Takka Takka Takka: March 2018 - Chaos Theory · 4:48pm Apr 6th, 2018
Back in late January, my family and I had a crisis. My wife’s car gave out.
During the months of February and March, the MLP Fandom (specifically the FimFic Community), in addition to some old friends on Facebook and a few other places, bought my family a new car.
Her name is Rarity. I know, she’s not white. I don’t care. Her name is Rarity because of your generosity. When I look at that car, when I think of my wife driving it, I think of you guys.
Let me be honest with you folks for a bit.
There have been a lot of times—especially recently—when I have wondered what the hell am I doing on here. Yes, I’m learning valuable skills. Yes, I’m developing incredible friendships. Yes, I’m a better writer.
But in the end, am I any closer to having my name on a book that you can buy at Barnes and Noble? Am I doing a job which I can put freely on a resume without any sort of PR spin?
Can I turn this into something that will help me provide for my family?
The truth is… Not really, no. At least, not directly.
I only have a limited time. Lately, I’ve been taking a hard look at my career—and well—my age. There’s a lot of things in life right now up in the air. Do I have time to do this? Should I be so focused on it? Should I care? I’ve got a wife and two kids. A full-time job.
I’m not under any delusions that I’m going to be making enough money through Patreon to actually support my family (No, I’m not asking for more, you guys have given ENOUGH).
For all my celebrations about word counts… the last few months I haven’t done a ton. I’ve edited WAY more than I’ve written. And that’s all been pony words.
So… what’s the point?
Why am I still writing this?
Well, let me get the silly reasons out of the way. First of all, I’ve been writing pony for so long it’s hard to write other things. Seriously. Massive writer’s block there.
Well…
That’s not entirely true. I know I have other stories… but I’m a little afraid that if I go out and write them, well, I might not come back. I won’t lie… I’m having a massive problem getting up the energy to go back to Gardens of Equestria. Part of it is because I stopped. Did you know I listened to Fallout: Equestria nonstop for like… a year? Not only to make sure the Manehattan Edition was as close to perfect as I could make it, but also to keep me in the zone?
That’s reason two.
Another reason is simply inertia. I know I have a problem with coming up with huge, amazing, stunning, plans… and not fully executing on them.
I want to defy that. I want to finish something properly.
Now, time for another confession: if that actually happens to Wavelengths and I can’t end it the way I want… I have an exit strategy. You may not get the full scope of everything I had planned. You may not get THE END, but you will get AN END.
I do promise that you’ll get that. (And seriously, the end I have planned there is just wonderful. I love this story so much).
Reason 3? Well, some of these stories could get turned into original fiction without too much trouble. But I don’t know how special that would be. I mean, would Unexpected Hazards of Interdimensional Transit really be as fun without it being Amy and Sunny (granted, Amy I wouldn’t have to change much, but still… is it even interesting on it’s own?)?
Now, let’s talk about the truth. Here’s the big secret folks. If you’ve ever wondered why I do what I do, this is it.
I don’t want to be #horsefamous.
I don’t understand why some people seem to think I am. I get mentioned in the same sentences as legends like The Albinocorn, Monochromatic and Oroboro. All of these people have twice the amount of followers I have. All of them have been around far longer than I have. They have stories that are renowned across the fandom.
Now, I’m friends with these people. Mono was there for me when I needed someone more than ever before. Albi helped make that happen. Oroboro helped inspire the hell out of me and I’ve inspired the hell out of him.
Am I a good writer? I like to think I am. I’m fairly sure that I actually am.
Do I want more followers? Yes, of course!
But that’s because I love my characters. I love these stories. I’m excited about them. I want to share them because I think they’re fun and great. Not that they’re better than anyone else, but just that I really like them.
There’s a reason I like to celebrate other authors and cool achievements for stories I love. Why I love doing server-wide announcements for awesome people doing awesome things who don’t ask for it!
Because I think it’s cool and I want to share!
Why on earth am I rambling away like this?
I have no idea. A lot’s happened in the last few days. A lot of difficult things. Life seems to be intent on bashing me over the head with all manner of things as of late.
At the very least, I figured out one thing.
I need you folks. I need my friends.
Monochromatic, EbonQuill, Albi, Jay, Beltorn, Cursori, Tinker, Jyki, Swan Song, Krickis, Ladrian, Heartshine, Corjeo, Deathscar, RadiantBeam, Oroboro and many, many others…
Well, as corny as it sounds, you guys taught me what friends actually do. They care about you. They’re there for you when you need it. They’re even there when you don’t know you need it.
