Conventions » Ciderfest's Scattered Pages Wrap-up! · 11:30pm Nov 25th, 2023
Aside from contests and invitations to do things, I believe all of us here in Fimfic should get to hear about awesome things created by our community of writers.
It was not so long ago that Vivid Syntax reached out to me about a project he was working on. I admit, he wasn't the first to ask (that dubious honor goes to Nyronus) for me to work with them on it, but this time it was a request to reach out to all of you to see if you wanted to participate in something new and daring.
I passed on my chance to participate—too much stuff going on in my life to fully commit—but I did make a site post inviting you all to do so: Ponyville Ciderfest: Last Call for Writers, Editors, and Actors
Well, Ponyville Ciderfest 2023 is now over, and I was fortunate enough to go, despite my initial thoughts that I wouldn't be able to make it. And… well, to say I was disappointed to not have participated would be an understatement.
Just like Twilight's Book Nook at Everfree Northwest!, The Ponyville Ciderfest Storytelling Adventure was an effort done by the MLP writing community and an actual success. But even then the comparison is a bit like oranges to apples.
The Ponyville Ciderfest Storytelling Adventure was an interactive story that involved everyone who wanted to participate at the convention. They had actors, events, quests… everything to keep participants engaged, even app story tidbits, and finally "Scattered Pages" was a story compilation of original stories all taking place in this "Alternate Reality Game" that took place over the three days of the convention.
Most—if not all of the stories—can be found or will eventually be found in the The Ponyville Ciderfest Storytelling Adventure Group, and you can also check out Alternate Histories page on the Ciderfest Website to see all the videos, alternate versions of the main story, and get all the keywords which still work in the app if you want to experience these stories in their original formats.
Having said all that, I feel like we should acknowledge the tremendous amount of work that went into this event, and thus, I bring to your attention the authors of "Scattered Pages":
Glimmer of the Past by Test4Echo
The Game of Love by Vivid Syntax
Frozen Heart by Janicethelight
Prose and Cons by SmilesPerHour
The Fizzy Case by MalScribblerQuill
Maud and Trixie in the Great Equestrian Adventure In Color And Surrround Sound by Timegal25
The Lost City of Abyssinia by Volrathxp
Fire and Lightning by MidnightConcerto
The Layout by AlwaysDressesInStyle
Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Admiral Biscuit
The Final Twilight by Brass Scribe
The Forest of Kettle Mane by Flutterpriest
Derpy, the Doctor, and The Book by ImThatGuy
Fallout Equestria: Project... Milwaukee? by Somber
What Dreams May Come by Nyronus
Closing by Nyronus
We've been here for over a decade now, creating, writing and sharing stories. Even though many of us did panels and organized get-togethers for authors at the conventions, writing and reading wasn't at the top of the list for visitors there… but ever since the Bookstore back in Bronycon 2019, we've proven that we are an integral part of the MLP fandom, and there are some things only we can do.
I think we can all be proud of our authors and participants here, as they achieved something unique and inspiring. Congratulations to all those who participated in creating this wonderful event!
It was a real honor to be a part of this project because not only did we produce some amazing work but through the end of it all we all became friends, and what better way to celebrate such an achievement by celebrating new friends!
Everyone who worked on this worked so hard to make it reality and everyone deserves the spotlight. It truly was a team effort and we rocked it!
I must thank Vivid Syntax for all of his leadership and also his friendship. Without neither (and both being equally important) we would not have succeeded.
I still can't quite believe that Vivid, Charlie, and the rest at PVCF, plus all the volunteers managed to pull this off. Truly a highlight of the fandom that I wish I could have gone to. Still, it was great to help out with some of the writing, and I hope that everyone who sees this post enjoys all the work that we put into making this for everyone!
Thanks for the roundup, Wanderer!
Seriously, everyone who worked on this book or this project as a whole has my sincere thanks. Thank you so much for everything. Making this event happen was my dream for a year, and everyone who helped has my gratitude.
