Present Perfect vs. Sweet Apple Massacre · 5:33pm Oct 7th, 2020
Back during the Bleeding Raindrops blog, I said I was skipping his reading of Sweet Apple Massacre and that it was "for the best of all involved".
Well, I am nothing if not a fanfiction masochist, so when I ran into the second reading of the infamous story in as many months courtesy of Drew Copenhaver, I figured it was time. Plus it's October. And the reading includes The Spiderses. And I'm on blood pressure medication now, so fuck it. >:B Also, y'know, it gives me a chance to talk about the reader.
Because it turns out this is the channel of one Voz de Suenos, which is odd, because I could swear I'd already done his channel ages ago. o.O After all, he did a (partial) reading of The Elements of Awesomery! :') And he lives, or used to live, like 15 minutes away from me. c.c But yeah, he's great (though this reading, which includes a guy named Mobius, is far from his best), I'll be putting out a review of the rest of his readings soonish.
Anyway, it's spooky season, so let's get gross. :B Content warnings for everything!
Sweet Apple Massacre by bigmacintosh201111 is one of those ages-old season one gorefics that for some reason got really famous, or more likely infamous, because there wasn't a whole lot of noteworthy literature at that time. At least, that's the only reason I can explain for why I even considered doing a vs. post about this crap in the year 2020.
1I can't actually be certain of the author's identity. Voz certainly didn't know. I'm getting that info from KnowYourMeme, of all places, but they are pretty reliable when it comes to internet-related information. I'm pretty sure the original text of the story no longer exists anywhere, but you can find copypastes on the Gyorgle.
Also, you know how I said this wasn't Voz's best reading? It's full of commentary and laughter from two drunk twentysomethings, and he was reading someone's blog post about SAM, which also included its own commentary. And yet, I would not suggest reading this story in any other way. I mean, I wouldn't suggest reading it at all, but you need those interjections and bad jokes to make it through something like this.
Also, this has not been a footnote, but part of the review. :B I need to have fun somehow.
So what makes SAM so infamous? Quickly summed up, it's a story where Big Macintosh rapes and kills the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the most gruesome way possible. Why? Because they're loud and he likes his peace and quiet, though we all know the real reason is "because the author was a fucked-up reprobate". There, now you don't have to read it.
I mean, there isn't much to say about this. I will admit to getting a little nauseous in the middle, but most of it was low-effort shock value. You can tell when the author starts describing the color and texture of Sweetie Belle's vomit that you're not exactly entering the realm of high literature. But even though this is one of those stories where the author tries to jam in every disgusting atrocity they can think of, half of it just comes off as "and then rape happened". :/ Like, I know you're not shooting for the stars here, author, but at least try!
I think the most damning thing I can say about this story is that halfway through, I got nostalgic for Cupcakes. Like, seriously, the thought of, "Gee, I would rather be reading Cupcakes right now" is about as bad as you can get. To compare the two, SAM has better writing from a completely mechanical perspective, but Cupcakes has actual value. There isn't much! But it's quotable? Memorable? Whatever, it's a better literary atrocity than Sweet Apple Massacre.
Fuck this shit.
0/5
Only the second story I've given this rating to, and it earned every point.
Huh. I could have sworn I had this on my RiL, but apparently not.
Well, now I know better. So thanks for returning the favor.
I feel like there's a place in art and media for reactionary/shock media. for example, if there's no stronger way to get a point across, you get films like Last House on the Left or A Serbian Film. and I'm not saying that these films are good, but at least they have a purpose or some greater intent.
the problem that I run into with Sweet Apple massacre is that it feels neither tongue-in-cheek, troll-like, nor that it has a greater purpose. and I think that's what I hate the most about it. it feels and reads almost as if it were fetishistic. and I genuinely don't know how to handle that.
I read a few sentences and just... lost interest. Like you said: Cupcakes has some value. Not a lot, but some. SAM is nothing. Less than nothing. Of the "big four" I guess you could call them (SAM, Cupcakes, Cheerilee's Garden and Rainbow Factory) SAM is easily the worst.
In my completely disconnected state and even more dodgy memory at this point, I still recall hearing about this fic.
It's been years. And it's not a memory I wanted dragged back up due to its distance relevance to other negative experiences at the time.
I'm sorry for your loss.
5372966
I would like to take this opportunity to note that Rainbow Factory is the best by a large margin.
Oh, thank God, someone wrote something more hideous than my crap!
Considering this is S1 fare I doubt it was even written to ‘entertain’, more to just throw bronies and all that they care about under the bus.
Only the second story to get that rating? It's certainly not the most poorly-written story I've ever read, not by a long shot—but the writing is definitely bad.
It's sad that poor quality early-fandom shock stories get infamy, while so many true gems of fanfiction are virtually unknown. It says something about how much we value fanfiction in the fandom at large, I think.
5372985
I would like to point out that this assertion being true does not remotely imply that Rainbow Factory is good.
I found Cupcakes to be boring. If Sweet Apple Massacre is worse, there's no way I'm reading it.
5372985
WIDE, wide margin, and that's even without the masterpiece song that came before that I still sometimes listen to on repeat.
5373011
I don't know about boring, but as I recall (it's been years for good reason) it's short, poorly written, and not worth reading for any ear (including shock or clop).
5372959
My problem with Last House isn't the shock, it's the tonal dissonance. It switches between brutality and wacky, stupid cops bumbling around like morons. The final shot of the film of masterful, but it's immediately followed by wacky end credits that feel more like they're out of Beverly Hillbillies than a serious, disturbing horror film. A Serbian Film wants you to think it has value, but really doesn't.
5373010
I've got a review for it coming out in a few weeks. We shall see what you think of my interpretation.
That said, my opinion could be biased due purely to comparing it to other, uh... attempts at literature. Yeah, let's go with that.
What was the first 0/5?
5373021
In full honesty I can't speak to it. I'm not a fan of grimdark for grimdark sake, and I can't bring myself to read a non-minific story like that which actually has a plot behind it—so all I know is the Dawn Somewhere version. Despite using the Dark tag often enough to warrant legitimate concern for my psychological wellbeing, the dark I write is almost always focused on the hopeful side (I do have a few Horror which lean on allegory, but they aren't what I enjoy writing).
Also,
forever, so there's that.
Well, this isn't a very poggers story.
5373012
I can't even bear to listen to the song, which is really unfortunate because it sounds great.
5373027
My Little Dashie
sorry that's just for Rob
5372959
I would draw at least somewhat of a distinction between the two. In Last House, Wes Craven was indeed trying to be shocking by showing things movie goers had never seen before, but the intent was to scare and unnerve the viewer with its brutal realism. But A Serbian Film just feels like the shock was the only reason they made it. They weren't trying to convey a message, or at least scare people like Last House did. They just said, "Hey, wouldn't it be fucked up if a dude fucked a newborn? Let's do that!" It wasn't trying to be real, it was trying to be as over the top as it could. A better comparison would be Human Centipede 2. There was no story, no characters of any note. Just fucked up shit for the sake of fucked up shit.
Jeezuz
5373032
Too bad. It's so, so good.
Cupcakes has the notoriety of living on in memes and fandumb recognition.
SAM and the rest tbh are just absolutely boring torture porn. Like, Friday The 13th Part 12 level absolutely boring.
5372985
5373010
Rainbow Factory and Cupcakes are only good in that if it were not to exist then Rocket To Insanity wouldn't either. Which would be a bad thing, as RTI takes the boring gorefest torture porn and does neat psychological horror things with it of Rainbow Dash being plagued by constant nightmares that undermine her sense of reality and leave her stressed and sleepless until her mind snaps in a scene that's basically just the opening scene of Cupcakes
I found out about SAM from a MictheMicrophone dramatic reading... but that looks like one of the few that's been removed from his channel.
5373028
The Dawn Somewhere version proves that flowers can bosom from turds. Never read the original, but I don't have to in order to enjoy laughing at a satire of it.
5373054
I don't even want to know the story behind whatever they're singing about in Beyond Her Garden. I don't want that one ruined for me.
What was the first?
5372959
I really could not have put it better. I've read shock fics, and they can work, but far too many are of this ilk. :B
5372966
I agree. I mean, Cheerilee's Garden is almost as bad, but at least something interesting happened there? I can still remember a few bits, and they were legitimately terrifying/disgusting.
5373027
5373156
The one Fall of Equestria story I dared to read, once upon a time. <.<
And that was better than this. Its moral outrage was actually reprehensible!
5373030
Not very cash money.
5373100
Smart of him! :D
5373214
Writing this story wasn't a pro-gamer move.
5373220
It wasn't exactly
yeet
as the kids say
5373254
Since it was in the past that’s yeeten, sir.
5373262
I gotchu
fam
ily
member
5372959
That's an interesting question. Against my better judgment, and also my worse judgment, I'll check.
Well okay then.
Being married to whitekitten and having a substantially broad erotic imagination of my own, my impression from a brief skim through the story is that while it could certainly be used that way (as could virtually anything), it was written solely for taboo shock value. Nothing is described in a suggestive way, little attention is paid to the villain's perspective, Mac's dialogue doesn't lean into any mindset consistent with erotic motivation, nothing about the mood is described erotically, the dominance Mac displays isn't leveraged properly, and the focus of the vulgar descriptions is thematically inconsistent: Big Mac does degrading things himself at the end of the story with no motivation or payoff.
It isn't even clear in the story why he's getting aroused by the things he does. In fact, the only way we can tell he's aroused at all is because he's physically able to have forcible intercourse. In essence, Mac is being arbitrarily cruel as a vehicle for the author to describe gross and disturbing things, and rape happens to be one of those things. The author haphazardly threw everything taboo they could think of into a short space of text, and they had a fairly limited imagination beyond common knowledge of what normal people find disgusting. I'm not even sure the author understands how any of this could be erotic in principle.
5373368
based and reviewpilled
5373040
I understand where you're coming from regarding A.S.F. , but based on reading the script and director interviews -- there were a lot of important points and political points trying to be made in the movie. now, I think it's entirely reasonable to have it's message "Lost in the sauce" (it went in way too deep on the shock and thus the message is pushed to the back.)
I also think that going into the film with a "death of the author" lens... yeah. it's pretty much just shock, and you'll be so revolted that you won't WANT to think about it again.
also -- the film is a hardline "I will never see this in my life for a reason" so I completely respect and understand why it's discounted by so many folks.
Cannibal Holocaust is a better example of a shock film with no real intent or greater message imo.i also agree with Human Centipede 2. They realized blood made money and they went all in.
5373450
I agree with the "Lost in the Sauce" angle. That's the very difficult thing about that kind of project. You have to convey your message, but not be so shocking that no one cares.
5373450 I’d argue that Canninal Holocaust is a commentary about sensationalism and exploitation, rather than something with no meaning behind it.
Although its attempts at social commentary are hamstrung by being, itself, a work of sensationalism and exploitation...
All I remember about this is it read like a homework assignment. Keep walking, nothing of note here. Might want to prune your RIL
5373672
haha :D
Blame the fic readers. :B
What was the first one?
5373959
See my first comment in this thread! :B