I used to think I couldn’t be me with anyone other than my wife.
I’ve since learned differently.
For the love of pete, folks. You donated something like $3,500 to help me and my wife get a new vehicle! A vast majority of you have never met me in real life and likely never will. I remember telling my Mom that… and she just stared at me like a deer in headlights. Just… shocked.
Even then… well, I still think about it and I’m amazed. No, not amazed. Astounded. Befuddled. Dumbfounded. Awestruck. That and a thousand other things.
FimFic may not pay the bills in dollars (though it definitely did for Rarity), but… you’ve done more for me than I can ever repay. With every comment, every like, every follow, every favorite, every bookshelf add, everything.
I won’t pretend this won’t stop being an issue. I am going to have to work on original fiction. I need to start providing better for my family. I did just celebrate my 13th wedding anniversary, after all. But…
Well, I love being me on here. I don’t want to give that up.
Okay, enough of this rambling! I’m sure I’ve repeated myself like a DOZEN TIMES ALREADY and you’re sick to death of it all, time to check the word counts!
March Word Count: 19,993
Nope. Not as good as it could have been. But that’s okay. Because some good stuff is happening soon. And you know what? It’s all I really had time for this month.
SunLight Sliders II has entered the home stretch! We’ve got a little under two weeks left before the grand finale! Even if I did have to hand the reins over to Albi for a bit simply because I couldn’t handle this and everything else, it’s been one hell of a ride. Don’t worry, no matter what, you’ll get a polished version in May or so.
I likely will be doing only VERY light editing this time around, so hopefully they’ll be a quicker turnaround time, but I’ve got a lot on my plate, so no promises on when the full story will come out!
March’s Writing Bookshelf:
A Study on Chaos Theory - Minimum Complexities & Failsafes
Only Chapter 3 cleared March. Sorry about that. Stuff happened with poor Chaos Theory. Stuff got brought up at the last second. Seriously guys, protip: if you’re doing a story like this, get all your big edits done before you start to launch. It’s easier on EVERYONE involved.
Still. Minimum Complexities was a brutal chapter. I think you can tell why I’m being really obsessive about this story going well. This is a super pivotal point for Sunset, Twilight and Moon Dancer. I want to make sure they’re done right.
For those of you screaming for Celestia’s head… well… I’ll give you a little hint. You’ll get another Celestia-perspective chapter during the course of this story. What’s in there and what’s going through her head… you’ll have to wait and see.
But in a way Failsafes was even harder. That bit with Cheerilee and Sunny… just tears me up inside. Her pounding on the window… ugh. Painful stuff.
Guilt messes you up.
My Little Pony: Unity - Stars Above
Wow.
This… was received far better than I expected. Considering how it was my first OC-only story, I honestly didn’t expect much from it.
Instead, it cruised straight into the Feature Box without blinking and I think rose as high as #3 at one point. Even stranger? (And I know this will jinx it.), but this is the first story to have NO DOWNVOTES almost a MONTH after release. In fact, it got 80 upvotes! The comments were universally positive!
I’m… really amazed by how well this did. REALLY AMAZED.
In fact… it did so well… (SEE BELOW!)
Codename: Serenade - Ongoing
Still takking on this. On and off.
April Writing Bookshelf:
A Study on Chaos Theory - Ongoing
The next chapter is my long-awaited first peek into Twilight’s head. And then… there’s a surprise I never saw coming! Suggested (and insisted on) by my editors (and boy were they smart), you’re going to see the world from a very unexpected point of view!
My Little Pony: Unity - Silver Lining - Coming Soon!
DID YOU SEE THAT PIC UP THERE?! This is my FOURTH PIECE of fan art! FOURTH! Seriously guys, getting unsolicited fan art of YOUR CHARACTERS?! This is one of those marks where you know you’ve really MADE IT an an author. Just… wow. WOW. WOW. WOW.
Now, I know everyone’s eager to see more of the Unity universe. What I think you guys actually mean is that you want to see more of Filly Bee (because Filly Bee is adorable). Well, I’ll be honest with you.
I don’t actually have any more Filly Bee stories currently planned.
I have a few half-baked ideas. Because she was fun to write. But we’re going to jump forward a bit in the next story to the fabled Silver Lining, the ship that ends up changing the direction of Bee’s life by introducing her to a very important pony.
But, to my surprise, this month, Blue Venture’s backstory got a MAJOR piece filled in. A friend of mine, known online as Tsitra, is now playing with us. He recently introduced a new character by the name of Lunar Skysong.
