Paul's Thursday Reviews CCCLII – Cynewulf Edition · 9:14pm March 7th
First off, everyone’s favorite Skeeter is in need of some help. Do head on over and drop a septim or two if you can spare them.
Today we have yet another author spotlight. That author? Cynewulf. You might be asking, why Cynewulf? Simple: they released an actual, physical, real-world oh-my-Luna-I-can-hold-it-in-my-hands anthology of pony stories. I like to support that kind of thing, but a quick check revealed that I hadn’t read a single one of the stories in it. Sure, I want to support, but I also don’t want to spend money on something I might not like. The only obvious solution was to read them here first, thus: author spotlight. Yes, that’s inherently risky, but Cynewulf wrote The Night is Passing so I felt reasonably confident that this wouldn’t be detrimental to them.
The new book, which can be purchased here (note my mild jealousy), has eleven stories. Seeing as these blogs always have ten stories nowadays and one of those is always taken by a Big Story, I will only be reviewing nine of them today. But oh, what a selection we have. I can safely say that by the time I was finished here I did want a copy of the book. Hardback, of course.
I have one other author spotlight in the works (reading just started, in fact), and after that I’ll need to pick another author. As always, if anyone has any (non-self-promoting) suggestions I’m willing to hear them. (Seriously, send me suggestions, I have no idea who to pick next! 
)
Let’s get to these reviews, shall we? Big, non-Cynewulf one first.
Stories for This Week:
The Equestria Chronicles: Journey Through The Crystal Mountains by Slippin_Sweetie
80 Days 'Til the World's Farthest Shore by Cynewulf
Archipelago by Cynewulf
As Long as the Earth's Orbit by Cynewulf
Exit Interview by Cynewulf
Lunangrad by Cynewulf
The Sickness Unto Death by Cynewulf
We Will All Be Changed by Cynewulf
When I Consider How My Light is Spent by Cynewulf
Your Name Like Oil Poured Out by Cynewulf
Total Word Count: 195,508
Rating System
Why Haven't You Read These Yet?: 2
Pretty Good: 5
Worth It: 2
Needs Work: 1
None: 0
The Equestria Chronicles: Journey Through The Crystal Mountains
90,701 Words
By Slippin_Sweetie
Requested by Slippin_Sweetie
Sequel to The Equestria Chronicles: Prelude
Twilight’s castle has been destroyed and the culprit, one Starlight Glimmer, vanished. Alas, Twilight & co. don’t have time to deal with her. The Crystal Map might be gone but that doesn’t mean they can ignore its last friendship mission! They’ll travel around the globe dealing with these problems. First stop: Yakyakistan.
I know what you’re thinking: “You mean the Castle of Friendship was destroyed and the Mane Six are just gonna walk off and do their own thing and let the perpetrator get away scot-free?” Yep, that’s exactly what I mean. Not that it matters, because Starlight Glimmer’s following them anyway.
To summarize what you’ve likely missed: this series is set post-Cutie Map and opens with Starlight Glimmer attacking Twilight in Ponyville as part of her petty revenge. Before she did so, the Cutie Map went haywire and essentially told the Mane Six that there are concurrent friendship problems happening all over the world, so they’ve decided to go on a global expedition to solve all of them. Apparently, solving those problems is more important than trying to capture Starlight, who is a pretty petty problem since she’s only Equestria’s Public Enemy No. 1.
We first end up in the Crystal Empire as a natural stop towards Yakyakistan. There Starlight unintentionally picks up Trixie and Thorax as somewhat unwilling accomplices. This is the first sign of some genuinely interesting changes within the overarching plot, and the interplay between these three is a highlight of the story. Unlike in canon with Starlight and Trixie becoming fast friends, here they start off unable to stand one another but forced to work together due to ongoing circumstances. Thorax tags along because they saved him from starvation and he feels he owes them; he spends much of the story acting as the social glue keeping Trixie and Starlight from murdering one another. I love how he and Trixie get along like peanut butter and jelly pretty quickly despite Trixie’s initial suspicions, and also how Starlight is antagonistic to both of them for a good, long while.
Then there’s the events in Yakyakistan, where Slippin_Sweetie tries to create a proper culture for the yaks with traditions and festivals and a governing hierarchy. Some of it felt in blatant opposition to what little is established in canon, but I rolled with it; it is an AU, after all. Yona becomes a side-character, and it was genuinely endearing to see Starlight discover a love for education by teaching the calves things like alchemy and potions. Really, it’s in Yakyakistan that we see Starlight finally start to loosen up and stop being such a villain, which is one reason why her willingness to reform when confronted by Twilight later isn’t quite as surprising this time. I mean, it’s still a pretty quick turnaround, but at least it’s better than what the show gave us. Then there’s Thorax bonding with Pinkie behind their respective friends’ backs.
When it gets down to it, the villains are the primary draw of this story. The Mane Six don’t do much more than what we’d already expect, and they certainly don’t evolve as characters. But then they didn’t need to; this was clearly meant to be a story for Trixie, Thorax, and especially Starlight. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, provided that the rest of the cast get chances to grow in future installments.
Despite all these good things, there’s still a lot of bad. Slippin_Sweetie’s long-form plot is a huge improvement, but the short-term stuff is still struggling in a great many ways. Enough ways, in fact, that I expect them to be a dealbreaker for most readers. In truth, they are for me, but I’ve got my “always finish the story” rule so it didn’t stop me. To put it simply, Slippin_Sweetie really struggles with logical fallacies. I took a lot of notes this time; I’ll show some highlowlights, because I think the author might want to see what the problems are.
But now Trixie pressed her between a rock and a hard place; refusing would upset the half-witted patrons surrounding her. She relented, letting out a begrudging sigh.
This comes from a scene where Trixie is performing on stage and calls out Starlight as a potential volunteer (this is their first encounter, BTW). Somehow, Starlight thinks that refusing will make the audience get mad at her. Why? For what possible reason could they have to be angry at her if she doesn’t come on stage? It’s not like there’s some grand expectation; nopony in the crowd even knows who Starlight is. She literally walked into the tavern two minutes ago! Where’s the logic here, author?
