Paul's Thursday Reviews CCCXLVIII · 9:30pm January 11th
For the first blog of 2024, I feel like discussing a peculiar discovery I made. So my sister and niece were set to head back to Japan on Friday, yes? Since I live only twenty-five minutes from the airport and was heading home on the same day, I offered to simply take them with me. It proved a pleasant trip, with me getting a few hours of time to chat with my sister alone while Evy provided a bit of background entertainment.
My sister got into writing before I did, owing to the age gap. When we were teens she would try out writing fanfiction for anime and video games; I distinctly recall her writing a self-insert where she was lifelong friends with Final Fantasy Seven’s Tseng. But after a time she stopped talking about writing in general, and I came under the impression she’d quit cold turkey at around the time she started going to high school. Then, sometime in the past year, my mother mentioned that my sister was writing again, although how much was unclear as she wasn’t very talkative about it. So on Friday, whilst we were both trapped in the car, I decided to ask if she was, indeed, writing again.
According to my sister? She never stopped.
My sister is, in fact, extremely active as a fanfiction writer. She’s constantly producing content for AO3 (that’s Archive of Our Own, for those of you unaware). Her main body of work involves Final Fantasy XIV and Genshin Impact, both of which she’s been playing for many years, and claims to have quite the following. As a writer and reviewer myself, you can imagine I was very curious to read her work even if I knew nothing of both games. I wouldn’t have minded having a review on my blog of one of her stories.
Yet when I asked her what her pen-name was, her response was “None of your business.”
I am perplexed. My sister says she doesn’t want anyone she knows in person to ever read one of her stories. Ever. Not our parents. Not our aunts and uncles and cousins. Not her husband, not her daughter, not her friends and coworkers. And especially not her review-writing brother.
It is both disappointing and confusing. Why wouldn’t you want everyone you know and love to explore something you’re passionate about? I didn’t press her because I was under the impression she didn’t want to explain herself. It’s just confusing, and disappointing. I gave her a physical copy of Bulletproof Heart (which I’m confident she never read, if only because of time constraints), it’s kind of sad to know she’s not willing to return the favor in some way.
I have many theories, but I fear I don’t know my sister well enough anymore to say what her reasoning is. Maybe ten years ago, but these days I barely interact with her outside of the occasional Skype call and rare (but increasingly common) visits. She’s notorious for ignoring or not replying to text messages and emails. I want to understand her reasoning behind this, but I don’t want to come off as pushy.
Maybe in the ensuing years I’ll be able to get something out of her. At least in regards to her reasons. Perhaps Evy can figure it out and explain it to me when she’s older. For now, it will have to remain a mystery. But at least I can say this much: my passion for writing and reading runs in the family.
Who wants some reviews?
Stories for This Week:
"I Wish To Register An Official COMPLAINT!!" by deadpansnarker
Pitfalls by heartlessons
Mechanical Aptitude by Estee
Cosmological by Bicyclette
After Glow by TheDriderPony
Anonymity by Shrink Laureate
Trixcord by RTStephens
The Center of Her World by SaintChoc
The Things I Do For Love by brokenimage321
The Bug in The Cave by Skijarama
Total Word Count: 196,199
Rating System
Why Haven't You Read These Yet?: 0
Pretty Good: 7
Worth It: 3
Needs Work: 0
None: 0
Spoiled Rich goes to see Twilight to ensure that a certain trio of hoodlums get what is coming to them for leading her precious Diamond Tiara astray, and maybe to course-correct Twilight’s manner of leadership. Fortunately, Twilight is up to the task.
This is exactly what you expect. Well, almost. The one unexpected element is how intentionally verbose Spoiled Rich is, regularly demonstrating an ability to say in 100 words what could have been said in five. Spoiled is every bit as insufferable as you think, and is also completely oblivious in the face of sarcasm.
I think my only objection is that we didn’t get to see her actually try and talk to Celestia about Twilight’s choices. That would have been the icing on the cake.
You know, any time we see Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich interacting, they seem to get along great (minus that two-second moment in Diamond’s song). It makes you wonder why the hell Filthy puts up with Spoiled’s antics, especially as depicted in this story.
At any rate, this is everything you’re expecting, with the only true ridiculousness being Spoiled herself. If that appeals to you, there’s no reason not to blow ten minutes on this.
Bookshelf: Worth It
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
New Author!
Pitfalls
3,563 Words
By heartlessons
Alternative Title: The Thing about Tourist Traps is…
Cherry Jubilee doesn’t just run a cherry orchard, she’s also got her own saloon. It’s a common target for tourists, so she’s not surprised when somepony new walks in. Somepony with running mascara and an unwillingness to raise her voice above a whisper. Cherry decides to try out her bartender role and give the girl an ear to talk into.
Clearly set before the events of The Mane Attraction, this story has a meek and submissive Coloratura spend some time at Cherry Jubilee’s saloon, for once without a Svengallop accompaniment. This Rara is a far cry even from the pony we see in the show, being meek and anxious and afraid to have her own ideas. The story leads me to believe that the reason Rara gained the voice she had in The Mane Attraction before standing up to Svengallop was largely due to Cherry’s positive influence.
The star attraction here is the narration. It is descriptive, focusing more on the setting than the characters. The dialogue handles the specifics of what’s going on while the narrative fills in for mood and gives everything a bit more weight. When it comes to the consequences of what is being said and the story as a whole? That is left entirely up to the reader.
Or, to put it in a simpler way: The narrative strictly avoids Telling you things directly.
I have to echo one commenter in that the overall atmosphere feels a bit… strange. There’s a certain ethereal quality to the events, and I think that’s because of a lack of attention to time-centric details. We’re never told how long it took Cherry Jubilee to do something. Instead we’re given context clues, such as a bowl of cherries being mostly consumed. It’s not a bad thing by any means, but it will demand the reader’s attention. Which in my book is a pretty good thing, come to think of it.
Overall, I liked this one. It’s a seemingly mundane meeting told in a way that never feels uninteresting thanks to what I can only describe as an unorthodox directing method. That it stars two characters we never see in the same room together in the show or in fanfiction only makes it sweeter (or would it be more sour, in this case?). Definitely give it a go if you’re interested in some unusual friendshipping.
Bookshelf: Pretty Good
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
Doused Flame — Pretty Good
Mechanical Aptitude
11,763 Words
By Estee
Sequel to Twilight's Escort Service
Ratchet holds the distinction of being Ponyville’s only repair pony with its only repair shop. Many ponies struggle to believe this on account of her being a pegasus, but that’s why she lives in Ponyville. The place has a thing for weird individuals.
