I am really easily distracted · 4:16am Sep 12th, 2012
I really should be studying for my international politics concept test later this evening, but honestly, it's three days from mid-semester break and I cannot be bothered. In other words, I am a terrible, terrible student, but that's ok! I have worked/working over 50 hours this week and last combined on top of studying. I am so tired.
Anyway, Dancing on Silver Strings went well! Definitely better than expected, that's for sure. It was actually higher than that ridiculous Morgan Freeman fic when it was featured, but unfortunately mine was too old to be bumped up instead. Still, it managed to spark some discussion on the nature of right and wrong, so for a story about a pretty pony princess and a weird monster, I'll take it!
Ok. This fandom's fiction has some real heavy weights. Super stories, if you will. We can all name a few instantly because they are not only incredibly enjoyable, but are also technically fantastic. The super stories are epics by definition, long multi parts that attract huge followings. They are pillars of pony culture, almost, just as much as any great art or music.
But I have been thinking, and honestly, I am a little saddened by what I have concluded. My question is simple in scope and complicated in answering: Where are the new ones? What is the latest story to reach super stardom? And that's not just fimfiction fame, either; it has to be widespread fame across the fandom and be a good story to boot. Looking back, I think the last story to reach that status was Background Pony, and that was posted back in the beginning of April.
Where are they? Are we just not writing epics anymore (I personally struggle to believe that)? Or have we reached a point where the gold is being drowned in the sea of our mere size?
There are many possible answers to this question, namely the overwhelming nature for short, comedic crap to become popular here on fimfiction, EqD's rising standards (ironic, isn't it?) and the fall in the number of stories posted, or the general volume of pony fiction making it hard for individual stories to be noticed. Perhaps there are other explanations. Perhaps it is a mixture of all of them and it has changed the nature of what people are inclined to write.
It's a sobering thought regardless, mainly because one day, all the existing epics will end, and at that point, will we have nothing left?
No matter the cause, though, the end result is still the same. We aren't seeing epics. They're just not here. And that makes me sad, honestly. We have so many great authors, and so many great stories.
But there is always room for a few more, isn't there?
Anyway, I better get back to studying... Siigh. I'll see you guys on the 15th. I have fun stuff planned then, haha.
Stay awesome! 
I don't know really. It may be the reasons you pointed out, maybe because oneshots are popular within fimfiction, maybe because breaking into EqD and their plethora of longfics is getting harder everyday, or maybe we're just a little bit tired, and the break before season 3 is getting to us.
I really don't know.
>ok
Dammit Mystic, didn't I tell you not to do this when I pre-read Dancing for you?
Anyway, to your question: where ARE all the "Super Stories?" I think there are a number of reasons, some of which you've touched on, but the biggest is the fragmentation of the fandom.
Here's what I mean: the best-known piece of ponyfiction is, without a doubt, Fallout: Equestria (sorry Past Sins and My Little Dashie, but in terms of number of people who know what it is, this is unarguable). That story began back before EqD, back even before ponies had spread over to /b/ (back even before me, for that matter), when the fandom was all centered around a single site: 4chan's /co/ board. As a result, pretty much everyone who was a fan at the time either read it, or at least knew of it. And as the fandom began to fragment, they took that story with them, and so Fo:E became a recognized part of the pony landscape almost everywhere ponyfans went.
As time has gone on, the fandom has become more fragmented, and will continue doing so as long as it continues to grow (and probably for a while afterword, people being what they are). There are lots of fans who never go to EqD or FIMFiction--how would they find the new "Super Story?" Conversely, if a link to that "Super Story" were posted anywhere that I didn't frequent--4chan's /mlp/ say, or fanfiction.net--I might very well never find out about it. Not just never read it, but never even HEAR about it. True, a story posted here and on EqD (preferably by an author who's already well-known--don't underestimate how much that helped stories like Past Sins or Background Pony get some attention) has a better chance of standing out than one on ponysaretehcoolzorchan.net, but no matter what you do, nowadays it's basically guaranteed that a whole bunch of pony fans will never see your fanfic.
As I said, there are a number of factors in play, but the one that stands out to me the most is the continued fracturing of the fanbase.
Yeah this has been bugging me for the last little while. Glad to see its not just me.
353398 Ha. Mystic doesn't learn! Mystic is above simple things like grammar, spelling and punctuation!
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It won't happen again I promise! D:
See that begs the question: are the epics dead? Are we never going to see a story reach the level of Fallout Equestria, Past Sins or MLD again? Because to me it looks that way. Heck, I don't even know if it will be possible to reach Dangerous Business levels.
