You can never tell when something will become collectible. A coloring mistake in the printing, part of a stamp's artwork gets rotated by ninety degrees, and otherwise-sane ponies are shelling out thousands of bits for the honor of owning something which no longer has a practical use. But not every mistake qualifies, and so Twilight has to directly teach Rainbow the differences: some errors are just that.
The education on how to defraud the public through creating your own collectibles, however, was completely unintentional.
(Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.)
Chapters (1)
I should see that there's a "printing error" in some of my merch to drive up the value.
Thanks for the
evil plangreat idea!At least it's not spiderses.
True story, I’ve got a paperback copy of War of the Worlds where the printing plate must have been just about worn out, ‘cause a few lines sort of angle down into the next one.
I also recently picked up an art book that had one section twice. A folio (I think that’s what the sections are called) got used twice in mine, and I presume that somewhere there’s a copy of that book that’s got two copies of what I’m missing.
Not sure if either of those have much collectible value; they’re heavily used. But it’s interesting to see how even the pros make mistakes.
Little touches like this really make your stories feel alive.
This is the kind of question that ends in smoking craters.
I see Saddle Arabia is approximately as well-liked as Prance.
Heh. So goes the theory.
Hmm. Curious. Especially when one considers how your stories make a point of ponies not seeing any intrinsic worth in gold. Which raises the question of what they can do with silver...
As for the story itself, comparing it to one of Dash's stunts is definitely apt. Or a train wreck. You don't want to stare, but there's a strange sort of artistry in the inevitable disaster. Most enjoyable read. Thank you for it.
Let's be fair, that's kinda what training is.
Really great story here, I loved the ups and downs.
Nice to have another look at Bearer dynamics post-alicornification. I loved seeing Twilight practice her pegasus magic. She and Rainbow have a great dynamic to explore them from an interesting angle.
That was great!
"-- your eyes," the pegasus tried, unaware that her legs were trying to go into reverse, "are getting kind of white right now --"
That's a warning. It comes too late, like when a nuclear landmine goes 'click!'
This is another warning. It needs to come with Explosive Runes.
i.gyazo.com/38f3070afbb8418803d90dca318de25f.png
Dash should cut a deal with the ponies whose houses she naps at and pull a Graceland and market paid tours of her house and all her favourite haunts around Ponyville
this makes me think of some conspiracy nuts who think NASA can make a fake spacewalk video that lasts an hour IN only an hour...
I finally got to finish reading this. I love Rainbow and Spike so much.
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True Story
Once upon a time, there was a girl rock band & they were busy Starving To DEATH. But, they were young & believed in themselves & had faith that their talent would prevail. One day, they caught a break. A record company executive heard them & believed that they could succeed! He signed them to a deal & they recorded a 45.
For kids too young to remember
In those days, 45s had to have TWO songs. One (hopefully) a hit & 1 for the other side (called "the B side". It could suck beyond belief, but it had to be there -folks flout wouldn't buy the record without it.
They had their record, but they didn't have any other original songs to put on the B side. (You have to pay to use someone else's stuff). So, the record company exec said "No problem. It only has to be 3 minutes long (technical reasons) & you've still got an hour's studio time. Make something up" (Gotta love the suits, don't you?). So, they did & their record was released.
Well, the song never did much & is kind of forgotten today. But, the story has a happy ending because the B side, that they recorded in under an hour? The Shirelles never had a bigger hit than "Soldier Boy", God knows why. I don't
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=soldier+boy+shirelles+lyrics&&view=detail&mid=4327DC33CAC936011FCF4327DC33CAC936011FCF&&FORM=VRDGAR
But, the point is that even experts can't always tell what the public will like
I am astounded that there's not a single "Rarity/rarity" joke in this.
Huh, well that was an interesting way of doing it, RD
oh, RD is so silly!
"Wait, I don't get it. Fraud is bad, so defraud has to be good, right?"
Welp, this was entertaining from beginning to end.
10/10 would defraud again.
is Daring Do real in your Equestria?
Ah, Dash. Such ingenious stupidity.
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Isn't silver a magical storage medium? Like platinum, but less dangerous?
I hope Mayor Mare doesn't get wind of this: since the library's funds come from the town, what Spike and Dash did would seem to be embezzlement from Ponyville's budget.
"Would you believe that after I sent one pony a book, she wrote back and asked if I could sell her some of your tail strands?"
