sorry I'm starting this a few days late, I got distracted. anyway, this months theme is the open sea so watch out for pirates

4234906 I'll promote it on my user page in attempt to get you more contenders.

Open Sea? huh... cool cant wait to read the submissions.

4235151 thanks

Intriguing, as a matter of fact I'm going sailing this week. Thought I'd write about it, ponify, then slap it up here if that's alright. Or if it's dull I'll still have the maritime know how to write something for the open sea.

4239974 ok then

4239974
DO THIS! Please? we need as many submissions as we can get.

4277947
Most certainly. I've been drafting up a story quite recently. I've also been doing some headcannoning about the type of ships in Equestria.

4278046
Ships as in naval vessels right? no... you know... relationships?

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Yes, as in boats. Although I'm not going to make the mistake of calling a ship a boat next to a merchant seaman ever again.

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So guys, i am concerned. Not only has the Winner of last months contest not been announced officially on the front page of the group (which can be easily fixed... just a thought).

But we don't have any new entries for Aprils contest. I would love to do reviews, and give feed back, but I need something to do that with... I am going to be PMing a few writers i know who are good at one shots (in my opinion) and see if they might be interested in contributing. Could you all do the same?

I've submitted a story. It's called Captain Button.

I'll see what I can do, but there is no guarantee I will be able to enter this month. Next month for sure, though!

Official Review: "Captain Button!"
Link: Captain Button!
Description: "It's all been leading up to this. He had his ship, his crew, and his target, all that was left was taking it. "Dinky, load the chain shot!"

Pulse pounding adventure on the high seas! Which ends up being a cute slice of life story!... oh... and there's Sweetie Bell ... which makes this even cuter!

8/10 Official Contest Score/ For Writing Quality And Originality: Clean, and crisp writing that waists not a word, in forging this epic and surprisingly sweet adventure/ slice of life story. The characters are all unique and interesting, and though there might be a bit of an odd moment at the end with the mom (Very... very scary moment haha) that distracts slightly from a potent ending, this story gets two thumbs WAY way up for awesome! Additionally the twist at the end was really cool, and added a lot to the story.

3/5 For Family Friendliness: With some violence, and some slightly graphic depictions, i would not suggest this story to those under the age of 10. Also... why is the mom reading what equates to Master and Commander with blood and gore galore and references to drug use and sex, to a very young child? wtf mom! haha

Comment: I loved this pulse pounding, adventure on the high seas, swashbuckling and surprisingly sweet slice of life story. It reminded me of when my parents read to me as a kid! Not only that but the characters are unique, hard hitting, and despite the very short nature of one shots, it fleshes them out extremely well. I hope there is a follow up story!

4323841 Am I the only one who submitted anything?

4323867
No no no... i just haven't gotten around to writing their reviews yet.

4323873 Ah, good.

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Also guys... this is the last day that submissions will be open for Aprils contest. If you have something finished please submit so that i can review it. Thanks!

Official Review: "Pinkies Magic Pinching Shell Of Pain!
Link: Pinkies Magic Pinching Shell Of Pain!
Description: "Pinkie has a shell. And she wants EVERYPONY to hear the magic of the ocean."

Pinkie has a shell... and no one is listening to Fluttershy... sigh

7/10 Official Contest Score/ For Writing Quality And Originality: Very well written, crisp and clean and chock full of dialog! Funny and engaging this short stays true to the members of the cast that are in it, with the exception of Rainbow Dash, who seems a bit more hostile to Pinkie Pie directly, then she usually is. That said, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Twilight are spot on, which in and of its self is a feat to be admired! This one shot is extremely funny and punny! Very unique, this short deserves to be read. However while funny and engaging, the short does not provide a lot of detail when it comes to the setting which is more a symptom of One Shot Shorts then the authors writing ability's. I would love to see a full story come out of this!

4/5 For Family Friendliness: Due to some mild 'place holder' language, i would suggest this short to people of almost all ages! However, not the shows traditional audience, the extremely young. This funny slice of life fic would be perfect for almost any fan of MLP. I hope to see more!

Comment: I loved this story so much! Poor pinkie just doesn't get why people are being complete crabs!

Official Review: "I See"
Link: I See
Description: " The sea talks about the things it has learned."

The sea tells story's about things it has learned, from pony's it has seen.

8.5/10 Official Contest Score/ For Writing Quality And Originality: So... There are two parts to this story, and I would like to address each individually.

The first part is the written narrative; the written narrative is powerful, deep, and at times a little clunky. The whole thing is written in the Sea's perspective and voice, which provides it a sense of 'other' and alien-ness to normal human thought. This is in part what gives the story its potency and impact, as the sea is both extremely wise, at times with the feeling of an ancient sage, and has a childishly naive perspective at others. This creates sometimes clunky or awkward transitions. However, that is one way the author shows how alien and different the Sea's thoughts are to ours, how it has almost no perception of time, other then as a series of chronological events.
However, clunky and hard to follow are still clunky and hard to follow. This is definitely NOT meant to be a quick or easy read, its meant to be read when you have a little bit of time to sit down, and give it your full attention. If you don't you might misunderstand something, or miss the implications of what the Sea is saying.
The story's that the Sea tells are extremely powerful and when told through its naive prospective allows the author to explore some very dark themes without being over bearing. Doing so is extremely difficult and takes a cretin level of skill and dedication to achieve. Over all I believe that the author, with a little bit more time, can smooth some of those clunky transitions out, while still maintaining the naive perspective of the Sea. You can have your cake and eat it too, I promise!

The second is the poem at the end; The poem is well written and very powerful. I felt like Luna had a very profound experience speaking to the Sea. Its not a scene or part of the story we as the reader get to explore except in snippets here and there in the narrative, but it is clear that this poem was the result of that fateful encounter between these two forces of nature. The poem adds a sense of fulfillment to the rest of the story that really must be admired.

3/5 For Family Friendliness: While the story has nothing in it that is blatantly inappropriate such as violence or sexual innuendos, the story does deal with some very serious topics such as bullying and attempted suicide. I hate to give such an amazing and mature piece a poor rating here, but if I gave it anything more then a 3, meaning mainly appropriate for adult fans of the show, I would be neglecting the very system I set up. While I believe anyone and everyone should read this story, I also believe that they should be of appropriate age so they can fully understand its implications and the positive message that it sends.

Comment: I really loved this story, and I must say that it is refreshing to me that a story that explores such dark themes as suicide and extreme bullying have at the end, a message of Hope. I thank the writer for participating in this contest.