State of the Scribe: February 2023 · 8:20pm Feb 1st, 2023
Another month has come and gone. Some big updates here, so let's get right in.
Biggest thing for this calendar, we've got a new story coming! Words of Power has Zutcha's latest cover, check out how awesome this looks:
Words of Power is the story of what happens when a pegasus carrying a powerful artifact ends up on earth. His rescuer is rewarded with a blast of magic, and a new body she doesn't understand. Ponies on earth, Kirin, and lots of amazing chapter art.
I've debated holding off on this story, since it only updates twice a week. But I have several months backlog now, and it seems a shame not to share. We'll see what may happen in future months, when we catch up with what has been published.
That is also why you see it update both on Patreon and Fimfiction. The Patreon update in blue are the latest chapters, and will continue until the fimfiction publication catches up.
There are two new stories, taking the spot of some completed monthly stories in the backlog. As usual, the first chapters of these will be free for anyone to read on Patreon. After that, they'll remain patrons only until they're complete.
First, we have "Calling in the Second String" Imagine if the Storm King's conquest of Equestria had met success, and the world fell into his control. Desperate for help, the small group of remaining rebels uses some powerful artifacts still in their control to travel to another world. There they find who they think are powerful warriors, who they can recruit to turn the tide.
These warriors aren't fighters at all, unfortunately--they're football players in the middle of a game. Also, joining up isn't optional. Their only chance to return home and get their humanity back is freedom for Equestria.
Then there's "Legio IX Hispania," a story I'm tremendously excited about. I've been playing with this story for so long that I wrote several versions of the first chapter, each of which I ultimately rejected and decided not to publish. It follows the lost Roman Legion, examining what might've happened if its ultimate destination was Equestria, instead of the various other theories of its fate.
Can the legion free Equestria from Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow? Would that even be a good thing?
I'm no historian, but I've still made an effort to make it at least accurate enough to be fun. Some past versions were intended to be so good that it might've passed muster in one of my archaeology classes. That kind of accuracy paralysis resulted in the death of previous drafts. So no one should expect a historical document here--I'll do my best to make it entertaining.
Those are the changes for the month. Don't Bug Me, and Frames of War continue on fimfiction.
Meanwhile, Deep Below continues the Splatoon transformation story, for the last survivor of humanity waking up in a changed world.
https://www.patreon.com/RealStarscribe/posts?filters%5Btag%5D=Deep%20Below
Then we have Spirits of Change, a world where your soul is manifested outside your body as a pokemon, and one unfortunate kid ends up with a mew when he should've been an eevee.
https://www.patreon.com/RealStarscribe/posts?filters%5Btag%5D=Spirits%20of%20Change
Both of those are open for anyone to read, I just can't post them on fimfiction because they aren't pony stories.
And that's it for the update. I've got another awesome update coming down the pipe, but I'll save that for when it's ready. I want to get one of the books in my hand to be able to judge the quality before I offer any.
For all those who continue to support me, and make all these awesome stories possible. I'm hoping to see this year be my biggest ever, as I make my formal transition to a professional author. I'll update anyone who cares on those arrangements as they get closer.
-Starscribe
Words of Power sounds interesting, I don't think we've had many Pony on Earth fics from you, have we? (Apart from the obvious Ponies after People)
I'm curious what your take there will be.
Definitely some intriguing concepts coming down the pike. Looking forward to them! Also, I need to catch up on Deep Below; goodness knows there's fascinating potential in that setting...
The update schedule for the new story is just fine. An update schedule of twice a week is still more frequent than the vast majority of actively updating stories.
You're not the only one who's thought of the 'football team transported to [X] to save the world'.
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice
Thanks for posting the link to Deep Below. I'll need to remember to check back for future updates.