The beast threatened an entire tribe of zebras and begged me to help them.
Trixie is telling the story of how a beast attacked a zebra village. And then the beast… asks Trixie... to save the village… that it is attacking.
"Let's hope it's just somepony practicing their magic in the strangest of places. But we are very concerned about this genuine threat posed to you, Twilight; we don't want you to get hurt by some….deranged pony." Shining said awkwardly; it was so strange to put such a negative connotation on a pony of all creatures.
Here Shining Armor is doubting that a unicorn could do the violent, corrupt, possibly evil things that Starlight did. He and Cadance act like this kind of behavior is unheard of for a pony. It’s as though he and Cadance have completely forgotten that there was ever a unicorn named Sombra. And this is Shining Armor and Cadance.
We don't mean to pry or interrogate you, Twilight[...]
Cadance says without having done any interrogating and without Twilight having shown any offense to the conversation so far.
Twilight chuckled nervously, glad to sit down and rest her hooves.
Yes, Twilight’s hooves must be really hurting after spending the last several hours riding on a train and then a carriage. All that sitting really does a number on a mare’s hooves, apparently.
"I can't make any of the Guards do an expedition into those mountains," sighed Shining, "All of my Officers say there's no point venturing past the magical barrier created by the Crystal Heart, and to 'leave well enough alone.'"
Says Shining Armor, the chief military officer of the Crystal Empire. Clearly, he lacks the authority to issue basic orders and expect them to be followed.
Shining looked over to Spike, who was happily devouring the finest crystals the servants could provide, "Is everything to your liking, O' Spike The Brave and Glorious?"
Spike quickly forced a crystal shard down his throat as he politely wiped the crumbs off his face, "Oh, mm, yes, thank you, your highness."
Why the heck are Spike and Shining Armor speaking to one another as though they weren’t raised together as brothers?
"Not even one Crystal pony has managed to make it past the mountains in over a thousand years!"
That would be really hard to do considering there haven’t been any crystal ponies around in the past thousand years to try.
A few police ponies helped the chief to his hooves as he shook his head, "Alright, I'm alright. Let's investigate the alley you were talking about."
"I think I know which alley you're looking for!" Rainbow yelled above the group, guiding the way.
Uh, no, she doesn’t. She wasn’t there, I’m pretty sure there’s more than a single alley in the Crystal Empire, and the officers involved haven’t bothered to describe said alley or its location. So how the heck is she supposed to guide the way?
That’s nine examples, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’ve not even started on the ceaseless grammar issues:
"Your mission is important, Twilight; we won't let you down," smiled Shining, before turning to Velvet Bristle, "I want all patrols to scout the entire city! I want these two brought to justice!"
Apparently, “smiled” is a saidism now.
[...]She's not alone, either. We have reports saying she has an accomplice. A Trixie Lulamoon, we believe that she at least participated in the robbery." Explained Velvet Bristle.
That is not how you punctuate dialogue, author.
“I’m going to remove my hoof from your mouth, and you better keep quiet if you don’t keep your mouth shut. I will remove your mouth for you!”
This is the single most common grammar problem in the story, appearing dozens if not hundreds of times per chapter. I’m genuinely not sure if Slippin_Sweetie knows the difference between a period and a comma, and they sometimes omit both.
The conductor climbed aboard their train car before ceremoniously announcing, "We have arrived at the Crystal Empire, your highness. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor have prepared a chariot for the castle." informed the conductor, bowing his head.
Two saidisms around the same string of dialogue?
Spike practically laid on the floor as he desperately hoped no pony else saw him.
"Dude, I don't think anypony saw you." Rainbow Dash snorted, looking down at the drake who splayed against the chariot floor.
Why are we informing the reader that Spike was lying flat on the floor twice in short order? Additional penalty for having dialogue that repeats what the narrative already told us.
She’d shrug, “It’s fine; you’re just too headstrong and dim to see the future where Changeling and Ponies live together in harmony.” Starlight hissed, giving Trixie a smug and cocksure smirk.
Starlight rolled her eyes, “You just lack the initiative and vision. Unlike you, I have the power and potential to do something to really change the world,” she’d snap a smug expression at Trixie, “And I’m actually powerful, unlike some pony I know…”
Here’s the second biggest issue of the story, and one that is nearly continuous. For some reason, Slippin_Sweetie wrote saidisms around dialogue in past perfect tense. I thought it was a typo the first time, but then it just keeps happening. Constantly. Let’s just casually ignore that, once again, words/phrases that are not saidisms are being used as though they are and punctuation is still a mess.
Last but not least, we’ve got really awkward and unrealistic dialogue choices. Such as this little conversation (bold emphasis mine):
The castle has plenty of things to do; we have our own library and bathhouse. We can arrange an escort to take you anywhere in the Empire if you wish. The only thing holding you back is your imagination," Cadance offered, a soft smile on her lips.
"Perhaps a trip to the bathhouse will do you good, Twilight; a steam bath and a massage always calms me down," offered Rarity.
"Tch, you kidding? She'll go over to the books first," chuckled Applejack.
"Less we forget the time she tried to take a book into the spa," smirked Spike.
The purple alicorn looked over scornfully at Spike, "That was one time, and I didn't expect Pinkie to literally jump in the tub!" grumbled Twilight; she quickly perked her head at the mention of the library.
"Library?! Say no more!" Twilight squealed, jumping up from her seat as she trotted in place.
Why is what should be Twilight’s initial reaction the last reaction in the conversation? That kind of excited response is not something you patiently wait to say until everyone else has said their peace and you’ve addressed an entirely different topic. Essentially, the dialogue is out of order. This specific issue is Major Problem #3, happening continuously across the entire story. With every conversation that happens, you can expect at least one instance where a character addresses topics in this nonsensical order.
Sometimes, as in above, it completely alters the nature of the conversation. If we keep Rarity’s, Applejack’s, and Spike’s lines, then it would make more sense for Twilight not to have that excited reaction at all, or maybe show that she’s trying to keep it in check with entirely different dialogue. If we keep the excited reaction and move it immediately after the library’s first mention – where it belongs – then suddenly Applejack’s, Rarity’s, and Spike’s dialogue is what no longer makes sense in context.
