It's been a while since anyone posted here. Not even fics, but anything on this forum. There is even a guy who came for shameless self-promotion like "Hi everyone, I'm going to make a setting like here but different". Here it is, if you wonder.

Actually, I want to do the same , but first I want to know one thing. One of the answers to the aforementioned not-EqD post looked quite weird to me. While some compare EqD to Warhammer or Game of Thrones, other are interested in mane six and other canon ponies and not all the epicness and such... Probably, even PoorYorick himself did, actually, considering how much thought he put in describing certain ponies' fates and exploiting various memes. So what do you like in "Equestria Divided"? Are you here for mane six and background ponies, or polytics and warfare? Is EqD more about one or another, as you see it?

I really like the contrast between these versions of the mane six and the regular ones. The EQD mane six are still noticeably themselves, and still have good intentions to an extent, but have matured in unhealthy directions. You could say the same about Equestria as whole, the setting is still Equestria, or at least from the time of the show that PoorYorick wrote during. Also I liked that it had that whole high fantasy feel that sort of got left behind by later seasons in MLP.

Well, as a guy who learned of EQD and several other Fimfiction stories through the TV Tropes grapevine, I admit that the Mane Six being turned into funhouse perversions of their original personalities (as well as their family members and side characters being forced to adapt to everything going full-Grimdark) is what kept me hooked as opposed to the "dark epic fantasy" theme in general (which may be my personal taste of being gravitated to stories with strong characters rather than the setting, as my other personal favorite "dark epic fantasy", Darkest Dungeon, is dripping with great characters).

As for nobody posting new stories for a LONG time here, I was toying with a story idea (which I admit has little actual progress due to me bouncing several dozen fanfic ideas in my head at any given time, and constantly rotating between them whenever I started getting bored with one or another). To avoid some MASSIVE spoilers, it would technically incorporate the "canon" MLP timeline, by highlighting how different EQD was even before the whole Equestrian Civil War thing kicked off (one noticeable example being the geography, where the "official" EQD map is wildly different from even the earliest official MLP maps), and that trying to figure out what really changed the EQD timeline from "canon" MLP is the core of the story.

Divided was the first Grimdark AU I ever found for MLP:FIM. It will always have a place my memory, because I first created a Deviant Art account for it. (You had to be of-age to view the Cult of Laughter unit roster.).

I discovered Yorrick’s setting before I actually got familiar with Warhammer, or even understood the term ‘grimdark.’ There were a few things that really struck me. One was Yorrick’s fantastic illustrations. The ponies and creatures he drew were show-accurate, yet steeped in detail. The high-fantasy assets and powers were still on display, but also had low-fantasy practical armor and equipment.

The descriptions for each of us units an army strategy also really pulled me in. I didn’t know what Warhammer was, but I was very familiar with the RTS genre. With all the description he put in for the role of each unit, I could really envision how a battle with each one would play out.

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The story he wrote really retched my heart. The Mane Six had grown to truly hate each other, understandably traumatized by events. Equestria itself had split along the believable fault lines of race and privilege, and faith in an old system versus disillusionment.

I really like this series idea. The idea is fantastic and has a lot of potential. I was hooked right from the start. This is essentially an Alternate Universe and I love those.

There was actually an RP forum before RPs were banned on Fimfiction revolving around a sort of fan house called The Caravan, a rebel group of sorts that fights to bring back freedom and friendship to those oppressed by the Houses. It was very well done and, while it didn't quite adhere to PY's canon a bit, with some tweaking, no doubt it could have been just like a real part of it.

One could even treat it as an unofficial chapter book of sorts in the series.

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I feel the same. The contrast and seeing how far the Mane Six have fallen here is one of the best things. To see and read about so many familiar characters having been twisted or taken a turn for the worse. It was great to see so many fans eventually add the newer characters like Cheese Sandwich to the today as the show expanded.

Got dragged into it by a fanwork that created a new faction with Spike. House Brightburn or something along that notion. When I read it all, and found myself looking for more, I simply hopped on to the rest. The politics, the warfare, it just offers so much in terms of exploration for writing, be it a story or even an RP. 'Course, considering this is a sub-fandom of a sub-fandom within the fandom, and hasn't had much fuel added to it, not often I get an rp for it, but that's besides the point.

