What does it mean to be surreal?

Hello, everypony! Welcome to the free scape in which Twixie thinks. She has many thoughts about life not always relevant to the stories she is specifically writing and it only occurred to her to share them with you. Anything she says is merely her musing, not is to be taken as true. These are just thoughts to be thought for the sale of thinking.

As of late, Yours Truly, has found herself in a very strange niche, specifically the niche that rejects conventional physics and psychology. It's a genre that is as uncommon as it is unorthodox.

Oh course, Twixie speaks of Surrealism.

First and foremost, there is not enough of it on this site. From what she observes, surrealism is something that is scarcely used in stories, and if it is, it is minor and not fully embraced. It is a passing tone or a crutch for a weak plot point, not the core and essence of a story. Now, Twixie knows what you're probably thinking, "What about random stories of majorly OOC stories? Aren't those surreal in their own way?"

Yes, and no. Comedy is generally random and over-the-top by nature. Surrealism isn't as much of a stylistic choice as it is necessity for success in the genre. Sure things may not make sense, but simply "not making sense" isn't surrealism. Surrealism is a consistent departure from now life works.

Whereas a giant crab attacking Ponyville isn't surrealism, the notion of bedroom door that always opens to a different house, in a different memory, is. Having supporting characters under/overreact to things the main character/we see the other way because of how the world works is definitely surreal.

And there is simply not enough of this. Twixie searches often and she can not find nearly enough surreal stories to sate her appetite. There are hundreds of romances, slices of life with ponies behaving in boring, normal ways, and no Alices or Wonderlands.

Do you know of any good surreal pony stories or does Twixie even have a valid complaint?

Comments

[Seether00]

I think there is a group on the site called comedy sketches. They have a lot of short odd stories. Also, there are two lesser known authors I just read here that write really weird stuff.

One wrote some called Twilight Punches a Baby. So you may want to look that up.

The other one was: What now with Apples?

It was very weird.

[Steel Resolve]

try this out. http://www.fimfiction.net/story/52042/stick-to-the-script

[Beerforce]

First thing that comes to mind is A Beautiful Day in Equestria

[Gweat and Powaful Twixie]

1083605

Oh my god... That was amazing...

[Soge]

Some of dream chapters of "Eternal" might fall into this category, as well as some of the stranger things that Blueshift tends to write. There is also "This is not my house", but that isn't a story as much as a series of interconnected sketches.

"Harpflank and Sweets" is a parody of stupid action TV tropes, but there is a side-story written by Cold in Gardez called A Very Special Episode, that is moved by a fairly surreal plot device.

The Descendant's Somewhere Cycle involves two ponies having the memories of two historic Horses from the human world.

I wouldn't classify any of these as surreal, but they have enough elements to warrant a look. We really need more truly surreal stories around the fandom. I would love to see someone tackle magic realism in Equestria, as difficult as that would be.

[Stiggerzz]

and for anyone who is not absolutely certain on what the term 'surreal' means...

adam hills has the definite answer..and describes it in a way we can all enjoy as well

[Seether00]

I would check out fic by this guy. Most of his fics have surreal quality to them. And, as a bonus, they are really short

[assassinsrul3]

That was an adorable monologue.

[HeartTortoisePigeonDog]

Surreal?

(Here is the place where the scene happens. and Here is the painting he falls into.)

...."Strange. Cherry Garden should've woken by now..." Discord's voice floated up behind her. Twilight spun around to meet Discord floating inside, holding that long painting, tracing the brush strokes with his eagle claw. "No matter..."

"I know what you're trying to do Discord! And it won't work!"

"Oh, do you?" He perked up, slightly raising an eyebrow.

"Yes! You've been trying to make Cherry Garden look insane so I won't want to help her. You've manipulated my friends' true selves in this dream so we can't stop you. But it won't work! If they are in this dream with me and the Elements, it must mean that either Princess Luna helped bring them here, or that they are projections of my memory of them--which means, in either case," her face lit up in sudden realization, in confidence of certain victory and having out-smarted Discord, "I can change them back by reminding myself of who they are! And even if I don't change back into myself, staying looking like Cherry Garden, by knowing who they are, we can still unite as friends and use the Elements of Harmony to defeat you!"

Discord stifled his mouth the entire of her little rant; but she was too much, and he burst out into a roaring fit of laughter!

"Is that what you think?" he hardly managed. He fell on the ground, rolling in laughter, and fell into the painting.

"Why are you laughing?" Twilight demanded.

The painting floated up to face Twilight. Discord took on the body of that dark pony, and swung the other, lighter one, around as though in a dance. He pulled it close and stoked the mane.

"Don't you remember what I said?" taking off his head and replacing it on the other pony; "That I needn't go out of my way to make chaos here?"

That lighter pony's figure, head and all, transformed seamlessly into the exact image of Cherry Garden; the shadowy pony's headless body dropped into the flowers like a puppet whose strings have been suddenly cut.

Discord's voice slowly become overshadowed then mixed with Cherry Garden's warm, indeterminate voice. "Everything you have seen has been Cherry Garden's memories. Your friends really do despise and fear poor Cherry Garden. It's Beautiful: this chaos grows without any interference!" Twilight couldn't tell if Discord's voice overshadowed Cherry Garden's, or the other way around.

"Look at this, Twilight Sparkle." He leapt out from the painting, flying past Twilight, and winded behind Rarity and Pinkie. "Look at them closely." He turned their faces so Twilight could see.

Though Discord brought them closer to her, she felt she fell toward them.

"See how they look not like Cherry Garden's dream, but as they were in real life?" His hooves melted around their necks as he slipped next to Twilight. "That's because they are memories. I made none of it up!" He pinched Pinkie's and Rarity's little cheeks with fingers that grew out from his hoofs. "They fear her and create chaos for me to use! Your friends are the best, Twilight Sparkle--they easily believe lies disguised as truth..." He laughed sinisterly....

"But I can still get rid of that fear and unite them! It happened with Zecora and it can happen again."

"Oh, you would think that, wouldn't you? They feared Zecora because of what they didn't know; but they fear Cherry Garden because of what they think they know--and she re-enforces their fears every time they see her. Quiet different--"

"No!" Twilight knocked Discord away and he floated up in to the air. "I--"

"Enough!" cutting her off with a quick swipe, smearing some of the image of the dream. "I haven't time for this 'explaining to the reader' nonsense!" He swooped down over Twilight and knocked Pinkie and Rarity into the bushes along the road. "If you don't believe me--I think you still have a little time to see Applejack; surely Cherry Garden's most recent memory of her can convince you, eh?" And as though the scene were an actual painting, he tore open the canvas, and disappeared behind it before sewing it back together.