[RFC][SI][Multi-Xover] Being You is Convalescence

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay, so here it is!  A thread where we can discuss the next step without getting things mixed up in the other thread.  Just so you guys know, I've trimmed out the story bits for now since I'm going to repost those once I get around to getting this step started properly.  But I'll go ahead and copypasta everything else...

Black Aeronaut wrote:

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So, the part I'm trying to figure out here... Where the heck do I have
Garrick show up in the timeline?  Well, ultimately I would love for him
to go on a knock-down drag-out fight with Tirac - first, before he
reaches full power, and then again when he is depowered...  Garrick will
kill Tirac, because screw the whole banishment to Tartarus thing - this
time Tirac is going to stay gone.
Slayed God-like Beings Counter: 1

Bluemage wrote:

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...so, wait.  Is this Tenchi/Macross/MLP, or Tenchi/MLP/.../Macross?  I
lost track of what the actual plan was, except insofar as there was a
Macross stop someplace along the line.
Points given for language
barrier, for getting the slightly old-timey feel of MLP right, and for
going with logic over panic.  Points suspended (well, held in escrow)
for what, precisely, the language barrier is.
Why go with
Quenyak (or is it Saddldarin?), anyway?  Thematic reasons, or
practical?  I don't know what sort of language would suit an MLPony's
facial structure best, but I doubt it's Elvishlike.  On the other hand, a
fluid, soothing language would fit the Equestrian mindset better.  Not
sure whether it works or not, anyway.

Black Aeronaut wrote:

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I'm not going for any particular language - Tolkein I am certainly not! I
simply wanted to convey a sense of 'sounds like language-x'.  Like you
said, I rather thought it fit their mindset.  Although if a linguist on
the board does want to chip in their two cents I would certainly welcome
their input.  I know that there is at least one or two, I just forget
who they are off the top of my head.
As for panic-vs-logic... 
Well, there's gonna be an even trade between the two.  Garrick is gonna
have a bit of a fit... Ah, what the hell.  I'll just show you.

Yep.  That would be Twilight Sparkle there.  Katherine overrode the
security so she can get in - she's a smart cookie and knows that they
intend him no harm.
The language barrier probably won't last very
long, at least not between Garrick and Twilight.  Katherine will
probably figure out how to use Twilight's talents with magic to her
advantage and give Twi fluency in English and Japanese (both languages
have certain expressions that simply don't translate over too well - and
Japanese for REASONS!!!).
HOWEVER... 
Garrick will insist that Twilight not teach anyone else the
languages... at least until he's fluent enough in Equestrian to hold up a
conversation.  Even so, he'll probably need help now and then for those
'what is word?' moments.  Oh, and Garrick's accent and grammar is gonna
be really rough... Whenever he is speaking Equestrian it will be like
the equivalent of a Russian speaking bad English, but steadily improving
over time.  It'll be pretty funny for bits like this:
"Filly. 
Sun Queen keep standing army of armored Unicorn.  You cry about two
sword I have?  Methink you not know meaning of word dangerous.  You want
learn?"

As for the plan thus far....

1. Tenchi Muyo
2. MLP:FiM
3. Macross
4. ???
5. Strike Witches
6. ???
7. ???
8. ???
9. ???
10. ???
11. ???
12. ???
13. ???
14. ???
15. ???
16. ???
17. ???
18. ???
19. ???
20. ???
21. ???
22. ???
23. ???
24. ???
25. ???
26. ???
27. ???
28. ???
29. ???
30. ???
Believe me, we got a long ways to go here.  Some of
these steps are gonna be long ones.  Some of them are gonna be short. 
There will be sizable time-skips on the longer ones.  There will be
supplementary stories along the way.  And finally, YES I AM
INTENTIONALLY BEING TIGHT-LIPPED ABOUT WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT!  It's so
much fun being an evil author and keeping you guys in suspense.

ClassicDrogn wrote:

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Some nice moments there, and as much of a deathworld as Equestria is the
general population is still very nice. Twi would be super-interested to
hear about other worlds and such as well, I'm sure, and between her and
Katherine, and Washuu and Tsunami on the other end, they'll probably
have some way to send messages at least when interdimensional "weather"
conditions are favorable.

Bluemage wrote:

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Agreed.  I'd offer more commentary on the timeframe bit, but I stopped watching MLP after season 2.
Also, do you really have 30 different stops planned, or just most of them?

Black Aeronaut wrote:

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ClassicDrogn wrote:

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Some
nice moments there, and as much of a deathworld as Equestria is the
general population is still very nice. Twi would be super-interested to
hear about other worlds and such as well, I'm sure, and between her and
Katherine, and Washuu and Tsunami on the other end, they'll probably
have some way to send messages at least when interdimensional "weather"
conditions are favorable.

