On Realism · 9:24pm Aug 15th, 2012
That is a horse. A real photograph of a horse, I assume. I can't say for sure in this modern age of photoshop and photorealistic computer graphics, but in either case it's a good approximation of a realistic horse. It is not a marshmallow pony, though marshmallow ponies are a fictive subset. The important part of it is, I don't want to have sex with it.
There, I said it. I don't. Not even a little bit. And that, my friends, is why I don't write about real horses.
That was obvious, wasn't it? It didn't need to be said. How about we apply it to everything else, too, though? Life is complex and nuanced and filled with both tiny stresses and little joys. Fiction can emulate this, but there's no requirement for it to be so. From adventure novels to romances, most novels aren't realistic, they cut unnecessary detail out and simplify things to make it more palatable. Romances in particular are almost universally completely unrealistic wish-fulfilment. This is not a bad thing--reading fills many goals, and simple entertainment is one of them.
Is realism required to be meaningful? No, I wouldn't say so. You can say a lot with metaphor and clever imagery, and an unrealistic world can still touch people's hearts. Some people look at "realism" as if it's some holy grail, the end result of all creative advancement. This is far from true. Whatever medium you're creating in, whether it be music, video games, movies, literature, visual arts, whatever, can all benefit from well chosen abstractions from reality. That's not to say realism has no place--exactly the opposite. Realism has its place alongside all kinds of stylisation.
Note that I'm not excusing anything that would resemble a plothole or an oversight. Those can appear in unrealistic works, as well. Errors and issues are not a result of lack of realism, they're a result of a lack of internal consistency. Magical cartoon horses aren't realistic, but if Rarity suddenly gained the ability to raise the sun on her own, the issue would be one of internal inconsistency. That would be bad. Internal inconsistency is always* bad.
I don't pretend to write anything realistic. I pretend to write fantasy, both in my NSFW and NNSFW works. Exaggeration for effect or appeal is the name of my game, because realism is boring to me. I know realism, it's right here in life. If I tried to explore it in writing it would be subpar and pale in comparison to the real thing. Fantasy, however, can be explored with far greater ease both for readers and writers, and that is what I am for. When you accuse me of writing unrealistically, I'll take that as a compliment, because that's exactly what I was aiming for.
And, as thanks for reading my drivel, have two completely unrealistic ponies in the middle of an unrealistic relationship. It's adorable, and isn't that justification enough?
* "always" is a funny word. It really means "Always, unless done well". Internal inconsistency can be done very well for effect, but it's a case of using it as a tool. If you aren't planning on doing that, you should make things consistent.
I find this post unrealistic.
Is it wrong that that first pic arouses me?
289500 I find it unrealistic that the top photo would arouse you.
*applauds*
That last pic is making AppleDash grow on me
When you said you didn't want to have sex with a horse all I could think about was that one guy that got his internal organs crushed by doing so.
289503 Sarcasm my friend :P
I doth prefer the human womenz
You deserve a medal for that speach.
Bronydragon
Realism? Realism?
Fuck realism. We're plagued by it, it's a restriction on our lives. If I had a choice, I'd gladly grant Discord's power to every being in the universe, just so realism didn't exist any longer.
We DREAM of things that we can never make possible, and that is truly soul-crushing to me.
When you write about realism, when you dream about realism, when you hold it higher than fantasy, dreams and hopes, you can't be considered an author, an illustrator, a creative person or even a person with a soul anymore!
When you regard realism as something higher than everything, you lose your right to claim you have an imagination! And that, my friends,
is truly saddening.
COMMENCE RANT
HEY....FUCK YOU.
WHY DO YOU DELIBERATELY DEPRESS EVERYONE WATCHING YOU?
Your last 3,000,000 blog posts have been super depressing, each regarding this stuff.
We know that these characters aren't real. We know that they never will be. We write stories and draw fanart because we LIKE to. IT'S FUN FOR US.
SO STOP.
If you find being a brony, and writing stories about it THIS HEAVY,
STOP. STOP RUINING IT FOR EVERYONE ELSE.
289503
Seconded.
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Actually took the time to read this, well said.
Who cares? Now write more marshmallow h0rs3 pr0n.
289500 Nope.
289516
Am I ruining it for anybody by attempting to explain why I do what I do the way I do it?
289509
So... if you're going to screw a horse, choose a mare, not a stallion?
289511
Given the amount of naked men on your hard drive, I find this unrealistic.
289516
Hello friend, it seems like you have done what I do many times and opened 50 fimfiction tabs in your browser and in the haste to comment and close one, you have confused authors. I don't know whose blog you were trying to comment on but I can take a good guess.
AbsoluteAnonymous and device heretic blogs are that way ->>
289528
Proceed.
