I Forgot I Was There and A Preview of Coming Attractions III · 4:05am Feb 25th, 2013
It's been a long time since I posted an update, and you're all about to find out why. In this coming week (first week of march) you'll not only be getting an I Forgot I Was There update, but the release of my new story, Vision!
Yeah, that's right. Soak it in.
Written with the assistance of Pav Feira of Seattle's Angels, Pascoite of EQD, and Ether Echoes of this very site, it tells the epic story of Siren Song and her journey beneath the waves. The story is also fully illustrated by the great Kuda, and thanks to the miracle of pre-writing (and for his part, pre-painting) will be updating weekly for at least the next few months.
You've already seen some of his art as its evolved from concept, to initial drawing, to beautiful refined product:
Shown: Concept
Shown: Initial Drawing
Hush. You'll see the final draft when the story comes out.
And for me, the writing is much the same—an evolution of the story and of my own limited understanding of the craft. I Forgot I Was There was more or less the first thing I wrote ever. When I started it, I wasn't sure I could get anyone to read it, and I was so afraid of failure that I chose the story I did specifically because I could wrap it up quickly if it turned out to be an embarrassment. Anything that a pre-reader had the slightest concern about got cut entirely, and with every chapter, I hesitated a little before submitting the update, because what if this is when I blow it and lose all my readers?
I'm just a little insecure, Rarity. It's fine.
Finally, with the help of my editors and after eight chapters, I calmed down a bit. I realized that I did not have to live in constant fear that I'd screw up the execution, so I could sit back and focus on telling a proper, meaningful story.
And, I Forgot I Was there isn't that story. Remember that bit when I said that anything a pre-reader didn't like got axed immediately? Well, that significantly changed the story—changed it from a sad, deep exploration of Twilight meeting herself, to something with a lot more weapons-grade angst. I thought it was still a good story, and still one well worth finishing, but it wasn't the pure, meaningful tale I wanted to tell. So, I started planning a new fic, telling the tale of Siren Song and her journey beneath the waves.
And now, 12 glorious drafted chapters later, it's time for it to be published.
Tell me more about what makes the chapters glorious.
I Forgot I Was There is a story about self-discovery, but it's a story about Twilight, a character we already know well. Worse than that, it's a character we know well in an environment we also know well, and that she considers home. To drive the narrative, you really have to dig down into Twilight's psyche for things that we haven't necessarily seen in the show, things that not all bronies will agree are a part of Twilight's mind. That's why, in writing a new fic, I decided to base it around an OC, and to put her in an environment not at all like Equestria. Vision is what I Forgot I Was There was supposed to be: a story where the protagonist is forced to confront herself, what she is, and who she wants to be. More than that, it's a story about looking into the mirror and realizing that you don't entirely like the person looking back at you.
Man, where was this image when IFIWT first came out?
Now, I'm not going to spoiler what world the story takes place in (though I will say it rhymes with "Pieoshock"), but there is a significant change in tone from I Forgot I Was There. Put simply, IFIWT was [Sad], Vision is [Dark]. Over the course of the story, Siren must face not only the disintegration of the friendships she once relied upon, but her own capacity for evil.
Putting the story beneath the waves and far from Equestria's idyllic shores lets me tell a story that that the show and the Elements of Harmony never could—where the protagonist must come to terms with the fact that they're not as good a person as perhaps they'd want to be. Away from a world where good always prevails, doing the right thing means being willing to make a deep sacrifice even knowing that it may be for nothing. Not everyone has it in them to do that.
To quote a certain character: "We all make choices, but in the end, our choices make us."
Stop making fun of my writing, Rarity.
In summary then, IFIWT will be getting one more post before it goes on hiatus until Vision's conclusion. Stay alert for Vision's reveal in the coming week, and hey, if you know any bronies out there who like Bioshock, psychological stories, or [dark] fics, give them a bump my way. Over the course of Vision's run, this blog will be full of bonus content (art, music, and deleted content) from both Vision *and* I Forgot I Was There, so if you like that sort of thing (and who doesn't?) don't forget to follow me.
These last few months have been crazy busy—writing nearly every day, finding art and materials, and getting help from a team of editors and writers. It's been hard writing a fic and not releasing it, but now, it's finally time. I'm crazy excited, and I hope you are too.
Until next week!
*Lyras*
Having read... most of it... I can say that everyone should like this one. Not least because he has a lot of great ponies behind him :D
I. Cannot. Wait.
To quote a certain somepony: "Right."
IFIWT is a wonderful story and you should be far prouder of it.
863835
This person speaks truth. What you have thought up about Twilight's mind may not be agreed upon by all bronies, but that doesn't matter, because it is logical, narratively consistent, and original. And subjectively, I love the hell out of it. It is fascinating and entertaining. Plus, you have a fantastic grasp of all of the characters' voices. One of the most memorable little scenes for me was early on when Rainbow Dash shows off how buff and toned she's become thanks to her training to her friends, and remarks that how hot she is probably would have killed them if they were stallions. Even though Friendship is Magic would likely never bring something like that up, the description and dialogue were done in such a "Dash-y" way that I believed it 100%.
While it's a generally a bad idea to force yourself to finish something when you have another story you're more excited to tell, I just want to say that I am far more interested in I Forgot I Was There than something inspired by/set in Bioshock. I will, of course, check Vision out, but that's my opinion for the moment. I'm not sure I have a point beyond that though. Just keep writing. You're quite good at it.
My excitement is bursting out everywhere, I love the writing of IFIWT so much and Bioshock is one of my favourite games.
Everything I have read about writing, and my own limited experience, points to this being normal, and often, good. Ideas change in the development. Heck, if you look at the author's notes for Brandon Sanderson's stuff on his website you'll see how much he admits to his stories changing from their original conception. Mistborn started out as a story about an emotionally balanced protagonist and was meant to be much more of a deconstruction than it ended up. When Mistborn was finished, the deconstruction elements had faded a bit and the main character was emotionally damaged and has to learn the magic of friendship while also saving the world (seriously, this is actually the book the pushed me over the edge to trying ponies).
More examples: GhostOfHeraclitus started out wanting to write an epic adventure story. Instead, he ended up with "Whom the Princesses Would Destroy...", a bureaucratic comedy. The first two chapters of Device Heratic's "Eternal" are actually from a Twilight-Celestia-Luna love triangle ship fic (seriously) before he decided the concept wasn't going anywhere, changed direction, and achieved a crit-success on his author's saving throw.
So, yeah, it happens.
863872
Trust me, Vision's better~
I helped him with both of them from the conception, and Vision is better planned, better thought-out, better written, and more impactful.
Besides, he's still going to finish IFIWT - probably! He'd better, I came up with that title!
I remember how much it changed, from when he first started writing it. Truth is he kind of let it get carried away.
864419
That all may be true, but Vision seems like it's going to hit a lot of my personal "avoid stories that have this" buttons, such as all or nearly-all OC casts, crossovers, excessive bleakness, and some others. That being said, I'm going to try to come into the story with an open mind. GaPJaxie has earned a lot of trust from me as a reader. (Side note to the author: I apologize if my previous comment was discouraging. I'm sure your upcoming story is going to be great. I just really regret that IFIWT has to go on hiatus for it.)
And I do agree that IFIWT has kind of sprawled and "gotten away from him," but an intriguing concept and extreme emotional investment in the characters, as is the case with me, can overcome a lot.