Interview with Mystic Mind · 2:37am Oct 12th, 2020
Interview Rp Style
Snow Heart by Nailah
Mystic Mind by Mystic Mind
Snow Heart
Snow Heart had decided to take a day away from the stress of being a Princess, and decided to go on a picnic. She had a little basket, and everything she felt she needed for a good time. Snacks, plenty of water, a good book to read, and of course a blanket to laze about on. She found a nice spot out in a forest, (not the everfree) and sat up her picnic. It was calm. The birds were chirping, she took a moment to breathe in and out. No pony to judge me here. No pony to expect me to be something amazing. I'm not special...why do I have these wings? I'm just a pony like them. Snow Heart sighed, she really should be getting her food out, her belly rumbled reminding her she had skipped breakfast
Mystic Mind
Mystic takes a deep breath, gently trotting through the park after many hours spent in a dark, dusty study. He soon notices an odd-looking bat-winged Alicorn sitting on a picnic basket. Given the letter addressed to him from a "perfectly normal and not-at-all-special, average, everyday pony", he figures this is the pony for whom is supposed to chat with. Trotting her way, Mystic gently clears his throat and introduces himself.
"Um, excuse me," he asks in a gentle yet attentive tone. "Are you the author of this letter, wishing to speak to me?"
Snow Heart
Snow Heart's bat ears perked up, hearing a voice calling out to her. She turned to notice the pony in question. Oh she totally forgot she was meeting with them today. Hahaha. "Oh yes! I did write you a letter. It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Snow Heart, and who are you?" she asked even if she already knew they're name it would still be polite. She held out a forehoof in greeting, smiling, and it seemed like the sun was beaming down on the bat alicorn, making her light shine, she totally wasn't "just another pony"
Mystic Mind
Mystic Chuckles awkwardly, sitting in front of her on the blanket. "A pleasure to meet you. My name's Mystic Mind. I'm a magic scholar at Canterlot University. In the interest of time keeping, what is the purpose of this meeting today? Not that I object, of course, I just need to keep my time organised, that's all."
Snow Heart
"The purpose? Well to make more friends? To help others see how talented you are." began Snow Heart as she didn't have her notes, she really should've brought her notepad. Oh she'd just have to make due. "So, tell me Mystic, how did you get into mlp?" she asked, giving a subtle wink. "Oh and we totally break the 4th wall here. Totally normal."
Mystic Mind
Mystic blinks a couple of times, a little confused, but otherwise accepting of the unusual circumstances. "Oh, I see. I've come across this 'fourth wall' a few times in my studies of Earth Pony magic. Seems to be a rare trait indeedc. All the same, I'll never say no to making new friends in both high and low places. Literally."
Snow Heart
"You haven't told me how you gotten into mlp." replied Snow Heart reaching out and booping his snout. "Silly pony."
Mystic Mind
"Oh, my apologise," Mystic blushes a little. "Well, I recall hearing about it on social media amongst my friends. You know how it is, an avatar there, a meme here. I was initially conflicted about looking into it, largely due to the old toxic masculinity standard of 'But that's for GIIIIIIIIIIIRLS!'" Mystic rolls his eyes to add to his mocking tone. "I eventually decided that I'd test the waters, and look at it from the perspective of fantasy literature. This was a short time before the debut of season 2, around 2011/2012-ish. My first impressions were how rich the lore was, the details of the two sisters and a fall from grace, in addition to how smart the dialogue was. Given that this is a kids show, I was impressed to hear how many bigger words they add in there, explaining them in context without talking down to them. This dialogue felt like natural conversations, rather than a pre-school education style like Dora the Explorer. Not that there isn't a place for simpler dialogue in media aimed at younger children and toddlers, of course, but MLP:FiM absolutely shattered those preconceived notions of what a "Girls show" could be."