This story opens on a dickhead. No, really, by the time you’ve finished the first paragraph you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this guy’s a jackass. He’s a noble headed to Canterlot, but his notekeeping device is broken and he absolutely must have it repaired in Ponyville to ensure that his pristine social image isn’t tarnished by being seen with an insufficient tool. Then he realizes the supposed repairpony is a pegasus and… Well. Bigots do as bigots do. But Ratchet notices something particular about his Minder, something dangerous. Now she has to decide what to do about it or, given the prick’s behavior, whether he deserves to be saved at all.
Despite this being labeled as a sequel to Twilight’s Escort Service, it’s not related in any way. This is a completely separate story mostly involving completely separate individuals. However, some of its jokes rely upon an awareness of what happened in the prior story, so the linkage is appropriate.
This is mostly a story about a timid, lonely pony who, despite everypony telling her otherwise, is trying to do the right thing. It’s an examination of who she is both via her actions and the way others speak of her. The best moment by far is when our ‘antagonist’ (to use the term loosely) has a talk with Ponyville’s most prominent (and infamous?) entrepreneur and what the cantankerous old mare has to say about Ratchet. It’s a shining “this is Ponyville!” moment.
One curious thing to note is that I figured out what the stallion’s Minder was intended to do long before it was explained. Really, the first time Estee dodged the subject with a handwave, I knew. Given what was being described and the ponies involved, it seemed like the most obvious thing. This leads me to wonder: did Estee intend for it to be obvious but kept dodging the explanation for the sake of at least the image of it being a mystery, or did I just so happen to read the hints properly and solve what was meant to be a real mystery right away? I’m not sure. Nor do I think Estee did anything wrong either way. I just find it a curious thing that I figured it out so quickly.
An interesting story and one I am glad to have taken the time for. Just about my only disappointment right now is that Estee committed the high crime of not finishing the sequel. If only I wasn’t guilty of the same kind of thing so I could gripe about it without being a hypocrite. Give it a go if you like interesting OCs.
Bookshelf: Pretty Good
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
Five Hundred Little Murders — WHYRTY?
Donuts Not Of This World — WHYRTY?
Pinkie Pie vs. The Soufflé — WHYRTY?
Bitter/Sweet — Pretty Good
While Their Name's Still Spoken — Pretty Good
Cosmological
1,111 Words
By Bicyclette
Sequel to Timescales
Boulder is forever. Boulder is just a rock. But maybe he’s not…
In Timescales, Bicyclette took us on an intertemporal romance, displaying the relationship between Maud Pie and Starlight Glimmer both before life existed, during the events, and long after every known species of Equestria was lost to the ravages of time. Cosmological can be seen as a direct continuation, by examining the fate of Boulder after all life on the planet has been wiped out.
This has the same “grand scale comedy-tragedy-romance” slant of its predecessor, viewing the world through a macro-scale lens of time. It feels less like its own thing and more like a missing fourth chapter. I think it would have been my favorite chapter. It’s essentially about what Boulder thinks about over the millennia of isolation, which is mostly his mother.
I think my only issue with the story is the many links that Bicyclette adds in the text. These were clearly meant to serve as direct in-show evidence to what the story is claiming. I would tongue-in-cheek argue that if you actually need them then do you even Pone, bro? I found they were more distracting than anything, but at least Bicyclette had the foresight to use in-text links rather than, say, embedded videos.
If you enjoyed Timescales, go ahead and read this. You’ll probably love it. It does lean heavily on what was established in the prior story, so those of you who haven’t read Timescales will want to before giving this one a go.
Bookshelf: Pretty Good
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
Long-Distance — WHYRTY?
Timescales — Pretty Good
After Glow
5,810 Words
By TheDriderPony
Requested by LH45
Cozy Glow is in Tartarus, and Princess Twilight Sparkle is at a loss. She doesn’t understand how her star student, the filly she’d taken so much pride in, could fall so hard. While cleaning out Cozy’s dorm room, she comes upon something that might provide the answer.
Well, that was a doozy. Given that there’s no real explanation for Cozy Glow being the way she is, stories explaining it are obviously going to come out. I’m honestly surprised that this is the first one I’ve read. I was expecting something simple and common given that we were already moving towards the whole ‘read from the diary’ thing, but then TheDriderPony threw everything I expected out the window. Well, mostly, it still had one or two expected elements. But the overarching point was completely unexpected, genuinely interesting, and (in the context of the show) not unbelievable.
I came away from the story with wholehearted approval. One has to wonder where Twilight will go from here. There are potential answers available, albeit left unstated, and it leaves lots of room for readers to think about potential directions.
Not a bad introduction to TheDriderPony at all. Give it a go if you’re interested in an unusual theory regarding Cozy’s origins.
Bookshelf: Pretty Good!
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
New Author!
Anonymity
4,801 Words
By Shrink Laureate
Anonymous has just arrived in Ponyville! He hopes that being the only human in town doesn’t blow his cover.
Or, to be more meta with the summary: Shrink Laureate shows off his MLP:FiM fan credentials.
This story is, for all intents and purposes, a continuous series of cameos for the sake of cameos. References include the Palaververse, Past Sins, Sweetie Bot, multiple fan-favorite show moments and characters, and a range of other things that are clearly references that I didn’t recognize. Moving all of this along in what might be deemed the main story is Anonymous, whom Shrink describes in his author’s note as “every anonymous human in Ponyville ever.”
Why are all these things being thrown together in a single story? No reason. Shrink was clearly doing this for the lulz. And hey, it worked; I was smiling throughout. It serves as a nice little reminder of just how ridiculous Ponyville can be.
Give it a go if you want to have fun playing “name that reference!”
Bookshelf: Worth It
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
The Fishbowl — WHYRTY?
Left Behind — WHYRTY?
Abdication — Pretty Good
Log of the UNS Twilight Sparkle — Pretty Good
Cold — Worth It
Trixcord
64,366 Words
By RTStephens
It’s taken a long time, but Trixie is finally set to make her grand comeback! But first she needs a show that will wow even the snobs in Canterlot. To do this, she goes to see the statue of Discord so that she can accurately recreate him with her illusions. This… doesn’t go to plan.
Alvederzane, RTStephens? 
