Mandatory Megadeth #7 · 2:00am Oct 19th, 2018
Crap, I almost forgot about Mandatory Megadeth this week! I was just sitting down to proof-read when I realised it was Thursday. Speaking of writing, I’m actually ahead of the game right now; I’m deep into the main plot of MLP EG Forever, and like the first half, it’s gotten quite dark--if not more so--and it’s been a little more interesting to write lately.
Back in May, when I did that blog (#7) about life troubles keeping me away from writing, part of what was also challenging me was the small story arc that I was in the middle of. It was something that I’d planned on since the beginning, and it seemed like kind of a good idea for some drama at the time, but once I actually started writing it I realised some of it didn’t make much sense. But because I had no plan B for it, I forced myself to make it work--even going as far as reaching out to another writer on the site for help--and I eventually got through the first draft. It took me from late April to mid-July to finish it--and that was only FOUR chapters. It was hell, and I didn't want to do it, especially on top of all the crap that was happening IRL, which I mentioned in the blog.
I did intend to take a real break then, but I quickly found that I didn’t know what to do with myself when I wasn't writing, and after only a week or so I started proof-reading again, as well as coming back to work on new material when I felt like it.
Anyway, the above-mentioned arc was tough because there are some bizarre mental gymnastics involved in it. I wouldn’t necessarily call it unrealistic, though; we’ve all seen people let bad things happen… things that they know are bad and they see it coming, but they let it happen anyway--because of fear or stubbornness, etc. The issue I have is that I’m uncertain if I’ve portrayed it effectively. (On the upside, there’s also a little side-story that happens in the middle of it all. It’s just for a bit of fun and it strays a fair amount from how the story has normally been, with lots of cameos and unfamiliar characters, but it definitely needs some re-tuning to get everything right.)
At the end of the day, I did that arc to keep the story from becoming too formulaic, like ‘The Walking Dead’--just the same crap over and over again, except it gets cheaper as it goes. I stopped watching that show a couple years ago, which is too bad, because it was great in the early days. (aside from the runny shit-show that was most of season 2) But yeah, MLP EG Forever is so damn long, I wanted to take it to some new places for a bit and have a little change of pace before things get heavy. Plus, I wanted to challenge myself as a writer to see what I could pull off.
I guess we’ll see if I failed or not. I’d be lying if I said I wasn't apprehensive about it.
Anyway, that’s a ways off for you guys, (which is weird, because it’s old news for me; I just finished writing Chapter 128 
) so I guess I should quit rambling about it and get to the song for this week.
Countdown to Extinction
Here it is folks, the title track of the album. Now, for me personally, before I actually heard this song, I had a misconception as to what it was actually about--which I’m sure others have made as well. If this book is to be judged by its cover, many would assume it’s about the apocalypse, the extinction of mankind (or peoplekind, if you follow our Prime Minister 
) or something along those lines.
What it’s actually about, however, (which is easy to figure out just by listening to it) is the hunting of animals to extinction, and the unfair advantage that man has in technology, guns, etc. More specifically, it hits on ‘canned hunts,’ which are basically farms where they keep rare/exotic animals caged or in fenced-off areas, and the ‘hunter’ can pay to come in and shoot their defenceless prey with guaranteed success. It’s actually kinda fucked up.
But anyway, here it is. Great tune.
Yep, I definitely reacted with surprise at what this was about when I first heard it. But I have to give it credit for getting me to think about a topic that otherwise likely would never have crossed my mind.