016 Boosterification (October Edition) · 6:22pm Nov 1st, 2013
016 Boosterification (October Edition)
Hello and welcome to the second edition of a very special blog post! It’s about a specific type of fanfiction which I’m really into, namely debut stories. Those first, brave little steps on this site. I believe that those debut stories are especially important to aspiring authors, so 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.
Just who is this guy, is he mad!?, you ask? Well, the answer is no – the idea apparently works, as proven below (the following authors are those featured in the previous edition of this blog post).
Blog posts like this definitely give new authors the drive to keep writing (…)
~Hoofry_Poneigher
It's the little things that count, and as you correctly note, us fledglings can use all the boosterification — a perfectly serviceable word! — we can get.
~Princess Woona
(...) I appreciate you making a blog post about clean stories; we could definitely use that here on FIMfiction and elsewhere on the internet!
~Silarias
Cool stuff below the break!
Also check 013 Boosterification (August Edition)
Before we start, a quick reminder of rules I’m following during my little journey.
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.
Regarding the first rule: while pure debuts (stories from authors with only one published story) had priority, there were few days on which I really couldn’t find anything appealing. Perhaps there were no such stories, perhaps I wasn’t looking thoroughly enough – instead of leaving those days blank, I’m featuring stories from more established authors (from someone who had one other story already published).
Between Captain Teague and Hector Barbossa, I consider "the code" to be more like guidelines than actual rules.
So here we go!
Below there is a list of 30 stories, one for almost every day of October 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.
2013-10-01
All Hail the Wicked Queen by MindEdge
[Slice of Life] • Queen Chrysalis | Changelings
WHY: What better way to kick Boosterification off than reading a story about Chryssi? Well, obviously reading a story about Trixie, but there wasn't one. Instead, I stumbled upon this very nice mixture containing changeling mythology, society and journey of their Queen.
2013-10-02
The Maiden's Madness by SugarSprinkle
[Sad][Slice of Life] • Derpy Hooves | Lyra | Bon-Bon | Octavia | OC
WHY: Simply put, I was curious how the plethora of well-known background characters from the tags was going to be involved in this story. Sadly, at the point of me writing these words, the conundrum rests unresolved.
2013-10-03
Perfect Days by TwilightUCrazy
[Slice of Life] • Rainbow Dash | Applejack
WHY: My quest to learn the secrets of [Slice of Life] genre continues. Seriously, I would never come up with the idea of RD stealing AJ's Stetson just for fun. I would turn it into a global conflict or something. Also, this story has its sequel already published!
2013-10-04
Oscuro Legacy: The Dark Heart by Overwatch
[Adventure] • King Sombra | OC | Other
WHY: Aww, c’mon, author, you got me confused! I bookmarked this story when it was called Secret of the Frost Kingdom or something akin to it, and by the end of the month I see that you’ll be revising your chapters! I feel lost! Actually, I’m not. I’m sure that whatever you’re planning is going to work out just fine.
2013-10-05
Pinkie Promise by Nothing Is Constant
[Sad] • Pinkie Pie | OC
WHY: Creating OCs is never easy. The key to success is to make them unique, deep and allow them to tell their tale. Leaf Green has it all, because (pause for dramatic effect) he is not Pinkie Pie's friend. Or is he?
2013-10-06
Sargasso by Goldymarg
[Tragedy][Dark] • OC
WHY: It was a dreadful day. I went through the New Stories section and didn't found a single debut that would be somehow appealing. I could've leave this day as blank, but I decided to include a story from a more established writer with one other piece of fiction already published.
2013-10-07
Learning To Fly (told by Rainbow Dash) by gokenshadow
[Comedy][Slice of Life] • Rainbow Dash
WHY: I think we can all agree that there are many stories where Rainbow Dash is depicted as a great flyer. And from the show we learned that she was one even in her foalhood. This story takes us few more steps into her past - she had to learn to fly someday, right?
2013-10-08
Lunar Pirate by Starlit Skies
[Comedy][Adventure] • Princess Luna | OC
WHY: Once again finding a decent debut was a real pain, so I chose this from a more established writer. It has Princess Luna as a pirate! Nuff said.
2013-10-09
Peace for Pinkie Pie by Jeevesie
[Comedy][Random][Slice of Life] • Pinkie Pie | Main 6
WHY: Sometimes I don't have time to read stories at home (because I'm spending my days writing them, or at least trying to). However, I came up with a solution: upload their .txt version to mobile (ingenious, right!? - nope). With proper preparation this story saved me from boredom at the university.
