https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KGF0fGchRpX6Gg5pEtN-tu6aGd9e8v6MPK9OG8I5YaU/edit

Rules: Since the total came to a stalemate between how many fics should be used, we will be using, 2.5 amount. Which means the two highest fics will be sprinkled with a tiny bit of the 3rd place, though the third place won’t have too much detail put into it.

1st place: Encylopedia and Superstorm

2nd place: Await. Will get the .5 treatment.

The Synopses of each for future use.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J3JHjH9eiAxTCqcwi7Fl7XroFZ30zr5JM954924Pivo/edit#

This is how it works.

Each person will provide around one-thousand words. Upon those one-thousand words made, they will highlight their part and provide it with a short description that they did this part as a comment. You can go more than one-thousand words, but we want to go at a steady and shareable pace with each other.

I'd suggest 1000, but it's up to you.

The creator of Encyclopedia should go first, but if he doesn’t show up, then it’s alright to write without him. It’s best the creator of the idea go first, but if it doesn’t work out then someone else may continue it. It is suggested that we talk among our peers about each character and setting we create. What you were going to do with it and such so the story doesn't become a clusterfuck.

I also would like people to claim their story ideas please, to make it easier for people to see through your artistic vision and mesh it with their own.

.5 rule: Since Await was third place, I’m putting a 500 word limit when this part is being done.

You can go more, but the focus on this retardation is the top two for now. Feel free to put input to what should be done and what should not be done.

We’ll start with Superstorm, since we already have a pre-built prologue already made. Please read through the prologue to get a better understanding of the continuity.

All votes were done in 4chan and were already concluded.

Be aware that, even though your idea didn't make it. It can still be used in the story structure, just not in the highlight of the story or as a major plot point.

Might as well copypaste my suggestion here.

Everyone would write about a different aspect of the storm. How ponies deal with the build-up to the storm, when the storm itself hits, and then the aftermath and rebuilding.

We have dozens of characters and races, and lots of different towns, each of which can react in a different way. Besides, what one does can and probably will affect the other.

Imagine one of the self-contained stories is about Rarity and Fancypants deal with snotty nobles to gather up resources for relief effort in the places that will be hit the hardest. Then someone else writes a story about one of those towns, and how they're barely scrapping together until the supplies arrive and they all break out in joy.

Or say RD wants to spearhead the team that's going to try to break apart the storm, and while one story follows what she does, someone else writes about how the pegasus left back in Ponyville try to do their best to fight against the effects of the superstorm.

Or hell, have one character from one of the stories end with an unknown fate pop up in another story later on and everyone finds out he's alive.

These kind of details are very minor, but bring all the stories together. and make them feel like part of a whole, overarching story.

5031173
Did you claim your prologue in the gdocs yet?

Copypasting an idea from the thread because why the fuck not.

I thought about rewriting the prologue entirely to give us an "await" style story set after the superstorm where survivors discover the encyclopedia, but I don't know if Zaid would accept it.

I like it.

To built upon your suggestion, each chapter can follow a formula of "small SoL involving the survivors -> someone (main character?) starts reading the encyclopedia -> transition to a flashback from the perspective of a pony doing research for the encyclopedia -> transition to the final words of the encyclopedia entry -> character closes the book"

I think it would give the story a nice structure.

5031184
5031471
The original concept is from xTSGx, and he did the prologue. I was just the first to jump into the idea.

Also, I don't think we should be mixing different stories.
Each story has its pros and its cons, but we should try to focus on telling the best story we can in one setting before moving on to the next one.

5031719 I think it'd be nice to have connections hinted between the stories, but nothing too conclusive (Other than Await, since I made it with both Superstorm and Encyclopedia in mind) so people can decide if they want to consider SS and E oh god I just noticed that as parts of the same story or not.
Something like people acting under direct orders of Luna and Celestia, but they never appear directly so it could be that they left standing orders in case a freak storm happened.

5031964

if they want to consider SS and E

Thanks, now I'm not going get that out of my mind.

And I just really think we should let each story be its own thing. Besides, it's not as if we have to do only one shared story, right? We can start with one idea, do our best and explore all the aspects of that setting we can and then move on to the next one.

5031983

Besides, it's not as if we have to do only one shared story, right?

Take into account the standard atention span in 4chan. From time to time something comes to fruition (/v/'s music albums and the one that /mlp/ has been working on and off on for years come to mind) but most of the time the safe bet is to maintain projects relatively small.
I am not being derogative in this, a lot of people has to take care of other things, but we should still take it into consideration.
Hell, I myself don't know how much effort will I be able to put into this, since I have my daily update fic, I am writing another one (And another is on hold) and want to write at least one non-horsefiction book within this year, ideally two.

5032002

most of the time the safe bet is to maintain projects relatively small.

Personally, that's the very reason I'd prefer if we tackle only one setting instead of trying to bite more than we can chew. Because I'm convinced that if we try to fuse two concepts with drastically different tones, our chances of actually trying to finish this would be lower.

5032090 Ha, good point.

Reminder I wrote a Prolouge thing for the storm idea.

Combining the ideas is a bad idea. They just don't go together and it doesn't make any sense (why are the survivors writing an encyclopedia? what does that have to do with a hurricane hitting? How does that enhance the narrative?). They both work on their own, but together it would create a huge, incredibly unnecessary mess.

5031964
The thing is, the Encyclopedia idea has the princesses dying as it's primary plot--they're dying and Twilight's trying to create a reference guide she can use when she rules. You merge that with the storm, and you're adding another plot on top of the dozen or so it already has--and one completely unrelated to the storm itself. There's just not enough room for all of that.

5032090
This, too.

5032382
I disagree, I believe that if we just use one fic, it wouldn't be fair that we already did a strawpoll and etc.

I believe we can make this work.

5032528
I believe that if we try to mix to completely different ideas, we are not going to develop either of them at their maximum potential. Instead we're going to be trying to balance the two concepts and never do justice to either of them.

Why make a peanut butter-bacon-jelly-lettuce-tomato sandwich when we can make two separate delicious ones?

If your reasoning is that we may only make one story and therefore should try to cram all the concepts into that story, then you're already setting yourself up for failure.

But tell me your opinion, tell me why you think mixing the superstorm and encyclopaedia ideas has more merit than writing them independently.

5032946
My reasoning is because it challenges the writer. Unconventional and difficult to use concepts are always something that is fun to see what comes out of it. If you don't think we are capable of successfully doing this, I understand. But, I believe it can be done if we just work together to do it.

Either way, its a team effort.

And, I believe peanut butter bacon jelly lettuce tomato sandwich could be good with the right cooking skills.

5033091
It's not that I don't think we can succeed, I just personally think the end result would benefit more from having a single focus.

Look at it from the point of view of a reader, would you prefer to read a fun story with a well executed plot, or a story that tries to be two at the same time?

And, I believe peanut butter bacon jelly lettuce tomato sandwich could be good with the right cooking skills.

Tomato jelly is a thing.
And it's delicious.

The strawpoll shows the anon wanting a single story 6:1 now.

Should we choose the superstorm only then?

5033423 yes, it has been decided.

Does it bother you if I write the second part of the prologue alone?

The two other versions are a bit confusing, and I began writing after TSG's prologue.

Oh. Is it reaching that stage yet?
At this rate, by the time we start the first chapter we will have six alternate timelines mixed with each other.
I propose that, before each chapter is deemed done, we mix all the versions of each chapter into an unholly amalgam of horsefuckery.