In Defence of Lavender Unicorn Syndrome · 9:08pm Oct 25th, 2013
Each of our ponies has an lovely name
But repetition is terribly lame
So swap character names for a pretty word
Something sweet, something floral, or simply absurd
We need to choose the right phrase to adorn
Our favourite lavender unicorn
And portray the awesome supersonic fire
Trailing the wake of a rainbow tailed flyer
Elegant parlance should be chosen with care
The talk of a dazzling white unicorn mare
But to match Ponyville's premier pink party filly
An apt description is totally silly
The sweetest introduction is never too phoney
For a cute canary-coloured pegasus pony
Yet sometimes plain talking fits best of course
Straight from the mouth of an orange farm horse
Such speech is not for a college essay
But in the right place it's always okay
Colourful words make a story stand out
If pastel ponies are what it's about
My Little Ponies are made for young girls
In the frivolous world of giggles and curls
Where silly idioms will get a grin
Remember L.U.S. is never a sin
Though like everything, it should be used in moderation.
I have to disagree. Repetition in names goes largely unnoticed by readers; it only seems lame to writers. Sticking consistently to names and pronouns aids memory and comprehension. Ever read any Hemingway novels?
Plus, LUS almost always falls under the category of "describing details irrelevant to the scene" and usually messes up the tone. No detail should be in a description unless it adds something substantial to a scene, and that rule applies to LUS just as much as to anything else.
Cute poem, though.
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Thanks for the comments. Yes, use only in moderation. This is a question of personal taste.
My feeling is that our community is obsessed with Lavender Unicorn Syndrome, not because it's a real problem, but just because it has a cool name (we could call this, Lavender Unicorn Syndrome Syndrome, but that would be a bit silly).
Yes, it's something all writers need to be aware of, and something which can take new writers a bit of practice to get right. It's ultimately about striking a balance. Trouble is that writers (myself included) don't want to be accused of LUS, so we go through our stories deleting excess adjectives, and sometimes go too far. Hemingway is cool, but we should embrace other styles; and a bit of juvenile girly fun is surely not out of place here. Ponies look good with flowery ornamentation. I love the phrase 'lavender unicorn'. Mix my favourite scent with my favourite pony. Just makes me want to rub my nose up against a soft purple plushie.
I was going to write a blog post on this, then I decided it would be more fun to write some silly verse.