(These constant standoffs are starting to affect my ability to RP, so I think it's time I got this off my chest. I'm still a little upset so this might get kind of personal. )
A great many changes have happened recently, surrounding the Loft, the most significant being Fluttershi's divorce and the departure of Hipsterluna from the RP. It was a long time coming, but that didn't make it any easier. The breakup left a void, and a lot of wounded hearts. In the end, I think we'll recover, but for now, there are dark times through which we must pass.
The Loft has changed hooves, to Fluttershi, and now rests in her care, but she wont' stand alone; not as long as we all support each other. This is where I have taken up the mantle. When Luna left, she made of me, one final request - Help Shi run the Loft. I promised her, and stepped up. Already, this has put me in an antagonizing position against other members. That is the burden of leadership, but if it ensures that Luna's legacy and our home live on, then I will gladly accept whatever enmity comes with the task.
It's been a strange month. Veils have been lifted, and truths have come to light, and not all of them were taken very kindly. Nevertheless, it's a few less secrets I have to burden myself with. I did find it rather disturbing to learn that I garner such hatred and jealousy from some around me. I guess I should be used to that by now, but it still weighs on my heart. All I ever did was love openly, with no reservations, and no fear. I'm a bard, it comes with the territory. So, to appease the animosity, I acted out of a moment of emotional stress, and made the worst mistake I could have ever made - I hit the reset button.
It was an action, committed out of pure disgust and guilt. I was so sick and tired of being attacked by everyone for "trying to steal every mare for myself". I've never TAKEN anything! All I have, I've been given freely. (Amazing what can happen when you use real emotions to RP. It creates genuine bonds.) So, I wiped the slate clean. That of course back lashed immediately, and now I have to contend with the very real possibility of losing the two most important ponies of my OC's life. It fixed NOTHING. In fact, the only thing it did, was create more pain for them, and me. But, at least now the others don't have to worry about me interfering with their agendas, right? NO! Now they're all trying to UNDO it. Then why the hell did I do this in the first place?! I gave them exactly what they wanted, an opportunity, without me being in the picture to screw things up for them, and they spit it back in my face.
It's no wonder I'm losing my drive. I get vilified for what I have, but I have put genuine effort into a lot of it. And, I have a life outside the IRC, so do others, I get that, but the simple fact of this real-time-based-RP, is that I'm THERE. I didn't just conjure up some magic story and create relationships out of thin air. I actually built them from the ground up. I didn't just walk in the door one day and say "I'll take that one." It was MONTHS worth of RPs, adventures, and private chats. I realize, to some, this is just a game or a diversion, but it's very real to me, because I have made it so. My heart goes in this 100%. Anything less wouldn't be worthy of me.
And so now I'm planning to undo the damage caused, seek the forgiveness of my two dearest brony friends, and never let my heart falter again! Love is not a sin, it's a blessing.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Bits and Pieces
I have so much going on this month! Of course there is the rapidly approaching holiday season. I thought about dropping hints to some of my friends to see if I can get them to get me something pony, but I have a feeling they won't be able to handle braving the pink nightmare aisle. I might do just that, myself
Upside to certain things, I'm getting new computer parts a lot sooner than I expected. This will prove highly useful for the future of my creative engine. I'm really glad for that, because this old system is on the brink of falling apart. It would seem that my internet is functioning normally again too, so hopefully those problems are now behind me. That was a giant pain in the flank, and I never want to deal with it again.
And now more pony-related things:
Starting with more thoughts about season 2. This one is definitely a lot different than the first. I guess it's really showing that the producers have a bit more play with since they upped the TV rating a level. I personally find it more appealing, as it makes the illusion of catering to a more mature audience. On the whole, the episodes have been interesting, and the new songs so far have been awesome. I think there was only really one episode that I didn't like that much, at it was only because it felt rushed. They've been putting a lot of new places and characters into the mix. The fandom's getting flooded with new material, because of this. The only thing that I'm really having to adjust to is the major changes to Ponyville. They're really hardcore about turning it from the once cute little quiet town, to a growing burg. That continues to affect the spinoff material, and drives mappers like me crazy, especially since there is now a rail line running right through the middle of town. As of the previous episode, we now know that it goes right to Canterlot. (and what happened to the woods?!)
In the Loft, things have become quieter, but less chaotic. It's not as populated as it once was, players have left or fallen into silence. Kind of depressing sometimes, but there are still a few of us that try to keep things going strong, at the least to honor the memory of those who came and went before us. Lately I've been trying to advocate a lot of different scenarios, to keep things interesting. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Still, when things go well, it leaves more, in a line of awesome memories that I will not forget. I've been tempted to seek out new players from the other channels.
On the subject of scenarios, and projects, this is where I will be going crazy, for most of the next month. I've been spearheading a string of various planned RPs, and setting the stage for others. I hope that I can advertise enough to everyone to make them want to come:
Winter Moon Festival - Princess Luna's version of Summer Sun, This one is going to potentially run me ragged, as it will be the single most ambitious RP project I have ever run. I'm both excited and nervous about doing it, but I will not back down from it.
Hearth's Warming - I've more or less been spoiled as to what this is all about, but I'm being subtle about its actual meaning, so as not to spoil anyone else. I know we plan to do some sort of Christmas-y thing probably on the 24th, which is when we've set the date for that event. I don't really expect to see too many on, except to drop in, but I will hold vigil, regardless.
Dreamsweet's going to be running some kind of treasure hunt, one day too. This promises to be wacky and amusing. We also have New Years, a birthday in January, and something that I will not talk about just yet.
With my mood slightly better lately, and stuff working without the frustrating problems, I've returned to my writing as well. I feel bad that I have neglected it for so long, but I just can't write when my heart's not in it. On the whole, this month has been and continues to be good to me, in and out of the Loft, so I think it will start reflecting in my works.
Upside to certain things, I'm getting new computer parts a lot sooner than I expected. This will prove highly useful for the future of my creative engine. I'm really glad for that, because this old system is on the brink of falling apart. It would seem that my internet is functioning normally again too, so hopefully those problems are now behind me. That was a giant pain in the flank, and I never want to deal with it again.
And now more pony-related things:
Starting with more thoughts about season 2. This one is definitely a lot different than the first. I guess it's really showing that the producers have a bit more play with since they upped the TV rating a level. I personally find it more appealing, as it makes the illusion of catering to a more mature audience. On the whole, the episodes have been interesting, and the new songs so far have been awesome. I think there was only really one episode that I didn't like that much, at it was only because it felt rushed. They've been putting a lot of new places and characters into the mix. The fandom's getting flooded with new material, because of this. The only thing that I'm really having to adjust to is the major changes to Ponyville. They're really hardcore about turning it from the once cute little quiet town, to a growing burg. That continues to affect the spinoff material, and drives mappers like me crazy, especially since there is now a rail line running right through the middle of town. As of the previous episode, we now know that it goes right to Canterlot. (and what happened to the woods?!)
In the Loft, things have become quieter, but less chaotic. It's not as populated as it once was, players have left or fallen into silence. Kind of depressing sometimes, but there are still a few of us that try to keep things going strong, at the least to honor the memory of those who came and went before us. Lately I've been trying to advocate a lot of different scenarios, to keep things interesting. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Still, when things go well, it leaves more, in a line of awesome memories that I will not forget. I've been tempted to seek out new players from the other channels.
On the subject of scenarios, and projects, this is where I will be going crazy, for most of the next month. I've been spearheading a string of various planned RPs, and setting the stage for others. I hope that I can advertise enough to everyone to make them want to come:
Winter Moon Festival - Princess Luna's version of Summer Sun, This one is going to potentially run me ragged, as it will be the single most ambitious RP project I have ever run. I'm both excited and nervous about doing it, but I will not back down from it.
Hearth's Warming - I've more or less been spoiled as to what this is all about, but I'm being subtle about its actual meaning, so as not to spoil anyone else. I know we plan to do some sort of Christmas-y thing probably on the 24th, which is when we've set the date for that event. I don't really expect to see too many on, except to drop in, but I will hold vigil, regardless.
Dreamsweet's going to be running some kind of treasure hunt, one day too. This promises to be wacky and amusing. We also have New Years, a birthday in January, and something that I will not talk about just yet.
With my mood slightly better lately, and stuff working without the frustrating problems, I've returned to my writing as well. I feel bad that I have neglected it for so long, but I just can't write when my heart's not in it. On the whole, this month has been and continues to be good to me, in and out of the Loft, so I think it will start reflecting in my works.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Impeded
The past 10 days, and it seems at least several to come have been a really annoying time for me. Apparently this changing weather has had a direct impact on my internet service. It sounded completely ridiculous the first time I heard the people at the cable company tell me this, but I cannot deny the evidence. When the weather starts getting cold my services start to systematically cut out, starting with the phone, then the internet, and finally my cable TV. Once they cut out, the service usually stays offline all night until the morning sun warms things back up again.