2013-10-10
Advanced Lessons by dungeonguy88
[Romance][Comedy][Slice of Life] • Twilicorn | Princess Celestia | Prince Blueblood | Queen Chrysalis | OC
WHY: Gah, I feel redundant in situations like this. Here I am, on an ongoing mission to discover new authors and bring their stories to new civilizations, then by the end of the month I see that they’ve become really popular by themselves. Still, it is the author’s first story, so technically it would qualify for this list anyway.
2013-10-11
Allegiance by Just a tree
[Romance][Adventure] • Twilight Sparkle | Princess Celestia | Princess Luna | Princess Cadence | Shining Armor
WHY: Have you ever wondered what was happening with Cadence and Shining Armor around S1 opening? No? Well, this story gives an interesting, vivid and believable perspective. Bonus points for Celestia being a truly imperious alicorn, not weirdly fetished on something like cakes or foals.
2013-10-12
Full of Holes by DesertfoxShyER
[Slice of Life] • Applejack | Rarity | Queen Chrysalis | Changelings
WHY: Simply put, it was a bad day for new fanfics. It was extremely difficult for me to find something I liked, but eventually I put my money on this Chryssi's undercover learning what friendship is story.
2013-10-13
A Friends Final Letter by Rainbowshy32
[Sad] • Spike | Main 6
WHY: This one’s interesting, in a quite unoriginal – but good nevertheless - way. If you will ever need a summary on what is great about Friendship is Magic, this fic will provide you with such, and remind you why you love it.
2013-10-14
Shunned by BothMyHearts
[Sad][Slice of Life] • Princess Celestia | Princess Luna | Nightmare Moon
WHY: I wonder why authors, especially new ones, are choosing Luna’s downfall for their debut story. Really, this must be the most common choice (this and OC comes to Ponyville to do stuff, of course). Out of these two, I never get bored of the first one.
2013-10-15
How does it move? by PoniNinja
[Comedy] • Twilight Sparkle | Princess Celestia | Discord
WHY: You can't be all serious while reading fanfics. Sure, you can overanalyze, debate over legitimacy of presented issues, wondering if there is a hidden message somewhere... or you can just read for fun. Just because.
2013-10-16
One Thousand Years by Afterwards
[Dark][Adventure] • Twilight Sparkle | Spike | Princess Celestia | Princess Luna | Nightmare Moon
WHY: I am writing these words few days after my thoughts on the fic below, so it’ll sound weird and out of place, but it seems I’ll be getting another chance to visit the moon, courtesy of Twilight Sparkle who just can’t leave Luna’s past!
2013-10-17
A Night on the Moon by NightOnTheMoon
[Random] • Princess Luna | OC
WHY: One of my greatest dreams is to fly into space. You know, starships, other planets, possibly new civilization to discover... probably not going to happen anytime soon. Anyway, if I had a chance to spend some time on the Moon like this story's OC did, I'd be one step closer to true happiness.
2013-10-18
To Trust Somepony by (author unknown)
[Unknown] • Unknown
WHY: Now this is really interesting. There was a story that day, To Trust Somepony. It was neatly written, had a cover, tags, was from a writer with elegant profile page, everything. But on the next day when I actually wanted to read it, Twilight Sparkle told me that this story does not exist. Where did it go? Why did it go? I guess we'll never find out...
2013-10-19
A Long Night Out. by ManeShadow
[Comedy][Adventure] • Main 6 | Twilicorn | Princess Celestia | Princess Luna
WHY: Moral of this story: never drink with Rainbow Dash. Or Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie or Princess Twilight Sparkle herself. You can drink with Fluttershy, she’s the responsible one.
2013-10-20
The Abandoned One by AbbaieTwinkle
[Sad][Slice of Life] • Fluttershy | Main 6
WHY: I sometimes wonder… is there a single cosmic force that binds all pieces of fiction together? For example, I stated earlier that Fluttershy is the responsible one, and with this story we learn about her darker past that molded her that way. And it has one of the most interesting twists – one that makes you say “whoa”.
2013-10-21
A Dark Night by GCMX
[Sad] • Scootaloo | Big Macintosh
WHY: There are many stories about sad Scootaloo, and even more about Rainbow Dash comforting this pegasus Crusader. However, are there any with Big Mac instead of Rainbow Dash? This one seems like it.
2013-10-22
Another Butterfly Migration by stoopidity
[Romance][Comedy][Slice of Life] • Rainbow Dash | Fluttershy | Angel
WHY: Butterflies are the key to everything! Well, not everything, but I think I have never connected the following facts: Fluttershy’s cutie mark, her very saviors when she fell from the sky and this annual event called the Great Butterfly Migration. This story helped me out, and now those flying ants make so much sense. Especially in a light-hearted romantic atmosphere.