I'm glad you guys feel so.  I
never really thought of Equestria as a deathworld... I figured that only
really applied to the Everfree Forest.
And yes, the correspondence between Twilight and Washuu is gonna be something to behold.
I'm
planning on going the tried and true route of Humans being something of
a legendary species that is all but unknown in Equestria, wiped out
during Discord's reign and permitted to fall into fable and then
obscurity by Celestia... because really, why be reminded of something so
painful?  Garrick showing up... Celestia will keep it relatively quiet -
something isolated to Ponyville until herself, the other Princesses,
and the Element Bearers all determine that he's safe.  (This, of course,
is a relative thing.)
The primary conflict is going to be
Garrick's unwillingness to be befriended by anyone.  He'll be cordial
enough in his dealings, but for the most part he'll be solitary as he
tries not to form social bonds.  And what will make it all the more
frustrating for Twilight and her friends is that he is going to be very
polite and rational about it.  He explains his POV well enough that they
understand exactly what he means - that even though he really, REALLY
wants to get to know everyone, he doesn't want to suffer heartbreak
again by having to leave people he's come to love behind once more.
This
will make for some heart-rending friendship letters for Twilight to
write as she struggles to get through to Garrick.  Eventually, though,
adventures happen for reasons and butterflies, and over the course of it
all, Garrick winds up reluctantly opening up to the others.
One
character I would like to have as a reoccurring character would be
Lyra.  I've been looking at HiE fics over at FiMFiction.net, and I've
noticed that most HiE fics will either feature her as a main
character... or hardly feature her at all.  I'd like to strike a happy
middle
Also, everyone seems to love a good redemption of Trixy, so I'll throw my own twist on it in there.
Oh,
and Garrick will teach the little school foals about basic technology. 
Electricity, electromagnets, radio, quartz crystal clocks, internal
combustion, gas turbines, etc.  Garrick will usher in the age of Art
Deco and Diesel Punk.  In the years after Garrick leaves, Equestria
experiences a sort of technomagical industrial revolution, and power
plants, pumping stations, and rail terminals are all erected in a
magnificent Art Deco style.  Celestia and Luna couldn't be happier -
Garrick unwittingly gives them what was probably Humanity's greatest
strength - the unrelenting drive to go beyond.
In short, Garrick finds that he likes being a teacher and will pursue such occupations in the future where possible.

Bluemage wrote:

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Also, do you really have 30 different stops planned, or just most of them?

Pretty much. I'm still playing around with it a bit. I'm not willing
to say which ones I'm still fickle on just yet. And some of these
worlds... Well, to say that Garrick is going to 'butterfly' them is far too
generous. More like 'explode a nuke in the eye of the temporal
hurricane'. Strike Witches will be one such example.

ClassicDrogn wrote:

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Hurray for Art Deco! I always have liked that style, in most
interpretations at least. I'd hope Equestria as a magical civilization
could manage something cleaner than fossil fuels for power, though.

Bluemage wrote:

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Same here.  Yay for Art Deco.
As far as the fuel situation, I'm
not sure what you're thinking Equestria has available to use, CD. 
Unicorn magic doesn't really seem to do much with 'enchantments', per
se; all its effects tend to be either instant, instant at the point the
spell finally goes through (for those that take some dramatic groans of
effort to get done), or last as long as the unicorns in question focus
on it.  Makes it sort of hard to do the 'enchant the generator to spin
continuously' trick.
Now, pegasi... that's a different
story.  There are a number of ways to break (or at least bend) things
with weather manipulation, the long-term one being solar power (with
predictable levels of sun and scheduled clouds).  Lightning collectors,
maybe?  Some sort of system that uses rain on command?  There's
potential there, even if I'm not seeing it this early in the morning.
As for earth ponies... treadmills.  That's all I've got.
Also,
props for a lack of friendship.  You don't see 'trying not to get to
care about people' done very often in fanfic.  Pity, that- it can be
very effective when done well.  I'm seriously looking forward to those
friendship letters... and hoping- PRAYING- you don't do any
shipping/harem-enlarging while there.

Black Aeronaut wrote:

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Biodiesel is pretty clean. So is ethanol. Clean enough that if they
know the risks going and and know to manage them, then they should be
able to manage their carbon footprints fairly effectively. Can you
imagine a steam locomotive made with modern boiler technology and fired
with biodiesel?

Also, I'm pretty sure that a magitech method for producing both in vast
quantities from waste biomatter (ie, corn husks, stalks, etc) can be
figured out.