This is not the first time this has happened. Back when Hurricane Irene skirted the east coast, it began. It was a very frustrating two weeks. I kept calling the cable company over and over, and they wouldn’t believe my problem, because everytime they sent someone to my house, everything was working. Yet, every night, about 10:30 the services began to die, one by one. Finally they sent someone to adjust my signal and things seemed to be working again. When it started happening again, I was less than amused. That was just over a week ago. The only difference is, that this time, they actually sent someone to check on things when it was actually happening. For the first time, they believed what I was saying, that indeed the whole thing just dies for no reason. More than one person I talked to said this is a common problem when the weather starts to change. I don’t know much about cable technology so I’ll just have to take their word for it.
When it was all said and done, they scheduled for me to have all new lines dropped to my home. It’s been four days since I have had this set up and still I have seen no crews to fix this mess. Last night I came home from work, with an already rapidly decreasing temperature outside, to find that my cable services were already out, instead of the normal 8 or so they had been. Needless to say, my mood was immediately agitated. I once again called my cable service and tried to find out what the hell was going on. It seems like each time I get a new customer service person, they have a different story to tell me. This time the story I got, was that it could take up to a week from the scheduled date to get the crew working on my order. That day was Monday. So it could easily be up to sometime in the first week of December before I get my stuff fixed. This was a completely different story than my last representative told me; My lines should be dropped by Monday (was told to me last Friday).
With a string of cold days ahead in the forecast, this pretty much means I have no chance of any kind of net interaction for… who knows how many days to come. The prospect of that many days without the web, or seeing my friends in IRC is frankly, maddening. My only solace (and who knows if I wasn’t just lied to again) is that the last customer service rep. said she flagged my job to be expedited. I really hope that means that I will see someone working outside within the next 24 hours but I’m not going to hold my breath. I imagine it will just be sometime before next Monday, who knows. I swear, if TWC had some competition in my town I would be making a beeline to them. I have had about enough of dealing with their poor service. They can boast all the speed in the world but it doesn’t mean crap if I can’t even get service.
I can’t really do much else with my lack of services, so I have been digging up my RP logs and just working on my stories. At least I can get something accomplished in the wake of this annoyance. Still, I really miss my friends and the Loft…
Sunday, November 20, 2011
A Typical Night
Normal night for me online. RP in one window, logs in another, writing in a third, and music in the background.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The Standing of Things - Part 2
I have been so busy lately! Between writing, keeping up with multiple role playing arcs and coming up with new material, I keep a pretty full plate. Still, I feel so incredibly dynamic from all this creative energy I'm drawing up. I have to hand it to all that I've experienced over the last month, it has turned me into a determined storyteller. And I plan to keep delivering, as long as it's well met. I really do need to get around to working on my artwork though. That's a medium I have a strong desire to do stuff with. Hopefully if I get a new computer in the next couple months, I'll have something that can help me accomplish this goal.
In the RP, Moonlight Ballad has actually been on a side arc, for the last week or so. It is an interesting twist of events that hopefully my stories will catch up to, eventually. The side arc in itself , which is a multi-media RP, carrying parts over into the Tumblr blogs, is already the staging of a sequel series. I'm also collecting one-shot adventures or Moonlight with a lot of the other ponies, mostly one on one plays, as I get time. I felt like it would be a good way to get to know them better and help us all with character building. It's been most enjoyable in the few times I've done so far.
The side story, a duo arc between Moonlight and Lyra, is nearing its completion, and leaves behind a trail of awesome memories. It was so worth it. I'm about ready to return to the Loft though, I think we both are. Adventures are always fun, but it's nice to come home. Things have gotten pretty wild in there lately. I almost feel bad to have missed some of it. This is mainly because I can't interact, for sake of continuity. Obviously if Moonlight's away on a journey, it would be hard to explain why he is in the room. Usually I've been just lurking in the out of character room, so I can at least chat with folks.
*sighs* So much to do yet. More characters, more stories, more craziness. It's been a bit chaotic in the Loft lately (haha what else is new). I need to get Moonlight home and bring some stability back. Sometimes I feel like a big brother figure in there. I guess that's the old man in me coming out, I don't know, but I don't mind that either. I really love the feeling of being needed. It gives me a sense of purpose and compassion that really drives me forward. And, we have drama; What family doesn't? But, at the end of the day, we're always there for each other. That's what family's for, right? Best... RP... EVER!
In the RP, Moonlight Ballad has actually been on a side arc, for the last week or so. It is an interesting twist of events that hopefully my stories will catch up to, eventually. The side arc in itself , which is a multi-media RP, carrying parts over into the Tumblr blogs, is already the staging of a sequel series. I'm also collecting one-shot adventures or Moonlight with a lot of the other ponies, mostly one on one plays, as I get time. I felt like it would be a good way to get to know them better and help us all with character building. It's been most enjoyable in the few times I've done so far.
The side story, a duo arc between Moonlight and Lyra, is nearing its completion, and leaves behind a trail of awesome memories. It was so worth it. I'm about ready to return to the Loft though, I think we both are. Adventures are always fun, but it's nice to come home. Things have gotten pretty wild in there lately. I almost feel bad to have missed some of it. This is mainly because I can't interact, for sake of continuity. Obviously if Moonlight's away on a journey, it would be hard to explain why he is in the room. Usually I've been just lurking in the out of character room, so I can at least chat with folks.
*sighs* So much to do yet. More characters, more stories, more craziness. It's been a bit chaotic in the Loft lately (haha what else is new). I need to get Moonlight home and bring some stability back. Sometimes I feel like a big brother figure in there. I guess that's the old man in me coming out, I don't know, but I don't mind that either. I really love the feeling of being needed. It gives me a sense of purpose and compassion that really drives me forward. And, we have drama; What family doesn't? But, at the end of the day, we're always there for each other. That's what family's for, right? Best... RP... EVER!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
What I Did for Nightmare Night
I know it's week late and non pony, but I had fun regardless. The weekend of Nightmare Night, of course began with another shot of the awesome Luna Eclipsed episode. (ok some pony).
Later in the day my friends threw a huge costume party. Because my friends and I all went in our uniforms to show off our stuff, we were the guest judges.
That's me in the navy. I'm part of a non-profit Ghostbusters franchise. It's a lot of fun.
After the judging, it was time to pull out the rock band. I love the keytar controller ^^
Yeah I'm a freaking dork. But I had a lot of fun.
I actually took it easy this time around. The last party I went to I got layed out after 36 shots of various things, toasting "For the glory of Equestria!"
Later in the day my friends threw a huge costume party. Because my friends and I all went in our uniforms to show off our stuff, we were the guest judges.
That's me in the navy. I'm part of a non-profit Ghostbusters franchise. It's a lot of fun.
After the judging, it was time to pull out the rock band. I love the keytar controller ^^
Yeah I'm a freaking dork. But I had a lot of fun.
I actually took it easy this time around. The last party I went to I got layed out after 36 shots of various things, toasting "For the glory of Equestria!"
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Stage is Set
I've certainly taken up my set of challenges, lately. As to my main story, I haven't stopped writing it. I just get a little bogged down, from time to time. Combing through 30-40 page long logs of RP can give a guy tunnel vision after a while. I'm still satisfied with the results though. Currently I'm working on Chapter 3. I have a feeling that this one is going to be HUGE by the time I finish it. I'm enjoying writing it though.
The actual Luna's Loft has been kind of slow lately. I partly blame myself for that. LyricalLyra and I kind of needed a breather from all the chaos. Yeah it's amusing in small doses, but speaking for at least myself, I go to the Loft to relax and forget some of the chaos and drama that already exists in my daily life. Filling my recreation with it, kind of disheartens me a little bit. I'm not sure if that was entirely Lyra's motivation, but she took a break from the main RP (went on a journey), and I followed suit (went with her), only because it was what Moonlight would have done... period. We've split into a side RP, just the two of us, reflecting the pair's adventure across Equestria. I plan to write more on that as well, once we get the arc finished. Then the characters will return to the main group. I'm a little iffy on doing this whole thing -- not the actual adventure. I'm looking forward to that, but the effect it is having on the group. It feels like some of the others are genuinely upset that we left, and it kind of tugs on my heart a little bit. I care more than I let on, sometimes. It's like my exile from a couple weeks ago. I'm missing them...really. At least this time, I have someone to share my experience with, and I have no doubt that a wonderful set of tales will come of it. Hopefully the ends will justify the means here.
Before I "left", I cranked out a short story in 24 hours for a performance I had to do. I was flipping out, trying to get it finished. Funny though, The moment I added music to it, as I was writing... it suddenly flowed right out of me. I used the same songs as background setting for when I told it in the RP. It went way better than I expected. I should have thought of that from the start. Music has always been one of my driving forces.
