[Additional Tags: M/M Shipping]
Sea storms are a nasty but well-paid business: the business of Mobile Ops Pegasi Stormfighters. The small, pet-like "storms" cultured on mainland are nothing by comparison and hardly deserving of the name. Tempests on the ocean have no master. They're monstrous machines of pure untamed brutality. Only cruise-liners or larger naval vessels maintain teams large enough to actually waylay a storm of such scales, and even then each pegasus has the work of five.
Smaller ships with only a team of four, like The Bumbler, could at best hope to make the weather a little less deadly in anything stronger than a squall. By the mediocre standards of most inland ponies it would seem cruel to send two pegasi out in such conditions, but that's what they are paid to do. And the more dire the storm, the more necessary their job.
Cover Image graciously provided by MalineTourmaline.
Howdy, hi!
Your entry has been successfully entered into the MxM contest. Thank you very much for your participation and we look forward to reading!
11042948
Thank you so much for running the contest! I was glad to see so many people participating :) May you have many great stories to read!
Holy. Shit.
I was not expecting a story of this magnitude when I sat down to clear out my reading list. This is just... wow. How the heck have I never read your stuff before?
Amazing work, and I look forward to losing to you in the contest.
Wow. This had me gripped from start to finish. An absolute masterpiece of storycraft that seamlessly weaves together plot and characterization, and didn't pull any punches on the feels. Gale singing and the transition to the next scene got me choked up and hit me in the catharsis with surgical precision.
I'm so happy to see you back here and writing more horsewords!
11044318
11044661
Let me start by saying how grateful I am for the comments, both of you. Thank you for giving the story a chance. I'm always anxious about comments because I'm never sure how to reply. I'm always afraid my thanks might seem insincere or corporate or... well, you know, be stupidly long because emotions.
I can't reply to every comment, but I'm still grateful for all of them.
11044318
The contest will be what the contest will be. I really wasn't sure how to reply to that part. The truth is, I almost decided not to submit it. I actually expected my story to be received as an over-emotional wall of text, not far removed from myself, really.
So... please don't discount your work. There are all sorts of writing styles, different moods and genres, serious, silly, happy, mystery, adventure. Short, long. They all just address different aspects of life in different ways. All of them can be great, and I'll be happy regardless.
To both:
If it isn't already obvious, please believe me when I say I'm more grateful than anything else just for having the inspiration to write again and to have written something you and hopefully others enjoy. Here's to many more stories from all of us.
11044664
Calliope works in her own inscrutable, perplexing ways. It's good to hear you've got that inspiration again - rest assured, you'll have me reading next time as well.
11044664
While I can't say I've enjoyed all your stories, I've definitely been a fan of your work since I first found you. There's a sincerity to what you chose to write about and how you write it that I absolutely adore. What Meets the Eye in particular stuck with me in a way nothing else I've read has, and now I feel like this will too.
Also, I'm totally taking notes on how to write a romance story from this. You had me rooting for these two the whole way through, something I've never felt in any other romance. If I saw more stories like this, I'd be much more interested by the genre.
11044818
If my story is a help and inspires more writing, nothing would make me happier. And don't worry, I don't expect everyone to love everything I write. Actually, I usually expect what I write to turn out terrible, heh. It helps me keep appreciating when people take the time to read and respond to it. Everybody has different tastes, and I already know not everything I write will be a 100%. But if someone loves some of the things I write, that's enough for me.
For myself, my next few stories will be... more light-hearted because I don't think I'm quite ready for another journey like this story yet. I promised myself a bit of happy, and I'm glad to say it's coming along. Hopefully between work and life I'll get to do some reading, too, because there are a lot of stories that deserve it.
And, because I didn't say it earlier, it's really good to see you again. I've had a few people reach out to me from back when and... yeah.
Did I mention I'm an over-emotional wall of text?
11044928
We are our own worst critics, aren't we? Stay confident, though; weather it's natural talent or honed skill or both, you write beautiful stories.
Re: more light-hearted/bit of happy
I hear that. I had an edgelord phase that lingered for quite a long time. It was only in this past year that I started on some lighter stories myself, and it feels good. I'll be looking forward to seeing what you've come up with.
I make no guarantee I'll read this despite the high praises it has received because I suck it actually reading things but I just want to say this is probably a top 10 piece of cover art in my opinion it is one of the best pony story covers I've ever seen
11071757
She did a fantastic job, and I couldn't be more pleased with it! I had nothing but praise for her, and even the WIPs looked frame-worthy. Definitely check out her other work if you have a chance! I have her DA linked in the story description :)
And I definitely understand where you're coming from, don't worry. There are so many stories I'd love to read, but time kinda slips by. If you do get to read it, I hope you enjoy it!
it is a testament to your abilities that you managed to pull off creating a compelling story out of not only an OC cast, but an OC setting as well, building up this entire profession of stormfighting and its associated equipment and methods and culture from scratch. the setting felt thought-through and lived-in, and i could immerse myself in it right away. your OCs were also established very well. i really felt the conflict between Galewind's two relationships with Sunshower: as a lover and protector and as a captain and mentor. it was a relationship that was very nicely drawn in its subtleties, with a skill that i quite appreciated, making the weight of the tragic turn at the end of the first section more than well-earned.
Spark Heart only really showed up at the end, but she was a perfect foil in conversation, her irreverence and banter providing a nice contrast to really highlight the transition into the pathos in the aftermath of Galewind's passing. loved the bittersweet note that the story ended on, too, with the echo of the song. a real tearjerker!
11078788
Thank you very much for this; it means a lot you commented on the story as well! I'm really glad you enjoyed reading it, and hopefully the stories I have in the works will be able to live up to the kindness!
You bastard
this made me feel hollow. great job! the writing is immaculate, I don’t think I’ve read anything of this quality before
I’ve been rereading this piece for some time, and I love it even more. I can’t describe the emotions this piece evokes in me.
Everything is perfect — the setting, the characters, the plot. All are impeccably written, and I want to applaud the fact that you did such a fantastic job setting the origins of the characters, this world and their job from scratch. It is just mind boggling.
The romance is fantastic here. Some moments I was gripped with fear and anxiety in regards to the characters, other moments I felt relieved and overjoyed for them.
Overall, I was very invested. Especially invested in the characters, their romance and them succeeding. And now they’re stuck with me, ingrained in my mind.
Sorry if this review is awkwardly written. Finding words to describe how good this piece is is difficult for me. I know I’m selling this story’s excellence short. That and I’m still flooded with emotions. Just… thank you for writing.
11292176
Yeah. Believe me, I felt that while I was writing, too.
11378325
You don't have to apologize at all; you've paid me an incredible compliment, and honestly it's something I needed to hear, especially lately. My desire to write comes almost entirely from people enjoying what I put out, and I'll be the first to admit I'm always afraid of writing a disaster. I can't promise everything I write will live up to my own or other's expectations, but knowing people appreciate and enjoy my stories even now helps me keep trying, and encourages me to keep going. So thank you, just as much, for writing to me.