This particular story is really one of three. In fact, the second of three stories meant to introduce people to Shinedown and the world he inhabits, sharing a realm with beings from across the universe...
The hard part was trying to make Squirt a LIKABLE character, but not just an "oh, poor him" character, considering he actually is kind of a criminal who needs guidance, not just to be chucked into the jail. It's too easy to play changelings as total victims or total jerks, and I wanted to try and find a good balance. Heck, I'm STILL trying to find one. But hopefully, you'll like this Phoenix Wright-style tale. And no, no "human" tag for this, Staccato isn't actually a human, but a robot.
Chapters (1)
I think, however, you may have misunderstood somewhat when you and I talked about Changeling victimization. It's not really the way the changelings are portrayed that is the key factor in this issue, but how the PONIES are portrayed. I've seen quite a few of stories handling this issue and in almost EVERY SINGLE ONE, the ponies are demonized as the oppressors. The Changelings are themselves portrayed variously from meek, simpering victims to proud, hard-nosed 'freedom fighters against the pony oppressors', but in almost all these different situations, the Changelings as a whole are portayed as victims of pony oppression.
The ponies as a whole in stories that deal with this issue are often portrayed as one of or both of the following: a self-deserving, ignorant and snobbish elite (haves to the changelings have-nots) who believe they own the world and looked down on any other species as dirt on their hooves, OR as blind, fiery-eyed racist/speciesist genocidal monsters and with this one, it’s almost always played up to eleven; I’m talking lynch mobs, executions and pogroms, basically the ponies want to squeel maniacally as they dance in Changeling blood. Using the aftermath of the Changeling invasion as a basis, the ponies become the most hate filled creatures possible in these works, going as far as instigating a genocide like that in 1990s Balkans against Changelings with CELESTIA of all ponies openly backing or supporting it, part of the whole tyrant Celestia schtick.
No matter to what degree, the ponies are almost as being the ones at fault somehow and it's quite visible in this story too, mainly the first of the two versions I mentioned. They, outside of the main characters, are portrayed in this story as a one-dimensional snooty elite who seem willing to toss Squirt in prison simply because he is a Changeling, that's pretty much it. I understand this may not have been your intention, but that is how ponies come across as in this story, they're pretty much "the man" keeping the changelings down.
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Which I've tried to work on, believe me.
2135277 I'm not accusing you of not trying to work on it and I'm not having a go at you. My comment was mostly to highlight the issue and to point out the flaws of it in this story. It's that seeing the same thing on this issue over and over again really gets to me. There are things that get to you in fanfiction, and this is definitely one that gets to me. The main reason being 'why?', why do writers love portraying Changelings, ponies and the dynamic between them this way?