• Member Since 3rd Sep, 2011
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PresentPerfect


Fanfiction masochist. :B She/they https://ko-fi.com/presentperfect

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  • Saturday
    Twilight the 没用

    Yesterday, a fellow named SoothingBell asked if they could translate Twilight the Useless to Chinese, and no way was I gonna say no. :D

    And they turned it around in 24 hours, amazing!

    https://fimtale.com/t/64723

    4 comments · 130 views
  • 1 week
    Idle musing

    so-called because that's what led me to the realization

    What is so compelling about the idea of "warrior woman runs afoul of a wizard and is flung centuries into the future" that I made it happen twice?

    ...And with slightly more musing, I also realize, in a roundabout way, it was with the same wizard. >_> Huh.

    Read More

    7 comments · 163 views
  • 1 week
    Fic recs, March 20th!

    Posting a day earlier than usual because the next reading is a long one!

    H: 1 R: 2 C: 1 V: 1 N: 3

    Read More

    6 comments · 188 views
  • 2 weeks
    Fic recs, March 14th!

    Lotus Moon has done a reading of Fleety's What's Philomena's Name?!

    Hey, help out Regidar, he's looking for experimental fics! Self-promotion allowed!

    Read More

    5 comments · 235 views
  • 2 weeks
    Fic recs, March 8th: Top Ten of 2023!

    Whaaaaat, two review blogs in a row?

    Well hell yes, because I have done much better with the top ten this year and I am inordinately pleased with myself! :3 here's the explanation of the setup, for all that it has never adequately explained what's going on to like, literally anyone:

    Read More

    19 comments · 271 views
Oct
20th
2017

Fic recs, October 20th! · 2:28pm Oct 20th, 2017

I've actually got no news today! :O So I guess I'll just say that I finished that big audiobook and the review's at the end. Next up is, well, not a big one, but another multi-parter.

H: 1 R: 0 C: 4 V: 0 N: 1

Exactly Right by kits
Genre: Rarijack
A taxing evening hosting a soiree is made more tolerable with the right company.
Hey, kits is back! :D And I helped with this one! It's pretty straightforward: Applejack's helping Rarity with her hosting duties, she dresses up fancy, they dance, there's maybe more at the end. But it's a very pleasant scene to read, with deep characterization for both AJ and Rarity (especially in the wake of Honest Apple, which it's worth noting kits had not watched until after writing this). And Rainbow Dash being a dick, which is funny. :V Won't do anything for you if you're not into shipping, but if you are, don't pass it up!
Recommended for Shippers

Inheritance by KwirkyJ
Reading by Scribbler, Jxnny and Webshoter
Genre: Slice of Life
Diamond Tiara's daddy is not going to do her homework for her.
This is fucking adorable, and like many adorable things, it was also fucking hilarious. XD It's just a nice, slice-of-life scene between Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara, where her wheedling fails and he tries to teach her a life lesson, but it's just so charming! Being such a short read (oh boy, here comes another minific collection!), it's absolutely worth your time, so be sure to check it out. :D
Highly Recommended

The Queen and I, Book 1: Ponies and Changelings by SoloBrony
Sequel-ish to Cheersalis
Paid Review for Icy Shake
Genre: Changeling Fic
The cultural exchange between changelings and ponies isn't quite going how Chrysalis expected.
While this isn't a direct sequel to Cheersalis, it turns out that story starts a continuity. I've heard of the "Iqqelverse" before, but didn't make the connection upon seeing the character in Cheersalis. I'm pleased to realize what it is, though, given that Iqqel was a standout character in a story I otherwise wasn't too enthusiastic about; plus, it means all that world-building is being put to use. As for this story, ambitious is a good word to describe it. