An alternative view of The Conversion Bureau. A human has a dream where Princess Luna finds her.
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- Member Since 23rd Jan, 2012
- offline last seen 12 hours ago
pjabrony
My name's PJ. I'm from New York. I write pony fics. I go to parties with bronies. I'm not good at self-introduction.
pjabrony
Joined 23rd Jan, 2012 ·
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That was a very sweet story, and interesting too. A decent understanding of lucid dream issues, too - have you had some?
I liked the framing device of ending with a reality where the story was begun with a fantasy. That was very nice.
What Chatoyance said... she literally stole the words from me.
The arrangement of Earth as a kind of "lost world" as it relates to Equestria, with Celestia returning to "reclaim" it is a pretty novel one. It reminds me of the premise of Stargate, where it turns out that humans are not native to Earth, merely dropped there to perform a function for a higher being. With an absentee landlord, they made the world their own. Of course, it could just as easily have been spin, a little trick of rhetoric to position Celestia as a returning owner simply taking back what was already hers. True or false, humanity's collective cynicism would have taken the claim with a grain of salt, I think.
It also raises parallels between the genre's themes and expansionist concepts like manifest destiny and divine right to rule. Celestia would seem the sort of character to dislike these notions, but conquerors have often soothed their consciences by convincing themselves that they are rescuers.
6154554 There was also probably some influence from Arthur C. Clarke's "Reunion." You're advised to seek it out. Actually, anyone is advised by me to seek out anything of Clarke's.
6154572
I second the motion! And that was a beautiful little story, and a sweet homage to Chat, PJ!
Short, simple and sweet, just what I need before I head off to the realm of dreams myself.
...ah if only, I could use a dream therapy session myself.
Hey, some new TCB!
Will read later!
~ Matthew 16:24
I... don't have the words to explain how I feel.
This is... Beautiful. Thank you so much for writing this! I look forward to the next piece from you!
6154296 I have had one, a long time ago. I very rarely remember my dreams. I trust Luna to keep me safe there and don't worry about it.
6154554 Indeed. That's why I can't help but feel suspicious of the speech, or rather, condescended to. I know that the alicorn Princesses, at least as PJA is clearly imagining them, mean well, but don't seem to get that a lot of us humans like being humans. Or, at the very least, have a positive, healthy self-image. Hating oneself isn't healthy for ponies, and it's not healthy for human beings either.
Besides which, we've got a lot to be genuinely proud of. We've unravelled the depths of reality and been to the moon. Yes, world peace will be very nice, but it shouldn't entail wiping out everything we did before "world peace".
I mean, I get that the whole
friendly rescueCivilizing Mission is a genre trope here, but have they tried relating to us as equals and friends before just annexing our entire world?6154572
You ok?
6157750
Me? I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?
6157799 Because you're publishing an escape-fantasy.
6157816
Right, I've never done that before!
6157988 Well all right then. Overall, indeed a very sweet story.
Good work PJaBrony. This I get. It is good.
Wish I had dreams instead of nightmares always forever.
Maybe I can.
6157816
Book Burner, unless they actively have a deathwish or an immanent cure for mortality, I cannot imagine why anyone sane would not want an escape fantasy.
And pja, that was so very nice.
6214592 Ok, this is getting debate-y... again, but I think this disagreement is pretty fundamental. Mortality is not the problem. At least, not mortality as in the final moment where you actually die, as such. Your body trying to constantly degrade into pain and uselessness unless you take very active care of it, that's a problem. Deprivation of all kinds, that's a real problem.
But the average lifespan in a developed country is in the 80s, and it's rapidly approaching that in developing countries. Nobody younger than 40 really has to worry all that much about dying any time soon. It's what happens to them while they're alive that makes them want to escape.
And you can only defeat a problem when you can face it head-on. Which reminds me, I need to get back to writing my fics. Buggering real life, being full of enjoyable things to do that aren't pony fanfic...
6215526
I'll agree to disagree. This isn't the place, and I don't have time or patience to participate well in a debate anyway.
6157816
Anyone and everyone indulges in escapist fantasies; the only question whatsoever is the degree to which they do so. Whether you daydream about becoming a sports star, or winning the lottery, or developing magical powers, or having your crush fall for you, or being transported to Equestria, EVERYONE does it.
6154554
It's an interesting 'what-if' scenario to be sure, and it raises some likewise interesting 'what-if's about whether or not it's a rhetorical trick, or propaganda, or whatnot. No doubt about it, not gonna dispute that point for a moment.
My issue, though, is this: We've analyzed the possibility of it being a false claim. What if, instead, it's absolutely correct?
Anyway... While the ponies are about as condescending as they typically are in TCB fiction, I've come to accept that as an unintentioned slight - it's unquestionably a failing on their part, but at the very least it's a well-meaning one. Hell, if they completely screw up the world in a misguided attempt to save it, that just makes them MORE like human beings, not less!
Still, it was a pretty sweet little story. There are broader implications, to be sure, but this story doesn't concern them. It was about one girl who found peace.
6240197 See, couldn't we just have the uplifting bits without the condescending bits?
If you've got some finer, happier, more peaceful civilization available and are offering to uplift less-developed worlds, I want in on it. Also shape-shifting.
This story actually threads that needle really well by saying that, oh well, humans and "ponies" are the same fundamental kind of being, are therefore equals and friends rather than superiors and inferiors, but that humans suffered a disadvantage by having no magic to draw on. That doesn't make us inferior, just underprivileged.
Most TCB stuff, on the other hand, outright says we're inferior, and then moves on to sanction downright Lawful Evil behavior on the part of the ponies, because apparently whoever wrote it thought morality works on hierarchy.
6241782
I agree completely.
Personally, I kind of like it when the ponies are condescending.... to a point. It prevents them from being a little -too- perfect. It also gives them a meaningful way in which they can interact with humanity and perhaps even learn something from them, namely how some of their more pitying attitudes - however well-meaning and perhaps even justified - could be taken the wrong way. Likewise for humanity, it helps present some very solid emotional reasons for why a human being would resent Equestria. If you work hard all your life, take your lumps, pay your dues, and become successful, how would YOU react to someone treating you like you were little better than a leper?
But again, that's only up to a point, and only meaningful if it ultimately promotes character growth.
This was nice.
Because this is the first Conversion Bureau fic I’ve ever read, now I am amusing myself with ideas for HLF and PER:
Human Love Foundation - a pony group dedicated to bettering humanity (humans wish they’d stop)
Human Liberation Front - a human group rebelling against the evil pony overlords
Happy Lives Forever - a human group using pony technology to research human life extension
Happy Loving Friends - a pony group that helps ponies adopt cuddly human pets, rescuing them from… their unpleasant circumstances
Princesses of Equestria Reunited - they meet every couple of months just to chat and stay in touch
People for Equal Rights - a human group ineffectually demanding better treatment from the evil pony overlords
Ponies for an Equestrian Republic - pony group with a lot of human support, dedicated to replacing the monarchy with a republic
Praetorian Effervescent Rainbows - nobody knows this secret society’s true goals; new recruits are told whatever they want to hear