The Last Disaster( Also, Ask the Author!) · 6:46pm May 3rd, 2014
Whelp, that's it. Dreams and Disasters if finally over. It's been a pretty interesting ride over the past ten months. There were some highs, some lows, and a bunch of middle grounds, but in the end, I guess I can say that the story was a tenuous success. Let's call it a B- :D
I want to again thank Jykinturah and Marbleyarns for their work on the cover, and Ambris for his work on the epilogue postcard. They are some truly fantastic artists, and you should check them out if you haven't already. Tell 'em Quillery sent you.
But in all seriousness, I had a lot of fun writing and planning the story, even before I was finished Vanilla Twilight. There were some tough times, and a lot of debates over how the story should being, progress, and end. Conversations would go on for days with my editors and friends over what I could accomplish with the story, and how I could bring my ideas to life.
Was the story perfect? While I'd like to say, yes, it definitely wasn't. What I am glad for was the many people who stepped up and let me know of inconsistencies that I was making, so I could keep a note of how I was telling a story. I could tell my mechanical skills were increasing as I wrote, getting less and less feedback from my editors for sheer reduction in things to correct, but it has been apparent that I still need to work on my plot structure. For that, I will be taking a step back from writing long winded, multi-chapter stories, and focus more on short stories, where plot is everything, until I really hammer down what I need to master. I already have three stories in the can, I just need to let them sit for a while before I get to editing. I also need more editors, which I will be making a second blog post to address that later this week, once I've rested...
So, where does that leave the events of the story? Some people have asked what happens next? Well, I'm sorry to say, that at the moment, I have no plans for another sequel. Nothing has really meshed together in terms of ideas that would serve as a proper continuation of the story. I would love to reuse some of the characters and locations in future works, and I probably will keep all of my own personal headcannon in the same universe as much as I can, but we will have to see...
People have also asked what happens to Twi and Dash? Well, I *could* do into details, but I'd rather not. Imagination is the best tool, and it might be best to leave what happens next in their lives up to them. Plus, it seems kinda voyeuristic to me. Let the too mares have some privacy in their newly found kissy emotions. :P
So, that leaves a new horizon for me. New things are coming, and I'll do my best to deliver. In the meantime, my focus will be getting these new stories completed, getting a new flock of editors, and practising my skills. Oh, and connecting further with my audience.
I almost have 300 followers now. Never before would I have thought anyone would bother with my work, but now we're nearly to 300, that's amazing. So, in pre celebration, I suppose, I'd like to open the floor to an week long AMA( Ask Me Anything), in an effort to connect and communicate with you, my valued readers and followers. Ask me what you want, about stories I've written, or will write, favorite foods, colors, music, whatever. I'll try to answer as many as I can from now until next saturday. Feel free to ask here in the blog, or send one to my Tumblr, which I hope to be using much more over the summer as I talk about and announce future projects.
See you in the next story. And thanks for the support.
Quillery Penfeather.
As sad as I am that the story is over, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read along as the chapters were posted. It's not often that I get to find such an amazing story only a chapter or two in and follow it the while way, and I think that it only amplifies the experience, as strange as that sounds. I just want to say thank you once again for writing this story. I'll admit, there were times when I laughed, cried, and/or was genuinely worried about what might happen to them. And to think, all of this because I decided to click on a one-shot named after an Owl City song.
Also, congrats on 300 followers! Here's to hoping that that number continues to grow.
Write on,
Legion
I find it a little scary it was mere chance that I decided to read a oneshot, which I normally don't read, and it turned out to be the Vanilla Twilight, and not because it was named after Owl City song, but based solely on wanting a light read before bed that was TwiDash related. I feel very glad to have chanced upon it, because it lead to this awesome sequel which had it's us and downs, but over all was very satisfying and I definitely feel it was worth my time reading and waiting for each chapter.
I'd give it more a B+ to A- ish personally, and hope whatever you write is as entertaining as this story was, and maybe containing more TwiDash, cause I'm a sucker for that stuff.
I, uh, haven't read Dreams and Disasters. It's on my read later list, but I haven't gotten to it. There's another story that was the cause of my following you, instead. A certain on hiatus crossover. So I'd like to ask if there are any plans regarding that story.
2074659
I'm still working on building the Codex properly. I'm not going to promise anything this early, but I really do want to get back to it. I have a few more short stories I want to get out of the way first, and then we'll see what can be done. Firstly though, when I do get around to going back to Mane Effect, the first thing will be a complete overhaul of the existing chapters, including revisions, massive editing, trimming, ect...
If you do plan for a sequel, name it "Beautiful Times".
2075671
That song is really nice. I wish a new album would get released already.!
2075673 I think that I read somewhere that a new album is in the works. I may be thinking of another artist; I can't quite remember.
2074676 Just be careful not to get caught in the endless revision loop.
You may regret doing this because I'm about to start asking you a bunch of random questions, I'm going to start with the example questions you offered and work from there. Also because I saw you wanted to know your followers better and I always feel awkward asking people questions, I offer to answer any questions you have about me (not that you really care).
Favorite foods, colors and music?
What country are you from?
What country are you in now?
