• Member Since 14th Aug, 2011
  • offline last seen February 18th

Mindblower


"We are all born mad. Some remain so." -Estragon, Waiting for Godot

More Blog Posts112

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Jun
28th
2013

BOX & Dissonance Q&A · 11:50am Jun 28th, 2013

Yay, Dissonance finally made the feature box

Now then. I've seen quite a bit of speculation in the comments of Dissonance that I feel I must clear up. Should you have a question still unanswered in the section after the page break, pose it to me in the comments section of this blog post.


Q: MB WAT TEH FAK TOK U SOH LENG

A: Editing, primarily, as well as building up a stock of chapters so that I can actually publish them at a reasonable rate. I believe I'm setting said rate at around a chapter every two weeks, meaning the next one would be out on the 11th of July by default—however, should there be enough demand, I may edit and publish the second chapter rather soon. It all depends on my mood, and how well-received the first two chapters are.

Q: I'm new to Dissonance, and I'm confused. Is this a sequel to something? How am I missing all these references?

A: Admittedly, that's a misstep on my part as a writer. Dissonance is an unofficial rewrite of my first story, Envy and Arrogance. As such, there are several vestiges of that in the prologue and such. However, at this point in time, the majority of events are designed to be unexplained, and the myth designed to be brief. So although it could have been handled better, my main purpose at this point was to suck readers in. I make a point of never fully explaining myself until the bitter end.

Q: I'm a fan of Envy and Arrogance, and I'm wondering where the music system went!

A: I decided to keep the music system out, which admittedly was a very tough decision to make. A few factors contributed. One was that not every reader used the system, including several of my editors, which may have given me the impression it was less-used than it actually was—with popular demand, I could probably easily edit it back in.

However, the second problem is that the system relies on four variables outside my control: FimFiction's ability to process Youtube links, ListenOnRepeat's ability to stay up, Youtube's ability to stay up, and finally the uploader's ability to keep the videos on Youtube. The final variable is often what screws me; music uploaders have a tendency to get banned for copyright infringement, and then I don't find out about that until weeks later, and meanwhile half my themes sit missing.

The final reason is that Videocrazy, the editor who helped me manage and diversify the music system, resigned about a week before publication. Before I'm willing to add the music system in, I would need someone to fill his role in the Team. Contact me if you feel interested, but I make no guarantees—you'd have to match his skill in the field, and he was quite well-versed in appropriate music.

Q: I'm just in it to see Guilt and Hate have their flanks handed to them!

A: Whatever floats your boat; however, I will warn you that I have significantly adjusted from where they draw their power, and from where they draw their story. Not only are they well-fleshed-out characters, but they are also faster, stronger, and harder-hitting than ever before—they are completely immune to magic.

Sound intriguing? Read on. But Obsidian is the one you should watch for now. He's really quite my best adjustment in the entire series.

Q: Is Verba a Kingdom Hearts reference?

A: He is the Kingdom Hearts reference. :rainbowkiss:

Q: Why bother with Dissonance if I can just read Envy and Arrogance?

Why bother with G4 if you can watch G1?

In more detail, Dissonance has a better, more well-thought-out story, more well-rounded characters, more realistic conflict, more realistic settings and history, and finally, I've decided to completely ax the common trope of 'heroes vs. villains.' In this case, it's 'protagonists vs. antagonists'—no one character in my story is truly evil, no matter how much evil they do.


Hope that answered your questions. If you have any more, ask in the comments below!

Cheers,
Mindblower

Report Mindblower · 575 views ·
Comments ( 14 )

I WISH I COULD CLONE MYSELF

Not kidding, I would love to be able to help you with the music system, but alas I'm so bogged down that it's a difficulty keeping up with my own projects. That said, I can help you with miscellaneous parts of it.

