A question for all of my Stardust/Mente Materia readers. (SPOILERS FOR XCOM 2) · 3:00am Feb 28th, 2016
So, I've been playing the HELL out of XCOM 2 for the past month, and I'm almost to the point where I no longer feel the need to devote every waking moment into playing the game. As such, I'll be refocusing my efforts into writing and the Project SPARK mod, among other things.
One of those other things was suggested by more than one person. I had initially dismissed it, but over the past couple of weeks the idea has percolated and grown into something that I find a legitimate scenario to explore.
And that scenario is this: What would have happened if Zhang had missed his shot at the Overseer UFO at the end of Stardust?
The most likely result would have been something along the lines of XCOM 2... except Gatecrasher would have Bradford rescuing Twilight from stasis rather than the Commander (who isn't even a character in the Stardust canon). Twilight now finds herself in a world that's far more hostile than the one she remembers leaving, among other consequences...
So, my question is this: Would people want to explore this potential story? I find myself curious but if there isn't interest then I'll just keep it to myself. :P
I'll admit that I'd be really curious about this scenario. I'm not sure how far it can be drawn out but I'd be lying if I said I didn't see potential in this.
I find my self intrigued by this idea. Of course, I'd say yes to any potential new XCOM/MLP story from you.
I've already completed my normal difficulty run through, and planned on starting another one uping the difficulty. Happy Alien hunting!
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Go cray cray with the mods on your next run. :)
It would be pretty interesting... Though I think that when Twilight finally would get back to Equestria, Celestia would be completely insane.
That would be oh so hard on Twi.
Yes explore this potential story. Please Please Please
I think that this scenario is definitely worth attempting at least. If you try to plan it out and decide that it isn't actually all that good then fine, but I suspect it has plenty of potential.
On the topic of Project SPARK, is there any chance you'll invite more people to work on it soon? I've been messing around with a small mod of my own but I'd be interested to see if I could help out in any way, assuming you'd pick me to work on it.
Nah, I don't like the potential story.
I would be interested as a short-ish experiment. Probably no longer than 15-20k words. Which isn't that short, honestly, but you can't tell me you could even remotely explore the concept with much less than that.
Maybe go Celestia length if you got really invested in exploring the idea and enjoyed writing it. But I'd be pretty disappointed in a lack of energy in Mente Materia, if said theoretical side project got much more focus than that.
Yes, i wanna see Twilight explore the avenger
While it sounds interesting. I do have one reservation. That would be, how it could effect your work on Mente Materia, if you finished that first and then did this story, I'd be all for it.
I have no idea what you just said because its been years since I read Stardust and I don't know the XCOM universe.
if you make it, I don't see why all of us wouldn't read it. But if it doesn't flesh out right (or you just decide against it), don't feel like you're obligated to write it because of us, it's your universe after all.
I would discourage it, because you wind up with a sub-sub plot that can clash with the main story and confuse people.
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I planned on adding a few, any in particular you would suggest?
I think I'd really like to see that idea played out, but I'm more interested in the current stardust storyline and seeing the rest of it first.
I'm definitely interested and honestly think it could be better than Mente Materia because it will keep more of the clash and focus on Twilight wrestling with the harsh reality she has found herself in than the more straightforward full scale war in Equestria. While Mente Materia is still great, I have definitely felt like a bit of the charm of Stardust has fallen by the wayside since you shifted the focus and this sounds like a great way to get that back with more focus on Twilight's personal journey and how it affects those closest to her.
I think it would have a lot of promise as a what if... would you be thinking on something short, or another series? Because another series might really affect MM, I think.
A spinoff might be nice.
It sounds interesting, but not at the expense of what you've already got going.
I'd say finish your main story first, and then explore it afterwards if you still have interest.
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I'll send you a message about current plans for Spark to see if there's something you can help with. :)
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A perfectly valid concern. Mente Materia is my first priority, this would come second. If I find myself hitting writer's block or if I wanted to take a brief break (after a plot arc ends, for instance), then I'd spend some time with this theoretical story. Heck, I might just end up writing the first three chapters, get it out of my system, then drop it. : \
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Capnbub's head accessories for one. That guy is a freaking machine when it comes to churning out new hats to add to his mod.
Enemyloot: Expanded Loot is also nice, as it gives small bits of loot by killing enemies that you don't have to pick up (like killing a MEC gives some alloys, etc).
Numeric Health Display is freaking amazing. Instead of a Sectopod's health bar looking like this [|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||], it looks like 32/32 -- 6 (where the six is the armor remaining).
Stop Wasting My Time is a wonderful mod that changes the timing of certain things (and makes Bradford freaking shut up during retaliation missions).
Beatdown Skill gives all of your soldiers a low damage rifle check attack, because missing that 80% point blank attack on a 1 health enemy only to lose a soldier on the next turn is painful.
Deadpool Voice Pack, for the lulz.
Sounds really cool.
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At the end of Stardust, the sniper with X-Ray vision fires a shot through a UFO to free Twilight Sparkle from an Ethereal to set the end of the story in motion.
