Golden Harvest very much likes to think of herself as the sensible mare of the earth. She's certainly not one for breaking a perfectly good daily routine: give Dinky a hot meal, take care of the carrots, try to remember when she last had lunch...
Unfortunately, it's Nightmare Night coming up, and she's going through one of the least productive (and therefore least profitable) months of the year. So of course Derpy takes the chance to ask her for help with something she should've done last week. And yes, she does need it ready for tonight, and no, she has no idea how to actually go about it.
However, Derpy is a mare on a mission, a pony with a plan. And there's nothing more terrifying than that, even on Nightmare Night.
Chapters (1)
Not gonna lie, Impossible: I needed some time to add yet another designation to Ditzy Doo, a.k.a. "Derpy," a.k.a. "Bright Eyes," a.k.a. "Best Pony," a.k.a. "The Mailmare in Question."
But boy, what a treat to get a story like this for Halloween! I love the fanon friendship between Carrot Top and Ditzy, and I think you convey the former's grumpiness and eccentricity very well. Dinky's written well, too, I think, what with her not being adorable for adorableness's sake.
7686974
Fair enough. To be honest, I went back and forth a bit on whether to call her Derpy or Muffins, mainly because the former is better known, but I think a good case could be made for the latter. It's the only one with canonical backing - give or take the brouhaha over The Last Roundup - and though less creative than "Derpy", I thought it fit the show's tone better since there are dozens of characters named after sweet foods.
Plus, it's a cute name in its own right. Given both her fanon traits and the odd canonical nod to those traits (such as her sweet and soft temperament, muffins being her favourite food, etc.), I think it's also slightly more apt.
As for the rest, thank you very much! That's exactly what I was aiming for with both Carrot Top and Dinky.
And I'm glad you enjoyed the fic.
You've seen my review of this, of course -- I'm just popping in to actually give you the upvote you should have had at the time!
7908924
I have indeed, and many thanks for reviewing and providing critical feedback for my story. And of course, every upvote is most welcome!
7983849
I wish you good fortune with your own literary efforts.
That's a straight lie, though. She is canonically known as "Derpy" and "Derpy" only. A mention of a different name in the credits is not canon, as the credits themselves aren't canon, which was proven by Fluffy Clouds, who was called like that directly in "Tanks for the Memories" by Open Skies, only to appear later in the credits of "Princess Spike" as "Cloudsdale Delegate", without any acknowledgement of his actual name.
What is said by a character during an episode always trumps the informations in the credits and a redubbing for censorship purposes resulting from complaints and harassment by hateful members of the audience does not replace a once canonically established name.
You don't follow canon by calling Derpy "Muffins" here.
8165660
Very well. If it's getting to the point of personal accusations, then I must reply. To pre-empt future comments along this theme, I'm going to be comprehensive; as much as I appreciate open discussion, character naming is not a topic I'd like to get drawn into for long, so hopefully this comment should be sufficient to cover the main points.
First of all, I'll thank you not to speak so uncharitably as to accuse me of outright lying. I personally bear you no ill-will and am happy both to engage in civil discussion and to be corrected or given an alternative opinion. That means there is absolutely no need for premature mudslinging, and frankly I don't appreciate it.
Secondly, while I at least see your point regarding the mention of "Derpy" in the show material, I think your credits counterargument is shaky at best. Credits are officially part of the episode from start to finish - on TV, on DVDs, even online - and people have always used them as guides to character names and to name canonicity. Therefore, to dismiss them as non-canonical makes no sense from the start.
Even conceding that contradictions in canon are a problem (which I think is simply best solved by an individual pragmatic approach), your example of "Fluffly Clouds/Cloudsdale Delegate" doesn't qualify as a contradiction. It is hardly contradictory for a pony to have a name and an official job description. Even if it was contradictory, however, it's certainly not a sound enough basis on which to claim "Muffins" be dismissed as non-canonical; only that it wasn't the only canonical name used.
Now on the other hand, it's true that, were another name used in the credits at a different time, that would be enough to make it untrue that "Muffins" is the only name. However, neither the name "Derpy" nor any other name for the character has ever, at least as far as I recall, appeared in the credits as a canonical contender to "Muffins".
