Interview With a Contest Winner: DmitriTheWriter

Gods, it's been so long since I've done one of these. I have such fond memories; so why not do another? And this time, it's the winner of a contest I hosted!

Hello there, DmitriTheWriter -- can I call you Dimitri? -- and welcome to your interview! I look forward to picking your brain with my usual rigmarole of questions and a few curve-balls, if that's not too much. You ready?

No, I only answer to the name of love. (JK, Dmitri is a fine name.)

I believe I am ready to answer to your demands, let me just check my schedule. (Schedule is completely full) Yep, sounds good.

Alright then!

Le's start with a stock question; you haven't even been on the site for a full year as of yet. What brought you to the site and, on a grander scale, the Fandom?

I first came into this fandom sometime in late April or early May of 2018 (though if you want to be really technical, the first fanfic I ever read of this series some years ago was...Cupcakes. It's an honorary creepypasta for whatever reason.). I was sitting in bed bored when suddenly I got the idea to watch the first episode of MLP:FiM and riff the hell out of it and see what the big deal was, kind of like I Hate Everything did. I pulled up the first episode on Youtube, expecting it to be girly trash ripe for the mocking when...it's a fantasy action series? Huh, didn't see that coming. As soon as I heard Nightmare Moon's voice for the first time, I knew I was hooked. It's cheesy, it's over the top, and I kind of enjoyed it, though I still continued to mock it and make inside jokes for myself as I watched (like having the Cutie Mark Crusaders want to take Jerusalem every time they appeared on-screen).

As for this website, as soon as I watched the first few episodes, I knew Equestria was a good universe to write in, and I already had a few ideas bouncing around in my head waiting, begging to be put to paper. I found this website and thought that maybe I should watch a little more and learn more about this universe before I write anything. I didn't even make it past Season 3 before I could not wait any longer. In a creative high fueled by the likes of Alestorm and Dragonforce, I created my account and wrote my first fanfiction, A Storm For The Ages, filled to the brim with spearheads, pirates, magic rings, and endless streams of dialogue. It wasn't very good, but I was inspired to write more on this site and develop my craft, since I get actual feedback. And now here we are today.

Hah! Cupcakes is a beautiful introduction to the Fanfiction side of the Fandom. I suppose it's so popular because it was the first one to do the idea; the same goes for Rainbow Factory. Neither are particularly astounding, but they're like a piece of Brony history now. And you were given the final hook by voice work; I've never heard that one before!

Well, since you brought your first Fic up, let's start there. We now know that this Fic was inspired by pre-Season 3 material and is fueled with awesome metal, but the simple words you gave us don't do it justice. So! We're to give you a little challenge: describe the main character of A Storm For The Ages in three words or less!

By main character, I'm assuming you mean Chrysaor, the masked pegasus pirate with the magic ring. If you mean someone else, too bad, that's who I'm describing.

Crotchety Old Stallion

That's right. His snarkiness and devil-may-care attitude towards everything is actually because he was originally going to be revealed to be thousands of years old and the immortal brother of Commander Hurricane, so he's basically seen it all.

You'll find a lot of my questions are up for interpretation. I like to let my interviewers fill in the blanks and say what they want to say. That being said, I do have more direct questions -- like this one!

Who is "Best Pony" to you, and why?

Some people have interesting choices for Best Pony, like Trixie or Princess Luna or, in your case, Vinyl Scratch. I'm a lot more boring than that.

For Best Pony, I'm going to have to go with Twilight Sparkle. The reason why is because, well, she's basically me. Shy, nerdy, innately talented, skeptical, it all fits. (Except for my sense of humor. That's more Pinkie Pie than anything else.) This is also part of what drew me into the show, as I can easily relate to the main character, and is also why Twilight is a major protagonist in 90% of my fics.

I don't think that's a boring pick at all. Twilight is among my top five Ponies -- a little fact not many people know. I find her to be a beautifully written protagonist and enjoy her wherever the writer's deem to take her. I appreciate her getting the attention and respect she deserves.

Twilight is an Equestrian National Treasure and should be protected at all costs.

You know it, Purple Smart.

Okay, next question!

Sticking to the topic of the show, what's your favorite episode of all time, and why?

AAAAAAAAAA You can't do this to me. I'm bad with choices.

I guess if I had to choose, my favorite episode(s) would have to be The Return of Harmony (Parts 1 & 2) for introducing us to the deliciously chaotic obvious choice for Best Not-A-Pony, Discord. Also, I really liked having the characters be broken down and having to rediscover themselves before they could win the day, and it made for some good entertainment. (Even though Fluttershy flying hundreds of miles an hour carrying hundreds of pounds of weight with the power of DETERMINATION didn't make a whole lot of sense, but hey, it's just a show, I really should relax, right? XD)

Discord really is best not-pony. He's the King of Chaos, after all! Besides, we've all seen just how powerful DETERMINATION can be!

Okay, on to the next part; this time with feeling! And you say you're bad with choices. Sorry, but do I have a big choice for your next question!

If you had to choose your favorite part about the show, what would it be? This can be anything, from a message in the show, to what the show means to you. It's entirely open-ended.

I guess my favorite part of the show is how it inspires so much creativity in the people who watch it, with things like fanart and fanfiction. Sure, this comes with a lot of crap with Sturgeon's Law being what it is, but when you separate the cream from the crap, the you get some really good cream.

Without this show and the Fimfiction created as a result of it, I would have never known how to express my creativity to the world at large and discovered that I can write some good stuff...when the stars align, that is. I had written some stories before coming to this site, but the only feedback I could get for them was either from my family or my teachers. Not exactly the most unbiased people in the world. But with all of you wonderful people on this site, I can get some good, honest feedback with comments and people who tell it like it is (in theory, anyway). All I have to say is...thank all of you for this opportunity.