Point is, Slippin_Sweetie needs to more carefully consider the natural flow of conversations.
Okay, that was a lot of stuff to pull from the story for this, and it’s making the review run long. I felt it was necessary here though, because unlike the other stories in this series the author requested this one. Indeed, it was Slippin_Sweetie’s request for this story specifically that got me to read all the other ones, because I didn’t want to read this without their context. Which turned out to be the right decision, because despite the author’s seemingly desperate attempt to retcon previous material with a giant red “not canon” label, the contents of those stories are needed to fully grasp what is going on at the start of this story. And since it is a request, I felt it was important to identify the issues in more detail.
To summarize my overall feelings for this story: Slippin_Sweetie has improved dramatically in terms of long-form plot development. They have some genuinely interesting ideas and character growth. And if I’m right about what they’re trying to do with the series overall, then I wholeheartedly approve.
But they have got to fix the short-term issues, particularly in terms of grammar, context, situational awareness, and dialogue. Any one of these things would have been bad, but all of them together? Yikes. Anyone who cares about how a story is written won’t make it past the first chapter.
Still, in terms of long-term plot development, this is an improvement. And if Slippin_Sweetie can get better at that, there’s no reason to think they can’t get better at the rest too.
Bookshelf: Needs Work
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
The Equestria Chronicles: Prelude — Needs Work
Travelers Tales: The Apple Of My Eye — Needs Work
80 Days 'Til the World's Farthest Shore
10,826 Words
By Cynewulf
Welcome, traveler. Come, sit for a spell; I’m sure you have many stories to tell. Perhaps, with luck and a bit of camaraderie, you might share one. But first let me provide a story of my own. One about a princess from a foreign land, with strange ideas and magic beyond comprehension. It is but a little adventure, and yet it is of great personal value. Mayhap you will enjoy it.
This story is loosely inspired by the game 80 Days (probably the 2014 one, rather than the 2005 one). The writing, however, has a certain scholarly, archaic feel that may be inspired by Jules Verne’s original Around the World in Eighty Days, on which both games are based.
I was confused at the start. There are two perspectives going on. We have the Snowlander and the Traveler, the former of whom spots the latter and decides to talk to her, be it out of curiosity or libido. The Traveler then decides to tell the Snowlander her story, one of a journey taken over eighty days. Both perspectives are utilized, and both are told in first person. I got a little lost between the perspectives at first, not least because of certain descriptions.
In short: the Traveler’s description made me think she was Twilight Sparkle. Then the Traveler starts talking about meeting a princess and I’m like “oh, so this Twilight met Celestia?” But wait, no, the Traveler met Twilight Sparkle, but wait, I thought the Traveler was Twilight Sparkle? But then the Traveler didn’t give out a name, but she’s studying at a school of magic and…
Eventually I figured out that the Traveler isn’t Twilight, she just has a similar look to Twilight with a similar history of magical study. Once I sorted all that out, the rest became easy to follow.
Anyway, most of the story is about the Traveler and how she helps Twilight Sparkle get to the Well of Souls, which you and I would more readily recognize as a Mirror Portal. That’s right, this is a tale of Twilight Sparkle visiting another world, albeit this time entirely unintentionally. The world itself is a fascinating one that seems to blend concepts from a great many cultures. There are hints of a Nordic-based world of different planes of existence, but there is also mention of the Fae, and of Greek and Roman elements, and so on. It’s a curious place but, alas, only told of in vagaries rather than distinct facts.
Much of the story is summarized, which makes sense considering it is being framed as the Traveler describing the adventure to a stranger one night in a tavern. Despite this the story never ceases to be interesting, with constant snippets of lore and Twilight growing accustomed to – or perhaps learning to tolerate – the nature of this world. And on top of all that is the underlying mystery I won’t detail here, but which permeated the entire story in the manner of something never spoken of but always subconsciously present. My opening confusion regarding the differences between Twilight and the Traveler played a significant role in this. Did Cynewulf mean for that opening to be confusing, so as to stick in the reader’s mind for the later reveal? I couldn’t say, but it would be a great chess move if so.
This was a great way to start this set of reviews. A pity Cynewulf never finished the sequel.
Bookshelf: Pretty Good!
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
The Night is Passing — Pretty Good
If Great Things To Small Ones Could Compare — Pretty Good
Archipelago
2,147 Words
By Cynewulf
Sunset Shimmer’s magic has turned lethal. How? Why? She has no idea. After making contact with Princess Twilight for help, the solution is extreme to the point of ridiculousness: live in total isolation until a real solution is found. It’s been three months. The solitude got to Sunset a long time ago.
This was clearly intended to be one of Cynewulf’s philosophical pieces, the focus this time being on how humans (or ponies, in this case) suffer during social isolation. I suppose it’s fine in that regard. It’s certainly got the heavy atmosphere and looming sense of Sunset’s struggling psyche.
Alas, I couldn’t stop thinking about the ridiculousness of the situation. It’s a case of Twilighting gone to its furthest extremes, and worse: everyone’s going along with it. I’m confident there are ways to alleviate this problem without forcing Sunset Shimmer into total and unwavering social isolation. My inability to think about anything outside of this issue severely dampened the overall story for me.
Which is not to say it’s a bad story. If Cynewulf had simply come up with a different excuse to put Sunset in permanent solitary isolation, this would likely be getting high marks. It’s a situation in which I can see the merits of the writing but just can’t feel them, if that makes any sense. Heck, I’m even willing to forgive the typos here, on account that this is clearly intended to be a journal entry and Sunset’s equally clearly on the edge of loopiness.
A moody piece but, sadly, not one I could get into. I’ll put it on the middle ground though, because my hangup is my own and I expect many readers won’t have it.
Bookshelf: Worth It
As Long as the Earth's Orbit
7,505 Words
By Cynewulf
Equestria has entered an age of space exploration, and the ponies think they may have gotten the first hint of another space-faring race. But the distances are huge, and Princess Twilight cannot be away from her throne for that long. Who, then, could possibly be qualified to serve as her voice in the vast reaches of the cosmos? Her beloved wife, Rarity, volunteers.
