Each and every group must have an idea pool where members can toss around ideas and get feedback.

I'll start with mine:

1.) Starts off as a normal TCB fic but it will be revealed that the conversion, lethal magic radiation and expanding barrier was all Celestia's plan to gain enough power to conquer Earth. Luna, Discord and their band of Humans, Newfoals and Ponies (natural-born) have to destroy the infrastructure responsible for this and overthrow Celestia. Haven't decided whether the Elements of Harmony would fight alongside the princess or defect out of disgust at her actions.

With the EOH... I almost wanna say they'de be on the Tyrant Sun's side. Maybe she uses the Elements to brainwash and seize control of their minds?

Discord on the side of good?

I'm intrigued...

299893

Changlings, Queen Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon may appear too but I haven't decided yet.

They're along the lines of "the enemy of my enemy is an ally".

What do Discord, Queen Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon and Humanity all have in common? They all hate Celestia.

I've been considering a story idea for a while, essentially this is how it goes:

Several decades after the last human died/converted, a pony investigator/researcher who's planning to write a book on humans finds that the number of ponies who lived with/were humans start refusing to do interviews with him. He begins to suspect that his interviews are being refuted because (as what he already knows) humans are just something that everypony would do better to simply forget. He of course is against such an idea, because he argues that as bad as humans were having records of the human atrocities would help anything similar happening in the future.

In the midst of this he learns that his grandmother passed away recently and had several objects for him to inherit, including several memory orbs which would allow him to relive her past experiences, specifically those of when she lived with humans. In the process he learns what humans were really like, why they resisted the CBs as they did, why his parents had shunned her grandmother, and a secret meant only for the elite of the Equestrian aristocracy about the whole issue with humans.

Thoughts?

301701
I'd read the hell out of that. A little bit of mystery, a little bit of sad, a little bit of heartwarming. Just make sure not to be too anvilicious about it--and don't make your protagonist do his 180 from hating humans to understanding or even supporting them too quickly. It sounds like this story would be very focused on characterization, so pace yourself with that.

301701

Interesting... A hybrid of heartwarming and sad with a bit of conspiracy thriller thrown in.

Just be careful that in your attempt to avert Humans are Bastards, you don't go too far and do Equestrians are Bastards in its place.

301785 301784
Thanks for the feedback. Granted this all depends on how the characterization of the researcher, the grandmother, and that of her human friends/companions is executed; if it's done badly the story won't work.

As I'm imagining it right now the researcher isn't going to have do 180 in his opinion on humans nor will he come to understand them immediately. As it is right now, he's curious more than anything else about humans, he wants to understand what made them human essentially. He's naturally horrified by the more distressing atrocities committed by mankind (WWII, the holocaust, chemical/biological warfare, the works), but that's because that's what he and everypony else of his generation have been taught/told if they have been at all. He'll obviously doubt what he learns of humans, but eventually he realizes that humans are just that: humans. They can and have created much grief, but there is another side to them that is barely glossed over or completely ignored.

Right now I'm thinking of a title... the best I've got right now is "The Conversion Bureau: The Price of Salvation". Whadd'ya think?

The Reasonably Adamant Down With Celestia Newfoal Society: Aftermath

A sequel that completely abandons themes and characterizations from the previous work.

305067

I see what you did there...

Either way, I think it's best we don't stoop to Chatoyance's level and write spite fics.

Still, it would be hilarious to watch her and her supporters flip their shit at this story!

305067 I wholeheartedly approve. She shouldn't dish it out if she can't take it!

I actually had an idea a while ago, and while I may never actually get around to writing it, I feel that I might do it if I can get some support to do it.

Basically, I had the idea, to write a sort of "What if?" fiction about TCB series, where instead of ending up in the normal setting for the various fics (Generally all around, fucked up future), Equestria actually ends up in the DC Universe.
Why the DC Universe? Well, for one I prefer it to the other mainstream superhero universe, and I feel that it would be interesting to see how the ponies have to deal with the idea of various aliens and super-intelligent gorillas, as well as the fact that the DC Universe is almost as idealized as Equestria is.
As for the actual conversion bureaus, I see that due the existence of groups like the Justice League, as well as the generally good-natured citizens everywhere outside of Gotham, it wouldn't be a very popular choice. Adding onto that, the "bubble" that exists in most Conversion Bureau stories would either be nonexistent or doesn't expand at all, due to the combined powers of Doctor Fate, Celestia, and Luna.

