Happy Birthday Joker's Wild. · 6:23pm May 17th, 2016
It's been an interesting year. 60,000 words published, not bad numbers, but I wish I could have done more. We are still stuck on the first arch, but I think the story has really evolved.
I've grown and learned a lot about character development, dialogue, pacing and scope of planning (wish I knew that before I started), and so much more. I can say I am thoroughly in love with the story. There are jokes I've had planned out from the beginning that I still haven't been able to make. It's been hell of journey chasing those goals.
Back when I published chapter 1, so many things were uncertain. Somewhere between chapter 1 and 2 I decided that I wanted a raider competition to be central to the over arching story. Scapegrace wasn't even a character in the first drafts of chapter 2. She has soared up to one of the quintessential characters of the story. Chapter 2 made me decide that I needed to have a real story, and thing just got more interesting from there.
I've made some decisions that some people probably won't stand by. I've thrown in things that are a little bit intense within the culture of FOE stories. I don't like the slow build up of FOE. It shouldn't take 20 chapters and 200k words before things get interesting. Joker's Wild has ambitious goals, but I think I have the ability to write them in ways that are not trite.
Joker's Wild I think has a lot of potential in this community. It is a different flavor from the drab wasteland slogs. Crazy absurdist scenarios, intense comical banter, high octane magic, and generally being okay when terrifying things happen simply because they are used to them. It is a wasteland that isn't about the death of millions but rather about the world kept living. It is a vibrant wasteland of vivid colors, and that color will surely kill you. Afterall, that is natures signal that you are poisonous. It is a story of the wastelander. Too many stories revolve around the stables from below or the enclave from above. We need more stories of the ponies in the wasteland. I am proud of this story, being brave enough to make an insane psychotic world into something undeniably funm, Taking humor to its serious limits for a drama/comic hybrid, and telling a story about friendship that breaks outside of the MLP mold.
I am hoping for another year of wasteland shenanigans, awesome dialogue, dramatic showdowns, and new perspectives. I was hoping to get the last section of chapter 3 out today, but that would require a little bit of rush. I am very excited about it, so keep a look out for it in the next week or two. So, let me hear what you think about the story so far.
Have you ever read Pink eyes or Duck and cover, they seem to be more to your liking Shenanigans than original fallout equestria. Their more comedic and dramatic too, hell there are a few more close to your taste you will like: Memories, Dirty Deeds, and anywhere but here.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY.