Friendship is Monster first impression review · 1:01am Feb 26th, 2017
Anyone a fan of monster high? How about a equestrian girls MH crossover?
Firstly, I would like to say I know Ive been behind on writing. Tax season makes it busy at my job, I still don't have home wifi, and when I can write, my focuse is on my yearly everfree NW entry that I should be working on instead of this. But while I let a new draft settle, I'd though I'd get this done on the side. Telling you why you should check out this new fan fic called Friendship is Monster.
Much like last year with Pride of Apples, I am planing about making a video review, but for now I'm busy and want to see how the story goes first before setting it in stone. If I do give it a proper underaprecation review, it will come out in October depending on how many/what chapters come out by then.
However, i fist better share my thoughts on the other half of this crossover, monster high...
Meh~
I gave a few episodes and movies a chance, and even happen to have something in mind from it for an autistic TV review, which I may tie into this. However, at the end of the day, while I can't say I hate MH, or that's its as bad as something like G3 or Bratzs (dispute looking the same which I doubt is a coincidence), I defiantly can't say it's as good or well written like Steven universe of FIM, but can see the appear to some older fans. It has some interisnting ideas and potential for themes of being happy with who you are, along with covering and paralleling segeration in a similar way as x-men, but with a more slice of life tone, but... it just dose it poorly. Though i guess to its slim defense, it's more doing so to play it safe. Personally I think if it had actual effort and talent, the franchise could stand with some of the great shows this decade. Or at the very least it can inspire something like friendship is monster.
For friendship is Monster, one day in her humans only gated community, Twilight Sparkle saves the life of a vampire, Sunset, dispute every reason why she shouldn't. Which leads to her learning more about both the monster world and friendship than she could have inmagined.
I think there's a better discription, but that's the best I can have, since this actual use to just be a one shot story, original being called, why not?
For the first chapter, the story is about Twilight trying to save Sunsets life without anyone, let alone her parents, finding out.
Though what I liked most throughout all of this was how this world was set up. Most of which comes from Twilghts perspective as a sheltered human in a all human bias community, and her curiosity to research. One of my favorite small bits is when she's thinking about her time looking up monsters, and one of those times leading her to a YouTube video about a skateboarding ghoul, and a make tutorial werewolf. It's small details like that which do any amazing job of setting up what kind of world this is. Normally I caution the use of technoglu such as smart phones and social media sotes, since it can often take you reader out of the fantasy element. However, when it's used as such, it can add a nice touch of detail.
From what's provided so far, the world feels something like ours from something like the 90's to early 2000's (I'd say today, but...)
However, what sold me was the relationship formed between Sunset and Twilight durning all of this. It's more worth reading, and I'll try to do a better job in the video review, but it's everything you could want in a non-ship sci-sunlight story.
So much so, that when it ended with, spoilers if you can call it that, Celstia as Sunsets adoptive mother coming to take her home, then just ending with the set up of Sunset asking Twilght to hang out with her and her friends outside Twilight's home of everfree estates, I felt rather pissed honestly thinking, that was it?
Like many people who first read this as a one-shot, I may have reacted as, 'dude, are you really just going to end the story here? There's so much potential you can still do with this set up that could give Shadowbolt Adventures a run for its money, and you're just going to end it here? Which for better, and hopefully not for worse , it didn't end. It's now an incompetent story with two more chapters as of this journal. Chapter two being about what happened to Sunset after she was saved, and with Twilight going on her movie date with her new friends for the third, with the later being my favorite so far.
Though I will say the sencond chapter was kind of my least favorite. Not that it was bad, but, if any of you watch disneycember, it's just kind of the lio and stitch effect so far with Sunset Shimmer herself.
I stress I don't hate anything so far, and could go on with far more good elements than bad, but, I was more excited to see more of Twilght and the friend date than I wanted to see of Sunset reflecting on what happened.
Though I think another reason is because Sunset dosnt have any conflicts to get as invested in. There are a few ideas with the human discrimination and her being a new vampire, but so far there's nothing to really get that invested in. She seems otherwise content with her life and friends, and doesn't seem to have any flaws to overcome unlike Twilight.
