R4 (Reactions, Reviews, Reference, Redirection) #0013

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Here are five slightly edited old reviews:
For The Love Of Science by Cold In Gardez
Something Like Feeling by shortskirtsandexplosions
Theory by shortskirtsandexplosions
Gift by shortskirtsandexplosions
Ties by Take Flight

For The Love Of Science by Cold In Gardez
(story link) (my original review)

Not quite as good as this author’s other stories that I have enjoyed, but that is a absurdly high benchmark. Fun story, would make a decent episode of the show. More or less just another look at how bad Twilight Sparkle would be at dating even if she did start having romantic attractions to other ponies.

Something Like Feeling by shortskirtsandexplosions
(story link) (my original review)

Really good story, but not really MLP. Sure it has two background characters that are fandom favorites and it is set in the town of Ponyville, but still doesn’t feel quite right. Quiet atheist-like apathetic depression doesn’t really fit the emotional tone of the show. In a world with more than one literal god wandering around, the mudane ‘nothing matters’ apathetic viewpoint just isn’t as solid as it is here. Still, very well written. I’m glad I gave this author another try after the first story didn’t interest me.

Theory by shortskirtsandexplosions
(story link) (my original review)

Another one by the same author. This is a story that really makes you work to figure out what is going on. Which I enjoy quite a bit, see Quantum Thief and other complex stories I’ve commented on before. This one goes a tiny bit too far with it though, could have used either a bit more exposition or simply been longer so the reader has more to work with. Is a very sad story once you work out what’s going on.

Much like In Memory Of.. by Obselescence this story deals with memory and loss. Though this one doesn’t actually deal with memory loss like that one did, well, not exactly. The same theme of a character’s mind being broken. A sensitive subject for me, so we run into the old subjective problem of this story might not be as touching for someone who doesn’t have that same sore spot.

Gift by shortskirtsandexplosions
(story link) (my original review)

I guess once I figured out I liked this author I went on something of a bender with all of their stories that looked good. This one is one of the better fanfics I’ve read. Extremely well written and complex. Most of it is precisely written build-up to create a very successful sense of success. The identity of the viewpoint character is kept a secret until nearly the entire end, and is never stated outright, though it is fairly obvious from the conversation that happens. The story feels bittersweet, but almost upbeat in places until the very end. Then it goes right back down into outright sad, but not dark. Well, I don’t consider it dark. Other people might think the very end goes right into the deep end on that side of the scale. There was one interesting worldbuilding tidbit, but it is a spoiler and this story thrives on suspense so I won’t mention it.

Ties by take flight
(story link) (my original review)

Another really short one. A character study that contrasts two characters against each other. What I like about this is that both show more depth than I expected. I would have assumed that Blueblood would be portrayed as bad and Spike as good, but there is more complexity than that. Not a lot given how short this is, but it’s there.

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If you know of a text-format reviewer I'm not keeping track of, please let me know and I'll see if they meet the criteria to be assimilated into the list.

If you are an author who wants a more detailed review of a story I've covered feel free to message me. My reviews tend to be fairly light, mostly just reactions to a story right after reading it. I am happy to give a more careful read and reply to anyone who wants more precision and/or feedback.