A Gentleman's Price and Fertile Ground hit 300 likes! New story idea for a Hearthswarming Eve Clopfic. · 3:25am Nov 1st, 2020
I watched 300 and 300: Rise of an Empire with Firesight to celebrate A Gentleman's Price and Fertile Ground, both written in 2015, for both hitting this milestone. AGP got it about a week ago with FG hitting today on Halloween of 2020. I'm proud of both of them and consider them major achievements and worth people reading to this day, even if both are radically different in tone.
A Gentleman's Price was a relic of the past, even when it was written. A product of 2012 written in 2015. But human/pony love stories were and still are, a soft spot for many bronies. That story has its flaws but its heart was in the right place and it even throws you a few curveballs that set it apart from your typical HiE fic. To date, it's the most complete look into the psyche of the AJA-Roseluck which for a number of writers has become a personal headcanon of sorts: The Wild Mare of Borneo driven to have sex with as many partners as she can before settling down with one man (or thestral or zebra) who finally captures her heart.
Yes, this concept has been done by other writers. Deepthroat Cockslut comes to mind.
But Roseluck is never really pathologized for her condition or judged as a whore for the way she is. There are a number of dominant narratives these days governing what could be called "independent women" but Roseluck just stays away from that and kinda goes about her life like it isn't a big deal. Innocence and zeal of the convert carries this story a very long way.
In fairness, I do think AGP does make Roseluck a bit too overpowered inside the universe and seems to be edging on a Mary Sue at times. If I wrote AGP in 2020, I'd go about it differently in many ways. But the gentle, show-accurate depiction of my version of Gentlemanverse Equestria endures by the pastel-colored fantasy world it takes place in and by drawing upon a depths of lore which is, to this day, being explored by the likes of such titans as Clopficsinthecomments. In that respect, AGP represents perhaps my strongest element as a writer, my ability to give depth to the universe I'm writing in.
Fertile Ground was a very ambitious attempt at story-driven clopfiction that was met with only moderate success in its day but despite this fact, has shown remarkable longevity over the years. Despite not featuring until the edited update earlier this month, it's steadily picked up likes over the years and been liked and favorited by some pretty popular clopfic writers. I consider it the most forward-looking in terms of structure and well-executed story I've ever written -- one of those rare instances when the fans and the creator agree on the merits of an artistic creation which is so often not the case. I'm amazed that in 2015 I was capable of creating such a well-balanced clopfiction and only in the relative shortness of the sex scenes themselves, written hastily and requiring much editing over the years, can the visage of an immature writer be perceived. Given this is still seen today in stories like Social Distancing which came out this year, it's a mild criticism to hold against it.
It's also an example of an entirely positive comments section with readers heaping nothing but praise upon it. If there is a story the site bronies can agree on that represents the best of the AJ Aficionado, it is Fertile Ground. It's got everything: The Roseluck/Lily story, the fixation on ears, and the weirdly distant omniscient narrator who isn't too interested in the freaky sex going on but determined to be as objective in reporting on it as if he were narrating a firefight between the Azeris and Armenians over in Karabakh. Is FG the best thing I've ever written? Probably not. But it was lightning in a bottle and I for one will take accidental success with years of editing to make it better than no success at all.
Which brings me to my new story idea. Remember Loving Submission? Well, I'm going to be writing zebras again but not in that universe. Yeah, I was going to do a sequel to Loving Submission and changed my mind. What I was writing simply wasn't getting me off. I do try to justify everything I write with an actual story but if it doesn't get me in the mood, it's not worth my time. Simple as.
What I'm going to do instead is a Hearthswarming Eve-themed story with Roseluck and a striped handsome fellow set in the period before My Little Pony begins. It's going to get into some origin story of the notorious stallion-aficionado and set the pieces for the show itself which depicts ponies as being mistrusting, if not downright terrified, of strangers. I'll save more details for later but suffice it to say, this isn't zebradom in the way Loving Submission was. This is just two beautiful ponies appreciating each other's company under not the most ideal of circumstances. I am having to stop myself from saying more but it's in no way tied to Loving Submission. Just so we're clear.
Happy Halloween everyone and 100,000 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the United States today. I hope you're taking things seriously because a whole hell of a lot of people have still yet to die. My by math, we're going to lose 250,000 more people by June of 2021 (1000 deaths per day for 8 months). Don't let that be you. Wear your damn mask and stay away from other people. Goodnight everyone!
It's a good summary of your story time here on Fimfiction and all the Trials & Tribulations (tm) you've encountered along the way. I greatly enjoyed AGP back in the day and certainly loved Fertile Ground, but what's most impressed me through all of them are the chances you take, trying to stretch your writing wings by writing in different/difficult settings and styles. Far too many authors on this site never try anything different. Hell, you even got me to enjoy an FoE fic when I'd sworn to never read them in Angels of Oasis, and that's saying a lot. Social Distancing was inspired as well and you did very well with it, both in the contest and on the feature board.
Speaking for myself, I've enjoyed seeing your development as a writer over the years and prereading them, and I'm gratified I've played a role in it along the way. I'm likewise looking forward to prereading the new story, and thank you in turn for all the google doc comments and chapter longposts you write. You do a great service to not just me but all authors by giving such thoughtful feedback as we all crave. Stay safe to you, and we've discussed COVID numbers elsewhere, but I think this thing's just going to have to run its course regardless of lockdowns.
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Lockdowns are not what's called for but common sense on the part of each and every American.
I appreciate our friendship and look forward to our continuing collaboration through the rest of this year and beyond.