R4 (Reactions, Reviews, Reference, Redirection) #0138 · 1:54am May 3rd, 2015
[<<<Previous] [Index] [Next >>>]
Here are five slightly edited old reviews:
The Wrong Side of Tomorrow by Pascoite
Anthropology by JasonTheHuman
The Good You Might Do by Pascoite
Last Speech Before The Terminus by RealmOfMereShadows
Guardian of the Storm by The Princess Rarity
The Wrong Side of Tomorrow by Pascoite
[story link] [my original review]
Sweet, if a little shallow. Not in the subject matter, but the author doesn’t quite have the skill for deep or touching emotion so a lot of this story felt a bit flat. If you like Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash stories, this one will probably be worth a look. If you aren’t a big fan of ‘big sister Dash’ this won’t convert you.
(Later Edit: Want to mention that this review came off a bit harsh. Pascoite is normally really good at the emotional stuff, and I felt that this one was just a misstep. A casualty of me not paying attention to a story’s author when writing these.)
Anthropology by JasonTheHuman
[story link] [my original review]
Wow. This was really good. I would probably recommend this as non-pony fanfic reading. It felt a lot like a ‘normal’ novel-type story while I was reading it. I’m lead to believe this was one of the primary sources of the ‘Lyra is obsessed with humans’ stories. That’s wild speculation on my part, so don’t take it as truth. If is is true, I can see how this story helped that particular idea get stuck in the fandom. This is a story that has a reason to be popular. The parts about Lyra interacting with the human world are excellent. Which is good since they make up half of the story.
Back to the story itself. I liked the ending. Both the big dramatic climax and the epilogue and after. The dramatic ending was cool and made sense without being really hit-you-over-the-head obvious. Whereas the very end wrapped back to the beginning, thematically not literally, and gave a good sense of the story being over, but the characters and world(s) would continue on after the last line of test. Story wasn’t flashy or complex, but I enjoyed it a lot. Even if you don’t like the whole Lyra/human thing, this story might just change your mind. Or at least you might enjoy it despite that dislike.
Pieces making up about half of the review.
The Good You Might Do by Pascoite
[story link] [my original review]
Another interesting one. It is something of a abstract philosophical piece. Well, not exactly philosophical. Dreams and reality blurring together. I found the writing to be pretty good. Effectively depicted smooth reality/dream transitions. Does feel incomplete in some ways, but the obvious problem is not the story. Still, wish I knew a little more about the events around what we see in the story. It did remind me of the story Theory by shortskirtsandexplosions, which is another story of Twilight Sparkle having mental troubles as her friends visit her. It doesn’t have much pony stuff/nouns in it, places, magic, etc. Pretty much just the mane six and the princesses and a white room. But I would say this has a lot of the theme and feel of pony. A focus on friendship, relationships, and a general optimistic feel to everything. Which is probably what I’d define as the core of ‘pony’ for me.
Last Speech Before The Terminus by RealmOfMereShadows
[story link] [my original review]
I’m pretty sure this is the first real Sombra fanfic I’ve read. Last Stand Of King Sombra doesn’t count, and you know it. This is basically a backstory/origin and is quite interesting. Has some worldbuilding bits I had not considered. Like the idea that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fighting would have brought out the windigos, and they would have come from the north through the Crystal Empire. I also really liked Sombra’s talent/magic and how just a bit of corruption could turn it into what happens in the show.
Guardian of the Storm by The Princess Rarity
[story link] [my original review]
Twilight Sparkle is adorable as a young foal. This was a very sweet/cute/adorable moment between young Twilight Sparkle and big brother Shining Armor.
As always, The Big Master Review List is here: { THE MASTER LIST }
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.
