Story Reviews » Reviews! Round 68 · 12:18am Jul 4th, 2015
Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
"There," said RedSquirrel, putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece. "It's perfect."
"It's Rarity," said Ferret.
"That is why it is perfect." Red put down his brushes and took his beret off, placing it over his heart as he stared up at the squiggly-tailed unicorn portrait now dominating the wall.
"You painted over every single Trixie in the whole building."
"Well, you know. Alex is dead and all. He won't be needing Trixie where he's going."
"But we found him just last week. He literally walked right into the room."
"Yeah, but everyone was too lazy to change the death certificate. And at least this way, the true best pony will finally be acknowledged."
The two of them stood there, watching the paint dry for a little bit, before Red clapped his paws together. "Well! Now that that's done, I suppose we can start doing what we're paid for."
Ferret wiggled her adorable little nose. "You mean the fics?"
Red looked up from a nearby supply closet, from which he pulled a squirrel-sized shovel. "What? No! I mean making sure nobody finds Core's body. You can't bury those things deep enough these days, you know!"
ROUND 68
When the Element-Bearers are summoned to a mission, somepony has to fill in for their day jobs while they're gone. In Fluttershy's case, that pony is Snowflake, and has been for nearly two years. While he can't bring the talents of her mark to the job, he can keep the cottage running steadily until she gets back --
-- with one lapine exception.
It's Snowflake vs. Angel Bunny. And the rabbit has the edge.
A lot of people try to write stories without dialogue, and a lot of them misunderstand a very basic point: if nobody is saying anything, what they do and who they are has to be made that much more interesting. It’s not enough to merely describe everything, to merely have your character be a stoic blank wall; there is no inherent poetry in that. So instead of just showing the mere façade of a character’s face as they wander through a world they never react to, you must delve deep inside of their own heads, which this story pulls off wonderfully.
You’d never think much of Snowflake/Bulk Biceps before you read this story, a one-note character who’s there to yell and personify musclebound meatheads. So Estee takes him and gives him everything that could possibly work for a character like this: a strange yet interesting explanation for his personality and wing condition, some excellent vignettes of how everypony else would treat a pony like this if they actually had these ridiculous proportions in a real world, and a wonderfully miserable antagonist to top it all off. Snowflake is in charge of Fluttershy’s house while she’s gone, and the implications of that are fascinating and poignant as the story explains the relationships between Snowflake and the rest of the world.
What’s best about this story is that all these things combine to make something that feels extraordinarily human, something we can relate to and see and feel even though it’s a world nothing like our own. That’s what makes this story such a great recommendation. If you ever need a story that shows you great character-building, worldbuilding, and storytelling, just check this one out.
I am a massive sucker for characterization. One of my favourite things about MLP is that every being has a personality. From the cows to the dogs to the ferrets all animals have a large amount of sapience and personality. They may not speak the same language, but they understand complex ideas and express them. You don’t have to say that it seems like your cat is talking to you. In MLP, they really can. Which is one of the reasons Angel Bunny works so well. He is genuinely smart enough to communicate with other ponies.
Anyways, onto the story, this story starts with a fairly simple idea. Fluttershy needs to travel away for a time and needs someone to watch her animals for her. Enter Snowflake. He helps her out and is even training to become a vet under her tutelage. Since he’s a regular at the cottage the animals recognize him and have no problem. Except for Angel Bunny... Angel naturally is attached to Fluttershy and doesn’t want her to leave him alone. So when she leaves, he feels resentful to the pony who’s trying to fill her place, regardless of how temporary it may be.
The story is written from Snowflake’s perspective and his thought process is really fascinating. He goes into small details about random things, he remembers how his birth was risky, he thinks about how he struggled growing up, and how good it felt to finally succeed and silence the bullies. Amusement at how shocked ponies are when he can identify and treat the ailment of their pets. He thinks about his various jobs, how much he feels Fluttershy struggles through every day, and how he wants to help her shoulder the burden. He thinks about how he gets teased and how he doesn’t like to retaliate because he’s so much bigger, and this is where Angel gets in. He knows Snowflake won’t hurt him, he’ll refuse to be a bully. So Angel will test him, push his limits, try to get in the way or trip him up.
