Nut, an unflappably polite young professional, goes to investigate the reports of strange creatures in the Widowwood, on the Solanum Family Farm. What he finds is remarkable; a controlling, conniving matriarch, carnivorous vegetables, and what might just be a new best friend.
The farm is infested with trolls, both literally and figuratively. The trolls keep Susan busy. Who is Susan, you might be asking. The answer is both crazy and mundane.
A short story assembled from scraps of a story that never got published for the Weedverse.
Chapters (8)
I like Nut. Nut is a lot of things and I like all the things that he represents as a nut.
This was fun, which is most likely sinful in some way. Shame
You know, I find the more an author protests that I shouldn't enjoy a story, the more I tend to enjoy it. As it is, I am quite taken with this one.
So far I am enjoying this story quite a bit. Thank you for sharing it and I am excited to read more.
I'm already fascinated, actually. What an effective adaptation for a predatory plant, and if domesticatable, a boon for farmers.
Well I really enjoy this story. Nut is a cool character and I'd love to read more content about him.
The world building in this is really neat and mentally stimulating to me. The idea of something like what Nut has described evolving on the farm of Blaue has me smirking at the possibilities. Corruption by science is a very worth ideal I can't wait to see it become more during this story.
I think "mama" needs to be visited by the princesses....I'm quite sure that with one severely arched eyebrow and vigorous application of "Teachers patience .tm. " she might be able to be a redeemable character....
Failing that letting Luna loose with her royal canterlot voice might just suffice....Gosling might actually join her lol
9696289
See, she's actually a result of her own evolution. Stagnation is to blame. Mama is the end result of living in a place where ideas are controlled and nothing ever changes. It's a different form of evolution, but it is still just that, evolution. Things adapt and evolve according to the surrounding environment.
A stagnant pond produces bottom-feeders and scum.
Social evolution with religious indoctrination is a neat concept, always wondered what it was like to live in a place like that. Nut seems like he'll be a fun character and I like that he's willing to teach Tater Blossom instead of being a jackass about being smart. I'm really excited to see where you go with this and I hope I can pick up on whatever secondary story is being written here.
Is the Widowwood supposed to be some sort of blend between rural Ireland 2 centuries ago and the American Bible Belt 2 decades ago?
9696355
The American Bible Belt is still very much like this. Right now. If anything, it's grown worse.
My Theory is that Widowwood used to be a Troll habitat. If the trees get up and kill all your menfolk, then the woods left you with quite a lot of widows. Maybe the trolls got routed/purged/what have you, and now a new, much smaller breed of troll is moving in.
Carnivorous vegetables, you say?
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You had me at Minotaurian War Umbrella.
I'm loving Nut and Tater Blossom's growing rapport. I desperately hope she is able to get out of there, and while I doubt she has time for it, it would be oh so enjoyable for Celestia herself to stop by and rip Blaue Viola a new one for the way she treats her daughters. Nothing says poetic justice like an abusive, religious zealot of a mother having her parental custody rights taken away by her own god.
9696384
Or better yet, the Trolls, they have evolved. Good thing we've got a budding evolutionary biologist on hoof.
Well, I'm hooked.
Where do Tomatoes fit into this?
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9696309
Yes, something not changing is still evolution. Sharks are the best things there are at being sharks, as I recall.
Wonder if Tarnished or Twilight have ever met Nut. While inanimate Susan is an interesting character.
While a believable setting its also a sad setting especially since you know the stagnation is unlikely to change. Everything is in place to keep things unchanged especially with Tator Blossom's mother impressing those beliefs on everypony
9696418 Maybe its evolution maybe its just the aftereffects of removing all the trees. After all in nature larger predators tend to drive out or prey on the smaller
9696414 Ponders if Minotaurs aren't a species where nothing they make doesn't double as a weapon
Nut is quite the enjoyable protagonist, and I particularly like his large vernacular.
Maybe a little anvilly, but interesting all the same.
I'd like to see Celestia's excalibur face at having to deal with this cult, though.
i love the minotaur war umbrella, have you ever come across bartitsu
I sure as hell hope this story takes off. Nut is a pretty interesting character!
Also kinda relatable growing up in an area where being "the smart kid" was not a good thing to be.
I like Nut. He's an interesting fellow. Now what I'd REALLY like to see is the epic showdown between him and Viola for "poisoning the minds" of the young 'uns. I see a lot of similarities between her and the kooky mom from the Waterboy movie hehe
Great start. Nut is an immensly likeable protagonist.
Also, Blaue Viola probably does not know that her namesake plants belong to the Nightshade family, speaking botanically?
Shove more Nut into my gaping eye-maw.
Hmmmm. Is this character also named Nut because you wanted some low hanging fruit in the double entendres department?
9697145
Bulb. Clove. Nut.
