Ghost Mike's Ponyfic Review Monday Musings #122 · 5:00pm July 15th
While it didn't quite hit the stratospheric height of last year’s 168 entries, the third Thousand Words Contest eclipsing the 160 benchmark to the tune of 164 stories, despite only being open for five weeks instead of the usual two months (Bicyclette hosts contests on the regular these days, she’s a busy one), is yet another sign of our fandom still going strong.
Myself, didn’t write anything for it, but with the struggles just to maintain Monday Musings, plus only a five-week window, that was a given well in advance, so I’m okay with it. With the different categories having different judges (with only Bicyclette herself participating in all five), we may not have to wait ages for the results either. Fingers (or mitts, if you will 👻) crossed; even if I don’t read many of them, I always like seeing what excelled for this kind of contest. Short-form writing really can stretch the form, even if it’s not to all tastes.
Speaking of not being to all tastes, this week’s theme. In what will be the last time this happens, with regular Monday Musings in their final stretch, we have here another theming of fics that I had several for ages ago, loitering around the stockpile’s back, and only just managed to five satisfying fics to complete a set. That being, crossovers, something I’m very vocally against – most of the time, if you don’t know the other property too, the appeal is lost, and while there are plenty of fics that are solid and even great ponifications of another work into Equestria, they’re not really the same as crossovers. No, what I wanted was fics properly crossing over with properties I knew, so I could judge how they fare both for the fans of that property, and the rest of us.
The results are certainly mixed, though a bit less dicey than you might have figured. Mostly, you’ll probably enjoy a little gushing on my part about these properties sprinkled throughout, though some of these fics do manage to cross over into being worthwhile reads regardless. Certainly, we’re a way above the junky crossovers you see on the New Stories page every day (no million-words Pokémon crossover here ). The two-year wait was worth it…!
Still, it took so long that going forward, if I see a ponification of another property into the context of FiM that captures my interest (or, rarely, a crossword proper) I’ll just read it, rather than saving it. Lesson learned about forcing themes with dicey hit rates in fics.
This Week’s Spectral Stories:
Anti Pesto to the Rescue by cyberlord4444
The Dark Lady of Ponykind by Some Dickhead
A Grand Day Out by Pearple Prose
Order from Chaos by TwilightSnarkle
Nineteen Neighty-Four by Blueshift
Weekly Word Count: 23,700 Words
Anti Pesto to the Rescue by cyberlord4444
Genre: Comedy/Slice of Life (Crossover, Human)
Fluttershy, Twilight, Other
1,073 Words
October 2016
In the wake of Applejack accidentally causing a bunny stampede, Twilight and Fluttershy are left with them scattered all over Ponyville. Thankfully, Twilight has a list of various services courtesy of the Princess herself, and one called Anti Pesto looks to be just what they need. Even if, when they arrive, they’re not quite what she expected.
Look at that, make a crossover with one of my favourite the best animations of all time, and the Human tag is of no bother. If you’re not a Wallace and Gromit fan (in which case, there’s the door), this fic has almost no value, given all the humour and jokes rely exclusively either on encyclopaedic knowledge of their adventures, or the contrast between the ponies and Wallace (less so Gromit, weirdly spelt Grommet here, given his lack of dialogue or most facial features). But as that, it’s amusing.
It’s also a pretty basic version of itself. The short length could theoretically lead to the comedy being even sharper, but in practice it mostly just means sparse description and events being summarised, making it feel more like the outline of a story than anything. Somewhat rickety prose is also distracting, and while what is here works, it just feels like there could be so much more. Like, have Twilight perplexed by Wallace’s English colloquialisms over the phone. Have the ponies’ confusion at his arrival last longer. Give Gromit ANYTHING to do. Have a few new ideas for the duo and their adventures, rather than mostly just recycling those from Curse of the Were-Rabbit. And so forth. And of course, the actual setup is very mechanical and flimsy to get the story rolling.