The actual Luna's Loft has been kind of slow lately. I partly blame myself for that. LyricalLyra and I kind of needed a breather from all the chaos. Yeah it's amusing in small doses, but speaking for at least myself, I go to the Loft to relax and forget some of the chaos and drama that already exists in my daily life. Filling my recreation with it, kind of disheartens me a little bit. I'm not sure if that was entirely Lyra's motivation, but she took a break from the main RP (went on a journey), and I followed suit (went with her), only because it was what Moonlight would have done... period. We've split into a side RP, just the two of us, reflecting the pair's adventure across Equestria. I plan to write more on that as well, once we get the arc finished. Then the characters will return to the main group. I'm a little iffy on doing this whole thing -- not the actual adventure. I'm looking forward to that, but the effect it is having on the group. It feels like some of the others are genuinely upset that we left, and it kind of tugs on my heart a little bit. I care more than I let on, sometimes. It's like my exile from a couple weeks ago. I'm missing them...really. At least this time, I have someone to share my experience with, and I have no doubt that a wonderful set of tales will come of it. Hopefully the ends will justify the means here.
Before I "left", I cranked out a short story in 24 hours for a performance I had to do. I was flipping out, trying to get it finished. Funny though, The moment I added music to it, as I was writing... it suddenly flowed right out of me. I used the same songs as background setting for when I told it in the RP. It went way better than I expected. I should have thought of that from the start. Music has always been one of my driving forces.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Challenges of Authors
I've been writing more of chapter two since I got up today, and I still have a ton to go. I've learned a few things about this type of writing.
1. Roleplaying is easy.
2. Roleplaying shipping is manageable if you do it right. (and I do it right.)
3. Trying to convert a roleplaying chat log, complete with multiple story arcs, shipping, and lots of completely random off the wall events is HARD!
In the beginning I thought it would be just a simple matter of transcribing and putting in some filler. The reality of the matter is that, for it to be an acceptable story format, it must be transcribed, translated, edited, some of the chronology needs to be rearranged, and certain things need to be outright omitted. In addition, the term "filler" seems weakly appropriate at best. Every interaction, within the roleplay must also be narrated, so in truth, even the parts of the log that I actually do use, require about twice as much writing to set the scene properly.
I'm not saying that I'm unhappy with this project. Far from it. It's just taking me a lot longer than I had anticipated. Even having had all day off to work, I still have at good dozen pages left to write, minimum, and I'm only on 2/3 logs complete of the relevant material for this chapter.
My respect for people that do this for a living only continues to grow.
1. Roleplaying is easy.
2. Roleplaying shipping is manageable if you do it right. (and I do it right.)
3. Trying to convert a roleplaying chat log, complete with multiple story arcs, shipping, and lots of completely random off the wall events is HARD!
In the beginning I thought it would be just a simple matter of transcribing and putting in some filler. The reality of the matter is that, for it to be an acceptable story format, it must be transcribed, translated, edited, some of the chronology needs to be rearranged, and certain things need to be outright omitted. In addition, the term "filler" seems weakly appropriate at best. Every interaction, within the roleplay must also be narrated, so in truth, even the parts of the log that I actually do use, require about twice as much writing to set the scene properly.
I'm not saying that I'm unhappy with this project. Far from it. It's just taking me a lot longer than I had anticipated. Even having had all day off to work, I still have at good dozen pages left to write, minimum, and I'm only on 2/3 logs complete of the relevant material for this chapter.
My respect for people that do this for a living only continues to grow.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Of Chaos and Love and Other Such Things
My story was met with a favorable response. I squee'd a little inside.
So, once I finally got settled back into the RP at LunasLoft, I discovered that a lot of events had been crammed into the past week, during my absence. First off, there are a lot more regulars to the channel now (though there is a large quantity of alts as well, for story purposes). I suppose that's a good thing, as it makes for more interesting interaction. I really don't know a lot of what is going on right now. There is some kind of (war?) going on. It's time-and shadow related. I tend to avoid it because it makes my head spin. All I have gathered is that somepony got dumped into a possible future where stuff has gone very wrong, and Luna is evil again. There was a lot of death and violence involved in this particular RP. At the current, everyone is back, but Luna is harboring a very large guilt for what she did in the future. It's putting a strain on several of the characters. As I've seen, over the few days I've been back, echoes of these shadows are slipping into the current and keep causing more strife. There was a full-on battle in the loft the other night, and it got kind of crazy. I had left to another room near the beginning of it, but I'd look back in occasionally and it was just...wow.
Luna's Loft Shipping co. ™ That's my opinion on the second set of events over the past couple weeks. This RP has spawned so many independent couplings, it's unreal. I honestly cannot keep track of who all is paired up with whom anymore, and don't even get me started on who's alt is paired up with whom. The very fact that the ponysouls involved can keep all their characters in their respective interactions warrants some serious respect from me. I don't think I want to do that, personally. I've done it playing tabletop and that's enough of a headache for me to keep track of and play multiple characters. I'll just stick with good ol' Moonlight and pour all of my soul through him. But... oh yeah, I guess I should also mention that some royal couple, who shall not be named, thought it would be cute to play match maker. So... Moonlight has been shipped as well, much to my surprise, when I returned from my hiatus. I think they made the perfect choice though; one of the newcomers, a post-relationship version of Lyra (yes, without the BonBon. Thank goodness, that ship always annoyed me.). Luna must have sugar coated her description of Moonlight like a candy apple, because Lyra has warmed up to him so quickly, and I'm quite sure, I'm okay with this. Pair of music ponies: it's a bit cliché I suppose, but it makes for beautiful role playing. I really like her personality a lot. It's so easy for me to lose myself, role playing, opposite her; All my actions come naturally.
All the stuff going on lately, has inspired me like mad. I've gotten so much from it, that I've actually decided to continue my story, using the logs I've started saving from the RP as story fuel. The only issue I am having is continuity. Lots of things seem to happen in bursts of time slips, like weeks worth of events wedge themselves into a couple nights of role play. The loft is full of children now, as a result of this. I wasn't expecting to see at least one of them introduced for a few more weeks, but that other RP has a tendency to force the clock. It's like a god-war in there. So much insanity, and over-the-top events colliding with that dark twist, and lots of godly interventions, I'm told. The anti-Sue mob would have a field day with it.
Emotional blender: the term I will use for the Loft, but sometimes I feel like even that isn't a strong enough description. I've seen it all in my short time there; new friendships, love, romance, passion, conflict, dark pasts for days, music, heartbreak and tears... LOTS of freaking tears, on and off the screen. We are a very passionately emotional lot, we are. I wonder if that's a brony trait... Last night's session was the pinnacle of these emotions. Where to begin... Luna had a major breakdown, still bothered by her apparent future fall to evil. This of course sent ripples of sad across everypony in the place, especially Shi. No sooner was that situation quelled, than PrimalMoon drops a bombshell on everything. In a giant tear jerking event, he announces that SteamKlunk would be leaving the loft, possibly forever, and chose to take one of his two children with him, leaving Twi to take care of the other. This escalated into a contest of wills, of everypony trying to convince him to stay. Some of them were upset, others angry, others confused. It was completely out of control. Ultimately, he left anyway, leaving a wake of shattered hearts behind him.
Shi and I once had a discussion OOC at length about the artifact that Moonlight is carrying, and what would happen if he suddenly was hit with an overwhelming force of emotion, while he was using it. We'd come up with an interesting theory, and I tucked it away, meaning to use it someday for an interesting twist of events. Unfortunately, for the room, the events of last night transcended that suppression, as I have never seen a more appropriate time to pull that card. What happens when you take a unicorn that can already use magic, add an artifact that enhances magic by emotion, channel it through a song that evokes more emotions, and then fuse it with a sudden anguished pain and a desire to shut out the world? Yeah, that happened. In short, Moonlight unwittingly created a massive mana storm inside the building, sealing himself inside a shell of apathy. If it weren't for the intervention of everyone there, he probably would have destroyed the whole loft. In the aftermath he was completely effed up, and were it not for another Deus Ex, by Fluttershi, I probably would have had him out of commission for weeks.
The events of the night caused a lot of the ponysouls to have to pull their trump cards. Primal set it off like a stack of dominoes, and it went from there. I'm not really sure how things are going to be in the aftermath of all this. It has changed the story in such a radical direction. On the upside, Lyra still seems to still deeply care about Moonlight, despite the fact that he almost killed her. Silver lining I suppose. I'm glad I didn't screw that up.
So, once I finally got settled back into the RP at LunasLoft, I discovered that a lot of events had been crammed into the past week, during my absence. First off, there are a lot more regulars to the channel now (though there is a large quantity of alts as well, for story purposes). I suppose that's a good thing, as it makes for more interesting interaction. I really don't know a lot of what is going on right now. There is some kind of (war?) going on. It's time-and shadow related. I tend to avoid it because it makes my head spin. All I have gathered is that somepony got dumped into a possible future where stuff has gone very wrong, and Luna is evil again. There was a lot of death and violence involved in this particular RP. At the current, everyone is back, but Luna is harboring a very large guilt for what she did in the future. It's putting a strain on several of the characters. As I've seen, over the few days I've been back, echoes of these shadows are slipping into the current and keep causing more strife. There was a full-on battle in the loft the other night, and it got kind of crazy. I had left to another room near the beginning of it, but I'd look back in occasionally and it was just...wow.
