Question 10

[Kobold King he/him]

Oh.

 

That video. 

 

Trust us, Winter, you're better off not knowing. 

 

Really. So. So much better. 

 

Another victim of [DATA EXPUNGED], I take it?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Another victim of [DATA EXPUNGED], I take it?

 

I couldn't handle more than a minute. Seriously, who looks at a sweet cartoon show and says "Oh, that inspires me to do this"? 

 

This is why we can't have nice things. 

[Kobold King he/him]

I couldn't handle more than a minute. Seriously, who looks at a sweet cartoon show and says "Oh, that inspires me to do this"? 

 

This is why we can't have nice things. 

 

The sequel, [REDACTED], is actually a bit better. Still graphic, still very dark, but with a brilliantly composed score and a plot that ends on a hopeful note.

 

But yeah. There were two gorey fanfics in early MLP history that have influenced all others to come, and both are extremely out-of-character distortions of the show and its values. I don't mind a dark MLP fic--when done right, they can strengthen the values of the show rather than break them down--but the most infamous fanfics are the ones that seemed to relish attacking everything that's lovable about the show and its characters.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

The sequel, [REDACTED], is actually a bit better. Still graphic, still very dark, but with a brilliantly composed score and a plot that ends on a hopeful note.

 

But yeah. There were two gorey fanfics in early MLP history that have influenced all others to come, and both are extremely out-of-character distortions of the show and its values. I don't mind a dark MLP fic--when done right, they can strengthen the values of the show rather than break them down--but the most infamous fanfics are the ones that seemed to relish attacking everything that's lovable about the show and its characters.

 

Darkness isn't bad. I'm watching the new Netflix/Marvel Daredevil series, and it is extremely dark. But that darkness fits. It fits the setting, it fits the character, it fits the plot. It makes sense, and seeing the main character remain a hero against that backdrop actually makes the darkness uplifting, as opposed to depressing. 

 

Those two fics? They're just dark for the sake of being dark. It doesn't do anything positive for the characters, or for the series as a whole. They didn't even make me see the characters in a whole new light. They just made me ill. 

[Kobold King he/him]

Darkness isn't bad. I'm watching the new Netflix/Marvel Daredevil series, and it is extremely dark. But that darkness fits. It fits the setting, it fits the character, it fits the plot. It makes sense, and seeing the main character remain a hero against that backdrop actually makes the darkness uplifting, as opposed to depressing. 

 

Those two fics? They're just dark for the sake of being dark. It doesn't do anything positive for the characters, or for the series as a whole. They didn't even make me see the characters in a whole new light. They just made me ill. 

 

I haven't seen Daredevil, and the reviews I've seen make me suspect it's a bit too dark for me, but I know what you mean.

 

A story in which Rainbow Dash discovers a horrifying conspiracy in Cloudsdale and finds herself with her loyalties torn between her fellow pegasi and her morals could be fascinating, and I could tolerate some darkness or violence if the story moved forward in the spirit of exploring the characters and the concepts its brought up.

 

A story in which Rainbow Dash turns out to have been EVIIIIIIL all along and is the head of this terrifying conspiracy, with the story reveling in as much gore and misery as it can before ending on a downer? That's less of a fanfiction and more of a slap in the face to the readers who are presumably reading your story because they love the show and the values that you have rejected.

[TheSilverDragon he/him]

I leave you guys alone for a day, and you're already five pages into another question thread? Unbelievable.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I leave you guys alone for a day, and you're already five pages into another question thread? Unbelievable.

 

Such is the way of things. 

[mail-mi he/him]

You guys probably wouldn't like my alternate ending of Frozen then, huh?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

If you guys had said that dark fanfics were bad, I would be laughing really hard right now, since that's basically what we are.

 

But is it really a dark fic, if the source material we're working from is pretty dark? I think grimdark really only applies to dark stories based on sunny works—like MLP. 

[mail-mi he/him]

What's it like?

I killed hans, Elsa, and Olaf.