That intro makes it sound like this is going to be some first contact story, and indeed, I was expecting that going in. Instead what we get is a philosophical journey on a grand scale.
Told mostly in “letters” between Twilight and Rarity and with a few scenes of third-person narration, this runs under the idea that being touched by the Elements have given the non-alicorn Mane Six unnaturally long lifespans. This coupled with the time dilation that comes with interstellar travel means that Rarity is going to be spending a very long time in space. For her it will be as if only a few months have passed, but for Twilight it will have been years.
And so we follow Rarity on her long journeys. She is an adventurous soul, always seeking the next horizon and new universes of culture and imagination. Certainly, she comes home to see her beloved and immortal wife on occasion, but her existence is largely Out There, serving as Twilight’s living word amongst the strange and fantastic lifeforms inhabiting the stars. For thousands of years, she serves as the interstellar face of Equestria.
At a mere 7.5k words, this is not a detailed story. You won’t watch Rarity talk down to warlords or mediate peace settlements or making first contact. Instead, Cynewulf focuses on the letters Rarity and Twilight share across the vast gulfs of space and time. How Rarity grows and changes, her epiphanies, her doubts, her confidence and lack thereof, and above all her ceaseless and mutual love for Twilight Sparkle. This is, at its core, a philosophical piece exploring the nature of humanity equinity, both in the infinitesimal diminutiveness of the individual and the potential breadth of its scope, and how love can pierce through both with ease.
This is a Big Brain story. My puny one struggles to fully encapsulate it within the confines of this one review. If you’re looking for something philosophical, taking in a grand scale through a small window, then this will probably work for you.
Bookshelf: Why Haven’t You Read These Yet?
Exit Interview
11,986 Words
By Cynewulf
Hyacinth has always been thrilled to be a loyal hoofmaiden of Princess Luna. She is a servant, and no more, but content with that fact. Yet today her role is going to change in unexpected ways: Luna wishes to have… a conversation. About what? Anything, apparently. The princess seeks company this night, and Hyacinth would have to be out of her mind to refuse. By the time the night ends, she might just wish she had.
This one might warrant a second reading. The ending is a bit of a surprise, and I’d like to give this another go to see how it might recontextualize the winding conversation between Hyacinth and Luna.
There’s worldbuilding here, and maybe a bit of misdirection via omitted facts. For example, when does this story take place? For most of it, it’s hard if not impossible to say. It gets clarified at the end, but until then it could be set in the time of the show or in the distant past. And then there’s the choice of conversation, with Luna relating to Hyacinth one of her pre-Equestria adventures fighting vampires in the far west.
I spent much of the story curious as to where the heck Cynewulf was going with this. There are actually things that give it away, although I’ll not say what specifically. What I will say is that while they absolutely hint at the truth, those hints could also point to other, equally valid things. The ending that came was among my predictions, though not in exactly the way I thought.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. It uses atmosphere and a seemingly rambling round of dialogue back-and-forth to great effect. One must question the ending and what it might mean for Hyacinth personally. If you like slice-of-life, stories centered around conversations, or Princess Luna being mysterious then you’ll not want to miss this.
Bookshelf: Pretty Good
After Luna’s return, she toured much of Equestria so as to reacquaint with the kingdom. Yet there was one city she delayed visiting: Lunangrad, a mysterious and isolated place that few ponies really know of either in the past or today. At long last, she has decided to go there, and she’s inviting Twilight Sparkle to come along. Twilight is curious, supportive… and completely unprepared.
This is a complex and difficult read. Many things will happen seemingly at random, and for a time there’s a struggle to understand why anything is happening. Twilight has nightmares in which she relives horrible moments of Luna’s past. Hints are brought forth as to the origins of the world, but where are they leading us to? Luna refuses to speak directly, conversations are awkward and sometimes incomplete, and certain negative emotions will be brought forth for no apparent reason.
If you don’t remember that something happened, did it ever truly happen at all?
The story ends up combining a great number of elements. It reveals to us how Luna became Nightmare Moon, but the answer is vague at best. It shows us important moments in Luna’s and Celestia’s pasts, but never the full picture. It describes fascinating elements regarding the side effects of being an alicorn – which, refreshingly, was the most direct and clear-cut part of the whole story. We even get to learn why Lunangrad is such a mysterious, arguably unpleasant place. But how is it all tied together?
The single hardest part in the entire story is, in fact, getting through to the end where Cynewulf finally explains things in a way the reader can readily comprehend. Not all questions are answered. Certain mysteries will remain so. But at the very least we come to know what the whole point of the journey is, and I was quite pleased by that.
This is not a pleasant story, involving some pretty serious stuff of a lethal variety. Getting through the confusing majority will prove a dealbreaker for those seeking a quick, easy read. But it’s got worldbuilding galore and a complex, hard-to-predict Luna. Twilight struggles to grasp it all just as much as we are, so at least we aren’t alone in our confusion. I think, ultimately, that this is a story potential readers will either love or hate, and thus shall I rate it on the middle ground.
As for myself? I’m not sure what to think, but I lean towards liking it.
Bookshelf: Worth It
The Sickness Unto Death
23,051 Words
By Cynewulf
Young Rarity of House Belle is very bored this summer. She could have gone to Canterlot, but no, instead she chose to stay at her family’s rural manor. Whatever had she been thinking? But perhaps this summer won’t be too bad, especially after the manor is visited by the alluring and mysterious Twilight Sparkle. She’s beautiful, intelligent, charismatic… and thirsty. In more ways than one.
This is based loosely on the story Carmilla, although I am not clear which iteration of the story it takes from. It essentially tells how vampire Twilight Sparkle and proper lady Rarity Belle fall in love and lust with one another, almost entirely from the lady’s perspective. It’s the only Mature-rated story in this set, and well earns that rating thanks to a pair of sex scenes that are anything but shy regarding the details. They never descend into pornograph territory however, which made them feel tasteful.
Although Cynewulf opens this with the direct implication that it will be a journal-style story – indeed, the epilogue hinges upon the concept – it doesn’t read like a journalistic story at all. Yes, it’s in first person, but that’s as far as it goes. So if the author was hoping to create a genuine journal format, they failed entirely.