Snow Heart
"Ah I see. Very interesting! I found it through Rainbow Dash." she screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed. "I love Rainbow Dash. And you know it's funny, I thought about the girl thing too. And well I'm a girl." she laughed at herself. "Oh how time changes. I can't imagine where I'd be without mlp. It has literally changed my life. But we're not here to talk about me. That would be boring. So um...what inspires you to write?" Snow Heart asked, really wishing she had her notes
Mystic Mind
"Oh, I absolutely reflect the sentiment about this series being life-changing," Mystic chuckles blissfully. "Indeed, I think I've been writing much more because of this show. Originally, I had started out writing my own fantasy works, inspired by the lore of Warhammer fantasy and World of Warcraft, among others. I read mostly Warhammer 40K novels, along with WoW lore books and a bit of Terry Pratchett here and there. I've always had such a vivid, visual imagination, literally seeing pictures in my mind's eye. So I come up with all these little concepts and scenes based on locations--like, say, a Cathedral or church--which appealed to me as an author. I suck at drawing, yet have always had an above average skill with linguistics. I very much absorb the writing styles of those I read, particularly authors like the aformentioned Terry Pratchett, Christie Golden, and even Steven King (who's works I read much of in my teen years). These got some minor attention on deviant art, and at first I struggled to write for an MLP setting. I just couldn't come up with a cohesive story, and I have had a number of false starts on stories that I've since abandoned.
"Those stories were testing the water for me, seeing if I could come up with worldbuilding ideas based on the show that I love. My first completed story was "Plague and Fire", a dark, tragic fantasy battle story which has strong parallels to the Warhammer universe. The more one writes, the more one learns, and when I have an idea strong enough, the words just flow onto the computer screen like a waterfall. I think Seasons 4-through-6 of the show helped inspire me the most, because they have some of the best worldbuilding out there. It even confirmed some of my headcanons I picked up through my early ventures into the MLP analysis community! Even for a show as grand in scope as MLP, there is so much of this world to potentially explore, and I love the idea of taking my epic fantasy inspirations and applying it to a vibrant world such as this."
Snow Heart
Snow Heart listened, nodding along to his words. He seemed like a very intelligent pony. She on the other hoof, she didn't have a lot to say in regards to reading, only that she loved reading and that her head was always absorbed in a book. Mostly romance, because she had dreams of being with somepony special. Dreams of a life greater than the one she had. But she needed to focus on her new friend, and not get distracted.
"Tell me, what advice might you give a new writer just entering the frey for the first time?"
Mystic Mind
"Oh, that's an easy one," Mystic's eyes light up with delight. "Write what you know. Focus on a particular genre or subject you are most familiar with, and don't be afraid to take constructive criticism. In addition, reading as much as you can, both of other fanfics and published novels, will help to build your writing toolbox. Everybody's first story is going to come out as messy, but it's a learning experience. Remember, you can always go back and re-edit stories once you have more knowledge. Above all, writing should be fun, and if you're enjoying a subject--which isn't degrading others, mind you--then there's no shame in writing it, however..." Mystic clears his throat "...'mature', shall we say, the nature of said subject is."
Snow Heart
"Oh mature eh? Are you a naughty boy?" she teased him. Then quickly remembered to keep things PG-13. Though maybe now he might notice her hot pink collar, or maybe he didn't care. She didn't know. "Believe it or not, my first story was mature, and it was out right smut. I was soooooooooo ashamed of myself, I deleted it, but I did write a better mature story later on." she admitted, as she pondered.
"Tell me about a story that has inspired you! It doesn't have to be mlp even."
Mystic Mind
Mystic hums for a moment and rubs his chin. "Well, the first one that comes to mind is the World of Warcraft 'War of the Ancients' trilogy, by Richard A. Knack. It's one of my favourite points in WoW lore, and set up so many character arcs that still have an impact thousands of years later. Though some of the details would be somewhat retconned in later expansion, the flow of the prose, the clear writing of distinct magic systems and the character interplay all came together to create an epic tale of time travel and unlikely alligences. I would also be remiss not to mention one of my favourite pony fics, that being 'Monsters' by JawJoe. It's a dark story, but does such an incredible job of painting morally grey characters, including Princess Celestia herself. It's incredibly descriptive, and has influenced then way I write action scenes, for sure!"
