Ideas from Bronycon; read at your own risk. · 3:56am Aug 4th, 2014
One of the coolest things about a convention is that it brings a bunch of like-minded people together.
For example, we all like ponies.
Of those people, there are naturally sub-groups. We have the cosplayers, the artists, musicians, etc.
Of the groups, potentially the most terrifying group is the writers. You don't really notice us, because we're generally quiet, and most of us aren't wearing fur suits. In fact, we look pretty normal . . . but that's just to lull you into a false sense of security.
But when you get a group of writers together around a table, it's kind of terrifying. Because we come up with IDEAS. [disclaimer: I'm only speaking for myself here; I don't know if any of the other writers actually came up with any ideas (but I bet they did)]
Why is that terrifying? Because good ideas are often the result of much reflection and meditation.
These ideas are not.
Some of them are full-fledged stories in their own right: Princess Celestia, in a misguided attempt to bring Equestria and Earth closer together, tries to marry off Princess Twilight Sparkle to President Obama. (If you remember your European history, this is historically accurate, and might be a way the ponies would run things.) What a surprise for Twilight to find out what all her new royal duties entail.
Celestia: Twilight, pack up your stuff, you're getting married!
Twilight: I'm what?
Celestia: Yes, we need a new peace accord, and you're the only unmarried Princess.
Twilight: But . . . what about Luna?
Celestia: She's still technically married to the Griffon King.
Twilight: And you?
Celestia: Mirror-world Sombra.
Twilight: But . . .
Celestia: Pack your bags. I haven't got time to alicornify anypony else.
Besides that, there are other ideas, or little germs of premises that have promise and potential as a one-shot. Like Lyra going to a MLP convention, entering a cosplay contest . . . and losing.
Or a clopfic based on Jabberwocky. (not my idea, but it's a damn good one!)
Or Rarity loses a hoof and has to hide it from everypony.
Not all ideas make for a full-fledged story, of course. Some of them, in fact are just little fragments scribbled in my notebook:
For no reason whatsoever, everypony is drunk and speaks Russian.
Fifty hours of punching.
Applejack threw her hat aside. “I like it slow and weird,” she drawled.
So there you go! Proof that a weekend at a con was totally worth it! Be on the lookout for these, and other similarly well-thought-out fanfics in the near future. Also updates to OPP and aGfC; those shall be along pretty soon, too.
I don't want to make my loyal readers angry.
If you somehow missed me at the convention but are still in Baltimore, I'm gonna go to the B&O museum tomorrow, before heading home to Michigan.
Are you sure you weren't drunk for these two?
That sounds like it belongs in a particularly strange clopfic.
The problem with our world leaders are that they typically MUST be married just to be elected. You never see a single guy run for president of the united states. Same thing happens with other countries. Putin is married by example. So unless Celestia wants Twilight to form a herd with a world leader, the idea of marrying into this world is unlikely to succeed.
It would probably be easier for Twi to run for office. The only problem there is she isn't a natural born citizen. I'd vote for her given the chance, but then I would vote for any of the mane 6 for president of the USA.
would be fun. No other country would mess around with 
would kick flank in the most surprising ways. 
would be able to handle the politics fine. 
would probably have the hardest time of it actually.
2341979
One of those ideas was spawned from a "Do's and Don'ts of Fanfiction" and one from the EqD Prereader's panel. To protect the guilty, I won't say who suggested which, nor in what context.
.....that might be the plan
2342049
Depending on the pony view of marriage, this might not be a deal-breaker. Of course, as you observe, it's a rather significant issue on Earth (plus, the whole different species thing--that might be an issue on Earth too).
2342049
I'm pretty sure Hasbro could produce documents showing that she was indeed 'born' in the US.
2342135
Now that would be interesting... But Applejack at 31 is the oldest mane 6 pony that way -- unless you want to go by concept where she could theoretically have been thought of 35 years ago.
In essence you would need to pull from G1 if you wanted the age requirement met.
Hooray, someone else who enjoys railroad museums! I had the same thing planned, but wasn't sure when I could make it there. Tomorrow's as good a time as any!
2342146
While corporations may indeed be people, thus far their 'offspring' aren't. Which is too bad, or else I could get a great tax deduction for all my vehicles, which are dependents.
2342156
Huzzah!
It's the weird stories that are the most fun to imagine, even if there's no conceivable way to make them happen.
Then there are the ones that I wish I could write, but wouldn't make good stories on their own without heavy support.
Glad you had fun at Bronycon!
2342216
That sounds like a dare.
2342229
It can be.
But only if you send me a picture of the Neightionwide shirt!
2342049
That is not true, no such requirement appears in the eligibility to run for President of the US or for other countries. In fact, most of them simply listed that the person has to: 1. Be a natural born citizen, and/or 2. Be a permanent resident for X years, 3. Has no criminal records and 4. Be above a certain age (ranging from 35 to 45 years old depending on the country).