Arad is positing a what-if where Zhang misses, leading the aliens to crush XCOM and capture Twilight. Bradford and the remnants of XCOM go underground for the next twenty years, nursing a resistance movement against the alien occupation, until Bradford breaks Twilight out of an alien facility in 2035.
Sounds awesome.
3781482 ok thanks for clearing that up
I'm curious, but I didn't get the opportunity to play X-COM 2 yet (mostly because it won't run on Linux+Intel IGP, unlike Enemy Within).
On another note, I did read an excellent screenshot LP of Enemy Within which puts an interesting spin on the original narrative. Highly recommended. It also ends with a sequel hook for X-COM 2.
I'm 95% sure of what's being proposed, and I am all for it
Sounds like a fun premise, but it might be difficult to reintroduce established characters with such a huge timelapse. Matt, Lana, and Zhang would undoubtly be different than they are now. And of course the issue with Shen's daughter already being deceased in this verse. Still, if there were any author I'd have confidence could pull it off I'd say its you!
(*Edit: Though thinking back, the obvious solution is since Twilight was captured AFTER stoning the majority of the aliens, the personnel more or less survived and thus shen escaped to continue serving as an engineer rather than go on the run with his daughter. Loss of alpha site was begining of the end rather than decapitating blow like Xcom 2.* )
HOWEVER, I'd really suggest against it until you get further down Mente Materia's story line. Splitting attention between two fics of such large size would make releases painfully slow and risk frustration to readers; with additional risks of running out of ideas trying to split between two ambitious similar stories at once. Get Mente Materia on stable footing and approaching third act, then give more serious thought to a side verse.
That sounds like a fun read, so don't be selfish and keep this to yourself.
Rescuing Twilight from stasis, oh that sounds like fun. I'd be down for reading something like that. Tbh I'm just as much interested in seeing her in the new world as any of the OCs you'd create. Reading everyone from Lana to Matt to Fujikawa has been great thus far.
I'd totally be down with reading that.
I'd love to read it.
I think it would be an interesting scenario to see.
Yeah...I'd read the hell out of that.
YES. do da story.
I would be interested, but I would say finish your current story before you get involved in another big, long one. Especially when they're both so similarly themed.
That idea sounds great! But why don't you have it so Twilight's brother joins the resistance to track her down?
I would totally read the hell out of that.
... I need a Shia Laboeuf 'just do it' react pic.
I certainly wouldn't mind you doing it as a story you can write while you can't seem to make headway on MM.
Curious I am.
Sounds cool but I'd rather continue following the main story.
3781462 +1 This.
I had the same idea as well. So much so that I have a whole little doc with ideas on it (although starting near Stardust.)
After Mente Materia I would totally read it. More Twily and XCOM would be amazing!
(PS I hope this doesn't sound dumb or anything but if you want that memo pad I jotted ideas on lemme know. I thought about the scenario a lot and I'll never write it anyway.)
I shall count myself among those who would be very interested in this story idea, but only once Mente Materia is done. With both going at once I'd be a bit worried about neither getting the resources it needed, and this idea sounds like one that'd be a bit more than just a quick side project.
I'd say that sounds really cool, except for one little detail: Discord wouldn't let Twilight stick around if that shot missed. He'd pull her back to Equestria and either call the bet off or say she lost. While Discord can do many things, predict the future is not one of them, so he wouldn't know about Twilight's eventual rescue and frankly would get bored waiting.
Remember, Twilight is in XCOM because of a bet about the power of friendship, not because she's actually stuck.
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A perfectly valid point! And one I want you to remember until the end of Mente Materia. Once we get there, you'll know exactly why I'm answering this way. :P
That would be fantastic - a very interesting 'what if' scenario.
By coincidence (aka I am also playing Xcom2 and just 'enjoyed' my first sectopod encounter) I was wondering something similar. How to wrap Stardust and Xcom2, and it went as thus:
The events in Stardust happen almost exactly as you've depicted, except that the Equestrian's are unable to return to Earth for that twenty year time frame. They didn't know about all that elerium underneath Canterlot, after all.
So when it's time to return to Earth, all the Equestrians know about humans is what Twilight could tell them: That in their last, darkest hours before falling to their enemy, the humans used up the last of their precious resources to send her critically-injured-self back home. They believed that if their choice was between staving off the inevitable a little longer, or doing one small good thing, that the choice was obvious.
The only part I can't reason is why it would take twenty years for Twilight to rally Equestria to get back to Earth, especially when in theory, Discord could do it by himself.
So I think this is one of those cases where it might be a good idea, but it's too implausible. There's no way it would take Twilight more than a month to figure out how to get back.
I'd like to read your story. I'm looking forward to all of them.
As I have mentioned earlier, I'd love to see this. It would be amazing. Twilight never really getting back to Equestria? Yes, please.
Yes please.
I would really to see where you take it. But i wouldnt want it to get in the way of the current run/timeline/universe, so yes it'd be cool but dont wantcha to end up with to much on your plate.