Story Reviews » SA Reviews #116 · 10:18pm Nov 18th, 2017
Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
Sitting on a rock surrounded by debris, Intern typed away furiously on a laptop lying on his lap. Being so engrossed in his work, he failed to see a figure march up to him. The figure cleared his throat, but didn’t get a response. Next, the figure lightly tapped Intern on the shoulder but still didn’t get a reaction.
The figure finally settled on slapping Intern on the back of his head.
“Hey!” Intern squawked indignantly. “I’m trying to work here.” Looking up, he found a man he didn’t recognize staring impatiently down at him. The man was dressed in a finely pressed suit and carried a briefcase. “Can I help you?”
“I hope so,” the man said. “My name’s PaulAsaran and I’m here for the interview, but I don’t think I have the right place.” PaulAsaran swept his arm to the side, encompassing the destruction of the Seattle’s Angel’s compound. “I was expecting something more impressive.”
Intern shook his head and sighed. “Yeah, it got blown up good. I think this is the second or third time, but you’d have to ask someone who’s been here longer than me to find out if that’s true.”
“Speaking of, where is everyone?”
“Looking for supplies and other stuff to rebuild.” Intern looked down at his laptop and gave a sly smirk. “Well, since you’re here, how about we start that interview?”
“In all of this rubble? You can’t be serious.”
Shrugging, Intern handed PaulAsaran his laptop. “We’ve done more with less. Now, show me what you got.”
ROUND 116
Time goes by. Years pass. Old traditions are changed and perhaps discarded. And with them, memories can fade and even hurt.
But there is always a chance to make new ones.
This was a treat.
A pleasant view of Twilight Velvet and Night Light that shows so many things with so few words. There are nuances to this story that make it a delight to go through, including little clues as to how their relationship has evolved over the years and the different traits that they each contributed to Twilight as an individual. Couple that with some holiday-based worldbuilding, amusing little character quirks, and a look at how they each handled Twilight’s life away from home.
I wish I’d read this a long time ago. And with the holidays fast approaching, it’s the perfect story to discover this year. By all means, give it a go.
A simple, sweet story to start us off. The holidays are coming up so what better way to ease in than a story about family? This is as Slice-of-Life as it gets and I’m cool with that.
The past few Hearth’s Warmings at Twilight’s parents’ place have been a little emptier than in previous years. Shining and Twilight are both off doing their respective things and don’t have as much time to spend with the grown-ups. That’s fine and all but the parents do get a touch nostalgia for the old ways and having all the family together.
I’m sure many of you have experienced a busy life and can’t always visit on the days that tend to get the most attention for togetherness. This story is very relatable in how growing up often means leaving the nest. It’s just a part of living and there's no way to stop it.
However, that doesn’t mean that things have to stay that way. The past can’t ever come back but creating new memories is always an option. So for those that like to sit down for a low-stakes read, you can’t go wrong with this.
For several years now, Tom has been maintaining a vigil over the Everfree Forest. Set to guard the secret of the Mirror Pool, he has never once let anything through.
He is surrounded by life and vibrancy, but he feels none of it. Nothing notices him or cares to notice him. He is alone, as alone as a rock can be.
Bloomberg similarly feels lonely, but is surrounded by wanton lust and fake intimacy. He stands apart, but wishes for the eternal coupling that he remembers so many of his elder trees having in Sweet Apple Acres.
Separated by distance and only able to see each other in their dreams, these two must find a way to reconcile far more than their inhibitions if they have any hope of being together.
I’ll admit it, when this was first recommended to me years ago, I was skeptical. But today I like to point to it as evidence that any ship, no matter how crazy it might seem at first glance, can work when put in the right hands. I love promoting this story.
The story is a slow love note to romance, depicting a love that is pure and lasting beyond the bounds of time, space, and even death. Underlying the perseverance of the two characters is a steady stream of heavy emotion, such that it’s hard to deny the affections Tom and Bloomberg share. In a strange way, this story achieves more intimacy between two inanimate objects than most authors fail to pull off between two ponies.
So yes, someone succeeded in writing an effective romance between a tree and a boulder. If that can be done, I dare say the sky’s the limit.
This is not a joke. There is no random tag.
Seriously, guys, hear me out on this. I’ve read a few romances in my time, but few have reached the emotional depths that a rock and a tree display for each other here.
Where are you going? I’m being totally sincere!
Look, I know it’s a stretch, but give this a chance. Even I went in sceptical of what I would find. I finished both pleased and surprised at how well the author sells this concept. There’s love, yes, but also sensuality. Touch and feeling are very important here and goes a long way into why this story is so brilliant. Even the title works into each chapter name.
Think of it this way. Most people thought The Lego Movie was going to be a typical trash children’s flick but it turned out to be one of the more heartwarming and clever movies of that year. Same with this. Throw away your expectations and dive in.
Returning from a trip to Manehattan, Trixie has a brand new magic trick that she's all too eager to share with Starlight.
Unfortunately, when things don't work quite as expected, Trixie and Starlight are forced to go on a journey across Equestria to find the pony that gave her the trick and make things right once more.
I do believe this is the first time I’ve read a story featuring Reformed Starlight, much less a TrixieLight Friendship tale. And what a wonderful first impression The Destiny Trap leaves behind!
