Some of you might find this interesting.

I was looking through my old emails today and I found the ones where I originally submitted Fallout: Equestria to Equestria Daily. As many of you know, the story started out on a thread, written post-by-post, on a forum dedicated to Fallout mod creators and fans. And while my previous writing and general disposition had gotten me a fair following on the forum, I was (if I recall correctly) the only brony on the site. So as you can imagine, the story didn't get much response, and it didn't take long for me to seek another place to post the story where I could get some feedback.

[Edit: After checking the dates, I discovered that I had forgotten the sequence of events. While drafting my ideas for the story, I asked some fans for other locations that I could post the story to in addition to Fallout3Underground in order to share the effort with more people and get more feedback. While the story was originally crafted for, and the first chapters written on, Fallout3Underground, I had actually submitted it to Equestria Daily simultaneously.]

One thing that surprised me (as I had completely forgotten) is that my story went through the normal process. Standards may have been different back then, as were the attitudes of the EQD pre-reader staff, but some of the misconceptions about how Fallout: Equestria got onto Equestria Daily (such as the rumor that Sethisto posted the story without sending it through pre-readers first, or that the story was posted to the site after it was famous because Sethisto was badgered into it by the FO:E fandom) are unfounded. I'd also forgotten just how fast the approval process used to be in EQD's fanfiction glory days. And, of course, the dates of those emails show just how long ago the FO:E fandom started -- a community that is stronger than ever today, has never lost its virtues, and continues to grow.

I'm happy I saved those emails. And I thought it might be nice to share them with you.

(Normally, I wouldn't think well of making public private correspondence, but there is nothing in these old emails that I believe either party would consider confidential.)

Here is my original email, dated April 8, 2011:

Hello. I have a story project that has been trotting around in my head for a bit now, and I wanted to ask you how it would be received if I sent it in to Equestria Daily. What I would like to write is a crossover (or, in this case, more of a "blending") of My Little Pony (FiM) and the Fallout game. The issue that I'm worried about is that I would write it as set in an (alternate reality) future, so all the characters would be original. I know that "Self Inserts/OC Ponies are generally frowned upon", but this would not be a case of Mary Sue-ism nor an attempt to attach a personal pony to the existing cast; rather, the existing cast would only be referenced in a "historical" context. Assuming it is fairly well written, would this be something that you would put on Equestria Daily? Thank you for your time. --Kkat

The email response from Seth:

Yah, it would just fall into crossover.

My next email, dated April 11, 2011, was the standard-format submission, along with links to the title image and first three parts. The email response from Seth:

Passing it to pre-readers!

The next day, I replied with the following:

Thank you. I'd love to know what they think of it. Please keep me informed. ^.^ --Kkat

The final email in the series is from Seth on April 12, 2011. It reads as follows:

Here is a response! Looks like its greenlit! I'll schedule it for tomorrow! ----------------------- Story/Plot: Interesting. It follows (loosely) the story of Fallout 3, with all the grim and dismal atmosphere of the games intact, from the drab grey walls of the Stable to the endless boredom of its residents, the first chapter helps set the stage for what follows. The usage of narrative over 3rd-person (which appears more common) is a nice change of pace, it allows the readers to get inside the head of LittlePip and see the world from his eyes and how he interprets it. Writing: As mentioned before, the usage of narrative is well implemented. The piece is well spaced and the pacing keeps the story on track. There is terminology that might confuse readers that dont know Fallout but chances are those that read this will be so no real problem there. Rating: 7/10. Defiantly interested in where the story goes from here, just as I was when playing Fallout 3. A worthy post. Sorry if my feedback lately has been lacking. Havnt been feeling well so thats been getting in the way.

Quite the blast from the past!