Just another poll

Would you horse lovers prefer first or second person stuff?

Any details on how you like them would be nice. How much you want the insert character to be defined and so on.

Comments

[locnex]

i like a 2nd person with a vague description of the main character, so it seems like it's me in the story

[Corwin]

Well, I used to prefer second person for this kind of stuff, but I think I've gotten kind of tired of it. Feel free to try whatever you want!

[shira]

For the love of all that is and isn't holy 1st person. 2nd person is such a cop out and is so hard to do even remotely well. Even for clopfics. I have no clue why this fandom has such a hard on for 2nd person, you don't really see it anywhere else and certainly not in professional fiction (nor in erotica for that matter). It's difficult to write in, is a huge cop out, prevents character development, and to this date I have never seen a story that was better for being in 2nd person, just good despite it.

[zombie king24]

340279 You took the words right out of my mouth. Thats how I like second person storys.

[Haliton]

340279
342359
How vague? Do you want some idea of your position in society? Some likes and dislikes that I'll try to match up to the pony in question?

340439
I've always thought of second person as being more immersive for the reader, since 1st person is how I imagine my personal horse fantasies. Anything more you like to add?

[shira]

343792

I don't see it as immersive at all. While I can suspend my disbelief and play along with me being the protagonist, the author will, without a doubt, cock up something and both the immersion and disbelief go straight out the window. The point is it makes me work to enjoy a story. I have to put aside my natural inclination to say "No, there's no way in hell I'd do that." I have to create the characterization and the background and a huge portion of the story...and at that point I might as well just take the idea and write my own self-insert!

Second person has always seemed amazingly lazy to me, I mean why create an interesting character with good background and link all that to well done interactions with the other characters when I can just put "the reader" in and now I don't have to justify anything! Second person can be done well, but that same effort can be put into a first or third person narrative and be any better. Despite my prolific love for fiction to this day I have never seen a story that was 'better' because it was in second person and I stand by that. Again, there is a reason it never ever shows up in professional fiction.

Sorry I'm being ranty, this is really the only thing about the MLP fanfiction sub-group that just drives me batty. Everyone has their pet peeve and second person is mine.

[Haliton]

344331
Hmm, interesting. Thanks for the feedback, I'll have to say that 2nd person also does force me to give up ideas for what a person who likes a particular pony may be like.

[XXUSERNAMESPACEXX]

I'm not really sure how I can follow up to shira, but I'd have say 2nd is better than first but 3rd beats all. To me a first person is really just a self insert fic on the author's part but a 2nd can be both the reader and the writer, witha third-person perspective though i feel as you can eliminate all barriers and completeley immerse yourself in a story because there's no justification of any part of you being there or a narrative of someones thoughts.

[Haliton]

344408
Hmm, but the whole point of these waifufics is to immerse yourself and imagine you're the one with the pony you like. Some seem to prefer 1st for that, even though I do have to admit it's self-inserty on the author's part.

[Kabuto901]

second person

[Demon Eyes Laharl]

344408 344456

Wow. I hope you guys read better first-person works.

As for the poll.... I vote for third if it has romance of two people, but first is also a very close second.

I agree with shira. Second-person basically lets your reader just fill the rest, making it an insert for whoever is reading. First person, when done right, can still expand and give characterization. Plus it allows some immersiveness, having the character talking to the reader on what he sees, what he feels and experiences. Third person... well, obvious reasons.

[Vladimir Zharkov]

Looks like I'm a bit late to the party, but second person is a superior perspective.