Oh, and Garrick teaches them about hydroponics. Why? Imagine pegasi growing crops in the clouds.
EDIT: Oh, hai there Bluemage!
Ah,
no. No real expanding of the harem here.  Though the departure is gonna
hurt a bit.  It's more or less what Garrick was afraid of - tearful
goodbyes and laments over friends lost.  Although I'm working on an
idea... Katherine leaving seeds behind that wind up sprouting... and
since they're her seeds she can maintain a line of communication between
them all, and potentially serve as guides for future dimensional
travel.

robkelk wrote:

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Black Aeronaut wrote:

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The
primary conflict is going to be Garrick's unwillingness to be
befriended by anyone. He'll be cordial enough in his dealings, but for
the most part he'll be solitary as he tries not to form social bonds.

But... but Friendship is Magic! Don't you want magic, Garrick?

Black Aeronaut wrote:

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Although
I'm working on an idea... Katherine leaving seeds behind that wind up
sprouting... and since they're her seeds she can maintain a line of
communication between them all, and potentially serve as guides for
future dimensional travel.

Good idea for later, but isn't Katherine still a sapling right now? Can she produce seeds?

Foxboy wrote:

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Hm. Okay, you're going to want a lot of liquid consonants and clear vowels. I had been working on an "Equestrian" for another project, but that one went closer to "Make horse sounds musical, if you can."

Some sample sentences of that: (aeiou are Italian/Japanese, h is always pronounced, r is rolled/trilled/flapped, and v and f are pronounced with the lips, no teeth.)

I lihro hepu-za vo.
/ee LEEH-rro HAY-poo-za vo/

1p.s like/enjoy Apple-acc prsnt.

"I like apples."

It's got a bit of a complicated pronoun scheme, with inclusive and
exclusive plurals, and a "royal" register that tends to imply strong or
intimate feeling, mainly due to Celestia's use of it over the last
thousand years compared to the old Unicorn royalty. Additionally,
"hi'in" is supposed to sound like a "joyful" whinny, with the apostrophe
indicating a glottal stop: what the hyphen in "uh-oh" sounds like.

Soi, didua hi'in i-za vo-vis.
/SO-ee, DEE-dwa HEE-een EE-za VO-vees./
Yes(friendly) 2p.s.royal make.proud 1p.s-acc prsnt-fut.

"Of course you're making me proud, my little pony/my faithful student."

Black Aeronaut wrote:

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robkelk wrote:

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Black Aeronaut wrote:

---

The
primary conflict is going to be Garrick's unwillingness to be
befriended by anyone. He'll be cordial enough in his dealings, but for
the most part he'll be solitary as he tries not to form social bonds.

But... but Friendship is Magic! Don't you want magic, Garrick?

*Snrk!*  In all seriousness, Garrick will desperately want to make friends, but he's holding back for previously stated reasons.

robkelk wrote:

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Black Aeronaut wrote:

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Although
I'm working on an idea... Katherine leaving seeds behind that wind up
sprouting... and since they're her seeds she can maintain a line of
communication between them all, and potentially serve as guides for
future dimensional travel.

Good idea for later, but isn't Katherine still a sapling right now? Can she produce seeds?

... A most cogent point.  Oh well.  Celestia is pretty much a Goddess anyhow.  I'll think of something.
...Oh,
and just imagine her reaction when she finds that Garrick is a slightly
more than mortal?  I'd imagine at some point when no one else is around
(except maybe Luna) she'll glomp him and start blubbering about how
terrible it is spending thousands of years with others whose lives are
so brief and what a joy it is she found him.

Foxboy wrote:

---

Hm. Okay, you're going to want a lot of liquid consonants and clear vowels. I had been working on an "Equestrian" for another project, but that one went closer to "Make horse sounds musical, if you can."

Some sample sentences of that: (aeiou are Italian/Japanese, h is always pronounced, r is rolled/trilled/flapped, and v and f are pronounced with the lips, no teeth.)

I lihro hepu-za vo.
/ee LEEH-rro HAY-poo-za vo/

1p.s like/enjoy Apple-acc prsnt.

"I like apples."

It's got a bit of a complicated pronoun scheme, with inclusive and
exclusive plurals, and a "royal" register that tends to imply strong or
intimate feeling, mainly due to Celestia's use of it over the last
thousand years compared to the old Unicorn royalty. Additionally,
"hi'in" is supposed to sound like a "joyful" whinny, with the apostrophe
indicating a glottal stop: what the hyphen in "uh-oh" sounds like.

Soi, didua hi'in i-za vo-vis.
/SO-ee, DEE-dwa HEE-een EE-za VO-vees./
Yes(friendly) 2p.s.royal make.proud 1p.s-acc prsnt-fut.

"Of course you're making me proud, my little pony/my faithful student."

Whoah. 
Yeah, you see, I'm no linguist at all.  I could never have come up with
even half of that.  Would you like to help me out on the Equestrian
Language until Garrick is fluent?  Pretty sure you'll wind up working
out a lot of the kinks and expanding the vocabulary by a wide margin.

