A year ago today, a whole 365 days of sleepless nights and building calluses on the tips of one's fingers, a little story was born.

It was a simple tale. One of a colt who loved a filly who didn’t love him back. It was supposed to be a one shot, a single chapter story that was never meant to expand—let alone become popular It was just practice in the art of writing about little ponies.

Then, some wise advice poured in. One chapter became two, then three. An outline was jammed together, detailing a great maximum of five chapters. The author, unfortunately, was not the responsible sort, and when that story got out of hoof, it grew to a staggering 63,639 word length over fourteen whole chapters (not counting Pimpsqueak’s spa, that was a fiasco).

What made said story so interesting that 19 thousand stumbled upon it? That made those ponies post over two thousand comments of hate-mail? Easy!

You guys.

First, let’s thank the true heroes. These are all the people who contributed to the editing, be it with a massive rewrite or a tiny suggestion. To them, I owe very much.

-Bearycool  

-Arcainum

-N

-Bigdog117

-Burraku_Pansa

-Bombedrumbum

-JustAnotherTimeLord

-Your Antagonist

-Frederick the Saiyan

-Cpl Hooves

-FlutterSyke

-StapleCactus

-Sorren

These brave gents and ladies of worth did an extraordinary job at beating the kinks (some of them, anyway) out from the tale and turning it into a bit of a gem.

Of course, there would have been nothing to edit had it not been written. And who fueled that desire to type away at every odd hour? Readers!

More specifically, the commenters.

Those regulars, after every post would ask questions, gamble on poor little Featherweight’s fate, and keep giving helpful criticism on how the story was faring at every stage of the game.  

So, thank you. Really, having that little notification chime ring out and knowing that it was a comment easily made my day. And true, heartfelt ideas, when properly expressed, are a brilliant distraction from writing. (Not that you should stop.)

Now, we’ve moved on to other things. I kept up the romantic stuff with Of Apples and Roses and, of course, Of Challenges sequel: Of Rumbling Dinks null

So, that’s that! If you feel like it, do post whatever comments you wish here. And questions too! And stories! And stuffs!

It's true.

I don't honestly think there is talent in this world.

I mean, all art is skill, right? And to grow in that art one needs to apply, practice and study? So, what we would consider as skill, is only really a proper application of time and a decent amount of luck.

I'm not talented by any means. There are many on here that have skills that far surpass my own, and what little fame I've accrued is solely from good timing and some manipulation and the proper picking of subject matter, little else.

Not too sure where I'm going with this, other that to say that when I see someone refereed to as 'talented' it bugs me. That person shouldn't have any talent, just the proper learning, upbringing and time to apply and experiment with his or her art.

Basically I've been listening to too much of This.

Oh, and I wrote a poem! Cause become talented mean trying things, right? Tells me what yous think? I tried to copy the rhyming scheme from The Raven with a rather major alteration to the last line.

Life was a jest, but still the very best

Until I found a friend, who made me suspend,

feelings I had repressed and who set me a quest;

to possess and to address

my growing distress:

Of apples and roses and thick purple proses

She fell in love, they fit like a glove

A quick little blend, and some enemies to fend.

Feelings she was sick of, the need to impose

to possess and address

Her growing love:

Of apples and roses and thick purple proses

Now they’ll get hitched, or maybe ditched.

No thoughts of flying, only of soaring,

feeling bewitched, a need to enclose

to posses and address

Their growing enriched

With apples and roses-- and thick purple proses.

Oh, I've started on of Rumbling Dinks. And by that, I mean I reread the entire story to try and remember the character accents and writing style. Lots of mistakes in that one...

Also, would any of you be interested in either a Borderlands crossover, or a Firefly one?

Right!

So I've been thinking about art, not just one form, like music or writing prose, but art in general and of course my word-wise mind decided to categorize it, to define it. Turns out that art is something hard to place or understand. In fact, after looking at a few definitions online, I noticed that the great majority have it... right? Then why is it that those around me, those that I talk to have it all wrong? Why is it that the definition I was made to believe in as a child was completely different?

There's issues with the traditional way of marking something as an art.

It seems to stems from the narrowness of the definition. Look at these, all three taken from the Oxford dictionary (in real English):

1. [mass noun] the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

2. (the arts) The various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance:

the visual arts.

3. (arts) Subjects of study primarily concerned with human creativity and social life, such as languages, literature, and history (as contrasted with scientific or technical subjects).

Now, those intrepid enough to scoot over to the site will notice a fourth, more on that in a bit.

See, these definitions are both narrow and large. But, basically, an art is something that is creative or ingenious. Fine, I've no issue with that myself. But, there seems to be a rift whereas only something 'artsy' can be an art. This divide is growing, or so I've noticed.

My folks think that only certain things are arts. Sculpture, painting, writing traditional prose and maybe a few abstract things (although these they think of as weird and obtuse, I generally have to agree). Truly though, there's so much more to art!

