Present vs. Fallout: Equestria, Round 1 of like 2 million · 12:58pm Dec 18th, 2012
Yes, friends and neighbors (and people who actually care about my opinion), I've started in on the audiobook of Fo:E today. It has yet to really capture my attention, though the oblique reference to the Cutie Mark Crusaders was an intriguing touch and makes me hope there's more of that, inspiring instead laughter and derision, but I'm in this for the long haul, if not the entire thing. I am, in essence, reading Fallout: Equestria because it's Fallout: Equestria.
Let me say that I'm coming into it a bit biased, too. Well, for starters, post-apocalyptic adventure is entirely my jam. This is the kind of story that should be right up my alley, but I also list My Little Metro, which is based on a game with a similar premise and setting, as one of my favorite fanfics ever, so this Fo:E has a lot to live up to. Add to that its status as one of the Big Three of pony fanfiction (can we call it a Big Four now with Background Pony? Are there others that should be added to that list?), with all the assorted baggage. I know lots of people who really hate it and, admittedly, an equal number who like it but aren't nearly as vocal about their opinions. So yes, I'm disinclined to look kindly upon it, instead going, "Okay, big shot, impress me." And I think that's okay.
I even made up funny subtitles for the chapters I've read so far! :D
Introduction: "And Then Kkat Said 'Friendship Is Grimdark, Bitches' and Half a Million Words Happened in Her Horn"
Prologue: "In Case You Forgot This Was Based on a Video Game"
Chapter 1: "I'm the Only Raging Lesbian in Stable 2... Wait, No, Nevermind"
I may keep this up.
"can we call it a Big Four now with Background Pony?"
I really hope not, but it does seem inevitable. Loved Fo:E; hated BP with a passion.
C'est la vie.
What would you say the other two members of the big three are?
624689 Traditionally it's always been My Little Dashie and Past Sins. I have respect for MLD: whatever else it is, it does exactly what it means to and without drawing it out. Can't say the same for 'Sins.
624692 Yeah, that list makes sense, for their impact on the fandom if nothing else.
I'd rank BP down a notch compared to those, there's plenty of stories that approach it's length and have enjoyed similar levels of popularity.
It picks up...
17 chapters in. :/
no present why are you reading that
stop it present there are so many better things you could be doing with your time
like writing a blog that says "I'm not reading fallout equestria"
I'd say it picks up more like... second-third chapter. The first chapter is poor, honestly. By the third chapter, I was stuck. By the fifth or sixth, There was no turning back for me--I had to finish it.
I think you should continue labeling the chapters. I find these quite funny.
I hope you like it!
624806
Or driving nails into your genitals with a toy hammer.
See, I've NEVER liked post-apocalyptic.
There are some things that I just dislike mixed with ponies, but not this.
I have very low tolerance for it outside of ponies, so with ponies it's so far off the chart I can't imagine even reading one ever.
I hope to get over that eventually.
Do you mean "big 3/4" by size or by impact/recognition? And are you only counting EqD fics?
Biggest impact fanfics in the fandom:
Fallout: Equestria (duh)
End of Ponies (duh)
Cupcakes (biggest impact on fandom of all fics)
Past Sins (most loved and hated OC)
Background Pony (the other Lyra, and almost as popular a depiction)
Sunny Skies All Day Long (most beloved depiction of Celestia in the fandom)
My Little Dashie (most popular of all fics)
Rainbow Factory (most popular grimdark)
Romance Reports (most popular clop)
Through the Eyes of Another Pony (most popular HiE)
The Party Hasn't Ended (most popular shipfic)
It's Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door (most popular adventure)
Hahahahaha
good luck
My co-worker is the one who got me to start reading it, and reading FoE is what got me to start writing fanfiction at all, so, take that for what you will. I tanked the first twenty or so chapters in about a week between work and summer classes just to get caught up. I wasn't terribly fond of how it ended, but it's still quite a ride if you let it sink its teeth into you. (also if and when you finish FoE, the other thing I wrote that ISN'T Blood or Affection will probably be a lot more relevant to your interests)
By all means, though, continue with the subtitles.
I also want to take a look at My Little Metro since I just got Metro and CANNOT STOP PLAYING IT.
625019 HA! It might say something about me that I dislike all of that list that I've read (all but EoP, TtEoAP, and TPHE).
I was going to ask whether End of Ponies is any good, then I saw how long it is. I can happily skip the shipping—especially when it's RD—but I might give Eyes a go. How far can you go wrong with comedy? *shudder*
625918
It's BiE self insert but not written like a 12 year old's wish fulfillment.