But that is the only way they failed. This is a vampire-centric romance that tries to maintain the characters of Rarity and Twilight despite it being (presumably) set in the late 1800’s and with one of them being a bloodsucking vampire. In this Cynewulf succeeded wonderfully. It felt awkward at first thanks to the vocabulary involved (I believe the author was going for a period-inspired literary style), but the two protagonists’ personalities shined through well enough.
Bear in mind that this story is a romance before anything else. It is tagged as being “dark”, but honestly? It doesn’t feel that way. Did Cynewulf feel obligated to add the tag simply because one of the characters is a vampire that does get to drinking blood a few times? Because this alone is pretty tame for a label of that nature, at least in my opinion. It’s not like Twilight is an evil, murderous monster pursuing Rarity regardless of Rarity’s consent or interest. She’s just Twilight; adorkable, brainy, occasionally snarky, and saddled with a particularly bitey survival need.
Back on track: romance first and foremost. It’s got Twilight and Rarity doing romantic things together with the occasional bout of sexytimes. The story is sprinkled with bits of worldbuilding for this less-than-colorful (meaning Twilight isn’t purple) AU, but if you’re here for, say, a horror or an adventure, you’ll be disappointed.
But for those of you seeking a bit of gothic, vampiric romance? This will be a treat. I for one certainly enjoyed it. And with that epilogue, I for one would certainly like to explore—
Oh, look. A sequel.
Bookshelf: Pretty Good!
We Will All Be Changed
7,728 Words
By Cynewulf
Alternative Title: Rarity Best Girlfriend
Twilight has felt at odds with reality all her life, but it is only now, after a particularly bad argument with her girlfriend, that it feels like the world has become aware of it. Although it has yet to be spoken out loud, Rarity now knows. The question, then, is what they are going to do about it.
Whelp, it’s official. After three stories in this blog featuring the ship (this was actually the 6th I read), I can safely declare Cynewulf a RariTwi shipper. Which I shant complain about, because it is a perfectly fine ship. I simply wasn’t aware of the fact is all I’m saying.
Anyway, this is set post-show with Rarity a professional fashionista and Twilight in Grad school as a… mechanical engineer, I think? Anyway, Twilight is a trans-male, but never actually went through the transition. Recently, in a bout of what might be considered pressure-induced insanity, she finally gave in to her secret reality and cut her hair short. This leads to a cascade of revelations for both her and Rarity. And while Twilight is struggling to figure out how to fix things, Rarity is mostly concerned about how to help.
I’m not sure if this is the right way to put it, but the story was very… pleasant. At this point I’ve read many stories about the trans identity, but I think this is the first one I’ve read that felt like an overarching positive result. You come out the other side and it feels as though these two are going to be alright. Although the solution does open up a new can of unresolved worms, it doesn’t feel like the suffering is bottomless, which is something I tend to get out of these sorts of stories.
It may also be that my favorite member of the Mane Six was not only delightfully in character here, but really shined through as the best girlfriend to have in a situation like this. Cynewulf handled her wonderfully.
One thing of particular note is that this is one of those stories where the dialogue is not identified as such, meaning there are no quotation marks: the dialogue runs right along with narration. Sometimes we get saidisms to clarify when someone is speaking, but not always. This leads to curious moments where you can’t be sure if what you’re reading is the perspective character’s thoughts or spoken words. Interestingly enough, I do not see this as a downside. Rather, it lends the narrative a certain unreal quality where nothing is certain. I can’t help but suspect this was meant to reflect the similar sense of unreality going through Twilight – although if this were the case, it might have been more effective to only use the style for Twilight’s perspective scenes. Regardless, I found the decision very effective for the story’s atmosphere.
I think this might be one of my favorite stories discussing trans issues, if only because its tone and approach feel so very different from the norm. The vivid descriptions and powerful sense of mood don’t hurt either. Even if the subject matter doesn’t interest you, it might be worth your time just to see how Cynewulf handled technical aspects of Show vs Tell, mood, and character interactions.
Bookshelf: Why Haven’t You Read These Yet?
When I Consider How My Light is Spent
9,009 Words
By Cynewulf
Disaster has brought about a change in Fluttershy’s life. With it comes more changes, like dominoes towards an inevitable conclusion. She must learn to weather these things. Luckily, she has friends to help.
In short: Fluttershy is going blind.
This is a slow story with a steady, almost sedate pace. Fitting, considering it’s all from Fluttershy’s perspective. It begins with the revelation that Shy is moving out of her cottage so that she can be closer to ponies who can help her adjust to her new condition. As it moves along we learn more and more about how her life works now, from how her friends all help her get used to things to the pegasi (and unicorn) methods developed for dealing with blindness.
Oh, and it’s got FlutterMac, which anyone of sound mind and good taste knows is one of the only proper Mac ships (pity Hasbro lacks both).
On the one hand, you could see this as an essay on how Fluttershy deals with the world and, perhaps, how strong she is. Yet it’s not strictly her story, for each of her friends gets a highlighted moment to show what they are doing or trying to do to help her through this frightening transition period. Really, the entire town is trying to help in some way.
The story is neither melancholy nor happy. Maybe bittersweet. It does end on a good note however, acknowledging that Fluttershy can find peace and happiness in this new life. If nothing else, its showcase of Fluttershy’s capacity for enduring and appreciating new things is a positive one. Just because things change doesn’t mean we have to be miserable.
Another great tale. This is the second one I read for this blog, and if this is the quality of the work going forward then it’s going to be a good week (pre-post edit: it was).
Bookshelf: Pretty Good!
Your Name Like Oil Poured Out
6,325 Words
By Cynewulf
It was just another bunch of villains to defeat. Or so it seemed. Now Sci-Twi and Rarity are buried underground in a crushed bus. How far down are they? Did their friends make it and are fighting even now? Will they be rescued? Will the oxygen last? In the dark and quiet, there’s nothing left to do but talk.
Told entirely from Rarity’s perspective, this is a grim tale. Aside from a gash on her hand, Rarity is unhurt, but Twilight’s situation is very different. The story centers around this life or death experience as the two girls, desperate to keep one another calm until rescue arrives, talk about anything and everything that comes to mind.
