Catch Me If You Can, Blue Boy · 12:57am Dec 5th, 2014
Thank You!
400 followers! Yeah, he knows who I'm talking about.
Let it be known that I am very grateful to The Parasprite for writing a blog devoted to gushing about me as a writer. Not only did it make my day, it put Tyrant back in the Popular Box, which in turn earned me over 30 new followers. So thanks, Para, that was awesome and so are you!
Story Updates
In other news, Frequency is doing far better than I expected considering it has the 'Human' tag. I'm considering sending it to EqD for consideration when the third chapter comes out, which I'm aiming for being next Friday. Also, a chapter of Reddux is going to be coming out this weekend. I missed last week mostly because I spent most of it at my parents. My motivation tends to dwindle when I'm there, though I still managed to write at least a little. But no worries, we'll be back to my regularly scheduled horsewords for the next three weeks!
Reading
As is well known, I am something of a horror fan, so I was delighted when I recently hit the Silent Ponyville trilogy written by SamRose in my RiL. Considering how popular the stories were, how much I loved the games and the huge number of likes the original story has, I was expecting something awesome. I'm on the third story by now, and what I got was... a mixed bag.
On the one hand, SamRose has some excellent concepts and proves that he knows the games very well. Some elements of these stories are legitimately creepy. The twist of the first story wasn't very original, but still effectively blended with the fanon of Pinkie Pie - even incorporating the idea of Cupcakes into the tale in a way that is startlingly well-conceived. The second story's twist was far more unexpected and genuinely good, doing a similarly decent job of incorporating common Fluttershy concepts into the tale. I haven't determined the twist of Part 3 yet, but I have high hopes.
Yet where the series has some pretty good underlying concepts... the writing is horrendous. Let's just take one excerpt. How many problems can you find?
“…I did Spike. But… panicking about our situation isn’t going to help it.” Twilight said taking a deep breath, “We know we’re in a bad situation. But if you panic, you’ll only make a bad situation worse.”
“…Are… you lecturing me?” Spike asked almost shocked, “Now? Of all times?”
Twilight blinked a bit confused, before smiling softly at the baby dragon, amused by his statement. It was true; she was giving him a bit of her usual lecture. But seeing the young dragon she cared for so much being frantic seemed to spark some instinct inside of her that told her she needed to keep him calm. The same instinct that hold told her to bring him with her, was now telling her she needed to make sure he was going to be alright. That his wellbeing was more important than her own. The feeling told her that she couldn’t let what just transpired get to her for Spike’s sake.
This is just one small example. All three of the stories have been riddled with needless explanations, telly lines, odd dialogue, tons of typos, pointless repetition and bad grammar. Then there's the ridiculously gamey ideas SamRose apparently felt obligated to throw in there, like pointless puzzles the characters solve in all of two seconds, characters finding items and storing them because 'I don't know why but I feel like it might be important later,' or even having the characters find and use the games' 'Health Drinks' to heal their wounds. That went a lot of too far for me. When I see stuff like this, I have to wonder how it is the original story managed to net over 1,100 upvotes. There's simply no way to be immersed in these stories because there's so much wrong with the writing. It's such a terrible shame too, 'cause the ideas behind the story are solid.
This got me to wondering about how I would write a crossover for the games. I've been contemplating the potential of writing a crossover in general for a little while now. I'm always seeking to branch out and add new story types to my list, and the crossover is something I've yet to tackle. My original idea was to write my own rendition of 'Pony Fantasy,' but after looking at this I can see ways to handle a 'Silent Ponyville' as well. Opinions?
Stats
Meanwhile, because I can, I think I'd like to start showing my stats. Because stats are neat. I might just do this every time, just to show how I'm progressing 'cause I like things like that.
Total Word Count: ~1,014,000 over 24 stories
Follower Rank: 521st
Overall ratings average: 94.30%
Highest Rated Story (not counting stories at 100%): The Gentle Nights @ 98.98%
Story With the Most Votes: Tyrant @ 1792/48
Story With the Fewest Votes: Sweet to Eat: Tales of Nightmare Night @ 16/1
Longest Story: Trixie vs. Equestria @ ~144,000
That'd be an interesting story, I think. You've certainly got the talent to write any kind of story type you desire. If you're really into Silent Hill then you'd probably enjoy writing a crossover with MLP but if you like something else more it might be better to use it instead so you don't get burned out on it as quickly. Mix your obsessions!
And congrats on 400 followers!
