What are some popular "Humans in Equestria" trends?

[NoGiantRobots1983]

So, I thought about writing a fanfic that parodies "Humans in Equestria."

There's one problem: I haven't really read any HiE stories. I rarely get a chance to read fanfiction at all, and usually only do so on recommendation, and... well, most of my friends don't really like HiE stories.

The only thing I know is that

* A lot of Humans in Equestria are bronies or gamers

* A lot of them are there because Twilight screwed up a spell

* I think there's also a trend of having Equestria be post-apocalyptic Earth, like Planet of the Apes with Ponies instead of Apes.

* Lyra

But are these the only ones? Are there others? Can you link me to fanfics that best exemplify some common HiE motifs?

Thanks in advance.

[PIJIN]

I don't read fanfiction much anymore (thanks a lot Canterlot, your the only thing in my browser history), but when I used to read HiE fics they usually had:

• The human had some type of relationship with a mane cast character (one or more)
  
• They ended up in Equestria due to some random portal (I did a play off of the questionnaire at the start of PKMN Mystery Dungeon if you've ever played the series)
  
• The human usually has a large role to play or has an element of his own which probably trumps all the other elements (including magic).
  
• In very rare occurrences, the human is usually a very overdone looking/God Mode'd OC. Alicorn, magic without a horn, some type of red/black colour scheme. This hasn't been happening much as people have been getting a bit more creative, some of the older fics have great examples of this though.
  

I do hope this helps! I've draw from my own experiences of reading fic as well as some I've written (although they were a bit more clever than most, and I try not to use over done tropes.)

[Bellosh]

One other big thing with HiE stories; Earth in general is often portrayed as a cesspool of ignorance and intolerance save for the primary human character (or characters). Equestria by comparison is an outright utopia where everything is all sunshine and rainbows 24/7.... at least until those jerk humans come and make a mess of everything.....

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Do you mean popular, or cliche?

Because I'm pretty sure a lot of "Humans in Equestria" fics are self inserts and disliked by a majority of the fandom.

[Deadpool]

Hey. I've self inserted into Equestria and fell in love with Applejack

-sincerely

Deadpool.

PS I'm still trying to get MARVEL to turn that fanfic into a comic book crossover

[NoGiantRobots1983]

I don't read fanfiction much anymore (thanks a lot Canterlot, your the only thing in my browser history),

Might I recommend you check out the story in my sig? /shameless plug

Do you mean popular, or cliche? Because I'm pretty sure a lot of "Humans in Equestria" fics are self inserts and disliked by a majority of the fandom.

"Cliche" might be more ripe for parody.

[Ancre]

There's a few "first contact" stories where human space explorers end up, by accident or by intent, in Equestria. "Article II" and "Arrow 18's mission logs" are good example of that.

There's a few of them where humans reach Equestria because Earth is in a dire situation - like "Sunflower" or actually the whole The Conversion Bureau sub-universe.

I love to share links to stories I liked, so if you want links I'd be happy to give them

(And as always, there are some good fics that sounds like a very bad project, and similarly bad fics that looked perfect on paper. Some of these fics are very good. HiE fics usually suffer from a lot of flaws though, from self inserts to misanthropism. It's probably one of the themes where it's easy to do bad.)

[flutterscotch]

The entire plot of the original MLP cartoon almost counts

[Lux]

As a frequenter of Fimfiction.net I can give you a few examples.

First the good:

• A pony hater who is transported to Equestria and learns to like the ponies. (can be either cliche or good)
  
• A space ship coming into contact with Equestria. (This one is actually done really well for the most part as it adds to the whole other world idea)
  
• Equestria is Earth after humans have become extinct, but there are a few human survivors. (Another interesting idea)
  
• An uber pony fan gets the chance of a lifetime to spend time in Ponyville but must make the choice whether to stay or go back. (Can be either good or bad)
  
• A human goes to Equestria and then is turned into a pony (While not bad in of itself, what happens during/ after the human gets turned into a pony is key).
  
• Equestria actually merges with Earth and the two worlds collide. (This can be either cliche or not)
  

Now the bad:

• Lyra finds/ kidnaps a human to learn about them (getting a little cliche if you ask me)
  
• A human (either becomming a pony or not) falls in love with one of the mane six. (Kind of a chiche fantasy if you ask me. Personally I prefer that a story be made where it's just a pony living in Equestria thaat does the romane aspect, not humans)
  
• The human is overpowered enough to make an Alicorn cry and ends up saving the world and having more power than the Mane Six/ Princess combined! (Bad... very bad)
  

Ovverall, what I find about the HiE universe is there are some gems that I loved to read, but you may have to go digging through a few rocks to find them.

[NoGiantRobots1983]

I'm starting to have some ideas to work with, but nobody's linked to actual fics.

My own fic "Surprise Days" features a human, and to my surprise I've only seen two cliches that he meets.

... Speaking of which, I'm currently debating with myself about how the parody is gonna go. My original idea was that Surprise's pet human gets entered in a "Best HiE" contest and Surprise tries to make him act more stereotypical to get points. I'm having doubts because that feels more like bragging than an honest parody. So my second idea is having a second human show up who is pretty much a walking HiE cliche. What you think?

[Cadabra]

Pet human might be a somewhat interesting idea. Fluttershy could be a good care taker. Maybe something to work along the lines of Planet of the Apes?

[Hippo]

the only human in Equestria story I have liked is the Turnabout Storm series. When the story becomes more about the characters personalities and less about "ZOMG ITS A HUMAN" then its not so bad to read. Other stories that talk about humans in Equestria and focus on the difference in species?.... You read one you've read them all.

[NoGiantRobots1983]

Pet human might be a somewhat interesting idea. Fluttershy could be a good care taker. Maybe something to work along the lines of Planet of the Apes?

