Ghost Mike's Ponyfic Review Monday Musings #129 · 6:30pm Dec 30th, 2024
Happy belated Hearth’s Warming, my friends! Whatever holiday you do or don’t celebrate, I hope it was a good one. In gifts, time to yourself, time with your loved ones, whatever you most value, the works. Especially with how turbulent 2024 was, both generally due to worldwide matters and especially if AI advancements intrude on your livelihood or what you do for a living, it’s important to keep personal pleasures and those close to us high in our hearts.
My own was by no means the most exciting (and my general malaise has by no means faded yet, alas), but enough of note happened. There were no less than three distinct family gatherings or big meals: beside the one with the immediate family on the big two-five, there were two normal-if-jumbo-sized meals between the 25th and New Years with an uncle visiting from out of town on the first, an uncle, aunt-in-law and cousin on the other, and an aunt and uncle-in-law for both. The five-year-old cousin (only one not an adult I have left) found my Izzy figurine and got great joy twisting her neck around, Cheshire Cat style, along with twisting her tail around and pointing her legs directions only Pinkie or Discord could do without breaking something. 
And above all those, there was the buffet deal Mom typically throws together for her side of the family every year. As my cousins there are all older than me, and all but one are married, that meant we had six kids present, most in high-single digits or tweens. Polite enough, as kids go, though I got more enjoyment out of catching up with those I barely see (including a cousin ten years older than me to the day whom I’d barely seen in a decade).
Another highlight was an immediate family outing on the 23rd. With my brother returning to his government posting early in January and my sister moving out of the country with her boyfriend for a few years, Dad wanted a unique activity. He chose an escape room, something I’d never personally experienced before, and one with a very unique theming: an escape boat. It was honestly really cool: intermittent radio announcements added to the atmosphere with how much longer the crew trapped below deck (aka us) had left to escape. The rooms progressed from the steel bowels to a captain’s cabin and ended in a chamber by an emergency exit, with the flourishes going so far as having the final room flood with actual water (in a safe manner, where one team member with provided wellies could operate the flood pump once those of us sitting on a dry bench figures out how to get it operational. Good variety of puzzles too, and though I can find I’m just extra weight on these things, contributing little unique, I did decode a morse code puzzle before anyone else, at least. Not the sort of thing I’d want to do regularly, by any stretch, but it went down very smoothly.
Couple of decent things on the gift end: there was a neat novelty mug with the Looney Toons that moves them from silhouettes to visible only when there’s a hot drink aside (not dishwasher-able, alas), and Dad showed how much he knows me by getting a new book on Irish Animation that I had been considering but hadn’t mentioned to anyone. How’d he know? He saw me liking my boss sharing about it on Linkedin (the one social media site he uses 
). And how was he certain I hadn’t ordered it? “You like to take your time with these sorts of things, son”. Crafty sod. 
An actual history book on Tayto as a company (Tayto is the Irish crisp, and the most-cited thing for us to miss when going abroad) to accompany one of my favourite books as a teen, a 2009 mock autobiography about its Pac-Man-esque mascot, rounded out the highlights. My family doesn’t get the nitty-gritty of my fiction-reading habits much, but they do know my interests well enough to pick out non-fiction takes. 
And a day later, my sister surprised me by digging up her old DS Lite and DSi during her spring cleaning before she emigrates in February, things I’d thought she’d lost years ago. Having moved beyond video games over a decade ago now, she had no hesitation giving them to me, and though my “keep games boxed whenever possible” sense was set a bit on edge, the four DS loose carts and one GBA cart sweetened it further. I now own Mario Kart DS three times over! 
Super Mario 64 DS, I’d played hers more than she in our youth, but neat to have again, while Pokémon Emerald and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team I already own (or the GBA equivalent, in the case of the latter), but nice to have. As for Littlest Pet Shop: City Friends… Well, I might be able to sell it for a fiver somewhere. Emerald took ages of dust blowing to get it to start up (perils of not being properly stored all those years!) but the others started easily enough.
