Jed On: What Makes TCB TCB.

So it should be pretty clear by now that AOA is part of the Alt-TCB - or Alternative (the) Conversion Bureau - genre, by which it is generally assumed to be a story that uses tropes set down by a certain author and similar authors and takes a different spin on the premise, usually one without such a misanthropic set of overtones as the original tends to have.

Now far be it from me to assume I have the right to tell anyone what makes up TCB. I'm not some people, thinking I can dictate fanfic to people. But I'm fairly certain I can get this one right. To write a TCB fic, you follow the following very important steps.

1. Write a fic.

It's that simple.

Think about it this way. The original Blaze fic was just about people turning into ponies. All the stuff about brainwashing was added later. The Alt-TCB stuff added most of the war stuff. I added Arthurian myth for Christ's sake. It's your damn playground.

Wrote this apropos of nothing, really, just felt like it. Next chapter of AOA is underway. Other cool stuff happening. You'll see. ;-) In the meantime, if you want cool AOA stuff (and cool pony and TCB stuff in general) go read Doctor Fluffy's The Light Despondent. Chapter Five has an awesome little moment for any AOA fan, though obviously you've got to read the whole thing for it to make sense. What are you waiting for? Go on!

Jed.