Luna's Loft Shipping co. ™ That's my opinion on the second set of events over the past couple weeks. This RP has spawned so many independent couplings, it's unreal. I honestly cannot keep track of who all is paired up with whom anymore, and don't even get me started on who's alt is paired up with whom. The very fact that the ponysouls involved can keep all their characters in their respective interactions warrants some serious respect from me. I don't think I want to do that, personally. I've done it playing tabletop and that's enough of a headache for me to keep track of and play multiple characters. I'll just stick with good ol' Moonlight and pour all of my soul through him. But... oh yeah, I guess I should also mention that some royal couple, who shall not be named, thought it would be cute to play match maker. So... Moonlight has been shipped as well, much to my surprise, when I returned from my hiatus. I think they made the perfect choice though; one of the newcomers, a post-relationship version of Lyra (yes, without the BonBon. Thank goodness, that ship always annoyed me.). Luna must have sugar coated her description of Moonlight like a candy apple, because Lyra has warmed up to him so quickly, and I'm quite sure, I'm okay with this. Pair of music ponies: it's a bit cliché I suppose, but it makes for beautiful role playing. I really like her personality a lot. It's so easy for me to lose myself, role playing, opposite her; All my actions come naturally.
All the stuff going on lately, has inspired me like mad. I've gotten so much from it, that I've actually decided to continue my story, using the logs I've started saving from the RP as story fuel. The only issue I am having is continuity. Lots of things seem to happen in bursts of time slips, like weeks worth of events wedge themselves into a couple nights of role play. The loft is full of children now, as a result of this. I wasn't expecting to see at least one of them introduced for a few more weeks, but that other RP has a tendency to force the clock. It's like a god-war in there. So much insanity, and over-the-top events colliding with that dark twist, and lots of godly interventions, I'm told. The anti-Sue mob would have a field day with it.
Emotional blender: the term I will use for the Loft, but sometimes I feel like even that isn't a strong enough description. I've seen it all in my short time there; new friendships, love, romance, passion, conflict, dark pasts for days, music, heartbreak and tears... LOTS of freaking tears, on and off the screen. We are a very passionately emotional lot, we are. I wonder if that's a brony trait... Last night's session was the pinnacle of these emotions. Where to begin... Luna had a major breakdown, still bothered by her apparent future fall to evil. This of course sent ripples of sad across everypony in the place, especially Shi. No sooner was that situation quelled, than PrimalMoon drops a bombshell on everything. In a giant tear jerking event, he announces that SteamKlunk would be leaving the loft, possibly forever, and chose to take one of his two children with him, leaving Twi to take care of the other. This escalated into a contest of wills, of everypony trying to convince him to stay. Some of them were upset, others angry, others confused. It was completely out of control. Ultimately, he left anyway, leaving a wake of shattered hearts behind him.
Shi and I once had a discussion OOC at length about the artifact that Moonlight is carrying, and what would happen if he suddenly was hit with an overwhelming force of emotion, while he was using it. We'd come up with an interesting theory, and I tucked it away, meaning to use it someday for an interesting twist of events. Unfortunately, for the room, the events of last night transcended that suppression, as I have never seen a more appropriate time to pull that card. What happens when you take a unicorn that can already use magic, add an artifact that enhances magic by emotion, channel it through a song that evokes more emotions, and then fuse it with a sudden anguished pain and a desire to shut out the world? Yeah, that happened. In short, Moonlight unwittingly created a massive mana storm inside the building, sealing himself inside a shell of apathy. If it weren't for the intervention of everyone there, he probably would have destroyed the whole loft. In the aftermath he was completely effed up, and were it not for another Deus Ex, by Fluttershi, I probably would have had him out of commission for weeks.
The events of the night caused a lot of the ponysouls to have to pull their trump cards. Primal set it off like a stack of dominoes, and it went from there. I'm not really sure how things are going to be in the aftermath of all this. It has changed the story in such a radical direction. On the upside, Lyra still seems to still deeply care about Moonlight, despite the fact that he almost killed her. Silver lining I suppose. I'm glad I didn't screw that up.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
It's finished!
I did it! I finished my first real story. Now I get to find out how good or bad I really am.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uka3aTmPDLGsQqT2Wftus-wiOvE91H-K_vSxbNkzz8U/edit?hl=en_US
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uka3aTmPDLGsQqT2Wftus-wiOvE91H-K_vSxbNkzz8U/edit?hl=en_US
Luna Eclipsed: Reflected
Well, I must say I have been blown away by this new episode. Finally, we have a canon interpretation of Princess Luna, and while I'm overjoyed to have it, I have to change a lot of the way I have been thinking about her personality.
While a lot of the artists and writers nailed several aspects of her, there were some things that I don't think anyone ever expected. Fic writers are going to have to take some grit with this. It was inevitable, though. I think the biggest aspect of her that will take some getting used to is her extreme anachronism. She carries herself with extreme melodramatic royal overtones, even using the olde English (or royal Canterlot, as she put it) style of speaking. I think that in time, if she gets more episodes (and I hope she does) that this will diminish, as she gets more modernized. She also looks different than the last time we saw her (That's going to drive some artists crazy.) Her color is a bit darker than it last was, and she now has the flowy, starry mane, instead of the familiar blue curls. I like the mane, but the coat color will take a bit of getting used to. I feel like it's not as welcoming. The common interpretation, and even Lauren Faust herself theorized this, is that when the Mane 6 freed Luna from the Nightmare, she was completely depowered and weakened. Now that she's had some time to recover, a lot of her original magic is resurfacing and she's showing more signs of being like her big sister.
Overall, I think she's really adorable. From underneath that brash royal shell, she repeatedly lets slip out that familiar sad little sister that just wants to be loved by her subjects. She has issues with her manner of execution though, which repeatedly has the negative effect of generating fear, not love. It almost seems to echo what probably happened to her before she fell into darkness. Still, when she steps down from the thundering voice and the regal commanding attitude, she has a soft side, that's really endearing. It becomes very clear as the episode goes along that if she just chills out a bit, and opens her heart, with the help of Twilight and her friends, she could become a very loved and welcomed figure in Equestria.
It's also now canon that Luna can shapeshift, She would like for ponies to just call her Luna (when she's not in royaldrama mode), and she's got a prankster side (a fact that I love!).
Other points of note:
-Zecora is pretty much confirmed to be some kind of alchemist. I'm also OK with this.
-The character Pipsqueak is going to become the next Nyx, as far as fandom love/hate. I'm already seeing people lining up on both sides of this.
-I genuinely expected to see the CMCs featured in this episode, since it's all about the kids, but they got less exposure than some of the background characters. Weird.
While a lot of the artists and writers nailed several aspects of her, there were some things that I don't think anyone ever expected. Fic writers are going to have to take some grit with this. It was inevitable, though. I think the biggest aspect of her that will take some getting used to is her extreme anachronism. She carries herself with extreme melodramatic royal overtones, even using the olde English (or royal Canterlot, as she put it) style of speaking. I think that in time, if she gets more episodes (and I hope she does) that this will diminish, as she gets more modernized. She also looks different than the last time we saw her (That's going to drive some artists crazy.) Her color is a bit darker than it last was, and she now has the flowy, starry mane, instead of the familiar blue curls. I like the mane, but the coat color will take a bit of getting used to. I feel like it's not as welcoming. The common interpretation, and even Lauren Faust herself theorized this, is that when the Mane 6 freed Luna from the Nightmare, she was completely depowered and weakened. Now that she's had some time to recover, a lot of her original magic is resurfacing and she's showing more signs of being like her big sister.
Overall, I think she's really adorable. From underneath that brash royal shell, she repeatedly lets slip out that familiar sad little sister that just wants to be loved by her subjects. She has issues with her manner of execution though, which repeatedly has the negative effect of generating fear, not love. It almost seems to echo what probably happened to her before she fell into darkness. Still, when she steps down from the thundering voice and the regal commanding attitude, she has a soft side, that's really endearing. It becomes very clear as the episode goes along that if she just chills out a bit, and opens her heart, with the help of Twilight and her friends, she could become a very loved and welcomed figure in Equestria.
It's also now canon that Luna can shapeshift, She would like for ponies to just call her Luna (when she's not in royaldrama mode), and she's got a prankster side (a fact that I love!).
Other points of note:
-Zecora is pretty much confirmed to be some kind of alchemist. I'm also OK with this.
-The character Pipsqueak is going to become the next Nyx, as far as fandom love/hate. I'm already seeing people lining up on both sides of this.
-I genuinely expected to see the CMCs featured in this episode, since it's all about the kids, but they got less exposure than some of the background characters. Weird.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Writer, Possessed: part 2
I'm continuing work on this roleplaying story. Every night for the past few days I've been working well into the early hours of morning. I must admit that I'm quite pleased with how this thing is turning out. So far it's surprisingly longer than I expected. I only hope it will be met with some glimmer of appreciation. One thing is for certain. Once this story gets posted, my friends will have a much greater understanding of Moonlight Ballad.
I'm still questioning my methodology in they way I have decided to create this. My self-imposed exile from everypony makes me feel a bit lonely, some nights. It does however serve to properly condition my mind and my spirit to write as sincerely and evocatively as I can. I feel like the end will justify the means.