Oho, we're talking stats are we?
WELL THEN! Let's do some comparisons!
Me: Total Word Count: ~184,000 over 12 stories
Me: Follower Rank: 588th
Me: Overall Ratings Average: 95.41%
Me: Highest Rated Story (I have none at 100%): "Mah Barn Door Don't Swing That Way!" @ 97.59%
Me: Story With the Most Votes: Break the Cycle @ 801/51
Me: Story With the Fewest Votes: Softened From Stone @ 18/1
Me: Longest Story: Keeper of the Crystal Heart @ ~67,000
Now let's throw some others in there:
TOTAL VIEWS:
PaulAsaran: 88,922
Cerulean Voice: 53,546
TOTAL VOTES
PaulAsaran: 4053
Cerulean Voice: 3049
VOTES/FOLLOWS
PaulAsaran: 9.98/1
Cerulean Voice: 8.22/1
AVERAGE VOTES/STORIES
PaulAsaran: 169/1
Cerulean Voice: 254/1
FOLLOWS/STORIES
PaulAsaran: 16.92/1
Cerulean Voice: 30.92/1
WORDS/VIEWS
PaulAsaran: 11.4/1
Cerulean Voice: 3.43/1
STORIES ON EQUESTRIA DAILY:
PaulAsaran: 2
Cerulean Voice: 9
STORIES IN THE ROYAL GUARD:
PaulAsaran: 1
Cerulean Voice: 3
STORIES IN TWILIGHT'S LIBRARY:
PaulAsaran: 6
Cerulean Voice: 10
TIME ON THE SITE:
PaulAsaran: 567 days, or 81 weeks
Cerulean Voice: 465 days, or 66 weeks 3 days
Seriously though, this has been a cool rivalry, and will continue to be. It's fun taking potshots at each other.
I stopped caring about stats when Tia! hit 1st on the site. :D
Also, any crossover you write is likely to lose me.
2634339
The tryhard is real. xD
2634367
D:
*skulks back into tryhard corner*
2634389
It's okay. At least you're winning in the features dept.! :D I'm just pokin' ya.
'Sides, I've never hit the feature box, even :P You still got that on me.
Well, except that collab last year with Kaidan..but that doesn't count. xD
You forgot some stats!
You've got at least 12 reviews from 7 different reviewers.
Whereas Cerulean Voice has gotten 15 from 10 different sources.
Can't wait to read Frequency when it gets finished.
2634396
Clearly people are much more aware of reviews than I am, because I haven't really been keeping track of them like I probably should.
Also, do reviews from Cerulean himself count in my pool?
2634403
Piff. I just add up the numbers on the sheet. Beats me what counts and what doesn't.
2634403
2634413
I'd go with that being a "yes"
2634429
Ditto.
2634413
But now I'm wondering what reviews I'm forgetting. I can think of nine - two from Cerulean, Four (I think) from PresentPerfect, Three from City of Doors... and that's all. At some point Amy Clockwork's going to review TvE...
2634447
Heads up: Singularity Dream is City of Doors.
2634469
...I did not realize that.
My, your theology and world-crafting are immense. I feel rather humbled as a writer and follower, and that's just on a precursory glance. One could only hope to achieve the kind of skill you've honed and possess an imagination similar to that which runs through your mind.
I must admit, I feel almost afraid to try and delve into the immense world you've created in your many intertwined stories. It's almost overwhelming, and I feel a little trepidation at cracking open one of your works. They make me feel as though I'm about to read a Homeric Epic in pony.
One can only hope to be 1/10th as good as you, my friend. You're followers are well earned
(unlike some authors I've seen).Here's to another 600! Cheers!
2634525
. I'd hardly refer to my stories as being the pony equivalent of Homeric Epics, though I do appreciate this epic gush.
Shtap, yer makin' me
Also, that's 'worlds,' plural.
2634299
How did I miss your comment? If feel dumb now.
As always, thanks for the encouragement. I have far too many projects planned right now to be sure if or when I'll ever get to the crossovers, though.
2634617
My dear, they are most certainly worth it. Your years of experience are worth most of the fics on this site combined! No need to be so bashful.
As for the Plural, I was mostly referring to the epic tale of "No Heroes" and it's many parts, but your other worlds are also deserving of high praise. I merely wish I could come up with such intricate and fleshed out worlds on my own. But alas, they are doomed to nothing more than intriguing pieces with no foreseeable ways of bringing them together into a full, flush narrative.