Eventually Angel goes too far and Snowflake fights back. They call it a draw and Snowflake goes back to work. Later that evening, Snowflake is counting the animals to make sure they’re all there before he takes a nap and find Angel missing. He decides this must be a new way for the bunny to torment him, but then Angel turns up. Trying to get his attention and to lead him somewhere.
I’m not about to spoil how things go, but it’s interesting how it affects the way each of them view each other. This story does an excellent job of showing how small everyday events can have very large results.
Zippoorwhill's beloved Scoltish Terrier has gone missing! Now it's up to Featherweight to help the frantic filly reclaim her beloved pet.
...And maybe learn a little something about trusting one's friends in the process.
Some adventures happen in your own backyard. Zipporwhill and Featherweight are the last ponies I’d figure to put into some kind of epic friendshippy quest to recover lost pets, but Pegasus Rescue Brigade has done it! You all remember Zipporwhill, right? I didn’t until I saw the story, and I’ve fallen in love with her all over again. She acts a perfect foil to unassuming, modest, and somewhat cowardly Featherweight, and the both of them embody that always wonderful comic duo of ‘manic’ and ‘mild.’
This story is one of those stories that I hope we all like to see more of on FIM Fic, the kind that could become an MLP episode, or even an episode of any old kid’s show. I can’t imagine a better way to spend an afternoon than reading stories like this, which come with their imaginative brand of innocence coupled with amazing and fun characters. Seriously, take some time to look through this one, and you’ll have a smile on your face by the end.
Zipporwhill sort of blew into the fandom in a haze of caffeine fumes, or possibly a desperate needs for ritalin depending on your preference. Anyways, she appeared and disappeared quickly, though she got her own collection of fans who welcome the chance to see her again. It’s clear from this story that Pegasus Rescue Brigade falls firmly into that camp as this entire story is a happy fun-loving romp.
The story focuses on Zipporwhill and her friend Featherweight. Zipporwhill is exactly as we’ve seen her before. She’s quick and impulsive, always up for adventure and capable of going from happiness to sadness to anger in a few breaths. She feels like a happy kid who’s living off pure sugar and can’t wait to explore the world. She loves her family and her puppy and her cousin, even though he can be a stick-in-the-mud.
Featherweight plays the straightman to Zipporwhill, more patient and thoughtful. He’s much more down to earth and enjoys her energy and ideas, even if he doesn’t always like what she comes up with. He often tries to be the voice of reason to her eager flights of fancy, but tends to get caught up in things without meaning to.
The plot of the story is that Zipportwhill’s dog Angus disappears. Zipporwhill is naturally distraught over this and vows to not rest til she finds him. When the kids relaize that Angus loves Zipporwhill and wouldn’t have run away Zipporwhill deduces he must have been petnapped and decides they must solve this terrible crime! Featherweight agrees to help due to his experience as a reporter on the school paper and to try and help rein in their search.
The story involves them searching and finding suspects to interrogate and plans to lure out villains. The entire thing has a real Encyclopedia Brown feel to it, and I love the energy and intensity that the characters have. It really feels like they follow the logic of kids, and that brings a really youthful feel to it.
Princess Luna has heard all about that sneering layabout, Blueblood, and means to make him into a more respectable pony! How? A princess worries not about small details! She'll start by seeing if he can be made to behave himself.
Will our hero be, well... Heroic? Stay tuned!
It’s no mistake that I really, really like Blueblood. He’s the perfect candidate for all this friendship nonsense: his character can be taken as an idiot, a bitter loon, or something in between that really just isn’t aware of how silly he acts sometimes, and is confounded that other ponies don’t realize how silly they’re acting. It’s this last option that was taken in Like Mended Glass, a superb little story not necessarily of Blueblood’s redemption, but really his journey through a confusing bunch of vignettes that generally are supposed to make him better than he already was.