Chrysalis getting up to her tricks early, or just obnoxious fans? (Do Ponies know of magic you can do with other Ponies' body parts, or is it just a Changeling thing?)
Heh... I have a friend who owns a comic book store and deals in collectibles; I do a bit of part-time (ie: free) labor for him from time to time. I'm pretty sure I've heard an almost identical version of Twilight's lecture on collectibles; heck, I think I've GIVEN said lecture more than once. About the only thing missing from it is the part where anything that SAYS it is collectible usually isn't... ;-)
Excellent story as always!
"Collectible" rhymes with "gullible." There is a reason for this.
Johnny. Johnny. Leave Sue alone before it's too late. More too late.
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Silver is more of a channeling medium than a storage medium. I'd use gems or iron for magical storage.
It’s almost a pity Spike took over late fee collection. Just imagine what would happen if the philateliasts of Ponyville realised their late fees came with stamps licked by the local alicorn...
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I'm pretty sure I recall it being used magically in an earlier Estee story, but perhaps I mis-remember how exactly.
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Stickers with "From the Personal Shelves of Admiral Biscuit" would be worth the try
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After actually bothering to look for the information, I found it in "This Platinum Cape"
I really need to be more diligent about seeing if I can answer my own questions.
Such a curious mix of brilliance and idiocy. This has Rainbow written all over it.
Typical Rainbow. LOL.
But yeah Spike need a salary for all his works.
I have a rare copy of the hidden alt-ending of "ET" where the feds blow ET and Eliott away with machine guns.
Signed by Amelia Earhart, Elvis, and JFK!!
Who also had cameos!
It's totally legit. My Chinese bootleg dealer said so! He seems a trustworthy fellow.
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Yes, this. Basically Silver works like it does with electricity, conducting thaumic energy with minimal resistance. Platinum, OTOH, is like a superconductor for thaums, able to pull magical energy out of the surrounding environment, hence it's propensity to go BOOM-BOOM!
I very much like how the writing reminds me of Pratchett. It’s like a warm hug.
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I was reading this and thought same. Especially non-personal sentences. And commentaries. One about Saddle Arabia made that final.
It's distinctive and unique enough to not be mistaken. Well thought through, being comedy , it is structured into a form of detective short story, where perpetrator admits her guilt.
And I like how it is concluded on friendly note.
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Ironically people do things like that. She didn't thought through the trails. And that, if uncaught, she'll eventually saturate the market.
Oh Twilight.
Separation of duties is the best way to prevent this, and you went and gave receipt to the same person doing incoming records and ordering.
That's just sloppy.
Tsk tsk.
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That’s not a bad idea.
The only thing more dangerous than RD not thinking things through, is when she does.
*represent.
Dash, you're just so adorably stupid. Fun story.
I love Mama Twilight.
"There was an unofficial title for the book as well: The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs. Oddly enough, the version of this book published in the human world became a best-seller, despite the projectile vomiting."
Also... how much gold was on each book?! I'm trying to calculate how a mere 4 copies could BANKRUPT a rich pony in a world where they pay 2 gold coins for a cup of cider! The book would LITERALLY have to weigh a ton!
9539510 You should watch some "American Greed" episodes. Lots of frauds! Fake rare wines, fake sports collectibles, disreputable precious metal dealerships, a web-based Ponzi scheme.
All sorts of scams out there.
I can protect you with my patented product: Scam-A-Way! Just one spray and anything that's a scam will disappear! (disclaimer: contains deadly DHMO vapor)
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That's not exclusive.
If you followed news , you'd knew of recent scandal which involved several countries in EU and CIS where synthetic cheap alcohol was turned into expensive vine spirits by sequence of document doctoring when every border was crossed. Or that 100% of honey sold in shops is fake, because the only affordable lab test can be fooled by medieval methods... Or that some Chinese companies were increasing "proteins" in their product by adding a toxic plastificier resin to preserved food. Etc, etc.
9789387 Yeah, I've seen so much it's hard to keep up.
The only solution is... DEATH TO THE CRIMINAL SCUM!! *drops them into woodchippers... feetfirst!*
This is the justice of the Mad God, Alondro...
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I actually wonder if any merch producer has ever deliberately hired a screwup in the hope that they'll produce "accidental" flawed copies. And, thinking on it, surely that must have been a story somewhere by now...
I honestly didn't get the Balikhun pun until this. Terry Pratchett would be proud.