The way I see it, there are two ways I feel that I can take this.
A) It's been five years since Equestria has emerged, and the Justice League offer several notable Equestrians League membership, which would probably be Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, and the Mane Six. From there, I could probably do a lot of world building, while at the same doing adventure stories.
or
B) I write a story set in the first year of Equestria's emergence, with the Joker terrorizing the Gotham City bureau, leading to Batman taking Twilight Sparkle under his tutelage, and going after him.

I realize that this isn't an outright deconstruction of conversion bureau fics, but I feel that the ideas expressed in it would classify it as being counter to the ideas of the regular TCB fics, so I felt that this would be a good place to post it.

299709
I can see that idea taking off. The EoH would be one hell of a drama point; a group of friends, split by what is effectively a civil war.

305761

Yes, a hundred times yes. I'd love to see Darkseid get involved. Just the mere mention of Batman taking Twilight Sparkle under hie tutelage has me liking this idea, Not sure which way you should take this, but you've got my support (As little as that actually means seeing as I'm not very important).

Also I think that's what the potion should be in the stories, is this really huge choice. a incredibly powerful cure all that makes you loose your old body (While letting them keep there minds.)

I would love to see Erac eat a chicken, whole and while its still alive.

305970 Well there's one person, perhaps I should create a thread here, or maybe in the actual TCB group?

Conversion Bureau from the point of view of an HLF insurgent. Rather than being a Saturday morning cartoon villian, I aim to present them as something more than this universe's stand-in for communist Nazi-Jews.

Set up: Around 1/3rd of the first world (NA, Europe, parts of Asia) have been ponified. Although there is a lot of mixing in communities, there is a lot of tension growing as the only people still human are the ones who are negative to the idea of being turned (many people turned because friends/relatives had, domino effect and such) or are being annoyed by attitudes of the 'turned'. Eventually, a group of humans who resist the growing influence of Equestria eventually form into the HLF, especially after rumors of the PER doing... you know... stuff like hiding potion bombs in pinatas and such. This is a while into the conflict, so the HLF is known about, but propaganda has them painted as they do in many other fics. I aim to challenge that.

SPOILERS

Basic story: Main character, Jack Becket (better name?), rescues a scientist who worked on the original ponification serum, but he turns out to be a pony. This is important because, as opposed to former humans (often referred to as "turned"), they're basically humans in a pony body. So, Jack plans to find a way to somehow save humanity, such as making a humanization serum, making humans magic-proof, and other things like that. He succeeds partially (enchanting spell by the scientist), and infiltrates past the magical barrier. He comes back and forms a pro-human group among ponies (anyone read "Not Alone"?) that eventually reaches the top, as in Princess Luna, who wishes to do something about the whole genocide thing. However, the fic ends as Jack is captured and Rainbow Dash and Luna are personally overseeing his ponification. Ending speech leaves some... 'dangerous' ideas in Rainbow's head, while Luna discretely nods her head in acknowledgement that she'll do her part in the plan.

Other facts:
-Turned are ghosts of their former selves, and lack many aspects of their personality, and are essentially new people ("When you fundamentally change the hardware but keep the software, somethin's bound to fuck up!"), but 'off'. In fact, the only emotions they are capable of only "positive" emotions. Things such as sadness or anger do not form, and depressing situations are barely met by batted eyes.
-Ponification serum is only effective when ingested or inhaled at first, but eventually is made able to turn on contact. In the beginning of the story, gas masks are enough but the characters are soon forced to wear full body suits (mental images being in line with Fallout's Ranger armor and WH40k's Death Korps of Krieg) to remain immune.
-As revealed by the scientist, the "humans don't have souls" thing is actually total horseshit to try and use fear to make humans convert. However, the lack of magic thing is totally legit.

So, thoughts?

PS: Cover art on my user page (blog)

312569
>Rather than being a Saturday morning cartoon villian, I aim to present them as something more than this universe's stand-in for communist Nazi-Jews.
>> this universe's stand-in for communist Nazi-Jews.
>>>communist Nazi-Jews.
My brain. It's not working.