I myself was brought into this fandom by the art and music, so I know exactly what you mean. I quickly found that the fanfiction was good fun and was absorbed into the rolling mass that is FiMFiction!

I don't know if I'd call myself wonderful; I've got some pretty huge flaws. Like procrastination. I mean, I am a perfect human being with no flaws whatsoever! I am an Admin, thereby I am without fault!

I speak only truths.

Believe me!

Ahem. Next question, and this time we'll do something deep: You say this site has helped you express your creativity, but where do you think you would be if you hadn't joined the Herd and found FiMFiction?

Well, I wouldn't be here, for starters.

If I hadn't found MLP:FiM, my life would be mostly the same, but I would probably not have found my real start as a writer, and all of the ideas in my head would've stayed locked up forever. That doesn't sound like fun. I guess it'd be like watching an episode of The Twilight Zone, just with my life and an alternate timeline of my life where I'm sadder.

Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's glad you stumbled onto the site and discovered your potential. Writing is a skill not everyone realizes that they have, and it's depressing to think about just how much skill is going to waste.

Shifting topics, what's your favorite genre of Fic? Least favorite?

I'd say my favorite genre is hands down comedy, to read and to write, perhaps followed closely by action or adventure. My least favorite would have to be romance fics with no other plot besides romance, or just clopfics in general. I'm not a shipper at all, I don't ship anyone with anyone unless the ship is a joke (like Cozy Glow x Cthulhu). I'm just here for the laughs and the explosions, so romance doesn't really interest me. As for clopfics, I feel like those are the things bronies are mocked and insulted for most often on the Internet, and I personally feel like enjoying them would be proving them right. Also, I don't particularly find sex to be interesting in a prose format, just a few hundred to a few thousand words of characters and the narrator wasting time before getting back to the plot we're all here for.

I can agree on the topic of clopfics; I've never been a fan. As for shipping for the sake of shipping, I'm not a big fan of that either. A good romance needs a good story. And I am terrible at writing comedy! It's a great read though. Though I won't lie, I'm an unabashed Vinyl and Octavia shipping. Perhaps Neon Lights and Fiddlesticks -- a story of mine developed them into a very adorable relationship.

Okay, the next question isn't a question; it's a chance! Now's your turn to promote a story of your choice on here. Give us a story that moved you or made you laugh and tell us all about it!

Well, as anyone who's looked at my 'Stories' page for two minutes can see, I really like comedy. For works that make you laugh, the best I've read on this site is the story Ultimate Power Is Finally...Mine?. I just like how Ahuizotl grows increasingly divorced from reality the more he realizes how screwed he is, and the whole thing just feels like something Douglas Adams would write. I recommend it!

Well, as a massive fan of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I think I'll personally be giving that story a very intense once-over. Maybe twice-over. Seriously, I love a good comedy. There's just not enough of it in the real world, these days!

Lets see, which question is next on my list? Twilight, get my list!

*Clears throat* Well, that's awkward.

Let's see... Ah-ha! It's time for my weird question! I stick one of these into every interview. My only rule is, answer with the first thing that comes to your mind. The question is: what would be the coolest animal to scale up to the size of a horse?

Honestly, scaling Komodo dragons up to the size of horses would be pretty awesome. Imagine a giant, reptilian steed that can slash you to ribbons with its teeth and is also venomous. It's basically the closest we could get to riding actual dragons into battle.

That actually sounds extremely badass! I never considered that one. I was thinking giant bunnies, because nothing says "confused enemy troops" like a bunny cavalry! Then again, they aren't nearly as awesome as horse-sized death lizards. Nope.

Now, for this round, I'm going to push your decision-making skills to their limit! I'm ask you three questions; you pick one (or more) of them and give your answer(s)!

1. Unicorn, Pegasus, or Earth Pony?
2. We've summed up your OC in three words or less, and now it's your turn! Describe yourself in three words or less.
3. Who is your greatest hero?

1. I'd pick unicorn, not only because Best Pone is (or rather was) one, but also because telekinesis is a cool power to have, even if it does come at the cost of your fingers. It definitely sounds more convenient to have that than having to maneuver things with your teeth all of the time like earth ponies and pegasi have to do (when they don't just use their hooves). Plus, magic!

2. Myself in three words: Brilliant, But Lazy. I coast through my classes with barely a thought, and I can write really well...when I can be bothered to do it, usually with a flash of inspiration from on high. This explains why I never seem to update any of my multi-chapter stories and means that I have essentially zero work ethic, a fact which will probably come back to bite me in the ass when I go to college.

I feel your pain, friend. As you well know! This interview was a long time coming, but it's nice to finally be on the cusp of wrapping it up. Only a few more bit and pieces now, and you'll be free from me and my blatant insanity. Seriously, this took way longer than I had planned. On to the next question! What tip would you give to your past self, if you could write them a letter or send them a message?

I would say this: "Failure is not the end, so don't worry if you fail, so long as you can just get right back up again,". When you grow up as a gifted student, failure is a very foreign concept, and whenever I fail at something, be it writing a story or taking a math quiz, my entire life flashes before my eyes. Logically, I know that these failures don't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but they're so devastating to me regardless. So in a way, this is also advice for my present self.

The best advice is advice that never stops being relevant. That's a very fine example of that. I think that's some valuable wisdom for just about everyone, really. So, lets wrap the interview up: what parting message do you want to leave for someone reading this interview?

"You are capable of more than you know, and whatever you set your mind to, you can achieve."

A wonderful way to wrap it up! Thank you for giving me your time and words, friend. This interview was very refreshing and I hope it gets lots of eyes on it!

It was a pleasure to be here, Quill.