On the upside of things, I bounced a first draft by one of my writing coaches, who has never been exposed to FiM. She had this to say:
I'm still questioning my methodology in they way I have decided to create this. My self-imposed exile from everypony makes me feel a bit lonely, some nights. It does however serve to properly condition my mind and my spirit to write as sincerely and evocatively as I can. I feel like the end will justify the means.
On the upside of things, I bounced a first draft by one of my writing coaches, who has never been exposed to FiM. She had this to say:
The descriptions are wonderful. I'm entirely unfamiliar with this world you're writing about,
|
Monday, October 17, 2011
Writer, Possessed
I was up until almost 4am last night, writing a supplemental RP story for Moonlight. So far this morning, I've already written two more pages, and stuff is still spilling out of my brain. Two of my friends are getting married IRP tonight, and I have written most of this story to fill in the gaps of what happens after, also to put a little back story on my beloved OC. I plan to drop the whole thing on them, during the coming week (as my character will not be there) so they can follow what happened to him in the aftermath. At this point, I'm still juggling with the idea of where to post it, so it can be read. I'm using "Google Docs" to write the story on, but I need a medium to present it to them with, or this whole project is wasted effort. Since the story is written directly in character, I can't post it here, though I'll most likely link it once I finish.
I'm finding this project most exciting! This is the single most profound case of roleplaying I have done in longer than I can remember. The story itself is also a wonderful practice run for a full blown fan-fic and I definitely need the practice. I also plan to have one of my writing friends critique it and hopefully she will approve. Who knows... if it goes over well, I may be well on my way to writing real stories.
I'm finding this project most exciting! This is the single most profound case of roleplaying I have done in longer than I can remember. The story itself is also a wonderful practice run for a full blown fan-fic and I definitely need the practice. I also plan to have one of my writing friends critique it and hopefully she will approve. Who knows... if it goes over well, I may be well on my way to writing real stories.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
I'm ok with this.
Well, after seeing S2/E3 I'm fairly confident to say that I think the show is in good hands. If the rest of the season is as awesome as this past weekend was, I will truly enjoy all of it. Next weekend will be the one thing I've been waiting to see for a LONG time- the return of Princess Luna in an episode that centers around her. Many fics and fanons will be dashed to the rocks after this one. Others will gain more power. I'm just happy that this is coming overall. It was long overdue.
Friday, October 14, 2011
The Standing of Things
I know, I originally intended to separate the ponysona from the ponysoul (ie. the writer), on this blog, but I'm finding that to be most arduous. I have therefore, at the suggestion of my friends, made one of those Tumblr thingies to express the ponysona of Moonlight and will keep my ponysoul here. I think it will be less confusing, especially for myself.
A lot has happened in the last month, in my pony-filled universe.
First and foremost, I expanded my relationship with the brony community on a far more personal level. I started hanging out on EqD's IRC channels. This turned out to yield a bunch of interesting results; not the least of which being that I made a lot of new friends. I enjoyed my nightly visits to the channels, sharing in stories, art, music, and my love for FiM and its community. It always cheered me up to watch the latest antics of those crazy bronies, doing whatever, and those even crazier admins doing their thing. Some of them, I look forward to seeing every day.
The tangent I go into next is relevant, however I've given very careful thought to how I word the next two paragraphs, because I don't want to come off as some kind of creep or love-starved fool.
A few weeks ago, my stars crossed paths with a certain cuddly, glasses-wearing princess of the night. It would have been an incidental evening, save for the fact that her affection toward me is still very much alive and well, today. (I'm going to interject this tangent-ception to add to the list, one more thing I've started doing again, thanks to my new friends: genuine role playing - something I haven't done in forever!) Now, what I ever did to earn her affection, let alone her attention, is beyond me. I don't deny, however, that I enjoy and reciprocate it. I'm a bard. We thrive on this stuff. That's just the root of this tale, however. Through her, I became part of what I can only describe as intimate circle of friends; her shy, yet equally affectionate lover, the ever loyal and caring ponydroid, and a few other wayward hearts. We're like one big cuddly family. I'm unsure how to play part of this out. See, Moonlight's a bard, a wanderer. It's part of his ponysona. Sooner than later, he's going to be wandering the countryside again. That will mean extended times when I'm not there. Still, it's nice to have a place to call home. (She gave me my own room.)
I cannot express strongly enough how much my spirit enjoys being in the company of these ponies, especially her. Her very aura commands admiration and adoration. Maybe that's the princess in her, I don't know. I could have the worst day ever and she can turn the whole thing around with a "Hi" and a hug. That's a magical empathy! I think I would like to meet her ponysoul one day. I bet she's an amazing individual.
So, yeah. Sappy moment: over. Recently, all the emotions and creative stimulation I've received, has burgeoned into a large force of inspiration. I have been writing more, singing more, and I even started making bits of artwork that actually satisfy my personal criticism. I'm most pleased with the direction this is taking me artistically. Like I said earlier, I'm now creating a Tumblr. I have a Deviantart page that I'm driving myself to make things for. I joined a state brony group, which I'm active in, and I'm even starting to compile my first fan-fic. I've been shared so much, from this fandom and I mean to give back. This whole Pony thing has brought such joy to my life, and I owe it all to my new friends and the community we share.
Thank you: HipsterLuna, Fluttershi, and PrimalMoon! You have rekindled my soul's fire.
A lot has happened in the last month, in my pony-filled universe.
First and foremost, I expanded my relationship with the brony community on a far more personal level. I started hanging out on EqD's IRC channels. This turned out to yield a bunch of interesting results; not the least of which being that I made a lot of new friends. I enjoyed my nightly visits to the channels, sharing in stories, art, music, and my love for FiM and its community. It always cheered me up to watch the latest antics of those crazy bronies, doing whatever, and those even crazier admins doing their thing. Some of them, I look forward to seeing every day.
The tangent I go into next is relevant, however I've given very careful thought to how I word the next two paragraphs, because I don't want to come off as some kind of creep or love-starved fool.
A few weeks ago, my stars crossed paths with a certain cuddly, glasses-wearing princess of the night. It would have been an incidental evening, save for the fact that her affection toward me is still very much alive and well, today. (I'm going to interject this tangent-ception to add to the list, one more thing I've started doing again, thanks to my new friends: genuine role playing - something I haven't done in forever!) Now, what I ever did to earn her affection, let alone her attention, is beyond me. I don't deny, however, that I enjoy and reciprocate it. I'm a bard. We thrive on this stuff. That's just the root of this tale, however. Through her, I became part of what I can only describe as intimate circle of friends; her shy, yet equally affectionate lover, the ever loyal and caring ponydroid, and a few other wayward hearts. We're like one big cuddly family. I'm unsure how to play part of this out. See, Moonlight's a bard, a wanderer. It's part of his ponysona. Sooner than later, he's going to be wandering the countryside again. That will mean extended times when I'm not there. Still, it's nice to have a place to call home. (She gave me my own room.)
I cannot express strongly enough how much my spirit enjoys being in the company of these ponies, especially her. Her very aura commands admiration and adoration. Maybe that's the princess in her, I don't know. I could have the worst day ever and she can turn the whole thing around with a "Hi" and a hug. That's a magical empathy! I think I would like to meet her ponysoul one day. I bet she's an amazing individual.
So, yeah. Sappy moment: over. Recently, all the emotions and creative stimulation I've received, has burgeoned into a large force of inspiration. I have been writing more, singing more, and I even started making bits of artwork that actually satisfy my personal criticism. I'm most pleased with the direction this is taking me artistically. Like I said earlier, I'm now creating a Tumblr. I have a Deviantart page that I'm driving myself to make things for. I joined a state brony group, which I'm active in, and I'm even starting to compile my first fan-fic. I've been shared so much, from this fandom and I mean to give back. This whole Pony thing has brought such joy to my life, and I owe it all to my new friends and the community we share.
Thank you: HipsterLuna, Fluttershi, and PrimalMoon! You have rekindled my soul's fire.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Portraits
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Anticipation and Rantings
I'll begin today with the hype... SEASON 2! It's just 4 days away and the anticipation is killing me! There's so much I'm looking forward to seeing and I can't wait to find out what happens with all the characters, especially ones we barely know in canon, so far, like Princess Luna. Fanon has written her so vividly, that I'm anxious about how the writers will actually portray her. I know I'm not alone in that. People from production have said that 'they feel we'll be pleased with her.' I doubt this means that they have "caved" to the fans' interpretations, but perhaps it does mean that some fic writers were pretty close with their portrayal. I hope so. I've really gotten a soft spot for the fanon Luna.
The other major thing right now is the season 2 spoilers Hasbro's been tossing on their Facebook page, and the snippets of show already appearing thanks to some enterprising individuals. Some of them do well to pique interest a bit; "grayed" characters and funky brown rain. I can handle a little teaser, but full-on spoiler clips of Dischord?! Come on!! I'm trying my best not to see any of that. Half the fun of the story for me is enjoying the surprise and reaction it creates. I don't want to know what all that is before it even airs. It would diminish the appeal. I've decided to actively avoid going to my usual image sites for the next few days, just in case more major spoiler stuff is there (which people on EqD say it already is). At least the Equestria Daily staff has been kind enough to ponies like me who don't want the surprise ruined and have been actively warning or hiding links on their site.
