Interview with Level Dasher · 7:06pm Dec 16th, 2020
Interview Rp Format
Nailah as Snow Heart
Level Dasher as Level Dasher
Snow Heart
Snow Heart trotted her way over to the local cafe, after putting on her pink hoodie that matched her hot pink collar. She took a deep breath. You can do this. He's just a pony like you. No reason to be scared. Why was this so intimating? She approached the cafe they were supposed to meet at. She stood by the door. Just reach out and open it you dork. Just do it. Stuttering, her fur shivering. She felt frozen. It was so simple right? It's just a door. Come on be brave! Yet, the fear of not being wanted or liked still lingered because of her own past. Another deep breath. She opened the door, and walked into find a seat. She was sure he would come. Right? He wouldn't back out on her, and yet fear lingered, the uncertainty of it all was overwhelming. She started panting heavily, the sweatdrops running down her cheeks. Stay calm! She heard the door open, her bat ears perked up. She screeeeeed
Level Dasher
Papers fluttering about the table before him, Level Dasher pressed his hooves to his ears at the screech. After shaking his head to get the ringing out of his ears, he gathered the pieces of the manuscript he’d been marking and tapped them together. Looking up from the corner table towards the cafe’s entrance, he found a blue, bat-winged unicorn standing in front of the door. He smiled and waved his hoof as he called out, “Princess! Over here! Corner table!”
Snow Heart
Snow Heart heard a voice, and looked over to him, in the corner table. All the way in the back huh. Maybe he's a bit shy too. She casually strutted over to the table, feeling the stares of the other ponies. They could clearly see her ears, and her horn, and the whispers began. Ignore it. She moved over to him, trying to smile. Calm and composed. "Level Dasher is that you? I have heard so much about you!" she spoke excitedly. "I'm Snow Heart but wait maybe you knew that. Tell me who are you? And how did you get into mlp?" she asked sitting down across from him, putting her interview glasses on.
Level Dasher
“Yeah, I was surprised to hear you were looking for me,” Level Dasher responded. “Sorry about making you come all the way back here; I try to keep away from the traffic when I’m working.” He put the manuscript away in his saddlebag, then rested his chin in his hoof as he leaned his elbow on the table. “‘Who am I?’ Huh, that’s kind of all-encompassing, isn’t it. If you wanted to boil it all down, I guess you could say I’m an editor with a wide reach. As for how I got into MLP? That’s a story,” he chuckled. “I was on the train home one day, and the mare I sat next to happened to be a bit of a Chatty Cathy. I don’t remember how the conversation got there, but she ended up showing me a clip from the show on her phone, trying to convince me it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.” Level Dasher rolled his eyes. “Wasn’t really that convincing at that point. But a few days later I was at home—didn’t have a gig at the time, nopony was around, I had nothing to do—so I figured I’d give it another try and pulled up the first two episodes to watch.” He smirked as he wiggled his hoof. “‘Bout a 30-episode binge later, I was hooked.”
Snow Heart
Snow Heart listened to him, while scribbling down some notes onto her notepad she just pulled out of her hoodie. She nodded then paused. "Hey, that sounds like me. Except I've never been on a train." she spoke up, before going back to writing down notes. She then looked up to him, smiling. "I think if you ever see that pone again you should say thank you. But I'm glad you're here. Ponies are quite a blessing you know. You can find happiness even in the midst of the darkest of times. You see when I found the ponies, I had lost my house, lost my husband, lost everything. I even gave up my wolf collection. With nowhere to go, I went back home. I had lots of free time due to being homeless, I found Fimfiction and they lifted me up and made me feel again." Snow admitted to him.
Level Dasher
“Geez, sorry to hear about all that,” Level Dasher responded with a frown as he sat up straight. “Glad you’re in a better place now, though.” The frown curled upward slightly as he nodded. “But yeah, calling ponies a blessing would be an understatement for me. It wasn’t long after I started watching that I first found out fan fiction was a thing. I didn’t think much of it at the time— I hadn’t written anything in years. But a couple’a months later I decided I’d give it a shot. I didn’t even know about Fimfiction yet.” He pursed his lips. “‘Bout a month after I started, I got diagnosed with Lymphoma. Needed treatments after that. I kept writing, and about halfway through writing the story I found out about Fimfic. Don’t remember how. Of course, right after that I got admitted to the hospital.”
