>>112719
No ETA yet I'm afraid. Still waiting for the other judges, but I'll give advance notice. I would expect it to be done by the weekend at least.

So, seems as though since it'll be a while until the results, it's time to hit the conversation button.

How's everybody doing?

>>112851
Hah!

Excellent idea. Things are pretty swell, already working on planning a new contest once everything is done here. Though not quite as far reaching prizes.

I've got a dozen or so Steam gifts to "get rid of", and why not make something fun out of it? :)

How about the rest of you?

>>112857
"Get rid of"? Did the Summer Sale get to you?

*sighs contentedly* Days like these I'm glad I don't have any Steam cash. Well, the only day, really.

I'm probably going to be typing more stories tonight. I'm in the process of writing another "Feelfic" (patent-pending) while I'm vacationing in Ocean City, MD, weekend. Considering the success of my previous, I feel like I might have actually hit something with these concepts.

Plus, I'm terrible with multi-parters. xD I can never keep them up.

>>112859
Zanzibar, really big thanks for this whole competition thing!

I discovered MLP FiM about two months ago as I was preparing for my physics finals, so this has been a really great opportunity for me to firstly get the storyline that's been floating around in parts in my head together and secondly to get back into the swing of more creative stuff during the summer.

I'm already so fond of the series and the snippets of season 3 that I want them to do a feature length film! :L

>>112851
I'm good but quite bored. University summer studies weren't the way I imagined them and all my friends are working so I got nothing to do during the days...

I've been trying to write something new just to have something to do but I seem to lack the motivation to do so.

>>112859
More or less :). Most went into my regular games list, but I did get a few new gifts as well. I think I got some20 new games for myself. These sales are always so expensive xD.

>>112889
You're welcome!
Honestly enough, I'm more a fan of the fandom than the series itself. The series is good, but without the fandom it wouldn't have been all that special :).

>>112939
True enough, but one must admit the framework for the fandom is absolutely phenomenal. I find the written characters, storylines and voice acting more palpable than in some dramas.

As an arbitrary example, I believe the much discussed Sparity romance is was not written in for the sake of it but instead so that we can see the progressive 'growing up' of two of the immature characters: I'm certainly of the belief that Rarity's character has developed as a result.

Be I right or wrong, the series inspires those kind of thoughts and as such the fandom has a meaty subject to develop their own media for; ergo, in my opinion, the incredible MLP fandom is partially down to being given a deep and tangible universe to apply their creativity to.

>>112952
I fully agree, the framework presented so far has almost all been excellent. I really do love to see how people treat everything.

It probably doesn't come as a big surprise, but my favorite piece of lore is the Princesses. Maybe not necessarily my favorite characters, but their immortality and power enables some wonderful storytelling.

Of course, it's also an extremely tricky piece to get "just right". Many, authors and otherwise, have a hard time actually imagining what 1000+ years actually Mean. Both in terms of lore, environments and characters. It always makes interactions with these living pieces of  history so interesting when it actually happens and is handled well.

And somewhat related to that, I find it funny how many seem to forget that Lunas and Celestias join castle was in the Everfree. I rarely see good explanations as to how Celestia has managed to keep Lunas room in perfect pristine condition over 1000 years in the wrong castle xD. It's not hard to find plausible explanations to it, but it's still hilarious when it just appears out of nowhere. 

Also, I admit that I have no idea which Spike/Rarity story you're talking about. I've read a few, but in general I tend to think they are mostly silly, but as with everything else, the right author can make it work wonderfully!

Yes, I can talk about this kind of thing for hours on end :).

>>112959

Further to Spike/Rarity comment I'm referring to the canon, in that for me it is a case in point as to the non-static nature of the series, developing the characters and rarely maintaining the basic status quo as with many other cartoons.

I do hope that the origin of the Princesses and Discord will be covered at some point in the main series to some level of depth, especially with the minimal but revealing dialogue between he and Celestia. Question being: why were they fighting to begin with? IMO, order and chaos aren't mutually exclusive.

I personally like to think that for one reason or another Discord is corrupted like Nightmare Moon was. Would be pretty interesting to see that resolved and see the trio in charge of things in the main series :L

>>112965
Ah yes, the characters evolution in the series is interesting to see, but in the end, I've always prefered character development in literary form. I'm still impressed by the effort DHX puts in it though, especially with how well they manage to string it all together in a show meant for kids.
Still, I'm glad they go for ruleof funny rather than trying to have everything make sense. If nothing else, it makes for some hillarious fanfics as people try to explain contradicting "facts" xD.

