Story Reviews » SA Reviews #121 · 10:23pm Jan 27th, 2018
Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
The room was lit by faint orange candlelight, barely enough to see by, but the sole occupant didn’t mind. In fact, he prefered the dim glow as it added to the mystique and allure of his persona. Words and phrases came to him more easily in this atmosphere, not to mention that it had a soothing effect on his mind. Everything in place, Ebon Quill raised the quill that was his namesake and dipped it into an inkwell. He held the quill to a piece of parchment, hands poised to write the first word.
The door to his room burst open and a bright light flicked on.
“Ack!” Ebon Quill’s first word became a jagged line across the paper. Fuming, he scrunched up the ruined parchment into a wad and tossed it into a nearby waste bin.
“Jeez, man, how do you even see?” Intern asked as he crossed the room where Ebon Quill sat.
“It’s an acquired taste,” Ebon replied, satisfied that his voice didn’t raise. “Why are you interrupting my writing time?”
Intern slapped down a manilla folder on Ebon’s stone desk. “Glad that you’re fitting in around here, but there are reviews to do. Matt and Ferret have been on me to keep up. C’mon, let’s go.”
“You people seem to have a knack for ruining my alone time.”
Shrugging, Intern said, “You get used to it. Or you’ll have a psychotic episode. I had mine early, so I’m immune now.”
“Wonderful,” Ebon drawled and opened up the folder.
ROUND 121
Fundraisers at the Pet Center always came bundled with all kinds of emotions for Fluttershy. She knew all her little animal friends needed homes, but she couldn’t deny she was also quite sad to see them go.
Thankfully, Pinkie Pie was there to help.
Let’s start with a short but sweet one. Pinkie Pie can be a tricky pony to write for as it’s easy to have her be this annoying ball of randomness popping in and out of a scene. But, in the right hands, she can be surprisingly deep.
The plot is simple. Fluttershy is at a pet fundraiser and helping ponies meet up and potentially adopt animals. Things are going well, but Fluttershy has a hard time seeing her little friends go. That’s where Pinkie Pie comes in.
And that’s where I’m going to leave off! Give this a read to see just how Pinkie Pie manages to lift Fluttershy’s spirits. The warm and fuzzies will soon flow.
Short, sweet, and to the point, this one also showcases Monochromatic’s ability to paint a vivid picture with only a few words. The author returns to this sort of Pinkie in other works, and it's always nice to see her.
All in all, a story well-suited for warming one's heart, or as an aperitif for a larger banquet.
Spiders. Nightmares on eight scuttling legs. An entire group of creatures so bizarre, menacing, and creepy in their habits that a specific phobia has been dedicated to them. It's proven to be surprisingly popular. Or unpopular, as the case may be.
For Fluttershy, though, there's a lot more to them than that. A friend to all living creatures can hardly discriminate amongst her charges. And surprisingly for her, a day when she devotes her time and energy solely to these alien animals proves to be one of the most enjoyable ones of her week.
Impossible Numbers is a very underappreciated author and deserves more attention. Thankfully, groups like us are around to hopefully bring in a few more fans that are looking for top-notch writing. And that’s what we have here!
Fluttershy loves all animals, but some she likes more than others. Cute things like bunnies, butterflies, and birds are a cinch to deal with. However, creepy crawlies like spiders take extra effort for her to manage. That’s why she has a special day devoted to spiders to learn their ways and to slowly get used to them. It’s been working out pretty well, so far.
Now, this story is structured in a way that may leave some scratching their heads. It’s not chronological, but rather takes certain glimpses in time to form a narrative whole. Believe me when I say that each scene matters and it all comes together at the end. Kinda like a spider’s web…
Take the time to check this one out. Fluttershy doesn’t get too many chances to shine in her natural element, so it’s nice to see her flourish. You might even view spiders in a brand new way, too.
I am a sucker for non-linear narratives when they are done well, and this one is done very, very well. I also enjoy how the little vignettes lead to that satisfying conclusion.
Impossible Numbers shapes a marvelous story about culture, patience, and respect framed around spending a few hours every day with a new friend. It’s a quiet contemplation with a little dash of horror imagery and action at the end. Not enough to frighten away anyone, nor enough to drive away the message that dances around the carefully constructed scene. Like everything else in this story, it is ‘just enough.’
Make little room for a new friend, and give this one a go.
This is the story of a mare, in the middle of the night, with a parchment and quill, and a pestering Muse.