Thirdly, and as indicated in my original comment, I was and am perfectly aware of the issues around The Last Roundup, and it is a shame the company felt the need to edit the episode as they did. It's not my place to tell anyone that they should like the change, or to insist that they use the new name in their fanfic. On a very broad use of the term "canonical", I suppose "Derpy" would qualify. However, I should indicate why I don't think it ultimately does.
Unfortunately, sour motives or not, the fact is that they did change the name, and have since brought their merchandise in line with the change. "Derpy" has been officially edited out, retroactively taken out of both the canonical material and the accompanying merchandise, and is henceforth a fanon name only (which, I must stress, is not equivalent to saying that "Muffins" is "better" or more "logical"; to what extent one fan follows canon is another matter entirely).
The only other competing name, "Ditzy Doo", was never unambiguously tied to the character in the show. By a process of elimination, I therefore conclude that "Muffins" is the only canonical name, at least until they change it again in the show. My reasoning is no more sinister than that.
I hope this clarifies my position regarding canonicity. Again, I must stress that this doesn't make "Muffins" a better name than the fan-preferred "Derpy"; though that is how my own personal tastes go, that only extends to my using it, not to dictating how other people should. If fans want to keep calling her "Derpy", in the name of tolerance I welcome them to do so. In any case, I hardly think one simple fic of mine is going to pose any kind of threat or nuisance to them.
Lastly, and this extends to its reception so far on EqD.com as well, I confess I am disappointed that the quality of the story and the entertainment value of the narrative - whether positive or negative - has been largely neglected in favour of a mere name selection. It's hardly my place to dictate to people what they should and should not post in an open community, but I had at least hoped for more constructive feedback. I certainly hadn't expected to be accused of ill intentions.
If, however, my use of "Muffins" is enough to discourage someone from reading my fic, then so be it. I'm afraid we would have to respectfully disagree. If nothing else, I hope the story description is sufficient to warn them in advance, and thus allow them to simply leave it be.
8166048
That is a very nice wall of text, and it's certainly rivaling my own, but it's ultimately not making any points for your stance.
That's exactly as I'm holding it, too. I love Dinky and I love Derpy, but that's exactly why I will refrain from reading this fic as long as you're using Derpy's wrong name in it.
The reason this fic gets rejected by me and others because of that choice is simple too. "Muffins" is a name that her haters, indirectly, try to force on Derpy, because the censorship is a result of their hatred and harassment.
So, if you call her "Muffins" in one of your fics, then you might not be siding with those haters..... But you're definitely supporting their hateful attitude and their backwards thinking then, intentionally or not, because you continue a censorship Hasbro has started in a knee-jerk reaction to this hateful minority.
That is why you get these reactions. Supporting such a mindset like those haters have will give you lots of flak in a fandom that has "Love & Tolerance" as its motto.
"Muffins" as Derpy's name is a symbol for anti-tolerance. No one should ever use it.
8166210
I did say I wanted to be comprehensive; “rivalling” was not the intention.
I’m afraid this is only possible through sleight-of-hand – intentional or not – on your part: I notice at this point that you switch the topic from whether “Muffins” is canonical to whether “Muffins” is symbolic of hate. I should think it’s obvious the two aren’t identical; at least, I hope that you can tell the difference.
My points address the first because that was the claim you challenged. If you’re going to talk about something else, then at least don’t confuse the two issues, and certainly don’t use ambiguous phrases like “wrong name” without clarification.
In any case, I will now address this second point, the one about it being symbolic of hate:
This is about symbolism? Automatic guilt by association? If that’s the real issue, then let us cut out the middle man and speak plainly about what’s being “symbolized”, lest there be any further misunderstanding. I will also admit upfront that the insinuation here has irritated me, so I apologize in advance for any excessiveness in my tone.
For what it’s worth, I’m a firm supporter of equal rights for disabled people, including those with eye problems. Having a disabled member of the family drives the point home for me, especially when I occasionally help take care of them at their home. I disapprove of the “Last Roundup” edit, both because of the needless eye change and because I think the acting in the original take was better. And I’m a person who, through personal preference and other reasons stated above, will call this pegasus Muffins, and will happily continue to do so, in defiance of people who seem to think that’s sufficient to judge my entire outlook and character on the basis of “hate symbolism”.