OK, I'll admit: it was this single word, out of the entire fic, which completely killed me.
Review Part 0 = Prequel to the review
My friend read this story. Constantly thinking about this story cost him sleep and his thoughts still wonder to it. To say it impacted him is an understatement.
He'd post a review himself, but he's currently kind of held up in prison. You can read about his situation in this blog: A fellow brony wants to talk to you. (Edit: Fimfiction staff ordered me to delete the blog so I complied.)
TL;DR I'm posting this review for BEASLEY1053@emailinterface.org
If you or anypony else have a response to the review, write to his email since he can't access Fimfiction. It would actually mean the world to him to receive an email from somepony because he's cut off from the brony community.
End Review Part 0
Review Part 1
So, to be clear, this is not the user posting this but a friend he is doing a favor for. Now, I`ve read and re-read the fic "The Slipped Case" over quite a few times, and have thought about it a lot (whether I liked it or not) because it has, for better or worse, traumatized me or something of that sort where it causes me anxiety and disquiet, and interrupts sleep. That is not to say the piece is poorly written, in fact the opposite is true and that is part of why it impacts me so deeply. It is very well written, and I greatly appreciate the "Show Don`t Tell" that goes into this, but that very same style leaves open a host of questions that are eating away at me. Some of which I have begun to dissect the story in order to try to answer. But before I really get to those, I want to tell everyone how this comes across to me, what I`m getting from it, if that`s alright? I`m not stating anything as fact, no matter how much it may sound like it, but know that the conviction behind it is the result of belief. I don`t necessarily WANT to believe what I`ve "deduced" about this story, but I think it might be helpful to share all these thoughts with the Bronies and see what comes of that, see what other views there are besides my own and those I have already read in the comments section (or what I can see of it).
First of all, I want to state that I do not feel that Dash`s part in Twilight`s method for fixing everything was consensual. I also feel that it was very cruel, very demeaning, and very unpleasant to be moved around publicly while bound and very very vulnerable. I know how this feels only too well myself, having been escorted on several medical trips from prison in a variety of chains and cuffs just barely able to move, and not without discomfort or, depending on the Corrections Officer on escort, pain.
The scene in Mr. Balikhun`s office suggests... little. We aren`t offered much insight into Dash`s mind after Twilight initially captures her and begins to finally tell her why she actually came to her house in the first place. I`ll get more into that later. I`m going to try to do this piece by piece. I`ll summarize the earlier part of the story, though I`ll provide paragraph references. I would like to know what was going through her mind when Balikhun asked Twi about untying and releasing Dash after the final 2 stops, only to hear "Maybe her jaw, I`m still thinking about the rest". This constitutes an Indefinite sentence. Did you know that we humans have established an international treatise on the humane treatment of prisoners? It is called the Nelson Mandela Act, unfortunately backed by the U.N. which has little clout for this. You shouldn`t be too surprised then, to learn, that the U.S. Department of Justice adheres to virtually none of the clauses therein. I think it shocking that an Equestrian should be less inclined to mercy and kindness than most humans are.
I`m not arguing Dash`s innocence, for she is not. But I also do not believe she deserved that treatment. I am arguing her intent, mostly. I don`t believe any harm was meant. It was greed, a desire for instant gratification, to afford all these things she wants. It was a bad choice, or a series thereof, that lead to some particularly bad consequences for her friend.
This paragraph tells us that Rainbow`s reputation and reception in Ponyville isn`t particularly glowing. Sad, really. I suppose she brought this on herself, over time, with effort. It works against her and in Twilight`s favor later, I think.
So this paragraph establishes a few things. This alone tells the reader that Twi`s library has contracts with multiple publishers. In context with the preceding and proceeding paragraphs, we also see that Dash is not patient.
Nice visualization here. Anyway, so the relationship between libraries and publishers is strained because a library does not offer much of a profit margin for a publisher.
We see here that the Palace has endorsed the value of libraries, so there is some powerful support behind the business. Also the terms of the contract are outlined, and it is clear from the previous paragraph that indeed the ordering of the 1 extra volume could be seen as slightly risky.
So, this appears to me to be a pattern of enabling where Twi is actively convincing herself that spending money for Dash is the equivalent of helping her with her finances. Dash probably won`t learn anything if she can easily mooch off of friends, and if none of them ever sets her straight. It is also a poor lesson indeed to receive something when she has spent all of her money. Of course, this is not the only motivation. There is the matter of Dash`s rather astounding bad luck with lines on release days that factors in, for which Twi seems to offer at least something which appears like compassion. Also, there might have been some selfishness in Twi`s decision to help Dash out.