Includes rambling about the nature and woes of writing, and why no one should do it.
This one is solely for us poor authors out there. Everything in this story rings true to anyone that’s put words to paper. This story puts into perspective what it must be like for a pony with a special talent that relies on the whims of the muse.
However, as dour as I’ve made this sound, it’s actually kinda uplifting. Kinda like how Rarity has her moments in the show where she’s struggling for inspiration, but manages to find it once she steps away for a while.
A fairly short one, but worth it for those wracked by the need to write but struggle to find the words.
This is a tense struggle. It is every moment where inspiration utterly fails, hanging on that one little, annoying thing that keeps the muse from singing. It’s that kettle whistle that washes away that scene you had built before you can properly describe it.
And it’s very, very necessary. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a writer, especially one of us who seems to only be able to write when we must, for whatever reason, this is a peek behind the curtain.
A magic experiment strands Starlight Glimmer in another world, with no way to get home.
There's only one thing to do in this situation: learn a friendship lesson! Oh, and have some lunch. Okonomiyaki, to be precise.
And now for something completely different! Fair warning, this one’s a crossover, but the author does a good job of explaining the small glimpse of the world that we’re visiting. You don’t need to know much going in, other than Starlight and Ukyo share a voice actress.
If the name or okonomiyaki wasn’t enough of a giveaway, this is a Ranma ½ crossover. As I said, this story gives us a taste of that show and a cute tale of two characters learning friendship in new ways. There’s no info dump or parade of characters to distract from the message. Just enough to wet our appetites on all the possibilities.
I once saw a blogpost that mentioned that crossovers with Ranma ½ should be avoided at all costs. I say that’s malarkey. Hell, the show even made a Ranma ½ reference! Anything well written enough deserves a chance, no matter what the character list is. And that’s what you should do with this! Give it a chance and perhaps you’ll come away with a new appreciation for an old classic.
I saw the word ‘crossover,’ and died a little. I knew what I was getting. It was so obvious.
And I was wrong.
Like Fluttershy, I am an oldtaku. This was a heartwarming trip back to the heady days of usenets, sharing fanfics in .txt files scraped from some site you found on a midnight dive into fansite rings, (gosh, remember those?!) and just being there, one with the fandom.
We take this for granted, but we are here for the same thing. We are united in common cause, by our enjoyment of these things. Here, in this space, this is pony. I think we forget that from time to time.
Anyway.
The action is solid, as any good Ranma ½ story should be, and the characterizations are spot-on. This was clearly crafted by someone with a love of both worlds. To say that this story, or any story, should be avoided due to the cast list is laughable. All that needs to be done is to respect your worlds, and Bookish Delight has shown they are more than capable.
I look forward to reading the rest of their work.
With a flourish, Ebon Quill dotted the last period. “Once again, it is done.” He rolled up the review parchments and handed them to Intern. “Now, begone.”
Intern accepted them and placed them in the folder. “Thanks, but you gotta get out more, dude. This whole gothic angle you got here might turn people off.”
“First, I am not a dude. I am a professional doing his job. Second, it’s not gothic, it’s ambient. Lastly, if it ‘turns people off’, as you say, then so be it. Less chance for nagging interruptions.”
Shaking his head, Intern turned to leave. “Fine. Just don’t expect anyone to sit next to you at the company picnic.” With that, he hit the light switch and stepped out, returning the room to its original gloom.
“Finally. Peace.” Ebon raised his quill once again, its tip wet with ink, and placed it on a clean sheet of parchment.
Intern abruptly wrenched the door open, causing another jagged line to appear.
“That reminds me, do you have any food allergies?”
Feel free to visit our group for more information and events, and to offer some recommendations for future rounds. See you all next time!
Wweeeellll........ that's not wrong...
SLAMS DOOR DOWN
i love pinkie's animal balloons, i'm very happy you guys liked it
Bookish Delight finally gets some love!
Hmm, I’ll have to give these s shot!
Oh hey! Thanks!
Oh, sure, I take one weekend off from the site and it happens to be when this happens.
Thanks, you guys.
Yapapa yapapa good reviews...
Sorry for not getting back sooner. Reviews like these are truly the gold standard to me, and I don't want to come across as rude. Far from it: I do have a proper thanks, in this blog post and in the spoiler-covered section near the bottom if you'd prefer the short version.
But yeah, I'm blushing like roses here after reading this. Always an honour and a pleasure, you guys!