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Under the Sun · FiM Short Story ·
Organised by RogerDodger
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Fool
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#1 ·
· · >>The_Letter_J >>Haze
Fool! You've triggered my trap card. Now you'll see how a true card master plays! And you're about to go BANANA, ON THE MOOOOOOOOOOOON!

Even if the drawing is a little rough around the edges, I quite like this one. There is a lot to interpret from this one. Who is holding the card? What does it say about the other pony/griffon/minotaur/Apache helicopter who came to "consult the cards"?

Since interpreting tarot cards varies according to people and situations, you've played a pretty smart trick here. It is a strong piece for interpretation. It's a bit weaker for drawing technique but it's not something big. My only nitpick would be with the colors. The back of the card is the only thing with a color and I don't know what is supposed to mean, or if it's just to add focus on the main subject, the tarot card.
#2 ·
· · >>horizon >>Haze
Given my in person knowledge at Babs con, I am guessing this is Horizon. Off-topic: if you get her eyes and drunk at a convention he'll do drunk terret reading's
#3 · 1
·
Very nice looking. You even used shading and shadows, which puts you way above my artistic abilities. :p

>>Fenton
I think the color is actually a nice touch. After all, according to the prompt, that upside down card is the real focus of the picture.
#4 · 3
· · >>Haze
I wasn't a fan of this piece at first, but it ended up being the only one that inspired me to do any writing. Unfortunately, I'm not gonna be able to finish my story—I'm only 800 words in, barely halfway through my first of three scenes, and I need to go to bed now so I can get up early for jury duty.

That said, here's the first paragraph of what would have been (IMO) a pretty good piece about a power-hungry filly trying to divine her greatness:

Three weeks. Three weeks since I first saw the filly, prideful and doomed, trot down the path that runs in front of my shop. As she passed, she spared my tinted windows a glance. She probably spent days practicing that eyes lidded, lips pursed straight, nonchalant look. Really, she just looked like a walking slice of constipated bacon.


Thanks for the picture, artist. Sorry I couldn't do it justice.
#5 · 2
·
FIRST REVIEW OF THE ROUND, SUCKERS

>>Dubs_Rewatcher

this was nice but feels incomplete
I really liked the first few paragraphs, how they were from the perspective of the fortune teller observing our main character and her habits. It hooked my attention.

when Sunset finally does enter, it felt like it was going too slow for me. she's too coy about this, and Madam has to drag it out of her. I want them to hurry up. I think I would've liked more of the private commentary like in the opening, so even when I know where this is going there's still some interesting things to learn along the way, stretch out the tension.
#6 · 2
· · >>Haze
>>Super_Trampoline
TIL that Super Trampoline posts via voice-to-text on a mobile, and pronounces tarot [TEH-roh] as "Ter-rot"

(TIAL that "terret" is a hoers pun)

Anyway:

Congratulations, artist! This piece wins a special Honorizonable Mention™ For Best Use Of Tarot, which comes with a free drunken My Little Pony Tarot reading if our paths ever cross at a convention. (I'll be at Bronycon in two months!) If that's unlikely to happen, I can do a probably-less-drunken four-card Equestrian spread for you here (if you want to make it a public spectacle) or via e-mail/Fimfic PM. Claim your prize after anonymity ends.

Judging-wise, this wins lots of Horizon points for theme, but it's definitely on the sketchier side, which hurts it technically. I like some details (the Summer Sun sun-raising pose on the exposed card; the sharp crosshatching on the card backs for shading; the bit on the left) and the spot color was absolutely a strong choice. I really wish this had been cleaned up similar to the other entries I was just commenting on. With clean lines and digital shading (or even taking a finger to your paper to do by-hand pencil-smudge shading — does everybody draw in pen now? :P) this would have been angling for my top contenders. All told it will probably fall about mid-tier.
#7 ·
·
I am thou, thou art I...
Thou has turned a vow into a blood oath.

Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion
and break the yoke of thy heart.

Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret
of the Sun, granting thee infinite power...
#8 · 5
·
Time: about an hour.

I spent most of my time working on the others, and had to do something relatively fast and economical in the 2 hours before the deadline. Better to have more art-prompts to choose from than fewer.... I hope? I did this quickly so I could allocate the final hour on a fourth picture -- half of it turned out amazing, but the other half wasn't working out, so I didn't consider it good enough.

(I also had a fifth idea, where I would draw Celestia's sun cutie mark on a small post-it note, stick it over a pony doll's cutie mark, and take a photo. WHAT'S UNDER THE SUN? I was so sure someone else had already come up with that idea. and I was a perfectionist about getting the doll's hair looking nice that I didn't get around to it. I should've done it anyway)

ok back to this one. pen sketch on moleskine notebook paper. used a marker for the highlighted card, but I could've picked a better color. I dunno, it was a hasty last-minute addition to emphasize the obvious pun here (for those who still haven't figured it out, card XIX is The Sun). It's almost cheating since I didn't have to draw a character, just a hoof. everyone's right that it could've been better quality, given enough time, but I didn't have that. so I made it as good as a simple pen-sketch could look.

>>Fenton
Since interpreting tarot cards varies according to people and situations, you've played a pretty smart trick here.

it's a cop-out for sure. I didn't even show the card underneath, so writers could pick literally any card they wanted and turn it into a story! Me, I think it's a "Bank error in your favor" card from Monopoly.

>>Super_Trampoline
Off-topic: if you get her eyes and drunk at a convention he'll do drunk terret reading's

Hrmm, I'll have to find some fresh eyeballs then. help me out, Posh.

>>horizon
I noticed you already guessed/knew this was mine. I'll see you at Bronycon for the reading!

Full disclosure: horizon gave me a tarot reading last year, and it made quite an impression on me. I drew this knowing he'd appreciate it, even if nobody else liked it.

or even taking a finger to your paper to do by-hand pencil-smudge shading — does everybody draw in pen now? :P

heh. this is like being told to add more said-isms to a story, or to begin by describing the weather. finger-smudging is one of those newbie mistakes one is taught early not to do.