Sonata de Equestria is Selling Out; or, Reluctant Tagging.

While I have your attention...

First of all, is anybody willing to take a look at my synopsis and tell me just WHAT the blooming heck, exactly, is wrong with it? I have revised and revised and still people speak of grammar errors. I'm driving myself bonkers looking for them. Help.

Now, on to the meat of the blog post.

I am finally cool with the romance/shipping tag, it's perfectly fitting with the direction of the story. It has all my yes. It should have been added at the beginning of the story, not 13-odd chapters in.

This is an adventure story, filled with suspense, excitement, danger, romance, fighting, sports...
But it also has some Dark elements.

From the FAQ:

Dark: If you boil it down, a Dark Category story brings forth the contrast of good and evil. The story deals with corruption, war, death (violent), horror... basically what would make a world 'darker and grittier'. It doesn't have to be outright violent, for example, if you look at most fairy-tales they have a lot of happy or even nice things happen before the ultimate dark aspect (the death/torture/destruction of the bad guy or unfortunate hero) takes place.

Sound familiar to you? It sounds familiar to me, and i'm the one holding the notes.

Now, i'll be darned if I want to mislabel my story. That is, I do not.

But I find myself wondering, is this what my fanboying has come to? Am I incapable of writing a story about cute ponies without putting a cynical spin on them? Have I fallen so far, and is the hour so late, that nothing remains but my dark human state?

It's no secret that I'm not much of a fan of the more famous "dark" fics. How different am I if I take their sugar-coated world and give it my own level of darkness? I have already been accused of a double-standard, have I no real foundation left?

Beh, maybe I just need time to get over the stigma of the Dark tag. It's not like a tag is gonna change what I actually write down within the fic.

Weigh in your thoughts now, readers. I'm listening to suggestions this time.

PS. It's not my aim to add tags willy-nilly, here. It's just that i've learned a lot about both my ability as a writer, and the direction of my story.

PPS. I will not be adding a "gore," nor "sex" sub-tag to my story, ever. We're keeping this akin to Redwall, not Black Ops or Fabio's Next Best-Seller.

PPPS. I can also say that it's not Alternate Reality, everything is canon up to just before "Spike at Your Service" (though elements do remain). And that's simply because that's the point where the show's canon became irreconcilable with my own.

Comments

[Metool Bard]

Well, think of it this way. What sets this generation of MLP apart from the others is the fact that it's not always sunshine and rainbows. There are some darker themes that exist in Equestria; some more subtle than others. It's not really cynicism; it's just part of the atmosphere that makes the world of Equestria interesting. King Sombra himself is proof that wherever there is light, there is shadow. Heck, I'd personally have trouble writing about him without using the Dark tag.

Another thing to consider is that stories like Cupcakes and Rainbow Factory should not set the standard for all Dark fics. Believe me, the authors of those gruesome tales will never be on par with the likes of Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft.

[MyHobby]

Well, think of it this way. What sets this generation of MLP apart from the others is the fact that it's not always sunshine and rainbows.

Hmm... While G2, G3, and G3.5 were all gum-rottingly sweet, G1's first villain, Tirek the Centaur, turned ponies into monsters to pull his chariot. Chilling.

There are some darker themes that exist in Equestria; some more subtle than others. It's not really cynicism; it's just part of the atmosphere that makes the world of Equestria interesting.

Problem is, I can't help but feel that if I want to include such dark elements as "corruption," I should follow the show's example, Luna, and basically sweep it under a rug of subtility. Not showcase it in a central character arc.

Or the slavery of the Crystal Protectorate, summed up in a single line from Celestia.

Of course, i'm not writing for the show, but rather a "tribute," or a "send up" to the show, which means that I can decide upon any tone I wish.

Now that I say that, I can't tell if i'm being wonderfully artistic, or horrifically vain.

King Sombra himself is proof that wherever there is light, there is shadow. Heck, I'd personally have trouble writing about him without using the Dark tag.

Now, I know i can write him without getting dark, but it means the sucking dry of everything interesting about (my interpretation of) his character. Like, he can be a cool villain without being intriguing, or scary.

In other words, exactly what he was in the show.

Another thing to consider is that stories like Cupcakes and Rainbow Factory should not set the standard for all Dark fics. Believe me, the authors of those gruesome tales will never be on par with the likes of Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft.

True, quality of the literature has everything to do with everything. And from what i've seen, Poe could chill you to the bone without grossing you out. That's a nice balance.

Too, there's a difference between dark and "adult." That's what ultimately led me to realize that i'm not doing something sick and unholy.

I suppose, in the end, I feel that as long as I remain respectful to the core themes of My Little Pony; friendship, family, love, and the triumph of good over evil, that my story should pass any moral scrutiny (from myself or others).

So, thanks for the vote of confidence, Metool Bard. Dashed if i'm not grateful.