Luna and Fluttershy "fall in love" in a day, when sadly they simply just didn't understand the fic's purpose. Luna was heartsick, and Fluttershy ended up crushing on her. It was two infatuated ponies testing the waters, not two madly-in-love mares consummating their love. Now, almost everypony goes for the "soulmate" level because it's so satisfying. The kind of ending where you can hear wedding bells in the distance. But sometimes a satisfying ending can be two ponies simply snuggling together in front of a fire, or agreeing to see one another the next time one comes to town (I'd complain about how nopony ever has Trixie stay a roaming mare at the end of the story, except I can't really make that criticism...) or whatever. I'm not just talking about light-shipping, though that is part of this. Some stories simply work better on a gentler note. A side note to this: you can also explore different stages of a ship. That's the exception I was talking about earlier, you don't always need to focus on the premise if you dive in after the initial come-together moment to explore from there. In Thunder & Lightning I actually have Dash and Scratch together off the bat, but this story focused on changing their relationship from "hooking up" to "being together" - in another way, what started as I primarily light, non-serious relationship turned into love. The thing is, you still need to reference the original coming together, to give context to their current state if nothing else.
16-11) The ship can't happen in a void! Only rarely can you reasonably set up a scenario where it's just the two characters (*cough* Spark *cough*) and in any case supporting character can add a lot. They can provide drama, they can be a vehicle for tightening the relationship (example: say Twilight's just trying her hoof at dating, but can't bring herself to confess her crush on Rarity. Dash, who's she's confided in, could threaten to spill the beans herself unless Twilight does something, taking a tough-love approach to helping her friend. It can be more subtle than that though) and just generally make the world more realistic. Obviously you don't always need to fit them in much, you rarely need so much as a side-plot, but it makes it seem like this story is actually something that's unfolding in the world of Equestria
Penultimately, ship fics can be driven either by events or the characters themselves, not that any story is solely reliant on one or the other. Thunder & Lightning was very close to entirely character driven, Dash's laziness kicking off the story, Fluttershy's feelings of betrayal providing most of the drama, etcetera. In Kindness's Reward, it's an event that provided the linchpin for Trixie and Fluttershy's love, the whole dragon thing, but much of the drama was produced by interaction between Trixie and Fluttershy. Which way you go depends on how you want to tell the story, and your vehicle for romance. Ship fics lend themselves to adventures, where two ponies fall in love by working through tough times together, learning about one another and coming to rely on one another's support. But you can very easily go the slice-of-life route that fics like "The Melting Pot" do so excellently. Most of this should fall into place as you're writing, but it's important to identify where your focus is, and make sure not to neglect either side improperly. If you're stuck on how to make two different ponies come together on their own, throw something at them - maybe Octavia's house burned down, and the only pony she can turn to is her old music school roomie Vinyl Scratch. Or if the story stalls, see if that's because you haven't had enough happening. On the other hand, you'll want to make sure your characters can explore their evolving feelings. You won't need anything random to happen if conflict, drama and plot can evolve naturally from your last plot point where Twilight freaks out that somepony else has a crush on her or something.
Now, lastly, is what for lack of a better term I'm going to call the "style" of the ship. I often describe my stories as "fluffy". I write ships where the relationship is always reciprocated, with plenty of happy endings, trying to give a warm fuzzy feeling. But there's a lot of different ways to express "love". You can have a "racy" story without writing clopfic, and sometimes it can actually be done eloquently, though of course it won't be everypony's thing. Still, neither will anything else. You could write something more dramatic, a love triangle, or perhaps a love hexagon or who knows what. Remember that "ship" is only short for "relationship". Which means that a successful ship may never have the two ponies express their feelings, whereas an unsuccessful one might have them hook up but fail to have any emotional involvement. Your readers have come to see a bond develop, not to read about pony makeouts (unless you took that racy thing and ran with it....). Unrequited love can be interesting to explore, or you could explore less conventional relationships - perhaps Trixie and Twilight keep up a rivalry, but it's simply their way of connecting with one another, so to an outsider their "love" is quite dysfunctional. Of course you don't have to make something unique for the sake of it, but you don't want to start writing cookie-cutter "they met. They talked. They fell in love. The end" kind of stories.
Well, I hope at least some of that helps. Now, I'm not handing down lessons here, or anything like that. I'm simply explaining what tools I'm using to make ships, cracked or not, happen. If you're not interested in any of that, I decided that for the rest of this celebratory post I'll just talk about... ships! And a bit about myself.
My favorite ship of all time? Probably TwiLuna. Followed closely by TwiShy, Rainbow Scratch, Flutterdash and Flixie. As you can see, I kind of like shipping Twilight and Fluttershy, and it's kind of funny that they're my favorite characters but not my favorite ship. TwiLuna I like because I feel Twilight deserves an intellectual equal, somepony who can appreciate her passions like none of the mane six seem to. TwiShy is just full of cuddles and d'awwww. Rainbow Scratch... the coolest canon pony paired up with the coolest fanon pony, enough said 8) . Flutterdash, well, I just feel like Dash needs somepony to rein her in and Fluttershy needs a knight. Which is also why I like Flixie.
You know I hated Celestia, Trixie, and Pinkie Pie right after season one was over? Celestia was just too perfect, except for being subtly mean, Trixie was just a tool for a really in-your-face morality episode, and Pinkie Pie was less a character and more a prop for both comedy and plot-convenience. The fandom has changed my mind on the first two.... still don't really like Pinkie Pie. But it's amazing how that can happen at all. Cumulatively, we've created an awesome world, and have explored every one of the characters in depth like the show could never manage. We've given them backstories, hidden depth, complex emotions and relationships... I'm pretty sure I know some ponies better than I know some of my friends. Perhaps why I usually don't have any trouble giving them voices in my fics.
I don't think I'd write a self-insert anytime in the near future, but I have wondered about what my OC would do in Equestria. Perhaps she/I would write trashy romance novels... it's not creepy if she's a pony too, right? Hehe, despite the fact that I'd never touch clopfic in real life, the idea amuses me. I've heard of this "conversion bureau" thing but I really like more the idea of just telling the stories of your pony-self in Equestria. Problem is, it leaves Equestria saturated with artists and writers. We need some more bricklaying ponies, you know? I may write an OC fic one day, but of course, I'd need a few other OCs to help populate the story.
I cannot think of anything else to write. Once again, thank you for all the love, I hope to return take that love and harness it for my next mushy fic xD . If you have any suggestions for what I should write here, I'm all ears (note I'm talking about the blog, not my stories). Thanks for sitting through all that!
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