Also a pretty interesting storyline later on.
624692
Exactly (minus the respect for MLD).
624732
Ew. I think I'm willing to give it about 10, given its length.
624806
Arg what you fail to realize is I am trolling you by reading this story.
624865
The first chapter is poor. Honestly, if I wasn't already biased against this fic coming in, it would have left a sour taste in my mouth by the end of chapter 1. The introduction is hilariously bad. The prologue is dry as shit and hilariously and transparently shoehorns video game mechanics into a story, not to mention is flat-out poor storytelling. Chapter 1, while better, has the odd distinction of being well-paced within scenes, but not around them. So it's "this happens", "this happens", "this happens", "out the door bye!" There's no room for the characters to react or breathe. It's not the opening of an epic tale.
Compare that to the opening of chapter 2 and Little Pip's agoraphobic reaction to being outside for the first time ever. I thought that was very well written; not awe-inspiring, but definitely on the side of 'good'. The narrative seems to have settled down now.
624865
Not yet done with chapter 2, but it's looking like it'll be "Welcome to EquestriSHITSHITFUCKSHITFUCKSHITSHIT".
625019
Something like that. Sunny Skies is a good inclusion since it is, last I checked, the most popular fic on fimfiction if nothing else.
I'm not sure what my criteria are, other than massive popularity. It's always been FoE, PS and MLD, the stories that everyone knows, that had thousands and thousands of votes back when EQD still had them. I never included Cupcakes on the list, though really I should, because if anything it's even more ubiquitous within the fandom. Most of those sound like good suggestions if nothing else. ALSO SPIDERSES SHOULD BE ON THAT LIST but I don't think it quite has the fandom saturation level. :(
625031
Oh yeah, being able to read your thing is a good plan. We'll have to see. And you should definitely check out MLM. It's on the list of "fics Present sent to the blog and then followed and loved forever", along with, among others, Archives of the Friendquisition and... hmm, this one seems to have some typos I hadn't notice before... "Blurd Is Thurker Thurn Frurndshurp?" Never heard of it.
626399
"Blurd Is Thurker Thurn Frurndshurp?"
What a strange name for a story. Is it about vampires or shipping manes with OCs or something cliche like that?
The FoE thing I did it like, half parody and half homage. It's very light hearted by comparison. I'm gonna wait till I beat Metro proper before I tackle MLM, but what are Archives and Frendquisition about? I could probably just look them up but I'm lazy and I value your opinion.
I can't bring myself to read the rest of MLM because literally all of the first chapter was ctrl + f "man" -> "pony".
I do not understand why people say it has "good character building", because it is an unrepentant lift of the actual Metro book from all that I have seen.
Bear in mind as well, Metro 2033 was fanfiction of STALKER, which was author acknowledged fanfiction of A Roadside Picnic in movie format.
Yeah, the beginning sucks. It was the first fic I ever read, and I with that stupid prologue and the way the first chapter begins with all this pretentious talk about "gray", I very nearly didn't. Something kept drawing me back, though -- probably my love of Fallout: New Vegas and post-apocalyptic stuff in general.
Even so, I mentally riffed it for the first bunch of chapters, but then somewhere along the way it hooked me and I plowed through it all the way to 20 (everything written at the time) and was surprised to find myself wanting more. There were always a lot of niggling little details about the fic that irritated me to no end (fandom references, a weak central ship, Calamity's stupid "Ah" accent, etc) but in the end I really, really enjoyed it because it's one of the most complete stories I've ever read, and the massive chapters managed to keep me completely engaged and leave me wanting more.
It's obvious that Kkat learnt a lot while writing FOE.
626448
Archives of the Friendquisition is a Warhammer crossover. I like it, so you know it's not crap. :B
626671
Y'know, I've heard this accusation before, and unfortunately, if you've never played the game (there's a novel wut), you're not gonna know about that.
I still like PH more than FoE proper, but... it's not finished, very cycical, and incredibly depressing.
627722
DAKKA
626399 it isn't possible to torture yourself to 'troll' someone else
that's like, the opposite of what trolling is
631925
NO YOU ARE RUSTLED AND I AM WINNING
627679
I just so happened to come back to this first journal (there was no riffing beyond the chapter titles, my god!) and lo and behold read this:
I mentally riffed it for the first bunch of chapters, but then somewhere along the way it hooked me and I plowed through it all the way to 20 (everything written at the time) and was surprised to find myself wanting more. There were always a lot of niggling little details about the fic that irritated me to no end
I'm just starting chapter 39, I believe, this is exactly how my experience with FoE has gone.