I can’t deny it’s charming, and if one likes W&G (so, everyone, least in my ideal world) and can live with this not doing much more than the bare minimum, it’s pleasurable enough. But when I shift out the crossover bias, I can’t justify a higher rating. Thankfully, I was able to find a second crossover with this property…
Rating: Passable
The Dark Lady of Ponykind by Some Dickhead
Genre: Dark/Comedy (Crossover, Alternate Universe, Human)
Celestia, Twilight
1,039 Words
June 2022
Celestia has learned much over the years, specifically as regards what methods are not well suited for grooming apprentices, and lead only to failure, rebellion and betrayal. Now, with a new protégé in the form of a little unicorn filly with more power and potential than she’s seen in centuries, she’s ready to use the correct methods to great effect…
Not truly a Star Wars crossover, more transporting aspects of characters, arcs and plots into FiM. On the other hand, the entertainment value of this is doubled from recognising the comparison and realising how well it fits this perversion of the show’s timeline. Celestia grooming and nurturing Twilight as Palpatine did Anakin really is one of those no-brainer ideas. And even in what amounts to a few scattershot thoughts as Celestia has tea with Twilight and observes her personality type, and how malleable she’ll be, this acquits itself well. I especially liked Celestia’s voiceover thoughts and reflection on what went wrong with Luna in the past. So there is some thought here behind its gimme concept.
Obviously such a short fic can only do so much, but it didn’t totally faceplant. If you get any reaction, you’ll likely just laugh from the audacity of the comparison and characterisation here than anything.
Also, ignore the Human tag, I have no idea why it’s there. These are fully ponies.
Rating: Passable
A Grand Day Out by Pearple Prose
Genre: Comedy/Slice of Life (Crossover)
Luna
2,826 Words
September 2013Reread
A moon-bound trip by an English cheese-loving inventor and his long-suffering yet faithful dog takes more than a few odd turns. Might have something to do with the night-blue talking pony they find there. A curious and easily-charmed robot just ends up adding to the equation.
I won’t deny my Wallace and Gromit love gives me a bias for fics that crossover with it. Crossovers can be a dubious genre for many reasons, but chiefly for not really capturing both, or at least either, of the spirit and vibe of the two properties. Happily, that is avoided here: the fic jumps in with the English duo as they arrive, and is more of a W&G fic with Luna, both for being just A Grand Day Out with Luna on the moon (with more dialogue, given the medium), and for the scene switches going between Wallace, Gromit and the ticket metre robot, while Luna is kept as a supporting role.
For a fic where not a lot happens, it captures the source material’s laidback spirit and charm very well. Some of Wallace’s dialogue is a bit off, but a reflective Luna in the midst of her moon banishment is quite vivid. The prolonged silliness, the love of puns, indications of Gromit’s signature facial expressions, they’re all captured.
It is a little slack in the prose constructions at times, and it would probably feel like wheel-spinning to those not infatuated with the series. But within those parameters, it’s very successful. There must be a reason I remembered it reasonably well upon returning to it. Amusing silliness that knows what it is and is well-written in the ways that matter, thus making up for being rather shaggy in other areas. Just enough to give it that rating nudge (I won’t deny property bias might have played a part). Crackin’ fic, Gromit!
Rating: Pretty Good
Order from Chaos by TwilightSnarkle
Genre: Crossover
OC
10,416 Words
February 2013
He was just tired of it all. Tired of the constant battles, being opposed by that darned hedgehog, all of it. So, he transported himself not just off that planet, but off that universe, to live out the rest of his days in peace. There, he documents his journey and exploration of this land, first with trepidation and then with curiosity, as it comes to redefine him.
It’s enough that this is a good crossover (reportedly written on a dare to do a Sonic x MLP crossover that didn’t suck), yet it is also that rare thing, a good Human in Equestria story. That it’s also a good journal story barely registers. The crossover aspect is helped by how accessible is – hardly any Sonic lore is actually present in a direct sense, you can count even the cryptic references on one hand. It’s just about someone looking for a fresh start who ends up in Equestria and finds himself oddly susceptible and welcoming to it all, especially as the pony’s ways and magic begins to change him.
It helps, of course, that the standard HiE clichés are largely avoided. Robotnik is in an all-OC town, not Ponyville, and while some of the other characters occasionally feel vaguely analogous to the Mane 6 or other Ponyville citizens, they’re largely their own thing. This doesn’t jump in with the welcome, but uses the right pace to ease us in (we don’t even see other ponies for the first fifth of the story). There’s a balance of detail and abstraction to the journal entries that feels fitting both for them and for an older, science-intelligent man (some entries do fall afoul of not feeling like something written, but they’re a small percentage of the whole). The recounting of info we already know is so well ingrained into the perspective of Robotnik understanding these things that it’s still involving.
