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RinellaWasHere

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This post is entirely the fault of :iconthedescendantofkehan: and he should feel ashamed.

No, not really. To be honest, I had one of these planned anyway and he just gave me a pretense. I'll be doing both his questions and the ones he was asked, because I don't have school for another week and I'm killing time while I churn out chapters.


1) Who is the best pony? Why?

I love Fluttershy, like many bronies. She's adorable, and she reminds me a little bit of me. I'm a nice guy at pretty much every chance, even when it comes back to bite me. I also like the way her character works within the group- in a lesser show, Fluttershy would be (tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php…) "The Load", that character who drags the rest of the group down and acts like a living obstacle. But in MLP, she's a vital component of the cast for her incredible inner strength and commitment to her character. As a writer, I'm constantly impressed by how well her character is pulled off.

2) Who is your OTP?  If you don't like shipping, then a friendship pair works! Another why here as well.

I ship, but I don't have an OTP. I'll pair anypony with anypony if I think the couple works, or maybe if I don't think it will but want to try anyway. My main beef with shipping is that it often starts with one character already deeply in love with the other. The best shipping, in my eyes, begins with both characters developing new feelings for each other over the course of a story that is interesting on its own merits. Shipping, like all elements of fiction, should be in service to the story rather than the end goal.


3) How/When did you get into ponies?

I had just had a brutal breakup with a girl I was, and am, still very much in love with. We'd been together for three years, and having her leave me was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I sat in my dorm one night, sad and depressed over her, when I happened to find the Know Your Meme entries on MLP. I had some friends who loved the show, and I figured that a college freshman like me had nothing to lose by trying it out. So, with my beloved iPad in hand, I got on YouTube and watched the first episode, then the second. As I watched episode two, during the manticore fight if memory serves, I found myself doing something I hadn't done in months- smiling. I was happy, with no strings attached and no deadline on the joy.

I became a brony that night, and I've never looked back.


4) What kind of music do you listen to?  If you don't listen, then what kind of books do you read?  If you STILL DO NOT DO THIS, then what TV do you watch?  AND IF YOU STILL DO NOT then what video games do you play?  You may answer all or one of these.

I'm a metalhead from way back, and I play in a Celtic punk band now. My roommate has put serious effort into getting me into dubstep (and it's worked), and I can stomach a bit of rap. As for my books, I love fantasy and science fiction. I'll read any fiction I can, though. Recently, I've been reading the works of Cheri Priest, a steampunk author, and S.M. Stirling's Emberverse books. I don't watch much TV, but I love "Game of Thrones", "Doctor Who", and "Firefly". I'm a serious gamer, though. I'm a RPG nut, and I've been spending a lot of time in Skyrim's cold north as of late. I'm also a fan of Halo and Red Dead Redemption.

5) Do you care about R34 content of FiM at all?

Full disclosure- I read a clopfic once. It was called "Romance Reports", and it was highly recommended. The author did a wonderful job with the characters, but I couldn't handle the sexual scenes. Firstly, they're ponies. Ew. Second, I can't read about children's show characters doing it. I understand some people like it, and I'll read mildly saucy stuff if it's well-written (I'm looking at you, Ms. Sundae), but I stay away from R34 content in general.


6) Closet brony or open about it?  How do friends/family react if the latter.

Open if people ask. I've made an effort not to become one of the fanatics online who shove the show down unsuspecting (and angry) throats, but there's no one I wouldn't recommend at least watching one episode to. My parents are a little bemused, but they don't seem to mind. My younger brother, on the other hand...

I got Matt to watch one episode while I was home for a few days from school. He enjoyed it, but he assured me that it wasn't his thing. A week later, this text arrived: "i just watched seven episodes of my little pony WHAT HAVE YOU DONE". He now owns a brony shirt.

I wear a "Twenty Percent Cooler" shirt in public fairly often, but I also wear a kilt which tends to draw more attention.


7) Have a favorite fanfic or image?  Why is it such?  (don't have to be specific if you don't wanna)

TANGLED UP IN BLUES. Just... damn. It's a magnificent story full of great characters and dialogue, with a great recurring line and just... look, if you aren't reading the stories by :iconthedescendantofkehan:, go do so. He, along with :iconwarrenhutch:, is the reason I write ponyfics.


8) Any skill in particular you wish to be better at?

Like any writer, I want to be better at my craft, and feedback always helps. Other than that, I really wish I could draw.


9) HOLIDAY SEASON what are you doing over this break?

I had a wonderful Hanukkah with my family, and a great New Year's Eve at a friend's house.


10) Oh god the last question (NOPE) WILD CARD say something interesting about yourself.

I'm an autistic savant, and damn proud of it.


Now, on to TD's questions.


1.) What would you say your greatest achievement has been creatively? Why?

I wrote a play last year, my senior year of high school. It was called "Blockhead", and it was an exploration of a high-school age Charlie Brown. The show took four months to write, but watching it being performed was the greatest feeling I have ever had. It won best in show, and it's being performed again this year at my college.

2.) If you could pitch an episode of the series to the creative crew, what would it be about?

www.equestriadaily.com/2011/03… It's a great fic about grief that manages to avoid being dark or out-of-context for the show. It would have to be a "Very Special Episode", though. I'd also love to see an episode made out of www.equestriadaily.com/2011/06… since it already feels like an episode.

3.) If the fate of the world depended on you giving a historical figure a nuclear wedgie, who would be the recipient?

George Carlin. I feel like he'd be cool with it.

4.) What episode of the series has been the most disappointing for you? The most inspiring?

Ugh, Mare Do Well. It could have been a great look at RD's character and her overwhelming need for recognition, but it totally dropped that ball in favor of a hamfisted moral. My favorite episode, however... unfair question. All of them have brought some great stuff to the table.

