Site Post » Reviews Round 9 · 4:58am Jan 2nd, 2013
Well, that’s it, then. December’s over and done with, and I couldn’t be happier. The holiday season is a stressful time for socks, you see, what with the nailing of poor, helpless footwear to fireplace mantles so they can roast alive and all. I managed to escape this year’s holocaust, though, thanks in no small part to being on an expedition to the North Pole at the time.
Yeah, that’s right. I figured I’d try and stop this madness at its source.
With my valiant compatriots, Maleficent Coat and Furious Trousers, I, Belligerent Sock, sailed to end the Red Fatty’s reign of tyranny. Unfortunately for all involved, we got lost in the Arctic Circle somewhere off Newfoundland. That’s the last time I take directions from a moose; you can’t trust those darn Canadians!
Anyway, as fate would have it, that’s when the server issues from several weeks back impacted my metaphysical self. I was cast into a different part of reality, where I helped a Mayan temporal deity fix some leaks in the universe’s plumbing (no big deal), and then awoke to find myself adrift on a raft with some fellow named Nick Nack.
After furiously battling over who would get first dibs on using the other for sustenance, we happened upon a crate containing roughly one hundred pounds of asparagus floating through the chilling water. In a stroke of genius, we managed to fashion a rudimentary radio transmitter out of the vegetables, which led none other than Scribble Stick to us. As we were tearfully reunited on the deck of his 19th Century ironclad, Scribbles turned to us and said:
“We got reviews to do. You guys game?”
And as you can see below, our answer was a resounding “Yes!”
WHEN A GOD PUTS PEN TO PAPER, DOES THE EARTH DO THE SPELLCHECK?
So, you’ve got two mythic beings in charge of a kingdom of colorful equines. One of them goes mad with jealous despair, plunging the world into darkness, and… well, you know this story. Heck, as fans you’ve probably guessed at the motivations behind the players in this tragedy just as much as I’ve pondered how the lack of socks impacted ancient Greek playwrights (it’s a lot, obviously).
Rare is it to see a take on this issue that is so complete. This story covers everything from the genesis of the universe to the trials of the present (well, Season 2 present, anyway). It offers an intriguing take on the relationship between Celestia and Luna, and gives a pretty plausible account of the events that turned the night princess to a darker path.
What’s more, this fic has one of those messages that sticks with you. The summation toward the end resonates with just the right sort of completeness, and the actual conclusion of the story will leave you with some warm fuzzies. Read on, and see what I mean.
We’ve seen a lot of characters write letters to Celestia, but what would Luna write in a letter to her own sister?
This story is one possibility that explores Luna’s perspective and insight into her own troubled past. It does a lot to flesh out her relationship with her sister, a relationship I find intriguing in and of itself. I really enjoy stories that get down to the raw, honest, dark inner thoughts and confessions of a character, and though the idea isn’t new, it’s an approach I’ve never seen before and one that I really enjoy.
If you feel like Season 3 doesn’t have enough letters to the princess and need something to pick up the slack, this could be a story for you.
Here’s a story that’s told from the perspective of one of the “villains” from the show, or at least, one of the characters who made mistakes and has to deal with them. In The Unread Letter, Shamus_Aran tells the story of Luna, and her experiences as Nightmare Moon.
I mean, a story from the bad guy’s perspective? Who even does that?
Jerks... jerks do that.
But luckily, Shamus_Aran isn’t some talentless schmuck who just tries to make the main character sympathetic with airs of “Oh, poor me and my problems!” In this fandom, Luna’s psyche is as fragile as Rainbow Dash’s wings, and her self-esteem as dead as Scootaloo’s parents; this makes me quite glad that Luna Eclipsed had the small victory of killing off the “Sad Luna” genre of fanfics.
The Unread Letter is basically Luna admitting she’s been a selfish, ungrateful, little brat. It’s done in a “letter” format, however, that just boils down to “first-person” (which I can dig). In her letter, Luna gives her thought processes—jealousy, resentment, and immaturity—that caused a huge problem between Celestia and Luna, such that the “Nightmare Moon” thing was a symptom of an underlying problem. Which is how a ton of fights start out in real life.