There are a handful of quirks. Sometimes it can be hard to say whether it’s Twilight or Rarity who is talking, at least until some context clue comes up. I dare say that might have been intentional, a leaning in on how confusing total darkness in a deadly situation can be. But then the abundant typos lead me to doubts.
Even so, this is a strong story on the whole. I think the prime example of this is how Rarity is depicted in this story as being trans. When it comes to trans characters, there are some I can accept the possibility for. I’ve seen it done for Trixie and Vinyl Scratch, for example, and felt like I could believe it. But Rarity? For some reason I just can’t get that image to make sense in my head. Yet despite this issue, Cynewulf was able to make me feel for her as the story began leaning on this aspect of her character. I was able to set my disbelief aside, and that’s a sign of some great writing.
And while that’s going on, there’s still Twilight’s situation to consider, which is far less cerebral and much more, er, “crushing”, if you’ll forgive a pun in bad taste. The story makes one ponder what is worse: knowing exactly what’s wrong and what it means for you, or not really understanding how bad the situation is? That’s where Twilight is in this story, and Cynewulf pulls no punches exploring the concept. Huh, I guess it’s cerebral after all.
This is not a happy story. It does come with the advantage of being open-ended, so if you really want to believe in some last-minute miracle, you absolutely can. Somehow, I don’t think that’s the ending Cynewulf had in mind. Either way, it makes for some top-notch reading material. Provided you’re okay with heavy subject matter, that is.
Bookshelf: Pretty Good!
Sophie Hatter is the eldest daughter, and everyone knows the eldest always gets the worst of everything. So she was willing to put up with working at her late father’s hat shop, designing chapeaus beloved by so many. Never mind the sense of loneliness and lack of fulfillment. Then, seemingly for no reason at all, the Witch of the Waste comes to her shop and curses her, robbing her youth and leaving her as an ancient woman. What’s next, getting taken in by the local womanizing wizard?
This one has been sitting in my collection for a long while now. It was my sister’s, and clearly bought in Japan given the labeling. How it ended up on my (real, none-digital) bookshelves I can’t recall. But after reading the behemoth that was Brave Story I was ready for something small(er), and this looked to be the perfect size.
I imagine most if not all of you know of the Miyazaki movie based on the book, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many of you were unaware it was based on a book at all. But that term, “based on a book”, is used very loosely in this case. The differences between the book and the movie are huge, to such a degree that in many ways it is like a completely different story.
For example, in the movie the Witch of the Waste clearly curses Sophie because she was seen walking with Howl, and the Witch was jealous of her over it. In the book, we don’t learn the real reason behind the Witch’s actions until the story’s more than half over, and even then we find that it was a case of mistaken identity on the Witch’s part! Speaking of, the Witch of the Waste is something of a side-character in the movie with hardly any major impact beyond a couple scenes at the start and end. By comparison, in the book the Witch is a constant threat, always looking for ways to deceive and win, to the point that she’s the primary antagonist and even fights a (pretty cool) wizard duel with Howl at one point.
Another big change is the Sorcerer Suliman. In the movie, she’s the King’s court wizard, and it is implied that she’s the real power behind the throne. She also acts as an antagonist, trying to capture Howl and punish him for being irresponsible with his powers. But in the book, Suliman is male, and already fell afoul of the Witch of the Waste before the story even begins, his role relegated to a background mystery that lasts until the end of the story.
Then there’s the world to consider! In the movie, the kingdom Sophie and Howl live in is in the midst of a war, with Howl’s anti-war sentiments taking up a big chunk of the movie’s thematic elements. It’s also something of a steampunk world, with big airships, trains, electric lights, warships, and one-man flying machines possibly designed after dragonflies. In the book, none of that technology is there; people are still riding around in horse-drawn carriages, nobody knows what a train is, and you have to light everything with candles. There’s also no war going on, although Sophie does meet the king who informs her a war is likely in the near future.
All those differences, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. Most of the characters are similar, with the same names (except Michael, who for some reason got his name changed to Markl in the movie), and several events do reoccur. But generally speaking, the book and the movie are two entirely different stories. (Turns out Diane Wynne Jones wholeheartedly approved of the movie; make of that what you will.)
So what is the book version about? It focuses on Sophie Hatter, the eldest of three sisters who is known for making gorgeous and beloved hats in her late father’s hat shop. One day the infamous Witch of the Waste arrives at the hat shop and, for seemingly no reason at all, casts a curse on her to make her an ancient woman. In a state of shock, Sophie leaves town for the Wastes looking for some sort of solution. This leads her to find the titular castle of the titular wizard. There she meets Calcifer, Howl’s fire demon, who makes her a bargain: if she can free him from his contract with Howl, he’ll in turn break her curse.
There are a lot of sub-elements going on that don’t make it into the movie. For example, it’s revealed that Howl is an indecisive individual, so much so that he refuses to either welcome Sophie in or kick her out. Doing either would be a commitment, and if there’s anything Howl never does, it’s commitments. There’s subplots involving Sophie’s younger half-sisters, Lettie and Martha, one of whom is being courted by Howl and the other by Howl’s assistant, Michael.
Oh, and unlike in the movie, here Howl is a philanderer. He’s got a nasty reputation of courting pretty girls only to dump them the instant he believes they’ve properly fallen for him. This is actually a major underlying element of the entire story. It’s why the Witch of the Waste is after him, and a big source of tension between him and Sophie.
Along the way, Sophie eventually comes to learn that she herself just so happens to be a natural witch. She often finds ways to cast spells without meaning to, and as the story moves on she gradually begins to understand this gift and use it to her own ends. I love the way Diana depicts magic here. It’s often whimsical and never clearly explained. It also seems to be different from person to person; Sophie herself seems able to do a lot of it merely by speaking to things, like the time she accidentally enchanted one of Howl’s suits to make him more charming to the ladies (it promptly became his favorite) or unintentionally created a batch of weed killer because she was pissed (at Howl for being charming to the ladies).