5.) At this time next year, will we still be talking ponies?

In short, yes. In long, yeeeeeeessssssssss.

6.) What do you wish you had done this year, but didn't?

Kept my relationship together somehow. On a less sad note, write faster. My fics are slow, but I promise I'm working!

7.) What do you hope to accomplish in the next year? How do you plan on doing that?

Keep updating my existing stories, work on my fantasy universe, and finish freshman year strongly. All of these will require hard work.

8.) What aspect of the fandom is your favorite? What part concerns you or troubles you?

I love the great and talented (and powerful) fandom around the show. The art and stories I get to experience on a daily basis are top-notch, and I'm proud to be part of it.

As for the part that concerns me, I'll quote a post on ponychan- "hey i need fic reccomendations. only grimdark, sad, or clopfics." This person, whoever they are, saddens me. They aren't interested in the show itself, or the message of happiness and harmony it carries. They just want darkness and sex, and I have trouble accepting them as truly part of the fandom.

9.) Give your honest opinion of the following statement: "All people are constituted of three parts; the physical, the mental, and the spiritual."

Yes, very yes. I'm a deeply religious man, but I know that faith isn't the same as wisdom, and we need both, as well as a functional body, to survive. I've been working on that physical aspect a lot recently- after being overweight my entire life, I've burned thirty pounds in the last two months via exercise and a strict diet.

10.) What's your favorite charity?

I volunteer at a children's hospital, so I guess it's that group, the Providence Center for Medically Fragile Children.

***

I won't tag anyone, since I don't have enough followers and I need to get to work on my next story. Happy 2012, everyone!

As always,
Rinella Was Here
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Friends and readers,

I mentioned in my last journal entry that I've been working on an original science-fiction story, as well as a My Little Pony comedy, Flight of the Featherbrain, and my adventure story Northbound. All of those things remain true. However, my ponyfics are being paused until after the new episode, as they rely heavily on my fanon surviving somewhat intact. Glass, the science-fiction story, is also on pause while a few of my friends edit the existing chapters.

So, a sum total of nothing has changed. What's the point of this journal, you ask?

Because I have finally, after two long years, posted the first story in my fantasy universe of Hallem.

Read those words again. Two years ago, I began to do a little worldbuilding for a fantasy universe. Those doodles in my notebook have become a fully realized fictional world, with distinct cultures, history, religions, ethnic groups... the whole shebang. I'm not done working on this world yet- hell, I'll probably never be done with it. But it's gotten to the point where I can begin to tell its story piece by piece, and I'm happy to have you along for the ride.

So, let's talk about Hallem. What is it?

Hallem is a mix between high and low fantasy. It's a fantasy world brought down to the mechanics, and with the polish stripped away. It's a world in the midst of a war too soon after the last one ended. It's a world of competing religions, resentful politics, racism, and magic. It's a world that, I hope, comes out as unique among other fantasy settings.

It's a world I'm willing to share. As I write more stories of Hallem and reveal more and more of the world, I invite you to join in. Write stories, create characters, make art... help me build a world that lives, breathes and adapts.

I know I must sound pretentious, and I apologize. It just feels good to finally share the product of all my effort. Thank you for your patience, and for the feedback I pray that you will provide.

Thank you for giving me the chance to tell my stories.

As always,
Rinella Was Here
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Readers, friends, and accidental viewers,

Some of you may have noticed a massive delay in the release of the next chapter of Northbound. If you haven't noticed, let me tell you that there has been a massive delay in the release of the next chapter of Northbound. This is mostly due to a struggle with introducing a new character. I'm having trouble keeping the introduction of the new Apple relative from becoming Expositionfest '11. His character is fun to write and radically different from the Apples we've met, but I need to get him into the story somehow. I'm also taking the time to plan out my remaining chapters in some detail. That way, I can slog through writer's block.

By the way, if you want help me write, just drop me an email at rinellawashere@gmail.com. I welcome editors and assistants, and feedback on existing chapters also never hurts.

The other major delays have been school (Woo! College finals!), work (grading book reports is "fun"), and, most importantly to you, other stories! I'm working on Flight of the Featherbrain, a silly little comedy about Equestria's worst stunt flier. It's a lot of fun to write, and the first chapter should be up by Wednesday. I'm also working on a secret project with another author, one that will take several months to make itself known. And lastly, there's my original web novel, Glass, a science-fiction story I'm working on over at my blog. If you've got the time, head over and offer me some feedback on the first chapter.

Thank you for your time and patience, everyone.

As always,
Rinella Was Here
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On Northbound

1 min read
Recently, I received a rather brutal review of "Northbound" from someone on Ponychan. What they said has caused me to do a lot of thinking, and I've decided to do something drastic.

No, I'm not discontinuing the story. Instead, I'm thinking of making Chapter Two into Chapter One, part Two. The main complaint the reviewer had was that nothing happens in the first chapter. I don't know how common that feeling is, but if several readers think that then I'd be happy to expand it.

Also, if you have any feedback to give, go right ahead. I'm very willing to edit the documents, and I want the story to be as fun to read as it is to write. After all, I've got some great ideas for the later chapters and I want people to stick around for them!

So inform. Criticize. Correct. Help me become a better writer.

As always,
Rinella Was Here
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PONIES

1 min read
At long last, the prologue and first chapter of "Northbound", my first My Little Pony fanfiction, are online and ready for reading! I'm already working on the second chapter, and any feedback at all would be much appreciated. I plan to get at least three chapters in before I submit to EqD, but I've decided to let DA get at it early. Have fun, bronies!
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