Rainbow Reflections Postmortem: Not Angry, Just Tired · 5:23pm Dec 23rd, 2014
For those who asked for the sequel: here you are.
So, let's recap: what the hell did Bookish just do?
Answer: Bookish just released a story which:
- Prominently and unapologetically involves the dreaded and hated Equestria Girls (they're totally going to replace ponies and destroy the franchise you know)
- Is EQG-based without making fun of it or inviting controversy
- Is based on the first "ewwwwww" EQG movie and not "the "good one with The Dazzlings mai tacowaifu"
- Is based on something I'd already tried and thus has lost some of its novelty/interest factor
- Features TwiDash, which people are, like, so tired of, kaaaaay
- Is long enough that it can't be impulse-read (I estimate it's languishing on 200-ish "read later" shelves, never to be seen again)
Given the above factors I am genuinely shocked that it's doing as well as it is. I mean, holy crap, it's up there with two clopfics involving two of the fandom's most popular characters, a contest winner, two stories whose pieces of subject matter are brony bug-zappers, Obselescence (with RainbowBob recommendation-backup (sheesh, just take over the site you two whydon'tcha :D)), and Darth Vader.
Do you how much of a boss I have to be to hold my own against Darth Vader?
This kind of a boss. Also I really need to rewatch this show.
However, as much as I'm watching the heat listings like a hawk, honestly, popularity is a distant second thought to me right now.
I'm just glad it's done.
I'm just glad I'm free of it.
I'm never doing this again.
---
I initially wanted to craft a slightly enhanced update to Otherworldly Advice -- a story I'm rather fond of but wrote in a very rushed manner. You know, fix up some odds and ends, touch up the dialogue, make it nice and snazzy.
Then I remembered that the story was held together by tissue paper and duct tape, and there was a lot more I wanted to do with the core concept (interactions between alternate reality versions of characters) anyway. Even then, I thought it'd be easy.
Oh, how wrong I was. What followed was the toughest fanfic project I've ever undertaken in my life.
You see, gentle audience, unless we're taking about my gamer side, Rainbow Dash is the second-furthest pony from my personal psyche -- and thus my comfort zone. I mean, there are actually parts of Rainbow Dash which go directly against my personal value code. I value humility, I revel in pride going before a fall, and I believe that even if you possess the skills to pay yon bills (which, yes, RD very much does) you still show, don't tell. Which means that, inevitably, every time I blog about Rainbow Dash, someone looks at me I just insulted the core of their very being. Because I did. 
My differences towards Rainbow Dash aren't the point, though. The point is that I'd just committed myself to the challenge of writing two of a character that I admittedly don't entirely groove to while keeping them distinct, mainly in the name of professional pride, because wow was my muse otherwise totally elsewhere.
The process proved to be... stressful. Cue three-plus months of character meditation, a lot of character exercises and sampling, a lot of episode rewatching, some asking around, and even some soul searching to see if I could get past the parts of Dash's character that don't work well with me (I eventually did). And while I'm a very, very old hand at romance (and beyond) at this point, I'm also still a little... rusty and apprehensive when it comes to romance played straight, so that didn't help matters. When you've seen the romance genre used as a cheap grab at popularity as many times in your life as I have, it's easy to forget that one should blame the people instead of the genre. I'm still relearning this very principle. Writing shipping instantly gives me the feeling that I'm "selling out," which sucks because I technically love writing romance. Which leads me to doing friendshipping instead. Anyway, getting off track.
I burned out about three-quarters of the way through this story, and had to take a sabbatical just to get myself back on track. More than one person saw what this was doing to me and suggested I just stop, and I do not blame them one bit.I tell you what, I really wanted to. I have a LOT of other folders full of lots of other drafts with lots of other characters that are far easier for me to write, and I don't get paid for this. I almost packed it in.
Why subject myself to all this, then? Part 'cause I didn't want to throw away something I'd already sunk so much time into, and part 'cause of my unquenchable crushes on EQG Twi and Dashie I love time-travel and dimension-jumping fiction folks. You don't even know. Writing Chapters 5 and 6 (and if you've read them, you know what they are) were by far the highlight of this project. For a time, it was also the only thing that brought me joy -- my life was in a weird place this fall and winter, and it's still kind of weird, with little signs of stopping the weird just yet. You'll know when the weird stops -- I'll be smiling again a lot more often.
