013 Boosterification (August Edition) · 10:36pm Sep 18th, 2013
013 Boosterification (August Edition)
Oh, you have no idea how excited I am to finally publish this blog post! It’s something I’ve been working on throughout the past month and it covers the topic of – surprise, surprise! – reading fanfiction. A very specific type of fanfiction.
Allow me to explain. I have a weird, yet completely harmless hobby: I like reading authors’ first published stories. Why? Because I believe it’s especially important to take a good care of them. Behind every work there are (or should be) countless hours of planning, writing, correcting, rewriting and perfecting. Because of that, those debut stories are really precious to aspiring authors, and thus it’s essential to help them – be that through posting a comment on where he or she can get help of editors and proofreaders, pointing out some plot holes or, au contraire, well-driven parts, or simply by dropping friendly (but honest!) words of encouragement. To build up their confidence. To help them spread their wings. To show them that writing is a great adventure.
To boosterify their work.
That’s TOTALLY the word now!
As you might have already guessed, I am going to present debuts of August 2013 in this post (or at least some of them). Sadly, the current story browsing on FIMFiction does not allow to filter by the author’s total story count, so you can imagine how time-devouring the process of filtering was for me. In order not to freak out, I made certain rules to follow.
Boosterification Rules
- it had to be the author’s only story at the point of me choosing it to be read (there might be some stories listed here from, let’s say, more productive people, but they were their first ones nevertheless).
- no Human, Anthro or Crossover – avoiding these tags allowed me to cull a vast amount of stories. I did that simply because I’m not really into them.
- no Gore or Sex – the Internet is a bad place and I harbor at ponyland to escape from its badness.
- one story per day – that’s the amount I could keep up with and stay sane.
So, basically, is my list a crap filter? Yes and no. Yes, because I usually know when something is really bad, beyond saving and kill it with fire degree of bad. No, because I might have different levels of acceptance when it comes to those, erm, not always shined up stories. Let’s see how it works, shall we?
Below there is a list of 31 stories, one for each day of August with all the important things: date of publishing, title with appropriate link, author’s name, genre and character tags (if I made a mistake regarding any of those, please tell me so I could fix it!), and a mysterious WHY. It’s either answering the question why I liked it, put it on the list or chose to read it in the first place. Please don’t take it too seriously: those are just some random loose thoughts of mine regarding those fics.
2013-08-01
How Queen Chrysalis Got Her Evil Groove Back by PonyTim
[Slice of Life] • Queen Chrysalis | Changelings
WHY: This one is a living example on how somebody can get hooked by reading a description. Author put a warning that the story may contain minor spoilers regarding the plot of MLP comics volume #1-#4. Because I've read them all, I wasn't afraid of spoilers but, in fact, received the whole fic as a series of speech bubbles and boxes with that characteristic drawing style. Go imagination!
2013-08-02
Chrysalis and Kittens by Fillyphil
[Random] • Queen Chrysalis
WHY: Pardon me the following psychological gibberish, but I've probably chose this story because of priming and affect infusion model brought from the day before. Either that, or because it has cats in it. Yeah, probably the latter. Meow! 'Nuff said.
2013-08-03
My Dear Cello by Persnickety Pegasister
[Romance][Sad][Slice of Life] • DJ P0N-3 | Octavia | Thunderlane | OC
WHY: Believe me or not, but I have never read an Octavia story before. Silly me! Thanks to this one, I discovered why the fandom likes her and pairing her with Vinyl Scratch. Also, it has really interesting construction, with letter chunks supplementing the main story.
2013-08-04
The First Out of the Nest by KingPrisman1995
[Slice of Life] • Scootaloo
WHY: It was Sunday. Sundays are good for pondering, reflecting and nice things in our lives. Like hope and the whole never-give-up stuff. I stumbled upon that story and found just that. And I may even have helped a certain bird spread his wings. Sunday magic, I guess!
2013-08-05
The Tutor by SilverInk500
[Random][Slice of Life] • Twilight Sparkle | Silver Spoon | Other
WHY: The concept got me interested. Also, it takes a certain bravery for an author to write about less popular characters, even if the story is the smallest of things in his or her eyes.