Really, ‘whimsical’ defines much of this story, and I can certainly see why Miyazaki wanted to make a movie based on it. The characters are endearingly fun and many of the interactions are outright silly, even when there’s a clear air of danger. Sophie’s direct, no-nonsense manner made her the perfect protagonist for a story filled with so many magical hijinks, and watching her evolve throughout the story was a treat. There are several underlying and interlinked mysteries going on, but Diana Wynne Jones fills the tale with so many hints and nudges and winks that it’s pretty easy to see what’s really going on for most of them.
Overall, this was fun. Everything about it, just fun. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re looking for a fantasy-based adventure. Even if you’ve seen the movie, because the stories are so very different. I should look for more of Jones’ works to see if they’re half as entertaining.
Bookshelf: Why Haven’t You Read These Yet?
Stories for Next Time:
At the Mountains of Discord by Glimmervoid
Not Enough Warmth by Doctor Disco
A Friend At The End of The World by KingdaKa
Fate of the UNS Moon Dancer by Shrink Laureate
Diary of *illegibly smudged* by Thought Prism
Fairlight - Memories of a Perfect Sky by Bluespectre
Emerald Heart by Ekhidna
Imaginary by Thunderbug80
All Bottled Up, Like a Fine Vintage by TheCrystalRing
Octavia's Last Night by Rune Soldier Dan
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Despite Cynewulf having written 110 stories, having a huge follower count and me seeing comments of theirs all over (if less so nowadays, of course), I've. apparently only read one story of theirs: Celestia Isn't Real, which to judge from this spotlight isn't typical of their work. I can't say many, if any, of the stories here today appeal to me, and I speak more specifically than simply the genres. It's more the flavour of the grimness, though Earth's Orbit and Exit Interview do pique my interest.
Still, Cynewulf's talent is undeniable, and they more than deserve a physical edition of some of their work. Good for them!
I haven't read the Howl's Moving Castle book, but I've been aware of how much the film changed for a long time. And given I find it rather muddled and, frankly, remote, for a Miyazaki film, and a lot of its flaws seem to be things unique to the film or at least emphasised more in it, I'm sure I'd really enjoy the book if I've read it.
Curiously, it's an observation about the Ghibli/Miyazaki fanbase that his weakest works, or at least some of those with more divisive fanbases, happen to be adapted from novels rather than totally original, and were originally led by others until his dissatisfaction with the results led to him taking over. Chiefly, Kiki's Delivery Service (a pleasant and wonderful film, but no Totoro) and this. Much has been made of this; myself, I think it just speaks to how unique (and cynical, being a little frank) his worldview as applied through his movies is, and the natural bumps that can arise in adapting another's work especially as basically a replacement director. But that may be a placebo reading.
Thank you for the shoutout, friend.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Wait! Cynewulf's got a physical book out? How did I miss that? Hang on a sec—Okay, I'm back, and there's a new addition to my library on the way.
Cynewulf is a fantastic author, but with that said, I haven't read several of these you reviewed today because of my aversion to EQG and/or Sad tags. However, if they're in the book, I will give them a look! Of the ones I have read, I haven't run into a sub-par one yet, though my reaction to the various stories here doesn't jibe closely with your own. That's undoubtedly down to matters of taste, and your summaries are clear enough to tell me what my level of enjoyment would be, regardless of the final rating. I think I'm going to enjoy the book quite a lot!
I love Howl's Moving Castle and most of the rest of DWJ's books, too. I actually had an initial negative reaction to the movie because it was so different from the book. I like it well enough now that I can completely divorce it from the book in my mind; it's a good story, just a different one.
I love the way that Jones approaches magic in such an organic way. Yes, you can cast the same spell many times, but it's like planting lots of the same type of vegetable; you aren't guaranteed of getting identical results. There are always other factors at play.
Also, her imagination isn't confined by the common fantasy tropes, and she will often come up with wonderfully original ideas and premises.
I have my favorites among her books, of course (I've read them all), but you really can't go wrong, no matter which one you pick.
5771458
If it helps, Exit Interview is on my Top Favorites shelf.
Hurray for Cyne, a lovely indeed and deserving of all the praise. n_n
And Howl is indeed a wonderful book. I can't recommend DWJ's works enough, they're really fabulous. I recall really enjoying the Chrestomanci series but also worth nothing Howl is part of it's own series, though I've not read them in a very long time so I can't say whether they hold up.
I know Howl is considered by many to be one of Miyazaki's weakest films, but it's one of my favorites. One of the main reasons people cite is differences from the book, and since I haven't read it, that doesn't matter to me, but in general, it wouldn't anyway. I don't mind it being a different story. If it's good, it's still good.
I've had occasion to edit a number of Cynewulf's works, but I can't remember under what circumstances. Probably in the /fic/ Training Grounds, but I'm not sure of that. Looks like I've read 9 of Cynewulf's stories. I liked them all, to varying degrees, and haven't found one yet I disliked. It's been long enough that I can't really say which ones were my favorites.
cynewulf so gud ;_;
TIL, Howl's Moving Castle was a book. Ghibli movies are just kinda there in my book for the most part, and though I watched this one, all I really remember is James Woods voicing the flame in the disney dub.
As far as your author showcase goes, this would be a great task, but Luna-tic Scientist has some really great stories, and the big one is complete now as opposed to when I started reading them. I don't think I've ever seen a review of Days of Wasp and Spider or the sequel there of, so give it a shot. This is a fairly substantial amount of horse words though, the total coming to about 800K.
I have very vivid memories of reading these back at the end of 2018 and It helped inspire some of the back half of Super.
5771491
It’s actually Billy Crystal as the flame Calcifer, not James Woods.
I… guess I could see one presuming the latter in terms of tone and mood, but not his actual voice. It’s not his usual tenor we know Mike Wazowski, but it sure ain’t a James Woods Hades-esque affected voice either.
5771458
I've wanted to read Celestia Isn't Real for quite some time, but haven't due to my rule of only one story per author in my lists (barring overlap due to requests, which has happened many times). A pity, it sounds like fun.
I watched Howl's Moving Castle just before finishing the book, and while I did notice a lot of issues I found the overall show too much fun to care much. I think that is the show's primary appeal; audiences are willing to forgive a lot if the play-by-play is entertaining.