But Anna got ice powers. So that's something.

[Kobold King he/him]

If you guys had said that dark fanfics were bad, I would be laughing really hard right now, since that's basically what we are.

 

The distinction between us and Cupcakes is that we don't revel in darkness for darkness' sake. When an evil character commits an atrocity in the RP, it's only to illustrate the issues of the setting or to prepare a villain for his eventual comeuppance. If TwiLyght had spent a dozen pages describing Fortuity cutting Nathan to pieces while Funtimes giggled by his side, then she would have written a grimdark fic--and one I wouldn't be interested in reading. Being the good writer that she is, she instead hinted at horrific gore as a way of establishing what forms of evil Epics were capable of, and what kind of well-earned terror they could inspire in vanillas.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I love how we discuss things without yelling at each other like the rest of the internet.

Though, that might be why we get so many new threads so fast. Not yelling at each other, instead making pony upon pony upon pony.

 

[TheSilverDragon he/him]

Post 100 on question 10!!!!!!!!!!

[Voidus]

At least he gave Corpsemaker an awesome moment.

 

If Voidus doesn't mind, that would be kind of you.

Voidus does not mind

[Edgedancer he/him]

 

And yeah, "September" can have terrifying results when used to fuel creativity during writing. Though I still listen to "Don't Mine at Night" when writing Backtrack scenes.

Really? Do you also remember the time in Portland page three where you just came in to tell us you're scarred of Funtimes?

I'm not involved in the RP, but I just wanted to say... Stormfather, Doctor Funtimes terrifies me.

 

Her powers are extremely bizarre, and I'm not even sure what her limitations are. She doesn't seem as bad as the others... and that just makes it all worse, because I wonder what kind of darkness she's capable of.

 

That said, her loving stance towards pancakes makes her welcome with the Wafflesworn any time.

I like digging out old quotes like this.

 

If you guys had said that dark fanfics were bad, I would be laughing really hard right now, since that's basically what we are.

Oh trust me, we could be so much more dark.

 

Aonar: how are the chances of the Azrael scene continuing?

Joe; how are the chances of Blackwave arriving anytime soon?

Edited April 19, 2015 by Edgedancer

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I like digging out old quotes like this.

 

Oh trust me, we could be so much more dark.

 

I'm tempted to ask which other old quotes you can dig up, but I'm somewhat frightened of what I forgot I said.  

 

Yeah….Blackwave "I Made Some Poor Sap Stab Himself in the Eye Because I'm a Sicko and Wanted to Watch" and Azrael are good candidates for amping up the darkness level. 

[Comatose he/him]

Halfway through season one. No studying done. What has happened to me?

[Voidus]

Halfway through season one. No studying done. What has happened to me?

You're officially one of us!

Last year for the end of year finals I was supposed to study, ended up making about 200 Epic profiles instead. 

[Edgedancer he/him]

I'm tempted to ask which other old quotes you can dig up, but I'm somewhat frightened of what I forgot I said.

 

Yeah….Blackwave "I Made Some Poor Sap Stab Himself in the Eye Because I'm a Sicko and Wanted to Watch" and Azrael are good candidates for amping up the darkness level. 

Well, I need context to remember where to find them.

 

Or you know, letting Nighthound (and to a lesser extend other characters) from his author induced leash. That's all I need to cause nightmares.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Well, I need context to remember where to find them.

 

Or you know, letting Nighthound (and to a lesser extend other characters) from his author induced leash. That's all I need to cause nightmares.

 

I don't remember what I said, so we're all safe. (I don't know if anyone else has that random phobia—the fear of having said something embarrassing that you've already forgotten but no one else has?) 

 

He's terrifying enough on that leash.  

[Aonar he/him]

Aonar: how are the chances of the Azrael scene continuing?

 

Continuing? Great. Getting done anytime soon? Not so much. (Well, it depends, I guess. All it would really take is a little under a half hour's work from the three of us, but none of us are online at the same time, so that half hour is probably going to stretch itself out over a couple weeks, at least.)