~
Despite his melancholic tone, he slowly smiled and rested his chin in his hoof again. “Turned out to be perfect timing, though. A lot of my hometown friends weren’t around anymore, but I had ponies to watch, stories to read, and I even made a couple of acquaintances through the site forum. Some of them became friends. One became my editor, and a few became my first clients.” He shrugged his shoulders as he lifted himself up again. “Whew. Frankly, if not for ponies, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here today. Definitely wouldn’t’ve be doing this.” He patted his saddlebag where he’d placed the manuscript he’d been working on. “Probably would’ve fallen into Depression, maybe worse, but I had plenty to keep my spirits up. To be totally honest, I think I owe ponies my life. Hopefully one of these days I’ll see that mare again and tell her.”
Snow Heart
Snow Heart listened, and she felt for him. He was sorry for her? Pfft. Her story was nothing compared to that. But she didn't say this out loud. She took down notes while listening and absorbing his story. Maybe she could convince her boyfriend to be a little less harsh so he could edit her stories. Ahem, yes I'm speaking of you you dork. She knew he was probably reading this. She then coughed against her hoof, regaining focus.
"Now I know this is a hard question, but what inspires you to write?"
Level Dasher
Blowing out a breath, Level Dasher replied, “Hoo boy. Yeah, that actually is a bit of a tough one.” He crossed his forelegs as he let out a brief hum. “I guess it really depends on what you’re talking about. Right now, I’ve got this one project that I’m just determined to finish. I’ve put in too much of my time, effort, and heart—not to mention there are a bunch of other ponies who have helped me out with it, too—to let it go unfinished. So it’s a sense of commitment that inspires me to write that one.
~
“When it comes to other stories…” He sat silent for a few moments, leaning his chin in his hoof again. “…Well, aside from when I have gigs like this manuscript I’m working on here—” He patted his saddlebag again. “—I really don’t have much to do, so I’ve got the time to spare, and I try to use my time productively.
~
“Occasionally I’ll see, or hear, or even dream something that just kinda… plants a seed of an idea. I hope you’ll forgive the metaphor, but if the roots of that idea take hold and it grows into something more cohesive, you’ve got an idea that just HAS to get written. That’s an ‘I thought of this and I won’t forgive myself if I don’t write it’ kind of inspiration,” he said, waving his hooves in air quotes.
“Then you’ve got prompts from elsewhere. Especially on Fimfic. You’ve got contests and challenges with prompts that are provided to you… even though some might actually win you stuff, it’s really more that there’s a sense of community to them. You aren’t the only one writing it. And even though I would think most authors like for their ideas to be original, sometimes it’s fun to see how a lot of different ponies can take the same prompt and interpret it a million different ways. It’s nice to be a part of that.”
With a chuckle, Level Dasher finished, “And then of course, you’ve got Jinglemas coming up. The holiday spirit really is inspiration enough for that.”
Snow Heart
Snow Heart listened and ate up his words into her mind. Thinking of all her stories that she needed to work on. She had took a break for NANO. National Novel writing month, but she was already jam packed with plans for Christmas. Maybe this year wouldn't be as bad as last year. Her violet hues seemed to sparkle as she thought of how this year had been, how it had sucked for so many ponies, she only hoped that ponies could at least enjoy Christmas. And hoping the new year would bring new change once more, and a brighter future. With the one she adored by her side
"Wow, such vivid detail, quite the inspiration you are. Should get my flank back to writing. If you see my page you'll see a lot of "hiatus" I have too many ideas and not nearly enough time to focus on them all, but I do want to finish them all. It's the LEAST my fans deserve for putting up with me. I don't know why they like me so much. I really am just another pony. No pony special." Snow Heart admitted before thinking of other writers*
"Tell me what advice might you give a new writer, just starting out for the first time?"
Level Dasher
“Aw, c’mon, don’t do that to yourself. Ponies wouldn’t be following you if they didn’t like what you were doing; you obviously contribute to the community. Heck, I was surprised you were looking for me.
~
“But let’s see, advice for new writers?” Level Dasher crossed his forelegs again as he lifted a brow to match the direction of his gaze. “Well, I can give you an easy one: if your intention is to publish what you’re writing, don’t be afraid to ask somepony else to look at what you’ve written before you do it. Whether you want to come to somepony like me who will walk you through all your spelling, grammatical, and mechanical errors, or if you just want to show it to a friend and see what they think at a glance, it’s always helpful to have a second eye look over your work.