Honestly, it’s amazing how quietly impressive the character work is here, selling us on how he changes just from proximity to these ponies and this world, in more ways than one. The journal entries really help to sell this, given how much intelligent folks like him live in their heads, there’s a proximity that’s believable. Tough to describe why, yet in the two months this story elapses, we see him become a valuable member of this town in a natural manner that isn’t overdone, with a balance and acceptance of the difference and possibilities between Equestrian magic and his own ability at technology that just works. It’s a character story that sneaks up on you with how involving it gets, and when he feels genuine joy in the later parts, it’s palpable.
This story was on my RiL list for ages before I took the plunge, so consider this review an imploration, no matter your feelings on Sonic, crossovers, HiE stories and journal entries (the first three of which I’m very sceptical of), that it’s not one to sleep on. I may even give the sequels a look (reportedly the second drops the bar but the third raises it back to nearly this one), though this story is perfectly standalone, to my approval. It’s really something.
Rating: Really Good
Nineteen Neighty-Four by Blueshift
Genre: Comedy (Crossover, Alternate Universe)
Twilight, Trixie, Shining Armor, Pinkie (also untagged Rarity)
8,346 Words
June 2012
Ponies believe in the love and tolerance message that their utopian society preaches. Except Twilight Sparkle. She knows it’s hogwash, and resists it vocally on a daily basis. But not too vocally, lest she be subjected to the Ministry of Love and the oh-so-dreaded Room 101. Yet things start to take a turn for the better, when she finds this mare called Trixie that stirs up feelings no one in their society feels – dislike. Feelings that give her life, to the point of sneaking off on the regular to hate and loathe with her.
While some of the scenes here do parody specific equivalent scenes in 1984, and thus will have extra layers of comedy if you’ve read it (I recall my secondary school notes on Animal Farm noting that, in a BBC poll, it was ranked the 3rd best book of the 20th century, while this was 1st, and regardless of whether one agrees with that, 1984 one of those “classics” that you actually should read), this happily falls into the area of being completely accessible regardless. The twist, of course, being that this being Equestria, the preached morals are totally straight, and Twilight is missing the forest for the trees in presuming there is a sinister plan to it all.
Really, this gets enough mileage out of taking Twilight’s snarky self (she is so much as she was in FiM’s first episode, it crosses through not even being funny back to funny), and directing it through the filter of choice bits of FiM getting tweaked, like what Nightmare Moons is in this universe and how ponykind at large feel about it. And, of course, that literally nothing is forced here – a pony can change job anytime, take time off if they’re feeling unwell, and no one ever judges Twilight for her suspicions when she voices them. Possibly this would run the risk of everyone else coming across as having Brainwashed Cultist smiles, but at this length, the focus remains so much on Twi being deep in her own head (she considers stealing quills an effective tactic to undermine the regime), that it doesn’t matter.
Truth be told, the actual material with Trixie is a little softer (petty insults have a limited return rate), and the fic only takes an uptick back to its former quality again when the take here in the Ministry of Love is brought in. But even given that, this is a chortle to read: I was grinning the whole time, and the fact I had to cheat with the final crossover today and pick a “ponification of another work” over proper characters meeting only mitigates that somewhat. Only just misses crossing up a rating, this one.
Rating: Pretty Good
Spooky Summary of Scores:
Excellent: 0
Really Good: 1
Pretty Good: 2
Decent: 0
Passable: 2
Weak: 0
Bad: 0
I too am typically not much for crossovers, so much so that when I do my browsing for material I regularly make sure any story with the tag is omitted. But I have read a few really good ones before, and it's always nice to see it done right. I fondly recall GaPJaxie's Siren Song (still annoyed that the sequel got cancelled), and then there are gems like Arad's Stardust. But those are little more than exceptions to the rule IMHO, so unless someone recommends something to me I usually go out of my way to avoid them.
That Sonic crossover has my interest. Helps that he's named Robotnik and not the eye-rolling "eggman".