Snow Heart
"Ah I see. I'd say one of the stories that inspired young Snow Heart was the Harry Potter series. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. She was my idol, and my inspiration. Pony fic, I love them all, I can't really pick a favorite, but I'll give a shout out to Monochromatic's The Enchanted Library. Because ROMANCE duh." Snow Heart giggled, and then looked to him. "So...Mystic. WHO IS BEST PONY?"
Mystic Mind
"Tough question! As much as I love the energy of Rainbow Dash and the sheer bouncy joy of Pinkie Pie, I'd have to say Twilight Sparkle. She is the keystone which brought the Elements of Harmony together, and I relate to her so much. Being somepony on the autistic spectrum, I often find myself 'Twilighting' over details and executive dysfunction. Though she isn't explicitly stated in the show to be autistic, showing a character strongly coded as such, while still having a grand life and close friendships, is very important to me."
Snow Heart
"Ah, that explains the researcher thing." replied Snow Heart. "Hey TwiDash is pretty popular, even if I am a SoarinDash or AppleDash myself. To each their own and all that jazz. But this new question, it's the toughest of them all. "Is there anything you'd like to tell us about the writer behind the pony?"
Mystic Mind
Mystic thinks for a moment, his expression turning slightly sombre "I feel that there is still an unhealthy presence of hatred towards trans and non-binary pony fans in the fandom, so I think most of all I want my stories to combat that. I'm someone who, as stated, very much writes about what I know and love, and that includes representation. Though I myself am non-binary, I have never experienced transphobia in my life. Since MLP is such a diverse and love-filled world, it feels like my duty to stamp out hatred and fight for a better future, both in and outside the fandom. Of course, I can't police everyone's words, but I can at least provide a safe haven for people of all genders within my social circles. I want to express that with my fics, paving the way for greater validation among trans pony fans."
Snow Heart
Snow Heart nodded in response "I've always known I'm female, and quite content, but I don't think it's right for others to bash people because of how they feel. This is My Little Pony, friendship is Magic, and while I may not understand it fully. You are what you are. You love who you love. Doesn't matter if you're some kind of "crazy rainbow colored alien that wants to be cute" be WHO you are." Snow Heart stated, covering her hoof. "Oophs. Too much huh? Um...do you like headpats?"
Mystic Mind
Mystic blushes, grinning meekly. "Indeed I do!"
Snow Heart
She reached out a hoof, and petted his head. Pat Pat "Yay!" Snow Heart paused, seeming to purr. "Is there anything you'd like to ask me?"
Mystic Mind
Mystic feels himself relax, the head-pats melting the stress from his body. "Well, I would be interested to know from which fic you found me by."
Snow Heart
"Your new one! The YonaBar, SandYona? That one. It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cute. I loved it. I am kind of tweeked it got so much hate, which is why I asked you here. You see, the reason I do these interviews is to bring light to authors I think are cool, and need some attention to their page. I mean I do have 370 followers, so if I can help others, then that makes me happy." admitted Snow Heart.
Mystic Mind
"That's as good a reason as any!" Mystic smiled "I put my heart and soul into these stories, and every now and again, we need a bit of light and fluffiness to take the edge off everyday realities. I'm sure you can understand."
Snow Heart
"That I can. Well I'm sorry to have kept you so long, but before you go off to those super important reasearch things, do tell me one more thing. Would you wanna be friends? And is there anything you'd like to tell them?" she pointed to her fans*
Mystic Mind
"I'm always up for making new friends! And to your fans, I say: Trans rights are human/pony rights. Never be afraid to express who you are as an individual. You are all valid, and you will always find friends to support you. Real friends always do!"
Snow Heart
Snow Heart hugged him, and quickly let go blushing. "Sorry about that. You should go and do research stuff. I'm going eat, I'm starving!"
END
Link to Mystic Mind's profile page:
Mystic Mind
Learn more about transgender stuff here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender
"If you want Snow Heart to interview you, get in touch - and be sure check out Nailah's Reviewer Mansion
This interview hit home with me, great job Nailah.
Interesting read.