Bluemage wrote:

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...one thing I'd like to see is Garrick having problems speaking
Equestrian.  Like, he can get most of it, but his mouth/throat can't
quite make some of the sounds.
Worst case, he has to
sort-of-approximate some of the sounds- or substitute others- leading to
new people having to learn to interpret his dialect.  Sort of a bad
speech impediment.
Best case, one heck of an accent.

Black Aeronaut wrote:

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Pretty much what I had in mind with him coming across to them like a Russian with a bad accent does with us.

Foxboy wrote:

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Yeah, I'm thinking that part of his accent, if you use that Equestrian,
would include "H" dropping, smearing vowels and "teething" the V and F.

Imagine a relative reading the sample sentences without a pronunciation key, and laying the local color on thick.

Like, a similar accent in English:

Teh samous zocalist, Sassi-uh Shoahz (The famous vocalist, Sapphire Shores)

The vowel smearing: imagine an uneducated person from the Deep South
saying "milk" versus a news broadcaster: "Meeeeyulk" vs. "milk." English
has a crapton of vowel sounds and we subconsciously use them
everywhere.

Bob Schroeck wrote:

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...one thing I'd like to see is Garrick having problems
speaking Equestrian. Like, he can get most of it, but his mouth/throat
can't quite make some of the sounds.

I recall that there was
an attempt to teach a chimp to speak English during the 1950s, I think
it was. Late enough at least for substantial film documentation of the
process and the results. The results were... mixed; one of the details
thereof is one that might be of use here -- in order to say some sounds,
the chimp had to use its fingers to force its mouth into a shape its
facial muscles couldn't make. It might be interesting if Garrick had to
do the same for some Equestrian sounds.

I don't think that will be too much of a problem for Garrick.  Like we said, he'll probably be able to get by with one heck of an accent.  Something that would probably be funny would be if Garrick reminds Celestia of an old human friend she had because of his accent.

[ECSNorway]

Yawn.

Let me know when the ponies are gone and you're on to Macross, please.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[Foxboy]

Oh, pish-tosh, you fuddy-duddy.

Lots of music in Equestria. Plenty of chance for deculture afterwards.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[classicdrogn]

I imagine there'll be another new thread with whatever the title for that world is. Being You is Deculchaa maybe? Anyway, ponies. Garrick as a teacher, huh? I wonder how he gets on with (read: what zany hijinks he gets swept up in by) the CMC...
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[Black Aeronaut]

"... You know, if you three can figure out what it is with you and tree sap, then I think you might be one step closer to getting your cutey marks."

Really, Garrick would know better than to let himself get caught up in their antics because he knows they tend to lead to pain in the immediate future. Instead, Garrick would spend time with the three in a controlled setting - much like what Twilight Sparkle does with them for 'Twilight Time'.

Most of what Garrick does with them will, of course, focus on the hard sciences... With a good dollop of Human history, documentaries, and even a few period pieces (like the movie, Apollo 13).

But I'll see about having one or two situations where Garrick gets talked into becoming party to one of their zanier stunts.

[Foxboy]

Apple Bloom wore a pensive look as she left Garrick's home.

"That was awesome!" Scootaloo gushed as she buzzed her wings, trying the "ground effect" variant on flight the human had told them about.

Sweetie Belle, being the more observant of the group, raised a question. "What's the matter, Apple Bloom?"

"Ah'm not sure..." The youngest Apple rolled her eyes in thought. "Garrick tol' me all those symbols for apples where he's from. He said somethin' about makin' sure my cutie mark matched my name when I get it."

---

Just a thought, given all the things we symbolize or think of when we think of apples.

Temptation - Adam and Eve
Education - "Apple for teacher" tradition
Science - Isaac Newton
Computers and Design - A certain iCompany...
Mathematics - An apple cut along the equator reveals a five-pointed star which can be symbolized to the Pythagoreans a la Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land
Tradition - "Mom and Apple Pie"
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[robkelk]

Apple Bloom wore a pensive look as she left Garrick's home.

"That was awesome!" Scootaloo gushed as she buzzed her wings, trying the "ground effect" variant on flight the human had told them about.

Sweetie Belle, being the more observant of the group, raised a question. "What's the matter, Apple Bloom?"

"Ah'm not sure..." The youngest Apple rolled her eyes in thought. "Garrick tol' me all those symbols for apples where he's from. He said somethin' about makin' sure my cutie mark matched my name when I get it."

Just a thought, given all the things we symbolize or think of when we think of apples.

