[Superlong-RwR-250th!] A Tell-All Tale About What Could Have Been · 6:52am Jul 14th, 2017
In commemoration of the 250th blog and since Rain without Rainbows turned six years old this month,
I’m going to spill every secret, plan, and answer that I’ve ever held back.
So go ahead.
Read further.
1: First thing’s first...
Before I get into anything that I’ve pre-planned, let me invite all of you to ask me anything related to the story. I know it’s been six years since the tale first began (crediting the first chapter being uploaded to fanfiction.net), but I’m sure that I’ve aggravated at least four of you with how I always kept my cards hidden. So if something isn’t listed here, or if you need a more satisfying answer, lay it on me. This time, nothing will be held back.
2: The sequel plans...
As I’ve said before, a sequel to RwR was originally planned from the beginning. My friend and co-author Cyros Lugoth, who had created the character of Alucard and all of his history, would have been the one to lead that project. It was meant to build upon what he and I worked on with RwR and go further with an original cast. You know, as original as you can get with the main antagonist named Alucard.
The sequel, obviously, never came to pass. Cyros ran into family issues that involved moving, college, and funerals, which kept him from forming a full story. By the time he was able to focus on a project, he had lost interest in MLP as a whole. And since he still wanted to retain the lead writer status for the sequel, the decision to move forward or not was wholly his own. Time went on, and he never found the time or interest to start it. Now I’m not sure what he’s up to, but I’m confident that he’s working on his own stories with whatever new characters and worlds he has.
Now, then...all of that never stopped me from picturing what the sequel would include. In my mind, the new realm that Alucard called home would be based on what Cyros originally created, with an adventure storyline that pulled in a large cast. There would be a new main hero, Yang (nicknamed “G” and the opposite of Alucard, whose real name is Yin), who would rise up to save his own homeland. Yang is the same white alicorn character seen in chapter seventeen of RwR, when he catches Rainbow Dash and insists that he will make things right, thereby refusing to be arrested by Celestia and Luna.
The sequel would have also involved a cast of characters similar to the Mane Six, in that they would band together to help protect their land with whatever talents they could bring. One of these characters, nicknamed “Fang,” would be a double-agent working with Alucard to destroy them from the inside. Fang is the same filly character seen in chapter seventeen, where she stands ready with food, water, and news as Alucard recovers his power.
I had always pictured a recurring theme to be the telepathy that Alucard frequently used in RwR. Since it caused so much harm to Rainbow and co. during the main story, it would make sense to use it as a weapon, or at least a deterrent, in the follow-up story. I also pictured a great uprising with Alucard siezing power, using all of his power to do so. And speaking of Rainbow and her friends, I intended to draw on their experiences to help drive new, harder decisions. There’d be everything that an adventure story would need except any sort of prophecy.
Ah, it was nice to dream. I’m saddened that it never came to pass.
3: The references...
Since I was part of a duo while writing the story, and since both myself and Cyros were part of a larger community, we saw fit to toss in nods to other events and plans that we would enjoy. Whether subtle or not, they were nice tidbits that didn’t really detract from the story.
The first and most obvious was the band in chapter one. Cyros and I were planning on being part of an online-based music band using the Punk-o-Matic software, which was in development at the time (and I believe still is). Not just us, of course - there would be others to make a whole group, with each of us responsible for one out of six instruments. Three of those ponies were briefly described, with Cyros’ character Yang being the pearl-white alicorn, my Ikusa-based OC as the gray pegasus (unofficially named “Ponyzuma”), and our mutual friend Kyoufuu being the blue colt with an orange mane. The style of music, as well, was a reference to the Punk-o-Matic community site and the style of music that we all made.
Another, smaller reference was made in chapter seven, kept as a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tidbit. As Twilight approached Princess Luna, she takes notice of all of the books scattered around. One stack was written by the same pair of authors, meant to indicate Cyros and myself - clearly, we had plans to work on other stories in the future, and we had both helped each other on previous stories as well.
One thing that is purely coincidental (but real fun to think about) is the actual show referencing me. See, in chapter thirteen, there’s a part where Alucard lands an electrical attack that connects with Celestia’s horn. This sends her reeling until she falls through a hole in the nearby roof, leading to the throne room. Some time later, season four of MLP came to be, with its premier showing a scene between Celestia and Nightmare Moon. They fly through the air and Nightmare hits Celestia with a beam of energy, causing Celestia to plummet through a hole in the throne room roof. It’s coincidence, I’m sure, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
4: The Asides...
