NSFGhost: Accidental artwork for "Twenty Minutes" everywhere · 3:37am Jul 1st, 2015
For 2 years, my story "Twenty Minutes" has had an uninviting picture of shackles for its art:
For his YouTube recording of it, Illya Leonov used this less-literal, more-evocative photograph:
That seems like a better choice. I decided I should change the art. I Googled "chained pegasus" to see if there was anything along those lines.
I found just two possibilities:
Then I tried "pegasus necklace".
Oh, boy.
It's funny that we all agree (or used to, anyway) that unicorns symbolize purity, vampires symbolize sexual predators, werewolves symbolize our ids, dragons symbolize greed, and so on down the line for most of the major mythological monsters, but nobody ever told me what the pegasus symbolizes.
To me, the pegasus symbolizes freedom. I suppose that's why I used one in "Twenty Minutes," though that didn't occur to me at the time. This creates an inherent contradiction for those who want to package up and sell that freedom commercially in a product that is essentially a pegasus on a chain. When facing this artistic challenge, you ought to at least take a moment to stop and look at your final product before it goes to market and ask yourself: Does this look like pure untrammelled spirit, flying freely through an infinite firmament?
Or does it look like said spirit of freedom held captive in one of those tiny cages the Japanese used to torture prisoners in Bridge Over the River Kwai?
Does this necklace say, "I am a free spirit!"
Or does it say "PLEASE SAVE ME FROM THIS LADY oh God the things she does you don't know, you don't know"
A tough guy, eh? Maybe you'll talk if we hang you by the ears for a while!
Stay right there where I can see you, dearie!
Seriously, is that a ball and chain on her left foreleg? It can't be, right? It's a... pegasus training wheel. Right?
Oh, dear. I told you to stay right there. Now look what you made me do!
Is it just me? Is there nothing at all creepy about these?
This one, though, I'm totally okay with.
I might even buy her myself and... Look at that face. I think she wants me to. 
Oh, yes. That's much better.
...Bad Horse. Bad.
3196446
I have a rolled up newspaper if you'd like.
I... suppose this still counts as progess.
That last one looks like she can lash the chains at people with every flap.
3196516
Noooo! Some of us have PNSD.
Okay. You got me laughing, at least.
Keep the original cover. It has a level of grittiness required by FO:E (even though it's a wartime story, and not post-apoc
)
3196643
Ooh. Kyton Cadance. I like.
3197438
And now I'm imagining Cadance binge-watching the Hellraiser franchise, and it is glorious.
3196446
I have an electric flyswatter if you'd like, although he mind end up liking it. Just don't let him get ahold of it.
3196643
"Lookee what I can do everypony! Whee!"
"GRAH! My crystal stairs!"
"Hang on, everypony! Dag nabbit, where's my lasso? Pinkie! Quit imitating Cadance, y'hear?!"
"Oh please don't let her take those chains home with us. Please don't let her take those chains home with us..."
"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"
"GRAH!!! My crystal balls!!!"
3196984
Whuuuu? PNSD? Uhh... Playstation Network Social Disorder? PeaNut SanD? Puhnuhsed? Penicillin? The Punisher?
:B
3197095
Maybe Bad is trying to turn Twenty Minutes into a comedy? Well, it'll be funny for him, at least. Once new people, drawn in by new art come in and read, I'm sure he'll be laughing and be stifle deep in brony tears. For him, it'll be like those times 7 Eleven has those bring your own containers days for the Slurpee machines.
3197737
So Foamy. Hellraiser MLP crossover?
Oh! Ponified band name idea! Cadance in Chains!
Cadence was in such a hurry to get here, she didn't see those two bunnies right in her path, and...well...
s25.postimg.org/xly48baqn/Cadence_chained.jpg