Temptation - Adam and Eve
Education - "Apple for teacher" tradition
Science - Isaac Newton
Computers and Design - A certain iCompany...
Mathematics - An apple cut along the equator reveals a five-pointed star which can be symbolized to the Pythagoreans a la Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land
Tradition - "Mom and Apple Pie"

Love - the apple of my eye
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Black Aeronaut]

Really, apples are something of a cornerstone in human culture. No other fruit tree has been more widely cultivated. Some of the first plants brought from Europe to America were apple trees. As such, in our culture they tend to symbolize bounty, prosperity, and good health.

With that blurb as a foundation, Garrick would let Apple Bloom go on from there, drawing the connections in Human pop culture and symbolism, except where the connection is a little more difficult to make. (ie, Newton's Apple - it just happened to be an apple that bonked the man on the head. Had it been something else... *Shrug*)

[classicdrogn]

Apples also have the interesting property that a seed has the potential to grow into any of the varieties of apples, which is why orchard trees have to be grafts, so even without actually gaining a cutie mark Apple Bloom is still exemplifying her family specialty, with that wide open potential.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay!

So the major writing for Being You is Suffering is complete. This means I'm ready to shift more of my focus onto Being You is Convalescence.

There is one major hurdle that I need to get over before I get started - Where in the time frame does Garrick show up exactly?

Thing is, I definitely want him to show up before the end of Season 3, so the whole Human! thing is still a total unknown to Twilight Sparkle. Also, I'd like Garrick to have a face-off against Discord when he first shows up, which would put him somewhere in the middle of Season 1.

Another thing... I'm kinda curious what others would think of Garrick being more or less immune to Discord. I mean, it wouldn't be like Discord couldn't hurt him - he could still sic a giant lobster on Garrick or something. What I mean is that unlike the others, Discord can't really do anything directly to Garrick. (Conversely, Garrick can't really do anything directly to Discord, either.) Thoughts?

[Foxboy]

That would make Garrick interesting to Discord. Might could distract him for a while until he realizes the whole "Rock over head, let gravity work the boring way" trick...

I know you wanted to use a language barrier of sorts... but really, only Tolkien can get away with large passages in a conlang in the middle of a book.

Timeline wise you're in a bit of a pickle: Do you want order aired timeline, or one that is logically consistent?

Using Season one canon, Your versions of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are likely to be at their most asshole-ish, and Fluttershy is at her shiest. Character development is a thing, as it were. On the plus side, Season one Canon is the most logically consistent as far as world building goes, being more 1890s tech wise than the even more schizo-tech seasons 2 thru 4.

Though you can make Twilight reference her brother sooner than in canon, for sure.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Black Aeronaut]

Foxboy wrote:

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That would make Garrick interesting to Discord. Might could distract him for a while until he realizes the whole "Rock over head, let gravity work the boring way" trick...

Pretty much the point entirely.  In fact... Discord would be able to affect Garrick's weaponry and tools (including the C-Space), but deigns not to once Garrick goes all action hero.  Discord will want to see exactly how Garrick gets out of tight spots.  He's
not harmonious like the ponies, so Garrick's methodologies have a je ne sais quoi that he's never really seen before.  (And now I am reminded of that one line from FFVII: Advent Children: "You'll like it.  It's... Flashy.")
Also, Discord only really cheats if he has to - it's all about having fun, after all, and you don't have as much fun if you cheat.

Foxboy wrote:

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I know you wanted to use a language barrier of sorts... but really, only
Tolkien can get away with large passages in a conlang in the middle of a
book.

No worries.  Passages in original pony speak will only take place early on, and even then only a couple of sentences at a time.  Mostly, I'm going to play it off like this fic does.  The pony speak will only be there so readers can hear what Garrick hears at first.  And Garrick will gain a rudimentary understanding of the language fairly quickly (in part due to Katherine getting the override codes for the leftover medical nanomachines from Washu).
Granted, that's a very clunky way of doing things.  Rest assured, though, that in a few more worlds Garrick finds himself a very special friend that makes issues like language barriers much easier to overcome.

Foxboy wrote:

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Timeline wise you're in a bit of a pickle: Do you want order aired timeline, or one that is logically consistent?

Logical, please!  I want to apply a suitable amount of deconstruction to this without breaking the setting.

Foxboy wrote:

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Using Season one canon, Your versions of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are
likely to be at their most asshole-ish, and Fluttershy is at her
shiest. Character development is a thing, as it were. On the plus side,
Season one Canon is the most logically consistent as far as world
building goes, being more 1890s tech wise than the even more schizo-tech
seasons 2 thru 4.