Look at the fourth definition and think about it for a second:

4. A skill at doing a specified thing, typically one acquired through practice.

Taa-daa! The truest definition of art. The one and only way to understand and improve!

Anything can be an art, from brushing your teeth to unclogging the loo (my mind's in the bathroom). Or, at least, that's how I'd like to define it. I could be very. very wrong.

So, why do you think that we've made our ascertation of what is an art and what isn't narrow, and do you think that everything practiced should be thought of as an art?

(also, does any of this make sense? Sorta written as a train-of-thought. Oh, and half-way through the next chapter of Apples and Roses, woo!)

Love sucks. Don't fall in it, and that's a tip given with some experience.

Right, so I'm sick of not writing enough, giving my word and failing and not having enough time. To the shock of none, I have decided to return. Woo?

What have I been doing in the void? Well, lots of moping, some movie watching and I made these for some friends:

LINK

Supposed to be lightsabers. And yeah, one's red... bite me. Entirely made of metal, save for the leather handle on the 'sith' hilt. Turns out not every metal will weld with another.

Right, I guess I'll get back to the last chapter of Apples and Roses first, right? I'll need a poem or three, but not right now. Although it would help. Then the last chapter of Of Course. If I can get both of those done I'll feel happy-ish, maybe.

I'm suffering from all sorts of moodiness the past week or so. It's rather odd, really.

Nice weather, good times, yet I'm still so... blocked.

I'll be back, eventually.  I never give up, and I refuse to quit. It's just going to take a little bit before the next updates rain down upon you.

It's been a while, eh?

I've been writing the entire time, but it seems as if I've forgotten how. No, really. So much junk is assaulting my mind that even the simplest of prose is beyond me. Everything's now a formula. the characters won't talk to me anymore. Now I have to figure out how to smooth out our relationship.

Those of you familiar with Queries, know the pain and trouble hat they mean for new authors. Those of you who are sitting there, blinking at the glow of the screen and asking yourselves: "What's a query?" .... Well, it's like a request sent to an agent for them to bother to look at your work, and maybe represent you and the story.

Think of the EqD-Prereaders, only they get paid... on the condition that the story actually does good on the market. That basically means that they won't touch said story if there's even the slightest chance of it sucking.

The only thing they see of your work at first? The Query letter.

Generally, folks encourage you to have a lot of people read said letter before sending it off, and so, once more, I shall abuse of my dear watchers!

I present to thee, the full Query of my not-so-epic tale, Twisting Stagnation:

Dear,

My 75,000-word novel, Twisting Stagnation is a psychologically complex steampunk thriller set in a world that’s teetering on the edge of social upheaval.

Three people, the son of a noble, an imprisoned architect, and an innocent young woman, stop to stare, watching as the city they called home for so long stagnates. Most of their fellow citizens are crushed under the weight of despair, grief and fear. But these three want change; and nothing will stand in their way to achieve it.

Erbain has long been a beacon of accomplishment and advancement. A city on the cusp of technological breakthroughs: the first steam-powered generator, the first automobile, the creation of the assembly lines that attracted thousands of fresh-faced young workers. Behind those advances are three families. All of them wanted a simple thing; for Erbain to become greater, and for their pocketbooks to become heavier.

Their jealousy and greed spurred them on to wage a silent war, one fought on the back streets and in the marketplaces.Stalemate was all they saw, until finally they decided to settle and glare at each other from within their castles and estates.

The wake of that war was the desolation of many. Neighbours became spies, businesses allied themselves with one of the families or found themselves burnt to ashes, gangs roved about the streets and growled at the City’s Guard. Worse was the toll that the war took on the citizens, those that remembered days when civility and honour were worthy endeavours and when one did not sleep with a knife under the pillow.

The three watchers rise up, each with their own story to tell, each with passions that burn deep within them, soaked in a thirst for vengeance and a knowledge that justice was not to be obtained with anything but their own hands.

The stagnation is about to be twisted.

I thank you for considering my work,

Edgar FAMILY NAME

Any thoughts at all, would be really, really appreciated!

(P.S. This isn't all that edited yet. Not that many folks are up at... 2:32am. A thank-you to timelord, Toix and Pax for trying to help anyhow!)

Second time I write this because of my blasted internet.

Basically, I wrote a novel, and finished most of it today. I still need chapter names, some proper quotes and to make it all one , coherent file.

Long story short (and I had a long story, but Bell's inability to provide reliable service took it), I won't be writing pony for a tiny bit longer. Then I'll delve into it while alternating to cry like a little child at the rejection letters.

I had a cool discussion with a fellow by the name of Toix on the subject of the various punk genres. Some of my favorite settings, in fact. He's a bratty little bugger with dreams similar to my own and all that jazz. He even wrote one or two things that aren't so-bad-you-wanna-die, like Reach. (which I'll finish reading eventually)

So, this is my summery of the punk genres. Again, this is based on my personal experience and knowledge. different folks see them differently.  