Well, to my surprise, Lunar has a history with Blue Venture. A history that I didn’t see coming. A history we worked on together in a joint story currently called In Transit.
And I’ll warn you now… it’s going to be my first story that gets the “sad” tag if published. It still needs a lot of work before it’s ready to go to print. There’s also the fact that Tsitra is a very different kind of writer than me. We’re doing our characters in short almost “flash-fiction” style chapters. It’s really different. But my editors say it’s like getting a brick of feels to the face… so I think it does the job.
Anyway. I’ve got a few stories in this universe going. We’ll see how it all turns out.
BUT YAY MORE FAN ART!
My Kind of Crazy - Polish Phase!
I’m releasing this story this month.
And any deaths caused by cuteness are not my fault. But seriously, I love this story. I can’t wait to see your reaction to it. I’m going to publish it a bit different… a chapter a day for a week, starting on a Saturday morning!
AND THE ART IS GOING TO BE AMAZING YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE IT I CAN’T WAIT SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
Gardens of Equestria: This Coming Storm - In Development
I’m a terrible person. This got shoved back again. 
The "Currently Reading" Bookshelf
So, time for a confession.
I tried out Crystal’s Wishes a several months ago. Then I realized “Oh, it’s about an OC daughter of Jet Set and Upper Crust?” I proceeded to dismiss it. Because, come on, everyone knows that OC-focused stories are usually terrible.
Everyone’s dead flippin’ wrong.
I was in the mood for an adventure/romance, so I started out with Memoirs. I wanted something fairly long (which would keep me for about a week or so) that I could really dive into. Boy, did this deliver. Anzel killed it in this story, making this lovable stiff of a pony who slowly breaks out of his insane RomCom Obliviousness into seeing the world as a much bigger place than he ever could have imagined.
You also have the adorable image of this big hulking pegasus stallion walking around Canterlot with his little sister (who’s also in the Guard), laying on his back like saddlebags because she’s trying to get him to talk about something.
The story goes all over the place. It’s hysterical is so many places, tragic in at least a few, totally squee-worthy in about a billion spots, facehoof-worthy in an infinity number of spots and a hell of a lot more.
You see the life of Silent Knight for a period of time (I think Crystal and Anzel may be among those crazy people who go with the multiple-seasons-in-one-year idea). You see hopes and dreams, romances and heartache, friendships and enemies...
...and then? You live it all again through the eyes of the ADORABLE Crystal Wishes in Crystal Wishes’s Crystal’s Wishes. (For the record, she created the account/OC/name before it was really taboo to have your OC and “Ponypersona” being two separate entities. If you dismiss this story because of that, you’re being a fool).
Crystal is a hopeless romantic with a lot of adorably fluffy (and adorably naive) ideas on what romance really is. She’s fantastic at what she does… until she actually meets her Knight in shining armor (No, not that Shining Armor, though he’s around plenty). She has her best friend in all the universe, Velvet Step, who works off of her in such glorious ways that I’m totally jealous of both of them for having a friend like that.
More than that though, Crystal’s story feels very, very authentic. There are details in here about Crystal’s time in school, her relationship with her friends, her actually barking at hunky stallions (no, I’m not exaggerating), and so much more that… honestly? It feels almost like a legit biography. Crystal the character is probably one of the most authentic characters I’ve ever seen, OC or not.
I felt like I really lived her life. I felt like I understood the idea of a girl growing up in this sort of world far better than I ever had before.
I’m about halfway through Crystal’s Wishes—having just reached the point where the mirror story of Memoirs gives way to Secrets, the second of the Royal Guard stories—and I’m still loving it. More than anything… I’m totally in love with these characters.
And guess what? Crystal Wishes and Silent Knight will eventually make an appearance in Wavelengths. It won’t be the exact same ponies (Royal Guard/Crystal Wishes is technically in an AU and Wavelengths is a seperate timeline), but they’ll be damn close.
...I might even moving things along for two particular characters in this universe. <3
I’ll also be doing a full-blown Follow Up to BOTH of these stories soon! (Hopefully. If not, Crystal and Anzel will just be getting a ton of insane comments in one giant email).
Monthly Story Recommendation
Fair warning: this recommendation is part-essay, part-review and part-ramble. There will be some spoilers, too, so you’ve been warned.
I bet you never expected to see a Human In Equestria story on my recommended reading list, did you? You’re not the only one.
