Would you look at that? · 1:03am Aug 20th, 2023
Hey there, hello. Hope this finds you well.
I was looking at my profile a few days ago when I noticed something pretty striking. August 19, 2013, the day I first created this account, was almost ten years ago. Today, it is ten years ago, exactly. A whole decade. For whatever reason that felt a bit like like getting full-on slapped across the face out of nowhere.
This ain't the oldest account on this site, far from it, but I feel like it's up there. I'd lurked before, though. Funnily enough, my first real interaction with the fandom was by accident. While looking for fanfiction for my favorite franchise, I stumbled across a fun little story called Fallout Equestria: Heroes by the stupendously talented No One.
I was pretty lost reading it. I didn't know words like 'filly', and didn't understand a lot of the references the story made, (in hindsight, both to the show and to Kkat's work) but I recognized Fallout, so I read the whole thing in a matter of one or two nights before reaching its end and realizing that it was heartbreakingly unfinished. So, like the reasonable, thoughtful reader I was, I promptly closed the tab and completely forgot about it. Went about doing whatever the hell I was doing ten or eleven or however many years ago. No searching for more, or making any effort to find anything like it. I wish I could explain, but I have actually zero memory of why I did that. Go figure.
Sometime later, I remembered a weirdo fallout fanfic unlike any I'd read before and found it again for a re-read. I realized that more chapters had been uploaded and read those too, and then finally went looking for more. By that time, I'd had exposure to the show via internet cultural osmosis and realized what was going on, and after that, well, you know how it goes.
I've read more fics than I can remember here, but Heroes sticks in my head mostly for that reason, and also because it's great. (Love you, Hired.) I remember when it finally was finished. It felt incredibly strange, like something had been lost - not that I would have preferred it to stay incomplete. I still definitely still mourn my unfinished favorites, like Asylum and Her Knight in Faded Armor. And Onto the Pony Planet. And Chrysalis Visits the Hague. And Article 2. And The Substitute Demon. And more that I won't list here because I've already put too many.
Maybe I'm being too hasty. It's possible for those stories to be finished after so many years. It happened with Heroes, after all, and with another dear favorite of mine, Redemption. But I digress.
It feels special to be part of this fandom for so long. It may not be as active as it once was, but I still love seeing new fics on the featured board, and I still try to read and comment on those that catch my eye. (Or at the very least, add them to my to-be-read shelves, which at this point hold hundreds of fics. Yeesh.) I also still believe there are some great pony fics yet to be written, and I still hold out hope for my old incomplete favorites to finally get their closing words. With any luck, I can write something good enough to be accidentally swept in with them and enjoyed.
Anyway, that's all. Just wanted to share my nostalgia a little. Um, I don't make many of these. How do I end them? Do I ask how your day has been? How's the weather there? How do you feel about reading and writing fics as part of such a well-aged fandom? Do you feel the same way, or am I some kind of weird outlier? What the hell is even going on with the new show? Like, I haven't watched it at all. Is it good?
Oh, uh, still working on that sequel. Finished rough drafting a chapter yesterday, so it is still being written. It can be hard to keep motivation up sometimes, but going back and reading all the heartfelt comments on the original always gives me a boost. Thanks for your patience.
Always wishing you the best.
Until next time,
Lyn
Glad to see you are still alive and kicking.
Oh, man! A Knight in Faded Armor. There’s a name that brings back memories.
It really is strange. I think I may be nearing a decade on the site myself- I have my own personal trove of favorites that either are dead or I merely thought to be. A great example was the recent resurrection and subsequent finishing of The Worst Equestrian Necromancer. In the significantly less alive category, I’m still fascinated by the direction Sweetie Belle and the Tablet of Knowledge was going. Anything by Harmony Charmer remains near and dear to me due to them being one of the few authors I’ve been fortunate enough to have genuine interactions with.
You’ve done a good job with your work, and I know I’m really looking forward to reading more. Here’s to the ones who have passed us by, and here’s to the many more to come.
Is the new season any good? Couldn't tell you, I've been scared away by the art style.
The setting seems fine, though a bit melancholy if you think about it too hard. People have been writing decent fanfiction of g5 around here and that's good.