This is one of FIMFiction’s earliest stories, having been released during the hiatus between Seasons 2 and 3. It may have been originally published offsite considering it was released over only two days. The story opens with Trixie unintentionally freeing Discord from his prison. When he tries to hide from Celestia inside Trixie’s horn, he inadvertently links the two of them together so that anything that happens to one happens to the other. Good news for Trixie: she’s now immortal. Bad news for Discord: any pain Trixie feels, so does he.
I greatly appreciate RTStephens’s approach to Trixie’s character in this one. She’s not the same goody-four-shoes of the Mane Six but neither is she an uncaring villain. I’m not even sure calling her an anti-hero would be accurate, though it does seem the most accurate option. The antagonism between her and the Mane Six is strong enough that when Twilight finally makes a genuine attempt to rectify things Trixie has none of it. I especially appreciated how shocked Rainbow was when Trixie didn’t accept her apology.
This is a Trixie that is a little complex. She’s selfish and can be unpleasant, but she’s also caring enough to be conflicted about her decisions. Despite her less harmonious nature compared to the others, there are at least two instances where she goes to help innocents without a second thought (even if she does outwardly justify it by claiming it’ll benefit her). Her interactions with Discord are great moments as well.
I also like all the little hints RTStephens threw in to show just how similar Twilight and Trixie are without either of them seeming to notice. It leaves an underlying impression that if things had been just a little different they could have been fast friends.
Less entertaining to me was the humor-based moments, particularly towards the end. Most of the humor in the story works well. For example, the time Discord manages to get Celestia to stop giving him the cold shoulder by suggesting a debate over whether cupcakes or muffins are the superior product. Celestia’s answer really dates the story, but it’s still a great character moment. There’s also the scene with dancing buildings, which was ridiculous but, y’know, Discord. Or the time Pinkie insisted on collecting as much chocolate milk rain as possible while she had the chance, which felt so very Pinkie Pie. These were all great moments I wholeheartedly approve of.
But then we get Twilight going Fire Mode in anger (excuse me while I roll my eyes), or breaking down into sobs because Discord brought up the one time she didn’t get an A in a class (in her defense, I hated that class too). These might have worked in a story that had this degree of stupid silly from the start, but the vast majority of it doesn’t. Most of the story is somewhat serious – Discord’s antics aside – so these feel out of place.
That was the only serious issue I had. There were a few typos, and a continuity error I spotted involving Pinkie and her chocolate rain wagon (although it’s Pinkie Pie, so does it really count?), but these didn’t bother me all that much. And honestly, given the story’s age I wouldn’t be surprised if RTStephens was already aware of all these issues. I always have supported the idea of leaving your mistakes visible to learn from, so I can’t take fault with the author not coming back 11 years later to fix these.
And really, the whole story is worth it just for Trixie’s characterization. This isn’t a Trixie obsessed with Twilight, or in angst over her (questionable) guilt from Boast Busters, or a selfish pony with a heart of gold. Just for her being depicted in a way that diverts from most of the norms, I approve.
Give this a go if you like Trixie or Discord, or want to see a different take on (who should be) everyone’s favorite showmare.
GBookshelf: Pretty Good
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
Strong Bad Receives a Friendship Report — Pretty Good
I Don't Give a Dam — Worth It
The Center of Her World
17,364 Words
By SaintChoc
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy have been dating for a couple months now, and it couldn’t be going any better. But then Rainbow learns that her human world counterpart is dating… Pinkie Pie? Something about this disturbs Rainbow. She wants to get to the bottom of it. In her mind, the only solution is going to talk to herself.
This is something of a romantic drama starring FlutterDash. We have a Rainbow who lacks confidence in herself and feeling like if some version of her isn’t with Fluttershy then there must be a problem with one of them. But she completely neglects that this is a problem that also concerns Fluttershy, and so Fluttershy takes over the second half of the story as she follows her marefriend to the human world and investigates things.
At the start of the story, there’s this moment where Rainbow gives Fluttershy advice on teaching lessons to others. Succinctly: to let things go wrong. It’s brief and it feels like a throwaway conversation with little bearing on the overall story. But then, some two-thirds in, Fluttershy witnesses Rainbow doing something. When one of their friends asks why she hasn’t interfered, she calmly responds that she’s “letting things go wrong.” It was with this line, revealing that these characters were actually going to grow together and learn from one another, that convinced me this was a good story.
The story is filled with things that don’t go how I expect and yet work out wonderfully in the end. A long conversation will play out that seems like it’s not going anywhere specific, and it ends, and I’m like “Uh, okay?” Then, a chapter later, the point of the conversation is brought to the forefront and I’m like “Ooooooooh.” I loved this overall approach, making the story feel more complex than it really is and demonstrating character growth in a manner that doesn’t shove it in our faces via exposition.
I am pleased with this one. It’s a tale about confidence, trust, and evolving relationships by making mistakes, all wrapped up in a nice FlutterDash bow (with a tiny dose of FlutterPie glitter thrown in for good measure). If that appeals to you, then absolutely give it a go.
Bookshelf: Pretty Good!
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
Raven — Pretty Good
The Things I Do For Love
6,505 Words
By brokenimage321
Rainbow Blitz wants to do something special for his fiancée this Hearth’s Warming. What could Applejack possibly appreciate more than a day off? And so, after six months of hard preparation, he sets out in the freezing night to do all of AJ’s chores before she can get up.
This story was based on a prompt in which Rainbow had to be R63’d. brokenimage321 took it a step further and R63’d a seemingly random set of characters without a rhyme or reason behind whom. Which isn’t a big deal, just something to be aware of. That being said, despite my ardent insistence that RariJack is the OTP, I have to admit that any time I see Fluttershy made into Butterscotch I have to root for the RariScotch ship because it is adorable.
Ahem. Getting back on track…
Set sometime after the end of the show, the story alternates between the present time and various points in Rainbow Blitz’s past. Most of these involve his relationship with Applejack. Some of them relate other things, like his colthood or his Wonderbolts career, but even these relate tangentially to Applejack in some way. It’s one part watching Blitz utterly muck up his attempt at a Hearth’s Warming gift despite his genuine best efforts and one part heartwarming displays of why he loves her.
brokenimage321 also goes out of their way to throw in some worldbuilding to help with the R63-ness of things, which on its own is interesting (got to question what happened to “Typhoon”). Although I do have to wonder how much of it was just the author trying to show off their original R63 names.
Overall? Not a bad AppleDash AppleBlitz fic. Not bad at all. A little entertaining, a little romantic, a touch of worldbuilding. It all comes together nicely. Definitely a worthwhile story. Pity I didn’t get to it during the holidays.
