Moving On · 3:33pm Aug 13th, 2013
I actually thought I'd be writing this post a month or two ago, but now it's looking like it's pretty much official now. Well, this is gonna suck, so let's just get it over with.
This is actually a long time coming. I started writing pony with the thought in mind that it was a "fun little side project." However, me and my ideas turned it into something someone with only copious amounts of free time can handle, which is something I never had, and still do not.
I was intending to come out of this recent move with a few new things for you guys, namely a writing guide that I promised a while ago and the revamp of Heroism. But unfortunately, my computer recently lost a ton of data, those two things being a couple of examples. Along with that, something came up that will surely consume every ounce of time I have to spare. While it is something that has to do with my personal life, let's just say that life finally decided to knock on my door to present an opportunity I just can't refuse.
So in short, yes, I am going to have to retire from writing ponyfiction. However, I do still want to at least try and finish Colt of the West before I leave. You guys deserve at least that. Well, that and the first chapter of Riflemare (COTW's intended sequel), which is done and edited by none other than JohnPerry. But there is going to be one issue about COTW's finale. It will not be the intended ending due to time constraints, so this brings up a question. Two, in fact.
Would you guys rather have the shorter, inferior ending or let it be what it is and have it cancelled? And also, would you like to see the first chapter of Riflemare or do you not want to be led along into it without ever being able to read the rest? Obviously, these two questions are important, for without the ending to COTW, the first Riflemare chapter would contain a few references to things that happened in COTW's finale. But hey, maybe that doesn't matter to you. It's up to you guys, so leave your thoughts on the matter in the comments below. I mean, yes, it would be much easier to just cancel COTW and post the Riflemare doc in a post, but it's your call.
I understand that this might be a huge let down to a few of you, and I apologize for that. It's been incredibly fun, and you all have been amazing readers. Thanks again to you and the editors that helped polish my mediocrity into something legible.
It sucks to hear you're leaving, but I guess I would prefer the story to end rather than having it just stop.
We'll miss you Divebomb.
That's entirely depressing but I guess ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I would be up for at least some sort of ending. Not sure about Riflemare though.
Sorry to see things come to an end. I hope this opportunity of yours works out!
Good luck out there!
I... I don't even....FUCK
Please end the story....
While I am very sad to see a post like this being throw up by such a prestigious author, I am also happy for you that you are moving on in life, moving on to big and better things. But, here comes the story shit. If you think you should post the ending to COTW then do it. I would love to read it. But with Riflemare... its a coin toss. Cause imagine a few weeks/months from now you might get a message from some random person asking if they could continue from where you left off on riflemare.
Always keep your mind open to what the Brony community can do... It will surprise you more then once...
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You have no idea how right you are...
I would prefer the story to end even if the ending is inferior. Good luck wih that opportunity you will be missed by the community.
I would rather you just take the time to write a good ending, even if we have to wait a few months. I've seen enough of these type of posts to tell you that is the best option, and that it's totally possible.
I wish you well.
No...?
End it, but, do it good, don't just rush through and make an ending no one likes which ruins the story. Even if it takes time, just work on it and give it a decent ending.
As to the next part, no I would rather not have something teasing a story that will never be written.
Many people have taken breaks from writing, often lasting months or even years.
My advice? Don't completely put it away. It'll be too big a kick in the head to all the time you put into it already. Fanfic is one of those doors you never have to completely close. Who knows when you might wish you actually put a good ending on your stuff?
I can stand a story being incomplete if the author leaves the possibility of returning to it open; I'd rather that than a story given a slap-dash ending.
I'd rather see it cancelled than have a poor or rushed ending. let it lay as it was going to be. and go ahead and post that first chapter. Perhaps you will return some time during season 4 or even later.
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The thing is that I do not have time for its intended ending, hence the question I'm asking. Unfortunately, there is no "wait and get back to it later." I do have the option the leave the door open and come back wayyyyy in the future, but I'm making the decision to close the door for good once this is said and done.
Damn, this really sucks. I just followed you not too long ago and was really looking forward to reading your stories. Please keep them up, even if you leave us. Well, I hope you decide to wrap up the story, no matter how hastily, and bring it to some conclusion.
We'll miss you. Best of luck in life. Don't ever forget us.
I think I'm willing to accept whatever ending for Colt of the West that you're able to give us given the circumstances. I think we could all use some closure. However, since it appears to be the case that you will not be finishing "Riflemare", I don't think you should bother posting it.
1282698 Well, it would be as a google doc link in a blog post and not as a story, so I guess people can click on it if they want.
1282705 I guess that's okay.
Man, who am I supposed to relentlessly pester on this site if Divey leaves?
Anyways, I'd appreciate a rushed ending over no ending at all. I have no real preference on what you do with Riflemare. I'm curious as to what it's about, but at the same time, I'm not sure I'd want to read the first chapter of something that I know I'll never get to finish.
But hey, do what you gotta do with all of this.
Crap. Crap!
Okay, I would much rather have an ending. I need to know what happens/happened to Azure.
1282765 I will no longer be contributing to my "DiveBomb" accounts. So nothing on here or DA (on that account anyway). Essentially I won't be doing or reading anything pony, but I will keep watching the show.
And no, I won't be deactivating the accounts. I just won't be logging on anymore once I get this all squared away.