So we see here that Twilight herself placed the order, doesn`t sound like Dash had much to do with it. The bulk of this story even tells us that Rainbow pays little or inexact attention to detail or words, and thus is unlikely to have picked up on how this process works. Besides, she ended up going to Spike anyway.
Where did Twi get that Dash had asked her for an education? Don`t get me wrong, Dash is obviously invested in the ensuing lecture and listens quite carefully, but she still never actually asked. Twi is not good with social cues, as seen in Pargraph 71. I guess she invented this one.
Twi missed a pretty good opportunity to help her friend grow here. She lectured Dash on the collectibles market, but avoided the subject of her poor spending habits and budgeting. I get the impression this is a habitual behavior for Ponyville as a whole, having done some research and stumbled upon the information in "Pony Up A Tree" I think it isn`t that surprising a pony might avoid it. But Twi isn`t particularly weak, and so can easily defend herself and undo whatever spite Dash might inflict. Also, Ponyville teaches ponies to be less honest and forthright with one another?
Nice, some foreshadowing here. Such a brilliant author
END Review part 1
Review Part 2
We see here how organized Twi is, and how controlling she is about that tree of hers. Even without this paragraph, a brony understands that Twi likes a good organized plan and approach, always has a list in mind, and is very intelligent if somewhat lacking in common sense at times. "exactly" is a clue for later on as well. Just developing an understanding of Twi`s particular neuroses, for me, paints a very different picture of both the "confrontation" in Dash`s house and the interaction on the train in the later part of this story.
So this paragraph tells us that Dash has begun meeting with Spike more than usual. Although how much more than usual is not clearly defined. But I suppose if it was very frequent, Twi might have taken notice sooner. Hard to say, really. At any rate, she went to Spike for help with her plan.
So we have a lot of clues here, I`m going to start with Spike
But more than this, there is this point "an alicorn showing up with a rage-spiking horn corona tended to make the front page." where we see that Twi is conscious, at least a little, of her image and how she is represented around Equestria. It`s also evident that she`s conscious of the consequences of certain actions. In particular, there is at least one news outlet with a particular soft-spot for reporting on the Royalty, whether accurate or not, in order to promote the idea that they are unnecessary. I should think Twi`s actions would reflect poorly on the other royalty, in that case.
Well, this implies no concern for Dash`s wellbeing on Spike`s part. In fact, overall it sounds like Ponyville just doesn`t intend to intervene and possibly save Dash from herself at any point. Actually, I get the impression that overall most of the characters in the `verse of inspid, self-serving and shallow without much concept of actual love or caring. It`s like the world of Equestria was re-imagined with no real understanding of love, fairness, friendship, tolerance, caring, and all the other things that made the baseline Equestria so charming. I personally counted these 3 lines as one distinct paragraph as they were all connected.
So, Spike is starting his escape attempt here. He`s also clearly terrified. I`m pretty sure that shivering is not from the cold alone. Twi exhibits just how much control she has over his life here, though in this case it is meant for his own good. The "Mama" Twi vibe here really speaks to me quite darkly, as in an abusive relationship rather than a nurturing one built on respect and caring. The impression is quite different when she borrows a page out of Shy`s book to affect the control she seeks over Spike. I don`t see caring for Spike here so much as concern for the order she strives for in her own life, and the domain that is her library. The author does a good job of highlighting how, yet again, Twi`s incompetence with social cues results in her misreading a tell from someone she presumably cares about. It`s a hallmark of quality writing that involves so much nuance and sprinkles of flavor that a reader might just miss. It means a story can be ready many different ways, and then choosing the "right" way becomes rather troubling.
So, I see here that she`s both deft at this and is has become something near effortless to perform for her. It sounds like a construct is formed around the object to be manipulated, and that construct is what is in her control. How can it be changed and manipulated in and of itself isn`t clear, but I gather she`s rather gifted and also quite strong considered her ascension, her mark power, and her countless hours of study and practice in the field. Seems second-nature, like something she could perform at length with minimal fatigue resulting
End Review part 2
Review Part 3
The author does a marvelous job of drawing up the tension and creating a feeling of dread and fear. At least for me.