>>112967

It's a hard one to solve without resorting to deus ex machina, but deus ex machina does present interesting plot possiblities in itself.

I for one believe that they're similar to the Valar from Lord of The Rings, which I suppose it is possible to see through squinted eyes. I suppose that would help explain the obvious things like immortality, but also little things like 'What defines a Prince or Princess when Cadance is taken into account?" (I'm going to ignore Blueblood in that analysis: according to Lauren Faust he was supposed to be a Duke anyway :L)

>>112968
I really think of both Blueblood and Cadence as somewhat the same. I mean, Alicorn Cadence is something so obviously "made for toys" that it's hard to think otherwise.

On the other hand, I can fully imagine her as being a mix of unicorn and pegasus, but incapable of being very good in either area, never capable of really excelling in either magic or flight. (As opposed to full unicorns or pegasi.)

Luna and Celestia, however, I think of as more "real" godesses. Perhaps like the the greek or norse gods. Powerful, possibly one force of Creation, but not unbeatable. (Like Chrysalis showed.)

>>112967

In any case, it seems odd that Celestia and Luna and possibly Discord are the only 'gods' so far revealed, I would like to see others 'gods' of other species.

>>112979
It would make sense. Plenty of fics explore that possibility, many times to great effect. Though on the other hand, there's nothing wrong with having Celestia and Luna be the only godlike beings either. They can't be everywhere at once, and it makes sense that ponies would rally around them, while other species might keep their distance.

>>112981

That's precisely why I put Draconia in my competition entry, aside from the fact that the MLP universe appears to have an overabundance of known females. :L

Had to change my name according to my FiMFic change.
>>112892
I've got a similar sort of problem. I'll get an idea, want to type it out - and then get nowhere with it. Though, right now, I think I'm doing pretty good with writing the sequel to my 1st-ever fanfic, and another, non-pony story that I was compelled to write while here on vacation.
>>112981>>112983
This is the most polite and civilized debate I have ever read. And, I'm not sure it's even a debate anymore.

>>113145
Haha, I'm not sure this could be concidered a debate!
Still, it was fun. There's a lot of things that can be said about these ponies, at least as long as you're willing to overanalyse a kids show xD.

>>113150
Haha, said as if people don't love overanalyzing kids shows xD I know I do

>>113188
Likewise!
And we all have our own pet peeves when it comes to them, funny ain't it? One of my own was the "1000 years bring no changes" bit, another is the "Twilight Sparkle will forever be a librarian in Ponyville" thing. Don't get me started on the latter one! :D

>>113190
I always found that weird. Your first one, I mean. 1,000 years, and they're still stuck in the Middle Ages, basically? What gives? I've always thought of writing some alternate universe thing where Equestria DID advance, and Nightmare Moon returned in that one. It'd be neat.
One of my biggest pet peeves, though, is what lies outside of Equestria. Is it its own nation, or is it the whole...thing? (i.e. the landmass or the planet) And, if the former, do all the other nations still see the Princesses as the ultimate rulers, on account of their sun and moon raising?
That was always one of the few things that bothered me.

>>113191
I really love the way they give the viewers just enough to go on as I said earlier: these questions are what keep us interested and developing our own personal explanations for the whole system as it is.

Just as an aside, I was talking to my mum about being a brony quite openly when I returned from uni. She was naturally confused, as are most people who don't understand why we like the series, so in true literary style I quoted C.S Lewis on the matter:

“When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”

>>113191
Actually, that's not the weird bit to me. From the show, it looks like they are just now starting an industrial revolution, which makes sense.

Also note how, in the first episodes where the Mare in the Moon story was told, the ponies were depicted as more of a nomadic people. They certainly didn't show any huge cities in the storybook :).

It's the smaller things that annoy me, as with the bedroom example above, or that the Princesses are at times portrayed like they were still in their 20's. They're older than your great great great great grandmother, it doesn't make sense to have them walking around giggling like school-fillies xD.

As for the country:
What I'm leaning towards are City States. There could be a ton of cities, or small group of cities, each led by their own prince or princess, but I'd still assume that Canterlot and Equestria is the de-facto leaders in case of trouble. The other city states rule themselves, but if they need to settle disputes, they visit Canterlot. After all, they seem to more or less worship Celestia and Luna. (What with swearing by them and all.)

Seems like it'd make sense for me, since I doubt Celestia would prefer leading by example, rather than going in to meddle directly with everything. (Influencing it and masterminding it is another issue entirely!)

>>113203
I really doubt that's anything they have intended xD. It's more of a side effect due to them using the simple "Rule of Funny".