What do you get out of writing?
What is your favourite story, fanfiction and "published"?
How old are you?
How many years have you been writing for?
What inspired you to write this story and its predecessor?
Hmmm, likely by the time you answer these questions I would have come up with even more questions.
2076056
Favorite foods, colors, and music?
My favorite color is red. I attribute red to power and passion, which are important aspects of my life. Saying power might scare some away, but I mean a more intangible power. I draw strength from my convictions that allow me to take one challenges that might break a lesser person. My life hasn't exactly the easiest at times, but I always strive to overcome the adversities that life throws at me. My passion is what drives me forward to pursue my creative ambition.
My favorite foods are usually of Asian culture, specifically Japanese. I love sushi, ramen, onigirii and many other dishes from Japan. I also love shellfish; crab, lobster, stuff like that, although I have a very low tolerance for non-shellfish. Indian food makes me feel ill for some reason.
As for Music, I have a fondness of electronic music, electronica, which Owl City labels itself as. My absolute favorite in recent years, though, is electro-swing. The works of Parov Stellar and Caravan Palace are an absolute blast to listen to. As for more mainstream, I like classic rock from the 80's and 90s, and some alternatives of today. I do like all kinds of music in a way, except rap, because I cannot stand the subculture that creates it and the degrading social structure it imposes on the world that consumes it. I don't hate country and western, but you won't catch me going out of my way to listen to it.
What country are you from?
I am Canadian, eh?
What do you get out of writing?
I get a feeling of creative fulfillment. Seeing my ideas being breathed into life on the page and in the imaginations of my readers is an absolute joy. Plus, it gets the voices out of my head
What is your favourite story, fanfiction and "published"?
My favorite story in the fandom? That's a hard question to answer. On the surface, it's probably Fallout Equestria, but there are others that I have really enjoyed, such as Warren Hutch's Windfall series and its sequel.
My favorite non fanfic is easy. The Belgariad and the Mallorean series' by David Eddings. Wonderful High Fantasy with amazing characters filled with wit, charm, and snark. You need to read these books if you like fantasy. Tolkien can suck it. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher are also amazing.
How old are you?
I will be 24 in August. (Oh god I'm old)
How many years have you been writing for?
For three generations. No, seriously. My mother and her father are both very creative people, and loved to write their own stuff, so it was only natural that I would fall into the same line. I've been creating stories since I was in elementary school, culminating with the adventures of Lazarus, the defender of the Galaxy. He was powerful, skilled, and yet, not actually a gary stu. He got the shit kicked out of him on a daily basis by his arch nemesis, Altair, the insane robot pirate overlord( based off of Altar from the Bomberman Series.) I used to roleplay this with my friends all the time at recess before we outgrew it, but the ideas and stories never really left me. I moved on to other things as I grew older, and started in fanfiction in the Warcraft universe. I've taken creative writing classes all through highschool and beyond, and if I could, I probably will pursue my masters degree in the same field.
What inspired you to write this story and its predecessor?
I literally got inspiration from listening to the songs the titles are based off of. I work late nights driving around, so music is my only companion at times. A long playlist ended with Vanilla Twilight, and once I started it up again, it started with Vanilla Twilight. After listening to it twice in a row, I knew I had a story, and the rest is history...
I don't know if you are still up for answering a question here, but I just finished Dreams and Disasters a few minutes ago.
I'm curious, do you imagine them discovering Cadence and Celestia's tampering? How do you think they would react? while you might not want to write a sequel, this story started with a one shot, I think that this situation would make a great one shot to end with too, (or to be space between sequels, I know I know, none planned now, but plans can change with time and I can dream!)
Great work, I followed you and will keep reading.
2082660
i'd think the scheming of Cadence and Celestia would extend to the point where they would put a significant effort in hiding their tracks. So long as they hide all the dresses Rarity made and eating all the food Applejack and Pinkie Pie would have provided, there would be little evidence to let Dash and Twi make the connection.
It's also possible that when Twi was writing the final letter to Celestia, Dash might have finally remembered the first letter she wrote at the end of Vanilla Twilight and told Twilight about it. It's possible that the sole reason the second postcard exists was because Dash and Twi put the pieces together and figured it out, and sent the picture as a playful way of saying, "we know what you did, and we're grateful you did."
Other than that, I'm not really sure how a dedicated story focused on the aftermath would work out. I can't say that Twilight and Dash would be mad, considering how it turned out for them, but I could see their friends being mad at being manipulated out of a free trip across the world, which could serve as an appropriate basis for conflict, but then again, what exactly could they do to two princesses of Equestria? I might give it some thought, but I have other stories I have in progress that I really should get finished.
Hi Quillery,
I really enjoyed reading both Vanilla Twilight and Dreams and Disasters; I felt that your Dash had the right combination of being true to her canon incarnation and having enough apprehension to evoke a sense of conflict in the overall story. Incidentally, I am also a canadian and turning 25 this year, and reading your blog and tumblr makes me feel that we would get along really well!
Anyway, what are your favorite video games? Have they given you inspiration in writing your fics, aside from the obvious one being Mane Effect, and that "Paper Please" reference in Dreams and Disasters?