Thoughts & Commentary on "Shift in Spectrum" · 1:32am May 25th, 2016
First things first, super big thanks to my editor and proofreader, JoshuaGrahamPony, for helping me immensely in crafting the story. Having a second opinion to spark discussion over small details is always valued and I'm glad he helped me in that regard.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Do not read past this point unless you feel comfortable with that!
To start my ramblings about this story, we need to head a few months back to October of 2015. The video game Mad Max had released, and I needed a buffer, something to play and sate my wasteland needs before Fallout 4 released in November of the same year. During this time, I had some troubles with my other stories. It wasn't that they weren't popular or the readers didn't value an update, it was simply that my writing had improved dramatically compared to when I started those stories. It a sense, I was in limbo, wanting to continue on, but couldn't handle how I had written what I already had. Naturally, when I play games, watch movies and shows, or simply read fanfiction, my mind drifts off with ideas just shooting off. In the case of Mad Max, It gave me an opportunity to simply write a quick story and play around with my writing abilities. Experiment a bit.
This is connected to the reason behind the perspective of the story, which is told in a subjective point of view. This means the only details given are those of someone watching; no mind reading whatsoever. Mad Max was a great story to do just that. The movies are famous for their action, but also their importance on detail and visual story telling. I wanted to bring that to book form, a way for readers to evaluate Max's decisions and actions without delving into his thoughts. Knowing what he thought would break who Max was to us visually, a selfish Road Warrior with layers of kindness still trapped inside him. Max is undoubtedly the most complex character I have typed for. During my writing, I had to dumb down his dialogue and lines, or even take them out completely; he isn't the type to talk a lot. The way he behaves and reacts to the environment is from his experiences. Nailing that was difficult, in that how he treated Rainbow needed to be justified. This was a learning experience for me, as upon finishing the story, I realized how important mind reading really was. But it did boost my writing significantly, mostly in putting down what's most important in a scene and how to develop a plot and character over the coarse of a story.
Back to the video game, and the story itself, I loved the idea of a stand alone Mad Max, since all the movies were built that way. Even the video game (though it did have strokes from Fury Road). Writing the story with as much disconnection, yet connection, at the same time was the best way to reflect and respect the movies way of story telling. That being said, the video game did influence where I envisioned the story would take place. Right after the video game's story and before the events of Fury Road. The premise is basic so I could have more to work with and allow the story to unfold as I told it. That was another new thing with this story: I had written everything before even uploading the first chapter. In my previous works, I simply wrote the stories without much thought of the ending, and I felt like was writing myself into a corner. With this story, I wanted actual thought into the characters, setting, and actions scenes. I wanted a cohesive story that could be read over again. Also, by completing the story beforehand, it allowed me to cover up plot holes and really work out the grammar/spelling mistakes. The best part about it is the interconnection that's told in the background.
This also helped with the characters, some of which didn't even exist until the very moment they were introduced. Blucifer and Redding, at first, were meant to speak Shakespearean. "To be or not to be" and all that jibber jabber. If it wasn't for my editor, that would probably still be the case, but he brought it down hard, and I completely reevaluated the two. The dynamic of the red and blue onis stuck out the most, but I subverted it by associating their colors in reverse (Blucifer being the excited, roudy guy while Redding was calm, collected but still had a temper). From there, their story was created alongside Greenhorn as well as the Black Clouds. Everything came together, even how Rainbow came into the world of the mad (which was originally going to be through a mirror, but was far too close to how a friend of mine's story had it). One regret is not giving the Black Clouds more time to show their past or motivations, or even give them personality. Mad Max gives the villains memorable personalities. Though I am proud how even those who are considered antagonistic could still be allies. Which is important aspect to tell in this story. After all, everyone is out for themselves.
The ending was probably the easiest yet hardest thing to write. After finishing the first draft, my editor disagreed with several points: how the characters died, how he felt about them, Max's reactions, and the ending choice. With all that, I changed several things to give some emotion to it but still keep it Mad Max-esque. I'm proud with how it turned out, but many edits went into it, all the way up to just before the chapter was released. The ending choice, I feel, is controversial, at least between me and my editor. I have a feeling a few readers would feel the same. In my mind, Max is the kind of guy who inevitably helps people with actions that are for the greater good. Not only would he refuse to go someplace he knows he doesn't belong, but also destroy the conduit that links those two worlds. He knows if he and Rainbow could easily jump between worlds, what would stop another Pony coming through, or even a crazed man from entering Equestria? The idea of Max going to Equestria is amusing, but it wouldn't accurately reflect Max. He may take advantage of resources to the best of his ability, but at the end of the day, his heart wouldn't allow something of this scale. One of the reasons why I like Max, and his hero arc as well.
I'm glad I could write the story. The backstory reasons for stuff, such as the names of Greenhorn and co., were especially fun. I'm surprised there wasn't many Mad Max crossovers, but I'm glad I could add one to the mix. Maybe inspire more, who knows. Thanks again for reading. Leave your own thoughts on the story, cause I love reading about different perspectives on things.
Yep good old max
I sure would like to see a comedy max in equestria sequel but as for the ending of this story, it was the right choice to end it like this.
Max never stuck for good with the people he helped, he always denies himself a happy ending, so this didn't come as an surprise and to be honest, i couldn't see much 'authentic' plot for a max in equestria followup.
It might came a bit quick like picking up a book and the 'read it anyways' thing but that's more or less part of the max universe, it fits in just right.
As for the story itself, i really liked all the details that you put in, like the extensive scene and location descriptions.
It's definitely a good read even if it leaves you with that 'there should be more to it' feeling but that's normal for the choosen theme.