A New, Semi-Related Short Story · 7:27pm Dec 2nd, 2020
If you'd rather read:
The actual story instead of all my falderol about the story, clicking on the title "The Sleep of Reason" will transport you scientifically to the Zooscape website where said story is now displayed. But if you'd like the backstory, too...
I doubt I need to tell anyone reading this about the online writing contests/critique groups at Writeoff.me, do I? They started with monthly Friendship is Magic fanfiction contests eight years ago now, but the whole thing has since expanded into original fiction, poetry, and visual arts as well.
I continue to find the place very helpful for story commentary even though participation has dropped precipitously the last year or so—November's short story contest had two entries other than my own. The three to five day deadline keeps my mind focused quite nicely on popping out a rough draft of something that I can then get comments on and revise.
Which brings us to last February's original short story contest. It was one of those where the visual aritsts were going to go first, and of the eleven prompt phrases that were entered, mine won: "Wind and Rain." Eleven images were submitted inspired by that prompt, and three of those eleven featured My Little Pony characters. Even though it was an "original fiction" round.
Those of us who are easily shocked were shocked, but after recovering, as a life-long Magritte fan, I couldn't help just enjoying the heck out of this entry here:
I mean, the artist—who turned out to be Super Trampoline—had even titled it "La Trahison des petits chevaux." How could I not write a story based on it?
So I did, working Derpy into an otherwise original piece about how life works when you're a figment of someone's imagination, and I submitted the story. Only one other story got entered that round, and it beat mine when the final votes were tallied.
Still, I took the comments I'd gotten, did a fair bit of revision, and as I said way back at the beginning of all this, the story's now up on the Zooscape website under the title "The Sleep of Reason." Which is a reference to another famous piece of artwork, so I'd have to say things are getting just a little bit too "meta" around here for me...
Mike
The Treachery of Best Pony? Love it.
I'll be sure to give the stories a look.
The sleep of reason produces horsewords?
Trampoline made that? :O Because if so, that is the greatest thing he's ever done.
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This makes:
The third or fourth time I've "filed the serial numbers" off of My Little Pony and made it into something I can legally use. The version in this story's a bit more blatant than the others--My Little Mythos is the name of the show, and the character is Ploomy the Pegasus--but it's changed enough to avoid copyright entanglements. And yeah, Trampoline did five images for that particular Writeoff, three of them involving Ponies even though they weren't supposed to...
This one here, though, is just plain beauty.
Mike
Having actually read the story, it's a lovely way to bridge pony and original content. The idea that Derpy is a sort of collective figment who made the Big Step by getting canonized in the show is a delightful wrinkle. Thank you for bring it to several wider audiences.
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At the risk of being That Guy, Tramp modified it from an existing image by HiMyNameIsNickel. We can still credit him for the Magritte reference.
I’m so happy to have inspired you! <3
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I’m both flattered and insulted simultaneously. I still hold trash doves is the best thing I’ve done in this fandom although have you heard my dying Brony fandom Hotel California Parody? The lyrics are pretty fucking lit I’m not gonna lie
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I just have a massive hard-on for Magritte references. :B
5409309 then do I have a treat for you, off of my second most favorite Paul Simon album which all the critics hated but I love