 

However, if things continue as they are, the after-effects of the post are probably going to start showing up before the post itself does. We could skip forwards, then fill it in afterwards, I suppose, as we do know roughly where Azrael, Nightshade and Vis will end up. Should I ask Tulir and Snoopy about it?

 

I'm tempted to ask which other old quotes you can dig up, but I'm somewhat frightened of what I forgot I said.

 

Yeah….Blackwave "I Made Some Poor Sap Stab Himself in the Eye Because I'm a Sicko and Wanted to Watch" and Azrael are good candidates for amping up the darkness level.

 

Azrael's not that bad. He wouldn't kill/torture indiscriminately just because he could. He would kill/torture indiscriminately if he thought there was even the slightest possible advantage to be gained by it. He's a very task oriented person, you see. 

 

He's only going to amp up the darkness level if you consider making a crude caricature of another Epic from shadow, then warping it into an eldrich abomination and having that construct eat the Epic in question, all in the name of making a point, dark. ...Which, come to think of it, any sane person would.

[Edgedancer he/him]

I don't remember what I said, so we're all safe. (I don't know if anyone else has that random phobia—the fear of having said something embarrassing that you've already forgotten but no one else has?) 

 

He's terrifying enough on that leash.

Don't worry, I'm not dragging that out to be mean.

 

Given that the easiest means for being "dark" is graphic violence and rape, Nighthound could deliver a lot of that, I could go into detail for describing Mary's torture chamber or alter Shiny Sparkles personality a bit, so she rapes Autumn. I'm not going to do any of that but it would be easy enough to do.  

 

Continuing? Great. Getting done anytime soon? Not so much. (Well, it depends, I guess. All it would really take is a little under a half hour's work from the three of us, but none of us are online at the same time, so that half hour is probably going to stretch itself out over a couple weeks, at least.)

 

However, if things continue as they are, the after-effects of the post are probably going to start showing up before the post itself does. We could skip forwards, then fill it in afterwards, I suppose, as we do know roughly where Azrael, Nightshade and Vis will end up. Should I ask Tulir and Snoopy about it?

I kind of know that from the Destructor fight we're working on. It gets especially slow if you have to stop and plan instead of just writting.

 

A time skip isn't necessary yet but I think the only other scenes that need wraping up before we can jump to the next day is Bioterror's arrival and the fight with the destructors. What I'm more worried about with you talking about far reaching after-effects is that you're planning something so grand that it would be noticed and it would be kind of ended premajurely with the Metal paying a visit or something like that.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

(and how exactly is Deathwish's face enveloped in earth?)

 

It's not quite enveloped, Terra just shoved a pillar of dirt into his face, clogging his nostrils and mouth. Once he flies away though, it'll be harder to do that.  

Don't worry, I'm not dragging that out to be mean.

I kind of know that from the Destructor fight we're working on. It gets especially slow if you have to stop and plan instead of just writting.

 

Yeah. And storming OP Epic's make things harder to figure out. I used to think the Destructors were super strong Eoics. Then I pitted them against Edge's characters.

[Edgedancer he/him]

 It's not quite enveloped, Terra just shoved a pillar of dirt into his face, clogging his nostrils and mouth. Once he flies away though, it'll be harder to do that.  

 

Yeah. And storming OP Epic's make things harder to figure out. I used to think the Destructors were super strong Eoics. Then I pitted them against Edge's characters.

Ah, I see.

 

There's a reason I never intended to make Astoria a playing location. I didn't object when the topic came up but I specifically never proposed the idea so no one could complain after they realized how much of a rigged game Astoria is. Sparks, I could just end the fight in a matter of second by having the Metal call back to Mary about having dealt with the problem, then she brings him in and tada everyone on your side, except Smasher is either dead or pinned down.

[Voidus]

Yeah that's why I nerfed Bioterror in regards to Epics, although luckily there was a handy justification for it, being able to just murder people by looking at them is a pretty handy power.