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Really, I'm just bad at this.
#24188 · 2
· · >>Bachiavellian
Could someone point me to the rules covering pic submissions for this? I'm pretty clear on the words bit, but it's been so long, I have no idea how the art angle works. I cannot seem to find any guidelines about it.
#21359 · 5
·
I voted on a prompt. May we all perish together.
#14104 ·
·
I have voted. Now I expect all the rest of you to pick my prompt.
#14090 · 3
·
Welp, time to over think and over write things again.
#9402 · 3
· · >>GroaningGreyAgony
>>GroaningGreyAgony
Bust of both worlds. Tiny aliens colonize Sunset Shimmer’s bacon bits, start an intermammary war.

I am not a good person or a strong one, I might steal this.
#9246 · 1
· on Bit Too Literal
>>Xepher
Hmmm...I think that might be it. I conflated the the wrong bits and just confused everyone. I swear, it's always the tiniest thing that can throw a meaning or connotation out the window and create a snowballing effect.
#9244 · 2
· on Bit Too Literal · >>Xepher >>Monokeras
>>FanOfMostEverything
>>Monokeras
>>SPark
>>Zaid Val'Roa
>>JudgeDeadd
>>Xepher
>>Shadowed_Song
>>Rao
>>Posh
Is that everybody? Yeah, I think that's everybody...

First of all, let me say thank you for reading this and giving me a moment of your attention and a comment. It would seem, rather unanimously, that I missed the payload here by a wide margin. But I tell you, I'm somewhat flummoxed here. As I mentioned in the Discord chat, I can't help but feel that there was a bit of overthinking going on here. I mean, it is likely my fault that that happened, but I'm really not sure WHY.

This started off with a simple idea: copy the basic Twilight Zone format of the old black and white TV show, hence the opener to set both that tone and lay the expectation groundwork. To me, the Twilight Zone was the show that explored the "clever" twist and bait & switch tropes of storytelling. It got a lot of legwork out of seeming to be smarter than it was by making the audience feel smart when they figured out what was going on. Outside of a few stand out episodes, however, it really wasn't all that good...but hey, nostalgia glasses will do that for you.

So I took a simple idea, that Sunset, a character that is known for going above and beyond for knowledge and power, would just assume that the things Celestia told her or taught her had deeper or hidden meanings. She was looking for subtext and expecting it to be there. Celestia's catch phrase sticks out in her mind as a possible source of hidden meaning, but she's never figured it out. But that's the kicker. There is no deeper meaning than what Sunset already knows: Celestia is the All-Mother and a big horse.

I mean, I start playing my hand right at the beginning. I state in the title that this story is a BIT TOO LITERAL. Right before Sunset's dream I point out that some phrases are just what they appear to be. Sunset merely thinks there is something deeper and dreams up being an actual little pony. Her sleep addled mind comes - albeit in a roundabout metaphorical way - to the conclusion that she should let go of what Celestia has said to her. To stop trying to find a deeper meaning that doesn't exist. It's holding her back, limiting her, "making her small." It's time to get on with her life and be with the people she calls friends.

Then the last line was a literal hat tip back to the Twilight Zone format and the 'last minute double twist ending' that a lot of the episodes had. A literal was-it-all-just-a-dream-or-was-it-real, duh duh DUH kind of deal. But that just served for greater confusion, apparently. My wordsmithery needs more practice it seems. Plus the original version was over 1000 words long, I tried to trim just fluff out of it, but I think I might have snipped that context too, somehow.

I know this is starting to sound like bitter grapes and bitching, and I really don't mean it to. I value all of your opinions and feedback, but as each of these comments came in, I just kept thinking, c'mon this isn't that hard or deep...

Sorry.
#8645 · 1
·
You know...it doesn't really matter which one of these I read, I keep hearing this in my head:

Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
The place is a madhouse
Feels like being cloned
My beacon's been moved
Under moon and star
Where am I to go
Now that I've gone too far
#8633 · 3
·
And done with my slate!
#8619 · 1
· on Twilight Sparkle is the True Crime of a Song
er...I recognize some lines in there from songs in the show and some fan made stuff, I think? There is some neat word salad going on here, but it kind of reflects poorly that I had to read and mouth along with each sentence to keep my place in it and meaning, if there is any, never really gelled together.
#8613 · 1
· on Twilight’s Safe Zone · >>GroaningGreyAgony
Cute. Bit jumpy toward the end, but cute.
#8589 ·
· on Vört Vört Vört
I have no idea what this might be referencing. If it's referencing anything. It's weird, but an interesting sort of weird.
#8585 ·
· on Exclusion Zone · >>Xepher
This has a very "Lost Cities" by Cold in Gardez vibe. Atmospheric and fairy tale-like.
#8576 · 1
· on Are There Any Paranoids in the Writeoff Tonight?
>be me
>be reading this fic
>igotthatrefference.avi
>kek
>find bleach
>make martini
>the pain will end soon
#8568 · 2
· on Home Sweet Home
That was a good twist. Very subtle.
#8564 ·
· on The Twilight Council · >>Xepher
Okay, top of the pile you go. I legit giggled.
#8556 · 3
· on Subject Theta 32
Given the prompt, this SCP(SPC??) format works very well. I also liked the cute touches of word choice edits and strike throughs to hammer home the author of the report. Well done.
#8553 · 1
· on Transcript of Interview - 0101730A · >>Zaid Val'Roa
Nice!
#8494 ·
· on Just a Test
holy crackers! This is the best one hands down!
#8493 ·
· on Crazy Talk
ouch
#8491 ·
· on Twilight Sparkle Seeks a Zoning Permit
cute. Really made me smile.
#8490 · 1
· on Yet Hope, In Part, Found Purchase · >>Corejo
I do not know diddly about poetry or poetic structure, but this was pretty impressive.
#8489 ·
· on The Thousandth Year
Okay, I like this one.
#8487 ·
· on The Town
2edgy4me
#8486 · 1
· on The Masquerade · >>Fenton
couple of typos, but not bad. Cute little scene.
Paging WIP