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Apr
3rd
2014
Edits/Revisions Progress · 10:15am Apr 3rd, 2014
So I'm getting into the editing and revisions again. The Gdocs versions of the fic are where the changes happen first. I'll be updating the FiMFic versions soon hopefully. Currently me and my editor are happy with the revisions we've made on the Prologue, Chapter 1, 7 and 8. We're working on Chapter 2 today and are halfway finished, we'll get the updated chapters to you guys this month and then I'll go full throttle and work on chapter 9.
On an unrelated note, check out this awesome art by MyLittleSheepy
Featuring Inkwell, Mach, Frost Windchill, Frosty Winds and Riptide. Check out all these fics, they're really good.
Just my opinion, but I think the arts a little too red-tinted. The little fire w/sticks feels clip-arty and isn't properly situated in the fireplace, it looks like it's to the front and left of the fireplace. The general fire-like glow in the fireplace is probably adequate for feel.
Nice arts. My only complaint is: there's five protagonists here, but only one mare and zero earth ponies. Then again, that's not really a complaint against the picture itself, which is good.
1979054 Well I didn't have any input on the image made, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. I understand where you're coming from, in regards to the red-tint.
1980264 Well I did specifically choose to make Inkwell, my protagonist a unicorn for a reason. Plus there's still diversity, we got Pegasi, Unicorns and a seapony ^^. The only two notable Earth pony protagonists I can think of, off the top of my head, would be Hired Gun, Dead-Shot/Cherry Pie & Puppy Smiles. Though Puppy is technically an abomination. I recommend you read New Pegas, the fic Dead-Shot is from too.
1980264
Well to be fair unicorns have an edge over other ponies in the use of weaponry and so seeing them commonly as protagonists makes a kind of sense. After all, you can hardly attempt attempt to fix the wasteland by protecting others and writing wrongs if you can't protect them. Most earth ponies don't have steel ranger armor to assist them in such noble goals. I mean I think that's why they made that armor in the first place.
1980301 Not saying there aren't reasons for these protagonists to not be earth ponies. My observation actually was more a general one that doesn't really apply to one particular fic. In fact, you observation that there's only two "real" EP protagonists was kinda what I was talking about.
As far as unicorns go, though, Inkwell is actually one of the more preferable ones I've seen. His magic is kept tame enough it doesn't threaten to make him seem patronizing or uninteresting.
1980539 I'm gonna have to disagree. In FOE mouth-held and battle-saddle mounted weapons are a thing, so EPs and pegasi can handle weapons just fine. TK lets unicorns blind-fire and dual-wield, true, but those are both actually pretty useless tactics. Also, if memory serves power armor was first conceived after Big Mac's death in the FOE-verse. It was an attempt by Applejack to retroactively combat her brother's death, not to help earth ponies "make up" for being inferior. Plus, if earth ponies are impotent then how does one explain Red Eye?
1982068
Battle saddles aren't exactly common and don't help you with pistols and guns not designed for earth ponies appear to be fairly useless (i.e. magical trigger systems). I believed it was implied in some of the fanfics that you could knock your teeth out by mouth firing the guns.
I would argue that the power armor compensates for some of an earth pony's limitations. They are naturally physically strong, but that's about it. They can't get away by flying and aren't as agile and also can't teleport or use magic to block/deflect attacks. If they want to use a melee weapon they have to hold it with their mouths.
The point simply was that unicorns have significant advantages and are thus perhaps more inclined to charge out into the wasteland thinking they can fix things. I never said anybody was impotent, but if a pegasus or unicorn can attack you from a distance when impunity/stealth you are definitely at a disadvantage. If you notice, most earth ponies depend on their strength and hooves or melee weapons in addition to guns. You also have to be pretty darn strong to haul around a battle saddles with anything more powerful than a rifle.
I'm not sure what the deal is with Red-Eye, personal charisma maybe?
1982982 I don't recall triggers that could only be operated by magic every being a thing. Mouth-fired guns are kinda the default, unicorns just happen to use TK to manipulate the triggers instead of their tongues.
And what you're describing is my issue entirely. Everyone is pretty much content just to shrug and go "welp, earth ponies suck. Even though this is make-believe and we can totally change the rules to make them cool, let's not because reasons". And that's really, really frustrating when you happen to like earth ponies.
1983307
I'm pretty sure it's in there. If I can find a reference I'll try and mention it, but then I think of tons of FOE side story as nominally belonging to canon insofar as it doesn't interfere with the main story.
I see earth ponies as having some intrinsic lacks insofar as if we were to choose to be ponies, most people wouldn't want to be an earth pony. They aren't glamorous, just ordinary. It isn't really 'make believe' because when do you world-building you establish what the rules of this imaginary reality are and you don't change them on a whim unless you want to go change every instance that is affected. Sure you could have anti-gravity spells to deal with wanting to reverse gravity, but sooner or later you can't just use spells/magic to resolve every difficulty, that's tacky and pretty dull. You can however have a magic system that's fairly expansive in what it can do, but you kind of have to explain how magic works at least at a fundamental level.
It's worth noting though that telekinesis affords you, among other things, the relative safety of manipulating stuff that's out of reach. An earth pony would have a hard time with lockpicks and wouldn't necessarily be as receptive of environmental cues as they'd be a bit more focused since it would require at least one hoof and their mouth to work on it. Same is basically true of pegasi in this example.
I don't mind earth ponies being cool, but there have to be reasons for their coolness, maybe even individual level ones. You can't just go and say that earth ponies can do anything pegasi or unicorns can do or there's no point in having three races because you've made them indistinguishable (not to mention that's completely impossible by default). In a way all are ponies, but unicorns and pegasi have obvious, immediately applicable advantages. To be fair, you don't see much of the kinds of things Applejacks does to Rainbow in the show, what with just lassoing her out of the air... You also don't see much combat that doesn't involve weapons and a lot of that is assigned to zebras. There's some room there, but you're going to have to work at it.
Really, if it bothers you so much, go write a story.
Just remember that it's not unfounded discrimination about which race to use for characters.
1984380 Nevermind. This was off-topic anyway and I shouldn't have brought it up. My apologies to both of you.