I don't know why people are so obsessed with spoiling every detail of every thing before it comes out any more. This goes for shows, movies, and especially video games. The second any speck of upcoming material gets into the hands of one of them, they proceed to .dat hack and pick apart every single detail, and then broadcast their findings to everybody on the web! I have to lump all the FiM blooper videos in with this as well. The shows were picked apart, frame by frame, and every little mistake pointed out. Seriously, what do we gain out of that? Can't we just enjoy something without it being dissected, or its flaws pointed out, or being compared to something else? Knowing every detail about all this stuff is just taking its mystery or even its magic away. I mean, whatever happened to the excitement of self-discovery? I guess a lot of people are just more interested in instant gratification than adventure.
As to my "adventure", it remains to be seen how I will manage it. Unfortunately, the only down side I have to the new season is its new time slot. Weekday episodes of Friendship is Magic are now a half hour earlier, and I miss part of them by the time I get home from work. Saturday episodes (which are when the new stuff airs first) are at 9am and I'm at work every other one during that time. I'm really hoping they have a showing later in the day, otherwise, I'm at the mercy of those who would upload episodes. The sad part is I work this Saturday, so I'll miss the first showing of the new episode (video sharers don't let me down!). I really just need to find good quality copies and torrent them, at least until Hasbro makes the full season 1 DVD. (A pony can hope, right?)
The other major thing right now is the season 2 spoilers Hasbro's been tossing on their Facebook page, and the snippets of show already appearing thanks to some enterprising individuals. Some of them do well to pique interest a bit; "grayed" characters and funky brown rain. I can handle a little teaser, but full-on spoiler clips of Dischord?! Come on!! I'm trying my best not to see any of that. Half the fun of the story for me is enjoying the surprise and reaction it creates. I don't want to know what all that is before it even airs. It would diminish the appeal. I've decided to actively avoid going to my usual image sites for the next few days, just in case more major spoiler stuff is there (which people on EqD say it already is). At least the Equestria Daily staff has been kind enough to ponies like me who don't want the surprise ruined and have been actively warning or hiding links on their site.
I don't know why people are so obsessed with spoiling every detail of every thing before it comes out any more. This goes for shows, movies, and especially video games. The second any speck of upcoming material gets into the hands of one of them, they proceed to .dat hack and pick apart every single detail, and then broadcast their findings to everybody on the web! I have to lump all the FiM blooper videos in with this as well. The shows were picked apart, frame by frame, and every little mistake pointed out. Seriously, what do we gain out of that? Can't we just enjoy something without it being dissected, or its flaws pointed out, or being compared to something else? Knowing every detail about all this stuff is just taking its mystery or even its magic away. I mean, whatever happened to the excitement of self-discovery? I guess a lot of people are just more interested in instant gratification than adventure.
As to my "adventure", it remains to be seen how I will manage it. Unfortunately, the only down side I have to the new season is its new time slot. Weekday episodes of Friendship is Magic are now a half hour earlier, and I miss part of them by the time I get home from work. Saturday episodes (which are when the new stuff airs first) are at 9am and I'm at work every other one during that time. I'm really hoping they have a showing later in the day, otherwise, I'm at the mercy of those who would upload episodes. The sad part is I work this Saturday, so I'll miss the first showing of the new episode (video sharers don't let me down!). I really just need to find good quality copies and torrent them, at least until Hasbro makes the full season 1 DVD. (A pony can hope, right?)
Friday, September 2, 2011
(notes from the writer)
I worked on Moonlight's template some more tonight. Mostly on the color and design of my cutie mark. It's freaking hard to draw using a mouse, I'll tell you that much! I found that Gerneralzoi's Pony Creator program on DA is a great resource for templating. It's easier for me to work with ideas when I can actually SEE them in front of me. I used it to come up with a workable model of Moonlight and was able to color match the background of the cutie mark using Photoshop. The hard part is going to be coming up with suitable accessories and being able to successfully draw them onto my model. As for the mark itself, I've been using my Mark I version as my avatar for blogger. I messed with it until I got a version that I could tolerate until I could refine my skills and come up with a more suitable version.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Past Sins: reflected
The other night, I finished reading Past Sins; a fan fiction by the author known as Pen Stroke and his assistant Batty Gloom. Normally, I wouldn't devote an entire entry to one of these, but this one is warranted. There are few in our part of the fan base that have not been exposed to, or at the least, heard of this powerful piece of literary art. People who don't read fan work or on other sites that don't host these things may not know much about it, but I'd wager even they have stumbled upon a discussion, a piece of related artwork, or a mention of it in some way.
So, what is it about this particular fiction that makes it stand out? Well, perhaps I should lay the groundwork first and build it up from there, starting with a brief overview of the story itself. (If you haven't read Past Sins or you hate spoilers, skip over the next paragraph.)
The story comes out dark, right from the start. A cult of Nightmare has ponynapped Twilight Sparkle and taken her to a secluded part of the Everfree Forest. In the process of the ritual, they cut her and use some of her blood to complete a complex resurrection spell which is supposed to revive their fallen queen. The spell is in the middle of being cast, when it is interrupted by Princess Celestia herself. The forces of light as it were, disrupt the spell and either capture or scatter most of the cultists. All seems well until Twilight returns to the site of the ritual the next day, to find a frightened and injured little filly in the same area. The shortened version of the next several chapters is that this filly turns out to be a partially resurrected Nightmare Moon, but without all the evil of the original. She's just a blank slate, with a body and a legacy of the most evil creature in Equestria, but nothing more. Twilight decides to adopt this child as her own, giving her the name Nyx. She raises her as her own daughter, all the while trying to fight the possibility of who this filly really is while keeping the truth of her origin a secret. She grows, and makes friends and becomes a sweet and lovable daughter. At the same time, the remaining cult members are trying to find her, and eventually as her origin becomes known a struggle begins for what to do with her, to include Celestia. At the climax of the story the cult retakes its prize and succeeds in fully recreating their queen. The latter chapters follow mainly Nyx as she's forced into the role of an evil queen, even though she has no true evil intentions. She does what she feels she is obligated to do, and a lot of chaos and pain is created in its wake. At the last parts of the story, the true evil is exposed and Nyx finally stands to do the right thing, nearly costing her life. The conclusion, brings redemption, and restoration, but the innocence is gone forever. Ultimately, it writes a happy ending.
(OK you can read again.)
Now, one thing I can say about this story, is that it has this amazing ability to evoke emotion! The authors seem to have a knack for that. I would find myself laughing at scenes and literally crying in others. I've had few things in my life ever do that so easily. I would find myself obsessive in anticipation of a new chapter, and whenever one finally did come out, the excitement would be huge.
My personal feelings aside for the moment, this fiction exploded in popularity shortly after the first few chapters were released! Part of it's initial intrigue was an amazing multi-image cover art which highlighted several implicated parts of the story to come, some of them downright dark. I know it's been said a million times not to judge a book by its cover, but the readers simply could not resist the curiosity it generated. Once they started reading it, the majority of them became hooked on its premise and fell in love with the tiny protagonist, myself included.
Over the next several weeks, into months, the story's popularity began to generate bits of fan art, and a giant discussion thread that would go on to thousands of posts. In an eerie mirror of the brony community's history, people began to take sides on it, some praising it and its authors while others berated its quality and attacked the nature of the story and the characters themselves. At times it became an all out flame war; in my opinion, a very dark and sad representation of what we should be like. Ultimately, the consistent attacks by the critics on various points of the story, mainly about certain characters not being in proper character and the constant bickering that Nyx was too "Mary Sueish" (A term I've learned all about thanks to the tropers who have been analyzing the story) prompted a massive re-write by Pen and Batty, right in the middle of the story. This came as a huge surprise to a lot of the readers, and while a lot of those readers felt that the authors caved to the demands of the complainers, the authors maintained that they fixed what they already had second thoughts about, and felt it important to make the story as good as their fans deserved. Nevertheless, the re-written chapters and bits of the story were met with mixed feelings. Some felt the changes were much improved and others preferred the original material. More bickering about this continued but ultimately, it simmered down. You just can't please everypony.
Once things finally began moving ahead again, the next month would write out the final several chapters, and bring it to its final conclusion. People were pretty set in their ways by this point. Fans would rave about it, and haters would continue to berate it, and anything related to it. Either way, it had made its mark on the community. Sadly, I think the only casualties of the war it created, were the authors themselves. They tried so diligently to bring something amazing to their community and had to suffer a lot, in its effort. I feel for them, truly. I know they're taking a break for now, and I don't blame them. I just hope it doesn't hinder them from writing more stories. I haven't read a thing yet by them that I haven't loved.