Once again I didn't hate the chapter or character, and even believe it was needed, but I was just looking more forward to the movie date, which thankful we got for the next chapter.
And like I said, it's my favorite so far, and I guess Sunsets story just made me more hyped for this one. And it's why I'm considering giving this story/series an underapreaction review.
The first of which is Twilight herself. As said, she has the most interesting conflict to get behind, in both being sheltered, and much like friendships games sci-twi, grew up on a less than friendly environment. Though unlike cannon sci-twi, more of her anti-socialness came from a group of human students who humiliated her after they tricked her into hanging out on day.
I have a feeling these are going to be the shadowbolts, we'll just have to wait and see. These events left her so traumatized that she's retreated into herself and scientific curiosities till Sunset came along and offered her to hang out with her and their friends. Which you could argue that Twilight only said yes to because her curiosity of monsters outweighed her social fears. Even then, causes quite the struggles throughout, and still has some issues to short about her trust, but while having made good process by the end. Though i suspect most of the next bit of conflict (which I'm looking forward too) is her coming out to her parents/community/grandmother that's being built up about her monster friends. Which Im hopeing isn't going to be dragged for too much longer and we get the see everyone's reaction and how Twilight deals with it.
Speaking of, I also liked how chapter three better exspanded the world and story mood.
At first, it kind of felt like humans were the supreme (for lake of a better word) white power while the monsters are the victims. Still dose a little bit, but from Twilghts experience, it seems as if humans aren't as superior as first made out to be, but still no more 'victims' as the monsters. It was also show in the first chapter, but here you get that, while there's discrimination, it's not unequal, and that humans can be and are just as much the victims and superiors as monsters. It sets both the world and possible conflicts up more as grey rather than black and white, and looking forward to where it's going for any possible conflicts.
Which, where do I think/would like the story to go;
Possible Spoilers
Personal, with such a world and set up, there are a lot of ways it can go that would make me happy. However, what I think is best and most likely to happen is that it is going to build to some big conflict between monsters and humans that the girls have no choice but to be apart of if they want peice. Though, while I am hoping for some big change, I'm kind also not hoping it's the kind where everyone gets along and everfree esates and crystal prep is open to all. Wouldn't mind if it somewhat did that, but I think this story can write a smarter ending.
I'm also hoping it's not caused by some sudden secret order or ancient evil nonsense, and can build more naturally.
However, for the more immediate future, I'm looking forward to how it's revealed that Twilight's new friends are monsters, and its effect. Personally I'm hoping we get to see Twilight at crystal prep for the next chapter, but if the story is going to work by alternating the view points, I hope we can at least get something a little more to get more invested with Sunset. Again, not bad, but I do want to see more of Twilight for the moment.
However, I also wouldn't mind seeing a few side chapters, once Twilight comes out about her friends, with some of the other characters such as Rainbow Dash as a harpy, the Apple clan as tree people, fluttershy as a fairy, and maybe something with the CMC, and more with Sunset as a new vampire. As I said, I didn't dislike anything, there's just more I want to see first with Twilight before it tries anything else. But again, with the world that's set up, it has great potential.
Till then, give it a read and let me know what you though about/and want to see next, and depending on how the next few chapters play out, I'll do a video review in October.
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/358286/friendship-is-monsters
Thanks very much for such a detailed review! While Twilight's parents will eventually find out about her new friend's 'species' it won't happen for a little bit longer. I want to strengthen the friendships and grow the world a bit more. However I'm still writing, and will hopefully have the next chapter up next week. While it won't focus on Crystal prep too much, it will look at the apple family. The chapter after that one will look at Crystal Prep.
I'd also be honored if you were to do a video review on this series. I just need to give you something to work with first!
Thanks so much again!
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That sound interesting, glad you enjoyed this (share with your friends :p) and good luck with that.
Though don't let people like me make you feel like you 'have to do' something to make your story appealing if you already have a direction in mind for it