Atlas Strongest Tournament: Halfway Through · 10:29pm Nov 24th, 2012
So when I started posting Atlas Strongest Tournament I was still in FOB Shank, Afghanistan working about ten hours, sleeping three to four hours, with nothing to do with the remaining ten hours but write pony stuff, and I did to the the tune of a chapter a day at least. Then I was told I would be shipping back to the States midtour. Surprise. So I get back and apparently Rear Detachment is a mess with us having to do crappy details all day instead of getting to go home after half a day like your average Rear-D assignment, even working through the four day weekends. Also I now have to do things with my wife, which is just horrible (well, no not really, or I wouldn't be doing it... heh, heh... "doing it"), and I now have to do the Master's classes I'd signed up for downrange which I'd have plenty of time to do if I were still there, but now it's taking up pretty much all of my free time. So I've run out of buffer chapters and as you can see my production has slowed to a grinding halt. You'll have to forgive me if I end up not posting more than one or two chapters between now and the new year.
That being said, I like my story even if no one else does. Basically, the idea came from my thinking how almost every shounen anime has some season that's completely devoted to a huge competition: the Tournament Arc. I thought to myself that it would be exceedingly amusing if I made one for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The story is, I'll admit, a bit odd in that we have three basic perspectives, that of Rarity, Spike, and Scootaloo. I'm basically putting Scootaloo in the "protagonist" position in this fic while Rarity is in the "antagonist" position, quite against her will, while Spike is kind of the "caught in the middle" character. I'm playing with these roles quite a bit, of course, and now that I'm in the thick of the actual tournament, a lot of my writing is going to be more action focused than plot building, but I'm going to do my best to make it not completely mindless violence. This story will also tie into the larger plot I'm building up which centers around a lot of Greco-Roman mythological concepts. You may have already noticed the hint I've put in this story about a time traveling event in the past which I'll write once I'm done with this, and that will, I hope, provide a massive expansion for the concepts I've been trying to plant. I also want to do a little buddy-comedy with my OCs Wavedancer and Scales, and then there will be a fic set after this which will involve a much matured and more badass Spike. Of course, first I have to get through this story.
On that note, I have been thinking very heavily on getting one or two beta readers. I think I'm a pretty damn good writer, but I will readily admit that I can be hasty, commit typos, not think through a less key scene enough so somepony ends up being handed the idiot ball (or the amart ball, conversely) or otherwise displays momentary OOC-ness, and I'm still prone to falling prey to bad writing habits in general. I also know that, while I've been a very good beta reader for others, I cannot beta myself worth crap because I, like many artistes, am too in love with my work. I require someone who can look at my crap, say "hey, that's crap," and make me fix my crap. So if anyone out there is willing, by all means drop me a line.
Just wanted to drop in a line, like you asked. Atlas Strongest Tournament, is a good, great, gratifying story. It's spunk full of humor, some good ol' action, and tons of clever references. Not to mention it contains some Sparity, so that's pretty much some automatic winning machine quality right there. Alas, the reception of the story is what makes me strongly dislike certain areas of fanfiction. The story is for some reason criminally under appreciated. I can't even begin to explain it. I'm glad you had, and hopefully still have, a liking towards this story. You've been absent from the scene for a small time, perhaps due to a busy schedule or maybe just a lack of a drive to write, I can't say, but at least it seems you're checking in every once in a while. If anything else, know that this humbled fanfic enthusiast knows a good story when he reads one, and he found a certain personal attachment to this one. If you're still in need of a beta, count me in.
835261 I have been a bit distracted with work, classes, and being temporarily blind due to eye surgery (still kind of fuzzy, but I can still usually read a computer monitor). However, I'm about to get back into things, starting with a quick revision of the chapters already posted for minor mistakes and updating slightly for Season 3 developments, as well as adding illustrations. I only have a few more illustrations to do before I'm ready to get cracking, and I'll probably finish up tomorrow. If you want to lend a hoof, as it were, with beta work, I'd be quite appreciative.
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All right! Glad to see a timely response. My sympathies for the eye surgery. That can't be pleasant to deal with.
So, I'm ready whenever you are. What's the usual way to go about it? Is it that password thing?