MORE PONIES IN SPACE

White Lightning Productions began as a fanzine and art portfolio publisher in the 1990s, and by printing editions of fan works we are returning to our roots.

Our next fanzine release will be a new, re-edited print edition (with illustrations) of our founder Kris Overstreet's most popular fan-fiction work, THE MARETIAN.

Written as a sequel to Changeling Space Program in daily installments from January 1 to October 17, 2018, The Maretian gives stranded astronaut Mark Watney five fellow castaways... but these are from a universe of magic and myth, one in which a world full of magical ponies and other creatures, taking their first steps towards the stars, have had a sudden magical accident that catapulted them into a universe with very little food, air, or magic.

Together the six castaways have to find ways to survive long enough for rescue to come... and, in the meantime, they learn about each other, and about themselves.

Note: although this is a My Little Pony story, it is also a Martian story. It should be treated as R-rated for strong language and occasional frank discussion of sex.

THE KICKSTARTER

The KickStarter (currently slated to begin at the end of March 2025) will have as its primary goal the funding of two editions of The Maretian.

The first will be a new paperback edition, with the entire text of the 2018 story re-edited into chapters, with some limited new material and illustrations (including the pictures sampled on the left). There will also be some minor story edits and a little new material, but nothing of substance will be cut, making this a perfect complete edition.

The second will be for an abridged single-volume edition of about 250,000 to 300,000 words. The Maretian was originally written as a post-per-day challenge, and as such there are quite a number of chapters which were filler, experimental, or which just plain didn't work. The single volume edition will focus on retaining the core story arc and the development arcs of the main characters while improving the flow of the story itself.

ADD-ONS

Backers will be able to pledge (as an add-on or its own item) for the paperback edition of Changeling Space Program, since WLP is virtually out of both the paperback and hardback print editions of that story and needs to reprint.

Backers will also be offered the chance to fund additional illustrations of the backer's choice. (If a scene requested has been illustrated already or is planned to be, the funds will be used to back other illustrations of our choice.)

(Unfortunately, since this project is already ambitious, backers won't be able to ask for specific new scenes added to the story. After all, it's already over 470,000 words long...)

STRETCH GOALS

Stretch goals currently planned include:

A slipcover for the three-volume set. (This may not be possible with the printers we use; we'll find out before the project goes live.)

"How to Science Your Way Off Mars" - a collection and expansion of material from author's notes and commentary focusing on the scientific basis (and flaws) both of Andy Weir's The Martian and Kris's own work. The length of this book is currently unknown, but would likely be between 50,000 and 75,000 words.

Hardback editions of both the three-volume set and the abridged edition.

Bundles of additional artwork (of our choice). These will be in sets of nine- three per volume of the unabridged edition. If we can get eight or more illustrations per book, some of them can be printed as color inserts within the books. All of them will be printed as black-and-white illustrations in the points of the story where they occur.

A challenge coin loosely patterned after the souvenirs made by the castaways from pieces of the shipwrecked pony vessel Amicitas.

A new full-color mini-artbook reprinting the original artwork from both this work and Changeling Space Program in full color. (This will be after at least two extra-art bundles.)

A new hardcover edition of Changeling Space Program. (This will be the least likely and highest tier expansion, based on people already having gotten this, but we'll put it on the list anyway.)

Watch this space for when the Kickstarter goes live.

First day is currently scheduled for March 28, 2025.