Looking forward to your sequel, whenever it comes. I assume you refer to "What a strange little colt" of which I enjoyed greatly.
Amen to the nostalgia, I definitely share a bittersweet love for several of the titles you mentioned. Hell, HKiFA was what got me to sign up for a Discord account, which inadvertently led me to some of my best friends, period. Being here for so long definitely rings up a cauldron of emotions all over the spectrum, and I can definitely relate.
For fun, to answer some rhetorical questions: Up to you, decent enough, incredibly and unforgivable scorchingly too hot, reading so many excellent works of fiction over the years isn't something I'd trade for the world (even as someone who's yet to put pen to parchment, I still adore what I've come across... maybe someday I'll pen something of my own. Till then, I'll continue to read and chime in when I can overcome my chronic introversion), you *definitely* aren't an outlier at least to me!, dunno, from what I've seen not particularly (although, as always, a lot of the fanfic has shown people can make so much out of so little that it's crazy).
As for that sequel, I'll still be excited, and hopefully some silly engagement on this will also contribute to a little boost, even if it's to morale for the day alone or otherwise.
You definitely still have some kindred souls out there! We gotta keep the outreach extended for each other when we see those who feel similar, heh. Either way, best regards!
5742959
Thanks! Sometimes it can feel like the worlds kicking back. We just gotta kick harder though, eh?
5742960
It's a good one, yeah. One of my favorite Luna-focused ones, for sure. I'll have to check out that Necromancer one. Hear, hear!
5742961
I keep seeing fics set in the new gen, so I'm cautiously optimistic. I'll get around to it eventually, I think, good or not. And yes, I did mean WaSLC. Glad to see you enjoyed it.
5742962
Thanks for answering my questions, hah! It's been roasty toasty here, too. I don't have AC, so working from home in a 100+ degree house (Fahrenheit, I am still alive tyvm) was a question of hiding in the basement with fans pointed directly at me all day. If you've got an idea you like, I say write it! Just to bring it out of your head and into the world. You don't have to decide to post it right away, but I hope you would. I deal with the same feelings too. If you'd like a confidence boost, just take a (brief!) look at my old work. It's pretty awful. If I can improve, I think you can too. Shoot me a message if you do and I'll give it a read.
And, definitely a boost! Thank you, I appreciate it lots.
Seems as though you’ve been in the fandom as long as I have. Though for me I can’t even remember how I got in. My interest towards mlp content progressed gradually until one day I realized I was enamored by it. however for most of my time spent within the fandom I never read fanfiction much, simply out of a lack of interest and curiosity. The first one I really remember getting into was “your human and you” in 2016. Blew through 600k+ words in maybe two weeks. I hadn’t read much after that until recently, and I still have a laundry list of fics I want to read eventually. I guess that’s a perk of coming into the fanfiction game late, you got tons of finished stories to choose from. Yet somehow a lot of my most favorites are incomplete regardless. The tragedy of the fanfic reader…
Oh and to answer your questions;
fine.
also fine but it’s about to get real hot soon.
It strange. It has its positives as was previously stated, but you also feel alone while reading. The fandom is smaller now, and reading fics long after they were finished means no participating in active discussion. Kinda disheartens one from reading in the first place. but I’ll still be here in spite of that. As they say, The ride never ends, and you can log off at any time you like, but you can never leave. I’ll still be reading horse words even after hasbro shits the bed, goes bankrupt, and ends up six feet under.
No I share the same sentiment as you, you’re not alone.
The show ain’t doing well. The 3d wing didn't get renewed for another season, and hasbro is now focusing on the shot-form-2d-attention-grabbing-sugar-rush-for-5-year-olds-with-low-attention-spans part. G4 is still preforming better than G5 in nearly every metric by a large margin. And no, do not bother watching any of it, it’s painfully subpar and mediocre. Except for maybe the movie, that was passable. Also, do NOT bother to talk to g5 fans about the show. Unless you like to watch people cope and seethe behind a smug ironic veneer, It is not worth your time.
And it’s nice to here you still want to write. Keep up the great work.
Lastly, out of a sense of obligation to inform you, I should tell you that the cabal of fans in the fimfiction general of a certain mlp image board have been reading “what a strange little colt” for their book club and have all enjoyed what they’ve read so far.
