Fanfiction Spotlight #56, and 1 Week Warning for Scribblefest! · 6:56am Feb 24th, 2018
Greetings Pony fans and aspiring writers!
Sorry for the radio silence from us. We here at EFNW are working hard to get stuff ready for Everfree to make this year's con just as awesome as previous years. Unfortunately sometimes that means Heartshine gets busy and forgets to update the story spotlights!
Want to give a brief reminder that as of Saturday, 2/24/18, we've got one week left in Scribblefest! So get Scribbling if you want a shot at those prizes!
This week, we've got reviews from staffers Xepher and Silver Flare! Xepher reviews an older piece about Sweetie Belle that he thought deserved some attention, and Silver Flare has a story about Moondancer! Check them out!
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Heartshine~
---- Review by Xepher ----
Watching Paint Dry
by Eustatian Wings
Words: 4,313 Complete: Yes
Recommended by Xepher
This story is ancient by fandom standards, from way back in 2012. But, like all good stories, it still holds up strong.
This story pretty much does what it says on the tin. There is no twist, no play on words, nor any shenanigans here. Just a simple story about three fillies and a long summer evening, with plenty of time for deep thoughts.
The story itself focuses mostly on Sweetie Belle deciding to play "mythbuster" and disprove the saying that "Watched paint doesn't dry." As she does so though, her mind wanders and that introspection is really the core of the story.
Now, while the "epiphanies" Sweetie has aren't exactly mind bending, they are truisms, and exactly the sort of thing that an MLP story should be about. But what really makes this story shine for me is the way the vivid prose really brings visuals to life with minute details. Reading it, I felt transported to my own childhood, and the smells of late summer grass carried on warm breezes.
So yes, here in mid-winter, as it snows and rains and freezes us all, why not enjoy a story about the best of summer days?
---Review by Silver Flare---
Requiem For A Dream
By Fahrenheit
Words: 30,168 Complete: Yes
Recommended by Silverflarehttps://www.fimfiction.net/user/30353/Silver+Flare]Silver Flare[/url]
I’ll come right out and say it; Moondancer is one of my favorite characters. Her constant disheveled state, her unconscious snark, even her unsubtle hero worship of Twilight Sparkle, she reminds me of a younger (although smarter) version of myself. This story takes us back to the final days leading up to the season one premiere, before the Summer Sun Celebration and Twilight’s fateful abandoning of one set of friends in unknowing search of another. We follow Moondancer as she stumbles upon a story buried in Equestria’s past, and her frantic search for answers.
The events of the story frequently take a back seat to Moondancer’s emotional journey, artfully written into the seams and margins of these chapters. It wasn’t that she was digging secrets out of an old tome, it was her constant worrying whether Twilight would be jealous or impressed that got to me. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt such a strong need to hug a pony, which, incidentally, is my only metric for rating fiction nowadays. Even the author’s retelling of the schism between Celestia and Luna was uniquely captivating.
All in all, I’d give this story nine out of ten books. Dive in, click the link, head back to uni, and spend some time with Maximum Book Horse. She could use the company.
Requiem for a Dream is sooooooooooo good, and so underappreciated. I'm glad to see it getting more attention.