If so, then that's kinda sad, actually. But hey. Maybe it just puts the impetus back on the writers to become better and better. Either that or the rise of the crappy one-shot will continue unabated, which is probably more likely.
Of all the stories you've listed, I've only read MLD.
I think there are a lot of 'epics' out there, just not famous epics. Not sure if there will or can be another set of famous stories. Ones that really touch the fanbase as a whole since there are a whole lot more of us and we're more spread out. I don't feel that is neccesarily a bad thing.
353512 Facehoof indeed! What are you doing commenting here?! Go and read! Now! You have no idea what wonderful things await you with those stories!
Ahh, but it's the famous epics that are the 'super stories'. Being epic doesn't mean it deserves to be super famous -- just look at my stuff, for example! Haha.
Couple of tidbits. 1, as we get more great stories, our standards rise. Going back and reading past sins, it's only very good, not great. But, at the time, it was truly amazingly epic.
2. As with any other entertainment, literature is subjective. I'm finding the Psych crossover I'm following to be one of the most brilliantly written fics ever. It's no epic fantasy, but it is darn good reading.
3. Due to how long it can take from the beginning of a fanfic to its completion, maybe it's this longevity that creates problems. How many different incomplete epics can a person follow before they just can't add many more?
4. Amount is also a problem. I have over 500 stories in my read later list, and I'm a pretty darn prolific reader.
5. Originality. It gets harder and harder to be original as more and more fics are written. What were once epic ideas are now considered...well, common, or even cliche in some cases. I swear there has been a celestia/discord fic in the top 10 for ages...and it's getting a little old. And I don't mean just 1 fic, the story keeps changing but it's the same basic premise. How do you decide which of all these similar fics to read?
6. Sub point, the show does aid creativity. We'll granteedly see a surge in new fics about crystal ponies as soon as the episodes air. And the new topic will open the gateway for new epics.
Anyway, I don't necessarilly have points or anything I'm trying to make, just some opinions. And typing on an iPad while lying on your back isn't much fun...
I still haven't read MLD or FoE yet. I did love Background Pony, but I think End of Ponies tops anything I've read to date.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Echo The Diamond dog series by Rust, and Within and Without by CloudySkies. Both authors are currently starting their next big works. There's also Red Wings by Propmaster.
I think the biggest reason is the sheer volume of fics hitting the feature board. I think its very unfair to say that short stories are low quality, but there's simply so much thrown up on the board that its hard to find the diamonds. I tend to only read longer fics these days, (unless one of the authors I am watching recommends a one shot,) as these are the ones that have had more time and love poured into them. It probably doesn't help that there are only so many people that have the time, skill and willpower to write them too. Having said that, there's still bronies joining the herd even now, with amazing musicians and artists among them. I don't think its unrealistic to expect to see new Superstories appear at this point in time... but I do think they are getting harder to find.
There's my rant. That'll be two cents, please!
353517
Go and read Dante's inferno
Basically, I have two simple things to say about this.
First, that there are "production" and "release"-phases. And all those little ones between them, of course. Since we are talking here about the really big, epic stories which are pointing out of this grey mud of fictions like skyscrapers, I would say that the times of the 'first' ones is near its end. As hard as that sounds, the feeling for them has to come down and fade away from the minds of people, before other stories can claim the positions of 'super-fictions' for themselves. Given to the fact that we are mainly operating in the world wide web, where time is rushing and comunication becomes as rhythmic as breathing, this process can take a good time-span.
The second thing I want to say is the nihilistic part of my mind, that wouldn't like something that never comes to an end. Maybe we'll never see such 'super-fics' again. Time changed and so did the 'average-feeling' of the bronydom. The very basic statement of 'love and tolerate' was long-since pushed away from the desire of objective qualities and personal urges. The biggest part of that last group is whitout a big doubt 'fame'. Newcomers and old bronies alike, mainly the newcomers, are investing they time into creating a story and are expecting a 'love and tolerate'-like absorbtion of the bronydom. But they also can see that there are standarts up by now which have to be fulfilled for spreading a story. Not only grammar, but also habits of the ponies in their stories, how to write OC's and how not to, the use of Alicorns of every kind as main-characters etc. We are at a state, where creating new epic stories, written of pure gold and feelings, became something for pariahs, those people who don't care much about the average. It's not making these stories impossible, but it's slowing them down. Also, it makes it harder to find them between the average works, coming in hundreds.
TL;DR: They still do exist, the writers and their 'super-fictions', the golden epics. But modern society, bronydom or not, is playing against them.