2013-10-23
Prize Inside by Ruble Rouser
[Comedy][Slice of Life] • Twilight Sparkle | Rainbow Dash | Pinkie Pie
WHY: Fun (but utterly useless) fact about me: I love cereal. Seriously, it’s by far the most efficient way to have a breakfast in the morning. It’s easy to prepare, fast to eat, nutritious enough. Why am I talking about cereal, all of the sudden? This story will help you answer that.
2013-10-24
The Forgotten Melody by MusicMagic131
[Romance][Tragedy][Adventure] • Twilicorn | Princess Celestia | Princess Luna | OC
WHY: So there was that discussion once on forums: are you for, or against putting pictures in stories. I honestly couldn’t answer back then, because I never seen one. However, this story turned out to be a good opportunity to face this question once more. Do I like the idea? They way it’s executed here… yes I do.
2013-10-25
Moonlight by Unimpressive Vagaries
[Romance][Slice of Life] • Princess Luna | OC
WHY: I chose this story for today because I had a pleasure of reading it even before it got published. I guess that sort of emotional bond wouldn’t allow me to leave it out. Gosh, am I getting sentimental?
2013-10-26
NanoCrystal by Battlecrank
[Comedy] • OC
WHY: I was intrigued by the concept itself, and execution was also neat, so why not? Also, I feel I should write more words here. Most stories featured here have lots of them. Words. Gosh, I’m tired. Don’t take me too seriously for the rest of today.
2013-10-27
A Night to Remember by DeepShift
[Comedy][Slice of Life][Alternate Universe] • Twilight Sparkle | Cloudkicker | Other
WHY: Oh look, a Lunaverse story. I really should read more of that. I mean, I don’t usually read them in particular, but when I do, they all turn out to be very good. Just like this one.
2013-10-28
The Night Shall Last Forever by WritersBlock
[Alternate Universe] • Twilight Sparkle | Princess Luna | Nightmare Moon | Shining Armor | OC
WHY: Apparently I’m not the only one writing something in the setting of everlasting night. I was curious to see this one’s take on it.
2013-10-29
Caelum Per Infernum by Mary Sue
[Dark][Adventure] • Princess Celestia
WHY: Oh, oh, it’s Latin! I know some Latin. Caelum means ‘sky’… no, more like ‘heaven’, especially since we have infernum later on, meaning ‘hell’ (thanks Heroes III!). Per? There was that one saying, per aspera ad astra. So the title of this story about young Celestia actually translates as Heaven through Hell. Yay, I’m so smart!
2013-10-30
Dawn's First Light by thresha8
[Sad][Slice of Life] • Princess Celestia | Philomena
WHY: I’m a dumb person, like, literally. I am writing these words on Halloween, thirty minutes to midnight, and I have no idea how this story landed on the list. I mean, I bookmarked it in Firefox, so obviously it had to be better than pure debuts. Only that I can’t recall the moment I bookmarked it! ALIENS STOLE MY MEMORIES Well, I guess I just forgot.
2013-10-31
The Great and Powerful Trixie's Dojo by spigo
[Comedy] • Princess Luna | Trixie
WHY: This is the end. Hold your breath and count to ten… Or better yet, read this short comedy featuring Trixie, because Trixie demands it. I was also intrigued by the author’s strategy. He (or she) published many, many one-shots that day (technically this was the second story, but they all started equally), dominating the New Stories section almost undisputedly.
So this is it. Now you have many stories to read, folks! Also, consider yourself lucky if you happened to land in this blog post, because I really wasn’t able to check them all - I'm just one man!
Like in August, there were three stories that I really, really liked. I placed them below, in The Golden Box (not really a box, not really golden). Don’t think of it as a podium, because order does not matter, but rather a distinction zone for those debuts. Authors of these have just earned a new stalker – me! Sorry I can’t give you anything more for a prize! *follows*
The Golden Box
Allegiance by Just a tree
Moonlight by Unimpressive Vagaries
Cealum Per Infernum by Mary Sue
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. CTRL+F your favorite genre/character 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 in the future, or shall I give up? Perhaps I inspired you to do the same thing, on a smaller or larger scale?
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. But please, for the love of Celestia, do it in comments section below! I received many kind replies via PM from authors featured in the August Edition, and I honestly couldn’t respond to them all even though I wanted. Comments are much, much more manageable.
Until next time!
~Prane
Thanks for featuring my story here! It means a lot
Whoop! Golden Box on my first story, yay! Thanks for the feature, watch, favorite, and all that jazz.
Thanks a for the mention, it means a lot.
Thank you so much. I do appreciate it. There are some errors but it adds the story that Twilight didn't finish the letter, so her grammar and everything might be wrong. But it suits. I honestly didn't mean for it to happen, it just happened. Thanks for the mention anyways.
Glad you enjoyed my story. Thanks for the feature.
Oh wow, thanks so much for featuring my story. It really means a lot to me.