Other than that, it sounds fine though.

312569,

Now that's an idea I like!

--------------

On a side note, I wanted to tell the tale of a Human scientist who helped develop the ponification serum but after learns the real reason behind the ponification and expanding barrier (possibly by getting a "the reason you suck speech", coupled with a veiled death threat from the HLF); he goes rogue, trying to find a way to render Humans immune to the lethal magic barrier. At the same time, he has to help get the truth of the matter out.

The trouble is that the scientist is wanted by the PER. They gets wind of what he's doing and tries to forcibly ponify or kill him as they see him as a traitor. The HLF is leery of him because of his previous background.

On a side note, I'm making the HLF a multi-species resistance group (Ponies, Humans and other sapient species). And they're fairly well equipped (think light armored vehicles, explosives, automatic weapons, squad based weapons etc).

The PER is just as deadly but they rely on things like potion bombs, spraying potion in public places, etc. Less brute force than the HLF. They rely on ponification mostly but they can and will use lethal force when they are trying to acquire potion.

312658
*Adam Jensen voice*
I never asked for this.

Speaking of which, I can't do it, but I'd love to see a TCB story set in the Human Revolution world. The place is already a hotbed of chaos and conspiracy, so adding ponies in would only ramp up the drama. I can imagine both the Pro-Augs and the Anti-Augs hating the ponies. And I'd love to see how the Illuminati and a certain Bob Page deal with ponification going on. If you've never played a Deus Ex game, the above will make no sense to you.

I have to admit, I wonder how'd they do if they landed on Star Trek Earth. Magic gets curbstomped by technobabble or the mighty Kirk double-chop?

316869
Or they get to 40k humanity.

LOL

Basically in my fic, The Jaguars wage a guerilla war against the ponies, who are waging full scale war with the rest of humanity. Kind of like Red Dawn, EXCEPT...

SPOILER WARNING

As The Jaguars battle the ponies, a squad of human commandos are lost in Equestria, desprately fightin their way back to friendly territory. However, they end of making contact with pro-human ponies. Meanwhile, Twilight and other ponies become growingly suspicious of Celestia, until it is pushed to a breaking point.

This sub-plot coincides with the main plot. Both plots indirectly influence the events of each other until finally working towards a dramatic climax.

316931

That wouldn't be a story. That would be a single line. After all, the Imperium uses Exterminatus Extremis on a hourly basis, what makes this different?

However, I'm currently in the middle of my own crappy little story. Essentially it follows a War Correspondent for a newspaper from the advent of the Barrier up until the HLF's last push. No preachy moral stuff, no irredeemable bastards, no dystopia. Just a story from the eyes of a guy fighting, seeing the horrors of an apocalyptic war, beginning to end. Of course, with my hideous prose, anyone else would be able to do it better, but alas, I might as well try it myself.

316998
I'd give the ponies a paragraph. They have magic and shit.

Anyway, first draft of my story from above is completed. Anyone willing to pre-read/beta/give useless useful suggestions and ideas?

PS: back in February, I had an idea abut Equestria appearing in Earth during WWIII. Lookie here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15zTN231gf-PHUwniCldqtOvWuxKhWDGScwD8St_qDu8/edit?pli=1

317286
I'd take a look at it. Seems interesting enough.

I forgot. If anyone wants to pre-read the TCB story, PM me and I'll give you the password.

316869 Celestia vs Kirk would be a tie up until the point where Kirk's shirt gets torn. At which point, the laws of the Universe demand that Kirk win.

318162 Oh, was this a clopfic?

318220

I demand to see this as a crackfic. Kirk seduces Celestia and ends the universe spanning conflict through a human emotion we call "love"...

At which point Spock points out the illogicality of the situation.

321877, sounds like it could be a great crackfic but at the same time, it's a philosophy piece about the morality of TCB-verse.

Despite being extraordinarily busy, I've come to the decision to do something about the flurry of ideas and thoughts that were and are bubbling around in my head for an age. Then I came across TCB: Not Alone and that led me here and I'm gonna settle down and nest and make a thread to put down all these ideas, which have finally reached critical mass upon reading Not Alone.