2013-08-06
Tomato Soup by 221BBakerStreet
[Tragedy][Sad][Adventure] • Twilight Sparkle | Zecora | Lyra | Bon-Bon
WHY: It originally had sad Lyra as a cover picture, what else could I do? Also, I saw the word "Whovian" in author's short bio just next to the story. And since I was a Doctor Who fan for, like, two or three weeks at that time, I decided to give it a go. Lesson: fill your short bio, folks! I should do this, too, one day. Gosh, I'm such a hypocrite.
2013-08-07
Long was the Shadow She Cast by KeruKeru
[Sad] • Princess Celestia | Princess Luna | Nightmare Moon
WHY: Sometimes you're in a mood for something totally expected. You do not seek adventure, complex plot or surprise in general. You want to hear a story that will simply tell its plot even you've heard it many times before. And just then you discover it does not go with your headcanon, voila! You've just broadened your perspective and thus grown as a writer.
2013-08-08
Blackacre by Princess Woona
[Dark][Alternate Universe] • Princess Celestia
WHY: It was a tough choice, because there were three other stories which got through all my filters that evening. This one, however, seemed to be gaining little attention, probably due to the lack of character tags. I took the risk, read the chapter... and never regretted it.
2013-08-09
Long Lost Pony? by pagangirl86
[Sad][Adventure][Alternate Universe] • Twilight Sparkle | Pinkie Pie | Fluttershy | Spike | OC
WHY: Cutie Mark Crusaders Risk Takers, go! Nope, there are no CMC in this story, that was regarding myself. It had no genre tags the first time I saw it! But I found it to be a good start, with the total number of actual writing mistakes close to none.
2013-08-10
Fireworks in the Night Sky by fragmentedfrost
[Romance][Adventure] • Trixie | Queen Chrysalis
WHY: A Trixie story? And not until the tenth day! Blasphemy! So basically I chose this because of Trixie and because comments were unanimous on whether the story was rushed or not - I simply had to check it out myself.
2013-08-11
The Eternal Day by Spiceywolf15
[Alternate Universe] • Princess Celestia | Princess Luna | OC
WHY: A cognitive dissonance is a state when you see a story title hinting at Celestia, but its description indicating for the main character to be Luna. Also, not really canon, not quite the Lunaverse, but still opposite in a way.
2013-08-12
The Cannon of Rain by CinnamonGrand
[Slice of Life] • Raindrops
WHY: First of all, I wanted to learn how people write [Slice of Life] stories. That's something my writing currently lacks, I tend to think about everything on that epic, adventuresque scale. Secondly, Raindrops - I was curious what's this particular author's take on her.
2013-08-13
Lyre Under The Leaves by Sinister Voice
[Slice of Life] • Lyra | Bon-Bon | Other
WHY: Out of all stories that went past my filtering that day, that one seemed to be the most interesting. Also, I felt I needed a break from multi-chapter premises and read a one-shot for a change. And it contributed towards my [Slice of Life] learning experience!
2013-08-14
Winged by BrighterG
[Tragedy][Adventure] • OC
WHY: It seemed that no one wanted to give a chance to a well-written OCs and an utmost interesting airship setting. Well, their loss! Seriously, perhaps it's just my affinity for [Adventure] stories (and the fact that I was looking for inspiration on the aerial transportation stuff in Equestria at the time), but hardly even 20 views - 24 hours after publishing - for a good fanfic? Was everybody blind back then?
2013-08-15
Tick. Tock. by Pseudo_Nym
[Slice of Life] • Doctor Whooves
WHY: Some real life stuff hit me that day. It was either this story or multi-chapter [Tragedy] fics, so the choice was obvious. This fic reminded me that even if the apocalypse is happening around the corner, there are still heart-warming points in our lives to which we should keep. Thanks, Author.
2013-08-16
Mix Tape hate Mondays by Mix_Tape_2009
[Comedy][Random][Slice of Life] • Pinkie Pie
WHY: It was a very unproductive day in the fandom when it comes to first fics. Or perhaps the mods were leaving a load of them for the day after. Anyway, this story stood out against the others because it was a promise of a good laugh to come.