Watched a decent share over the break too, which will be collected in the next Movie Roundup as per usual. But undoubtedly the biggest of them all is Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. I don’t think I’ve ever talked about it on here, but Wallace and Gromit is both one of my favourite animated series and a very crucial one in my development as an animation aficionado and cinephile. Not to mention the source of most successful videos on Cartoon Karma on YouTube (even now, my four videos on their shorts are nearly two-thirds of the new views on my legacy backlog) So getting the first outing from the world’s best man-and-dog duo in sixteen years, and the first I could really enjoy the buildup to, as I didn’t get really into them under after 2008’s A Matter of Loaf and Death (like many of my generation, Curse of the Were-Rabbit was my introduction), was a pretty big deal.
I had every intention of watching it live on Christmas Day on BBC1 (9.38 million people did, behind only the new Gavin & Stacey special’s 12.3m; even at only 2nd for the day and year, that’s still the highest UK ratings otherwise since King Charles’ speech in 2022), but didn’t in the end… because I caught it at the cinema instead! Limited one week-engagement, but it was a pretty big deal to see it like that.
I’ll leave the big break-down till the Movie Roundup, but say this for now: if like me, you are fearful of legacy sequels, especially after Aardman’s recent love affair with them to diminishing results (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget being a merely fine sequel to a fantastic film rather hurt especially), this is in the upper echelon of that: there’s aren’t no diminishing returns, but it’s definitely on the minimal side, and the old spirit and details of the classic shorts is captured very well in a new context, even with a 79 minute runtime rather than their natural home of 30 minutes. So look out for its Netflix appearance outside of the UK/Ireland on January 3rd.
Well, that’s certainly enough to be excited about till the new year, no? It’ll compensate for yet another small edition of Monday Musings, one that not only barely scrapes its way to 20K, but totally empties my review stockpile. I am reading, just not ponyfic. But that’s okay: tis the season for giving, and the length nor frequency doesn’t matter if the heart is there, no?
This Week’s Spectral Stories:
Jack of All Trades by TheDriderPony
All the Right Questions... by daOtterGuy
Generous Gifts by BlazzingInferno
Who Hijacked Twilight Sparkle? by Hoopy McGee
Octavia Hates Her Toothpaste by Cloud Hop
Weekly Word Count: 20,441 Words
Jack of All Trades by TheDriderPony
Genre: Dark/Horror/Thriller
Starlight
1,000 Words
July 2024
With her markless-community uprooted by these interlopers, Starlight is left desperate. As one will be when they’re this set in their beliefs. With little time until they come to reclaim their marks back, she lands on one way to make sure they don’t.
The twist of Starlight using the cutie marks on herself comes early enough in this fic (as it would have to, given the length) that I feel I don’t have to hide it. The fic does a good job of using the short length for the thousand words contest to let Starlight’s thoughts convincing herself (like she’s got multiple personality disorder) lend a disquieting effect to this even before she affixes one to her, especially with the slight tweaks to canon that lead to the self-fulfilling end result. And from there, the mental body horror builds (in its PG-13 sort of way) to an unnerving result that could only work in this setting.
The main issue is that, as economical as this is, it cries out for a longer story. Not just for wanting more, but the lack of more than cursory exploration of Starlight’s far-gone personality, plus what she does to herself at the end, just leave it feeling more like the cliffnotes version, even as TheDriderPony has done admirable work with the margins to heighten the tension and disturbing parts.
Still, the concept is fascinating and well delivered within the limitations it's written for, so even if dissatisfaction does dominate my impression, credit is due.
Rating: Decent
All the Right Questions... by daOtterGuy
Genre: Drama, Sad
Stygian, Pillars
1,000 Words
July 2024
The Pillars, all going about their days as usual, find themselves approached by Stygian, asking simple questions about their Element, and what it truly means. Only too happy to enlighten their friend, they tell him, knowing every bit will help in whatever seems to be troubling him.
That seemingly simple, early-fandom premise is very clearly not so from the start, when Stygian ends each conversation by proposing some reason to briefly take an object of theirs – cleaning Rockhoof’s shovel, washing Somnambula’s blindfold, you name it. Then, there’s the abrupt way Stygian pivots from their declarations of what their elements truly represent, and how to bring them out. Even before the final scene, while the abruptness of these scenes and the necessary reliance on formula six times in a row is felt, it also gives it some heft.
Then, of course, the ending clarifies the lot, and it lands harder. While a longer take on the story would probably still be better, this one acquits itself plenty well as it is.