It is a story idea and you all have probably had similar ideas. Deconstruction and turning the whole rotten universe on its head. Other than Not Alone, I haven't actually read a single Conversion Bureau story, and I don't think I plan to. Being the ardent "Humanity, fuck yeah!" guy that I am, I'd probably have an aneurysm or punch a wall or something if I read one of those stories.

So I really like it when humans win, or at least, when sense is forced onto that insane mess that are many TCB stories. However, if I was to write a TCB thing, I couldn't bring myself to make the ponies the personalities they are in the stories. They just aren't like that. But the plot device of Conversion and the anti-Conversion lean the story will have needs them to be, well... 'darker'. At least, it needs key characters and elements to go to the extent of Conversion and the like in order for it to be TCB.

This is actually easy enough. It's all a matter of reactionism and how Equestria arriving in Earth affects everyone. And by that, I mean everyone. The Mane Six and their friends, the Royals, Equestria and humanity. In fact, the story will mostly focus on how things have changed due to Equestria's arrival: politics, exchange in culture, science, religion, ideas of personhood, even sexuality. With the arrival of a new, alien race of beings and the inexplicable phenomenons they come packaged with, humanity is hit hard by this, especially in light of how the Equestrian landmass arrives (more on that later).

There will be things like Celestia, her Chancellor and Luna (mostly Celestia and her Chancellor) dealing with the politics and diplomacy with the humans, Rainbow Dash falling deeply in love with human media (think Daring Do is cool? Wait till you see Indiana Jones), humans trying to communicate and trade with the ponies, laws being rewritten to accompany a new non-human personhood and the human international balance of power being completely thrown out of whack due to Equestria's arrival. And of course, there'll be the Conversion Bureaus and people's reaction to them and the whole deal behind that.

As for the story's setting, it takes place thirty or forty or so years in the future, leaving room for new things to happen. Nationalist hardliners in the People's Republic of China managed to take over and enter into a new tension with the USA over resources and conflicting national interests. Sparking in the Middle East, the Sino-American War was short and rather unbloody for the fact that two superpowers were about to duke it out, discounting the massive death toll from the Equestrian Incident. Taiwan and the waters and lands of American allies in East Asia served as battlegrounds, and control of the Pacific for supply lines was extremely valuable. Massive naval engagement in the Northern Pacific ended as Equestria was transported to our world. Hawaii was also destroyed.

With this phenomenon, a ceasefire is arranged and the War is stopped before it gets any worse. Celestia's first outreach to the new world was quick and peaceful, with surprise on all sides. For humans, it was dealing with a new race and land, and the fact that encompassing this land was a barrier beyond which no human could survive and the laws of physics as we know it were substantially different. For the Equestrians, it was dealing with this new race, their stark differences, and the fact that beyond the barrier, their magic (all types; pegasus, earth and unicorn) was much weaker. Most jarring was that Celestia and Luna were stripped of their most special talents and purposes - to shepherd the sun and moon to control the day-night cycle. The last fact, especially, plays quite a big role in the story.

The chapters would generally be about different aspects of the new world, the lingering feelings and reactions and how individuals and nations have been effected. While the barrier prevents much human culture influencing the ponies, it still seeps through and there are discovered snippets of ideas that intrigue, shock and revolt the Equestrians. There are many different opinions on humans, but with ponies being as introverted and ignorant as they are, the national feeling is still predominantly fear, mistrust and unease. In many eyes, the bad outweighs the good.

Anyway, we'll be getting into the minds of many characters - human and pony - and we'll be seeing the Conversion Bureaus getting some attention, but there will be so much other stuff still. This won't be the "good humans, bad Equestrians" we so often see in deconstructions. If I play it right, you'll end up at least empathising with Celestia and what the Equestrians try to do (though hopefully not sympathise), and there will be plenty of wanker ponies and humans and plenty of nice ponies and humans.

Will write more later. PM me if you want more detail as to the plot of the story; don't want to post major spoilers here. I must stress this is something I'm only really doing to get an idea "out there", as I have many other projects I need to work on and I can't really invest time into doing all this, though some pages have already been written just to get the feel for it.

312569
Posted

Gentlemen....

I love war.

I'd like to see a story where Ponies are on the march to forcibly convert mankind to the Pony Menace... when Mankind reveals its secret weapon:

Reverse-engineered potion. It turns ponies into humans.

Thoughts?