The main thing I dislike about The Unread Letter is that the ending comes a tad too quickly. By that, I mean, after ~4,000 words of “here’s why I’m a bad sister,” the titular unread letter (Luna throws it in the fire) gets delivered to Celestia in a comparatively fast-paced scene (given the mind-blowing knowledge contained in that letter), and the story ends on a “reply” from Celestia that’s... three short paragraphs. I think that, despite the journey being good for the most part, the ending of this story fell flat, but then again, I like some of Stephen King’s novels, so I’m able to look past that.
My problems with the ending aren’t severe enough to impact my enjoyment of this story, and at the very least, I can definitely see what Shamus_Aran was going for and imagine that ending. All in all, this was an enjoyable look at a realistic fight between sisters that turned into a much larger conflict.
SO, A BUNCH OF LADIES WALK INTO A BAR…
…And we get a story that’s not really that boring!
Comic misogyny aside, this story marks a first for the Angel reviews: it’s got the dread label, the tan menace, the unholy tag of a thousand wailing souls. That’s right, it’s a Human fic!
Now, before you flee to the laundry bin like gym socks after a marathon, let me elaborate. This is a story which portrays the Mane Six as the fictitious friends of Lauren Faust—let me finish! It offers one possibility as to how Our Beloved Creator bestowed upon us the characters we all know and love, and it does so with a different take on their personalities.
If you’ve ever had a friend look at your writings and say, “Hey! This isn’t me, is it?!” you’ll know where this story is coming from. Suffice it to say, it’s a fun little “what if” piece that entertains throughout.
A pony review group promoting a story with only a passing mention of ponies? What is this world coming to?
I’ve only read a handful of MLP inspiration/origin stories, and I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a very big fan of them. Maybe it’s my inner journalist, but if you’re going to tell me the “true” story of how something came to be, it better be pretty convincing. I don’t absolutely love this one, but I do like the approach it takes. I’ve based plenty of characters on friends and acquaintances throughout my writing career, so the situation is certainly one I can relate to. Though I would have liked to spend more time actually getting to know Faust’s fictional friends, the taste we get here is a pretty good start.
Is it perfect? No, but then, what story is? If you’re a fan of origin stories and theories, I might give this one a go.
In my line of work (Ponychan’s Training Grounds, Equestria Daily Pre Reading, and my own private threads / Advice Emporium), I’ve probably read, critiqued, and responded to around four hundred stories in this fandom by now. Some were better than others. Some annoyed me with their cliché trite-ness. But I’ve never really rejected stories from “advertised content” alone (save for porn, which recently, I’ve even lifted that rule).
So while I understand the bias against human stories (especially when the character’s a Brony), I also... don’t, almost. I mean, is it just because the stories are generally poorly written? With as many talented authors in this fandom as there are, it’s always nice to find a story that reminds me that stereotypes are the generalization, not the rule.
Friendship With Occasional Ponies by Shagbark is definitely an exception. It’s only show-related in a meta sense, but because of how the subject is handled, it’s also directly related. While it may be a bit of a stretch to imagine that Lauren Faust has five friends—a hyperactive party girl, a down-to-earth blue collar worker, a “refined” trailer park queen, a crass biker chick, and... abused spouse—It’s not completely out of the realm of possibility, and I think that it’s a good example of art imitating life.
In this picture, Lauren Faust is black for some reason.
Seeing how I do the exact same thing with my work (taking elements like a troubled marriage kept together “for the kids,” for example), I can confirm that this is a real phenomenon, even if it’s dangerous to just up and lift characters wholesale from your life. Shagbark points that out, too, which makes this story metarealistic on so many levels.
I don’t have any real critiques with this one that suspension of disbelief can’t take care of. It’s uncanny, but not impossible for Lauren Faust to have a group of five friends, and that the six of them are mirrors of the main six ponies. Because of how it’s handled, the human versions appear “darker and grittier” than their pony counterparts which... works, actually. Life’s not all fun, games, and pastel ponies.
The other thing I didn’t like was the trope of “Fluttershy is in an abusive relationship,” which I don’t really think works in this story—because of how the story works, it seems like Angel Bunny is put in the show to... make light of spousal abuse?