I've been using the "pet human" shtick for awhile, although recently I introduced that he's only pretending to be a pet because Equestria has never seen humans and Surprise didn't want the Equestrians to get freaked out.

I used to role-play on a forum though, where Surprise worked at an adoption agency that gave humans to interested ponies. I honestly wouldn't mind introducing something similar here, but I don't know how role-playing works in this place (I also half-suspect somepony has claimed Surprise)

[MyLittlePonyTales]

I used to role-play on a forum though, where Surprise worked at an adoption agency that gave humans to interested ponies. I honestly wouldn't mind introducing something similar here, but I don't know how role-playing works in this place (I also half-suspect somepony has claimed Surprise)

Yep! However, there are no humans in the board canon Equestria, since it takes place in the world of the show and we have not seen any humans. However, she could totally be played that way in the Free Roleplay section.

[NoGiantRobots1983]

So there's two types of role-playing here? What's the difference?

Do I like have to create an alt account for my character or something?

(And now we're getting off the subject... although now, I've gotten sidetracked into both finishing "Surprise Days" and working on a new, unrelated story, which will be a crossover with The Slayers)

[SteelEagle]

So there's two types of role-playing here? What's the difference?

Do I like have to create an alt account for my character or something?

(And now we're getting off the subject... although now, I've gotten sidetracked into both finishing "Surprise Days" and working on a new, unrelated story, which will be a crossover with The Slayers)

There are actually three different types of roleplay!

FFA is Free For All. Anything allowable under the general board rules are allowed in. It's up to the users to try and vouch for quality as there is no quality control there. That doesn't make it a bad area at all, just more eclectic.

Crossovers require an applied for pony.The Mane RP(World of Equestria) strives to emulate the show in most regards; Crossover is more in line with what you'd see in the fandom at large. It is where crossovers(as the name implies!) take place, RPs that take place in various time periods/tech levels, etc. A lot of options. You still need to apply and be approved, though for a Crossover character just check to make sure nothing board rules breaking or otherwise unallowable is happening.

World of Equestria has very tight quality and application controls as it tries to emulate the show. You have to apply and be reviewed and approved by Helpstaff(such as I), and they don't have to accept the character if it just wouldn't work in the WoE setting. We're willing to work with the user, but there are lines that can't be crossed.

If you're interested in the WoE RP, head down to the Applications forum and read up on the rules and application form.

[NoGiantRobots1983]

I just read that other user's profile for Surprise. I'm feeling like bringing my own interpretation here would be... weird, and might confuse people, because I had a very different concept in mind for the pegasus (for one thing, she comes from Dream Valley, which is a separate country from Equestria. And she's 20+ years older than Pinkie Pie. And she actually doesn't have much in common with Pinkie. Oh, and the whole "she has a pet human" thing).

I wouldn't mind giving the Free-For-All forum a shot though. I need awhile to think... wanna be really inspired and have a backlog of ideas to fall back on before I go opening a Human Adoption Shop.

... And now we've completely lost the original topic, haven't we?

[SteelEagle]

Yeah, that sounds like it'd be perfect for FFA. Just remember that staff can't really help you with quality control, so it falls on your shoulder to beat ask people to keep up a certain standard.

[TotalEcplise]

Lost the original topic? Well let me get you back on track.

Actually, most aren't post apocalyptic. Fallout Equestria is the largest proprietor of post apocalyptic pony action.

Really, if you want to make a parody of HiE stories I suggest you read.

The Pony Fall stories (Some are good some are trash)

Of Things Forgotten

Those Who Came Before

Grayscale

Revenge of the Fallen (I find this story to be trash)

Mechanations of a Trickster

Human

Griffon the Griffon or Ballad of Echo the Diamond Dog

Pistons and Ponies

Machine and Might

Chains

Sorry, no links. It would be really tedious. Just type those in the Fimfiction search bar and see if any catch your fancy. They cover most of the craziness of the HiE genre.

[NoGiantRobots1983]

Sadly, I've rather lost inspiration at the moment. The latest chapter of "Surprise Days" is... giving me a hard time.

Most of the problem is that, when I'm high on inspiration, I just write and go. But then when I have time to cool down, I realize either the pace is too hectic, or else the POV jumps around too much, or some other form-factor issue. And there's always some important plot point I just realized I forgot to set up. Gets kinda irritating.

[TotalEcplise]

Sadly, I've rather lost inspiration at the moment. The latest chapter of "Surprise Days" is... giving me a hard time.

Most of the problem is that, when I'm high on inspiration, I just write and go. But then when I have time to cool down, I realize either the pace is too hectic, or else the POV jumps around too much, or some other form-factor issue. And there's always some important plot point I just realized I forgot to set up. Gets kinda irritating.

That's story writing man.

[NoGiantRobots1983]

Oh, got some good news. I finally finished a draft of my latest Surprise Days story.

I want to go ahead and post it, but my beta-reader is busy with school stuff. But if anyone else wants to critique it, PM me and I'll send you a Google Docs link.

[Conor Colton]

Well if you're looking for links to other stories to get ideas you're more than welcome to use my fic.

http://www.fimfiction.net/story/9628/strange-new-world ugh shameless plug.

I'll say right here though I've worked on it for near a year now so there's gonna be some reading to do, so if you'd rather not then that's understandable. Apart from that though, from what I've seen people seem to like what I've did.

I hope you can find some use out of it

[DanteBlack]

Anon in Equestria.

[Parker_Izing]

The human either get guns made for him, or arrives packing heat.

The human wears a trenchcoat bonus if made of Leather.

Ponies are allways horrified about eating meat, but fish seem fine.

Random youtube links to horrible younster music. (Easily mockable, link only to Sarah Maclahan songs or 'hamster dance')