Another Kind of Writer's Block

[kriadydragon]

I got this idea for this (original) story that happens to involve unicorns, and I rather like it because it's different, quirky, a little dark and creepy and I think I could have a lot of fun with it. But the reputation of unicorns has become this big, cutsy, fluffy rainbow-pooping, My Little Pony thing that I can't get it out of my head. Seriously, every time I sit down to ponder this story idea stuff like My Little Ponies, The Last Unicorn, Legend, The Adventures so Unico and every cute, fluffy, delicate unicorn related thing keeps popping into my head and it's getting in the way of me pursuing this idea. It's driving me crazy.

I've always been somewhat of a sucker for unicorns. Not as much as dragons - probably not even quite up there with dragons - but enough that I do try to work them into my stories now and then if I can (very rarely, but I try), and I've always wanted to do something unicorn centric.

But these days unicorns have become the stuff of horse-loving little girls and satire, of rainbows, butterflies and cuddly pink bunnies or whatever. Don't get me wrong, we had some great unicorn stuff like The Last Unicorn and Legend but even then they were these dainty, innocent things meant to be protected but mostly sucked at defending themselves. And it keeps tainting my thoughts every time I attempt to plan this story.

And I'm not sure where I'm going with this except to get the frustration of it off my chest. It's not really something I need help with - that is, unless anyone knows any stories that takes a different spin on unicorns? Not evil!unicorns, just... something else, something that isn't the cliche unicorn. I just need to keep tweaking my own story until it finally reaches a point where the cliche unicorn quits trying to jump in and take over.

Comments

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

I find this topic of great interest.
Although they are definitely a part of fantasy, I still remember them from Legend, I have never have seen them as something cute and fluffy......
I guess it is why I am able to envision them in an entirely different light in a piece of ff.....similar to how Tolkien depicted elves in his LOTR saga
I am sure some were surprised given the normal depiction of them in literature etc.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I grew up in the age of My Little Pony, when fluffy, cute unicorns were everywhere - posters, stickers, cartoons. The Last Unicorn and Legend were the best places for the more "mature" unicorn but the portrayal was still that of a delicate, untouchable, skittish creature. Which is what I don't want for my own story, but that still keeps creeping into my head every time I think of the story. I'm kind of hypersensitive when it comes to associations like that, and it's making it difficult to keep the unicorns I have in mind from turning into the unicorns of my childhood.

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

I guess I have never seen them in anyway other than a more 'mature' creature
It was why I offered the analogy to Tolkien's elves, who in my mind was fully acceptable, but I know some were astonished. I guess they had visions of the little munchkin type beings in other literature.
Fantasy has always been part of my life, and it all was due to a childhood full of stories etc. but I do not recall cutesy depictions, but more like what you cite and what Tolkien cited in his books.