Anyway, to get back into the swing of things and to start finally fulfilling a promise to my Patreons I'm going to run a free story raffle. Usually this
Much to my surprise and delight 
Setting the Theme · 8:51pm Oct 19th, 2014
This blog is in reference to Chapter 4: Looking Glass, of The Humans in Equestria Club.
So at the end of act 1 of the story, I thought I’d take a moment to talk about theme. Theme is an interesting question for all stories and I’ve always wondered just how big a gap exists between the theme as intended and the theme as read; with that in mind I’m going to mix things up this blog and ask the question of the day now.
What are HiEC’s top three themes?
...
...
Got them? Okay, so type that into the comment box and then keep reading, because here’s my three themes.
1) Tragedy - This one is an odd one for a pastel pony fanfic, but very much the core of the story. The Club deals with many things that simply can’t be fixed. There’s no way home, there’s no way to become human again, the Human Hive will never return the three humans it consumed in it’s creation and the lives shattered by a crossing will never be the same again. These tragic events, and how they respond to them, is the crux of everyone's storyline, and the disagreements as to how to respond drive most of the conflict.
2) Moral Ambiguity - Given chapter three, this one might have been obvious. Just who is right or wrong is always an interesting question and I’m trying my best (given Alex’s persistent bias) to present all sides of many of the issues. Taking Crystal Cog’s bid to send a message to Earth; he may well have killed two people, and doomed a half-dozen more to falling through the barrier, so it’s arguably a foolish action, taken unilaterally, that may do far more harm than good. On the flipside, it may lead to a solution to the whole issue and, Crystal Cog did take a personal risk in trying to distract Twilight, you could argue it was a brave decision just as easily. This lack of clear cut morality in action is another major factor for The Humans in Equestria Club, and we haven’t seen the last of it by any measure.
3) Titans - Bit of an odd one to finish. Equestria is filled with extremely powerful people, monsters and empires, and I want to give the impression that there are many threats out there that simply aren’t defeatable with good feelings and the best of intentions. At the end of the day, Alex an above average pegasus; she knows heroes and gods, but she herself is no patch against the threats aligned against her. The bones and buried secrets of the world run deep and it’s history is littered by the peoples who failed.
So in the end, how did your themes match up?
I'm reposting this from the editing document, on Billy Morph's request.
I basically agreed with point one and two, but not three, for context.
I got two out of three. Unless you want to count "The Universe Hates You" but that's a little less focused on characters.
2543888
Bet everything on the underdog.
2544025
How goes that Pratchett quote?
"When you're the underdog, all the soft- dangly bits are at a convenient biting height."
Fairly sure the original was much snappier, but that was the sentiment, at least.
2544025
'The Universe Hates You' is an acceptable alternate answer
2544049
Underdogs are also the perfect height to sit on
Which brings me back to the Titains. Alex may have what it takes to be a hero of the story, but doesn't mean she's on the same power scale as many of the other characters. Even Fluttershy could (and technically did in this last chapter) out-match her with ease. This isn't saying that Alex's challenges are insumountable, but it is a promise that it will never be an easy road for her.
3 themes, hm...
Poni
Change
Snark