>>113209

I think it would be great to see a comparison between Equestria and elsewhere to get some scope on the matter. I mean we do know that there are 'lands outside Equestria' from Zecora.

So, it's almost the next weekend, and I hate to be a bother, but is there any more news on when the results will arrive?

>>113489
Two judges done.

Waiting for last judge to, well, render judgement upon thee. :)

>>113490
Is there a chance of a slight inkling of a possibility of maybe there being an ETA, as well?

So, picking up the thread again for the moment, has anyone done an episodic story that they'll be working on after the competition is over?

>>114005
You mean episode-like or chaptered?

>>114036
Either I guess, I'd just be interested to read the different takes on the competition concept at some point.

I'm on Part 2 at the moment which is dwarfing Part 1 in terms of content, making finishing a meaty project so it would seem. Either that or I'm not a very concise writer!

>>114036
*Edit- writing while doing DIY not good for mistakes*

I'm on Part 2 at the moment which is dwarfing Part 1 in terms of content, making for a meaty project so it would seem. Either that or I'm not a very concise writer!

>>113209

Sorry about that.

Judgement should be done by Sunday. If not, I'll veto it anyway. I'd prefer getting a full complement of judges, but it can't be helped. Can't delay it too much after all :).

>>114053
Interesting! I tried to make my story feel like a full, complete story - but I don't think it's the full life story of the characters. I have some ideas for where they would go afterwards, the hijinks they would get into after their story "ended." I made kind of a weird couple, but I think I ship them now, haha! Not sure how much of it I will write down, though - we'll see!

>>114084
Glad to hear it! I'm happy to wait, but I wouldn't mind getting the anticipation over with, haha!

>>114085
I'd love to read it sometime! Have you put yours up on FIMFiction?

I'm terrible when it comes to length; half of why I entered was seeing 'Epic 100,000 word novel' in the description (Including Part 1 I'm on 42,000 words, still aiming for epicness! :P)

>>114092
As long as it's okay with Zanzibar, I could share! I don't know if it's against the rules to 'reveal' until the contest is over - it's why I've not even tried to submit it to EqD, because I don't want to do anything wrong.

>>114145

It says '2: PM Zanzibar on Fimfiction.' under 'Submitting your Story' so I suppose by principle one must have a story on FIMFiction to do so.

>>114145
You're allowed to publish your story. If I didn't allow it, there would be a rule stating so :).

>>114162
>>114184

Okie doke! I just don't want to 'jinx' it, I guess. But we're almost done, so feel free to read!

My story is titled "The Escape"
FIMFiction: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/38754/The-Escape
FF.net: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8329553/1/The_Escape
DA: http://fav.me/d57jft4

>>114286
Heres mine:

From Ashes Came Fire, Part 1: Embers
http://www.fimfiction.net/index.php?view=referrers&story=33336

Mine definitely needs more work before I'm willing to publish it. :B

>>114084
All the judges are done.

I'll be compiling the results this evening. I'll likely post them later today or tomorrow.

Don't worry about missing it. I'm going to send out an E-mail to everyone who participated. I'm also going to be posting links to the competing stories, so it'll all be nicely compiled :).

>>114309
Best of luck to everypony!

>>114312
Ditto! :) I can't wait to read the stories, I bet they're all gonna be amazing!

>>114309
Oh manohmanohman *hyperventilates*

>>114309
YAY :D

High Society Romance: Winners

Good day Everypony!

I welcome you to this exciting conclusion of our little contest. 10 stories qualified, but only a single grand prize can be given out. But we'll hold you in suspense a bit longer!

First of all: A Big Thank You to all our contestants. We're happy you decided to take the time to participate, and it's been decided that no one will leave empty-hoofed. As such, the 4th-10th place contestants will each receive a runner up prize of a game on GoG.com or Steam for up to $9.99. Congratulations to all of you, and thank you again. Even if you didn't win this time, We'd love to see you in our next contest, the more the merrier.

