Respect the Earth · 10:09pm Aug 7th, 2015
Here we have two proud mares of the Earth Pony Tribe. Both well known throughout Equestria as national heroes and the bearers of harmony. Yet at the same time, not very popular. After a few months of looking through hundred of pages worth of stories I notice a trend regarding these two. Applejack is commonly in stories around her farm while Pinkie is commonly in comedy stories with her hyperactivity and randomness up to eleven. Another interesting to note is the number of stories for each character.
Celestia - 20,916
Twilight - 20,171
Luna - 17,627
Rainbow - 10,765
Pinkie Pie - 6,512 [3,824 with comedy tag turned off]
Fluttershy - 6,383
Applejack - 5,741
Rarity - 5,316
From what I've gathered I learn that not only are Earth Ponies generally laying on the bottom of the barrel but so does Fluttershy and Rarity. Meaning it is not entirely a racial issue but rather about popularity. The first three are extremely powerful magical characters while Rainbow Dash is the fastest being alive. Making them fun to write stories about. The next four normally fall into cliche categories. Half of Pinkie Pie stories is comedy and her character consists nothing but randomness. Fluttershy is a shy character that I think people have a hard time writing with. Applejack is a farmer and most of her stories are almost always revolving around the farm. With Rarity she is a designer. Yes the Main Six are tropes personifications but there are authors out there who give them more then two dimensions which is the problem with many fics.
Regarding my personal taste I admire the Earth Ponies and what they can represent. Making them my favorite race. So what do you guys think what affects the main six popularity story wise and what is you'r favorite breed of ponies?
If you want to read really good stories, I've found that Pinkie + Sad + Rating will get you a list of very worth wile fics to read.
Twilight, Celestia, and Luna are hard to write for me. I've written a few stories about the Apple family, but when I write them I put them in odd situations or adventures, nothing to do with their farm. In any case, I'd write about an earth pony first than any other breed.
Favorite breed? I guess Alicorns because they are fun, hard, and interesting to write plus most of my favorites all happen to be Alicorns...
I mostly write based on idea and whether or not I like the narrator, but mostly based on idea.
Hence why I'm more likely to write an A.J. story then a Rarity story.
As a long time Luna writer I can agree that a lot of these characters are hard to write about. Pinkie Pie is a great example of an extremely complex character. She is by far one of the most difficult to write (alongside with Rarity) because of both her extravagant personality. but also with her love for the happiness of others. Her character is amazing and I feel kinda disappointed in the fandom for under utilizing her. AJ is a beast of a different kind for me. Since she hasn't been given a whole lot of personality or attention it's hard for me to come up with an angle for her. She isn't as active as the other ponies and most of her episodes were kinda mediocre. With that said there's still a lot you can do with what we know (her pride her stubborness her dedication) and it is possible to take her out of the farm but the problem is that she is such a huge part of it. I guesd it boils down to fan appreciation in the end. When I write the characters of anypony I study their interactions in the show and compare them to some fanfics while at the same time listening to music about them and having their wiki page open just in case I miss something. This is why I usually stick to Celestia and Luna. I know them the best.
Aww c'mon, every race is equal when you get down to it!
...Equally inferior when compared to the Changelings, I mean.
I like Umbrum. (Gaz ponies, race of King Sombra, curent location: burried under the Crystal Empire, mentationed in the comics)
I have a tick for ancient evils. Such mysteries leave much room for free interpretation. And I think that even Sombra isn't exactly an Umbrum, as he was magicly engineered by their queen to bust them out. I think the horn, crystals and degenerated magic are the proof that Sombra is also partally a Crystal Pony and an Unicorn. What would set his abilies close to an alicorn.
3302975
Thank you for the tip good sir!
3303336
The Changelings are indeed a interesting race of creatures.
I believe that many new writers avoid Rarity because she's a rather complex character. She's the element of generosity but she's also a hypocrit at times.
As for AJ, I think writers avoid her because they think they've got her figured out. Honesty, family, apples. Plus, she's the straight mare of the group. No fun. (I enjoy writing her and I seem to be doing a good job from what others have said
)