Rating: Pretty Good
Generous Gifts by BlazzingInferno
Genre: Romance
Spike, Rarity
8,157 Words
December 2015Listened to via Scribbler's reading
This Hearth’s Warming, Spike doesn’t only have the perfect gift in mind for Rarity, he’s at a stage with her where their friendship could possibly blossom into something more. That is, until the idea is floated among their friends that they do an anonymous gift exchange instead. With this wrench thrown in the works, Spike sets out to track down who drew Rarity’s name and get them to swap with him. He can’t let this chance pass him by.
Yes, it is a Sparity story, but honestly, only barely: on top of being in show-tone, where it’s just a cute/sweet thing Spike feels (the fic doesn’t imply it’s something he’ll grow out of it, but neither does it invalidate that as a possible reading), the actual shipping elements are basically at the margins, even Rarity’s possible reciprocation. So, it’s perfectly palatable to those adverse to it, while still being satisfying for those who don’t mind it or like stuff with a light shipping twist.
Otherwise, it is, at a first approximation, a standard enough seasonal gift exchange plot eventually landing on the true meaning of gifts. Not fair to blame it for that similarity to “Best Gift Ever” on top of the plot hook! However, like other fics he’s written before, BlazzingInferno has added just enough wrinkles, on top of writing the straight elements very competently, to make it a happily satisfying version of that without ever being something that’ll blow you away. Sometimes, this is down to the specifics: both the major upsets in Spike’s quest are played out in such a manner that the reader is likely to realise them only just before they happen, but not sooner. It changes plot direction enough times to avoid any risk of boredom.
Most of the Mane 5 are sidelined, but their small roles are well done, and the two other featured character of Applejack and Fluttershy both tie into the other major theme very well, while facilitating enough glimpses of other character’s lives that it doesn’t run into the trap of such fics of the world revolving around just the featured pair either. And right at the end, what Spike ultimately does with the knowledge he learns on his quest cannot help but feel just right and fitting.
Most of the fic is like this, rewarding the reader for having their wits about them while remaining an easy enough read. Nothing that’ll blow one away, but it’s high quality for a comfort food fic, and the Sparity elements are minor and tastefully done.
Rating: Pretty Good
Who Hijacked Twilight Sparkle? by Hoopy McGee
Genre: Drama (w/Crossover, Human)
OC, Twilight
3,502 Words
April 2016Reread
The lead Toon of the hit show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Twilight Sparkle, had gone missing. With no notes, recent odd behaviour or suspect, the studio calls in an old friend from the Valiant and Valiant detective agency. One who has quite a history with toons, especially through his late father.
This was one of the last fics I read in my rating-only days before I started Ponyfic reviews (with a mini-review comment on it to boot ), so why review it? I was reminded of this semi-direct Who Framed Roger Rabbit crossover fic after watching the film again recently, looked it up, and on seeing its length, felt enthused enough, what with my headspace still being in that world.
Not much has changed since then: the expanded lore of Toontown/Hollywood politics and more modern adaptations to a TV-focused Hollywood are nicely interspersed around the investigation by the son of Bob Hoskins’ character from the film (who should really be a grandson, given this is almost 70 years later, but best to let that slide). Given the fic’s length, the mystery is solved in basically in no time, though that’s kind of alright, as the personal issues it addresses for Toons if FiM were a filmed cartoon feel very organic. It’s certainly the kind of light but serious entertainment that can get you thinking.
As is common of such fics, this doesn’t so much climax as just stop, and while it’s not emotionally incomplete, it does leave it feeling a bit flat-footed on the way out. But if one can forgive that, the path there is very satisfying and delectable in the mode it’s operating in, and given it only takes the concept and setting of Roger Rabbit, not the characters or story, there’s no continuity lockout or diminished impact at play here either. Though the film remains a phenomenal piece of work if you haven’t seen it…
Rating: Pretty Good
Octavia Hates Her Toothpaste by Cloud Hop
Genre: genres
Octavia, Other
6,782 Words
December 2013Listened to via Scribbler's reading
From the outside, Octavia would seem to have it all. Playing for the top of the Canterlot elite, adored as the best in her field, the works. It took a lot of moments to get that far, but it can take much fewer moments to do the reverse. Even the everyday events that define our lines can come tumbling down at the smallest thing. Say… toothpaste.
