A long forgotten element has been brought back, but for better or for worse?
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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argh, i friggin knew it! i commented about something once, about 20-30 chapters ago(i think, maybe it was more) but thought i was wrong so i deleted it. but yet the pieces are in places i previously thought they weren't. im pretty damn sure i know exactly whats going on behind the scenes/with the emperor. and if im actually right, a lot more things start adding up... er, well, kinda... i wonder if im the only one that's made these connections.
also, im intentionally keeping this comment somewhat vague, cuz if im right, i dont wanna give it away to everyone else so easily.
I still think queen sunflare going gun - ho at james is a mistake. She could've just discussed itvon the command center instead of infront of the ponies.
11305253
This post, I feel, encapsulates your perspective as an author, and why I won't be touching this story.
"Delicate balance between innocence and maturity" is an excellent way of putting it, and it's hardly unique to FiM.
You've taken a good slice-of-life setting with some kid-friendly morals strapped on and tried to turn it into a critique on human nature, ignoring that the standard by which you criticize is mostly your own creation and thus infinitely malleable. Criticism without a grounded basis for comparison ends up becoming misanthropy, or something close to it. The show was never intended to be taken this seriously, and that the community is doing so is more reflective on them rather than FiM or on humanity as a whole.
As you've repeatedly stated, you don't care, and you've got enough of a fanbase to justify your position. After crawling through several years of comments I felt like leaving something for my troubles.
11310143
What I do not care about is those who become offended by my observations and I really shouldn’t when there’s truth to that critique. I’ve become numb to the backlash against it after more than a decade of hecklers making knee jerk responses to something that they assumed had no nuance beyond the surface, a viewpoint that has thankfully fallen out of favor in the fandom over the years and has not aged well.
I care enough to critique. I do not care if that critique strikes a nerve.
11310150
"Humans bad" is a ridiculously easy hot take, as there will be some truth no matter how well you pull it off. This basically sounds like Jonathan Swift without the originality. I won't say it's a bad thing, but again it shouldn't be taken any more seriously than the show itself.
Ya know? I kinda had this feeling that Moon felt this way regarding James. Not her love for him because that's indisputable that she LOVES James, moreso her desire to be with him & be his ride or die. I kinda saw the overprotective behavior early on & had this thought.
To have it be confirmed was depressing but I understand. She couldn't handle the idea of just being another among the pack of hearts James has managed to steal as she wants him for herself. She's selfish & she knows it. I respect the honesty & I'm honestly kinda glad someone who has strong feelings for James had a different outlook on the whole harem thing. It's just a shame that they could never truly have each other.
Hell, Moon's clearly heart broken glance towards James at he & Fluttershy's wedding was more than enough for me to see the outcome.
It's too late.
I can only hope we get a scene with James & Moon where she gets to have him all to herself for at least the first & last time. Show him all the things she's wanted to say to him, & wanted to do with him. It'd be a bittersweet conclusion to their relationship. They'll still be friends but in that moment, they could be the lovers they've could've been if only things were different.
She'll always love him from a far & I just think that's really sweet.
Damn I wrote a whole story down here 🤣 Sorry but the James & Moon section was way too interesting to not to start deep thinking about some things. I really loves their relationship. Top 5 in the whole story!
I hope this war will end soon!
11310189
Way ahead of you.
11310482
Funny enough, I did read that while catching up on this story. Guess the hints there planted the thoughts in my head. Sad to see it come to fruition but at least we know that Moon & James still love each other.
Just a shame that they can't love like they want. Still holding out hope for a scene in which Moon gets to feel what it feels like for many of James's beloveds. No interruptions, just them together as if they were in another lifetime where Moon could have him to herself & treat him as the king she wanted but couldn't have due to her desire.
Sucks that she rejected what the other royals (Ember,Celestia, Novo) are willing to do.
11310561
Give it time. Especially now that we’ve reached the point where it can finally start.
11310153
When the subject involves introducing humanity to the pseudo utopia of early season Equestria, the topic is inevitable. You can’t have a believable realistic HiE story without weighing on the risks that the inclusion of humanity brings to the table. The key is to temper the cynicism with objective analyses to find a balance and is something I’ve strived to improve upon over time, especially now that Volume 5 is the culmination of that conflict.
The message about humanity is not Humans Are Bastards. The message is Humans Are Flawed. And it’s to be expected that the first response to such questions will carry vitriol until the bitterness burns itself out.
11310589
"You can’t have a believable realistic HiE story without weighing on the risks that the inclusion of humanity brings to the table."
Plenty of HiE authors do this, and I think the would-be threat is severely overblown. A healthy, relatively well-adjusted person by themselves is not going to upset the delicate internal balances of Equestrian society. Even in the case of a less-than-healthy person, most issues and conflicts can be avoided by acting normal half the time and maintaining some semblence of boundaries. It's the setting of a kid's show, most people who aren't kids should be able get along without ending the world as we know it.
"The key is to temper the cynicism with objective analyses to find a balance and is something I’ve strived to improve upon over time"
You brought in the cynicism with you, and your "analysis" of human nature isn't worth much when it's set against an impossible setting like Equestria (or more accurately your interpretation of it).
"And it’s to be expected that the first response to such questions will carry vitriol until the bitterness burns itself out."
Implying that your character hasn't bothered to consider his humanity or the humans around him up to that point. It would explain why he seems (based on the comments) to go off the metaphorical cliff when exposed to something different at the beginning of the story.