One of my early plans for expanding the story was to write several additional oneshots that would serve to more deeply explore different topics in the story. The first and only one of these was Not Yet Ablaze, which introduced Spitfire as a new candidate to the Wonderbolts and briefly explored her mentor Microburst. There were other Aside stories planned that would each deal with Spitfire’s depression and long recovery, the political fallout that Celestia and Luna would try to correct, the story that Rainbow Dash was guilty, the subplot of Twilight going behind Luna’s back, and Applejack trying to keep the old traditions alive that she and Rainbow shared. Another one that was never firmly decided was one that followed Scootaloo’s perspective as she resolved to keep Rainbow’s cloud home in the air.
Altogether, they were planned to expand the story by another fifty-thousand words at least. Spitfire’s story would have been its own series, and several of the Asides were meant to be explusive to FIMfic (which is why Not Yet Ablaze is found here but not in a fanfiction.net mirror).
5: The Pristige Edition...
The biggest step that I wanted to take was to bring everything together - the main story, the Asides, special artwork, and every scrap of editing I could muster - into one full-length e-book. Something that I was inspired to do by following Pen Stroke’s example, and I’ve definitely put in a few hours’ worth of work into the e-book version already. It would have collectively been known as Rain Without Rainbows: The Prestige Edition, and I would have happily signed off on the finished product.
What kept me from it? Shifting perspectives is the main thing. I had already made the mental decision that the story was done, so I was ready to move on to other projects. Smaller things like my other stories began to pop up. I continued to work on my game project, Ikusa ~ Wartorn. And eventually, any motivation I had to continue on the Prestige Edition was redirected toward the game, and finally toward Fullmetal Pony. Both of those are still in progress, so it’s worth the effort to make them as good as I can. Especially since I’ve basically been working alone on all of these projects - I have no true creative partner, and I tend to write alone.
Naturally, then, writing another fifty- or hundred-thousand words for a project that I already considered ‘finished’ felt like a chore. Especially when I consider the reception that RwR got in the first place. The fanbase I gathered for it was nice, but small, and the effort such a project would require would be better received if the original project was well-received in the first place. In the labor industry, this would be a case of ‘work smarter, not harder.’ I decided my efforts were put to better use on projects that still needed to be finished. Doubly so in Ikusa’s case, since my friends have been waiting over ten years for a full game. Again, I tend to work alone, and the game is so much more complex than just writing a story.
I still have the Prestige Edition in my Google Drive folders, and it’s spaced to allow for chapter artwork and the inclusion of the Asides. But nothing has been done to it since September of 2014, and it will likely remain undone. Therefore, the finished version 1 of RwR is all I’m likely to have, with the single Aside story to help it.
6: The pride...
As with all of my projects when I’m actively working on them, I took pride in writing RwR from the beginning to the end. Rather, I had pride in my writing even after it ended. What creator doesn’t feel compelled to defend his or her creation, especially while it’s still being created? I would go off on people for assuming things in the story or for calling out Alucard on simple things like his own name, and at the time I felt justified. Now? Eh, the pride is still there, but it’s not nearly as volatile. Hell, even I will call out Alucard on his silliness (tl;dr: Alucard is an idiot and he does not the smarts).
Having some time away from the finished product, I’m able to look back and see all of the glaring flaws I made as an author during my time with it. The writing style, the odd perspectives, the too-romanticized scenes, and the resolutions to plot threads that were obscure at best (and nonexistant at worst). One of my greatest mistakes was not keeping detailed notes on the story as I went, which is something I’ve remedied with Fullmetal Pony. That mistake forced me to retcon details from earlier chapters because I forgot what I originally planned for them. And yet I still felt pride for it.
I mean, I’m not ashamed. Not really. The project helped to hone my skill and define my writing style, for better or for worse. I suppose I’ve just matured as a content creator in the time since RwR began. I’ve definitely had to grow as I’ve gone across the country.
7: The result...
Rain without Rainbows wasn’t perfect. In some respects, it wasn’t even good. But it was my first MLP story, and it helped me to find my own style. I’ve grown since then, and I continue to grow with each new chapter and story I post. Even in its worst regards, I’m proud of the story, and I’m glad to have written it. In a way, the story is a part of who I am now. I can definitely say that the experience of the story is part of me.
I still write. I’ll still be proud. I’ll still try to justify and defend my work, and sometimes throw shade at people who, in all honesty, raise good points and valid flaws in it. The oddities found in RwR are behind me, but I’m not going to try and fix them after so much time has passed. Hell, even my choice to give spoiler teasers for the next sequential chapter (which is arguably my worst choice for the whole project) will stay the way it is. I’ve learned from it, and I hope that others have as well in their own ways.
Now here I am, six years later. Still writing. Still proud. Still overall happy with what I’ve made before, and hopefully I’ll continue to be happy with what I will make later on. I mean, we won’t see Alucard again, but I personally enjoyed the time I spent writing for him. If nothing else, Rain without Rainbows was a fantastic exercise in good and bad choices.
Happy anniversary, RwR. We’ve seen some crazy stuff, haven’t we?
~Leo
