Story Reviews » Round Robin Reviews # 15 · 10:04pm Oct 1st, 2016
The Royal Guard—This Is (Not Really) Halloween Edition
Every few weeks, we recommend six high-quality stories from a variety of authors and popular genres. From action/adventure to slice of life, from drama to comedy, from stories about ponies kissing to stories involving pink hairless apes, we feature a wide variety of stories so that every post has something for everyone.
We’re always looking for a tip-top tale, so if you’d like to submit your fic, here are some links you’ll probably find useful:
-The Royal Guard Group
-Submit Your Story!
-The Royal Guard's Official Handbook
Finally—and I cannot emphasize this enough—we are always recruiting. If you think you’ve got what it takes to be a prereader, then don’t hesitate to send us an application. If you have any questions about the application process, please direct them to Prak.
AND NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO... STORIES!
This Week:
Action/Adventure
Epic Unicorn History: The Beards of Harmony, by Present Perfect
Drama
Method Acting, by Pascoite
Romance
You Only Get One First Time, by Nyronus
Comedy
The One Where Discord Gets All the Mares, by CoffeeMinion
Slice of Life
Collaborators, by Baal Bunny
ACTION/ADVENTURE
PR Recommendation: There's something about epic quests, bands of rogueish heroes, and an encounter with unprecedented danger that really grabs one's attention and makes them want to hold on for the ride to come. And it definitely helps when there's a bit of humor in there, to boot. Such is the tale of Epic Unicorn History, a story about unlikely friends, about strange misadventures, and most definitely about grandious beards.
It's an interesting mix, to be sure, but one that's handled with no less care, attention to detail, and self-awareness than any other well-read adventure. Incredibly well-written, and an impressive balance of amusing and adventuring—honestly, I think Present Perfect outdid himself with this. —Daikatana
DRAMA
PR Recommendation: Method Acting is an unusual story eyes through unusual eyes: the eyes of a phoenix, in fact. So even if this story were otherwise completely uninteresting, it would still be worth a few minutes of your time for how well Pascoite does with this unfamiliar narrator. It's a neat glimpse into the brain of a lifeform with completely different priorities than the ones we humans have, not to mention the ones ponies have.
Just for the record, though, this story is not "otherwise completely uninteresting". It's hard to explain what makes it interesting, though: perhaps it's the quiet solitude that pervades the phoenix's tale, a sort of comfortable melancholy. Or perhaps it's the twist ending. (Which I suppose I could explain rather easily, but it would be poor form.) Whatever it is, I can't deny that Method Acting is a well-done short story, and I think it deserves a read if you're willing to spare one. —R5h
ROMANCE
PR Recommendation: You Only Get One First Time is a medium-length story that deals with that really awkward section between small-talk and flirting, to hitting the sack with the intention of procreating. In that regard, the story accomplishes its goal of being an entertaining look into its main character's head—said character in this situation being Spitfire. For a story that has the 'sex' tag attached, there is very little boot-knocking. Instead, the majority of the tale consists of Spitfire's attempts at playing Casanova towards dash, and ultimately succeeding. Just not in the way she had originally planned.
For their part, the characters are all well presented, though as someone who has pretty much given up on trying to keep characterization from the show intact (both because I have not been keeping up with more recent episodes, and also because I much prefer the personalities from the comics. Sue me), I am no expert on the matter, to say the least. Still, Spitfire and Dash are presented fairly well, and the main character (again, that being Spitfire) is developed in such a good way that even if someone were to read the story with the utmost ignorance of the source material, they would still be able to formulate a very good picture of who Spitfire is and what she is like personality wise.
Overall, this was a short and entertaining read that doesn't bother much with the finer details, and instead presents a relatable situation involving two characters that share pretty good chemistry as a whole. The fact that the story ends just as the act of intercourse begins is a plus, as it allows the story to speak its message without having to resort to being just another clopfic for the sake of baseless satisfaction. —Garnot
COMEDY
PR Recommendation: Well, we at the Royal Guard have a pretty specific policy on sexually explicit stories. A simple one, too: it goes a little like "we do not feature sexually explicit stories". I agree with the rule, but I must admit it does necessarily limit our scope a little.
That's part of why I'm pleased as punch to be able to feature The One Where Discord Gets All The Mares, a story which pushes but does not break the envelope, and is thus a nice change of palate from our usual fare. But don't worry: I'm not just promoting this because of the raunch factor. The fic uses that raunchiness to be genuinely funny, and and even culminates in a surprisingly touching denouement. All examples of how good it can be to step outside of someone's comfort zone. —R5h
SLICE OF LIFE
PR Recommendation: Daring Do is a truly unique member of MLP canon: part Indiana Jones, part J. K Rowling, part Rainbow’s Ego Incarnate, and, as Twilight put it, completely unstoppable. In Collaborators, Baal Bunny accomplishes something truly dazzling by of crafting a story that’s so perfectly mainstream MLP and yet so suited to its heroine. Daring Do is about to face her greatest challenge yet: surviving a friendship lesson with none other than her arch nemesis, the dreaded Ahuizotl.
Collaborators is a Daring Do adventure of a different stripe. It’s a story of trust, backstories, and friendship with two larger-than-life characters that even within canon-proper stretch the MLP’s diverse world at the steams. This is character building and pony fanfiction at its absolute best. —BlazzingInferno
HUMAN
PR Recommendation: We all remember a few key stories from our childhoods, stories that made us feel something subtle yet unforgettable. These are the types of stories that you look back on twenty years later with a wonder and fondness that has less to do with the content of the story itself and more to do with how it made you feel.
Quiet Boy and Moon Horse is that kind of reading experience for grownups. It will make you think. It will make you feel. It will make you demand answers to what should be easy questions: where does the fantasy begin and reality end? When does a coping mechanism, imagined or real, become unhealthy? How alternate really is this alternate universe?
You’ll likely come up with your own answers to these questions and more. Your answers might differ wildly from mine. That in and of itself is part of this tale’s magic. —BlazzingInferno
Addendums
If you guys have any questions about our sitepost policies, or our approval guidelines, feel free to browse the handy dandy Official Royal Guard Handbook, and if you still find yourself lacking answers, feel free to ask Prak so that he can find the right person to give you what you need.
See you guys next time!
The Royal Guard is gonna start doing reviews every few weeks?
--Sweetie Belle
4235639
They've been doing them every few weeks for about half a year now
4235639 4235790 To be fair, these round robins are recycled fics from old group spotlight posts, of which there hasn't been a new one in 3 months.
4236092 Recycled reviews or not, it's still cool to have a fic show up on the list.
All the stories here that I've read were excellent; I've got good reasons to expect the rest will be just as good.
Seeing my review posted here is kinda... surreal. Heh.
Whoo! :D And Quiet Boy and Moon Horse and Method Acting are both fantastic, while The One Where Discord Gets All the Mares was considerably better than I'd anticipated.
How could I not read this now?
4237247
To extend the recommendation chain, Collaborators is a strong contender for my favorite story AugieDog has written, which is a high bar to clear. This is a really excellent group of stories.
(And thanks!)