5792557
I have seen that fic and heard great things about it, and while my knowledge of Bioshock doesn't go much further than the signature image of a Big Daddy, it's still quite the recognisable gaming franchise. As you might have gathered, a length of nearly 200K is the main culprit behind it not getting read yet.
Similar sentiments here, as you no doubt gathered by me taking two years to even assemble these five.
Given it's from his perspective and he assumed a new identity, I honestly couldn't even swear that he's named in-story at all, I read it so long ago. Works either way, of course.
5792557 5792583
I had absolutely no familiarity with the cross-over properties before reading Arad's Stardust and GaPJaxie's Siren Song, but they both avoided the need for any, which was a major plus for me.
The only cross-over I ever wrote is the same—if you realize it's a Welcome to Night Vale fic with a pony in it.
5792585
For sure. I can think of a decent few crossovers that work on that level, but for the purposes of this theme, they had to be one where I knew and liked the property they were crossing over with, to properly judge them.
Mention of that bunny stampede reminds me that I never did write that Watership Down crossover. I used to know every nook and cranny of the WD world, so getting the details accurate wouldn't have been a problem. Meshing it with MLP remotely sensibly (or sillily, if it had been a comedy) would have been a problem. I never quite squared that circle. Ah well.
As for today's, I've read Pearple Prose's Wallace and Gromit crossover, which I liked probably about as much as you did; and Blueshift's 1984 one, which I liked a smidgen more. Mind you, Blueshift's approach has often been very much to my taste, so I suppose that's not surprising.
5792593
Yep, I just wanted to observe that they also worked for someone who didn't.
For a must-know-both-properties crossover, psychicscubadiver's The Dresden Fillies series immediately springs to mind. I love both sources and I thought, going in, that I might be more critical of those stories if they got things "wrong" or the characters or tone didn't line up with my previous experience. Turns out, they were wonderful.
5792604
Even for a completist in both properties, there's a whole lot of critical questions to be settled for a MLP/WD crossover! Might seem like an easy task to someone who hadn't really thought about it, but if anyone could pull it off, it'd be you. That said, I would adore a conversation between Fiver and Fluttershy!
5792604
Well you have yourself to thank for finding the 1984 one! Was curious how you'd feel about it these days, given that's such an old review. But it barely shows its age negatively for me, so I can believe that.
And if you ever write that Watership Down crossover, well, it'll be further incentive for me to finally read it, I suppose.
5792585
I still need to read that! I actually wanted to do a crossover with it as well, but simply never found the time.
I liked Order from Chaos a lot even though I know next to nothing about Sonic. And you really don't need to. It also did the best job I've ever seen of an alien transforming into a pony and being completely realistic of how it would happen and how the character would cope with it. It was one of the stories I championed for the Royal Canterlot Library panel at the last Bronycon.
The 1000 words group lists 190 stories this round (and 198 last round), so is that double-counting ones that were entered in multiple categories?
5792642
Yeah, some fics are out in multiple categories when an author can only manage to write one and it can theoretically fit more than one. I got this count from just counting the number of fics in the root folder (or, well, multiplying all but the last page by 24, then counting the one on the last page). Though the count won’t be final until they post results, I don’t know if there were any that broke the rules to reduce their count, etc.
And yeah, Order from Chaos really is a gem on that front. Though I guess a human turning into a pony is more acceptable when they’re barely a human in the first place too.
5792614
I think Angel would have to play a significant part, all the more so given that Fluttershy would surely be involved. I think Luna would be important too, given both Fiver's particular abilities and the Black Rabbit of Inlé. Mind you, how easy would communication be? If Angel is (more or less) an originally wild North American rabbit then he's not even the same genus as the Watership crowd. The power of stories/songs is another interesting thing, which might involve Dandelion, Zecora, quite possibly Pinkie too. Would ponies' casual acceptance of magic unnerve the rabbits, given their encounter with Silverweed and their lack of real magic of their own?¹ How to handle the size difference? How did the rabbits get to Equestria -- was there some cosmic resonance between Frith and Celestia? So many questions. Certainly more than four! Hoi, hoi, u embleer Hrair...