Bookshelf: Pretty Good
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
Celestia XVII — WHYRTY?
Celestia XVII: Velvet's Promise — Pretty Good
For the Good of Equestria — Pretty Good
The Bug in The Cave
77,519 Words
By Skijarama
Twilight Sparkle, ever-loyal student of Princess Celestia, decides to join a research expedition into the unexplored Badlands. This proves more than she or the rest of the team can handle when a bunch of tatzelworms attack! Separated, alone, and having little in the way of survival skills, it’s starting to look like Twilight will succumb to the harsh environment. And then a bug pony finds her cave…
Set before A Canterlot Wedding, this story follows Twilight and Thorax. As the lone “friendly” changeling in his hive, Thorax must find a way to keep Twilight alive without the other changelings discovering her existence. While Twilight is an important point for the story, it is safe to say that Thorax is the star of the show owing to how he’s the one taking all the risks in his effort to keep Twilight from starving out there. Also important is Pharynx, one of the toughest soldiers in the hive and a personal favorite of Chrysalis. Too bad he’s saddled with a no-account wimp of a brother whom he happens to genuinely care about and worry over.
There are signs of it being one of those “make it up as I go” stories rather than something planned out from start to finish. It also suffers from a recurring homophone issue that will be noticeable and distracting from start to finish. Despite this, I was never not interested in how Thorax would get Twilight and himself out of the mess they’re in. There are moments of subterfuge, character-building conflicts between the brothers, and a spattering of action scenes involving one of FiM’s worst cases of misnaming (seriously, the tatzelworms are not even remotely like the mythical being they’re named after).
It’s a fun story and a great friendshipping tale. Yes, friendshipping: this is not and was never intended to be a romance. Two people (er, ponies? (right, pony and bug)) can get into life-changing dangers without forming a romantic interest in one another, y’know?
Overall, I approve. Skijirama created something entertaining, and while it went exactly where I expected it to there were a couple minor surprises in the journey. I wouldn’t call it the greatest changeling X pony friendship tale I’ve ever read, but it was definitely worth the time investment. I look forward to whatever is coming next from this author.
Bookshelf: Worth It
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
Mother — Pretty Good
Bonus Review: Star Overhead Volume 4
282 Pages
By Zachary Nieves (AKA KorenCZ11)
Shyanne Papillion has problems. The first is that she was born with a spell embedded in her body, True Sight, which lets her see through the vast majority of illusions both magical and psychological and know the truth about others. The second is so shameful she dares not mention it in public. But now her lifelong bully knows her secret, and it feels like her life is over. How fortunate, then, that she’s caught the attention of a certain giantess.
At this point in the series we’ve seen the world through the eyes of Dawn (Not Twilight), Rebecca Caelum (Not Rainbow), and Amethyst Treasure (Not Rarity). This story focuses on who, up to this point, was the least prominent of the girls. Shyanne (Not Fluttershy) lives up to her name, being timid, meek, and kind. In public. In private, she’s Black Butterfly, a popular porn artist known to create extreme artwork filled with the worst perverted depravities. She’s already struggling to get over this double life when Stephanie, school bully and daughter of the mayor, discovers Shyanne’s secret identity and decides a bit of blackmail is in order.
This is perhaps the most complicated story in the series yet. There are multiple scenes where characters go off on philosophical tangents ranging from the nature of humanity to the decline of musical creativity in modern times. More than once, it felt like Zachary was espousing beliefs over telling the story. This isn’t a bad thing however, as these few rants are directly related to the entire point of the story. You might have to re-read said rants two or three times before you understand how they are connected, but the connection is there.
As for the main story itself, in this we get something very direct. Shyanne is struggling in a lot of ways with her ever-evolving sexuality, which fits well with the series’s ongoing, underlying theme of surviving puberty. It can be argued that she is more physically mature than the other protagonists we’ve met so far. But she also has the torment of her True Sight, an ability she can’t turn off. And through it, we finally get to see Solei (Not Celestia) as she truly is. As a direct result, we finally get to learn Solei’s story – the real one, or as much of it as she’s willing to reveal to a girl who can see her true identity no matter how she tries to disguise it.
Thus does Zachary expand the lore of this universe yet again, this time focusing more on the origins of Solei and her sister, Luna (uh, not-Luna, I guess?): their literal alien nature, their superhuman biology, their great powers, how they came to this world, and the culture they formed within it. A lot of long-asked questions finally receive answers here, some of which I correctly suspected while others caught me wholly off guard.
And still Dawn is making her appearances as the series’s true main protagonist. She’s finally coming to suspect who Solei is in relation to her and it’s causing her no end of turmoil. Her desire to help her friends keeps her getting involved in their problems, and that’s no less true for dear Shyanne. It was wonderful to see the two of them bonding over familiar loves, particularly in relation to anime and card games. All Dawn’s other friendships seem to have come from mutual struggles involving Solei, but now we have Shyanne giving her something to truly bond over.
And then there’s Jacklyn (Not Applejack), who is finally revealing some things about her abilities that none of her friends ever suspected. So glad that she’s going to be the focus of the next book, I really think I’m going to enjoy that one. I love how close she and Amethyst are against all odds, but the behavior she displays towards Shyanne creates a whole new dynamic.
I can safely say that Shyanne has been my favorite protagonist thus far, though I can’t say for sure if that’s because of her character in general or the fact that Zachary spent so much more time getting to know her and letting us explore her multi-faceted personality (this being the longest book in the set so far). I greatly enjoyed following her tale and seeing how she evolved, and our comprehension of the world along with her. Looking forward to the next book!
Bookshelf: Pretty Good!
Stories for Next Time:
The Ponyville Files by LastToTheParty
Halvard and the Kindly Queen by Venerable Ro
The Rejected by Soufriere
Paper Girl by leeroy_gIBZ
The Love Bug by GreyPon3
2525: A Space Oddity by ROBCakeran53
Not-Yet-Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Tale of the Dark Empress of Teatime by kudzuhaiku
RED - Rock Farmers, Extremely Dangerous by ChibiRenamon
Flitter by Nyerguds
Superdeterminism by Cloud Hop
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The Elements of Elements is an anthology and as such isn't unfinished so much as still open if and when Estee comes up with another idea inspired by the periodic table. One of my own stories was inspired by that one in turn.
And yes, Ratchette is much beloved in Estee's own corner of the fandom. Harwick even did an exquisite sculpture of her (and Miranda Rights, Ponyville's chief of police) this Christmas.
I guess writing is in your family blood. Maybe your sister writes super sappy romance or more risqué stuff that she'd be embarrassed for you to see?
There's some great stuff this week, but to me the biggest surprise is the new authors. I have no idea how you've missed deadpansnarker, TheDriderPony, and SaintChoc for so long. They're hardly small names with some huge stories in their portfolios.
aww this is a nice surprise! i am glad that "Cosmological" worked well enough for it to be your favorite part of the four. the links to show clips is definitely an artifact of my early work, and while i think there is something to be said for the practice, i can see why it would be distracting
That's a peculiar story about your sister. It's interesting to know what family members divulge and what they keep close to their chests. Perhaps she thinks you'd be a harsher critic than her fans? She can keep her fans at arms length while she has to deal with you on a regular basis. I dunno, just spitballing theories here. It's basically the opposite with my family. Many of them know I write and I've told them where to find my stuff if they're interested. They just don't care. 🤷
Anyway, you really pulled one out of the mothballs with mine. I'm actually a little surprised that you came away fairly positive. I was mentally preparing myself for a thorough lashing. Trixcord is both fondly remembered and deeply frustrating to me. It's basically the story I cut my teeth on when I migrated from fanfiction.net to here. I was blown away at just how much higher the bar was set and how much I needed to learn to catch up. On FF.net, if you ran a spellchecker and your sentences at least made sense, you were considered a literary GOD. Not on FiM.net and definitely not on EqD. I made extensive updates to it, which is why the dates are all screwy (also partially because early day FiM.net backend coding changed a few times), but after a while I got sick of fixing things and decided I was DONE. I needed and wanted to move on to other things. In a way, I'm glad this one was one of my first because I took what I learned and applied it to Filly Fantasy VI, which I'm much prouder of.
And despite never reaching early fandom classic status, Trixcord still got around. Some commenters even said they took inspiration from my characterization of Trixie for their own stories, which in my opinion is as flattering a compliment I can get. My inspiration mostly came from The First Light of Dawn, which I still consider the superior version, IMHO.
Also, this was written during season 2. I think I managed to finish it just before the finale aired.
Glad you liked it and looking forward to what the rest of 2024 has in store!
I can do stories that aren't immortality angst!
As for your sister's writing, I can understand it. I've been a little cagey who I share my fimficcery with, and I know somebody else who writes some sort of erotica but won't tell us his pen name. The online anonymity of fanfiction is liberating, it gives us permission to explore and show off sides of ourselves that we fear society wouldn't approve of. Knowing that your mother is going to be reading your slashfic will change how you approach it.
I confess, I agree with your sister not telling you. It allows her privacy to explore whatever comes to mind without worrying about how she may be judged by those who know her.
While you're often quite kind, you can be very cutting with your reviews when you dislike something. Knowing I had family hanging over my shoulder, reading what I wrote and having that potentially change their views of me would be terrifying. Especially someone who writes reviews.
I applaud you for being so upfront and unapologetic with what you write, but as someone who is much more reticent to share, I side with her. There is a freedom in anonymity that can be so easily lost.
That all said, I do really enjoy your reviews, even though I don't often comment. ^^; It's always nice to be introduced to a new author, or a story I overlooked by an author I already enjoy.
Quite the opening story, that! It does sound a little off for your sister to take that stance, to be that steadfast on keeping her worlds apart but given her tendencies at this stage in life (to judge from not replying often to your or other members of the family) to keep to herself, it does seem to track. I don't know if I quite agree with the others here that are fully on her side – if she's that successful, her work must be at least decent, so it's not like she has to fear bad reception from you, and you've opened to her about your fanfiction life, so there's no judgment or the like to fear there – but sometimes people feel that way about anonymity, even if the usual reasons we have for not connecting our real lives on here don't apply in this reversal.
Of course, as others hint, it could be material of a certain type she'd rather her family doesn't know about for… reasons. You never know.
Myself, my family is aware of my fandom and fanfiction hobbies, but never shows any real interest, so I don't ever really bring it up. Though I do intend to more formally tell them upon completion of a Ponyfic move, just because of how big and important an undertaking it's been for me. Curious how that will go.
Hm. Given I had planned to start reading The Bug in the Cave really soon, you feeling it has a "flying by the seat of its pants" feel is concerning – I tend to be more receptive to such aspects than most, especially if I know that going in. The rating surprised me, as the review did come across as a Pretty Good otherwise, mind. Most curious, both for you, and for what I'll do with it going forward.
I've read that story of Estee's (not a given with her having penned over 200 now
), though I don't recall much. I do recall Ratchette popping up in other stories though, and yeah, she's a winner, especially when she interacts with Twilight and others.
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Seconded. The first two of those especially are quite prominent authors I've been aware of for ages, and read plenty from. Really a big surprise, Paul! I do remember there are authors you have read but never reviewed, from your pre-review days, of course, but that doesn't seem to be what's going on here.
I was gonna say if you knew about my alt you'd understand, but I'm not sure you know about my main account.
There are some people I tell about my Fimfic account and others who I don't. Some of my friends and co-workers know that I write as a hobby, but not where; my manger once got a printout of a to-be-posted blog which I made certain didn't have a URL. Some of my friends who aren't pony fans have physical copies of some of my books.
Some of us compartmentalize our lives for various reasons.
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I wholly support the hyperlinks. We have a special medium; therefore, we should take advantage of its supplementary capabilities.
But I have found that more than a few people like Paul here have expressed written distaste for interstitial hyperlinks.
Solei's rant about the state of modern music has one of my best word plays (the heart and soul part), and is the only part of the audio book I read straight through in one take. I was on a roll during that sequence and nothing has convinced me to change my opinion since then either.
As always, I'm glad you liked it and it's a pleasant surprise to see Star Overhead here again. The funny thing about Shy's True Sight is that it was originally a throwaway line from the original story that didn't get any real explanation. Book 1 was mostly a retool of the first chapter, Book 2 was taking events that had already happened and expanding on the unique parts of the story, and Book 3 had the most parts directly lifted from the original story.
Book 4 was brand new from the ground up, save True Sight which was the starting point and the defining feature of Shy's character. It's so much longer and so much more comprehensive because this is where the last of the major characters in the story are introduced, if only in name. The next story is about 25% longer than this one, and that's where the plot really thickens (and it is in no way related to favoritism.) Still, it's not like I made them longer on purpose, there's just more ground to cover. The nature of each book covering Dawn and secondary protagonist changes depending on how much needs to be revealed, and book 6 closes a lot of those secondary threads to make room for book 7, the final book, which will be something completely different.