So, in the end, here we are. Story's out. This story was painful and stressful to write on several occasions but I can say without hesitation that the rewards were worth it. I really do feel like I have a handle on Rainbow's voice and character now. I can finally remove that brushie pic from the side of my profile page. It wasn't supposed to be there nearly as long as it ended up being there. Also, hey, SleeplessBrony now knows I exist so there's another thing. And I'm finally in a position to kick off an EQG world-building storyline that I've been hinting at for a year now.
Please show the appropriate love to nanashi_jones and Cryosite. I lack the words to describe how invaluable their assistance -- nay, their existence were to this story, and to my well-being in general for a time. Just... gah. You two. Also, everyone who sent well-wishes when I was going through that, uh, vulnerable moment. You know the one. Thanks to you too.
---
Some fun tidbits about the story while I'm here:
I originally wanted to make the letter at the end an easter egg. However, any option I had would have been either obtuse or immersion-breaking, so I dropped it.
Every Equestria Girls story I've written thus far is connected. It won't be hard to see how.
Shameless Pop Culture Reference-O-Meter: Actually not a lot in this one! However, some Bayonetta and Dragon Ball Z snuck into Chapter 5, and all of the chapter titles are a reference to a single series. I thought I made the pattern easy this time, but no one seems to have gotten it yet. 
---
Anyway, it's time to gear up for new projects at last! This went overlong and as the tone of this post might suggest, I'm a little frazzled from the process -- but I naturally don't regret writing this at all. I hope Rainbow's fans enjoyed this, because I've done enough work with her now to last another year. Excuse me while I run screaming back to my comfort zones, and the ponies which actually energize me to write, and never look back until 2016.
Or you know. Maybe I should just throw in the towel and write a second-person anime-humanized clopfic about a nameless self-insertion royal guard banging Princess Luna.
A nameless female royal guard. 
~B
EDIT/P. S. Happy Holidays, y'all. 
I'm going to relax during it, and I wish the same peace to you. Winter has this way of screwing with everyone's moods. It's terrible.
I would like to point out that what you just did is one of the reasons I got into writing Pony in the first place: Learning.
You wrote something outside of your comfort zone, wrote it well, and expanded your writing ability while doing it. This will come back to benefit you later as you write something you *do* like, and write it better than you would have if you had not done this. I've tried to push my envelope with my writing (Honest. I wrote a Bolo/Pony crossover, and that's about as much as it can be pushed), and I've found it to be a very growing experience.
We grow until we die. Keep growing
2673059
Thank you, Georg.
And you're absolutely right -- writing's a never-ending adventure an' stuff. I got into pony writing with the express intent to relax, but instead it's become one of the craziest learning experiences ever for me. This is after writing for over a decade before the show even premiered. It's scary how much I've improved in these four short years, with and without editing help. These things really can come from anywhere, I suppose.
I sure do hope this helps when I'm writing characters more familiar to me, because I sure could use a pick-me-up during the next writing process.
Again, love this story, but as you can see from my blog and even this reply, the process of crafting it left me with not even enough energy at present to diplomatically sugarcoat my posts like I normally do! :D
You keep growing too.
I have yet to read it, but definitely plan to, on account of it having so many elements I already love. And it makes me curious now, if you never edited my Journey to the Center of the Rainbow story, would you have ever written this? I remember that was one of the big factors leading up to you writing Otherworldly Advice.
(In that case... not sure whether to apologize or not 
).
But really, when a story makes you take a leave of absence JUST to complete it, it definitely means you should take things easy for a bit. Let your muse relax for a bit and try and enjoy the holidays.
... Speaking of which, its been half a year. Maybe I should wake my muse up from hibernation.
Last I checked, you were beating Vader, which technically makes you a Jedi Master of Yoda-caliber. And that's why you're a hero. A Bookish Hero!
Setting the stage for a readers' parade!
(And then Phycokrusk was blocked forever, so that she would never have to put up with his crap again. The End)
2673144
(*binds Krusk, confines him, and denies him his reign*)
2673114
Ehhhh... 50/50?
No apology necessary. OA was one of the happiest accidents I've ever had here. A+ would write in a caffeine-drunken state again.
OA and this story actually more likely wouldn't have happened if the EQG movies had done any sort of good job in fleshing out Human Rainbow's character. Which they didn't. Went all the extra miles on the other four but not her :| So here we are!
And yes. You should do things. Liiiike, I dunno. Coco consulting Rainbow for pointers on how to impress Rarity.