That’s my own interpretation of things, though, and even if I hold this story over the coals, they’d only be a mar on an otherwise genuine story that rings true with a certain emotional poignancy. It’s interesting to see real problems in a story, without the veil of a metaphor of “The ponies have problems with their marriage.”
This is the sort of story this fandom should read more of.
DIVERGENT AMETHYST TINCTURES TEMPESTUOUSLY ENCOMPASS A SALIENT INTENT!
This story is dripping in purple prose. I’m going to put that right up front. It’s important to know this going in, because unlike most examples of this sort of thing, there actually seems to be a purpose behind it.
The point-of-view for most of this story is that of Rainbow Dash—probably the one we’d least expect to so vociferously voice violet verbiage. This is, of course, the whole point. Like suddenly finding one of your socks tinged purple after a wash, it invites further examination.
And from that, we find this is a story about looking under the surface. It provides an alternate interpretation to a character we are—or at least, think we are—familiar with. This tragic contrast between outward appearances and what lies beneath provides more than enough weight to warrant a read.
Ever have one of those moments when everything you think you know about a person gets turned completely upside down? This story is one of those moments.
Thanks to a high school English teacher, I’ve come to appreciate irony in all its forms over the course of the years, and this story has it. What makes it better is that it’s about something that should be obvious if you stop to think about it for a moment, yet so often, we miss what’s staring us right in the face and judge solely on appearance. Ironic, innit?
It’s telly at times, and the word choice can look like something out of one of Twilight’s books, but the concept and execution are definitely worth the read.
I’ll definitely admit that I have a soft spot for walking the line between passion and obsession, so it’s not hard to say I liked Misinterpreted. The main premise of Twifight Sparkill’s piece is that Rainbow Dash fights with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now, since I don’t want to give the misconception that Misinterpreted is about Dash being overly tidy, I’ll clarify that NIMH defines OCD as:
[Having] certain thoughts or perform routines and rituals over and over. The thoughts and rituals associated with OCD cause distress and get in the way of daily life.
While I am not a psychiatrist, I’d definitely say that Dash obsesses about failure, which compels her to push herself training—to the breaking point, virtually every day. Twifight Sparkill also hits on the nature of a lot of mental illnesses: they’re “invisible illnesses,” with symptoms that aren’t as easy to diagnose as, say, coughing up blood.
This message brought to you by the Armchair Psychology Association of Equestria
Anyway, besides hitting on a pet love, Misinterpreted gives one of the more enjoyable descriptions of flight that I’ve read—really giving it the literary feel of a drug high, which makes sense, given the driving force that this piece is about.
The two main critiques I have on this piece are minor: 1) I don’t like the title, and 2) it’s not really a “conflict-driven story.” Misinterpreted isn’t nearly as effective a title as it could be, in my honest opinion. In the realm of billions of subjective realities, everything is grounds for misinterpretation, and frankly, that’s not what this piece is about. The piece is about Dash’s addiction-like compulsion to fly, and a much better title is hinted at in the chapter title, as well as the in-story description of Dash’s flight:
the only thing she was ever truly loyal to
Second, this is a piece that takes 1,800 words to establish that “Rainbow Dash has a problem, but her friends just think she’s lazy.” But there’s no resolution, no hint that anything’s moved. Which is fair, there’s no hard-defined rules for literature like that; however, my personal preference is for there to be that resolution by or at the end of a story.
However, neither of those things are said to say that Misinterpreted is bad. The imagery is vivid, the themes presented are serious and handled maturely, and overall, the piece is good at what it sets out to do.
Well, that about wraps up the reviews for this week. Tune in next time for more misadventures and fun stories. If you’ll excuse us, there’s apparently an open bar in Mexico where the rest of the team is holed up. It would be rude if we didn’t help them drain the place meet them there.
While we take care of that, you lot can log in and have a look at the Seattle’s Angels
Group Page. And you’d better hurry; even though New Years is already past, there’s going to be a mad rush for the martinis.
Belligerent Sock is literally the best reviewer ever, just saying, anyone who can so consistently make relevant and amusing metaphors/analogies with socks has my respect.
I'm definitely going to be checking some of these out.
