Happiness is a Warm Fanart <3 · 11:19pm May 1st, 2012
TL:DR:
Shutdown fanart
Shutdown reading
Operation Get-lestia fanart
I LOVE LOVE LOVE these! Thanks to C-Puff and Kits for being awesometacularific!
Full version:
Not only did the multi-talented C-Puff draw a really great Carrot Top for Shutdown, she's also using it as the background image for her reading of the story on Youtube! I love her reading, too: she really nails the vocalized emotions in the lines! I wrote it and re-read the story numerous times in the editing process and yet I still find myself listening intently to each line.
Unless I'm sorely mistaken, the only other fanart I've gotten has been from Kits, friend and author of Twilight's List. He has this thing for nosesquishes so he couldn't help but illustrate one airborne scene early in Operation Get-lestia. I love it! 
He also recorded a reading of My Little Parcel, my first fanfiction ever (which I haven't uploaded here yet). I really enjoyed that reading as well, though his accent isn't quite as radical as C-Puff's. Sorry, Kits, I still love you! 
Usually I write with the intent to inspire emotion. I wrote Operation Get-lestia to make people happy and get that "almost like watching a new episode of the show!" feeling. Despite the sad overtones of Shutdown I really wrote it from a speculative fiction standpoint, in a "mental exercise" kind of light, not to make anyone cry.
But the one emotion you really can't TRY for, but is remarkable to achieve, is to have others feel inspired to make a fanwork based on your efforts. The knowledge that you've touched someone else in a way leads them to go on and make something more, something new, because of what you've done... it's amazing. Sure, I'll never have one hundred and ninety two FO:E spin-off stories, or 9001 drawings of Nyx, but I inspired someone! More than just ONE someone. That's... that's something! And something is my favorite. 
Bravo Cupcakes! You know you're doing something right when you inspire artists to make fan art of fanfiction!
Many props and internetz belong to you!
Now I ain't read Shutdown, nor do I suspect I will considerin' as how I'm allergic to sad, but I will say that you are good and should feel good. Operation Get-lestia remains one of those funny/normal happy stories that I keep re-reading every now and again, along with others such as Skittles and the likes; solid, fun and amazing stories.
And, nosesquishes are amazing, too.
Keep at it, and well done!
94708 I did something right! YAY!
94957 Yeah, if you don't like sad things then don't bother with Shutdown. You won't have a fun time. But, well, re-re-reading Operation Get-lestia is more than enough for me. I'm really glad you like it so much!
Kits is an epic person and an epic artist. And is fun to talk with. But god damn it twi's list should not have ended like that.
At least in my mind it is over but it didn't end. He left it open for somepony/ponies to come alOng and write more to it.
95266 Hmm? What do you mean? That it should have gone on further? Into what?
95304 the way I see it there is two ways a story can end.
1). It can END. the way I see a story that really ended is that it was over with everything explained and the plot line is done. The way it ends, even I (with my horrible writing skills) could write more following the plot line of the story.
This story could be taken so much farther so there for I say it's OVER.
2). A story is OVER. When I think of a story as OVER then I see it as having some where it could be taken. Like with "Twi's list" somepony could write about how they got married and then how they lived out their lives together and the adventures they had getting there. Just something besides "they got together. THE END" Yea I repose that is the way the author wanted it to end but I can see it going so much farther!
Just because I feel that I need to explain my way of thinking to others (I'm quiet like pinkie in this aspect) let's say that we have a computer that some how thinks the same way I do. If this computer wrote more for this plot line then there is just an infanant number of ways this story could go. They could get married and just live like any other cuple. They could go on wacky adventures. They could topple the royal sisters and rule the queendom together.
That is how I see it. In my minds eye there is just so many ways to take this story but it just stops. And I hate to see such a great story just stop.
I'm sorry to take up so much space but I like to explain my reasoning to the way I say something. I hope you'll forgive the long and wordy block of text (that I hope you read)
95349 Nope, that's fine, I did ask you for an explanation, and that's a good one!
But this is definitely a personal preference issue. In my opinion it ended in a perfect place to suggest there was room for their relationship to continue growing, with inevitable ups and downs, and the significant possibility they would be together forever. And, sure, someone COULD have written another 150,000 words of them getting closer and closer, marrying, and growing old together... But leaving it up to the imaginations of the readers is the literary choice Kits made and I personally agree with it.
95468 yeah i agree with you and I wrote and even longer post over on the story if you want to see it (jump to page 11)
I'm sorry if it seems like I was getting mad at you or kits. At no point have I been mad at ether of you. It just when I se some one talking about a topic I feel strongly about I tend to go a little overboard with what I say.
And bygoing overboard I mean that I typed more in the past two day on this topic (here/the story/and the post on kit's page telling him I was rantin(?) about his story)
So yeah I haven't even written that much sense I took my writing TAKS three or four years ago. I haven't even put as much though into anything sense then. And this story gave me something do really think about. Just the way it ends is perfect, for kits. And probably for everybody else. But I would like to see more from this line of thought.
Anyways that is a short version of what I think. If you want to read the whole thing jump over to the story and read my comment (remember it's on page 11)
Sorry if you thought I was getting mad. I was just talkin about a subject I felt strongly about. So ignore me and delete the comments if you like.
95796
TAKS? LOL That's a fucking blast from the past right there
I remember having to take that damned thing too. Fucking had a 3 on my essay, when I *KNOW* that bitch should have been a 4 
97889 they never graded that shit right!
98272
You're telling me
Fucking ridiculous, mock of an assessment 
98302 yeah gave me a 2 for a story that a pro author said was great. So in my mind that = graded wrong. AND a question I corrected a math teacher on and was right, they used the wrong answer for the test.
98373
They seriously need to reconsider their priorities. Thank God I don't have to worry about it anymore
95796 Nope, never thought you were angry! Everything's cooool.
98578 ok and me and TD are flooding your notifications box with crap about the TAKS. just so ya know.