Pony Fanfiction Thread

My intention was not to bicker but to explain as I felt that my position was not understood, however, I will drop the subject.

I had one of those rare, weird moments where the current draft came quickly and easily.

FE: Genealogy Story Run 7PM PT Sun, Mon, Fri; Expert Unicorn Overlord 7PM PT Wed, Thurs: http://www.twitch.tv/kuroitsubasatenshi

@CDRW: I haven't read the fic, so I can't comment on that, but reading the comments I can definitely understand the feeling that you're talking about.

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For my fanfic I'm thinking about having each fight scene with a major Arc Villain contain a link to an appropriate video game song which I feel would make appropriate BGM for a climactic encounter. I've already done it (sort of) with the introduction each new Harmonic Evolution by linking to a specific Insert Song that I feel best compliments the evolution. Twilight's is With the Will, Rarity's is Miracle Maker, Pinkie's is Shining Dreamers, Applejack's is E.V.O., and Rainbow Dash's is Sora Mau Yuusha X5. Fluttershy doesn't have one yet because her complete Transformation Sequence hasn't been shown since she serves as the first Arc Villain in a corrupted version of her true Digimon form.

Would this work, do you think?

edited 1st Dec '15 3:53:00 PM by Zennistrad

I would advise against that. Links to external sites right in the middle of a fic are a major turn-off for me. Also, some people are also going to draw certain conclusions about your work if you're leaning on external music to set the mood.

FE: Genealogy Story Run 7PM PT Sun, Mon, Fri; Expert Unicorn Overlord 7PM PT Wed, Thurs: http://www.twitch.tv/kuroitsubasatenshi

Eh, that's your opinion, but I've seen plenty of people respond positively to it before. It's a staple of Friendship is Timeless, which happens to be one of the better crossover fics I've read (and probably the only good crossover with Sonic The Hedgehog I've ever read.)

I actually really like the idea.. though doesn't do any good for me anymore given I read it all on my kindle.

Well, of course there's going to be some people not bothered by it. I've yet to meet someone else who isn't, but that's beside the point; just be aware that you're alienating potential readers.

FE: Genealogy Story Run 7PM PT Sun, Mon, Fri; Expert Unicorn Overlord 7PM PT Wed, Thurs: http://www.twitch.tv/kuroitsubasatenshi

The notion of including multiple forms of media into a single piece in order to enhance the feeling is an interesting one, but it relies heavily on the reader opting in. Some will, some won't. I've been considering some stuff that would require, or could at least use, maps and other images, but that's easier to get away with since you should be able to integrate it directly into the story, whereas music requires the reader's 'consent', as it were.

Not really an opinion one way or another, just thinking out loud.

Birthright: an original web novel about Dragons, the Burdens of Leadership, and Mangoes.

Yeah, it has pros and cons. It could enhance the story if used correctly, but it could also be a distraction if it isn't.

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Opinions on insertion of video aside, using the right_insert tag can also allow you to present a video or image without actively disrupting the flow of text.

If you've already made up your mind, why are you even asking us? :P

Really, though, I tend to listen to music all the time, especially when I'm reading fanfics. In fact, one of the reasons why I prefer reading over watching internet videos or listening to podcasts is because I can listen to my own stuff at the same time. So when a fanfic writer sticks a song in the middle of a fic, it feels like an imposition on me. They're asking me to put my own music on hold and trust that whatever song they've picked is somehow better. (And it usually isn't. But I have odd tastes in music that are at odds with the majority of other ponyfans, it seems.)

The one thing I don't mind (and I've even done it myself) is linking to a song in the author's notes, whether at the start of the chapter or the end.

The other thing is that sometimes they might be in a situation where they can't have music on (e.g. in a library and they don't have headphones). I mean, that doesn't invalidate the entire concept, but it does mean that you have to be careful about what you do with it.

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It doesn't actually play unless you click the link (at least on FiMFiction), though, right?

edited 1st Dec '15 8:56:13 PM by Zennistrad

So I'm thinking of doing a Christmas Story this year. Nothing particularly special or complex, certainly not as much as Crackers from last year(In fact I'm thinking of looking into Fim Fiction's rules on that sort of thing and possibly re-releasing Crackers divided up into chapters, since the like, one comment on it I got pointed out that a single 37,000 word 'chapter' is a lot for some people to try to swallow).

