Nagneto

Hi. I don't normally put myself out there, as I have great difficultly reaching out to people in general (stupid anxiety!) Which incidentally gave me this fanfic idea that's been floating around in my head for the past week. I'm still fairly new to the whole Brony community thing, so I don't know all the in's and out's of what's acceptable material. I'm rolling the dice by tossing this idea out here first, to see if it would be something folks would be interested in. It's been a really long time since I've written anything (or reached out to people) and I'm trying to put those feelings into this unconventional work. Premise (from two points of view!): When a grim race of grey goblin like creatures suddenly appear in the Everfree Forest, all of Equastria is put on edge. The creatures are ugly and carnivorous. They slink about in the dark and are armed to the teeth with all manner spears, swords and spiked armor. Their language sounds like the Black Speech, and their manners are boorish. They worship darkness in their bizarre cult, and there's a lot of them. Tens of thousands of them. Everything about them screams evil, but are they as bad as they appear to be? Twilight Sparkle aims to find out, before a full blown conflict erupts between the Ponies and the strange newcomers. After centuries of oppression in a distant world ravaged by war, a young king leads his people to a strange new world in search for a place they can call home. A portal brings them to the Everfree Forest, a paradise for nocturnal beings such as the king and his kind. Taking up residence in the castle that once held the elements of harmony, the creatures set to work on building a new home, when they come conflict with the natives of the world. The Four Legs are unlike anything they've ever encountered before. They seem complacent in their supposed happiness. They do not appear to have any standing army (or maybe they're just well hidden). Their bright colors hurt their sensitive eyes. They do not eat meat (at least as far as anyone can tell), and is that gibbering noise they make supposed to be a language?! Worse still, they appear to honor the daylight more than sacred night, a sacrilege! Nevertheless, the king tries to show confidence. His people are united by Solidarity, a sacred virtue that is the pinnacle of their temple honoring Father Dark and Mother Moon. They are assiduous and inventive, capable of building great cities and weapons to house and protect themselves. Though weary of the horrors of the battlefield, his people have not forgotten the ways of war. They will bravely defend their home from any threat, and have come to expect treachery from outsiders. The king only wants what is best for his people, but leadership of an entire nation is an awesome responsibility. Add to that the responsibility of becoming a father, as his wife is with child! Everyone is counting on him to make the right decisions and he's not so sure he can deliver. Can the ponies be trusted, or are they just another enemy waiting to pounce on them? Perhaps his people should strike first... Can harmony be achieved between two peoples so different? The fun of this project is it will require inventing a whole culture different that what we're used to seeing in the setting. I don't intend these creatures to be too macabre, darker than the ponies, but not full blown evil like say the Changlings. Part of the conflict comes from the ponies jumping to the conclusion that these creatures must be evil because they look evil (and have an unfriendly demeanor to boot). On the flip side, being that the Ponies are all sunshine and rainbows, the creatures are weirded out by this. They appear to come from a grimdark setting, and have never encountered beings that aren't automatically trying to destroy or enslave them. The ponies think the creatures are nasty, and the creatures think the ponies are scary. The old saying "they're probably more scared of you than you are of them" comes into play in this. In keeping with the spirit of the show of course, the main lesson is that tolerance has to go both ways in order to work. The old "don't judge a book by it's cover"/ comes to play with the dark is not evil trope. There's also the language barrier.

I don't play the games, as they're too expensive for my living budget. But I love the over the top lore from both universes. Fans of Chaos should get the fluff book Liber Chaotica. It's written like an in universe tome, and it explores each of the Dark Gods in great depth. Chaos Undivided lore unfortunately gets the short stick in it's section. I also recommend it to anyone who is a Lovecraft fan.

Most everywhere I go on the internet with my Nagneto handle, I'll use a picture of Mola Ram because he is one of my most favorite villains. When I found a picture of Mola Ram as a pony on deviant art, I was overjoyed. Thank you tygerbug!!! http://www.deviantart.com/art/Indiana-Pones-Mola-Ram-299991487

