What I Got For Hearth's Warming and Jinglemas · 1:11am Dec 30th, 2024
Gonna take these out of the order that's in the title, and no, it isn't an car that I got to do fourteen hours of wire-soldering on.
In the last blog post I mentioned Jinglemas, so you're all caught up on what that is. Later that day, I received my present, a fic from PseudoBob Delightus.
I won't bother telling you what the prompt was, 'cause they put it in the story description, and I have to say that they knocked it out of the park.
For starters, it qualifies for the Not-A-Contest, and y'all know that I love those. It's got Sea Swirl working a tech job on Earth in what they described as a 'tunnel town,' in that it was attached to one of the tunnels from Equestria to Earth.
That's a term I've not heard before, and it's very much in line with the (sometime derogatory) terms that got applied to towns that sprang up along railroad right-of-ways: you had your whistle stops, which were insignificant enough that the train would only stop there if there were passengers on the platform, or if one wanted to get off the train at that particular location. And then you had your jerkwater towns, where the train only stopped because they had to put more water in it.
I would assume that the same applies going back in history to canals—maybe a town springs up where there's a set of canal locks, since the boats have to stop there anyway. Or further back; towns that sprang up around a crossroads. Probably some terms I've heard before but can't remember at the moment.
Since it's in the first chapter and not much of a spoiler, y'all also know that I love fics with ponies dealing with human technology, especially computers, and the difficulties that arise from doing so. Scroll wheels aren't hoof friendly, after all. Also can totally relate to dropping a cell phone on the face while using it in bed.
Another genius touch is that Sea Swirl has a credit card or debit card called a BitCard which doesn't work the same as the rest of the other credit cards. Also the fact that the restaurant has pony-friendly seating. You'd have to figure that such a thing would start to appear in 'tunnel towns' first, and then maybe spread to other places that got—or wanted—pony clientele.
As for the characters . . . well, you already know that Sea Swirl is in it, and you know that I love her.
The other main character is Tempest Shadow, whom I also adore.
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Arguably, not a background pony but I love her so much.
My only regret is that I can't upvote it more than once. Need y'all to help me with that
As for Hearth's Warming . . . couple of days ago at work I picked up my phone during some slack time, and saw that I'd gotten an e-mail from UPS informing me that my package had been delivered. Which was odd, 'cause I wasn't expecting a package, but there was a photo of my porch with a box sitting there and I spent a few minutes wondering just what it was. The only outstanding order I could remember having was for a set of pliers from Amazon, and the box was way too big for that.
When I got home, I discovered it was something way more awesome than a set of pliers. Mysterious benefactors* had sent me a plush Frosty Flakes and a Snowpony Expedition pin!**
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*Said mysterious benefactors will be revealed if/when I get their permission
**I don't have a picture of the pin that won't self-destruct in a couple of days
***Not a picture of my Frosty Flakes—mine also has an adorable Christmas-y bow in her mane****
****I'd take a picture of her out in the snow, but the weather pegasi have brought warm weather which has brought rain and mud, so it's not nearly as festive as she deserves.
I did a happy dance around my living room when I unboxed Frosty Flakes (there was also a very nice Christmas card in the package), and not all that long after did another happy dance when I read An Infinite Loop . . .
I love this fandom, y'all
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That's awesome and I'm happy for you. Happy Hearth's Warming and Jinglemas Admiral!
Aw she's adorable! Merry Christmas Admiral n_n
I'm sure that's how certain towns named "London" and "Paris" got their start. A lot of major cities actually would have begun as a centre for commerce and snowballed from there.
Speaking of snow, that's one adorable snowpity plush! I'm so jealous.
5823460
Thank you! Same to you!
I'm always amazed by the fandom, we've got so many amazing people
5823461
She is adorable!
Merry Christmas to you, too! And a Happy New Year!
5823464
Oh, yeah. And going with a more modern example, Chicago which largely grew into what it is because the railroads went there because it was convenient geographically.
Oh, she is super adorable, and the one I got from my mysterious benefactors is even more adorable with a bow in her mane.
No better present than a pony present! Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
5823471

Sounds amazing. I wish I had a pony with a bow
5823464 5823471
You 2 are right:
About TunnelTowns and JerkWaters, Some places are WayStations (one can only travel so in a day; so now one needs to stop). Others exist because of other reasons (New York City, because of the Eery Canal connecting the Hudson River to the great lakes, canals connecting the Great lakes to each other (rivers connect the lakes, but some rivers, such as Niagra, are not very navigable, unless one journies downstream in a barrel), and the Chicogo Canal connecting the Great lakes to the Mississippian River-System) means that ships can reach the eastern half of the United States of America and the Dominion of Canada from New York City.
5823505
Thank you!
5823523
Well, the obvious solution is get a pony and get a bow, and then combine the two