For example of the requirement not being true, President James Buchanan (in office 1857 - 1861) was a bachelor when he was elected and remained one for the rest of his life.
Just because most of the presidents/MPs/dictators in history happened to be married (by when they were of an age where they were usually married) when they were elected/took power doesn't mean it is a requirement.
I think the problems have something more to deal with: 1. Bigamy laws (if the President/world leader is married) and 2. Political marriages not recognized as a legal and binding position as "co-ruler" but would probably still bring Earth and Equestria closer (which is Princess Celestia's goal anyway). Michelle Obama would probably object that to hell and back though.
I will broke no quarrel: you have to write this.
Also >fifty hours of punching
2342299
Yes I know it is not written in the constitution, but try to get elected as a single guy, just TRY. Politically it just is not going to happen. Maybe back in 1857 you could slide by, but today?
2342596
http://thehill.com/capital-living/23922-a-spouse-who-needs-it
According to this, that doesn't seem to be the trend. Being married can be spun into a boost for his/her popularity, it isn't the thing that's going to decide whether someone's getting elected and it's the same in my country. I care more about that my MP can do for my constituency rather than whether he/she is married or not.
2342146
Or set the story in The Future, possibly with some sort of time differential between Equestria and Earth.
My own political views aside, not sure if
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or
img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120819201811/creepypasta/images/5/56/Disgusted-oh-god-why-text.png
Either way, all I can say is
polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=33187952
Wait just a goddamn minute...isn't Twilight, like, possibly underage?
Even if she isn't, she's 19 at most!
I foresee problems with attempting to marry a 19 year-old pony to a 40+ year-old President, even if you discount the whole "two different species" thing.
2343148
In times when peace treaties were signed with marriages, age wasn't seen as an issue.
2343210
I know. I mean that people Earthside would take issue with it.
2343224 the other problem is that obama is already married
2343148
You know, I've seen this preached pretty much as gospel around the community of late, and I have no idea where people are getting it from.
Personally, I was always under the impression that -- given their housing situations, obvious experience and tenure with their respective jobs, and (if Rarity's previous actions are to be believed, at any rate) marriage eligibility -- they were intended to be 20-somethings (or pony equivalent). Or am I just thinking too far inside the box?
2342246
I will make it happen. People at the con liked it!
2342487
Consider it added to the queue!
2343148
Depends on where in the US she gets married--see below.
2343530
Word of Faust is anywhere from 12-17 (when the show started).
images.wikia.com/mlp/images/archive/8/8f/20120214081013!Lauren_Faust's_explanation_about_main_6_maturity_level.png
From there, you can work out your own headcanon based on how long in pony-time each season of the show is, etc., etc., etc. I personally figure they get their cutie marks right around puberty. Historically, and in the pony's case perhaps, once you've hit puberty and are sexually mature, you're good to go, marriage-wise. For the ponies, I would think there is probably a cutie-mark requirement, and puberty, and that's all. [Since the show relies so heavily on friendship as an actual, tangible, able-to-defeat-Tirek force, a lot of the concerns one would have about young marriage here on earth probably can fall by the wayside for the ponies. Heck, depending on your headcanon, Cadance or a pony like her could look at each prospective couple and give a hooves-up or -down, and that's that.
Also, from a quick perusal of marriageable age in the US, it's typically 18, but younger with parental consent . . . in one state, it's as low as 12, if the parents are ok with it.
2344285
Link's borked.
Regardless, I call humbug. Unless the pony time-scale for adolescence occurs much earlier than it does in humans, there is no way that a 12-to-17-year-old, regardless of their capability, would be left in charge of a library, boutique, farm, etc. Even considering the idea that the attainment of a cutie mark indicates physical/sexual/emotional maturity, one imagines that some years of experience (to hearken back to the discussion on education) would need to be achieved before they reached that kind of managerial status.
If anything, I'd say the CMC are closer to their teens -- early teens, to be sure, but the problems they're made to face in the show seem a lot closer to those of 13-14 year-olds than the Mane Six.
2344285
2343530
Equestria Girls also confirms that she and the other Mane 6 are all high school age, the absolute maximum of which would be 19 (assuming you don't get held back a grade).
2345943
Not true, actually. Biscuit himself has a theory about how 19 year-old Rarity could have her own business.
Though admittedly this does depend on Equestria having a much more primitive education system than the modern human one.
2348515
Apparently, going on a two-day sprint without sleep does absolutely nothing for my ability to think logically before writing comments.
Who would've guessed?
I was trying too hard to look at it from the modern perspective. It's easy to forget, I suppose, that there's a distinction between the average 17-year-old today and one from a four or five centuries back -- to wit, that there was a time when, by that age, most folks would be employed (self- or otherwise) with a spouse and kids. Timing for that -- I dunno, age of generally agreed-upon adulthood? -- depends entirely on societal expectations, and it's moved back quite a ways since. Entirely possible that hasn't happened to quite the same extent in pony society.