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That's a good question…The basic concept was incredibly intriguing, not many people can do epic fantasy without it just being "off," you know? Like, it tries too hard; looks great on the surface, but turns out to be incredibly shallow or overdone. This setting, however, was well-laid out and written with a solid foundation, but it didn't go overboard–gave you just enough to fill in some of the gaps, and it's so versatile! Is it a book? A game? A movie? A tv series? There are plot hooks all over the place just begging the right person to come along and turn them into something great! So many stories to be told, branching out from all the little details. I suppose my tune changed a little as more expanded content came out (and, well, my own group split up…) and it kind of lost some of that allure bit by bit. Everything got pretty quiet once the RPs had to be shut down, which I think is very telling why this setting was popular AND why it died out; whatever stories people ARE telling in the setting, they're private, kept to small groups. The source material is ALL that's out there, there isn't actually very much of it (it's really JUST a premise), and, well, there's no more coming.

Oh, and do pardon my intrusion, hope it's okay. I know I'm only supposed to watch and enforce rules, but it was such a pleasant surprise to see a new thread.

I pretty much grew up with RTS style games and along with "once great friends, now great enemies" stories. Equestria Divided is the two rolled into one. In the show, it's kid friendly in terms of its military but here it's everything but the kitchen sink and they all go out depending each House.

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_{Holy feck a new thread-}

It's been awhile since I've had an interest in EqD, but it still holds a special place in my heart, mostly because of its potential.

I'm not the biggest fan of RTS games, but I really, really enjoy TTRPGs, and EqD has that sorta sandbox-esque feel to it that it'd probably work just as well as a TTRPG setting as much as an RTS. Plus, I like dark fantasy/dark sci-fi settings, and EqD just hits that dark fantasy sweetspot for me.

_{That, and a lotta the mare units are friggin' adorable.}

I want too see how it ends I came up with the idea like every faction in Equestria and around it wipes themselves out leaving ruins and ashes of the factions and 100 years later a lone male earth pony my character Telwyn Freecolt a collector explores the ruins of Equestria and the destroyed lands around it. With Telwyn Freecolt Dually recording and collecting everything he can get his hoods on eagerly learning the old era of his face past. Telwyn be basically telling the story to other ponies and non ponies how civilization of the factions wiped each other out and how Celestia and Luna are still missing and how their are lessons and warnings to learn of the Equestrian Divided time period.

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Exactly. That's another reason I like it. You can try to make your own ideas and stuff like that. That's why I loved that old RPG, The Caravan. Sadly, since the RPGs were shut down, we could never find out anything else about the characters (especially since some of the most important people for it left the fandom all together or haven't been on in some time.) I even remember making a thread about the Caravilluminati, the 11 apparent ponies BEHIND the Caravan who are working to help bring peace back to Equestria by aiding the fugitive faction.

It's... my first time. And you don't forget your first time.

Frankly, looking back, this whole setting might have been the only reason that kept me in MLP for so long. And looking at the present, it probably is. I have tried to find out why.

• First, I think it's the Contrast. We usually see in the show that it's all peaceful and whatnot. Of course, this isn't unique. There are plenty of dark AUs out there.
• So on to number two (or 1.1, rather), War. This goes to preference, and again, is not unique. There are plenty of wartime AUs out there.
• I say another one is what happened to the Characters. As MLP fans, we know who they are, but it is who they are here that makes it interesting. The Mane 6 are twisted in their own way, and so are the other minor characters. Background characters given their own roles and purposes also provide their own framework to expand upon. We don't get elaborate stories. We get details on what they are, and what they do. Why they are and why they do are for us to come up with.
• The next quality, I believe, is Relatability. A good chunk of the material is presented with "units". This allows people with background from, say, strategy (such as Warcraft) or tabletop war games (such as Warhammer) to hook themselves into the setting.
• For this one it is, again, probably an extension to the other because it also concerns the nature of the material – Accessibility. Equestria Divided has rather few source "canon" material to speak of. They do not require a lot of investment. Well, there's also being in the MLP fandom to understand the characters. But the point is, the material isn't filled to the brim like, say, The Elder Scrolls. You just read a few stuff, and you're already making up stories and stuff.
• Finally, Potential. For me, the provided framework allows me to expand on little details that interest me by myself. And then there's also the main show that expanded way beyond the scope of Equestria Divided. Twilight must not be an alicorn, and it's interesting to think about how things would change when she's not an alicorn, AND how it applies to this setting. And it's not just about Twilight. There are also future events that might not happen, or would happen differently starting from when exactly the Princesses disappears. And then there are also new details. Something like, where does the retired monster-hunting agent Bon Bon fit in all this? Or that Tempest Shadow with the broken horn? This whole thing is kindling waiting to light a fire.

And I might just try coming up with another thing now that I read my old scribbles from years ago.