2673156 Coco going to Rainbow for advice on impressing Rarity huh?
... I think I could do that well. Lemme see what I can do with that one
2673161
Non-comedic, more DJ-challenging alternative: replace Rarity with Twilight.
There's this artist on DB who seems to want to make CxT a thing, and while it conflicts me like nothing else, I will admit it's awful cute.
Oh, that's easy. I noticed it, I just didn't say anything. Sonic the Hedgehog.
Everything Matters -> It Doesn't Matter
City Escape -> Escape from the City
Sky Blue World -> My first thought was the Sky Blue World Ring from SatSR, but that's not a song, so I'm not sure.
Sweetness and Passion -> My Sweet Passion
Freedom of Flight -> Fly in the Freedom
Life Lessons -> Live and Learn, but I think Live Life works just as well.
Supporting Each Other -> Supporting Me
Opening Hearts -> Open Your Heart
I'm just glad you didn't die writing this! You were working so hard!
Next time, let's do something with Coco. A nice, easy Coco fic. With coffee. And cute scarves. Nopony has to get hurt.
Wow this must be a very rewarding feeling, struggling through it and being done finally. Maybe someday I'll actually write something significant enough to feel this feeling to. :-/ Anyway, congratulations.
2673234
(*hug*) I'd like that. A lot.
And it'll be ponies, too. Nice, warm, fluffy snuggly ponies. I've put you through enough humans for a while.
....eeeee scarfcoco <333
Fine fine, self insert porno. But never anon! Never 2nd person! These are the Satans!
A supposedly-fun thing you'll never do again, eh? I think we've all been there. *hug*
Also, I'll get the obvious question out of the way first: who's the most furthest Pony from your Comfort Zone? Context Clues from Past Conversations point to Applejack, but I'm genuinely curious t'know for sure.
As for the rest? I kind of had wondered why your Journals of late had been about stuff you don't like. Mind you, that wasn't a bad thing, indeed it made for some interesting discussion and your usual keen insights were appreciated, but it just struck me because you're usually much more focused on the Positive. I guess it was just the strain of working on this showing up? In any case, all my love t'you for makin' it through the other side with yet another Story I have no doubt will be a wonderful read. <3
Oh, and don't think I didn't notice your avatar. ;3
2673279
I don't mind the hyoo-mons. Heck, you've heard my next Big Idea. I'll have to be fine with 'em.
2673185 Twilight's actually my strongest character....
Wait a sec. You want me to write a story involving Dash and Twi as main characters, without them being romantically involved?!
Blasphemy!
I agree fully with what 2673059 says - writing outside of your comfort zone is good exercise. Exhausting, but good. Not that you should do it all the time any more than you should do pushups at any given opportunity. (Don't listen to my drill instructor. She was crazy.)
I'll admit, I haven't read RR yet - holidays, y'know. But it's on my to-read list. (Granted, so's fics from three years ago.) I'll get back to you on it when I've done so.
Seeing "City Escape" as a chapter title had me immediately doing a double-take, followed by skimming the rest of the chapter titles to make sure I wasn't just imagining things. As someone who's had long dormant plans to recycle a bunch of Castlevania songs as chapter names, I understand the sentiment.
2673207
"Sky Blue World -> My first thought was the Sky Blue World Ring from SatSR, but that's not a song, so I'm not sure."
Azure Blue World, aka Emerald Coast 1.
2673391 Oh! I didn't even know Emerald Coast 1's music had a name. Learn something new every day, I guess.
2673207
My thought was sonic after seeing city escape, god knows I played the level enough in childhood, but I wasn't too sure, seeing these reworking of song titles makes it seem more believable. Though, is Bookish a Sonic fan at all?
Also, Live and Learn and Open Your Heart will forever be the best Big Bad boss fight finale songs.
2673523
Yup. Or a fan of the music, if nothing else.
Those are indeed classics, but my favorite is With Me.
2673535
Which is that from? I either don't remember or its from one I haven't played.
2673616 Sonic and the Black Knight.
2673652
Ah, that would explain it. I only ever played secret rings from the storybook games
Happy Holidays to you too, get some rest.
2673303
It has to be second person, or it won't be authentic.
And the OC guardette is anonymous because she has no name.
Because amnesia.
See, it's perfect!
2674495 You're a bad person and you should feel bad.
2673249
Thanks. Though believe me, the feeling is overrated. The rewards aren't, but the feeling... very much so.