Hrm this may be more difficult than I thought, as many good ones have been stated. There's so many favorites to choose from! Personally my favorite kind of villains are the ones who are either completely oblivious that they're evil, or are totally convinced they are the only good in the universe, and everyone else is evil. Not that complete monsters don't have their place in the spectrum of things. I like the Anti-Villain, the complex and scheming tautological templars and well intentioned extremists. Here are a few good examples: ANNE WILKES from Misery. Full stop. For there is no evil on this earth that compares to a deranged fan girl. If a villain can't scare you on some level they have failed as a villain. But what makes her an anti-villain? At her most basic level, she an ordinary everyday lady who loves her trashy romance fiction. She's your neighbor, the lady who bags your groceries, the lady you sit across from at work, or on the bus. She's ticking time bomb paper wrapped up in an ordinary package. SHE'S EVERYWHERE, she is legion, and she's your biggest fan. Marisa Coulter from the His Dark Materials As to not spoil anything, Mrs. Coulter's master plan is for what she deems the greater good to uphold the values and status quo of her world. This plan involves kidnapping children. All the children. And "cutting" them. Did I mention she is described as looking like Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist? Did I also mention she has all law enforcement and the Church in her pocket? And that's just the first book. What's insidious about her character is that she is charming as hell. She's an upper class social-lite and everybody's friend. She walks into a room and all eyes are on her. You want to get to know her, you are compelled to please her, she's so nice, and sweet, and then she gets pissed. Slowly it dawns on you. She owns you, and she knows it, and she will NEVER let you go. No use protesting, she's got a quip for anything you might say to turn you around and make you beg for forgiveness. I could compare her to maybe Gemma from Sons of Anarchy. LADY EBOSHI from Princess Mononoke. Now Eboshi is one of the greatest examples of an anti-villain ever put to film. She's a human being capable of empathy for other human beings in suffering and extends kindness to lepers and fallen women of her time. She gentle and calculating, but also ruthlessly efficient, to the point that she puts her people before everything, even the natural world. She cares little for the consequences of the of her actions so long as she gets what she wants, ultimately she comes to regret it when forces of nature threaten to harm the people under her care. Nevertheless she challenged the warlords and ancient gods without fear. If you are at her side she'll be a mother to you. If you are in her way, you will be destroyed. Words alone are insufficient to explain her greatness. A lot of women on my list here so far, so let's close up with a MAN. MR FREEZE from Batman: The Animated Series Dr. Victor Fries is a man who lives for revenge, and for good reason. The Animated Series revolutionized many of the core concepts of the Batman mythos, but the one that stands out the most is the almost Shakespearean tragedy of Mr. Freeze. His life's work, to save his dying wife, dashed to bits. To add injury to insult, he cannot survive outside a sub zero temperature (comic book logic, just roll with it). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFDTMW3_ilE What links these kinds of villains is that they are grounded in humanity and you can almost understand their plight and why they do what they do. If done really well, you might well even agree with the villain's logic over the heroes! (Another great example would be Magneto of Xmen fan, and his crusade to liberate mutants from their fearful human oppressors). They aren't cruel for cruelty's sake, they justify their actions because what they're doing is important to them. They have a cause, be it selfish or world changing. But they are so caught up in what they are doing, they don't care who gets hurt, so long as they come out on top smelling like roses. After all, history is written by the victors...

What about the Anti-Villains? The Tautological Templars and Well Intentioned Extremists with their "I am right because I am always right" logic, and their cry of "DYSTOPIA JUSTIFIES THE MEANS!" ? Or has no one really thought of any? That would be sad if so.

Oh dear have a heart! *rips out heart, blood gushes everywhere.* I REGRET NOTHING!

I would, but all my money is funneled into paying bills and food. I do love the fluff though, when Matt Ward is left chained in the yard to bark at mailmen for not being Ultramarines. Fuck that guy.

My advice is to beware of group labels and the need to subject yourself to public perception. They restrict you as an individual and inhibit your ability to enjoy the things you enjoy. Monikers of this type are usually foisted upon you by folks with no business in your life and are likely after your wallet. If you like something and it doesn't contribute to human suffering, DO IT!

http://nagneto.deviantart.com/ You see that link? That link up there. See it? I don't believe you. LOOK AT IT. First you must understand that THAT is not a link. It is a portal, a portal to frozen wasteland. A viridian garden of vehement something or others delighting in the pure ecstasy of run away gonzoism. It is a perfidious carnival featuring disturbingly beautiful sideshow attractions cobbled together with great haste. All requests for explanations must be submitted in writing. Your presence is required. Rewards include not getting eaten by giant man eating bats. But there's no guarantees. As you all know, women are immune to being eating by man eating bats because they're not men. This will not protect you from the almost certain likelihood of houses falling on your head. So ladies, bring an umbrella. (simplified translation: I write a variety of fiction in dire need of scrutiny and juxtaposition. Commentary is demanded. No I don't have any pony fiction because I haven't been inspired to make any yet. Anime fans should find great delight perusing the very bizarre Naruto fanfiction I am writing starring Team 8. If you don't, you clearly need to eat more skooma).

You need to pick up a copy of Strunk and White's Elements of Style and study from it with great zeal. It is a small and short read but an essential tool for any sort of writer. I also recommend reading a lot of short stories from different authors of different genres, expecially ones in which you want to write in. I recommend both Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison as they are highly adaptable and write across several genres. Out of character is always a bad idea, and original characters better have a damn good reason for upstaging the main characters.

Maybe?

One should hope so! Diversity makes for interesting conversation. Thank you!

Speaking of which. Now I am both the son and the father! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Should you ever come across the title Nagneto with a picture of Mola Ram, it is probably me. I am one of the few people (there's about four of us I think) that will openly admit to LOVING the movie Temple of Doom.

Congratulations! You have given birth to PURE EVIL! Have a spider cookie!

I intend to write a novel, so I hope my command of english is stupendous. lol, thanks.