~
“Another big one— be open to constructive criticism. There’s a difference between ponies criticising for the sake of criticising, and ponies that genuinely want to help you with your work and improve as a writer. You don’t need to give clout to ponies just saying, ‘You should have done THIS, not THAT’ or ‘This was stupid,’ especially if they aren’t giving you reasons why they feel that way. It’s your story, not theirs. If they don’t like it, they don’t have to read it. BUT, if somepony says something more like, ‘I don’t know if this was a good idea based on your protagonist’s personality’ or ‘This doesn’t quite make sense— wouldn’t your character do THIS in this situation?’ then they might be worth listening to, especially if they’re RIGHT. But that doesn’t mean you should retcon your work. You should keep their thoughts and suggestions in mind as you continue. If you’ve got an outline, it isn’t the end of the world if you think you might need to make some minor changes. Heck, I’ve done it quite a few times. But as is the case with practically everything else, you learn from your mistakes.
~
“You also shouldn’t be afraid to just START. Don’t overthink it. If you aren’t planning to publish as you write, you don’t even necessarily have to start with the first chapter. It’s perfectly fine if you want to write a scene that you have in your head and don’t want to forget before you continue where you left off. Sometimes writing something coming later first can help you go backwards to the beginning. If you know that one particular thing is going to happen, you can write towards that. If you change your mind on the way to that previously written scene, then you can change it. Unless you know for a fact that you want that scene to happen EXACTLY as you’ve already written it, it wasn’t set in stone. I’ve done that plenty of times. Heck, right now I have more than TEN chapters written that are coming later in my story because I thought of them before. But it’s possible I might make changes as I continue from where I’ve currently left off.
~
“And you know what my final pointer would be?” Level Dasher rested his chin in both hooves as his elbows leaned into the table. “READ. Read a LOT. There are TONS of writers out there, many of them with different styles. Get a feel for how other ponies write and see if you think that’s the way you might like to write also. Some ponies may not be good at writing in the third-person narrative, but be great at writing in first-person, and vice versa. You’ll want to find your strengths. There are some ponies out there that I’ve worked with whose styles don’t really match what we in the business consider the rules of writing, but they WORK. Those rules CAN be broken, but you need to do it correctly. It’s actually highly likely you’ll run into a story that breaks the rules. But if the style works, the story is immersive, and the readers enjoy themselves? That’s the most important thing. So if you find stories like that while you’re reading, use them as examples of what you should and shouldn’t do when you write.”
Snow Heart
Snow Heart blushed at his words "Um...I really haven't done much honestly. This fandom has done a LOT more for me than me for them. I remember back in the early days before I got my job, I was overwhelmed by the support of my first story, it felt like ponies cared about me. I hadn't felt like anyone cared for a long time, considering everything I went through. It was such positive emotions, that I find it hard to put into words. So I try my best to be a positive pony for all to see, so that the light that shines within me, will brighten the lives of those who know me." she paused as her horn lit up, and she flashed images above of her many followers, everyone was special to her. No matter if they read her content or not. She felt loved. It was so hard to describe, she composed herself before jotting down more notes
"Yes, reading is a great way to learn. I admittedly read a lot of romance novels in my spare time, off the site. Nora Roberts is a favorite, but Jayne Ann Krentz is good too, I don't really care for Danielle Steel, but the more I know the more prepared I can be to write fluff. I've always wanted to write romance, because I had lacked such a thing in my life for the longest time. Granted it was probably good that I had all that time to think, to just enjoy living and making a difference, but I still love writing fluff, and reading it helps me write about it."
She paused before speaking once more.-to be continued.
Snow Heart sat there observing the pony, and asking the waitress to bring her some coffee for the both of them, or maybe he didn't drink it. But she figured she'd be nice. She smiled to him as she phrased the next question ever so bluntly. "Who is BEST pony?"
Level Dasher
Level Dasher called after the waitress and asked to change his coffee to a vanilla chai. When she nodded, he turned back around. “Sorry, I don’t drink coffee. Thanks, though. And yes, the question of the hour,” he chuckled with a smirk. “Do I need to give you one? ‘Cause I have three, each of them in different categories…”
Snow Heart
"Oh I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Snow Heart blushed. As she put his cup over to her. She could drink too. Maybe some water then. She then chuckled at his response. "What you can't narrow it down? You have to organize a chart or something silly like that? I mean if you aren't sure then you can just say you like them all. But feel free to do what's comfortable for you. I promise I'm not going to go anywhere. My sister is already handling my Princess duties while I'm away from the castle."
Level Dasher
“Oh no, it isn’t a chart,” Level Dasher laughed. “It’s actually very simple. I’ve got my favorite of the Mane Six, my favorite background pony, and my favorite princess. I think you can agree it’s fair to give them categories, right?"