I agree and I don't agree. Yes, we're talking about pastel ponies in the magical land of Equestria, so I think a lot of 'real issues facing society today' and all that simply don't apply. On the other hand, appreciating that these characters are to an extent equine, and reflecting that in some of their mannerisms etc, is the sort of realism I can go for.
mentalmagma.com/wp-content/uploads/outside_mmorpg.jpg
*NOTE:No monthly fee only if your under 18*
289538 Obviously he was posting on a SS&E story or perhaps a DH blog
I learned as much as I could about horse reproduction for a fic, then I unlearned all of it and wrote The Changeling Brothel.
I'm sure most people are glad I took that second step.
Horse Sex is not hot.
Oh you. TAW you're so fucking silly, you silly billy.
You do have a good point, though. Realism is good to have but we humans sometimes need imagination to 'be free' and experience silly and absurd things that are not in our reality.
THIS BLOG POST MADE ME QUIT THE SITE
If I never doubt why I enjoy reading your works I see a post like this and grin and I am reminded how much you make me smile. Of course, now I am going to wonder about people confusing fantasy and reality again.
289516
Calm your damn tits. Are you really taking this shit SO seriously?
TAW is writing a blog post about how they write, so fucking what?
This is a site about WRITING.
289528 Rainbow Scout is actually a troll. I just checked his page.
289528
I wish Subway would explain to me why they do things the way they do.
All I want is my sub but it takes so long, what are they doing?
well typed
289584
Don't they make it in front of you over there? Like, you can see what they're doing, here.
289582
Makes sense.
289565
Stylisation is often best achieved when you know what aspects of realism you're avoiding, I agree. I know far more about RL horse sex than I ever wanted to, but I use very little of it quite intentionally.
289556
Outside sucks. There's no decent endgame content and it hasn't had a bugfix in six thousand years.
289550
That's not particularly realistic, though, nor is it what I'm talking about. A talking horse will never be realistic, of course, but everything is analogue.
I admit that AppleDash is a very cute and good shipping pair, but I can't really enjoy it because I can't really see them together. They're always competing in the show, and to see them show affection like that in fanfiction just doesn't seem immersing to me. Just my opinion, though, I can see why people like it.
289516 FIMFiction is no place for hating or trolling. Or, in this case, aggressive display of one's opinion. Stay open-minded and kind, especially in such a nice environment. Sure, share your opinion, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT LIKE THIS.
289600 If the site is that bad to you, don't stick around. We don't need angry parasprites in a field full of nice ponies.
Dear TAW,
Realism? LOL. What's that?
Sincerely,
The Brony Community
289594
But at least they didnt lie about the "massive world to explore" part, even if you have to buy a expansion for most places...
289594
Not the one here (Small Canadian town) They have this little back area, though I think it's because they're working in a building they moved into, not one that was built for them.
289594
Then I think I must have taken you up wrongly.
289605
Huh, fair enough. That's a shame. I dunno why they take so long, then, maybe they don't have all the trays and stuff set out?
289602
One of the things I liked about Morrowind was how going to places you aren't a high enough level for was still possible, you'd just probably die. Outside gets that completely wrong, there are some areas you just can't get into without being shot.
289616
Probably not
On the note of Morrowind
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Fuuuuuck someone pissed you off to high hell huh Taw. I don't understand why people are asses, but its been happening to people I like for some reason as of late...Regardless of your desire not to fuck an actual horse, I still love what you do.
289605 World's worst Subway. Also, the trick is to get there before the lunch rush, that way there are fewer things they could be doing back there besides making your sub.
FimFICTION.net
Realism.
I did enjoy the pic at the end a lot though, I truly did.
Well said, and the main reason why I prefer writing tiny horse stories over, say, period dramas.
289637
It may be obvious to you and I, but it comes up in conversation too often for my liking--now I have something to throw at people!
289516
*ahem*
...You were saying?
SCIENCE HAS SPOKEN
Sheldon Cooper ain't got shit on me.
Don't know if I should laugh, cry, applaud or read more ponies.
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/196/606/6004515698_95885f1a81.jpg?1320673859
READ MORE PONIES
289624
I had enough time repressing those memories and would not like to start reliving them right now.
289652
So TAW, who was it that annoyed you this time?
wait...
Your fics aren't documentaries? What was the point of sending you that portal pass if you aren't using it?
Who the hell wants to read about realistic sex? Like, obviously they're marshmallow ponies and so 'realism' is kind of hard to achieve, but I deliberately avoid describing the smell and taste of dried urine, sweat, the uncomfortable muscle aches, and the terrible attempts at witty/sexy talk that seem like a good idea when you're really aroused. No one really needs a hyper-detailed description of a vagina, and the use of the word "glans" should probably be avoided.
Realism. Good way to ruin my horse porn right there. Give me fantasy porno sex any day.
289556
Some of us don't like 'outside' too much, I personally find too many glitches. Don't even get me started on the relationship system or the permadeath.
289653
I like this theory, it essentially says;
"EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE AND REAL, NO EXCEPTIONS, SHUT UP."
289616
Oh my Goddess! OUTSIDE? I love that game!
I'm a Level 20 Female Soldier. It was so freaking hard to get the prerec's for it, especially due to the economy and overpopulation of job updates...
289681
G3 Derpy?!?! 
so awesome!