Garrick will know that they don't really intend to come across that way, so he'll call them out on it as soon as he's able to... well, except maybe Fluttershy.  He'll be as nice to her as possible, yet still keep her at a distance (at first - refer to earlier post about Garrick keeping his distance due to fear of further heartbreak).
*blinks*  You know, that might actually puzzle her enough to come out of her shell a bit more.  Once she knows that he does not want to be mean to her, she'll see that he has no intention of hurting her.  Which just bugs the hell out of her because he gently enforces the idea that he wants to be left alone, and her thing is all about caring for others.  Feedback loop!  Ouch!
EDIT: Forgot to comment on schizo-tech... yeah, not happening.  Really, magic handles a lot of what hard-tech does, except for information technology.  Garrick will lay the groundwork for all that, while leaving mile markers to lead them to that ultimate goal.
I admit that I did mess up with the radio on Garrick's nightstand, though that can probably be explained away as either a magitech device, or that radio is a thing already.  (I've always kinda favored the ponies being more at 1920's tech - steam is still the prime mover of industry at this time, electricity has recently gone mainstream, and the ponies have no need for automobiles.)

Foxboy wrote:

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Though you can make Twilight reference her brother sooner than in canon, for sure.

That can definitely happen.  Might also be fun to have Cadence show up earlier than planned as well.

[Foxboy]

Logical timeline puts things a little out of whack as far as keeping season 1 and 2 separate, but it's not all bad.

The Pilot happens June 21st. (Summer Sun Celebration, Summer solstice)
Most episodes until the Cutie Mark Crusaders are a thing can happen in Summer since, given Earth Pony Magic, the apple harvests can be year round.

The earliest CMC episodes are what Americans would call Fall, but it's really the tail end of summer: The Running of the Leaves should be September 22-23.

The first immigrant from Season 2 would be "Luna Eclipsed" and Nightmare Night, anywhere from September 30 to Halloween.

The next is Hearth's Warming Eve.

After that, Winter Wrap-up (March 22-23), Hearts and Hooves Day (Likely later March, early April: Cherry Blossom Time), and more indeterminate timeline episodes.

Most of the episodes can happen in aired order, with most things happening Late Spring through Early Fall.

Season 4, Episode 1 is either one year or two after the Pilot.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Black Aeronaut]

I'm fine with things between seasons 1 and 2 being a little mixed up. At least it looks like the writers are getting a handle on sorting out the mess they caused - they have no choice now because of plot reasons. Also, I'd go with S4E1 being about two years after the Pilot.

And I'm toying with the idea of Garrick showing up shortly after Luna's Return. This not only gives Garrick ample time to settle in and establish himself as the cordial recluse of Ponyville, but it even lets him have a bit of time to warm up to the others somewhat... to the point where he at least starts helping peo^H^H^H^H ponies out of tight spots and advising others. Later after the incident with Discord, Garrick will probably start taking more active roles in the community.
EDIT: Fun idea.  When Garrick 'helps out' his brutal methodology can sometimes lead to the ponies questioning themselves, wondering if it would have been better after all if they had not asked for garrick's help.  Example: Garrick does not drive off the hydra that went after Twilight.  He kills the damn thing deader than a doornail.

[Black Aeronaut]

Alright, so ClassicDrogn was kind enough to drop this in another thread...

ClassicDrogn wrote:

---

Found it:

So, that would be 1, 2, 8, 6, 5, 9, 3, 7, 21, 4, 15, 12, 14, 10, 13, 19, 22, 17, 16, 24, 11, 23, 25, 26, 18

... and there's assertions that parts of s2 and s3 should go in there as well!

text versionhttp://radiantvoid.deviantart.com/art/F ... -294350743

brief discussionhttp://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/co ... of_mlpfim/

in detailhttp://mlpfanart.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_chronologies