I don’t remember why I finally decided to try this out. I think it was after my success with Stars Above, I decided to take another look at OC-centric stories. And since several of my friends are like crazed fans of Project: Sunflower, I decided to finally cave and give it a try.
But first, let’s talk about HiE.
I normally hate the idea of HiE. If I read a synopsis that has a human name in it, I’ll usually get as far as that name and stop reading. I won’t even bother with the rest of the synopsis. I’ve had to think about this a lot lately. I’m still not a fan of the genre. But why am I not a fan?
Well, part of it is because of the reputation HiE has. I’m not even sure why I think it has this reputation. Maybe it’s because of people sharing horror stories of the sort of terrible wish-fulfillment that seem to pervade the genre, stuff like a bad OC (or a literal self-insert) hooking up with one of the Mane 6. Or maybe because it ties into the Displaced Genre (one Genre I don’t ever think I’ll be able to get into, because it’s almost the definition of wish-fulfillment).
Maybe because when I imagine an actual human walking around the bright colorful world of Equestria, my brain just rejects it for stylistic reasons.
I don’t know.
The only successful Human-in-Equestria stories I’ve read so far that have worked—before Project Sunflower—have been crossovers and depend entirely upon the crossover character. Magic, and Mayhem, and... Murder? Oh my… works so well because the author captures the personality of Shawn Spencer, the main character of Psych. I’ve said it before, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Invictus is actually one of the primary writers on Psych because he nails the character so well. That drives the story. The same goes for the Dresden Fillies, and that has a great twist of having Harry Dresden’s chapters in first-person perspective (which is how Jim Butcher writes those stories) and any other external character in third-person limited.
So, why does Project Sunflower work?
Shockingly… it’s for the same reason the two I mentioned above work: character. Erin Olsen is a fantastically realized character that doesn’t come across as a self-insert in the slightest. Even better, it doesn’t start as a HiE story. It starts as a human-turned-into-a-pony story, sent there to recon a home that could potentially save the human race.
As one of my pre-readers, Little Tinker, said, her reactions to the world of Equestria feel so real and accurate… well, that helps sell it. First of all, she actually has to train for a long time to learn to use her pony body. That takes roughly a month or so. She has hangups on the casual nudity of Equestria, but without it being lewd. It’s a modesty issue (and one that slowly shifts over time). It’s actually pretty damn amazing when she finally meets another human character… who figures out that Oh crap, Erin’s naked! and proceeds to freak out.
Now, let’s get some other things out of the way. I’ll be honest. The overarching plot of “The Black Tide” is fairly weak. The concept is great, but it’s not taken far enough. It reminds me a little bit of that Final Fantasy CG movie done a while back. You never get threat of impending doom that you should with some sort of terraforming device turning Earth into something else. The external pressure never really happens.
The twist of one of Celestia’s old apprentices actually playing a pretty major role was played out with mixed success. The slow reveal didn’t really work all that well for me. His role in the finale was also a bit murky. However, there are some truly horrible elements, such as the sudden turn of the Black Tide suddenly evolving into something that could consume both Equestria and Earth in moments--and just how they would be consumed… ugh. Shivers.
However, the resolution feels far too easy. Part of it is the Elements of Harmony are basically used to “blast the baddie.” The other part is Celestia just delivers the killing blow. Don’t get me wrong. I like Celestia as an actual powerhouse who prefers to enable others to grow and act in her stead rather than taking direct action.
But, ironic as it is, this Earth-consuming threat is really a secondary thing. It’s backstory. It comes across a little as an excuse to get Erin into Equestria, but it also works. And the author really does try to make it work. It’s not a hand-wave. It’s just one of those things that didn’t go far enough.
So why is this still my recommended story of the month?
Because of Erin’s character. She’s so flipping adorable. Her friendships feel very, very real. Her struggles to adapt to Equestrian society feel honestly like a human. Celestia and Luna’s debates on offering humans sanctuary in Equestria—knowing human nature thanks to Erin—are wonderful. Erin’s family is fantastic. The team at Project Harmonics—which includes a horrific twist I never saw coming—are almost all written excellently.
Her character is enough to drive the story. In truth, I would have immediately started the sequel if it had been finished. Sadly, it seems the sequel has been abandoned. And I can’t stand abandoned stories. Too bad, because it had major potential.
So, overall, while Project Sunflower has some story and setting issues that could have been resolved with a bit more time and effort, on a whole, the story is more than worth your time. I understand why it’s some people’s favorite HiE of all time.
And it works for one of the best reasons. A reason central to any good story: character.