Wow. Just wow. If you told me a few years back that I would be part of a published book, I would have blinked at you. I am so honored to have worked along with such wonderful amd amazing writers and editors. It is only due to these wonderful people that my story came out as well as it did, and that I feel like a much better writer than I did at the start of this amazing endeavor.
Thank you, Vivid, for this opportunity. I don't think I can thank you enough for letting me be a part of this. Thank you to every single writer and editor who all encouraged one another. Also, thank you Charlie for this endeavor. I'm sure it came with its fair share of headaches, but it meant the world to me, and I'm sure it meant the world to the other writers as well!
And here's to hoping I see new works from all of these amazing people in the future.
.....I may already have some ideas brewing in my brain ;)
Still feels surreal to open up a actual printed book and see my name in it, especially alongside people who have been writing so many more stories and pieces for this fandom much longer than I have. I'm so glad everything turned out alright in the end, and the people that I got to work with, they're truly the best.
I have no idea if something like this will ever get to happen again or not. (I obviously hope it does). But even if this was a once in a life time event, I'm so happy I got to add to it. Thank you to everyone involved in this that I got to meet with, interact with and work with. You seriously rock. I hope to open the book with all of you once more some day.
Thank you so much for the shoutout, Wanderer! This was a huge undertaking, being part of the writing *and* acting team for Ciderfest '23, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I had a great time making friends with the staff, brainstorming and fine-tuning ideas, and creating a convention that many would deem impossible.
But one of the greatest pleasures was signing up for the Scattered Pages project. It's been years since I last wrote an MLP story, but I took on the challenge, and now I can proudly say that I'm a published author! I can't thank Vivid and the writing team enough for giving me this chance to branch out in the community and try something new. This is one of my Top Five Proudest Life Moments so far!
On a more personal note, I was nervous about writing Prose and Cons at first. I wanted to write something gripping, the most perfect subject to put into a book, but in spite of every idea I came up with, I kept coming back to 'Prose and Cons'. I felt it was a story that had to be told, kind of a happy ending for Quibble Pants.
Quibble always struck me as an okay guy, a well-meaning nerd who never quite caught a break. So I figured this convention chaos would be the perfect opportunity to let *him* be the hero for once, to put him in a situation where he's the most qualified pony for the job. It might not be the best MLP story ever, but I'll always look back on Prose and Cons with pride. And to everyone who gives my story a Favorite, a Like or even a curious glance... thank you.
I'm gonna give a shoutout to the editing team here; between the book and the app they had to pre-read over 900.000 words . . . anybody who's done any pre-reading knows what a task one story is, never mind over three hundred of them. And the app crew that got everything working, even despite Apple dragging their feet on approving the app for the store.
It was a heck of a thing, and it was fantastic seeing so many people at the con searching for hashtags. I even had one on my hat!
My thanks to everyone who made this possible - the PVCF staff and volunteers. Writers, editors, cosplayers, and everyone who's enjoyed the stories we wrote, whether it was in person in Milwaukee or here on FimFiction. This was an absolutely amazing experience from start to finish and I'm glad I could contribute to the project. My stories will be posted here soon.
It's almost unbelievable to see my name on something this cool with so many awesome people!
I wasn't a part of this but just the fact that it happened reminded AGAIN how amazing of a fandom I'm a part of
I am so honored that I was able to take part in this amazing project, despite having nothing publicly written within the fandom. Everyone was amazing and I am so proud to call pretty much all of y'all my friends. Can't wait to do more writing stuff with everyone!
Especially thank you to Vivid for going above and beyond organizing this event & making sure everything was running perfectly during the event itself. Thank you for having me, it is the greatest honor that I had within the fandom in the 10+ years of being a Brony.
If I remember correctly, when I first heard about the interactive fiction thing back whenever it was announced, I was somewhat concerned. I'd been to one Ponyville Ciderfest, 2022, and it was quite good -- but this seemed really ambitious. Could they really pull it off?
Yes. Yes, they could, and they did; I had a wonderful time, and I know I wasn't the only one. :D
Ciderfest was an absolute blast.
I am so glad that I got to help spearhead this project! It was an absolute blast, and I cannot WAIT to do something like this again!