2013-08-17
A Different Kind of Magic by frylight_sparkle0
[Slice of Life] • Twilight Sparkle | Fluttershy | Spike | Princess Celestia | Zecora
WHY: Someone had a bad day on FiMFiction - dozens of stories were getting downvoted for no apparent reason. As for this one, well, it's about Twilight eating way too much. There are pictures around the Internet of obese ponies which look terrible in my opinion, but this piece of writing actually made the whole concept edible. Pun intended.
2013-08-18
Indigo Glow by Lost Deep
[Comedy][Slice of Life] • Rarity | Main 6 | Twilicorn
WHY: Everybody knows that Rarity is a fashionista (whatever the hay that means!), but a certain part of her is often being neglected: her unicorn magic. And here it is quite major for the story, I suppose.
2013-08-19
Between Heaven and Equestria - Part I by Little Red Wolf
[Comedy][Adventure] • OC
WHY: Yet another story that gets little attention because it has mainly OCs in it. However, as a big fan of the idea of elite commando squads, I gave it shot. EDIT: This story, along with certain lines from the story of 21st inspired me to write something myself. You may find that if you dig up a bit.
2013-08-20
A Pesky Problem for the Premier Pink Party Pony by The Iron Brony Esquire
[Comedy][Adventure] • Pinkie Pie | Princess Luna | DJ-P0N3
WHY: Pinkie Pie at her best. We've got randomness, parties and subtle fourth wall breaks. And given that she is going to organize a party for Princess Luna herself... what could go wrong?
2013-08-21
Eternal Slumber by Sparkling Snowflakes
[Dark][Adventure] • Main 6 | Twilicorn | Princess Celestia | Princess Luna | OC
WHY: It got through the filtering, that's all. Seriously, I have no other justification. Sorry! I'm also exhausted. EDIT: Certain lines from this story, along with the story of 19th inspired me to write something myself. You may find that if you dig up a bit.
2013-08-22
Repeating Repetitions by Uncr3at1ve
[Slice of Life] • Twilicorn
WHY: It has an intresting take on the Elements of Harmony and their role in the history (and future) of Equestria. And immortal Twilight issues, not in the usual 'I miss my friends' way, but a step further, after coming to terms with that.
2013-08-23
Red Skies at Morning by Tenguman Lv X
[Adventure] • OC
WHY: Well, it seems I'm a sucker for stories about adventuring adventurers and airships. I should write something akin to that... one day.
2013-08-24
Equestria: A History Revealed by Hoofry_Poneigher
[Comedy] • OC
WHY: Forget everything you have ever learned on the subject of Equestrian history, because it's a lie! At least according to this story, which uncovers the 'truth' behind historic events as we know it. Written as an essay, but in a slightly casual way.
2013-08-25
Blast from the Past by IrishTrickster
[Adventure] • Rainbow Dash | Applejack | Other
WHY: This story stars Rainbow Dash as a detective and Applejack as some kind of criminal. Nice change after all these stories with RD obsessed with the Wonderbolts.
2013-08-26
A Night in the Life of Princess Luna by MeandSamBFFL
[Comedy][Random][Adventure] • Main 6 | Princess Luna
WHY: Visiting somepony's dreams is a neat skill to have, huh? It sure is, and it's perfect for fighting nightmares, but in this story we'll probably just have Luna (possibly Trolluna) having fun!
2013-08-27
Growing Up Shy by Insanity the Wonderful
[Sad][Slice of Life] • Rainbow Dash | Fluttershy | Other
WHY: There wasn’t enough Fluttershy on this list! I mean, there were some stories here and there, I think, but this is the only one actually built around her - and she's a filly in this one. We're also getting a bonus in the form of her mother's subplot.
2013-08-28
Britannia and the Quest for the Crystal Shard by Big Harry
[Adventure] • Princess Celestia | OC
WHY: So yeah, BUCK and stuff. I'm not really a convention person - I mean I'd love to go on some if they were happening, say, just around the corner... Anyway, reading this piece of epic poetry turned out to be my way of participating in BUCK. It's something.
2013-08-29
Eulight by CompactDisc
[Dark] • Twilicorn
WHY: Author claims to have written it about 3AM. If staying awake at that very hour allows to produce deliric visions of conflict, presented here as a metaphysical ocean, I think I should give it a try one day!
