Introductions...

Hello, folks. If I'm truly going to be an author here, I figure I might as well give some info.

I'm Firesight, an older but proud brony. An IT professional who dabbles in art and writing on the side, I've wasted many an hour on fimfiction, and have no regrets for it--I am well and truly amazed by the stories and talent I see on this site. A friend once told me that the bronies were the most creative fan community he'd ever seen, and I'm hard-pressed to deny it given some of the absolutely incredible stuff I've read, everything from a Pony adaptation of Groundhog Day starring Prince Blueblood (The Best Night Ever) to an epic Phoenix Wright crossover video series (Turnabout Storm). It helps that the pony universe is so rich and lends itself so well to exploration and ideas, but that takes nothing away from the writers of stories like Xenophilia, Blue Angel, Feathered Heart, or the creator of Turnabout Storm--which I edit the story adaptation and occasionally write chapters for.

So what does it take for me to like a story? Good writing paired with an interesting idea, first and foremost. Maybe it's a result having a mom who's a copyeditor, but persistently bad grammar and editing mistakes *really* put me off; it's hard to look past them at times. Draw me into your world with a clever idea and well-done dialogue and prose, and I'll be your reader quite happily. Nor do I mind the occasional clopfic, as long as they're well-written and true to the characters involved. My all-time favorite there is Xenophilia, which I'd encourage anyone to read who hasn't already.

Instant turnoffs: anything where humans are inferior or heavyhanded religious shit. I enjoy crossovers, but if you want to bring the two worlds together, I prefer them as equals. For this reason, I enjoy stories such as "Heroes and Allies" by Lyonus, a military thriller where pony magic and human technology are on equal terms. But my all-time favorite is probably "Blue Angel", which drmatically explores and expands the pony world, seen through the eyes of a human fighter pilot-turned-pony and features some truly epic worldbuilding and incredibly good storytelling that doesn't relent or lose interest even after seventy-some chapters.

Having heaped praises on my favorite stories, my own first solo story is in progress, set in the Gentlemenverse of Demon Eyes Laharl, who my hat is off to for coming up with one of my favorite series of adult pony fiction (Gentlemen for Mares). We'll see if it's well received, but I feel like I should make my own mark and have my own creative corner of the fandom. Where it will lead, who knows, but for now, I'm content to be here, be part of one of the greatest fandoms I've ever known.