But that's for the future when I actually get the damn thing written. I hope you enjoy book 5 too, because I definitely enjoyed writing it.
I can understand this. My art life and my real life are totally separated, where as I actually share what I write with the people I know... to a degree. I'm happy to tell you about Star Overhead, but fim fiction or the original nature of my writing hobby are generally not brought up in polite discussion. Not that anybody reads anything anymore on the general. The people here are pretty rare IRL.
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I feel this, so much. My Dad is the only one I've managed to convince to read my books, and he constantly bugs me about the next one, but not a soul otherwise seems to give a damn.
5763271
His luck was bound to run out sooner or later...
My family know I write, but they don't know what and they don't know the names I use. My wife knows them. It might seem weird that I share this element of my life more with comparative strangers than with my own family, but I don't have to spend Christmas with any of you crazy degenerates.
So I understand her position, I think. Not everything in your life is shared with everyone you know, and that's fine.
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And here we have a general response to all the commentary regarding my sister:
All these reactions inform me that I run on a different spectrum from a number of people out there. I don't generally talk about my writing work outside of FIMFiction, but this is because I feel like nobody cares. All my life I've had this little brain worm of a belief that, seriously, who cares what Paul has to say about anything anyway? So I tend to keep my interests to myself unless directly asked. That's the only reason my writing doesn't come into discussion more often outside the site.
If it ever does come up, however, I am not even remotely shy about it. I will gladly tell anyone who asks that I write, that my primary area is MLP fanfiction, and I do reviews. I'll even tell them my pen-name and the site. I want people to know. If they think I'm weird, great! I've no problem with being weird. The fact that my parents could, if they ever worked up the interest, log onto FIMFiction and read my entire library and all my reviews neither bothers me nor affects what I write or how.
So when my sister reacted in the entirely opposite way, I guess I was just stunned. It's wholly alien thinking to me. But getting all these responses defending her take was a good reminder that people are different. More to the point, they're different from me. I suppose I'll just have to respect that and leave her be, with a standing invitation to properly discuss her work if ever she changes her mind.
Now that I think on it, this shouldn't surprise me. My sister greatly values her public image. It used to be to a degree I thought unhealthy, but having a daughter who will get dirty and make a mess regardless of instruction has mellowed her out a little in that regard. Still, why would I ever believe that someone who fears stepping out in the rain for ten seconds because "it would make her look dirty" would not care what people think about her private hobbies?
I suppose my curiosity must take a back seat for my respect for her. Which is fine. It's not like my life (or hers) will change as a result either way. I can even appreciate that she as willing to tell me where she writes and trusts I won't go all Basil of Baker Street looking for her material (I strongly suspect she's given me enough info that I could). I shall try to keep in mind that maybe I'm the odd one here.
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ORLY? Why did I not realize that? I might have to partake after all.
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I blame this on my method for choosing stories to read. A large chunk of my content involves going through the libraries of authors whom I've already read, for whom I keep a list. I always reserve some space for authors I've not read before, but it's small: in this blog's case, only one (TheDriderPony's story was a request and thus not an intentional decision on my part). Add to that how I choose new authors to read, which is based entirely on browsing material rather than asking for recommendations, and you'll find there are a lot of well-known or popular authors that I've simply never heard of.
My reviewer tendrils expand, but slowly.
5763372
I wouldn't say it makes you odd, per se. Everyone's different and putting yourself in someone else's shoes when their views are *so* polar opposite can be tricky for sure. n_n
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I have to admit, I like the links much more than putting videos or images directly in the story. It's about as unobtrusive as you can get for material like this. I even did it myself once, waaay back in my earliest writing. I think the only real reason I didn't approve of them this time was because, as I implied in my review, I feel like the facts being pointed out by the links should be common knowledge for anyone reading fanfiction on a Friendship is Magic fanfiction website. I know it's not true though; the amount of stuff people forget or outright miss can be astonishing, and I can't deny being guilty of it myself sometimes.
5763276
Ah, yes. I recall the... uh, I guess I'll go with "culture shock" of transitioning to a proper writing community. It's like you thought you were the big cheese before only to have a bunch of people with cheese graters come along and cut you down to proper size and shape. In my case, it was a shift from FictionPress to here.
5763291
Always good to hear from people I've not seen in a while! Glad to know you're still around.
5763317
I'm another one who's (mostly) with Paul on those, because my preference is to download EPUBs of fics and read them offline. When you're doing that, hyperlinks are a real pain. I know of at least one person who actually prints fics out on ye olde paper and reads on that, which makes hyperlinks entirely useless, but that's a pretty niche case I accept! But for me: when it's something like the Experimental category of a contest, I'm fine with them. Otherwise, I find them more of an irritation than a bonus.
Edit: And though it doesn't affect me, those who listen to stories as audio readings can't see hyperlinks either.
5763381
Yeah! I'm still about n_n Mostly lurking these days I admit, but still here!
5763372
I suppose the best way to look at it is that it's great she has a creative outlet. And that you're both continuing something you shared when you were younger.
5763293
Actually, the main reason I felt this way was because the author admitted to it. The story itself is pretty solid considering that.
I did a double-take when I saw how I rated the story, myself. I think the rating may have to do with my own suspicions regarding my rating methods lately. I've started to get the feeling that I'm being overly generous with my PG ratings, handing them out to stories that may not have necessarily deserved them. It is possible that The Bug in The Cave is a victim of me trying to course-correct a little too hard.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, I also suspect I'm being too reserved in my handing out of WHYRTY ratings; The Center of Her World and After Glow, looking back, are both solid contenders that may have actually deserved the rating. As such, my ratings might be a bit wonky in the coming weeks as I try to come to terms with this sort of thing.
5763315
I can assure you, I do not. I tend to be pretty dense about that kind of thing and typically need to be told directly.
5763350
It's been so long since I read the original FIMFic version that I completely forgot about Shy's part in it. I feel like her story came a little out of nowhere here in regards to the whole, for while she did get some mentions it also felt like she had up 'til then been the least explored of the girls. I really like what you did with her overall.
I haven't ordered Book 5 yet, but only because I already made a large purchase that pretty much destroyed my budget for this month, so I'm holding off. I'll probably grab it in February though.