5771465
Yeah, I was lucky enough to catch news of it at release time. At that point I was more surprised by how little of Cynewulf's material I'd read than the fact a book was out. Seemed like a great excuse to rectify the problem.
I did see that DWJ had a large bibliography. Alas, I neglected that when I went hunting for more books at my local Barnes n' Noble this past weekend. I definitely want to see more.
5771471
I was unaware Howl's was part of a series. I might have to look into that! And this 'Chrestomanci' you mention.
So many books, so little time...
5771472
Like I told Ghost Mike, I feel like the movie had a significantly flawed story, but the sheer entertainment value of the moment-to-moment events was more than enough to make up for it.
Cynewulf is great. I'd probably read more of their work if it wasn't for my "one story per author" rule for my lists.
5771491
What's this? You mean to say you haven't read every single review in every single one of my blogs? Dude, I am so heavily pretending to be insulted right now.
But seriously, I've read/reviewed five of Luna-tic's six works. That includes both Days of Wasp & Spider and Final Solution. There are certain elements of the author's writing and perspective that I'm critical of, but in general I agree that the stories are excellent. Pity they left the fandom.
5771551
To be clear, I am grading on a curve, for the magnificence of Ghibli and Miyazaki. I definitely enjoyed the film, and even if it’s probably the weakest of the man’s twelve directed films (that I’ve seen, which is nearly all), there’s still tons that works and is pleasurable about it, both in the micro and the macro. And the visual are stupendously gorgeous, of course. It’s just not one I ever have much of a desire to revisit.
Still, you’re right about the macro issues being forgivebale if the micro works. It’s mostly just the pedigree of the studio and director that thrusts the flaws into the spotlight, not unlike Pixar’s first few films after Toy Story 3, before it became clear they weren’t going to return to their former quality and that this was the new norm. But I digress.
5771472
I can’t speak to others, but my citing of changes from the book wasn’t for comparing it – how could it be, when I haven’t read it? – but for those aspects feeling off, or unfocused, or whatever it might be, just in the experience of watching the flick (chief among them being the war that is the film’s major invention, yet does not affect the film when it’s not literally onscreen). And thereafter reading about them being inventions and going “…huh.” But as Miyazaki took over this film during production, who’s to say how some of these decisions came to be.
Still, as I said above, it’s a perfectly enjoyable film, and I totally get why one would adore it.
5771545
My only excuse is that I watched the movie once years and years ago, and I remember that these movies tended to have high profile actors in them as VAs like Christian Bael as Howl or Mark Hamil as the villain in Castle in the Sky.
5771559
My excuse for the first one is that I had only just joined the site in 2015. There is no excuse for the second one though and I have a vague memory of the images on that one, but not the content. I may have read it, but didn’t have any recollection of doing so, which is fairly odd since I have a pretty detail oriented memory of that kind of thing. Still, thinking clearly about it, it would be hard to ignore a story with 1.2k likes, wouldn’t it?
In that case, have you ever read any of Comma Typer's work? He's got this set of ponies on earth stories, mostly taking place in the Philippines that are very, very different than what I was used to before reading him.
5771554
Do yourself a huge favor and read her The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. It's not a narrative, it's a travel guide to a generic hash of a place of heroic fantasy, and it's hilarious! It was originally pitched to the publisher of the "Rough" guides, and is written very much in the style of their travel books.
Other than that, I would recommend picking up any of her books you come across. Most of them are highly idiosyncratic, and don't closely adhere to standard fantasy tropes, and people have very different ideas about which of her books are the "best" because of that. But no matter which one you pick up, it will be wildly inventive.
5771593
See, I get a totally different feel of the movie on that topic. I always enjoyed the peaceful moments in Howl's house as being a place of respite from the war, and that only gets disrupted when Howl returns from reluctantly being involved in it. It's also the biggest source of tension in Sophie trying to help Howl be who he truly is.
5771658
Oh no, I agree those smaller moments are the real draw there, and the thematic counterpoint is fitting. I didn't mean to suggest it doesn't affect how the viewer interprets the scenes, because editing and scene order makes it so, that's just film editing.
It's more that he musty vagueness of the war and the film's non-committal to it, an aspect it made up itself rather than inheriting from the film, puzzles me so, because it doesn't often play out as something "present" in the mis-en-scene when it's not being directly discussed or onscreen. Hence (mostly) feeling like a distraction the film doesn't even want. But that is a bit of an eye-in-the-beholder thing, to be fair.
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Comma Typer, eh? Never heard of them, but the stories look interesting. I might just take a look, but I'll want to read one or two of their stories before committing to a proper author spotlight for them.
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The first one I read would be this one here.
- MLP: FiM
- Drama
- Slice of Life
Macario used to stop by Mang Fermin's stall for a quick bite on the way to work. Fermin has since passed away. In his place, another vendor sells snacks at the corner. He's also out of this world, but that shouldn't matter much.Give it a shot, I rather enjoyed it.
There are plenty of other authors with printed anthologies, if you wanna take that route again for another spotlight. Handy dandy list:
Aquaman
Aragon
Bad Horse (also includes a big pile of essays, both pony and non-pony)
BronyWriter
Cold in Gardez
Flutterpriest
GaPJaxie
horizon
Horse Voice
I-A-M
Ice Star
Jakkid166 (probably not your vibe but good stuff nonetheless)
Monochromatic
NavelColt (less than nine stories)
You!
Pen Stroke (less than nine [supernatural-themed] stories)
Sharp Spark
Thanqol
Trick Question
You've already read a fair few stories in these, but can't hurt to check them out again
Of course, there are other anthologies collected works from multiple authors as well if you're interested.
As for personal suggestions, I dunno. I always urge people to read more TCC56. FoME's fantastic too obvi. And I believe PapierSam to be severely underrated - though admittedly you not might get a ton of variety if you pick him. Tends to be a lot of EqG slice-of-life and/or platonic RariDash shenanigans. And I eat up both
5771981
All good and/or interesting suggestions! In fact, one of them has already been selected and is being read for such a blog right now. A generally solid list of potentials.
Except the one without a link. That guy sucks, I would know. Will probably never review a thing he does.