So, now we are at the end of it all. No more chapters will be written on this amazing tale. I feel like with all the publicity it spawned, it will most certainly not be easily forgotten. For those who loved it as much as I did, it leaves a permanent imprint on our memory. Most profoundly though, it created an entirely new character, who has become so popular, that she joins the ranks of fanon and will likely remain there indefinitely. Critics, mostly the elitist/purists, will continue to flame and berate everything they see of Nyx, just because that's all they seem to be able to do. They seem to have such a sore flank over OC (original characters) and I can't figure out why. All the characters were OC once, and what's wrong with a little creative imagination? This is, after all, fiction... not to mention FAN-made in the case of this story. I won't dwell on that subject here, though. I plan to write an entire entry devoted just to that subject.
Until next time my dear readers,
Never be afraid to share your dreams.
Moonlight Ballad, Bard of Equestria
So, what is it about this particular fiction that makes it stand out? Well, perhaps I should lay the groundwork first and build it up from there, starting with a brief overview of the story itself. (If you haven't read Past Sins or you hate spoilers, skip over the next paragraph.)
The story comes out dark, right from the start. A cult of Nightmare has ponynapped Twilight Sparkle and taken her to a secluded part of the Everfree Forest. In the process of the ritual, they cut her and use some of her blood to complete a complex resurrection spell which is supposed to revive their fallen queen. The spell is in the middle of being cast, when it is interrupted by Princess Celestia herself. The forces of light as it were, disrupt the spell and either capture or scatter most of the cultists. All seems well until Twilight returns to the site of the ritual the next day, to find a frightened and injured little filly in the same area. The shortened version of the next several chapters is that this filly turns out to be a partially resurrected Nightmare Moon, but without all the evil of the original. She's just a blank slate, with a body and a legacy of the most evil creature in Equestria, but nothing more. Twilight decides to adopt this child as her own, giving her the name Nyx. She raises her as her own daughter, all the while trying to fight the possibility of who this filly really is while keeping the truth of her origin a secret. She grows, and makes friends and becomes a sweet and lovable daughter. At the same time, the remaining cult members are trying to find her, and eventually as her origin becomes known a struggle begins for what to do with her, to include Celestia. At the climax of the story the cult retakes its prize and succeeds in fully recreating their queen. The latter chapters follow mainly Nyx as she's forced into the role of an evil queen, even though she has no true evil intentions. She does what she feels she is obligated to do, and a lot of chaos and pain is created in its wake. At the last parts of the story, the true evil is exposed and Nyx finally stands to do the right thing, nearly costing her life. The conclusion, brings redemption, and restoration, but the innocence is gone forever. Ultimately, it writes a happy ending.
(OK you can read again.)
Now, one thing I can say about this story, is that it has this amazing ability to evoke emotion! The authors seem to have a knack for that. I would find myself laughing at scenes and literally crying in others. I've had few things in my life ever do that so easily. I would find myself obsessive in anticipation of a new chapter, and whenever one finally did come out, the excitement would be huge.
My personal feelings aside for the moment, this fiction exploded in popularity shortly after the first few chapters were released! Part of it's initial intrigue was an amazing multi-image cover art which highlighted several implicated parts of the story to come, some of them downright dark. I know it's been said a million times not to judge a book by its cover, but the readers simply could not resist the curiosity it generated. Once they started reading it, the majority of them became hooked on its premise and fell in love with the tiny protagonist, myself included.
Over the next several weeks, into months, the story's popularity began to generate bits of fan art, and a giant discussion thread that would go on to thousands of posts. In an eerie mirror of the brony community's history, people began to take sides on it, some praising it and its authors while others berated its quality and attacked the nature of the story and the characters themselves. At times it became an all out flame war; in my opinion, a very dark and sad representation of what we should be like. Ultimately, the consistent attacks by the critics on various points of the story, mainly about certain characters not being in proper character and the constant bickering that Nyx was too "Mary Sueish" (A term I've learned all about thanks to the tropers who have been analyzing the story) prompted a massive re-write by Pen and Batty, right in the middle of the story. This came as a huge surprise to a lot of the readers, and while a lot of those readers felt that the authors caved to the demands of the complainers, the authors maintained that they fixed what they already had second thoughts about, and felt it important to make the story as good as their fans deserved. Nevertheless, the re-written chapters and bits of the story were met with mixed feelings. Some felt the changes were much improved and others preferred the original material. More bickering about this continued but ultimately, it simmered down. You just can't please everypony.
Once things finally began moving ahead again, the next month would write out the final several chapters, and bring it to its final conclusion. People were pretty set in their ways by this point. Fans would rave about it, and haters would continue to berate it, and anything related to it. Either way, it had made its mark on the community. Sadly, I think the only casualties of the war it created, were the authors themselves. They tried so diligently to bring something amazing to their community and had to suffer a lot, in its effort. I feel for them, truly. I know they're taking a break for now, and I don't blame them. I just hope it doesn't hinder them from writing more stories. I haven't read a thing yet by them that I haven't loved.
So, now we are at the end of it all. No more chapters will be written on this amazing tale. I feel like with all the publicity it spawned, it will most certainly not be easily forgotten. For those who loved it as much as I did, it leaves a permanent imprint on our memory. Most profoundly though, it created an entirely new character, who has become so popular, that she joins the ranks of fanon and will likely remain there indefinitely. Critics, mostly the elitist/purists, will continue to flame and berate everything they see of Nyx, just because that's all they seem to be able to do. They seem to have such a sore flank over OC (original characters) and I can't figure out why. All the characters were OC once, and what's wrong with a little creative imagination? This is, after all, fiction... not to mention FAN-made in the case of this story. I won't dwell on that subject here, though. I plan to write an entire entry devoted just to that subject.
Until next time my dear readers,
Never be afraid to share your dreams.
Moonlight Ballad, Bard of Equestria
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Introductions
My name is Moonlight Ballad.
Getting right to the point. I am a Brony.
This blog shall serve as a mirror of my thoughts and feelings, on everything MLP:FiM related, since I created the account for its soul purpose in the first place. I'm going to be doing a lot of backtracking, for a while, as I've been part of the show's fandom since about June of 2011 and a lot has happened before and since that time.
Now, I don't exactly have the greatest talent for writing, or lots of things for that matter, but I'll try to keep this as coherent as I can. Most of the time I plan to write these blogs as a perspective of my ponysona. I don't know what the protocol is to separate two parts of the whole, but I suppose to keep it from getting too crazy, I will note (thoughts from the writer) usually when I am making points directly relating to Moonlight from my human point of view. For purpose of this introduction, you may consider this entry to be in that format. This has the potential to be greatly confusing, mostly to myself and I'm sure I will be amused by it at some point.
I'll cover a brief history of my integration into the herd and my eventual "birth". It's not some amazing epic tale of ponies and friendship. I admit, I feel a bit envious at some other stories I've read of this kind. My introduction to Friendship is Magic came from pure curiosity. I'd been a random lurker on various image sites, KYM, Memebase, and such, and as the phenomenon was already in full swing, I began to encounter a ton of pony-related memes and images. Naturally, I found them to both unusual and intriguing at the same time. "What on earth is all this pony stuff??"
Now, mind you, I grew up in the '80s. I was fully exposed to all the amazing animated classics that we now look back fondly to... those of us that were around then, I mean. Transformers, GI Joe, Voltron, and a pile of other random few-year-lived animated series. I even watched SheRa and Gem (I know, right...?) I never really got into the (we'll call them) super girly cartoons, like Strawberry Shortcake or My Little Pony. It just wasn't my thing. I know this is cliché, but if somebody had told me then, that I'd fall head over heels for series about My Little Ponies, I'd think they were freaking crazy! Yet, here I am.
So, what exactly happened?! How did a 35-year old man suddenly develop an extreme d'aww complex for these little pastel equines? Lets see... what were the usual answers? "It's great animation." No, I don't think I ever judged how much I like a show by how well it was animated, and I watched some random stuff. "It's made by Lauren Faust, that makes it awesome by default." Well, nothing personal to Ms. Faust, but I've never really watched any of her stuff before this. I saw a few episodes of PPG but again, I just didn't really get a feel for it. Some of my friends loved it. "It teaches great lessons. / It has content that even adults can enjoy." OK these are really good things, but they still wouldn't be a reason for me to just completely fall for something like this. So, what then? Well, as I said earlier, pure curiosity. Seeing this material constantly popping up on every corner of the web, I finally paused on the KYM article on Friendship is Magic. They had episode links up, and to quote Rarity "Time to see what all the fuss is about." So I clicked on a link, that fateful link...
First episode: "Bridle Gossip"
I kicked back at my desk, half curious, half disbelieving what I was doing. My wife was out of town on vacation so I had plenty of time to just soak it all in, unimpeded. As I recall, I made a lot of odd faces (mostly at Pinkie Pie) I chuckled a lot to myself, and by the time it was over... I was smiling (that's not normal!!). "That was pretty entertaining! Well... this is interesting, but I really don't know what's going on here, or much about these characters. I guess I'll start back at the beginning." 4 or 5 episodes later, I was hooked! "WAIT A MINUTE! I'm hooked on MY LITTLE PONY! WHAT???" Ok there had to be some explanation for this. What is it about this show that made it so appealing to me? I spent a long time trying to come up with some reasonable answer to that question. In the end, what I came up with, was a strange deviation from what normally should have entertained me. Purity, innocence, and emotion, mixed with likable characters with fun personalities, and a sort of simple honesty in its presentation. I think what gave (still gives) the show its appeal to me was its radical difference from what was normal out there anymore. There was this refreshing sort of positive energy that it projected, and I liked it, a lot.