11310974
Keep in mind that I started writing The Lost Element back in 2011. The HiE was not as tired a genre then as it is today. There’s a term for those who use certain tropes that haven’t aged well back before they became too cliche and unpopular. It’s called Grandfather Clause. Don’t judge The Lost Element by what people expect from HiE fics that get their first chapter out today.
There’s admittedly only so many ways you can say “Earth’s society sucks when compared to Equestria” in 2011 before people get sick of it. It makes you wonder what new formulas are left to discover in MLP fanfics.
Furthermore, please consider that some people view some examples as what NOT to follow when it comes to their fellow men.
11310993
Doesn't matter that they're cliche or unpopular thankfully, since it's "criticism" coming from a place of "disappointment", and everyone who disagrees with you is just thin-skinned and unwilling to ask the hard questions.
You are correct that this is a fanfic from 2011, and it doesn't appear that part has changed. I'm well past that period.
11310150
"What I do not care about is those who become offended by my observations and I really shouldn’t when there’s truth to that critique. "
Question then, since this story seems mainly had its contreversy surrounding the nature of taking lessons from a animated children's television series, and attempted to use that as a philosophical basis to critique human society in general - and in specific, in some cases. What is the main basis of your critique? I checked the Tvtropes page, and it stated that '...the story being a Self-Insert Fic, does not hate humanity, but is disillusioned and deeply disappointed in it constantly squandering its vast potential throughout its very long history.' People like to question if this story is misanthropic because from the lens of theirs, an animated children's television series is no system to make a basis for criticism against the human condition. Is there another basis to your criticism of humanity? Because from the summary alone and the story in general, it seems there isn't a single uniting factor of criticism other than 'humans cannot live up to the standards of fictional cartoon horses, and that's bad!'. Now this may be a misread on my part, if which, apologies. But my question still stands.
Is the commentary and criticism of the human condition entirely based on the interpetation you have of the Show or is it a mixture of personal beliefs mixed in with the show?
And additionally, if it is based (either fully or partly) on the show, why have you said in a previous comment ( 11305253 ) that the spirit of the show is " maintaining an air of a delicate balance of innocence and maturity", whilst the evidence provided online regarding the show, presents the importance of friendship and helping others as its main moral, along with all the importance of proper conduct with other people?
11311320
By this point, this conversation is just confusing me and I’m not really sure what kind of point either of you are trying to get across here.
11310562
Can't wait to see what happens next in "Dreams of the Heart".
Any idea when that will be unhiatused?
11311577
Difficult to say, but I’ve had much of it planned out for some time.
Oh boy, drama.
Anyway, so we've finally reached the moment we've all been waiting for, Nightmare Moon has confessed her love to James, but also that she is a strict monogamist. And while that means nothing else will probably come of that in the real world, this is obviously the milestone that Dreams of the Heart was waiting to continue on. Now that she's aware of how much he adores her as well, and how ballistic he had went when he thought he lost her, that will probably give her the motivation to continue with that sweet but morally dubious plan of hers. She knows a relationship between them would work if only there were not others.
11311581
Either way, I look forward to seeing your wizardry again!
Ignore the lowlifes who red thumb everything. Probably purists.
I for one, relish your works, old friend.
11311953
I’ve confirmed the identity of one of them. The others are a mystery and much less consistent. But they won’t deter me.
11311423
Well, I'm just trying to ask. How did you get to the conclusion that the spirit of the show is 'maintaining an air of a delicate balance of innocence and maturity, holding onto that inherent positivity even in spite of the darker sides of life that can spring up when least expected.'? As you've stated in an earlier comment (
11305253 ).
And my comment also had a second question, which asked, "Did you only use the show's spirit to comment on the Human Condition, or did other philosophies influence it?"
Apologies if it was a tad ambigious.
11312196
Because that’s exactly how it feels to me in hindsight. Along with testimony that Lauren Faust intended it to be a series both children and their parents could benefit from.
As for the human condition, the act of introducing into a world like Equestria carried risks I could not ignore that I partially built the overarching plot around. That, and “Equestria” is a misnomer that also served as inspiration behind the human element.
11312430
Ah I see. Thanks
Daaaaaang can't believe that happened to the princess of dreams
Thank goodness she's gonna live...even if it means their now down an alicorn for the war effort
Hmm, out of curiosity, has this story been reviewed? I think there’s one in the “My Little Reviews and Feedback” group, but I don’t know if there are more or if you plan to get others to review your fic…
11314989
Yes, though I can’t say she was the best candidate for the job. The more who review it, the broader picture it paints.
11315012
We’ll, there are a couple of other review groups you could try to place your stories in if you want. There’s Fillydelphia Oracle and Reviewers’ Mansion
11315866
I appreciate the suggestion.
This has me on an emotional rollercoaster and I love it so much. I can't wait for the next one.
I'm sad to see that despite the love James and NMM feel for each other it wouldn't work out. But sometimes that's the way it is. Not everyone is willing or able to be in a poly relationship. Despite their pain knowing it will never work that way, at least they'll still always have each other as friends.
On a related note: When this story started and everyone seemingly started getting the hots for James, I had the thought of "This is definitely going to wind up a harem fic". I was surprised as I saw things develop from that to him marrying fluttershy, then to slowly opening up to this idea that it's both possible and not bad to love multiple people, and possible to do so without it being behind anyone's back or otherwise losing his integrity.
It was interesting to me back when it started happening, but these days I can really identify with it since I have three partners of my own now.
...Anyway the point of this ramble is I like how you've developed that aspect of things, even moreso now that I'm kinda living it. :P
11317109
You are very fortunate. I hope life will be kinder to you than it was to me.
11310589
Feels good to hear you say that.