A Few Fanfic Observations · 12:14pm Jun 16th, 2013
I've been spending more time going around the site and reading fanfics. Despite writing fanfiction for quite a while now, I usually don't spend a lot of time reading it. I try maybe once a month. So, for a change of pace, I've gone on a random reading spree on this site. Reading several in succession, I've begun to notice some things about ponyfics and me.
1. I really don't like the phrase "Celestia's Sun". I don't know why. It seems a harmless enough phrase. It just reads...unnecessary. It also reads like a euphemism for princess ass.
2. I find that pony sex jokes are only funny in very very small amounts. A chapter on them is too much. And an entire fic? Exhausting. This is actually quite surprising as I only noticed it in reading other fics. It's making me reevaluate current and future Nightcanter scenes.
3. I actually prefer stories with OCs in them over stories that stick to canon characters, but I tend not to like stories that only have OCs. I've also realized that I pretty much consider background ponies as OCs and it's rather disappointing if a fic just relies on fandom general intepretations of them.
4. Although it's most likely canon, it irks me to read Cadence actually being called "Princess of Love" in a story.
5. I tried reading a Second Person POV fic and just had to stop. I know it's supposed to be about living out a story or putting myself into the character, but there's just something so pushy about a fic that constantly tells me that I did this and that.
6. It's ridiculous that I can solo champions with my mesmer that I can barely even dent with my guardian.
it irks me to read Cadence
I do not like her
I actually liked Nightcanter and never had any issues with any scenes with her. I actually enjoyed the moments she shared with Vanguard and trying to bed him since it wasn't over the top. Usually just a simple request on her part with him turning her down. Granted the main scene I'm thinking of is from the first book after she and Vanguard finish that interrogation but still I don't remember any moments between them being something that I thought was going too far or over the top. Also loved it when Tailwind told Vanguard that she would be happy with whoever he married so long as it wasn't Nightcanter. Ultimately what you do with her and any scenes she has is up to you but I just wanted to throw my 2 bits out there.
Second person is not a legitimate way to write a story. Ever.
I've never been able to actually been able to get into "2nd" person for a story. I can never believe that the character is actually "me" and I end up mentally changing the "you" to "I" and I often wonder just what the story gains by having it in 2nd person.
1147734
Not even "Choose Your Own Adventure?"
1148097
I will admit to never having read those...
Still, as a good rule of thumb I would say to just never write in second person.
Nightcanter never really seemed over the top to me, though I always liked those little sexual gags. I can live with stories like that since I for some reason like Bronystories, despite how vulgar her is (I try and not read the terribly fucked up stories).
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I second this.
Seriously, Readers will actively self insert with no effort from the author. Opening acknowledging this is like putting a giant mirror in the scene that says "Look at this beautiful forth wall we have here" and completely shatters all immersion.
So in other words, 2nd person actively sabotages that which it seeks to create.
As for choose your own adventures...
In my experience, they're are always silly, and I actively seek fun and completely idiotic ends (its sad when you don't choose and action when you recognize the page number as a death you already got). So choose your own adventures are even less about immersion for me, as it is about playing a sadistic god narrating the main characters life to see what interesting things happen (aka, the sims)
I have to say I was intrigued by point 6 until I realized it was about GW2. Then I was like meh. All other points I agree with to a point, with the exclusion of anything regarding Cloud Kicker. Eros humor from that pony will almost always make me crack a smile, mostly because under the smut lies a strong moral code as to her situational sluttyness. Wait, was I trying to make a point?
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Well, since you mentioned that, I had to do a quick search on the site for "Cloud Kicker". I ended up browsing through stories connected to the Winningverse so I gave one a go: "The Life and Times of a Winning Pony".
...
And I made it up to Chapter 4 before the POV character's constant fixation on fu-sorry, banging just left me exhausted. Sorry, the prose is good and easy to read, and there's a lot of interesting histories and relationships hinted at, but no. I had hoped it would provide the exemption to my opinion, but it has more likely reinforced it.
This can never be emphasized enough.
Reading a fic that consists of fandom interpretations of characters, fandom references, fandom jokes and breaking the 4th wall always makes me want to kill myself, the author and everyone they ever loved.
1149749 sorry to hear that. I can understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea. I will say that as that particular story progresses it becomes less plot jokes and more an introspective into Cloud Kickers life, her reasons for what she does and the moral questions brought up by it. It doesn't stop being an exhausting read, but I at least found it stimulating pondering the moral dilemmas brought up in the story, and her general psychology. I don't want to ruin the story if you ever feel the desire to pick it back up, so don't read this next bit if you're thinking about it, but from what I've drawn from the story, her promiscuity is in essence actually a coping mechanism to protect her from the heartbreak of her first relationship. It's become extremely important in her mind to see sex as fun, and distance the action from the concept of love.
Eh, I've driveled on long enough. Happy future reading, and I always look forward to your updates.
But... I really like Nightcanter the way she is. I agree that pushing for sexy times with ponies can and in most cases is annoying, But as with pretty much anything, if it's done right and motivated by the story, it's worse not to include it.
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I'm not considering just cutting her out completely. What I want to make sure is that she doesn't become "the sex joke character". So I feel the need to keep a particular eye out for her scenes.
1151320
well, she is a special operations captain and you made it clear that she deservs this title and didn't get there through other officer's beds. to be honest, I mean, she wasn't hitting on anyone for a while now and in the mean time she discovered and secured an ancient artifact in cursed ruins, had a close encounter with a certain poisonus pony and stood against hordes of I-have-no-idea-what-they-were in canterlot. or at least I dn't remember any scenes where she did...
so yeah, you did a pretty good job making her more than "the sex joke pony"