It would just be a simply fluff thing, related to the current larger story I'm working on(Which for those who don't know is a shipfic between Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon). While I am all for the idea of just a simply, happy little story(for once), the trouble is I don't really have a solid idea at the moment.

I do have a basic setup: Several months after the story proper, on the first Hearth's Warming of their relationship, Sweetie Belle is fretting over what to get Silver. Since Silver's family is so enormously rich, Sweetie Reasons, there's pretty much nothing Sweetie can get her that she doesn't already have. Silver's invited Sweetie out to the city with her, to see a play or ballet or somesuch. My main idea is that Sweetie would try to find, and purchase, something as a good gift for Silver while they're in the city together. Unfortunately, it's a setup, but it isn't really a plot. The best I could come up with is a few silly little vignettes as Sweetie tries to sneak away to do some shopping, or trying to goad Silver into dropping some hints.

The end resolution would be that Sweetie winds up getting her something simple - a Silver Belle or some similar trinket - and, despite Sweetie feeling like it isn't enough, Silver notes she feels embarrassed that she underbought. Silver tells Sweetie that she considered Sweetie coming with her to the play Sweetie's Hearth's Warming Present. Silver has to be in Canterlot visiting family for most of the Hearth's Warming season, so getting to spend some time with Sweetie before they were seperated for a few weeks was the best gift she could think of. Kisses, hugs, Happy Hearth's Warming, etc.

But yeah... it still presents the problem that I have only a really vague idea of it, and I don't know where I'd go with the middle bits. Any thoughts?

Also worth noting I suppose, that I'm aiming for this to be short. In an ideal scenario I'd like to have both this and the final chapter of the main story both written by Christmas, so I don't have to 'spoil' the ending with the Christmas Story. But frankly I'm not too concerned about that - it's a Romance Story about two 12 year old girls. My Editor may be worried that Sweetie will reject Silver, but I'm not gonna go all this way just to break two girls' hearts. I practice the Don Bluth school of writing: You can put someone through the wringer, as long as you give them a happy ending.

-shoos away story whose moral is 'your dead lover is dead, but it was his choice to make and isn't your burden to bear, so move on with your life and learn to define yourself without sticking obsessively to a moral code defined by depression' with his foot-

edited 2nd Dec '15 3:07:52 AM by kegisak

Birthright: an original web novel about Dragons, the Burdens of Leadership, and Mangoes.

This strikes me as one of those stories where the primary arc would be largely character-driven. The progression comes not from the plot itself building up, but rather from Sweetie Belle's anxiety that she's going to screw and get a lousy gift, with the climax/resolution being tied to her realization that it's the sentimental value that really determines whether it's a good gift or not. Like rather than buying her something expensive, she gives her something that she owns, or that she helped make or something. Like maybe she helped Rarity make a piece of jewelry or something that wouldn't have much monetary worth, but Silver would appreciate anyway because SB made it. Then again, that could also fall into a bit of a Christmas cliche itself. And I'm kinda biased in that I like stories that are mainly character-driven rather than plot driven. But it would help solve the problem of making it clear that nobody gets dumped.

edited 2nd Dec '15 5:10:43 AM by JapaneseTeeth

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and the award for longest title goes to...

XP granted for befriending a giant magical spider!

Professor Four Winds for world-traveled pegasus scholar. Good name?

edited 4th Dec '15 12:28:22 AM by God_of_Awesome

Sure, why not?

Works for me.

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So about that CB/40k setting: loosely taking a cue from The Other Side of the Spectrum, I envision that Ponification entails (apart from a physical transformation) something akin to the Soul Binding ritual that Astropaths go through, though much more powerful. The end result is that newfoals are for all intents and purposes immune to Chaos, but the tradeoff is that they have their free will almost completely stripped away and are almost puppets of Celestia as a result. How exactly is it possible to write sympathetic newfoal characters with this in mind?

So fanfic idea I'm working on.

Human In Equestria fic. The story's set up is that said human tries to leave Equestria the day before the events of Twilight's Kingdom, knowing full well what happens.

So here's the rough draft of the latest Book of Friendship chapter, for your pre-reading assistance.

They sound like victims, the way you describe it. It would be harder to make them not sympathetic.

almost completely stripped away

almost

That's the word. Remember that word. Use that word.

Birthright: an original web novel about Dragons, the Burdens of Leadership, and Mangoes.