A Tale of Two Smuts · 12:11am Sep 23rd, 2020
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As odd as it may seem, these two fics have an awful lot in common. Humor me for a blob!beat:
-They were both written in 2020 (duh)
-They were both inspired by creatively-engaging conversations with shallow15
-They were both graciously proofread by Syntakitty
-They both involved me working relatively outside of my comfort zone
-Both fics ended up in the 10k-15k word range
-Both take place in the EqG universe and utilize a certain degree of metaphysicality
-Both feature a submissive main character with very little agency
Nevertheless, these stories "enjoyed" savagely contrasting results in the department of reader reception. Let's not call this complaining; merely a list of observations.
-While the first fic took approximately two months to reach 380 views, the second fic got to 565 views within less than twenty-four hours.
-Fic #1 accumulated only ten comments in its two month tenure: four of them being from the same user across multiple chapters / Meanwhile Fic #2 has soared to seventeen comments on what is only a single-chapter-oneshot.
-Fic #2 has gotten nearly the same number of votes in less than twenty-four hours as Fic #1 has gotten in two months / And as of this blargh, Fic #1 scores at 54% positive votes while Fic #2 scores at 87% positive
-Fic #1 has made it onto 97 bookshelves with 25 users tracking / Fic #2 is on 370 bookshelves with 70 users tracking
Now...
...one can easily say there's a huge disparity in how "well" both of these fics were received by the Fimficcianados.
But let's not kid ourselves here...
It's not exactly rocket science.
First off, let's look at Fic #1
-Stock Internet Cover Art of hyper-feminine underwear with a Disney Character printed on it
-Intense and unabashed exploration of niche fetish themes
-Focus on a male main character in a cross-dressing scenario
-OoC Casting of Established Female Cast in an undeniably "harem-esque" scenario
-Little to no sexual interaction despite the "porn" tag
-Usage of the "Non-Con" tag (Used for safety's sake, given that the situation is more akin to dub-con)
-Lengthy build-up and excessive exposition
-Flash Sentry
And now let's look at the far more successful sibling, Fic #2:
-Actually good, professional, gorgeous Cover Art of an attractive young woman
-Female main character
-Lesbian shipping with an established female character
-Little to no niche tags/themes
-No "Porn" or "Non-Con" tag / basic lesbian vanilla fantasy smut
-Shorter length
-No Flash Sentry
So yeah. Like I said: not exactly rocket science why one fic did so much better than the other in so little time.
I just can't help but feel amused by it all... in a bitter sweet way, I suppose.
Panty Logic was written in one single manic burst. It was a single six hour session of non stop sissy-words back in July. I'd venture to say it's the best writing session I've enjoyed all year. I was having the time of my life, and I threw caution to the wind for the sake of just... relishing the content my tentacles were putting to word processor. And--like all things that people tend to write exclusively for themselves--it's no small wonder that it crashed so spectacularly.
Meanwhile, the Wendy's fic was like pulling teeth. It started as a wholesome dare on behalf of shallow15, one that I had every desire to tackle, but very little strength, enthusiasm, or motivation. This is the fault of many things, but a big factor holding me back was my unfamiliarity with writing actual erotic lesbian fiction, much less trying to distill it into a reasonably digestible piece of smut literature. While I enjoy the product that eventually came out--along with its playful tone and heavy reliance on comedy--I'd be lying if I said my heart was in on it.
Sooooooo...
Naturally it's the fic that people responded positively to. It rocketed its way to the top two slots of the feature box while Panty Logic didn't even remotely graze the bar whatsoever.
And I suppose if there's any takeaway I can get from this, it's that--with just enough time, effort, and commitment--even a hairy stick-in-the-mud wizard such as myself can actually write well-received NSFW literature. But that doesn't mean I'd actually enjoy it... lulz.
Dun get me wrong. I'm proud that the story of Chastity White made it to the feature bar (and actually nabbed the #1 spot for a short time), but I don't think I have it in me to write more of that ilk on a regular basis.
I would so... soooooo much rather write gratuitous and cringey niche fetish shiet like Panty Logic and Flash Sissy and The Allure. I've long acknowledged that they just won't ever get the kind of positive reception I dream of them getting. However, as silly as it is to admit, there was a short time there where I imagined that I could somehow tilt the compass, as t'were, and contribute to an environment where stories with those particular themes might average out to be less downvote-bombed.
But you just can't change popular opinion. And--besides--why should you? There's a reason certain things are "niche." They grow better there in the dark. Like mushrooms. Glittery, frilly mushrooms. F'naaa.