328076,

Already done by the Humanification Bureau but as a parody.

You know, I had an idea that is kind of meta. Equestria appears on Earth and but there is no conversion, no lethal barrier, no nothing. MLP:FiM does exist in this 'verse.

A crazed brony enters Equestria, sneaks into Canterlot Palace and demands to be ponified because they feel that Equestria's a paradise compared to their world.

Celestia refuses and gently explains to them that ponficiation won't solve their problems. She then proceeds to give the delusional brony a tour of the less savory parts of Equestria (poor parts of Manehattan/Canterlot, a mental hospital, etc.)

330202

I'm suspecting that they take a while for the mental hospital bit, if you catch my drift...

Also, yes, I've read the Humanification Bureau. I meant, what if a) it was taken completely straight, and b) humans managed to weaponize it, like how the Ponies managed to weaponize the Ponification Serum in the "Ten Rounds" universe. You know, throwing Humanification water balloons into crowds of Ponies, using it to reverse ponification... etc.

330232, that would be interesting. Maybe even to further the analogy, the humanification serum can be voluntarily administered to ponies who want to become Human. I mean, they probably do exist, right?

330238
*cough*LYRA*cough*

But as to your idea (the one about the crazy guy)...

Not sure why, but it reminds me of this really touching story I saw on this site. A pony breaks into canterlot castle, and tries to take the Elements in order to bring his brother back to life. Celestia stops him from stealing them and they have a long talk about life and death, and how it's best to remember them as they were, and how nothing can bring back the dead.

330527
I'm really interested in Scenario 2.

330527

I like scenario 1B; it's a great story idea and can go into the high octane realm but also mixed with the softer slice-of-life idea.

World of Darkness idea is interesting.

Perhaps newfoals tend to have an extra "secret soul" that just wasn't detectable by Equestrian methods. "Wereponies" that practiced or knew of Voudoun call the secret soul a loa, since it rides the "horse" of the pony soul? Most newfoals are in the rough equivalent of putting a toddler in the saddle of a Triple Crown race horse.

The wereponies? They're bronco busters, dressage riders, and "horse whisperers."

I was thinking of a TCB story, where it turns out. The serum actually teleports Humans into Equestria, and Celestia makes the humans slaves. However, a large majority escape to the west, and begin to form a rebellion.

Sorta like Haradrim VS Gondor.

For total crack-fic-ness, Snowflame vs. TCBlestia.

These are some of his lines, over a picture of him ponified. No, they have not been altered in any way. He is that freaking insane.

Inspired by On the Wings of Angels, I wanna see a TCB-fic set in the Halo 'verse. Mainly because humanity there won't take any shit from the TCB ponies. they've fought a suicidal war for their species' continued survival before, for over 27 years, and they won. I can imagine them just going "Uh what...Captain, MAC blasts, Five Rounds Rapid." to the TCB ponies...

342996
Going up against plasma projectors and shielding with essentially armored space shuttles and fighting 8-foot tall invisible monsters with shielding on the ground who dual wield a plasma sword in one hand and a plasma rifle in the other with little more than an advanced 7.62 Assault Rifle? That's exactly what'd I call suicidal.

343011
Fair enough, the space warfare was always shaky, but humanity lost it's one advantage when Admiral Cole died...
the more I think about it, the more awesome this becomes. You've got the socially awkward, possibly open-minded SPARTANs, the somewhat-xenophobic, superstitious ODSTs, the tactical and numbers based ONI agents, the brilliant Captains and Admirals of the Navy, they all make for great character interactions with the ponies. Plus the whole "Not this shit again" factor, the Mantle, how the Covenant's remnants would react...

343026
I don't mean in general, but it's mentioned that after the war they're going to be weapons with ammunition or a target. That would make for some great social dynamic between them and the ponies. Plus, Kurt was mentioned to have the most "normal" social traits in the SPARTAN group.

343051
They get found, along with Shield World, but no one can get in...and that's all I'm spoiling, and even that's on the back of the book. Plus it's mentioned briefly in Glasslands that the SPARTAN-IV's are being culled from ODST's and Force Recon Regulars. So after a time, the IV's would replace the II's or what's left of the III's.

342983, I can't imagine their Covenant allies will think highly of the TCB ponies either.