And Erin is an amazing (and often adorable) character. Check it out for yourself!
Finally, a bit of news for you brave souls who got this far. As you may already know, I’m going to be at EFNW this year… and I’m going to be there in a big way! I’m technically going as Staff, but I’m also (sorta) going as a Community Guest and as a member of Equestria Daily Staff (which reminds me that I really need to finish that article about cover art for them…).
I’ll be on a minimum of six panels, too! So you’ll get to hear me talk ALL ABOUT my crazy writing skills… at least, that’s what you think. Instead, you’ll finally learn that I really don’t have any idea how I do what I do.
Well, I think this has been delayed long enough. Time to get it out. I’ll see you all soon for either the next chapter of Chaos Theory or for the release of Silver Lining!
Thank you for helping me procrastinate actually writing my next chapter. Swear I'm gonna start any minute. To be honest, I've never understood the taboo against wish fulfillment in fanfiction. ...I mean... the whole thing of it being fanfiction is basically saying 'I wish the show told more stories... hey I'll just write em and share em myself!' And bam, you go and fulfill that wish. Now... some of it's terrible, but as you note with Sunflower (a personal favorite of mine, actually, and for basically the same reasons you mention. Her at Pinkie's party was just unfairly adorable), it's all in execution as much as concept.
Yeah, good thing the show never cops out like that
More importantly, ...well I think you know I'm looking forward to more Chaos Theory, but in the meantime I'll be looking into those other recommendations, thanks for those. I still have to read Stars Above... it's on the big bookshelf...
...I got an email from EFNW asking 'what I'd like to see there' or the like. I was... politely unhelpful. I'm like 'uhh... whatever you have planned is fine, I don't know these things'. But looking forward to it despite little notion on what to expect. I don't do many cons, so...
Pinkie shipping... you fiend, I only have one heart! Death by cute was not in the plans... and yet, what's life without risk?
As one of those perfectly sane, it's the nice men in the white coats who are crazy fans of Project:Sunflower, I always like to preface my recommendation with "read this as a Slice-of-Life story about someone moving to a new place and making friends and not as an epic sci-fi story about the end of the world" because, at its core, that's what it is. I know the second half of the story gets a lot of flak, and probably rightfully so, but I actually loved the fact that no matter how epic the scope of the story got, it never strayed from being about Erin, and her struggles to live in two worlds. There's plenty of big story about big people doing big things out there, and I treasure this story for being about a little person who did one big thing and then went back to being a little person in a big world.
Also, Erin is flipping adorable. I squeed so hard at the end of that one chapter when Hoopy had the picture of her up-side on the couch.
The Quill and Blade universe (Crystal and Anzel's AU) is wonderful too, and I love how Crystal managed to make her OC feel like a real character by weaving actual details from her life (listen to her first interview with the Barcast after finishing Wishes to see where she got her inspiration for a certain scene in the Crystal Empire near the end), while still making her separate from herself. Crystal and Anzel are just a shining example of how to write a vibrant world of OCs within canon.
Poke me on discord sometime, I have a bunch of the same issues as you regarding original fiction. Take care
Project:Sunflower and the Madverse are what brought me to Fimfiction.
I know the feel about wondering whether my level of involvement makes sense. I got into a pretty bad place this last year, where I couldn't keep up with writing, editing, or reading, to anywhere near the extent that I had committed myself. It was painful unraveling some of that, and I'm pretty sure I ended up disappointing some people. But where I'm at now is a lot better; I focus mostly on the writing, which is really the thing that gives me the boost.
I hope you can keep getting that boost out of what you do. It seems like we're at somewhat similar places with families and responsibilities, and I'm certainly nowhere near the point of realizing my earlier professional writing ambitions either. But, I just love writing pony! I feel like it gives me something I need to do better at the rest than I would otherwise. I feel like I've benefited from it in a lot of unexpected areas of life, even though it's also been one of my bigger distractions that I've had to manage as I juggle my responsibilities.
It's trite to say that life's a journey and you've got to enjoy it. But, if pony helps you enjoy that journey, then there's something to be said for that!
Looking forward to more Blue Venture and Wavelengths!
Good to know you're sticking with us. Some days it feels like this fandom is dying, as people simply move on with their lives... but knowing the way I shrink from change, I'll probably be among the last to leave. I'd miss you if you left, and not just for your stories.