Why is that? Twi has already demonstrated she can get a grip on an object without actually seeing it, and perhaps that telltale noise of "ill-advised impact" told her where to find her assistant, and by feeling she got her grip on him. Of course, that means an open window or door, no? Don`t think that happened, so she just left him there until she was ready? I`m unclear here, but in either scenario there`s a sudden sharp disconnect from friends when she focuses entirely on her own needs. The resulting interrogation of Spike is not to be taken lightly, either, since in a very real sense his life is risked to get the answers she seeks. And still she does not receive all of them, and with that being said, one cannot be certain of the legitimacy of that information which she did extract. Duress is not always a reliable manner of interrogation, I think. It`s already clear that he doesn`t care about how Dash is impacted except for entertainment value when it`s all over, and he`s clearly invested in self-preservation as he tries to get away and then, through vaulting from an upstairs balcony, to run away only to find himself imprinted into a snowbank. In this `verse, Dragons, usually living furnaces unto themselves, are apprently cold-blooded? I mean, being reptilian, that isn`t a great stretch of the imagination.
Amazing work here. There`s no point at which the author chooses to outright tell the reader "And these are the factors Twilight took into account as she planned this out...", instead, we are offered the chance to discern this for ourselves. Actually, the other thing I took home from this is that the author also does not choose to explain every action, or lack thereof, during narrative. Thereby making the author, in essence, an unreliable narrator. Not so unreliable as to be outright falsifying the goings on, just that bits and pieces are left to the reader to uncover with clues and nuance. It`s really incredible, genius level stuff. So on the technical level, this writing is ALWAYS strong.
Twilight is noted to be a very organized pony earlier in the story, and that plays out well here. For this reason I became convinced that "about ten in the morning" did not necessarily refer to the same morning she received the notice in the red envelope. Perhaps the next day? She`s methodically, 24 hours would be enough time to work out a plan (in this case a fairly simple one fueled only by a desire to hurt the pony she`s visiting and simultaneously repair the damage to her career) as well as gather the supplies she`d need.
Rainbow does say those bags are really full. But, it might never be clear just how much stuff she had in there or if it was all rope.
Around Paragraph 122, where Twi first seems the envelopes and packages in the mailbox, I had to really dig deep to understand what exactly was happening. First off, it`s now evident that she`s conscious of her eyes going white (probably has always been to some degree or other), and that she`s working hard to rein in her rage in order to carry out her particular plan. It requires a significant degree of surprise, it seems. In that I find this story has certain failings, but I`ll talk on those later and explain why I feel as I do.
And at Paragraph 124, which begins "It was about ten in the morning", shows us the degree to which Twi understands her friends, and Ponyville in general. It`s a good indicator that, while she is not competent to follow social cues, she is quite competent to discern patterns in everyday life and with respect to the ponies she is most exposed to. The tone of the narrative itself seems to speak to her animosity towards Dash and her judgment in general. It causes me to wonder if this is part of what she is telling the publishing houses later.
At Paragraph 128, Twi broaches the subject of her interest with "It`s not as if you told anypony that you`d changed your name to Editions Unlimited." It`s passive-aggressive, and effective at opening this topic of conversation with Dash in a way that does not allude to the threat she currently represents.
Paragraph 129, where Dash begins to talk a bit about it, tells me a few things. My initial reaction was "guilty conscience" but that went out the window with the remainder of their exchange in Dash`s house. Instead, this is more "disappointed the surprise is spoiled" then "well, at least now I can tell her everything", where there`s no guilt felt. I also note that here she indicates clearly that she asked Spike not to say anything, and I wonder if this is the extent to which she instructed Spike? How much of the deceit was his own devising due to experience and understanding of Twi?
Paragraph 132 shows us the first question of Dash`s that Twi actually answers, through the answer itself is vague to keep Dash from becoming concerned or worried. Just more of Twi`s passive/passive-aggressive approach. The more of this I read, the less future I think their relationship (or indeed any of Twi`s relationships) really has.
Finally, Paragraph 135 shows Dash invited Twi in without having received an answer to the question of just why she had shown up at Dash`s door. In fact, Twi only answered one out of the 4 questions that Dash asked. Albeiot, 2 of them were rhetorical anyway. It shows, first, just how much trust Dash has in Twi here, and is equally effective and demonstrating Twi`s animository toward Dash in her willingness to use this trust
End Review part 3