The toothpaste honestly has very little to do with the story, even though Octavia’s anger with it takes up two distinct scenes. It’s really just the stand-in for her repressed manager and depression off her musical life choices, and other ponies’ reactions to them. It’s quite a mauldin tale, lacking a Drama tag only because it didn’t exist at the time. What sets it apart from the typical takes on her character this way is the balance between drama and realism here; the former lets the emotions in her head play out strongly, but as far as the plot is concerned, there’s no instant resolution, even though the emotional climax is properly facilitated to be earned. And the plot, what little of it there is, progresses naturally enough in the glimpses Octavia gets of a less repressed life (the romance with an OC, though this too is a stand-in for a different life rather than the main goal in and of itself).
There’s a weird stint against music theory throughout that might ruffle anyone who composes the stuff. More oppressive is the overwrought writing style, serving not only to make the piece longer than it needs to be, but it tends to dilute the moments where it would best boost the fic. It is fitting for Octavia’s lifestyle and the parts of high society, but feels less like a measured choice for the right moments than a default mode the fic is employing on autopilot, thus not really taking advantage of.
Even as something of assembly cut of the ideal version of itself, there’s enough here to set this apart from similar takes on Octavia. And it’s not an OctaScratch either, so no barrier there. It might work for those mildly adverse to this type of story or take on Octavia, though not those majorly so.
Rating: Decent
Spooky Summary of Scores:
Excellent: 0
Really Good: 0
Pretty Good: 3
Decent: 2
Passable: 0
Weak: 0
Bad: 0
Sounds like you had a nice holiday break! I wish I'd gotten to watch some movies, but alas, that didn't happen. Mostly because my parents and grandmother at huge American football fans and there was at least one game for them to watch pretty much every day for the past week, and on days that a game wasn't on we were off doing things with the cousins. So yeah, no Christmas movie time for me. A pity.
Oh, Blazzing Inferno! That's an author I greatly enjoy. Who knows, perhaps someday soon I'll wind up reading that one.
Not a bad slate this week, and a couple there that have piqued my interest. Like Paul I'm usually pleased by BlazzingInferno stories, and I've seen enough of daOtterGuy's name in recentish competitions to know he's got a knack for shortfics. Even if this one didn't place, I suspect I'll at least enjoy it.
5823584
Well, not as many as I'd like, between relatives around. I recorded so much movies on Christmas TV to have myself sorted for a while, mind!
The hugeness of American football as a tv watching pastime is not news to me, of course (and it's caught on outside America, even beyond the Super Bowl: my brother watches the NFL quite a bit). But I've heard recently how it's taken over the Christmas holiday more than before, to the degree of big games on Christmas Day, even. Not that we're patron saints this side of the world: Boxing Day in the UK (and thus Ireland by proxy) is a huge football watching day, as are other over the holidays. Only Christmas Day is spared, but it seems that's no longer the case even in the US.
Of course, many businesses remain open on Christmas Day over there (even cinemas!) whereas nearly all still close here. So, always some differences.
…According to the description, you edited the fic, bud. That fact fade from the memory bank after nine years?
5823590
You've read it, bud: I picked this fic as well as Jack of All Trades up off your coverage of the Pewter Medal winners. Those two fics grabbed me enough to read them on the spot due to their shortness, and sat in my stockpile until seeing the light of day today. Least it's not adding to your backlog!
5823601
My goodness, I am having a stumble or two at the moment!
Yes, this is perfect.
I grew up with the VHS box set of the original three. 
While I don't know if I can call W&G formulative, as I grew I came to appreciate stop motion movies more and more just for sheer admiration of the medium. Coraline is probably my favorite movie of all time, and I always try to catch new ones in theaters (while admitting Kubo and the Bigfoot one weren't great movies, they are still visually gorgeous).
5824028
Lol, I keep running into people who say exactly this, at least in the States (in the UK, it's either this or some variation of "seeing them every Christmas", as they get repeated every year even now). Always makes me blush a bit, what with Were-Rabbit being my intro; I'm not so young that I couldn't have reasonably seen their prior shorts before 2005, it just didn't happen. But ever since, they've never left my heart.
This gets higher and higher for me too: on my recent rewatch of A Grand Day Out, I found myself one again in sheer admiration of the craft and especially Nick Park's skill as an animator on what was still technically "just" a student film, albeit one he worked on piecemeal for six extra years.