And I can definitely agree with them on at least that. See you around Lynwood.
I await with the patience of the mountains for article 2 to be updated, if i survived 13 years waiting for another half life game then i can wait for updates
Happy to hear you stil going at it looking forward to it
Good to see you doing well.
Going back to old stories sure is nostalgic.
Hello Lynwood,
I still remember reading 'What a Strange Little Colt' back when I wasn't doing much as a brony. I had a lot of catching up to do, having started watching the show one year after it ended; but here on fimfic, I found you and read through your story twice.
As of now, I finished all of FIM in 27 months and create compilation and meme videos for FIM and an earlier generation of the franchise. I still find fimfiction to read and am making sure it's both good and long.
P.S., I don't remember if you read 'Trust Once Lost' yet, but it covers several of the same concepts as your story, so that could be a place to brainstorm for your sequel. I also recommend staying away from 'Beyond Me', because that was not as good.
Thanks for sharing, it's crazy how a bit of reflection can put your life into perspective. Glad you're still kicking
I really like 'What a Strange Little Colt'. Silver Storm was in the Big Five even before it was finished.
5742975
I never got into the 'your human and you' stuff very much. The only one I ended up getting any sort of invested in was The Ballad of Nasty Jack and I lost interest on that one somewhere along the way. Didn't strike the same chords as a reread, but maybe I'll give the original YHaY a shot.
Drink lots of water!
This is why I try to jump at the chance to leave comments on live or recently finished fics whenever I can. My habit of bookmarking fics then coming back months later to actually read them does not help here.
I'm sad to hear you don't think the show is doing well. Like many people, I wasn't sure about the new art direction and setting and all that, but on the other hand, I'm glad they tried something new and different, at least in some respects. And, even if the show ends up with a slow, decaying death, I'm sure people will write plenty of fix-it fics.
I don't really hang around the image boards so I can't say I know exactly what you're talking about, but I'm glad they like it.
And thanks! See you.
5742980
Agreed. The post-credits scene on Alyx killed me though.
5743009
Of course! I have zero intention of abandoning the fic.
5743020
Thanks, Darklight! You too.
5743275
Good imma wait patienty for dat good story ;)
5743073
Hello Finn! Glad to hear you're enjoying mlp. I have read and very much enjoy Trust Once Lost - though I'm like a dozen chapters behind at this point. I really need to re-read and catch up. Fun fact, the fact that our stories share so many concepts is because both Greenhorne and I were inspired by the same fic: Oh to be Old Again, by Minalkra, another one of my unfinished favorites.
5743115
Yes, it certainly boggles. Thank you!
5743241
I'm glad to hear it. It doesn't surprise me, Heroes absolutely belongs there. I really need to read Murky Number Seven, I keep putting it off because of its length.
5743290
Length of MN7 putting you off? I am reading Project Horizons for the third time. Now on ch34 where we have just met Spike. Well over 20 million pony words read.
5743290
MN7 is brutal but a joy the second read. You need to know the spoiler that Murky survives and meets his friends in the end. to read it without all the angst it can cause as it is an emotional roller coaster and can be very dark at many points.
Super nice blog.
5743288
Hello again,
Now I remember seeing a comment from there at least once.
I really hope Greenhorne continues the story soon. After everything I have read past you, I'm not sure how long the story should continue and when it will be time for a sequel. It's why I read fan fiction that is either receiving updates in the present or is already complete.
Very much enjoyed reading your Strange Little Colt fic, glad to see things are still kicking here and a sequel is still something you're interested in working on. HiE where they are a kid again make up quite a few of my favorite fics, and you definity have an interesting take on that kind of story. Hope things are treating you well, and appreciate the works you've published. Best wishes.
Yeah Article 2 was one of my old favorites, one the first I ever read actually. I don’t know if anyone remembers the fic Jericho, but I think about that one a lot too, especially since it was never finished. Even though it’s not as active here as it used to be though, there are still a ton of great works being written (yours, empty horizons, Austraeoh (if that’s ever finished), etc). Maybe I’ll even post some of my own stuff, that’s a long shot though hahahah.