2013-08-30
Pilgrimage by Silarias
[Dark][Adventure] • Twilight Sparkle | Princess Celestia | Princess Luna | Princess Cadence
WHY: Alicorns, alicorns everywhere! Let's learn more about them, shall we?
2013-08-31
Birth of Nightmares by Scribblespony
[Sad][Dark] • Princess Celestia | Princess Luna | Nightmare Moon
WHY: On the very last day of August it seemed only appropriate to go back where it all began. Well, not exactly all, but the whole banishment of Luna. It seems we'll be getting some canon stuff for that during the upcoming Season 4, but, nevertheless, there are people who delivered answers for those unanswered questions long before the show did. Another reason to write and read fanfiction!
Pretty neat, huh? But wait, there’s more!
There were several (several means three now!) stories that I really, really enjoyed! Not saying that they were better in any way from the remaining twenty-eight, but I would like to direct your attention onto them anyway (order does not matter, it's not a podium, more like a distinction zone). See, there’s even a fancy section for that! I call it The Golden Box. Not really a box, and not really golden. Anyway, Authors, you just earned yourself a stalker. *follows*
The Golden Box
My Dear Cello by Persnickety Pegasister
Winged by BrighterG
Tick. Tock. by Pseudo_Nym
So those are my boosterification lists. I am well aware that I have probably covered only a fraction of debuts (I was doing my filtering on various hours, and I did not come back once I’ve already found something), so I could have missed some jewels published out there, but I’ve done all I could. Consider yourself lucky if you managed to land here!
Expanding the project further (also known as why would I be interested in your silly project after you got me some free attention thx bai):
- taking into consideration Human, Anthro and Crossover tags
- taking into consideration gore/sex stories
- expanding “new author” definition from “has one story” to “has n or less stories”
- checking out “updated stories” as well
Now, to anyone reading this: have a nice, warm cup of coffee/tea and read some of those stories! Pick a number at random ranging from 1 to 31. Find your favorite tags. Check The Golden Box. If you’re a veteran writer, go and help newbies with your expertise. If you’re a newbie, check out fellow aspiring authors’ struggling attempts. Learn from each other. Broaden your perspective. Enjoy those first steps in the world of fanfiction.
Where’s the catch? I say no catch. I seek nothing in return. If you’d like to check some of my stories, then be my guest, but the point of this project was to create a hub for you guys, not reaching for glory myself. I just do the cleaning here, nothing more.
There are some things I’m curious about, though, so if you’d honor me with a comment here I would be most grateful: what do you think about it? Was my work for nothing, or was it a good idea? Would you like to see a similar thing next month, or shall I give up? Perhaps I inspired you to do the same thing, on a smaller or larger scale? Is Trixie best pony, or is Trixie the bestest of ponies?
I could really use an opinion or two on the above, so if you have an ounce of good will and some time to spare, well, you know the drill.
Until next time!
~Prane
Wow, thanks for including my story! I appreciate the recognition, I've hit a lot of stumps with many more stories before this one, being either rejected, neglected, or I just feel too disconnected to. It's refreshing to just feel visible after so much work. I'm already refining my next story and it's reinvigorating to see this. Thanks again.
Yay!
My story made the list! I'm even more glad that my story inspired another writer to do something special with their own writing. We are, after all, all writers in this together and our work should always build our community into something even more amazing than it already is! 
1360354 1359470
Thank you both for dropping a comment here, and also big thanks to all the people who messaged me, I guess there was about fifteen of them! It seems the idea itself wasn't bashed, but rather praised, so I'll do - or attempt to do - the same thing next month. Sorry that I didn't reply to all of PMs, though! Kinda busy atm.
Anyway, there was that blog post once which stated: Good Writers Read, Bad Writers Don't. It seemed legit, and now I can confirm it: I learned a lot from reading your stories, guys, and I strongly believe that reading is one of the most important (and easiest!) things for someone who wants to grow as an author.
So... go out there and read! After all, Twilight Sparkle recommends reading!
Now I have many stories to read!
I think blog posts like this are a great idea; it's a good way for writers on here to check out others stories and connect more. They also have a better idea of what stories they can read.