4834397 What you said, squared. Heck, maybe cubed.
Stardust (oddly enough) is another Human/Equestrian story that just cuts me right under the heart. It took me remarkably little time (since I had played X-COM) to accept the premise and agonize over the plight of a happy, loving, nerdy unicorn dropped into an alien invasion where the friends she made had a very high probability of being killed in gruesome fashion at any moment. And I'll admit, I cheered out loud near the end.
"I don’t want to be #horsefamous."
There's nothing wrong with being horsefamous in smaller ways. Just go onto YouTube and google "One Hit Wonders" and you're going to find a lot of really nifty songs from bands who had absolutely no impact on the world afterwards. When I started on this site, I didn't think I'd get more than a hundred people reading my stuff. (which was a hundred times more than I had ever before) You're not writers-blocking on ponies as much as you are still pecking on the inside of your egg, working on that long process of being hatched. Hell, you're around half my age. Grandma Moses was (checks Google) really old before she even *started* her career of fame.
The important thing to do is to look at what you're doing and say, "Am I having fun?" If so, you have one of the *cheapest* hobbies ever. You don't have to buy yarn to knit, or pigments to paint. (Although Convention bills still show)
I'm glad to hear you've gotten your car situation sorted out.
And I can certainly sympathize with your difficulties in getting yourself to write anything else besides horsewords. I've had a fantasy story I've been meaning to work on in hopes of eventually publishing it, but I haven't been able to give it any attention for the better part of a year because my writing passion has been directed entirely at my pony stuff instead. And having two ongoing stories to work on at once is about what I feel I can handle, so I don't know when I'll be able to resume work on my novel without feeling like I'm abandoning something else... 
But, well, it's still nice to hear that things are still going fairly well for you. SLS has been a blast so far, and I look forward to how it ends. Same with Chaos Theory, and I'm unsurprised by how much work you're putting into it. I'm looking forward to My Kind of Crazy and the next Blue Venture story as well! Story recommendations are noted as always, though I've already got several stories I've been meaning to read so I doubt I'll get to any of them anytime soon.
Not much else to say. I hope you have a fantastic April!
4834458
First and foremost, thank you. It does help!
Okay, two things stood out more than anything to me...
Not quite. I actually did original fiction for years before coming to FimFic. I have a couple short stories on Kindle and a few novels that I frankly I need to buckle down, edit and start shopping around.
...you're in your seventies?!
Yeah, most of the time. Otherwise... well, I wouldn't be putting the effort into slamming out this 4.5K blog post. Heh. ^^
4834482 Around, *AROUND* half my age. Round, darnit! Fifty-five and holding. I'm a speed limit.
And the writer's version of pecking on the inside of the eggshell until you break free only reveals another eggshell to peck. And then another one. And another. And another. It can really wear down your pecker.
4834484
I would like to point out that in Canada, 70 can be a speed limit.
Novel: I thought I liked your stories, but your stream of consciousness is also very nice to read. Aside from the next parts of Wavelengths, I'm looking forwards (nearly more so) to your thoughts on the QnB saga. The two streams are very differently paced, as Crystal's side tales you through twice the books in Silent Knight's chronicling. I won't spoil anything but I will say that even among such great writers as there are here on this site, I believe only Austraeoh has made me as attached to its characters.
All the best in all you do!
4834484
Uh-huh. Okay.
4834391
Hey, I have higher expectations from FanFic authors. We have a LOT more freedom than they do.
Get back to work, slacker!
Well, depends on how cute you thought Stars Above was. Turn it into a ship, add Pinkie and Skystar... well, I'm not responsible for deaths.
4834397
I agree. The threat to Earth is really just used as a slightly misfired impetus and I'd like to say that it's flipping an amazing testament that the characterization was enough to get me to go all the way through instead of dropping the story because of a somewhat-flimsy presence.
God, she is.
I completely believe it.
And now I'm even more jealous of her.
4834441
THIS GUY GETS IT!
4834444
Star Trek's still around, my friend. And personally, I think the MLP Fandom is even stronger than that. We've got the internet, after all. We're all over the world. It may shrink, but it's probably NEVER going to die.
4834469
Thanks Fang!
4834599
Good god... then the Follow-Ups I've done in the past must have been like crack. I'm surprised the Mare Who Once Lived On The Moon one didn't outright kill you!
Belle and Kera. Seriously. Both are so adorable and badass in their own ways.
4834618
FTFY
4834618
Very true... I've made that point myself now that you remind me.
And I did! Posted 3200 words a few minutes ago. Should have been done 4 hours sooner though.
And George's Stardust recommendation... I second that one. Definitely darker, but a great story.
4834625
Same difference.
4834632
Good pony!