Blueblood is great as a silly pony who is consistently outmatched by even sillier ponies, not least of all by Luna’s bombastic enthusiasm for ‘reforming’ him and the ponies she keeps trying to pair him up with in an effort to make the next Prince of Friendship, or at least Courtly Etiquette. The ponies he meets in his adventure are equally strange and endearing in their own little ways, each being more than entertaining in their own right. It’s a somewhat lengthy fic, and it’s pretty much comedy all the way through, and I can’t really say it doesn’t need a good editor to give it a run-down.
But all this shouldn’t push you away from what is genuinely a good fic, and a portrayal of Blueblood that I oh so wish more authors wrote around here.
I’ve freely admitted before here I love Blueblood. I think he’s a really interesting character. I love the villains in this show, but he’s distinct to me as he was one of the first villains who was shown to just be unpleasant and for what seemed like no reason. We have no idea what drove him, or what motivated him. So fans stepped in to fill the gap. Luna, even now is very much the same. We have so many variations on her personality that it’s fun to see how different people handle them. And when you mash two of the types together, you can get some really interesting stories.
This story is one of those examples. We have Luna wanting to rejoin society and improve her image, but not being sure how to go about it. Thanks to some suggestions and overheard conversations she decides Blueblood will be the focus of her attentions. If she can redeem him, then anything is possible! Blueblood for the most part is sort of an unfulfilled body. He has potential and promise, but not drive to be more than he is. He’s content to be the stand-in for his aunts, and to put up with obnoxious nobility. Luna decides enough is enough and sets out to remedy this.
Blueblood is treated rather roughly at first and stumbles quite often. Understanding and interpreting Luna’s orders is often very difficult and the characters he interacts with do their best to help, though they often don’t even realize what’s going on. There are several different characters present here and none of them ever felt tedious or boring. They’re all very distinct and unique.
Luna on the other limb is interesting in how she struggles to give him commands that make sense, and strives to help him overcome both his fears and hers. She can sometimes be oblivious or even cruel without meaning to, but she does slowly learn. Though some of her commands are quite funny and can lead to very bizarre situations that show how out of touch she really is in this new culture and society.
This is a really solidly done piece, and I loved getting to follow these characters on their journeys. This never felt too slow and left me interested for each new situation and event. Definitely worth reading even if you’re not a big fan of Luna or Blueblood.
THIS SECTION EATEN BY BEAVERS
The one rodent and one mustelid returned late in the evening from their dark work, having spread several fake reviews around to leave a false trail for those actually looking for Corejo. So it was to their great surprise that they found Core sitting on the couch with the other Angels, making them relive his videos of the time he went to Lunacon for the fifth or sixth time.
"Wait," said Ferret. "But... who's really out there in the box then?"
"Huh," said Red. "Who was that other guy whose name started with C?"
Feel free to visit our group for more information and events, and to offer some recommendations for future rounds. See you all next time!
Nick Nack
3204401
Oh, that guy's been dead for centuries. In fact, I think we replaced him with Plum just so no one would notice.
3204446
Pretty sure you're thinking of Sessalisk
3204466
Who? No seriously, Sess was only here for two review rounds and maybe part of the first podcast, and then he/she dropped off the face of Fimfic. So I've no idea who the fuck you're talking about.
Oh right, Cisco Ramon. Well that sucks...
Like Mending Glass is good fun, if a little uneven. Interesting Blueblood fics always catch my attention. :)
3204401
Oh, that's a relief, I thought Calexstraza had cacked it.
Two new stories for my reading list!
....I see.
Also, at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if all of you Angels ended up presumed dead at some point or another.
3206533
My guess is that Pav is going to die shortly after taking part in Round 69. Given that he's the closest thing to an actual lech that Seattle's Angels has, I assume he'll die happy...
... Still needs more Twilestia.
Next review is 69! Let all the dank meme lords rejoice!
3204466
You sure it wasn't Sanik?