I have to ask... how do you all decide what stories to review?
Oh my, Twifight got on here! I love that girl!
A cover art that seems to be drawn with pencil just seems to fit well.
A heady batch this time.
Cheers all around for the reviews in the first place, which is awesome, and hey, I see some stories and names I'm familiar with in there. Woot!
There is...one thing, though.
The arctic circle ends way north of Newfoundland, WD. Like...not even Quebec is that far north. A quarter of Baffin Island is south of it. And being a canadian myself...I thus have to question whether it was canadians--moose or no--who really got you lost.
671740 Fair enough, but I didn't write that.
I like Nicknack's reviewing style. It makes me want to read their stories.I find that ironic considering this is a review for other stories.
671641
Agreed. And he's just as clever in the chatroom.
[12/29/2012 6:15:48 PM] Belligerent Sock: We'll see how coy you are when your feet are writhing in agony from all the blisters.
[12/29/2012 6:16:22 PM] Belligerent Sock: Socks are all one big family, like the mafia, you know.
[12/29/2012 6:16:30 PM] Nick Nack: I'd read that story
[12/29/2012 6:16:40 PM] Belligerent Sock: It's an epic tale, yes.
[12/29/2012 6:16:49 PM] Belligerent Sock: Goes back thousands of years.
[12/29/2012 6:17:12 PM] Belligerent Sock: To when the first socks gloriously enslaved shoes.
671642
I wish I could say we had an algorithm or something that did the work for us, but truthfully, we just read stories more or less at random until we find some that are tolerably good and fit our criteria (relatively low viewcount, not on Equestria Daily, decent grammar, etc). We solicit recommendations, but those are... hit and miss, to say the least. So there's a large element of arbitrariness/luck involved in the selection process. But on the upside, I do not think there is any good way for an author to "game the system" with respect to our group and raise his chances of getting reviewed, as there is with the feature box.
Out of all of them, Misinterpreted got my attention. Plus, my favorite color is purple anyways
Awesome review you guys.
Hyur hyur, I'm Pav, I don't have Skype access on vacation so I can't do Round 9. So rather than reviewing or updating my own stories or anything productive, I'll just troll around on the Angels' group forums.
>Ohi Pav, while you were gone, we picked up a new reviewer. No one special, just the f
ing legendary Nicknack
...Welp! Carry on, then. I'll just keep... doing my thang.
pinkie.ponychan.net/chan/files/thumb/135485708132s.png
672285
Fluttershy censoring is the best censoring.
I'm curious, what determines which stories get reviewed?
672877
671862 is a wizard, answering your question before you asked it.
673008 Ah, I had a hunch someone had probably asked this before I had, so thanks for linking it
I had a feeling that is how it was done, and I am cool with that
I am an engineer as well as an author so when I see a system, I do tend to try and understand its mechanics 
"Friends, with Occasional Magic" was the first story I posted here, and I remember the feeling I had after it flew by the front page with a total of 1 comment and about a dozen views. How did you guys even find it?
I never thought about the possible implications for Angel Bunny. 
Any chance a mod would give me a hand, and move "Friends, with Occasional Magic" to my Bad Horse account?
So this is where all of those new favorites are coming from!
671654
I love you too! Now give me $10! You know, for... love, yeah. Ain't free!
671928
I can already tell you're awesome! CALL IT A PREMONITION!
Thanks to the mods and reviewers responsible for this humbling honor. I've been living a very unhappy life of late for circumstances I can't control, so this was a treat! Misinterpreted was my first actual attempt at writing, and it remains the only story of mine I can read more than once - in fact, when I'm down, I'll read it just to remind myself that, "You know what girl? You're okay!" and move on through the self-immolation that currently is my entire life.
... yes, I may actually be a crazy, dramatic mess, but you're ugly.
675087
marshu.com/articles/images-website/articles/presidents-on-us-paper-money/ten-10-dollar-bill.jpg
My read later list is back to past twenty again. WHY MUST SO MANY PEOPLE WRITE GOOD STORIES THAT I'M INTERESTED IN?!
679419 Im at 166 read laters to many stories not enough time i say (but there is enough to browse from time to time increasing that number
)