In my case, it's my mother. She doesn't read my FIMfiction material, but if I produce anything physical to read she wants it. She's been very supportive of my hobbies and is constantly bugging me to release something not pony-related. The only thing of mine my dad has read is Bulletproof Heart, but he liked it so much he actually approached me about ghost-writing the one and only story he ever tried (and failed) to write. Alas, nothing ever came of it, but it's great to know that the man who got me so interested in reading in the first place approves of my work.
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i keep meeting a LOT of people around actively reading fimfics who say they still haven't gotten around watching past season 3 or 4, so
5763386
Oh, I relate so hard to this. Even with two extra ratings to work with, there's always so much wobble between borderline cases. To say nothing of really early reviews when I didn't have a clue what I was doing.
What I've tried to do recently, and I think it applies to everyone, is be conscious of one's own biases, and inconsistencies in final ratings, but don't sweat too much about compensating for them. They're still opinions, at the end of the day, and you'll agree that if the review is done well, the content of it will speak better than the actual rating at the end, to those who read the whole thing.
Also, a followup to your general response to all of us about your sister: I would honestly say I'm not too far off not really talking about my writing work outside of Fimfiction either. I might be liable to mention it when the topic is nearby, but if I gauge that person/group to not be interested, I don't bring it up again unless asked. And that's applied to virtually everyone!
I am not overtly confident about others caring about it either, and other interests aren't too far off, so they don't tend to get raised except when with others I know are into it. I'm sure I think I'm less interesting than other people think I am, from not saying much about myself, but then again, who doesn't think that about themselves? 
5763376
Joking aside, thanks for reading one of my stories (eventually), man. As my bio profile so rightfully states, I mostly limit myself to comedic one-shots involving my favourite characters (no prizes for guessing who) but I occasionally I dip my toe into heavier subjects, mostly in my too-long-by-far chapter fics which seem to be quite popular (never finished one yet though, not on here anyway).
Incidentally, like your sis I've written quite a few stories on alternate sites about other big franchises, but it'll be a boiling hot day in Greenland during July before I reveal my alternate penname. I've never given any clues to what it is on here, nor has it got anything to do with my current one. I prefer to keep my FIM business and other fandoms seperate, ya see?
In the case of my family, one of my half-brothers and myself just naturally put as much distance between ourselves and our immediate + extended family outside of holiday visits. Obviously I don't know your sister or you outside of what you publish here, but it is in some people's nature to just separate from family when the time comes - which doesn't even take into account any situational variables that may have incentivized such while growing up.
I think I can understand your sister not wanting to share, for reasons everyone else has already stated. Fanfic, often more than original fic, tends to be a deeply personal thing for a lot of people. As least that's what I've found. There is exactly one person in my life who even knows that I have any writing online at all (though I don't think she knows how to find it), and she's not a relative. Or a romantic partner.
Part of me can't help but think about what a cool and unique sibling bonding exercise it could be if she ever did share, though. I imagine you would both have a lot of similar (and very different) experiences to discuss. You could probably even bolster each other's writing.
I'm also just amused by the idea of someone having two favourite authors from two completely separate fandoms and then finding out one day that they're actually siblings. What a whammy that would be.
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My main account has the stuff I might show Mom and Dad, and the alt account has the stuff I very much wouldn't. The kind of stuff where you have to click a link to view mature.
I'm not very familiar with the fandoms your sister writes for, but she might be exploring some of the subjects they don't show on TV.
Or, alternately, assuming that she knows that you are a well-known reviewer on FimFiction, she might also be worried that her writing might not make the cut; she might think that you'd read it and totally pan it. Especially since you said "you can imagine I was very curious to read her work even if I knew nothing of both games. I wouldn’t have minded having a review on my blog of one of her stories." Is that something she wants?
I know I've been disappointed in the past when someone who is regarded as a paragon of the FimFic community pre-read something that I wrote and said (in not so many words) that it sucked.
So I got it featured on Equestria Daily just to show him that it didn't suck.
Point is sometimes people prefer to share their passions only with people in the community they're passionate about and there could be lots of reasons for that.
Maybe you should study up Final Fantasy XIV and Genshin Impact and learn about them, and then maybe she'd be more open to you reading her stories . . . heck, maybe you'd have already read some of her stories if you really go down the rabbit hole.
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"those who listen to stories as audio readings can't see hyperlinks either."
I agree it is a fair point that people not viewing on a computer (or mobile) likely will not receive the full advantage of supplementary multimedia.
When pieces that depend on formatting, etc. are read, they can lose some effect and I sympathize with this conundrum. One of my works that had a visual requirement was "read" by a Youtuber...
but I would never have suggested anyone verbally "read" that piece since some of its gags inherently depended on formatting.
In other media (e.g. computer upgrades) the 'oldest common denominator' is not catered to. Here, that 'oldest common denominator' is print.
Thus, I argue there is a place for items to be supplemented with hyperlinks and extra information (or even to depend on same, though perhaps there should be a warning? Would it help for someone to note: "recommended to read online due to this piece's use of color and formatting.").
Those who chose not to "upgrade" their reading format miss out on the full experience which in some stories is merely supplementary and in others the supplementation elevates the story. Assuming no disability is active, it is those readers' choice to not enjoy the elevated experience much as it is someone's choice not to upgrade from a flip phone to an Internet-capable one.
I agree it is fine to have preferences!
I understand why certain pieces will not work for those who cannot enjoy the benefits; however, it concerns me if someone thinks hyperlinks and/or supplementation may take away from a work and make it "lesser". I worry that approach will stifle innovation. 
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Even if they are common knowledge (and you and Bicyclette discussed how they can sometimes not be), they can be a nice supplement, like a rabbit hole on an encyclopaedia entry with both text and video. It can help relive the scene. It is not necessary, but it can be entertaining.
Elaborating upon the topic of images and video embeds "taking someone out of the work", I take it you are not a fan of Terry Pratchett or David Foster Wallace who utilize copious amounts of footnotes.
Or, are footnotes a different situation? Relatedly, for image embeds, some thriller authors embed images and puzzles. Is this likewise frowned upon? 
Obviously, personal taste is personal taste, so I suppose I write this mostly in the hopes of increasing acceptance of the practice on an intellectual level that it is acceptable rather than expecting to convince someone here to love it.
(And maybe all who commented about it here already accept it on an intellectual level and were just sharing their detailed visceral attitudes (which probably was the situation...), in which case--no worries 
).