This hits home hard. I may not incessantly pester you, or leave many comments, but I've been following you longer than I've been following anyone else. I literally only made my account after I got into TitW, and from there I mushroomed out into a wide variety of reading material. While it's disappointing that we'll not get to see the intended ending for CotW, I feel it would be better to not get one at all than it would be to get an ending that is just intended to make do. Good luck out there Divebomb, I'll miss you.
why does everything I love leave me or die or ohmygodwai
I'd rather have no ending than a half-assed one. A story of this caliber deserves a proper ending. I'd also prefer having the first chapter of the next story posted as it would give someone else a chance to continue the story if they wanted to.
I'm happy to hear you have an opportunity to make it big, Dive. That said, I'm saddened to hear CotW won't get the ending you visualized for it.
To be honest, I'm torn about whether or not I'd like you to finish it. On one hoof it would be great to have some closure to this mighty epic! Whereas on the other, if you rushed into it and just threw together a who-flung-dung 1000 word ending it'd tarnish everything this story has been building up to.
I'd rather you left it as is. No point in spoiling your excellent story with a mediocre ending. We, the readers can use our imaginations to make our own ending in which we won't be disappointed
If you can't see when or if you'll be able to get back to it, I think I'd prefer to have an inferior ending. But even if its a long wait, you can see yourself properly finishing it, I'd just put it on hiatus.
As for the sequel, I'd rather not see the start of something that won't be finished.
If I can vote twice, if the decision is for no ending could we get a blog post with a short version?
Would consider possibly giving COTW to someone else and allow them to finish it? Tell them the ending you had in mind and let them write it instead. Perhaps they could even write out the whole thing first, send it to you to read over and if you have faults with it you can point them out rather then have to write them yourself.
I would personally rather the story be left as is rather then an inferior ending. While it will be disappointing that it won't be finished, I would rather the leave the story in its excellence then ruin it with something cheap. as for the other story, I'm rather indifferent myself. I would love to read it, but if it has some awesome action sequence that would get me hooked only to know it won't continue, I would be disappointed. Perhaps it could be written by someone else as well?
You don't know me but I've been following you ever since you started treasure of the west. I understand that some things in life don't give much time for side projects(Believe me I know, USMC for me) so I understand that you won't be able to complete this yourself. I would suggest having someone else continue where you left off and have them complete the series. I know it would feel kinda weird handing your story off to someone else but it would be better to guide someone else to the finish rather than completely fall out of the run. Trust me, it would prove to be more satisfying for everyone doing it this way rather than break it off completely or end it poorly.
It's your choice however, and whatever you decide I will accept it.
As somepony who doesn't update regularly I probably shouldn't post but here's my two bits...
If you really really enjoy doing this but have to put it aside due to RL then put it aside. Don't compromise the endings or beginnings you had planned just because you think you need to put all this on hold.
If there's a change that one iota of the story you're writing will be lost or less than what you want it to be then hang an "Out for hay fries!" sign on the door and come back to it later. You don't owe your imagination or your readers anything less.
Well crap. I'm a bit torn. It really depends on if the rushed ending would be a satisfactory one or not. If it's, frankly, going to be a half assed ending just to have an ending, then I can live without it. If it can bring everything to a satisfactory end, then I would like to have it, and I feel only the author can judge that in this situation.
I'm not particularly interested in Riflemare if it is not going to be finished. I personally dislike it when an author starts up a story with no intention of finishing it.
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This.
Was a long time coming man, It does make me sad seeing you go, knowing of the memories (and the PMs we shared.)
i'd rather see a what you call inferior ending than no ending at all.
it will be sad not seeing you write anymore
hope that in the future you have the opportunity to come back to it.
I would like to see an ending to CotW and a glimpse of the Riflemare.
End COTW, a finished story is far better than a incomplete one, even if the quality degrades, and with that said don't bother with riflemare, since if it is good enough you will only frustrate your readers.
Don't make the same mistake as the guy behind The Ballad of Twilight Sparkle.
Just delete the lot.
It'll save you a lot of trouble in the long run.
And I suggest you delete your profile to even further cement this.
You will be surprised at how beneficial the outcome is for you personally.
In regards to the stories, I would like you to finish Colt of the West and either start Riflemare and hand it over to someone else to finish with your notes (JohnPerry or someone else you think has the experience), or just post it as a one shot type thing (tying up loose ends of the finale and whatnot).
Gonna miss you buddy. I have always enjoyed your work and still will no matter what you do with it. While it does suck to hear about this news, I am happy to hear that you now have a great opportunity set before you and I wish you the best of luck on your endeavor. And hey, maybe someday you will return to us with something even better.
Well, this more or less ruined my day
Would it be possible for you to let us know (or at least PM me) where you were intending the rest of the plot to go? Would help add a sense of closure, plus not leave me wondering forever
Some kind of ending would be nice, better then no ending at all
And I'd like to see the first chapter of Riflemare!
If you ever come back...we will be waiting
Always
I would suggest you finish COTW and let Riflemare go. Don't start something you have no intention of finishing.
That being said, have you considered finding another author to finish the story? If you already have an outline written and you can find another author you trust, maybe you can have them finish it. That would be the best option in my mind. If you don't trust anyone enough or else you want to finish it yourself, go ahead and finish COTW with the best ending you can give it and move on.
Good luck in your next stage of life. Who knows, if you really like ponies as much as we all do, I think I'll see you back here in like 6-12 months.
Well this is depressing. I was really loving your story Heroism - it had a lot of potential. I haven't read the others, so no advice on that front. Good luck with whatever you do next, and thanks for sharing what you did.