Does anyone else have anything to add?  Because, if not, then I'm just gonna go ahead and roll with this.
Also, as promised, I went ahead and started reviewing some of the episodes in chronological order.
In Episode 8 (Look Before You Sleep) I don't see Garrick really doing much.  In fact, this will probably be the time he first visits Canterlot and Spike is the one guiding him.  This would be the Royal Business that Twilight is speaking of - she has given Spike a translation spell so he can understand and speak with Garrick, and has forwarded a copy of the spell to the Princess.
At this point, a number of things are worked out for Garrick.  First, an attempt is made to send him back, but it fails.  In the wake of that, he is granted refugee status in Equestria and a temporary living space in Ponyville while he adjusts.  A publicity officer is assigned to him to not only keep the press at bay, but keep them satisfied enough that he'll be left alone in general.  They also work out his dietary needs - lots of protein-rich foods like eggs, nuts, and legumes, as well as fish and seafood, in addition to the normal pony diet... well, minus the grass products.  Fiber is good, but that's a little too much.  :p
In Episode 6 (Boast Busters) he comes back in time to warn Trixie to just focus on what she does best: being a good show pony.  Of course, she brushes him aside (she thinks he's stupid because he talks like a baby - she doesn't understand he's only been learning their language for a week or so), so Garrick resorts to making sure Snaps and Snails don't awaken the Ursa Minor.  It works, but... things between Trixie and the town start to devolve, and then Trixie calls out Garrick, asking him what he's so good at.
"What good at?  Many thing.  Good worker, good fixer, good metal maker.  Most good thing... be good person.  I no showoff.  Just work."
Trixie practically has a meltdown with how Garrick not only fails to raise to her bait, but throws it right back into her face.  Later that night, Snaps and Snails manage to get by Garrick and wake up the Ursa Minor.  But when the Ursa is starig down Trixie, Snaps and Snails, it gets a surprise when Garrick comes out of nowhere, climbs on its back, and strarts scratching at all those oh-so-hard to reach spots.  Afterwards, The gather all the Unicorns and levitate the blissed-out Ursa back to its cave and Trixie leaves town... this time taking her wagon with her.
In Episode 5 (Griffon the Brush-Off) Garrick finds Gilda when she tries to intimidate Fluttershy.  That... doesn't go over very well for Gilda.
See, thing to remember is the scale we're dealing with here.  Garrick will be about twice as tall as most ponies... which means he's going to be absolutely huge compared to Gilda... and just one of those hands of his is gonna fit just right around her neck.  So while he's holding her clear of the ground by said neck, he warns her to quit being a pest... or else.  that kinda derails things as Gilda then starts investigating this strange creature known as Garrick and wondering exactly what sort of threat he is.  Of course, Gilda winds up asking Rainbow about Garrick, tells her about what happened between them (while omitting certain details), and then Rainbow comes after Garrick... and finds out that he can not only take a beating, but also give as good as he gets.
"The Buck!?  Your bones made out of steal or something!?""... No.  Diamond."RBD and everyone else((( ;°?°))))  ?????(?_?)  ???(+?? ° ?? ? ?? ° ??)
Garrick eventually manages to get Dash to hear his side of the story... but not until the two of them look like they've gone five rounds with Mike Tyson.  And then there is the confrontation between Dash and Gilda.  Without the whole town being involved in publicly shaming her, Gilda takes it a bit better and sticks around... though mostly because she's interested in Garrick still - anyone that can lay the smack-down like he did and still go about his day afterwards has her respect (albeit grudgingly) and she wants to learn more about this strange creature.
Ironically, Garrick will have RBD's loyalty after this.
Thoughts so far?

[Bob Schroeck]

Given that all I know about MLP is what I've picked up by osmosis here and there, that certainly looks like it'll be a fun read.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Foxboy]

"Fluttershy. Things to be okay. Fight to be dominance display. Injuries to be permanent not."

Probably the most likely idiomatic feel of someone not used to adding a word to the end of a sentence for tense and mood would be, in English, to abuse the infinitive. If you were to try to "eye dialect" the English Vowel Smearing.... we'd be here all night.

But yes, Garrick would sound very childish for dropping the timestamps. Pinkie tends to plop hers at the ends of paragraphs as an afterthought.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Black Aeronaut]

So, reviewing more episodes in chronological order...

Episode 9 (Bridle Gossip)... Garrick calls them all out, except for Twilight, for being idiots.

"Heyyy, now jus' where d'you get off on insultin' mah inteligence?"
Garrick then gesture to himself, highlighting his alien form.
"But yer dif'rent! When you got here ya couldn't even hurt an ant!"

At which point, Garrick throws his hands up in exasperation and goes off on his own business. He makes sure to stay the hell away from any strange blue flowers. There will be an interesting conversation where he's confronted by Gilda - apparently she's found out he eats and she figures they should stick together for meal times. (Bonus - no heavy metals in the fish to worry about, so Garrick can get all the protein he needs this way.) Later, Applejack and the others try to apologize... But Garrick is remaining apart. The others are dismayed, but Gilda is now outright puzzled.

"What the heck is this guy's problem? I mean, I know you ponies aren't the hippest ones out there, but he could at least smile a bit."
"Well... he's... lost his family. Before he left he found out his Special Friend was pregnant with their child."
"Oh! .... Oh... That sucks!"

Episode 3 (The Ticket Master)
Plot derailment in that the second ticket... is intended for Garrick. Celestia intends for the G3 to be Garrick's formal debut to the nobility. Garrick is ambivalent. He doesn't want to be put on show, but at the same time he really doesn't want to upset Celestia. The others pick up on this and then Garrick finds himself in Twilight's place instead where they're begging him to give them his ticket. Eventually, Garrick breaks down and writes a letter to Princess Celestia asking for five more tickets for the rest of the girls. He knows he won't be able to get out of going to the gala, at least not without pissing some ponies off.