(Another fact that makes me think about the meaning of 'time' itself: A girl that sat in my school-class barely two years ago, went to the UK this year and married. What happened in those two years to her and where went all the MLP-fanfics in these days?)
353821
I agree with this guy. They are still being made, but they are getting harder and harder to find. If you go to my User page browse my favourites and filter for over 100K words you can find 16 "epics". However that begs the question, what is an epic? Does it have a minimum word count, and if there is a story just a few thousand below that word count but much more enjoyable than one over it do you leave it off the list of epics because it doesn't reach that arbitrary number?
Hope this is helpful in some way.
TL;DR read The Immortal Game if you haven't.
353821 353897 There is an important difference though between epics and super stories. While super stories are always epics, epics aren't always super stories. That requires a level of fame that very few stories ever receive. What I am focused on is fame, rather than word count.
The Immortal Game is an interesting one. I would say it just qualifies to be on that list, because it's really become more popular in the last few months. Pretty awesome story, though, haha.
353675 Don't worry! EoP is on my 'to read' list! As soon as he finishes Background Pony and starts working on it again I'm gonna get stuck into it. While what I've read of Cloudy's new fic is definitely very enjoyable, it's not what I could call a super story. It doesn't have anywhere near that right amount of fame right now, haha.
353572 While all those points definitely are very true, it doesn't really explain the lack of stories reaching 'super famous' levels. It's more likely in response to changing hosting and viewership tendencies that determine what stories become especially famous. As Past Sins indicates, a story doesn't have to be about reproach to be a super story!
353517
Your stuff, my stuff, lots of peoples stuff, really.
And I have little interest in reading Fallout: Equestria. I may be a huge fan of the Fallout games, but that's not something I want mixed with Ponies. Your story 'All Path's Lead Home' is as close to Fallout as I'd like to get.
Well the community is aging so there is more stuff. I am sure there is great stuff out there but no one has time to read everything. Early there was less fiction so it felt fresh.
There's just too many of us now. All of your works deserve the "Super" status. I am following the continuing story called "Austraeoh" by Imploding Colon. Fantastic story. Truly epic. However it only has just over 200 likes. There are simply too many stories posted daily for any one to get much attention. It's a shame but that's just the way it is.
354090 Then surely the same thing would happen in the real world with published stories if it was just sheer volume alone. Instead though we still see some works climb high above the rest and install themselves as 'super stories'. In theory the same should apply here. The most significant thing that's changing in the brony fandom (or at least the nature of how it operates) is the mode of distribution/featuring. It's there where I think the bulk of the answer lies, because the culture of what stories get written chasing fame stems from that system. Certain stories get favored over others, and it promotes more people to write stories like it.
Still, Chris raises a good point about the fragmentation of the fandom. It definitely makes it harder for stories to travel by word of mouth.
355573
Well I do think that is happening to published stories too, just at a slower pace. There is a reason book chains are in trouble financially. It's just happening to the fandom at an accelerated pace due time compression resulting from technology.
I am not sure what you mean by the system favoring certain types of stories. You cannot predict what readers like. I know a number of really popular stories which I dislike and can't see why they are considered so great *coughPowersofHarmony*cough.
Heck my one piece of ridiculousness has over 600 likes and I've never written anything. Go figure.
355590 I'm talking about stories like A Song of Fire and Ice, Harry Potter, Hunger Games and 50 Shades of Grey. Quality aside, they just explode in popularity, and they are (relatively) recent examples. Comparisons within this fandom would be Fallout Equestria, Past Sins, Dangerous Business, and Background Pony. I am just waiting for the new one, just like how 50 Shades would be the new one in the published list.
In the fandom we have seen a rapid deceleration in the rate these epics come about in the fandom. Every one of those fics except for Background Pony was released only several months apart. The rate of epic stories was consistent, if you will, haha. However, the last one was back in April, being Background Pony. There hasn't been one since then, suggesting that the rate has fallen unbelievably quickly.
Which all in all makes me a saaad pony.
As for what stories get popular, I'm talking about how on average 75% of the stories in the fimfiction featured bar are 5k words or shorter, comedy and generally just light and consumable (ironically a lot of the ones in there now are 5k words or shorter, and sad, haha. Short, though, is definitely a common theme). I watched as the first of those became popular, and then the number of those stories being released increased. When EqD ruled the fiction roost longer stories with decent quality were more favoured, hence the large number of epics accordingly.
Good lord I have written another essay. You'd think I would have a better use for my time, haha.