Oh look. A mention. Cool!
Thanks for the boost.
Mental note: Story needs more words.
Thanks Prane, I really appreciate the mention!
Hey! Thanks for the feature! I really appreciate it!
-Maneshadow
Weee!
I've been featured! How awesome is that?!
Thank for featuring my story in your blog
It really means a lot to me 
What an interesting idea, I'll definitely keep an eye on this.
Thank you for not only reading my story, but also posting it on this list. This has given me the drive to finally go back and refine the story and to make a cover picture for it.
Your consideration is most appreciated
Though I have to say, I kinda banged up that story in just two weeks. Looking back, there are certain parts I could have handled better. I hope you can keep paying attention to me, I'm wanting to start another large epic on top of the one I already got started. An AU story involving political intrigue and giant mecha ~
Not sure if that's the best plan, but I need this idea off the ground.
1471985
Don't worry about the grammar! I mean, worry about it, but as a non English native myself I always tend to pay more attention to the actual content of the story. Besides, there is an army of proofreaders and editors on this site should you need one.
1472371
I'd say as awesome as you make it, probably as awesome as your (and their 1472084, 1472198, 1475491) Fluttershy avatars! I don't know, I don't even like Fluttershy that much, but she's so cute on every one of those tiny pictures.
1475980
You're very welcome! Staring off with All Hail the Wicked Queen was really enjoyable and I still remember that scene when changelings are sharing their love supplies (that moment when Tek-Tal sat at the table)!
1472158
No, no, the word count in NanoCrystal is just fine! I was just exhausted when I wrote the WHY section for your story, and actually felt bad for not filling it with some more appropriate encouragement.
So your word count is fine but mine was flawed that day!
1479294
Ah, I remember, Sargasso was for EQD's write-off, wasn't it? Too bad they didn't list all entries in a site post like last year - I find that list in gdocs a real pain to read (it is, however, more informative).
Anyway, I'm curious about your AU story, mainly about the theme for it? Could you shed some light on how would it be different from the canon?
1471869 1471882 1471902 1472147 1472408
along with hugs and stuff!
You're all very welcome! I was trying to find a witty response for each of you guys (cause, you know, I didn't want to left anything unanswered), but I got nothing. So here comes a big
The premise is simple, yet changes so many factors for world-building. Imagine this - what if King Sombra wasn't an oppressive slave driver, but a charismatic and cunning dictator? Also, what if he and his empire were the only military power in Equestria that had access to giant robots? I still haven't come up with a cool and meaningful name for the machines though...
If you haven't already guessed, I'm drawing inspiration from Mobile Suit Gundam, but doing what I can to not make it a crossover or a rehash. I've got the beginning of the story all planned out, but I've yet to get any further than that. Also, the central characters I've chosen for the story include Shining Armor, Cadance, and of course Sombra.
1480690
1480690
*Braces for the
*
Had a derp moment and missed the bolded bit at the end the first time. Ah, well. Thanks for the feature. I'll have to check out some more of the fics on this list later.
1480846
Dictator Sombra with an army of giant robots? I like the sound of that.
I feel a little bad for not saying this earlier, but I really like the concept of this, considering how many new writers there are out in the world that can't seem to get noticed. This really is an amazing idea in my opinion.
1480846
Well, to be honest anything building up the image of Sombra would be good, given that he is a rather unpopular choice in the stories. But giant robots... well, I'm not so sure if I'd read that. Unless, however, there is a fantasy twist in it, and robots are powered not by plain old electricity, but by crystal cores filled with liquid magic or something. Because, you know, if Crystal Empire has crystal sheep, why not something like that?
(EDIT: I'm so digging this liquid magic concept. It should also be deadly toxic, or something)
1483083
Any chances that Trixie will return to teach more ponies in her dojo? Scam or no scam, I'd pay
You're very welcome!
moneycookies to see Celestia smashing planks with her royal face.(Captain's Log: make important parts bolded and red next time)
1483913
Well put, kind sir! I'll make sure to use that exact quote to promote December's edition, cause I currently can do it only every other month... although I had to admit, I feel a certain emptiness now that I don't obsessively check new stories each day. Huh. Go figure.
1484506
The initial idea I have is that only unicorns can pilot the mechs, being magic users and all. They're constructed primarily from crystal and are reverse engineered from an 'as of yet' plot device that I haven't completely refined yet. Though mostly, I plan on this element simply serving as a backdrop for the plot.
It's still a work in progress after all
1484506
Odds are good that she'll return, though I can't say how soon. Probably after my next fic, I think, if I don't fall down the black hole that is Terraria again. As for Celestia getting involved, I can definitely imagine Luna wanting to share the experience. After all, nothing says sisterly bonding like leveling buildings with your bare hooves.