I'd like to take a moment and give a shoutout to Valentine, the talented and gracious artist who drew Chastity White from the Wendy's fic. Valentine is very sweet, intelligent, and inspiring. They like to make sketches for friends and familiars, oftentimes at the behest of their own time and sleep, methinks. This is more or less what happened just last night--when I was about to post the fic with a generic cover art of a Wendy's restaurant at night--and I lassoed Valentine down and asked rather selfishly for a pic of the main character instead. They obliged, something I don't even remotely deserve, and yet I like to think we're all blessed because of it. Just look at Chastity there. Look at that adorable gay disaster with Nu!Cinderella hair.
I told Valentine that if the fic made it to the feature bar, it'd be all thanks to the cover art. And despite the full length of this blargh's pedantic rambling, I must say that's still the biggest and most deciding factor in the fic's positive traffic.
Art by another_pony
We're coming upon another hump.
As of this blargh, I'm at 199 stories on my main account.
It really really feels like I need to make Fic #200 "something special." But I hate that. I truly... truly loathe that feeling. It's similar to how I despise New Year's Eve and anniversaries in general. They make me unnecessarily anxious and down-in-the-tentacles and all I ever do is remember my past failures. Like Fic #100. Anyone remember Fic #100? No? Lucky marsupials. I can't friggin' forget about it. F'naaaaaaaaaaa.
I do have a potential idea for what could quality as "Fic #200." It'd be a oneshot... but a lengthy oneshot. Some pretentious, emotional, try-hard piece of crappy literature. But the more I dwell upon it (and border upon "announcing" it), the more I fear that I'll just fail once again and vomit forth another redundant exercise in metaphorical gravity.
If I had my way, I'd rather just barf up some stupid crack fic and be done with the "200" slot. I still might just do that.
So, perhaps, marsupials, expect no less and no more. I still feel like the reason no major oneshots have gone up since July on SS&E is because I've dreaded the 200 slot. Meh. Yeah, my head's weird like that. It's hard to leap out of.
In the meantime...
...hit the showers.
-SS&E
pantsu
At least we've proven now that not all smut needs to be hoers to be successful, eh? I call that a victory.
Not my cup of tea, so...
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There's definitely something to be said for celebrating story centennials with silly self-indulgence.
If it involves Flash and Pinkie Pie being cute and frilly - I'm all for it...
--Spade
I vote for barf. You'd enjoy it more and get past the dumb milestone you hate. Don't give in to whatever it is that's making you doubt that hate.
As for the two fics: as always, write whatever you want for whatever reason you want. Regardless of what someone like me thinks. That said, I just have zero interest in dudes. None. Zip. Chastity White's sordid tale was riddled with facepalm/cringe, but it at least got in front of my eyeballs. The niche stuff you prefer just isn't ever going to. You do you, I do me. I read what I wanna read like you write what you want to write. If that causes us to cross brainmeats in the phlogiston, cool.
Sounds like you're torn between the two poles. One has you writing to enjoy the creation process. The other has you enjoying greater reception. I figure keep wooing both of those mistresses in whatever balance you like best but try not to reject either one completely. That would lead to misery. Stuff both into your harem closet and enjoy the tension instead of expecting any one fic to satisfy your every orifice.
I was really confused for a minute, because I thought #1 was lthe 1st listed.
If it makes you feel better, I didn't pay attention to EITHER of them!
I couldn't pretend to tell you something you haven't already thought of in a one-off suggestion, but for the hell of saying it, just take 15-20 minutes to close your eyes and think of what would be most motivating/exciting/fulfilling to write about. Let whatever positivity you may dredge up flow over you, and use that as reason enough for a 200th fic. The importance of the number, after all, is the importance you give it. Right now, it's like you're planning your birthday for other people's sake. This is your accomplishment, your 200th fic (on this account.) You go ahead and write whatever you want that to represent, and you'll have people congratulating and appreciating you regardless of if it's 'Background Pony 2' or 'Sunset Shimmer commits home invasion while you hide under your sheets POV." I, for one, will be there to help make sure that happens.
Happy early 200th, Melonhead.
just give the people what they want. end of ponies 2
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I probably speak only for myself, but I'm mostly here for the comedy. I love stories like this:
- Equestria Girls
- Comedy
- Slice of Life
Flash Sentry makes a hasty exit from the local mall... when he runs into the absolute best people at the absolute worst time.discogenie.dyndns.org/imgur/skirtfight.jpg