Human In Equestria fics (and why I hate them (and why I write them (and how to write them))) · 9:44am Oct 26th, 2011
You know you've seen them. If you're reading this, you've probably read mine. Equestria is a happy, wonderful place. Quite the opposite of our own world. Yet, many feel the desire to see just what would happen if the two worlds mingled. And so, Humans entered Equestria. There are many settings and ways to shove your human into Equestria, which I will be talking about today.
Canonically speaking, Humans do not exist in Equestria. They did in G1, and do in my head cannon, but that is neither here nor there. Because of this, you need to get your Humans into Equestria. There are many ways to do this, which will be the topic for this article, blog, thing.
Firstly, just dropping them in. Want to write a HIE fic? Not sure how to get your human in there? This is for you. Humans randomly appearing can seem quite, sue-ish. But if handled correctly and given a (decent) reason, you can easily pull this off.
The problem with this is that you have to think up your own, specific reason if you want to appear brilliant, as a more general one will make your fic less believable or even *shudder* sue-ish. It doesn't matter if your idea when you start sucks, just don't write it, and think up another one when you're more comfortable with your story. Maybe a villain dragged them in to help finish off the elements, or a pony's wish for true love took an unexpected turn. Perhaps a one-shot scientific, military, high grade experiment sent them there, or Equestria is the afterlife. Whatever the reason, it has to be believable, and mostly unique. For example, if your human dies, and enters Equestria, obviously it's a little cliché, but it's believable. However, if your Human enters Equestria for the sole reason of finding and becoming a partner to Luna, with no transitional romance, what-so-fucking-ever, you may want to try again... and read more Human fics.
Setting starting to sound terrible? Well it's not all bad. As above, your reason for your human to enter Equestria is your own, so it can be as unique and creative as possible. A unique and creative entry to Equestria almost guarantees your story's success, (may also be dependent on your writing skill, and marketing.) And hell, if you want to make some weird ass reason for your human to enter Equestria, go ahead! Writing is about having fun, not having the be-all, end-all fan-fiction.
This creativity also allows other plot points to be set in motion. Nightmare Moon returning etc. Creativity and flexibility is what this one's about, though you may want to get some experience writing first. That or a Bounce.
The next setting requires a bit of fiddling with the cannon. In this setting, Humans have always existed in Equestria, or have done previously. So your Human is a part of the universe, known or unknown to whoever you want. This allows for greater flexibility, making your characters seem less sue. A foreign human dignitary visiting Twilight for a week is an example of this. If said foreign dignitary knows how to use magic, saying that humans exist in a medieval fairytale makes it seem less out of place. Of course, people may hate you for screwing with cannon, but come on; they're humans, in a world full of ponies. Cannon by this point has been turned to stone for a thousand years.
This setting would be good for people who have a decent amount of experience writing, or have really good imaginations. Kingdoms don't build themselves. You may also want to look at a conversion Bureau fic, which is almost the opposite of this for a more sci-fi feel.
Next we have one of the more well known (and controversial) settings, and one of my favourites, The Conversion Bureau. This is perfect for those who want a sci-fi feel to their humans, want ponies to have access to 21st century and beyond technology, want an emotional rollercoaster of conflicting emotions of betrayal and wonder, or, like me, are too lazy to think up their own setting.
The Conversion Bureau is a setting originally created by Blaze, and features humans 'converting' into ponies in order to escape overpopulation, disease, famine, and war. This sets the scene for massive space battles and empty wastelands, as well as the deep emotional changes in having your world collapse around you. A guide to writing fics in TCB setting has been created by Midnight Shadow. If you decide to write a fic using this setting, I highly recommend checking the guide out, as it details several sub-settings available, as well as how to create a likeable character, and how to set your fic out. You can find that below.
The Conversion Bureau is set in the latter half of the 21st century, which essentially means you can do almost anything with the setting. Mechs, nanotechnology, androids, all can be in your Conversion Bureau. And if that isn't technologically advanced enough for you, take it even further into the future, and have everything in space.
Finally, I thought I should touch on Ponies-on-Earth fics. I have seen very few of these, and none of those were done well. You can take a stab at it if you like, and well pulled off, this could be a fantastic read. Unfortunately, I don't have many tips for this, other then, PLEASE DON'T MAKE THE FIC A CLOP. That is all.
And with that 'that is all' I think I’ll wrap up. Below you'll find links to a few of the exceptional HIE fics I've read, as well as Midnight Shadows conversion Bureau guide on Ponychan. If this goes well, and most likely if it doesn't, I will be continuing this series, essentially, character creation, and how to avoid all the major holes in your fic. Happy writing Comrades! See you on the battlefield.
Arddeun Lleud, by Priderage. The one with no transitional romance. Despite its gaping plotholes, it is an excellent example of how to do a good HIE 'dropped in' fic:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6944548/1/Arddun_Lleuad
Stasis, by RickR. Another excellent 'dropped into Equestria' fic. This one’s dark and violent, and the protagonist is the antagonist. Also, Nightmare Moon:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7014193/1/Stasis
The Conversion Bureau Companion Guide, by Midnight Shadow. An all encompassing guide to TCB universe. Contains fics as well as guides to different spins on the universe, as well as fan art, and pretty much anything related to TCB. Again, I must stress that you do not have to use any of the premade universes, originality is key in TCB fics, as most things have already been done:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uHwM6jFStJxLTestWo3q7HqRLC5PVXbq7xIIEgSTAWY/edit?authkey=CI6W8t4P&hl=en_GB&pli=1#heading=h.xv2agciw3ni4
If you have any other HIE fics you love (or love to hate) leave them in the comments!
Evnin Chaps!
TMR
(Oh and I'm working on TCB: UFC chapter 4. I would give you a date, but you all know how I suck with those.)
You've given me an idea
I will love you forever if this idea ends up letting itself beome a coherent and readable story!
I'm working on my own version of TCB.
It has some major differences from the original.
1. Earth is a paradise. Humanity finally got it right. The world is at peace, they have everything they need, and space flight is being researched.
2. Humanity goes to the stars and comes back. Unfortunately they bring a plague with them. They start dropping by the millions.
3. On Equestria a final battle between Celestia/Luna/The Element Bearers and Discord rages. Finally they manage to open a portal to the chaotic realm he originally came from and send him back. Before he is gone he throws a ton of his power at the portal and, after he has gone through, it splinters and forms lots of mini-portals. These portals are permanent. And they connect to Earth. Plague-ridden outbreak Earth. Cue millions of ponies dropping dead now.
4. The only way to save both worlds is to combine the DNA of humans and ponies. Thus the Conversion Bureaus. They exist to give humans pony DNA and ponies human DNA. The result is now were-ponies. Able to shapeshift between pony form, human form, and a humanoid pony form as well. Humans gain the magical abilities of the three pony breeds too. Ponies must now adjust to going from a race of quadrupedal herbivores to a race of bipedal omnivores now.
5. Both civilizations are high-tech, though space travel is forbidden for fear of bringing an even worse plague back then.
6. Equestrian ponies have never eaten meat. Now they have to adjust to craving meat. Fortunately Earth has plenty of non-sentient meat-animals for them to eat.
7. Rainbow Dash discovers a fondness for hamburgers, though she hides this from the sentient bovines she is friends with on Equestria. She doesn't want to freak them out. Wouldn't do for them to learn she's eating their non-sentient counterparts.
what about the ones where the humans are aliens that have found or crash landed on equestria