¹ Okay, Hannah the mouse in S3 of the CITV cartoon, but I don't really accept that as canon...
yoooo, Order from Chaos, one of the best fics of all time :D a challenge meant to show that both HiE and Sonic crossovers didn't have to result in horrible dreck!
5792645
Yeah all that is what I meant by critical questions! It's darned complicated!
BTW, ages ago, I saw a woman at a fantasy con with a button stuck to her ID badge that said: Lendril? E na plith a embleer lendril! I hadn't read the book in a long time and had forgotten a lot of the rabbit language, but I saw that and busted up laughing. She chanted along with me when I said, "Badgers? We don't need no stinking badgers!"
5792662
Being me, I'm now wondering whose Lapine extension she was using, given that a few of those words (eg "plith") aren't Richard Adams originals. It's certainly not mine, and I don't think it's Zoe Kealtan's from much longer ago. I'd guess either her own or one from one of the old WD forums. I know a few of those created a few of their own words. Once, in the distant past, I might even have known!
I honestly think we should have a clear differentiation between crossovers and derivatives. While the original definition of "crossover" can be muddy, the term has evolved to become a very particular type in literature and media when characters and elements from one franchise physically appear in another. A lot of stories are characterized as "crossovers", while in fact they're more like derivatives, like Fallout: Equestria. These share nothing with the original's universe, instead just reusing some basic concepts and settings, or paying homage to certain elements. You would not require any knowledge of the original to read derivatives, which for most people I believe would be the first requirement. I personally would love to have a proper "derivative" tag.
5792732
I used to have a notebook full of Lapine words, all separated by canon, secondary, and fannon... Ah, the days of fervent fandom past....
Seeing anything Wallace and Gromit instinctively triggers their theme song in my head, which then immediately releases the serotonin.
5793751
There's plenty we've agreed on, my friend, but I don't know we've ever agreed on anything more than this.
[Please let the new film this Christmas be good, please let the new film this Christmas be good…]
5793752
I hope so too, though I also think it's important that we approach it with the full knowledge that it is ultimately a silly little show and not judge it based on our nostalgia (like Star Wars, god rest its soul).
5793755
Just for clarity, what do you mean by that? That our nostalgia and attachment to the franchise will set elevated standards nothing can reach and so it’s better to keep them in check, or that, contrary to our memories and nostalgia, W&G is just silly goofy antics*, and we shouldn’t approach it with anything else in mind?
* Yeah, and Looney Tunes are just 7-minute one-reelers meant to be laughed at. Which they are, actually. They are, in fact, the masterpiece of such, just as W&G, as its peak, is in its area.
Either way, I think I’ll be fine. Contrary to many, I actually still rather liked their last short, A Matter of Loaf and Death (even if, yes, it is the weakest of their five core adventures for sure). Long as it follows the basic tried-and-true template of Gromit having to save Wallace from the effect of his own inventions, and along the way showcases the claymation tactility, dollhouse aesthetic of the sets, Gromit’s fantastic pantomime animation and brow reactions, the goofy puns and British-isms, and enough humanity and warmth to keep it all comforting, then I’ll be happy.
5793772
The former! - to not set standards based on "how it made me feel back then" and to try and enjoy the show for what it is. I probably shouldn't have said anything, I wasn't trying to be profound or anything.
I think my parents still have the box set VHS tapes at their house.
Out of curiosity, which is your favorite? For me I hand-on-heart really did love the evolution and gags of the full movie, formula-breaking though it was.
5793775
Lazy as it is, I really can’t chose, I love them all. Even the early instalment weirdness of what is effectively a student film in A Grand Day Out. Curse of the Were-Rabbit is certainly the one I’ve seen the most and formed my love for the series, and contrary to what you said I think it does a great job of fleshing out their world while following the formula and structure of a W&G short, if in less obvious ways.
But even given that, I can’t tell you which I’d pick with a gun to my head, even if I’d probably say, were I trying to be objective, that The Wrong Trousers is the “best” one.
5793837
That one definitely was my favorite growing up!
Now that I'm an adult I can not only appreciate the cozy comedy, but also just how much effort and brilliance it takes to make stop motion movies (Coraline is enduringly my favorite movie of all time, but the special effects in later such movies are astonishing).