Following are a list of the runner-ups and their stories, in no specific order:

Runner Ups

From Ashes Came Fire
Author: JackR
OC x Luna
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/33336/From-Ashes-Came-Fire%2C-Part-1%3A-Embers
Words: 21810
Third Person

One small step for pony
Author: Bommah
OC x Luna
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q5dqwDPGQgaERnU4OagwNUKt89r2y5Y8hnodG8H4XV0/edit?pli=1
Words: 10647
Third Person

Applebloom’s Endeavour
Author: Invisible Cadance
Applejack x Luna
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cu9BYlInztnzKiS9U5iqeSU_960lhuN200wVMqYeip0/edit
Words: 11498
Third Person

The Macintosh and the Princess
Author: American Tuesday
Big Mac x Celestia
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NuD_XLV144edXWNOWB-Et0VRXWk-rzEmzdCg6t6KfOc/edit
Words: 10840
Third Person

A Trip to Ponyville
Author: Brianna
OC x Luna
(No external link exists)
Words: 11744
First Person

The Escape
Author: Jimbo
Donus Joe x Luna
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ohb2hYMdxXmuAKt6RulMYMNp3ho-h_P3KP3AsumzHK4/edit
Words: 22317
Third Person

Matching Miss Luna
Author: Astrophel Agonistes
Fluttershy x Luna
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14cmrgFgc2lWULd6qQG4UssptPp_iT-MWGnbfJnSRbIY/edit
11115
Third Person

Congratulations and thank you again! To reiterate: You’ve each won a runner up prize of a game on GoG.com or Steam for up to $9.99.


Now, if this had been a TV show, this is where we'd cut to commercials before announcing the top three. Thankfully, you will not have to endure that. For these next few stories, our host will say a few words before presenting each story.

Third Place

So! Hello again everypony. These little snippets will represent only my own (Zanzibar’s) thoughts on the presented winners. For our third place, we have a story that I enjoyed quite a bit. It shows an interesting side of Luna, with a pairing I had honestly never even considered. With more polish, it could probably have taken a higher position, but I have to praise the author for what he achieved in such a short amount of time. I present to you our Third Place winner:

Dear Chrysalis
Author: Present Perfect
Chrysalis x Luna
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Cl39dhB_u18JCeJFBcEQbgDHw1GSKjwwI2-0GAr_4s/edit
Words: 21597
Third Person

For his Third Place position, Present Perfect wins one T-shirt of his choice from We Love Fine.

Second Place

And that brings me to present our second place winner, doesn't it? Well! How about a tale of the moon? Of a lonely cellist, harbouring a secret just waiting to be told? Recently posted to EQD, I present:

All the Stars in the Sky
Author: Lynked
Octavia x Luna
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/33735/All-the-Stars-in-the-Sky
Words: 16001
Third Person

For our Second Place position, Lynked receives $50, to use however he want. The cash is his to command.

First Place

Finally we then have the Top Cat, the crème de la crème, The top of the line, etc. Our first place winner took an unexpected approach to his romance. Follow Luna in a tale of intrigue and heartache, betrayal and desperation. I present our First Place winner:

The Knight Princess
Author: Alex J
Shining Armor x Luna
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/34863/The-Knight-Princess
Words: 16318
Third Person

Our Grand Prize winner receives a spiffing $150, to use however he want. The cash is his to command.


And with that, this contest is officially over! We hope you’ll enjoy reading the contest entries and expect to see another contest very soon. The next contest will be of a smaller, more light hearted scope, but I hope you’ll all consider joining us again.

For a last note: You claim your prize by E-mailing us at mlpcontest@gmail.com . Detailed instructions will be given on an individual basis.

Congrats to the winners! :)

>>114403
If anyone would like a more in depth opinion on why their fic placed where it did, feel free to E-mail or PM me. I'd gladly write a couple of paragraphs on each story, if anyone was interesting in hearing it xD.

>>114403
OH MY GOD :D:D:D

I didn't think I had a chance at placing in the least. I wrote that story in my one hour of free time every weekday, plus weekends (minus the last writeoff, which gave me a real kick in the pants when I was struggling with this contest), and when I finished, I had enough to time either A) add in the scenes that would make the plot flow more smoothly, or B) give it much-needed editing. I went with the second choice, closed my eyes, and hit submit, hoping for an also-ran.

I'm very impressed that you decided to give everyone a prize. :D You should be congratulated for running a great contest with a unique theme. Pushing to give people enough time to make their writing better and putting up a high word minimum were both excellent ideas.

Congrats to the winners (Shining Armor x Luna? I have GOT to read this), and to everyone else for pulling off 10k or more! I'm planning to read all the entries in time, and I'll leave feedback here for the ones that aren't on fimfic. Looking forward to the next time around! :D

Oh...my...God....



Okay, I'm done jumping around like a moron. That doesn't happen often. But, dang! I am so honored for this win. While I did think I put up a winning effort, I still had fears of not quite coming up (especially after reading Lynked's entry)

Congrats to all the winners. I might drop a look at some of them when I get the chance.

>>114425
Hah, well I'm flattered! Congrats on the win, from the looks of things, you deserved it.

I myself am freaking out right now. If you'll excuse me, I'm off to spasm.