I'll soon be starting a second/third/fourth YouTube account to upload background music tracks for my own stories, so if maintaining your story's background music library has become difficult due to people getting taken down, that's something I can help with. All you'd have to do is send me a mp3 or a url to an existing YouTube video of an extended track, and I can back it up on my channel. If it's a track that's been removed in the past, I can circumvent that as well -- all I'd have to do is post it unlisted. Story links are all direct anyway.

But yeah, lemme know

more well-thought-out story, more well-rounded characters, more realistic conflict, more realistic settings and history

Does this mean that Applejack won't completely f:yay:k everything up... multiple times?
And how closely will this follow the basic events of E&A/G&H... i.e. RD's sabotaged wings/ that entire city's story arc.

I have too many questions that would be deemed as spoilers so I'm just going to stop there.

1174218

AJ's been given a buff, yes. But as far as the storyline, well, most everything is different. I'd say 20% of it is vestigial. Everything else is new. Keep reading to find out. :pinkiehappy:

no one character in my story is truly evil, no matter how much evil they do.

By any chance we get to see the 'good' ponies soaking in some of that? Maybe Twilight and Rainbow doing evilish things?

As an example of evilish things.... Rainbow being distrusted because she has different views, seeing some things the 'enemy' were doing as something good, or non-evil while the others think it's simplely pure evil only. So she breaks from the group and joins over with Guilt and Hate and stuff for a while. You know, having things not be all black and white. Been a long time since I read both old stories, but if I remember right None of the mane 6 ever stray too far from 'goddess of goodness' and 'doing whats right all the time'. I want to see more conflict, more shades of gray, more than just 2 sides! or if only 2, at least people switching back and forth as the lines blur between ideas of whats right and wrong with each group, and each pony.

Another example is when Scootaloo becomes Victory was it? Or something like that, and 'turned evil' Maybe have Rainbow join over to 'protect' Scootaloo, wanting nopony to harm her from either side.

boxboxboxboxboxboxboxboxboxboxboxboxbox

Why would you make a duo of already so overpowered antagonists that they might as well be late DBZ villains (G&H) even more hilariously broken? :ajbemused:
Nevertheless I trust you'll handle it well so glad Dissonance is back. :pinkiehappy:

but they are also faster, stronger, and harder-hitting than ever before—they are completely immune to magic.

:ajbemused: Yeah... because they weren't OP enough already...

1174372

1174331
Well, honestly, the EoH grew up in a very sheltered environment, all things considered. They haven't had very long to become corrupted, so I don't foresee any of them changing sides outright. However, expect a lot of infighting and indecision, especially with the issue of Obsidian.

1174387
1174513
Well, first of all, I'm splitting up the duo. They rather despise each other now. Second, I'm clearly defining their powers, and keeping them within more reasonable bounds. Given this, of course Hatred can't be bound by any mortal, so he'll break quite a few of the rules I establish. That has to do with this or that which comes up later, though. Thirdly, I'm buffing the powers of the Elements of Harmony. Though mentally they're still weak, their powers and Potential are much greater than in the first series.

1174516 Oh, sounds great (can't wait to see the previously total bros hate on each other now), carry on sir. :pinkiehappy:

1174528

Didn't you read the prologue? :unsuresweetie:

1174579 Did know that those 3 were EoD or affiliated to them but wasn't sure who exactly they were (they weren't using their element name nor their "actual names" from the previous version anyways), guess now I know? :twilightsheepish:

Lol but will it have the Hatred/Pinkie moments that I want?!

IN all seriousness I only hope Pinkie will at least as awesome (if not more of course) than she was in the last series where she was great.

I really did enjoy the music, it added to the emotions in the story. I may not know much about what you would need done, but if it's music to go with the scene I'm pretty good. I already add music to the background of any story I read. So if you need someone to pick out music feel free to PM me.

Q: MB WAT TEH FAK TOK U SOH LENG
A: Editing, primarily,

Don't you try to blame that on us, you lazy bastahd. :ajsmug:

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