Level Dasher chuckled. “You’re the Chatty Cathy, huh? I feel like I’m the one that’s been talking at you this whole time. But I can see it. Anyway, if you want my faves…
“My favorite background pony is Ditzy Doo. Or as we’ve so lovingly dubbed her, Derpy Hooves. She’s just so bubbly and positive all the time. I admire that about her.
“My favorite princess is Princess Luna. I feel like she doesn’t get a lot of time in the spotlight. That, and I’m a bit of a night owl. I appreciate the night sky and all Luna has to show us, and I feel like not enough ponies really, truly appreciate the effort she goes through every night, especially when she has an entire dream domain to take care of.
“And of course, the pony I’m sure you really want to know…” He smirked. “Fluttershy is my favorite of the Mane Six. Maybe it’s because I have a thing for the shy, quiet type. Maybe it’s because out of the six of them, I relate to her the most, however minimally. Maybe it’s because I’m an animal lover. But either way, Flutters is my gal.”
Snow Heart
Snow Heart chuckled at that. "Trust me it's the truth." Then she went back to listening. This was about him, not her. She nodded along. Ditzy as in Derpy? She nodded more. Yep, toadally. She agreed with him on best Princess, minus herself. She clearly was best Princess. She then listened more and leaned in closer as he spoke up. She screeeeeeeed "I'm a Fluttershy type. Oh my gosh." she couldn't help her, her whole face went cherry red. "Um...Um...Pineapples!"
Level Dasher
Unclenching his eyes and teeth as he brought his hooves down from his ears, Level Dasher asked, “Uh… what was that?”
Snow Heart
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Snow Heart smiled slightly. Well she had gotten this far, so she could only assume she hadn't scared him off yet. "Alright, this next one is REALLY hard, but is there anything about the writer behind the pony, you'd like to say?"
Level Dasher
Level Dasher’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, wow. The writer behind the pony? Huh. Well… If you’re looking for me to get a bit more personal, then I guess I would say…
“Despite the fact that I’ve been through a lot on the medical front, and it’s played a big part in making me, well, me, it doesn’t define who I am.
“I’ve always tried being a good friend— helping people whenever and however possible, and even though I can’t always see all of them physically, I try to be in contact however I can.
“And… well…” He shrugged. “I like donuts?”
Snow Heart
Le Gasp! "Hmm, sometimes keeping it simple is best. And I'm glad, it's good to find connections where you can. I know I learnt a lot from my friends and even grew as a writer. Not to brag, but I even published my own book. Didn't do well though, but I'm proud of it. Also, cream filled or glazed with chocolate?"
Level Dasher
“Aw, sorry about the book. When you improve more I’m sure you’ll have better luck.
“But uh, neither. Glazed with vanilla is more my style.”
Snow Heart
"Bavarian?" Snow Heart asked. Oh this wasn't important! "So I'm do you have any hobbies outside of writing?"
Level Dasher
“No, not Bavarian, just vanilla glazed,” he chuckled. “Let’s see, hobbies? Well, I watch television, movies and other videos, but I generally play video games when I can. In fact…” He turned and showed off his cutie mark, a game controller. “That’s my special talent. But I haven’t found any available testing or designing positions out there, so I’ve stuck to editing; I’m clearly good at it, or I wouldn’t have as many clients as I do. That’s also why I’ve spent a lot of time writing lately. Those are really my main hobbies. I exercise with games, too.”
Snow Heart
"Ah, okay! I don't really eat donuts anymore, bad for losing weight. I lost fifty pounds this past summer into fall. A gamer huh? Nerd. I guess you could call me a casual gamer, I love Skyrim. And monster hunter. And final fantasy. And sonic, tetris. Anyway!" Snow heart fidgeted slightly.*
"Is there anything you want to ask me? Careful, you only get 1 question."
Level Dasher
Laughing, he responded, “Those are the kinds of games I play, too.” He smirked. “Nerd.” Resting his chin in his hoof, he hummed. “One question, eh? Alright… How about this: Other than yourself, if you could be any of the Princesses for a day, who would it be?”
Snow Heart
"Princess Luna, duh. She's best Princess "
"Is there anything else you'd like to say?
Level Dasher
“Hm. Well… I guess I could make this offer to everypony— if you ever need somepony to talk to, feel free to message me. People tell me I’m a good listener.
“I also ought to say that I am open for commissions as an editor. I need to bring in the bits somehow. And speaking of commissions, I know a lot of great artists— if you ever want to commission any of them, I’ve got a box with links to them on my page.
“And, well…” He shrugged with a smirk. “Read my stories. People say they’re good.”
Level Dasher Fimfiction Link: Level Dasher
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It was great chatting with you!