Fics I reviewed in July 2023 · 7:26pm August 14th
Rather more reviews from me in July than there had been in June. We start off with the final part of the "Arboreal Yearnings Contest" results and follow up with three "mixed bag" editions. I'm very happy to say that there's a five-star story in this month's batch -- feeling able to award a top score is always a wonderful experience. As usual, please click on the underlined header to each section to be taken to the actual review blog.
Ponyfic Roundup 448 contains reviews of:
Does It Make a Sound? by EileenSaysHi ★★★
"To be a tree" (from A Poetry Anthology) by Shaslan ★★
Post-Con by Bicyclette ★★★
I Don't Want to Be a Tree Anymore by Kris Overstreet ★★★★
Heartwood by EroPony1000 ★★
Pining by pubbyrot ★★★
Harmon-Tree by TCC56 ★★★★
Ponyfic Roundup 449 contains reviews of:
I wander by Silent Whisper ★★★★
Kaleidoscope by TheDriderPony ★★
Cursed Be He That Moves My Bones by Lucky Dreams ★★★★
Apples in the Mirror by Rune Soldier Dan ★★★★
ALREADY?? by Level Dasher ★★
Ponyfic Roundup 450 contains reviews of:
The Lessons Left Unlearned by Donnys Boy ★★★
Stop Number Twelve by Casketbase77 ★★★★★
Twilight Sort-Of Kills Her Friends by Mad Hattie ★★★
Perdition by Odd_Sarge ★★★
Solitude for the Modern Businessmare by Fahrenheit ★★★★
Ponyfic Roundup 451 contains reviews of:
The Longest Night by Tundara ★★★
Walking you home by Nova Star Sparkle ★★
Flip a Coin and She Smiles by Aragon ★★★★
The Sunset Room by Foxy E ★★★
The Way It Goes Down by heartlessons ★★★
I take pride in that five-star fic being a discovery of moi (and also Rune Soldier Dan's fic).
We Ponyfic reviewers do look out for each other like that, don't we? Likewise, I grabbed one or two fics from this lot myself, their reviews just aren't out yet.
Average rating of 3.18 this month. Pretty normal, I suppose. Might have been slightly higher without the Arboreal contest week, though honestly compels me to note the final week shares its 3.00 average.
…And that's about all I can notice for this month's batch, statistics-wise!
You get results like that sometimes.
5742134 I think as a general rule, the FimFic community is getting to develop higher quality stories by way of author interactions, writing groups, and a general reduction in sloppy trash-fics. There's still people entering the fanfiction community and some leaving, so there's a bit of circulation in the process. The willingness of authors to give each other a hands-up instead of throwing rocks at everybody they see is a great part of this, and you guys have a very high hands:rocks ratio. Thanks!
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I appreciate the kind words, though I do feel compelled to note that a larger and larger percentage of the stories these days are Mature, and mostly of the… fetish variety. That venue had decreased in interest far slower over the years than the others.
It's easy to ignore for those of us not into it, true, but it is there, alas.
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My own feeling is that both are true. On the one hoof, yes, there are a substantial number of M-rated fics aiming pretty blatantly at... a certain kind of audience. Since that audience is generally not me, like Mike I ignore it -- but of course I'd rather there were more E/T-rated fics (or even interesting M-rated fics) in the mix as well. Also, personal view: I find virtually all Anon fics really not to my taste, and there seem to be a load of those these days.
On the other hoof, I do feel that there have been a few more new authors around recently whose writing has piqued my interest. As it happens, I added a story by one of them to my RiL list just today after noting an appreciative comment by Mockingbirb in the comments. From my July review list, heartlessons comes into that "new(ish) and interesting" category too, and Forcalor is another name I'm hoping to include before too long.
A couple of the recent contests have also heartened me. The massive entry for the second Thousand Words contest (over 160 valid fics) is one, but maybe even more so the very respectable level of interest in the "New Blood" contest for accounts created since 2020 and with under 100 followers. 29 valid stories in the end, and given the contest's rules that means 29 different authors. All but one of them E/T-rated, too.