Reign of the Dazzlings · 3:53am Mar 2nd, 2019
What do you think the world would look like if the sirens won? I don't mean just the battle of the bands, but I mean everything. I've seen one or two stories play with the idea, but nothing that really dug super far into it.
Here's my take. The Dazzlings feed on chaos and conflict, but at the same time I don't see them accepting any real opposition to their rule. I think they would create factions, each following a different Dazzling as their idol, and drive them to conflict within their cities and towns. Their songs would be on every television and radio station, and their images would be on every poster, billboard, and jumbotron, and their followers would emulate them in different ways, copying their styles, their personalities, their colors. Maybe they would produce pins, or Hogwarts style ties and scarves.
It would be a mix of 1984 and F451. They would keep everyone brainwashed and helpless with their hypnotic songs and entertainment. Maybe even train up idol groups to sing their own songs and spread the Dazzlings hypnosis without them even having to lift a finger. They would keep things running, cause if everything goes totally to shit they'd lose all the luxuries they spent so much time conquering. But after work, the people would go to their gangs and groups and take up their torches and pitchforks and roam the streets, fighting over their turf against the other groups.
Of course, the Dazzlings themselves wouldn't get their hands dirty in the fighting. They have no beef with each other (well... I mean... you know.) but they'd probably just stick together out of habit, maybe laughing at their useless and pathetic slaves, maybe tormenting those unlucky enough to resist their influence. They would inspire their own factions of course.
Adagio would have the gentleman gangsters, with the suits and the ties and the fancy evening dresses. Relatively disciplined, and always refined. But for real issues she'd actually have a fully trained paramilitary force, ready to strike down any actual dissent or dangerous cells (there's the 1984 influence).
Aria would have the more modern definition of gangsters, the bikers, the gang bangers, etc. Lots of spikes and leather, and motorcycles. They would make weapons of anything at hand, and then set it on fire. Molotov cocktails, spiked chains with hooked ends, the works. Lots of noise, lots of shouting, and probably lots of loud sex.
Sonata's... would be the most varied. There would definitely be the people in clown costumes running around with chainsaws and impractically oversized hammers. Maybe a group of furries with Wolverine claws built into their fursuits. Ice cream trucks with spikes and buzz saws. Battle Pandas. Whatever her sugar and cocaine fueled insanity comes up with at the time.
Outside that... There would be the rebels. They are mysteriously immune to the sirens' songs. Not because of some innate magic, or friendship, or noise canceling headphones. No, because the Dazzlings allow it. They're Prey. The Dazzlings use them to keep their thralls reliant and fearful, at each other's throats but ready to band together in the face of the common enemy. They are also an outlet for all that rage, chaos, and aggression. Sure, the gangs are at each other's throats, but the sirens can't just go letting their labor force wipe itself out. So... the rebels give them a target to attack, subdue, and kill.
I dunno, it would be really dark and twisted, but sounds like a really interesting thing to explore.
Well, you’ve caught my interest. I’m usually not one for dark and grim, but if it’s kept somewhat to a minimum, I could see myself reading that.
5022034
I could see it going either way. Ultra grimdark is certainly an option, but it could definotely be played up for laughs too. It's got a lot of absurdity to work with
Tye initial idea I had actually involved Vinyl and Lemon Zest as the sole "survivors" due to their headphones, infiltrating a radio station to hijack the airways with dubstep to break the hypnosis.
I once thought about the topic of sirens taking over the world and ended up with:
I really like the idea of them each having their own different factions that stay at each other's throats! That could be an interesting setting to explore, whether it's seen from the perspective of the sirens or their subjects.
5022220
Thanks
Yeah I can definitely see dear Adagio growing tired of the day to day minutia. It's gard to see Sonata being much of a leader, but I imagine having the least domineering siren as your mayor has gotta be a boon! And who knows, maybe replacing all tge streets with whipped cream waterslides is more efficient after all.
Why am I suddenly pucturing the three of them goimg full executive and playing golf every day?
5022080 I think you hit the nail on the head here that getting the tone right is crucial. It's potentially a very dark premise, and it's been done that way before (there was one about the last Canterlot radio station going off air as the Resistance died). But when you're talking about minions with chainsaws, it's kind of more high camp than grim - I don't know how much you can move from one to the other within a story, or whether you'd be better sticking to just one.
5022252
I would love to read that story if you remember what it was.
Yeah, a lot of stories (most commonly with movies, I think) tend to wobble wildly between the two, and end up really confusing and tone deaf. Worst example I can think of was the Lone Ranger movie with Johnny Depp. Went from Depp drunkenly running on top of a moving train to some bandit ripping out a dude's heart and eating it, then back to Depp talking to a bird or something. But you can totally have really absurd moments in otherwise serious moments, as long as the reaction is appropriate. Like, what the fuck!? Why is this zombie in a clown costume!?!?
Alternatively, a lot of comedy has random serious moments, and if the setting of the comedy is really dark like... ooh, Hogan's Heroes. Great comedy, despite happening in a German POW camp. But it wouldn't BE that setting without the occasional visit from the SS threatening to shoot any resistance.