It's not even a particularly potent symbol. Myself, I judge the deeds and successes of equal rights activism and aid far higher than I judge one cartoon’s censoring of a character’s eyes, which in turn I judge as the more serious censorship compared with simply renaming her. This is especially the case when I, in fact, keep her disability intact in the same fic for which I am to be accused, however loosely or implicitly, as ableist. If people are going to read so much into an innocent choice of name and think they're doing disabled people a favour, then I'm afraid that's their problem.
And frankly, I see far more relevant and significant ways of combating ableism than crusading against fanfic name use. Symbols are all very well, but they are ultimately arbitrary. I should think real world consequences take priority over the hunt for the wrong “symbols”. So while I applaud the intentions behind the point, to the extent they do so in the name of helping disabled people, they end up committing intolerance in the name of tolerance, and I regard the execution in this case as inept at best.
If any sentence here is destined to draw hatred and intolerance – worse, in the name of “Love and Tolerance”, of all things – then I’m afraid I have nothing to add. The accusation is false, the reasoning flimsy, the intention hugely misguided.
To put it bluntly and clearly: If anyone here is confident enough to openly accuse me of ableism on the grounds of a fictional character’s name, canonical or otherwise, then let them speak and speak plainly. I for one hope their prosecuting evidence is far more substantial than whether or not I prefer "Muffins" over "Derpy".
Why is this story tagged with Derpy? She's not in it.
8166434
People don't read into this, they simply tell you what you're associating yourself with and what kind of message you spread with this and criticize you for that.
People are also not intolerant because of criticizing you and ignoring your fic for that ill-fated name choice, they simply don't tolerate intolerance, because doing that would create a paradox and make the idea of tolerance redundant.
One living by tolerance can't tolerate intolerance without betraying what he stands for.
What you said about symbols has also no substance, the name "Muffins" for Derpy has become a symbol of intolerance because of the events that led to this name ending up in the credits and if you wear this symbol on your fics, then you carry a message of intolerance along with you and spread it.
If you keep associating yourself with this symbol and the message behind it, then you will continue to reap what you sow.
Oh good grief. I can't believe people are carrying on about the pony's name. It's officially "Muffins" now according to Hasbro, and attacking people over their choice to accept that is the opposite of "love and tolerance". That kind of behaviour is the sort of thing that drives people away from the fandom and the perpetrators should be shunned. Shun! Shun! (Or at least... shushed.)
Excellent story, too. Please write more.
8167773
Now this is the sort of comment I was looking forward to receiving, first paragraph notwithstanding, (just a shame about that whole name issue, really).
Thank you for the compliment, and I will see what I can do. 'Twas a pleasure to write.
Fun little slice of life.
Ditzy doesn't get as much love as she used to, making stories like this delightfully nostalgic.
8418248
You're right that you don't see her around very much, though I wonder if that's because a lot of the non-main characters are just getting less and less attention these days.
I mean overall the number of stories released for many character tags has declined over the years. That's quite saddening, especially when it feels like we've merely scratched the surface for story potential.
In any case, I'm really glad you enjoyed this story. No matter what she's called, Ditzy/Derpy/Muffins/etc. is a fun character to write for.
8165660
Changed her name to "Derpy", for exactly the same reasons as in the other fic.
9327964
And slowly, steady, guilt encroaches upon the other author, when he reads this line and they remind on old words.....
And I will definitely read the next story by you, whenever that one may come out.
Definitely.
Definitely.
Uh, there was something I said I would read three months ago..... I don't even know what happened in September that I didn't do it. But October was filled with many own projects (among them one background pony fic that didn't take off because I approached writing it too eagerly and hastily
) and I barely had a real quiet minute for almost the entire month. November was mostly relaxing with audio-visual content because I felt stressed and burnt out after having been a machine in October.
I'm setting "Calendar Chaos" on the list for Wednesday, first one I'm going to read there.
9328080
I honestly don't mind. Read what you want, when you want. It's the only advice that makes sense really.
9328151
That's true. But since I made the promise to read it..... You had a phase where you felt like stopping to write and the last thing I want is to discourage you from writing and bring you into the same mood again by a broken promise to read a fic of yours.