This story has a lot to show for its small wordcount. A show-accurate Trixie who has learned the lessons of friendship remarkably well, a Starlight given a taste of her own medicine and rising above it, and a new villain with a pretty good reason for her actions. The pacing is remarkable, somehow managing to keep everything flowing neatly and believably and yet still getting so many things done. I guarantee, had I written this it would have been at least twice as long, and the story would have been lesser for it.
Regardless of your personal opinion regarding either of these characters, if you are a writer you should give this a look. It’s not just about the characters here. There’s a lesson to be learned in weaving interesting, believable and emotional stories using minimal space. It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that this won the contest it was involved in.
I do love me some good Trixie and Starlight Glimmer friendshipping and that’s what we have here. It’s really a shame this duo was introduced so late into the show’s history because I could watch an entire season of these two having magical adventures.
But enough about that, I’m here to talk about this story. Trixie unintentionally curses Starlight and has to track down the pony responsible. It’s a fic about what lengths you are willing to go through to save a friend. I’m happy to say that Trixie is a true friend to the end.
Both Trixie and Starlight are superb here. They act as good friends do and help each other at each step of their journey. The antagonist herself is well thought out, as she’s a pony that believes what she’s doing is right and just. Kinda like Dr. Doom, only without all the flamboyance and cape. That’s Trixie’s area of expertise!
Saying anymore will ruin the best parts, so take my word that you’ll get a lot out of this. A fairly quick, self contained story that makes you root for our dear ponies is a nice way to spend an hour if I do say so myself.
The Frostmane Territories is nothing like Equestria, and nothing seems to work the same way- it's wild, the seasons run on their own schedule, and the weather has a mind of it's own. Now an entire village has gone silent, and one pilot is tasked to get a doctor there to head off a looming disaster.
The terrain is fearsome, time is running out, and events past and present will challenge him when he has to make life-or-death decisions that will affect the lives of Ponies near and far. What will he do when the line between right and wrong is blurred?
Are there some mistakes you can never recover from?
I know what everyone is thinking: “Why the heck would there be modern aircraft in a world of pegasi and griffons and so on?” First lesson of the creative writer: you find out how to make it work. Second, more important lesson of the creative writer: you find out how to make it work believably.
But while worldbuilding is certainly present here, there’s far more to this story than putting airplanes in Equestria. This is a tense story about self-confidence, making the tough decisions and, above all, the importance of failing correctly. The flight of Featherprop is an arduous thing, working wonders on the reader’s nerves even if said reader doesn’t know much about aircraft. And when it’s all said and done, regardless of the outcome, you might just be proud of him.
Disaster, worldbuilding, great character development and a sense of looming threat make this a surprise wonder of a story that deserves far more attention than it’s garnered so far. By all means, give it a read.
It’s been a long time since I read a really compelling Man VS Nature story. Well, Pony VS Nature story in this case. Still counts!
The setup is pretty unique. Aeroplanes have been invented to help ponies travers a portion of the world that doesn’t bend to their whim. Pegasi can’t control the weather like in Equestria, so specially trained pilots have to fly cargo and passengers from one distant place to another. Our main character, Featherprop, is charged with flying a doctor to a remote village in some of the worst weather conditions possible for a rickety plane to fly in. Matters aren’t made any better due to the urgent need to get to the village and the doctor’s insistence that they get there at all costs.
It’s a story about ponies trying to understand one another, about pushing against their limits and when to pull back, and about being waaaaaaay out of their element. Not just an adventure, this is an interesting character study about two people from very different walks of life that are now stuck with each other until the mission is finished.
There’s a lot of worldbuilding going on in this fic, so the pacing may seem a little slow at first. But gosh darn if it doesn’t stark picking up quickly and getting to plenty of tense moments. Fans of aviation will also get a lot out of this and will appreciate the effort put in to describe how the whole flight operates.
I got a lot of fun out of reading this, so take a look yourself!
“Excellent, you’re hired.”
PaulAsaran stared at Intern with a bewildered expression. “That’s it?”
“Well, if you haven’t noticed, we’re a bit short staffed so even a decent reviewer will do.”
“I’ll have you know that my credentials stretch back many years and I’ve read so many words that I eat books like War and Peace for breakfast.”
Waving his hand nonchalantly, Intern said, “Whatever. Pick out a space.”
Again, PaulAsaran stared. “But there’s no offices around.”
“Don’t worry. I betcha things will be back up by the next post.”
Feel free to visit our group for more information and events, and to offer some recommendations for future rounds. See you all next time!
Glad to see The Last Link getting some more attention. It's been left wanting for far too long for such a well put-together story.
Oh, Last Link! That was fun. :)
Glad to see I can talk about Paul joining us now
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I was startled when I went looking through my Favorites list and found the story still had less than 1k views. A crime!
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That makes two of us.
I thought the ending to Destiny Trap was a little weak. Blackstone did a complete 180.
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I wholeheartedly agree, but I wanted to keep my review positive. I aim to do a fuller review in my own blog at a later date, and that will most certainly be pointed out.
Oh, yay! The Last Link is quite a worthy addition here.
I'm also a strong supporter of Love You's crackship. And I read The Destiny Trap back in the Writeoffs. So in general I can confirm that this is a solid round of stories.