Dieselpunk's my personal favourite, perhaps because of the grittiness, and that noir feel to it. A woman with a mink coat and a long cigarette is not out of place, nor is a tall man wearing a trench-coat and bowler hat. You get this... edgy visualizations out of it all so easily and it's expected that you'll be both fluid and jerky with your descriptions.

Not to mention the sensory overload and the thriving amount of plot devices readily available. Dieselpunk's an era of learning and alteration of the social norms. The rich are starting to capitalize and form organizations, the crime lords are punching it out for dominance; the government(s) are acting like Big Brother, becoming reclusive and watchful, weary of the citizenry. all that lends a lot to the setting.

Steampunk's another one I like quite a bit. You get to use some decent technology, from aircrafts to gigantic airships, and the average character is excited about these advances. The future is prettiful and every change is for the better. At the same time, you're dealing not with governments nad societies of rulers, but with kings and queens. Noble houses are the big powers and being a ritzy gentleman's the best way to sneak into some corset.

It's a simpler time, with a better outlook. It's also a great setting for young love, swashbuckling, and piracy of the skies.

Clockpunk's the inebriated cousin. It's like Steampunk, but without the billowing clouds of coal-fire smoke and the majestic array of flying ships. Instead, everything's powered by these great big cogs and springs, like clocks. Not my favourite, but the easiest to use if you want to dabble with arcana or a little magitech.

And then, there's Cyberpunk.

Honestly, the hardest of the bunch to pull of right, and the one I would steer clear of unless you do a boatload of research. Not only are there robots, AIs, and lots of Tokyo-like cites, but you need t deal with the ever evolving face of technology. What you write today, will most likely be wrong by next week, and that's a scary prospect for any story that wants to age well.

Look at the works of Issac Asimov though, and you'll see it done right, even though the science of it is now complete hog-wash.

As of note, all of these (and a few other punk genres, like Raypunk and Atompunk) have a lot in common. That dystopian feel, the sense of humanity that they have. And that constant rebellion under the surface.

So, I was doing my thing and reading up on Fimfic when I saw this.

Greetings From Your New Site Owner   by: Poultron

Now, I'm well aware that it's the 1st of April, and that gives license to many to do some pretty ridiculous things, such as Knightly's golden membership thing, or the whole change the name of the mane six thing-y (of last year, which I found quite cute).

But this particular article does not have that particular prose that indicates humour, or joking. In fact, it has quite the opposite, even going as far as to outright state the opposite. This is meant to be serious. So far, so good. Mr. Poultron had something important to say, and couldn't wait until tomorrow night to say it. Fine, I get that.

It's then followed by some jabs stabbed at the very respective past-leader of the site, slightly off-colour, but a valiant attempt to lighten the mood. Again, no qualms here. After this, a list of some changes in the way certain things will be done, which, honestly, look fine to me. Although I do like the constant meta-shifts on the site, some stability might do it good. Actually, the more I think about this, the better it looks.

A change in the 'leadership' is also repeated. No biggie. Knightly was a fair enough guy, and seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. Although I never met him formally. I'm sure Mr.Poultron will be the same. Will he adopt the same hands-off approach? Maybe.

And then we have the kicker.

Now on to a more controversial change. From tomorrow onwards, no new human fics may be submitted to the site. This includes Human in Equestria fics, humanized fics, and any fics about the future Equestria Girls show (may be subject to change).

Oh?

Well, personally, I'm no large fan of HiE or any of that jazz. Still, I understand that they compromise a fairly large cornerstone of the fandom, one that ties the dreams of pony to the--perhaps stable(er)--idea of humanity. Cutting this out would, in no small way, be a rather bad move. Again, this is in my humble opinion. Is there some alternate motive that I'm unaware of? Don't know.

He goes on to point the obvious. Maybe it's an attempt to alleviate the tension? (An old trick: when one encounters a plot hole,  point at it and scream"plot hole" as loudly as possible in character, hence dispelling the find and power of the error in the reader's mind and creating a sense of ease. The one in charge knows about the issue. That usually means that the reader will be expecting a fix at some point. Or, you can, instead of fixing, put shiny things that distract up.):

I understand this change is unlikely to be received well by the majority of our users, but I do believe that in the long run it will be healthier for the site. Humanized fics tend to cause nothing but issues, both for the users and the moderation team.

An understatement.

Most of the other changes will be behind the scenes, and you probably won't even notice them, but they are all with the aim of improving the site. Again, I want to stress that the confusion is merely the result of some unfortunate timing, and these changes are almost certainly going through.

The rest of the post is rather inconsequential, filled with jabs and hits aimed at Knightly (rather rude at this point, but they know each other) and some reestablishing of the facts.

Now, I see two possibilities:

One, this is a hoax, and one that's not all that well written or very well written to strike fear.

Two, this is honest, and Poulton doesn't want the site under his control to have a larger viewer pool.

Thoughts, opinions?

Or did I just put my foot in my mouth, (again) and insult the new site manager?