Not Alone, hands and hooves down, is the most influential story in the Anti-TCB War Fic subgenre. It's not the first of its kind, but it codified many of its most quintessential tropes, much like how Chatoyance herself codified much of the lore of the more traditional TCB stories. And it earns that title for good reason.
Not Alone runs on injecting nuance to the genre in a thoughtful and measured way. Grey morality is the dominating factor, making use of a diverse ensemble of characters who are all likable and sympathetic. Neither side is portrayed as being inherently better or worse than the other. Even the villains are treated evenly, being well-meaning but going about it in the worst ways. The consequences that follow are logical and well thought out. It’s got a subtlety to it that is refreshing considering TCB authors on both sides usually have a penchant for the bombastic (I myself am guilty as charged).
I know Starman Ghost has zero desire to revisit this story and probably looks back on it with disgust and shame, but it is still a good story on a technical level, and considering the source material (the show itself and the original fanfic this was based on), that’s saying something. While it's a bit more... bare-bones compared to more thorough deconstructionist efforts like The Spectrumverse and The Negotiationsverse, its legacy is firmly cemented as the fanfic that inspired the core of them both. This story’s greatest accomplishment was that it gave the Anti-TCB side a story that allowed us to fight back against the tide of misanthropic "I wish I could be a pony" cringe-fests dominating the early days of the TCB genre in a nuanced and intelligent manner without going square into "humanity fuck yeah" territory. And that makes me happy. Thank you for everything, Not Alone.
A long and enduring legacy
Not Alone, hands and hooves down, is the most influential story in the Anti-TCB War Fic subgenre. It's not the first of its kind, but it codified many of its most quintessential tropes, much like how Chatoyance herself codified much of the lore of the more traditional TCB stories. And it earns that title for good reason.
Not Alone runs on injecting nuance to the genre in a thoughtful and measured way. Grey morality is the dominating factor, making use of a diverse ensemble of characters who are all likable and sympathetic. Neither side is portrayed as being inherently better or worse than the other. Even the villains are treated evenly, being well-meaning but going about it in the worst ways. The consequences that follow are logical and well thought out. It’s got a subtlety to it that is refreshing considering TCB authors on both sides usually have a penchant for the bombastic (I myself am guilty as charged).
I know Starman Ghost has zero desire to revisit this story and probably looks back on it with disgust and shame, but it is still a good story on a technical level, and considering the source material (the show itself and the original fanfic this was based on), that’s saying something. While it's a bit more... bare-bones compared to more thorough deconstructionist efforts like The Spectrumverse and The Negotiationsverse, its legacy is firmly cemented as the fanfic that inspired the core of them both. This story’s greatest accomplishment was that it gave the Anti-TCB side a story that allowed us to fight back against the tide of misanthropic "I wish I could be a pony" cringe-fests dominating the early days of the TCB genre in a nuanced and intelligent manner without going square into "humanity fuck yeah" territory. And that makes me happy. Thank you for everything, Not Alone.