This, of course is only the first piece of the whole. Inevitably, I would come to find the fan base.
Like I said earlier, by the time I started getting into FiM, the fandom was becoming explosive all across the web. I'd watch two or three episodes a night and began to want even more from it. I don't actually remember when it began, but eventually, I started randomly searching for blogs and image sites with Pony stuff in them. It wasn't really hard to find them. I bounced from site to site for a couple weeks, and eventually all my roads led me to Rome!... no wait. All my searches invariably led me to Equestria Daily. Here, I found home! Everything I could want from FiM all in one unified location, was right at my fingertips.
Now I know I'll be racked and bled by some of the older elitist fans for not being "original or oldschool or coming from forchan or whatever other places first started all of this", but I don't care. This is where my story begins, not theirs. I lurked for a few weeks, usually just going on the site once or twice a day for my daily fix. Eventually, I started reading fanfic, something else I never thought I'd do, and collecting artwork. This produced an interesting side effect. I began to get a strong emotional attachment to all the things I was experiencing. I would laugh and cry, reading stories (WHAT??). Something pony would slip into the occasional dream. I would start running the music in my head, not just the songs, but the orchestral scores of whole chunks of episodes. Now, I'm the kind of guy that can get really choked up by a powerful piece of music, so needless to say, the impact was starting to hit home. I finally ponied up and made myself a posting account. SingForTheMoon. I love music, and I already had a huge thing for Princess Luna (again... WHAT???) The naming process began. I was already way behind on this front. A lot of the names I had come up with, had already been created by older fans. It had to be something with darkness and music involved. After trial and error, I came up with something that I liked.
Moonlight Ballad, Bard of Equestria
My ponysona was born. It suited me well, I think. Eventually when I designed my own cutie mark it marked a final piece of my transformation. From that day forward, I had no hesitation telling people that I am proud to be part of this amazing community known as Bronies. My friends and my brothers took it weirdly, but kindly. My wife thought I was odd, but even she eventually started watching episodes with me. It's strange that such a thing could make a person so open-minded and emotionally outreaching. I am so overwhelmed by all the stories, art, music and genuinely loving sense of community instilled by these fans. It is truly a phenomenon; a shining beacon in defiance of the sludge that encompasses so much of our entertainment and culture these days. I still think that's why it is so endearing to me. It has this purity, that has truly been lacking. It makes me cry sometimes, it makes me feel compassion, it makes me laugh, it makes me imagine and revives a creative flame me I thought may have been extinguished, but mostly it makes me smile again.
Getting right to the point. I am a Brony.
This blog shall serve as a mirror of my thoughts and feelings, on everything MLP:FiM related, since I created the account for its soul purpose in the first place. I'm going to be doing a lot of backtracking, for a while, as I've been part of the show's fandom since about June of 2011 and a lot has happened before and since that time.
Now, I don't exactly have the greatest talent for writing, or lots of things for that matter, but I'll try to keep this as coherent as I can. Most of the time I plan to write these blogs as a perspective of my ponysona. I don't know what the protocol is to separate two parts of the whole, but I suppose to keep it from getting too crazy, I will note (thoughts from the writer) usually when I am making points directly relating to Moonlight from my human point of view. For purpose of this introduction, you may consider this entry to be in that format. This has the potential to be greatly confusing, mostly to myself and I'm sure I will be amused by it at some point.
I'll cover a brief history of my integration into the herd and my eventual "birth". It's not some amazing epic tale of ponies and friendship. I admit, I feel a bit envious at some other stories I've read of this kind. My introduction to Friendship is Magic came from pure curiosity. I'd been a random lurker on various image sites, KYM, Memebase, and such, and as the phenomenon was already in full swing, I began to encounter a ton of pony-related memes and images. Naturally, I found them to both unusual and intriguing at the same time. "What on earth is all this pony stuff??"
Now, mind you, I grew up in the '80s. I was fully exposed to all the amazing animated classics that we now look back fondly to... those of us that were around then, I mean. Transformers, GI Joe, Voltron, and a pile of other random few-year-lived animated series. I even watched SheRa and Gem (I know, right...?) I never really got into the (we'll call them) super girly cartoons, like Strawberry Shortcake or My Little Pony. It just wasn't my thing. I know this is cliché, but if somebody had told me then, that I'd fall head over heels for series about My Little Ponies, I'd think they were freaking crazy! Yet, here I am.
So, what exactly happened?! How did a 35-year old man suddenly develop an extreme d'aww complex for these little pastel equines? Lets see... what were the usual answers? "It's great animation." No, I don't think I ever judged how much I like a show by how well it was animated, and I watched some random stuff. "It's made by Lauren Faust, that makes it awesome by default." Well, nothing personal to Ms. Faust, but I've never really watched any of her stuff before this. I saw a few episodes of PPG but again, I just didn't really get a feel for it. Some of my friends loved it. "It teaches great lessons. / It has content that even adults can enjoy." OK these are really good things, but they still wouldn't be a reason for me to just completely fall for something like this. So, what then? Well, as I said earlier, pure curiosity. Seeing this material constantly popping up on every corner of the web, I finally paused on the KYM article on Friendship is Magic. They had episode links up, and to quote Rarity "Time to see what all the fuss is about." So I clicked on a link, that fateful link...
First episode: "Bridle Gossip"
I kicked back at my desk, half curious, half disbelieving what I was doing. My wife was out of town on vacation so I had plenty of time to just soak it all in, unimpeded. As I recall, I made a lot of odd faces (mostly at Pinkie Pie) I chuckled a lot to myself, and by the time it was over... I was smiling (that's not normal!!). "That was pretty entertaining! Well... this is interesting, but I really don't know what's going on here, or much about these characters. I guess I'll start back at the beginning." 4 or 5 episodes later, I was hooked! "WAIT A MINUTE! I'm hooked on MY LITTLE PONY! WHAT???" Ok there had to be some explanation for this. What is it about this show that made it so appealing to me? I spent a long time trying to come up with some reasonable answer to that question. In the end, what I came up with, was a strange deviation from what normally should have entertained me. Purity, innocence, and emotion, mixed with likable characters with fun personalities, and a sort of simple honesty in its presentation. I think what gave (still gives) the show its appeal to me was its radical difference from what was normal out there anymore. There was this refreshing sort of positive energy that it projected, and I liked it, a lot.
This, of course is only the first piece of the whole. Inevitably, I would come to find the fan base.
Like I said earlier, by the time I started getting into FiM, the fandom was becoming explosive all across the web. I'd watch two or three episodes a night and began to want even more from it. I don't actually remember when it began, but eventually, I started randomly searching for blogs and image sites with Pony stuff in them. It wasn't really hard to find them. I bounced from site to site for a couple weeks, and eventually all my roads led me to Rome!... no wait. All my searches invariably led me to Equestria Daily. Here, I found home! Everything I could want from FiM all in one unified location, was right at my fingertips.
Now I know I'll be racked and bled by some of the older elitist fans for not being "original or oldschool or coming from forchan or whatever other places first started all of this", but I don't care. This is where my story begins, not theirs. I lurked for a few weeks, usually just going on the site once or twice a day for my daily fix. Eventually, I started reading fanfic, something else I never thought I'd do, and collecting artwork. This produced an interesting side effect. I began to get a strong emotional attachment to all the things I was experiencing. I would laugh and cry, reading stories (WHAT??). Something pony would slip into the occasional dream. I would start running the music in my head, not just the songs, but the orchestral scores of whole chunks of episodes. Now, I'm the kind of guy that can get really choked up by a powerful piece of music, so needless to say, the impact was starting to hit home. I finally ponied up and made myself a posting account. SingForTheMoon. I love music, and I already had a huge thing for Princess Luna (again... WHAT???) The naming process began. I was already way behind on this front. A lot of the names I had come up with, had already been created by older fans. It had to be something with darkness and music involved. After trial and error, I came up with something that I liked.
Moonlight Ballad, Bard of Equestria
My ponysona was born. It suited me well, I think. Eventually when I designed my own cutie mark it marked a final piece of my transformation. From that day forward, I had no hesitation telling people that I am proud to be part of this amazing community known as Bronies. My friends and my brothers took it weirdly, but kindly. My wife thought I was odd, but even she eventually started watching episodes with me. It's strange that such a thing could make a person so open-minded and emotionally outreaching. I am so overwhelmed by all the stories, art, music and genuinely loving sense of community instilled by these fans. It is truly a phenomenon; a shining beacon in defiance of the sludge that encompasses so much of our entertainment and culture these days. I still think that's why it is so endearing to me. It has this purity, that has truly been lacking. It makes me cry sometimes, it makes me feel compassion, it makes me laugh, it makes me imagine and revives a creative flame me I thought may have been extinguished, but mostly it makes me smile again.
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