Possible side elements - Luna has been looking in on Garrick's dreams and trying to ensure they're nice ones. He's having a lot of nightmares about not being able to see his family. At one point he goes lucid and he and Luna talk. I plan on having it so Luna is the closest one Garrick associates with because they actually have similar experiences (losing everything you once knew - at least Luna still has Celestia around).

Episode 7 (Dragonshy)Yet again, an episode where Garrick doesn't really do much... aside from set up camp on the next mountain over where he has a good line of site on the dragon's cave.  He brings with him a weapon he call a 'Pennsylvani Rifle' (circa 24th century).  It is a huge-ass coil-rifle and he has a favorite idea of mine for coil gun ammo for use in atmosphere: APFSDS rounds with a synthetic diamond dart and ferrous sabots.  Gilda shows up and asks what Garrick is up to and he tells her: he's the self-appointed contingency plan and will kill the dragon if the others fail.
At first, Gilda is skeptical, so Garrick has her wait around until the Mane Six are at a safe distance...  And then Garrick takes aim, and destroys a good portion of the summit where the dragon was sleeping.A very succinct warning that Garrick does not like to be trifled with.
Thoughts?

[classicdrogn]

I think destroying major portions of the scenery is a little much for one shot, and blasting a boulder into rubble plus a divot where the dart over-penetrated into the side of the mountain (maybe open a new hole in the side of the cave? It would probably seal up immediately with a rockfall, but there'd be another divot inside on the far side of the cave) should suffice. It would also cause quite a bit less damage to the surroundings in the form of rubble and rock slides etc. coming down the sides of the mountain.

As for the fish... well, they're intelligent enough to converse with Fluttershy, but she feeds some to the other animals as well, and both eggs and bacon are presented as food items despite her talking to the chickens and a pig. Given all that and that none of the others comment let alone have a problem with it, Garrick may be the only one who has a problem with him fulfilling the carnivorous part of his diet just because anything made of meat and at least one sort of plant (timberwolves) can carry on a conversation if you know the right language.

Though I suppose it could be her Cutie Mark power magically uplifting the animals she applies it to, like Parseltongue snakes versus normal snakes, and only those specific animals are intelligent in that way. She can talk with bugs for crying out loud.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[Black Aeronaut]

Oh, not totally destroyed. More like something, larger than the dragon, came along and took a bite out of the summit.

As for the whole bacon and eggs thing? The animators have come out and said that was an oops on their part. Really, there might be eggs, but no bacon. Though tofu strips fried up until they were somehow crispy... That might be interesting.
(EDIT: Yep, crispy tofu is indeed a thing, and it sounds good: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-cr ... chn-201265 )

I don't see fish being much of a problem. Fluttershy understands predator/prey relationships, and there are very few species of fish that aren't preyed upon.

Funny thought: what if Parasprites were edible to Garrick? They'd even have 'nutritional content': magical energy.

[classicdrogn]

Hm, I wonder if the Apple family also produces apple smoked tofu or equivalent, ready for a richly flavorful fry-up. With orchards as big as theirs there would certainly be branches to prune and windfalls, even if all the trees proper were useful and in good health (as is highly likely actually, with Earth Pony magic shaping and boosting them. Earth Ponies can make rocks turn up a bumper harvest, let alone fruit trees.)
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[Black Aeronaut]

That does sound good. And I'd be surprised if they didn't do something like that. In fact, pretty sure they use apple wood for all their cooking, so it would explain a bit about the baked goods being so apple-riffic.

Oh, and as for the rock farmers... I'm gonna go out on a limb and go with what that author for The Audience wrote, with rock farming actually being the growing of gemstones.

[classicdrogn]

The "bumper crop of rocks" thing almost certainly started as one of the show's jokes - it's one of the perennial (literally, as in every year at planting time) things you'll hear anyone with so much as an herb garden say as long as its in the actual ground rather than a window box or something, and the origin of those oh-so-scenic stone walls around traditional fields. A new crop of rocks comes up every spring without fail.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[Foxboy]

You may want to have at least one pony Garrick interacts with effectively say "We're not made of glass, you know!" They might get to thinking Garrick is patronizing them, especially if he pulls the "I'm a soldier and humans are terrible!" trope.

It's a case of early Brony Call of Duty fans trying to be mall ninjas and inexplicably liking MLP at the same time, but it's a common trope for "Human in Equestria" fics, and was very seldom done well.

So, yeah, don't have anyone freak out that Garrick's a carnivore just from seeing his teeth, heck gorillas have much more frightening dentition, and their "canines" are for cracking nuts.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[robkelk]

... Oh, and as for the rock farmers... I'm gonna go out on a limb and go with what that author for The Audience wrote, with rock farming actually being the growing of gemstones.

And here I thought we finally found out where Pet Rocks came from...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012