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That's pretty cool. My mom is the only one I ever discussed books with at all, but she's never really approached me about mine. She even has a copy of the pony hardback version, but like me also reads mostly audio books. That could be where I get it from, but I sometimes wonder if she's just uncomfortable with the idea of knowing what goes on in my head. Who knows, maybe this will come up down the line in my future. I'll have to ask if she's ever waned to write a book. Dad's not really a creative type, but mom picked up water color painting a while back which is something my sister and I used to do.
My relationship with my parents has always been kinda strange compared to other people or even my own family in that I actually spent a lot of time with them going out to do things like a friend group. At least, while I was living with them, I was a lot closer with them than the rest of my family. But maybe that's part of why a majority of the friends I make are older than I am. Even my Japanese friend has ten years on me.
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I think the difference there is that the number of people still using, for example, Windows XP is tiny. The number of people who see a story as simply a piece of text (even if text on a screen) is very much not tiny and is in fact still the majority. It's not like a company dropping support for WinXP, it's more like them dropping support for Win10. And that is not at all the norm.
Ferret and Biscuit have made some good points about your sister's boundry that I won't bother retreading now.
I sort of slid into the Fimfiction and writing space over time and it was a pretty quiet ordeal overall, so early on there was nothing bombastic to show off and still the risk of embarrassment to weigh it against. I'd only find out what the real issue behind that noted risk was some 8 years later, and I could probably publicly claim my account here if I really wanted nowadays. I don't, though.
I had somewhat recently been working on a less fictitious writing project of my own elsewhere and, at some point during discussions around the content, a few people in that community that I had known for over a year at that point surprised me and threw me under the bus for one of the positions I held (barely, and I couldn't find any common ground even after almost sacrificing my entire point). Not long after, someone else offered to help with the project in a manner that they thought would take some heat off my back when I "published" it (to encourage me not to give up), but I explained, "It is my friends, not my enemies, who are afforded the chance to hurt me." (You know, emotionally in this context.)
And while that tangential story is not exactly the same, I suspect that is a common, legitimate, concern when you see compartmentalization. It doesn't have to be ill intentioned on your part. And, in fact, I think it may also be demonstrated from your perspective depending on how your sister's refusal baffles you.
Ah, there's more I might like to say, but these things become difficult to describe at 2am
It's probably best if I come back later, but I may just as likely forget...
Okay, I definitely didn't forget, but I'm not convinced a follow up is necessary. Nor am I convinced you deserve to be subjected to yet another 2-am-ramble. But since it isn't 2 am yet… Look, it got stuck in the back of my mind as a curiosity.
First:
Definitely not a case of being the odd one out, though I do personally suspect not as common. (This is probably a tangent.) Fully acknowledging oneself is respectable; being able to acknowledge your complete self to others is the "reputation" side of that, and you may also be aware of the thin line that separates honesty and accomplishments from bragging and exaggerating in the realm of perception, born from the fact that others' perspectives can't simply apply what you know for yourself. (Note: don't worry about this bit too much; I cover the difference more near the end, and knowing oneself completely is both not easy and an independent matter.)
Point from Ferret:
Already in line with my prior "those who are afforded the chance to hurt me" remark, the one thing that really stuck with me is the idea that you haven't earned her trust in this regard. And I don't mean that in a "all things have a price" sort of way where you do the right set of things and viola, door opens; whether or not that door would every open, it definitely won't now, is the thought.
I obviously know your sister less than you do, but naming the IPs is already going pretty far out for you, ignoring the chance that you go digging. Fanfiction writing still doesn't have the greatest reputation out in the world. Final Fantasy and Genshin Impact are also closer to the "anime" side of things from a similarly uninvested view. It is, unsurprisingly, equatable to admitting that you write MLP fanfiction. Except I also don't know how the attitude shifts when we're talking about living in Japan (?) versus what the more Western perspective will be, and the source material is from the East. Maybe it would be similar to living in the East and writing MCU fanfiction? Obviously still a bit of speculation on my part, or a bit of exploration to give you the chance to figure it out with your more informed perspective.
Anyways, Biscuit pointed at the lock:
Whether or not you actually bring any, it is exceedingly common to have to worry about having to fend off incorrect preconceptions or misinformation and the like when you practice a visible skill.
Probably one of the most bothersome examples that I remember for myself is from a chorus I used to sing in: there was a pair of brothers who had the skills to sing on-key and the sort of technique that actually leads to damaging your voice (but it had "impressive" results, so…), and any advice about this would roll off their heads like water on a well-waxed surface. And time after time, show after show, they'd scoop up a lot compliments for being handsome young men with such a good singing voice. (One of them also violated the dress codes of somewhat more formal events a couple of times.)
The point is that it's hard to hold the views of people who really don't know in high regard, but in this case I think I also showed an example of dangers that exist in the "skilled" group, too. So you may also be a writer, but that doesn't get you off the hook.
So if I had to sum up the experiences of myself contrasting with various family members and my own siblings with their own skills and works to show/not show, I'd say it's hard to call it rude to ask for a pen name, but unless you have done the work to establish yourself as an informed, non-judgmental party with either clear communication, enough history known to the other party to substitute as such, or both, it is entirely reasonable for there to be a defensive barrier.
My guess at the difference in mindset is that you have had few enough experiences where you were "burned" for what you do; be it the actual MLP writing and reviews or anything that would lead into it prior. Hypothetically, your sister got enough resistance or pushback, else experienced one or more direct incidents, that she has come to the (entirely reasonable) conclusion that you can actually be hurt (incl. "judged") by sharing these things with people who haven't proven themselves to be safe in a specific skill/topic/etc.. And I am really just pointing out what I would think is the general dichotomy between someone who can confidently share their "embarrassing" hobbies and those who choose to keep them quiet.
And I haven't even gotten into any specifics about Genshin Impact. I don't know much about any of the Final Fantasy series myself, but as a day-2 Genshin player and having noticed some stigmas popping up in other communities that I am in besides, I could probably give you a run-down of things there if you really wanted a starting place. Either way, I think I've wrapped up my ramblings on this topic this time, and I hope it hasn't left you more confused. Or with the impression that I should be avoided, but I would consider that outcome to be slightly less of a failure.
P.S. Part of the reason it seems that sharing the IPs is already going out on a limb for you is because you have also just shared them here. Hypothetically, I, a person who vaguely knows you and at least one of the IPs, could go and dig for her works as well, which is nominally not much different than a random person from the world wide public finding it but still biased towards having a connection to you.