Perhaps you'd have some spare time for some sort of an apprenticeship? Between real life and your backlog of stories, of course.
2634754
Heh, 'bashful.' what I'm trying to be is 'modest,' which is hard to do when you've got an ego like mine. Speaking of which... I don't like the idea of having an 'apprentice,' as the term suggests to me that the apprentice in question is inferior by default. As much as I do tend to think in such terms (I hesitate to admit), promoting the concept in such a way doesn't fit well with me. It's truly a constant struggle, keeping my arrogance in check.
But, I'm always willing to offer help to others. It's not enough that I'm good at telling stories, if I may be allowed a little self-indulgence; I want others to be good as well so that I might enjoy what they have to offer. To this end I leave commentary on every story I read. If you want my input on something, I'm willing to assist. Feel free to send me a PM and let me know what you had in mind.
2634469
You people, always ruining my secret identities.
2634447
Also, for any reviews you might want to check out, feel free to check out THE MASTER LIST. Looks like I missed adding one of Cerulean Voice's. I've only got one review of your stuff from him on it. *facepalm* Or I accidentally linked it as someone else's review. All fixed.
2635150
I've always considered apprenticeships to be Wise Masters of a particular craft imparting their wisdom, knowledge, and skill on to the next generation. The apprentice is by no means inferior, just less experienced. In many instances, the Apprentice surpasses the master. It's not about showing how great you are compared to your apprentice, it's about making an impact on a young, brilliant mind and guiding them through until they themselves become a master of the craft, as you yourself are. It's not about better or less, it's about making sure the younger generations understand the importance of the art of the craft. It's about making sure that the true essence of your craft isn't lost to the years and devolved into the mediocre works you see today.
That's how I have always viewed it anyway. Opinions and all that.
Anyway, I'd be delighted to receive any and all help I can get, but I have many doubts that plague my mind.
2635589
I checked it as soon as I realized your, *ahem,* 'secret identity.' There were at least two reviews there that I was completely unaware of! I might have to check that list periodically.
2635649
Pfft, doubts. I threw those out the window ages ago. I hesitate and question my choices every now and then, but I have complete confidence in everything I write. I wouldn't be writing it in the first place if I didn't think it was good. This is something I tell everyone who wants to write: stop worrying about your skill and dive in! Never go into a story thinking "Can I write?" Instead, go in saying "I can write!" And if you get criticized, always remember that that is a good thing. Good writers feed on critique.
2635663
Heh, I suppose I should have elaborated then. I can write for days. I can come up with ideas and theories on a whim. This poses no problem for me.
What I can't seem to do is string them together into a cohesive narrative with an actual plot progression and underlying purpose. It's all the LITTLE details that i get stuck on. Probably due to the fact that I've never actually finished a story, or even thoroughly planned one out. Either way, THAT is what I think i need the most help with.
As for criticism, I completely understand that. I've just never actually received any real criticism for anything I've ever written. So I don't really know what areas I'm lacking in that I, myself, haven't noticed.
2635686
Aaaaah, so you need a director. *dusts off his old RP cap* Now that I can do.
A lot of people talk about planning a story. They write outlines and the like. I usually don't do any of that, but over the years I've come to learn that one of my somewhat unique abilities is to see how things weave together, to recognize how certain small, seemingly unimportant details can lead to big things, and to quickly process how actions occuring now can and likely will affect things in the future. It's a blessing in that it lets me write long stories on the fly, but it's also a curse because no matter what story I write I will always see potential ways to create prequels, sequels and side stories that are just begging for attention. It's led to me having hundreds of story concepts, the vast majority of which I have to throw away purely on the basis that I don't have the time to get to them.
Simply put, I consider interweaving plot elements to be a specialty of mine. So seriously, if you've got an idea and you'd like to expand it, PM me. I can probably point a number of things out.
2635663
That's what the big master review list is for.
Congratulations!
And hypothetical question: If you and Cerulean were Pokemon rivals, which of you would be Ash, and which would be Gary?
2635818
Considering I don't know or care about Pokemon, I honestly couldn't say.
2634469
Cerulean, any opinions?
Yay and congrats!
First off, congrats on all the achievements and stuffs.
I'm looking forward to Frequency!
And yeah, I've seen that. Good ideas but terrible execution that get really popular. And I've seen wonderful ideas with poor execution, which is quite a shame, in my opinion. I could give toms of examples of those. Like the Pony POV series, Solaria, Lunarium, so on and so forth.