What do all of these things have in common? What is the central theme? Aside from having a single syllable, that is.
9697153
Well yes, they all refer to plants. Tulip bulb, garlic clove, tree nut. Things which a plant grows from. Seeds, in a matter of speaking, though I am sure the botanically inclined will expound on their technical differences.
But nut is also a great word for innuendo.
I have seen your chapter titles, good sir, and you cannot try to sway me from my obviously correct assumption that Nut will be leveraged into entendres of any amount!
....not that there is anything wrong with that.
This looks like loads of fun. You even have the best weapon.
So you mentioned The Underwatch in your authors note. You've mentioned it before and given the name I'm guessing it has to do with the Caterlot war with the rats. That's a story that I'd really like to read so is it happening soon, or when the rest of the stories catch up eventually?
I think I like Nut and little Tater very much! Hopefully she get the education she deserves, and not a chomping.
I don't think you should discount any of your stories as being ignorable. You have such a wildly fantastic style of writing, a vividly refreshing way of pacing out stories and developing characters, that if you wrote swear words on the side of a cabbage I would still find the time to ooh and aah at all the ways you made it your own.
I don't comment much (or at all), but know that your stories always brighten up my days with their wit and the like. You are a superstar, kudzu.
Loved it. Nut is an extremely lovable character; “being weird is my birthright” indeed.
Backwater town meets budding scientist is a good theme which I rather like, and I can see much learning to come for a curious young filly.
As far as doing a project just for you and to recharge, I say go for it. If you feel strongly enough about it to put time into writing it, there are those of is who will read it, not just because it is there, but because your work is good and worth spending time to enjoy.
And lets be honest, I can’t think of a chapter that you released where I felt it was a waste of time to read. And I think I’ve read everything you’ve put out on this site
real excited to see what happens in this story. keep up the good work. c:
As soon as small trolls where mentioned I got flashback of the troll dolls.
At least the town is only growing potatoes and similar sized veggies. Imagine if it where melons or pumpkins.
That would be quite a chomping.
I wonder how well, a pack of domesticated trolls could keep a farm pest free.
What would a group of these smaller trolls even be called? I vote for calling them a bushel.
I like this story. :D
9696429
I remember being SOOOOOO disappointed with that movie as a kid. I expected a kaiju film as advertised, with giant tomatoes with angry faces and teeth, and green grabbing tentacle vines, trying to eat people with guns. Instead, I got some sort of adult comedy satire thing whose jokes I didn't understand. I think they were supposed to be funny. And normal tomatoes rolling down an incline, that's supposed to be scary or something. Disappoint.
9696468
I really wish Studio DHX could have treated its newly introduced specieses as actual societies, rather than one-off individuals. Ah well, we can only imagine MLP minotaur society. They usually turn out to be benign Orkz (or fearsome gnomes), according to the fan authors on this site.
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There is a city called Istanbull... once Cowstantinople. I've wrriten a fair bit about them. And a minotaur culture that is deep and rich.
You do you boss.
And thank YOU for more insisted into your universes and wrighting styles. From the chase, Luna’s suicide story(sorry on my phone and cant look it up atm), and other works it’s been amazing to see your style evolve and see bits and pieces of the parts show up in the Weedverse.
Pony Darwin is an interesting idea, and he's an fun character too.
This brings up a good question about how do you help someone in Tater's situation. Small towns and religious zeal together make a hard nut to crack (hah) and even with the best intentions how do you not make things way worse when the parents are like constantly detonating hand grenades and the slightest bit of non-conformity induces a beating. I'm interested to see how Nut deals with this, IF he even can deal with it.
Then there's this line and he's already interfering with the social ecosystem so I'm interested to see where he goes with his ideals.
maybe I'm super overthinking this, good chapter.
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9700722
That... is perfect.
9700729
Barbershop beasties
9700704
I think Tater suffering beatings although horrible would make things too easy for Nut. All he would have to do is alert Twilight Velvet's family services department, stand back and leave it to the professionals. This won't be that simple.
Edit: To clarify we don't no how bad the "hidens," she suffers are. There's a difference between a spanking and an abusive beating.
Devin's in the detains
Honestly, I'd send dear Celly a letter. "Most Gracious Lady, you appear to have a minor infestation of zealotry. I would perhaps suggest having Princess Sparkle pay a visit? Seeing as they have a terrible dearth of good yarns to enjoy, contact with her joy of knowledge could only help." Twi would then have a happy little freak out over young clever Tater, who would hopefully be sent away to school, and finally be free of those bloody hidings. (I mean, I think physical punishment is terrible anyway, but if she's old enough for marriage and foals, that's more than too old for a parental thumping, right?)
9701658
She just turned 13.
Poor Nut he wants to do something for Tater you can almost feel it. He's stuck by not only his training but the fact he's there to do a job and probably doesn't want to upset the residents