Hiatuses and Excessive Equines

Okay, so my new fic's about this evil bartender pony who all the villager ponies in this far-off pony town the Mane Six don't live in think is a hero because he defeated an evil dragon, but he actually didn't kill the dragon the right way, he used a cave-in, and when a cowardly wizard pony and a grudge-holding guard pony (who incidentally sees the bartender as a hero pony because he saved her life and is basically her surrogate father figure pony) find out the truth, he tries to have them silenced by tricking them into entering a pony forest with an evil pony spider spirit and...

Okay, this isn't really a fanfic. It's the script I'm gonna be writing this Script Frenzy. I probably won't be posting any fics during April since I'll be crazy busy already.

But I didn't just write this self-indulgent post to discuss my hiatus. It's self-indulgent about other things, too. Let's talk about fanfics that don't need to be fanfics.

It's hard to resist the urge to make a story that's not about ponies be about ponies. Ponies are comforting, cute and familiar. Even if it's a grimdark story, you still want it to be about ponies because you know ponies. Plus, ponies give an easy audience. But sometimes it just doesn't need to be about ponies. Ponies should not be a crutch.

You've heard all that before, I expect. But what if the story does need to be about ponies?

Say I'm writing a story about a far-off pony city where a deranged unicorn warlord rules with an iron hoof (which I guess he squishes things with? An iron hoof must be even less flexible than a normal hoof, so...) and nobody--er, nopony--can get word to Princess Celestia because his magic prevents anypony from leaving the city. The story follows...

Long story short, ain't no canon characters in this story. Logically, it's not a proper FiM fanfic.

But what if it is?

What if, beneath all the darkness and grimness and romance and betrayal...it's a story about friendship?

What if the OCs confront the ruler, and he realizes he only wants to be in charge so he can be as beloved as Princess Celestia (who he secretly envies). He agrees to step down because his life as warlord is a miserable one. He leaves with one of the protagonists, who he'd taken as prisoner at the start and accidentally befriended, and they set out for a land where nopony will know of his past misdeeds.

I don't even know if this is a matter we need to discuss. But I think people sometimes too readily dismiss an all-OC story as "false fanfiction". Equestria ain't just about the characters. It's about the theme. Keep the theme, and the rest will stick.

Comments

[mrmayortheiv]

I agree, I have read several that were entirely OC that I enjoyed very much.... and a lot of times for this very reason