2673378
No, darling.
Platinum.
It's also a shipfic with Rares and Coco as mains without them being shipped. See, it hurts me too!
2673207
Got all but one, 2673391 nailed the last (and earned my instant approval with his avatar in the process).
I was trying for all lyrical Sonic Adventure 1/2 songs, but couldn't find one that fit Chapter 3.
2673523
To be answered soon enough.
Oh, and play Black Knight. It is joyous. Its bombing at retail -- and killing the Storybook Series in consequence -- is one of those things that remind me that there's no justice in the universe.
2674550 Eh, I perfectly understand Black Knight bombing. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't a particularly good game. And Black Knight ended on a note that concluded the sub-series very well, so it's not like the series ended before its time.
No, the reason why there's no justice in the universe is that the writers for the Storybook Series never wrote any of the main games, and we never get to see SatBK's perfect Sonic characterization ever again. Augh!
It was definitely worth it. Not only was it a very enjoyable read, you've gotten me very excited about your expansion of Equestria Girls. Thank you for sticking with it. (Also, it seems to me that the advent of the Tacowaifu has led to a blanket boost to the acceptability of all EG stories. I guess a siren's hide raises all ships.)
2673535 "but my favorite is With Me."
2674550 "and earned my instant approval with his avatar in the process"
You're both good people.
2675018
Wow, thanks a lot. I'm glad you're excited for what's coming next, 'cause I'm excited to actually do it, finally! :D
(Yeah, that's the Tacowaifu silver lining, I suppose. I mean Woobie Sunset and the movie being actually good helped too, but...)
2674560
I disagree regarding the quality of Black Knight -- while hardly perfect, I think it's one of the better games in the Sonic pantheon and criminally underrated. I found it to be an awesome, arcade-style, high-speed twitch action experience that kept me hooked for nearly two months speedrunning and speedslashing for time and rank. Pushed all my character action-loving buttons, it did. Molten Mine was my jam.
SBK may have ended cleanly, but exploring and adapting Sonic to storybooks opened limitless potential, which was quickly dashed (no pun intended) because Sonic's Broken Base strikes yet again I guess. And as you suggested, their stories were wonderful (by Sonic game standards, anyway).
This I do agree with. Sonic really was perfect and full of justice and everything. Plus, Blaze in one of her few starring roles, and arguably her best. Characters were likable all around. I even didn't want Shadow off of my screen for once.
I enjoyed Colors's ultra-snark writing well enough but they never followed up on it. but hey it's cool we've got sonic boom now amirite
2679086
...Okay, you're bringing back memories now. You're absolutely right, it was a really fun twitchy arcade game. I remember my problem with it now—it wasn't the gameplay itself, but rather that you had to shake the Wii Remote a half second before you wanted Sonic to swing his sword, because otherwise it wouldn't register in time. That aggravated me to no end, and put a downer on the entire post-game experience until I just gave up on trying to beat the more difficult challenges. I remember thinking at the time that it would be a really fun game if I could play it with a regular control with buttons.
Rumor has it that the cancelled third game in the Storybook Series was going to be based on Greek mythology. As much as I think that SatBK is a really good conclusion to the Storybook Series (and the 2000s era of Sonic in general—that was the last game that seemed tied to the overall loosely-defined "plot" of the post-Sonic Adventure games, before Sonic Colors' soft reboot; it was also the last game the 4Kids actors were in), I definitely agree that was a missed opportunity.
I want Dave Polsky to write more episodes of Sonic Boom...the one he wrote was one of my favorites...
2673328
THE SLIDING SCALE OF BOOKISH MAIN CHARACTER IDENTIFICATION (ranked from highest to lowest):
Twilight Sparkle
Rarity
Sunset Shimmer
Fluttershy
Optimus Sparkle
Spike
Applejack
Rainbow Dash
Pinkie Pie
2679671
Yeah you are totally right about that. The off-timing didn't so much put a damper on me with the stages, but with those bosses...
I would absolutely take a remake with button controls, even if the swinging mechanism made me feel like a total badass. I was Star Wars Kid every day playing that thing. 
2681356 *huggle* Well, here's hopin' some of those Other Things resolve themselves as nicely, then. <3
And y'know, I get the feeling I've asked you this question before, because looking at that list and seeing Pinkie at the bottom, my immediate response is "ohhhhhhhhhh right." XDD