Well, I actually read Rainbow Factory · 12:36am Sep 21st, 2013
In the Rainbow Factory, where your fears and horrors come true.
In the Rainbow Factory, where not a single soul gets through.
I've always had an issue with "gluefics", ultra grimdark fanfictions where ponies are chopped up to make a product. For the most part, it's because it goes against my initial perception as to why Bronies exist. I've always theorized that the men of our generation, whether they know it or not, are so fed up with the smut and gratuitous violence that exists in media marketed towards them that when a show like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comes along and it's significantly more wholesome and genuinely entertaining they latch onto it with a fervor. I always wondered if MLP is your escape from that, then why are you adding it back to it?
It also extends from the fact that I've never really been that into horror. The only horror movies I've actually seen are Paranormal Activity 2 and 4, The Exorcist, Orphan, and Franz Murnau's Nosferatu. (Yes the silent, black and white German expressionist adaptation of Dracula from 1922.) If you've noticed, the one thing these films have in common is that they're not gruesomely gory. I'm also fond of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Being network television shows, they could not be overly gory. I'm also fond of the stories of H.P. Lovecraft, which are more about psychological horror and terror than any gore.
Bottom line. I do not like gore that much. You'll never catch me watching Saw or Hostel. And I'm not going to even mention that movie about a centipede of a human nature.
Don't get me wrong though. I'm not against adding darker or more mature elements to MLP through fanfictions. Some of my favorite stories do just that. Stories like Sharaloth's Harmony Theory and Jake the Army Guy's Under a Luminous Sky. DiveBomb's Riflepony Series introduces guns into the world of MLP, but amazingly enough, it doesn't get that dark. Aesthetic B's The Immortal Game comes very close to too dark, but I just think it's meanders for too long and sets up an almost hopeless task for the Mane 6.
Overall, I feel that there's nothing wrong with fanfictions getting a bit dark as long as the characters remain true to the show. That's the whole point of fanfiction. Seeing how these characters would react to situations that they won't find on the show. If they're not true to the show, there's not much of a point to it. I feel that's the flaw of many gluefics from what I understand. It requires a character to act in a manner that they would never do on the show.
But then again, whatever floats your boat. I also imagine that if you have enough skill and talent, you could pull off a decent gluefic.
So, why would I then read Rainbow Factory? Even though I make references to Rainbow Factory in my stories Snowy Night and Pinkie Pie Doesn't Like My Fanfiction I had never read it until a few days ago. If you've read Pinkie Pie Doesn't Like My Fanfiction, then you already know that my familiarity with Rainbow Factory stems from Doctor Perseus's Doctor Whooves Episode 9: Triple Rainbow. The Rainbow Factory Rainbow Dash has also recently reappeared in Doctor Whooves Episode 19: The Rifts.
Anyway, the other day I was reading this story The Hangover: Equestria Edition. (It's pretty funny if you're a fan of The Hangover like I am.) That story featured the original song by WoodenToaster that inspired the story Rainbow Factory.
With its mixture of electronic music, piano, and what I believe is a violin, I found I really liked it.
That got me curious about the infamous story. So, I decided to check it out.
I must say it was a lot better than I expected. It's not like my favorite story or the best thing I've ever read or anything like that. Like I said, I'm not that into gory horror. I still don't like the concept, and I don't like how Rainbow Dash is depicted. It just seems so utterly alien to what MLP is all about. That's probably why it's tagged "alternate universe".
I think it helps that I read Doctor Whooves Episode 9: Triple Rainbow beforehand. Doc Perseus does a very excellent job depicting the Rainbow Factory Rainbow Dash as the psychopath that she is in the much tamer context of his story. It also helps that he pits said Rainbow Dash against the Doctor, the Mane 6 that we all know and love, and a future version of Rainbow Dash. The end of his story is very satisfying.
What I learned from this is probably that I should try to be open minded about these kinds of stories. I should be more willing to give these stories a shot. I probably won't be reading Cupcakes anytime soon though. That's where the line seems to be drawn for now.
Those are my thoughts on Rainbow Factory. What are your thoughts if you've read it? What are your thoughts on ultra grimdark fanwork like gluefics in general?
God bless you all. God bless America. And God bless Equestria.
Interesting blog and thanks for the shout out!
Obviously I've read Rainbow Factory as well and my thoughts on it are as follows. I don't like the concept or the way that RD is depicted (as she is depicted way out of character but that's something inevitable when you're dealing with gluefics). However, I definitely think that the story itself is written quite well and it definitely makes you feel the dread and horror that poor Scootaloo feels in the story. And it's nowhere near as bad as Cupcakes or Sweet Apple Massacre at least.
1363804 I'm glad you agree.