(Also, EqG? Must we consider that canon?
)
2348515
2348766
It's also worth mentioning that even in this modern era, there are kids in their teens who start companies, write novels, etc. In fact, my brother had such a passion for the idea of flying, when we lived in Croswell (up until 88, so he would have been 8) he was already saving all the money he had for flight lessons. By the time he was 16 he had a pilot's license--and he paid for all the lessons out of his own pocket.
While I hardly shared his passion for a single goal (I spent all my money on books, legos, and toy cars), I haunted the local libraries enough that I had the Dewey Decimal system largely memorized, and I probably knew enough to be a librarian by the time I was in high school.
With that in mind, I honestly don't have a hard time believing that Rarity has a successful dress-making business at the age of . . . well, we don't know, but let's say her early- to mid-teens.
2348766
EqG is every bit as canon as Twilicorn, and I'm sorry, but worse things have happened to a fandom than EqG and Twilicorn. You want fanon discontinuity? That's reserved for atrocities on the level of Metroid: Other M and Command and Conquer 4. EqG isn't nearly bad enough for fans to remove it from (head)canon.
2351133
Okay, now hang on -- whoever said anything about Twilicorn? I've got no problem with Twilicorn (other than that it would've been more emotionally fulfilling had it been saved for the series finale).
And while I agree that EqG could've been far worse than it was (I'll see your Other M and raise you a Sonic '06
), I still can't honestly see it as anything more than the vehicle for toy sales that the show had up to that point tried so hard not to be. If you liked it, fine -- far be it from me to shit on someone else's appreciation of something I didn't personally get anything out of. But that doesn't mean I have to like it, and it sure as hell doesn't mean I have to consider it part of the larger mythos.
2351308
Maybe you don't, but you can't deny that it raised all sorts of hell in the fandom.
That's the thing: I actually don't like Equestria Girls. It was mediocre at best. However, it did still add to the fluff of the overall MLP universe. It more firmly established the ages of several characters, for one, and it was a set up for a major arc of the comics. So while the movie itself wasn't all that great, the worlbuilding additions it made to the MLP universe are. Refusing to consider it a part of the mythos is effectively saying that the movie lacks any redeeming value.
2344285
Legality doesn't change the fact that when people do so, everybody else typically thinks
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Not to say this is necessarily a <i>bad</i> thing, from the storytelling PoV. In fact it could make for some interesting conflicts, though making Twilight any younger than 18 could overcomplicate things.
2351356
If I'm honest . . . ?
2353882
The only fic I know of which explored this was Anthropology, in which humanized Lyra was sixteen and in Iowa.
There I have to disagree, because of consistency problems between the show, the comics, and the movie (Cheerilee is the one that was the most obvious, who was a foal in Rarity's flashback, but in the comics went to school with Shining--before Twilight got her cutie mark). Nonetheless, if we assume it's a typical high school, and we also assume that each season of MLP is one year, the Mane 6 would be at most 19 (assuming none of them had been sent back grades) at the time of the movie, which means at the beginning of MLP they were between 14 and 16.
2353882
2351356
My own personal opinion is that the comics and movie are useful supplemental material, but I don't view them as cannonically as the actual show. I do like to draw elements from them where I can. However--Celestia Sleeps In would be a very different story if I felt obligated to include Equestria Girls, and fully embracing the comic arc would make one of my subplots a little weirder that I had intended.
For what it's worth, I set a particular episode as my starting point, and feel free to ignore anything that was released after that point.
2354925
But unless I'm mistaken, she was never set to get married. Having an underage alien teen on Earth is one thing, but having an underage alien Princess who is in an arranged marriage to the President of the United States? Those are two very different animals.
...Though on second thought, the political backlash on that would be very interesting to read about.
2354977
Yes, that's very true. I brought it up because of the age thing.
I know, right? When I first thought of the idea, everyone at the table had a good laugh (I think I mentioned it was to be a crackfic), but the more I thought about it, the more interesting a cultural misunderstanding and political disaster it becomes.
2355025
ლ(ಠ益ಠლ) Dooooo eeeeet!
Seriously, there's
enough potential here to fill a trilogy of novel-length fanfictionsso much potential here that even a trilogy of novel-length fanfictions couldn't contain it all.Just goes to show ya, sometimes the most ridiculous, random-ass ideas turn out to be some of the most brilliant.
2355230
Well, Celestia Sleeps In started as a 4000 word one-shot after a co-worker showed up late . . . It's an idea which sounds more and more worthy the longer I consider it.
To the best of your knowledge, has anyone actually written this? Because now I want to read it. I'm not creative enough to write it, probably.
2557789
As far as I know, the topic is tragically unexplored. If nobody else does, I'll give it a go one of these days.