What do you feel about... (two questions!) · 10:59pm Jul 23rd, 2012
The Conversion Bureau? Like it, hate it, indifferent to it? If either of the first two, why?
Just sort of curious. I happen to enjoy TCB, though I'm not unaware of some of the problems of the primary concept. I've had a TCB story sitting on my hard drive for sometime, and I was thinking of putting it out there.
Basically, it'd fit into the Humans Aren't... *insert unsavory word denoting an illegitimate parentage here* group because the whole idea behind it was to sort of soften the sharp point of misanthropy I found in TCB, especially in Chatoyance. Now, I enjoy Chatoyance's work *a lot* but I will say I liked the older work better. The story-to-sermon ratio is a little different now, at least with "Tales of Las Pegasus".
Now, I'm no believer in humanity, I'll be honest. I don't think we're great. I don't hate people, though, because that would make me no better than those I roll my eyes at. I just don't feel that it is fair or in keeping with the author's duty and honor to uphold the truth to only show the bad. You can show all the worst of humanity, but if that is all you show, than you've created a fantasy that is beyond the suspension of disbelief to anyone with much discernment. Instead you've just created a rather insulting vision and I feel cheated and you communicate only that perhaps you, the writer are not the nicest person.
So I wanted to show that a Conversion Bureau story could showcase a rather miserable world full of corruption and all that stuff like in the Chatoyance-verse, but also show that not every single person is the predator-in-sheep's-clothing that some TCB author's (literally) describe them as.
Even if you guys aren't interested in TCB or hate it, would you be willing to read it? It's not quite a deconstruction, but I'm not following the same line.
(ALSO. Sepulcher should have a new chapter soon, by Friday at the absolute latest. Black Box by Sunday night at the latest.) Fun fact: Black Box chapters take me roughly 1 hour to write. They come really, really, really easy. I only edit for clarity and allow the prose to be rough in some places to maintain the illusion. It's an experiment.
On another note: I'm considering rewriting Equestria Vanishing sometime in the future and/or writing something based off of the history of Equestira portions. If you've read my only successful story, what do you think? I know everyone including myself was a little disappointed with that ending. I panicked and feared if I went the pace I should've that I'd lose people and run out of ideas and quit shamefully. Instead I ended it when I needed 4-7000 words to flesh things out properly. So I want another shot! Not to make it more popular, but just because... I don't know. It really hurt me as a writer to leave it that way. I stopped fiction altogether for sometime after that.
Honestly, I can't give a complete answer to either question, but I'll try my best.
For the first, I've never actually read any TCB, nor have I ever had much desire to do so. I don't have anything against Human-in-Equestria stories, but none of the CB stuff has ever tickled my fancy
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(Also, I hate you for bringing up Humans are Bastards trope. Now I'm on TVTropes and can't pull myself away
Why'd ya have to (unintentionally) remind me about TVTropes?! I'd actually like to sleep for once!).
As for Equestria Vanishing. Again, haven't read that one. Added it to my "Read Later" list, though (Current amount of stories in said list: 24. Celestia, help me). However, if you aren't satisfied with the story, I'd go back and fix it up the way you see fit; be it a rewrite or side-story/sequel. Sure, fixing stuff after the fact doesn't always work out (*cough*GeorgeLucas*cough**cough*) but there are always those diamonds in the rough. All in all, it's your fic. You're the one taking the time out of your day to write it. Your satisfaction's the only thing that matters.
But, yeah. That's just my two cents. Take 'em for what they're worth.
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TVTropes owns your soul foreverrrrr. If it helps, imagine that you're helping yourself become a better writer. It's a wonderfully useful self-deception! (Because really you're just wasting time because you'll forget half of what you learned as soon as you leave.... :3 Though it does sometimes prove helpful!)
I understand that. I've read around in TCB, but the only author I've stuck with for more than story is Chatoyance, and only because she's rather unique.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced I might just go ahead. At the very least, I may end up writing that prequel. I honestly don't care about people reading that one because I know they wont! Any story of speculative Equerstrian history where all ponies are descended from primordial (and much weaker than Celestia) Alicorns is going to be ignored! But I like it.
Haha. It's got some great moments, but Equestria Vanishing is definitely not my best work!
First question, I hate The Conversion Bureau with nuclear passion. I harbor an extreme hatred for Chatoyance's work because of its extremely unsubtle "Humans Are Bastards" aesop that the writer insists on dropping on the readers' heads. In all honesty, the only TCB fics I liked were the ones where Humanity battles the Equestrians to save Earth.
Second question, if the story advocates pony supremacy or insists on dropping the "Humans Are Bastards" anvil, I will not read it. If it show Humanity and Equestrians working together in mutual cooperation, I may read it.
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I've never been one to overhype the "humans are bastards" angle. Because, too be honest, we already know that people can be jerks and to go on and on about it is just inane... and beyond that, most of the stories that go on about it overstate their case and then they look silly and mean.
I've always taken what I can only call the "restart" outlook with TCB: Things got out of control. We tried and we almost made it! We made it half way there and then the world just sort of... fell apart. I mean, we were still alive and as Horace says, never despair, but... for me, humanity in the TCB is stuck. Give us a hundred years and we would've spread to the moon and stars and maybe we could've had room to breathe but things just didn't work out. It was all an accident and things are just the way they are.
In the story I have, one of my characters (nicknamed Priest) sees it as a sort of divine intervention. Others of my heroes are less convinced, but they know that (objectively) life as it is presently in their world is inferior to the present Equestria, and with the universe imploding... there's only one way to go and live. Death is not the worst of things, but to die needlessly when you have little attachment to the life you live is silly (or they want a start fresh and far away from the Russian Mafia!) so they convert.
I totally understand reacting strongly to that whole strain of thought. I reject it in Chatoyance, actually! But not quite as vehemently. I enjoyed "Last Man Standing" because it still affirms the value of human experience, which Chatoyance sort of downplays when generous and downright ignores when not.
I like it when Equestrians and Humans can cooperate because, when I put myself into that fictional dream, I truly see that they could! To not show that is silly.
(Honestly, what attracts me most about TCB and some Chatoyance is that it's agrarian and I value the agrarian highly. It's a *feasible* return to a simpler rural lifestyle.)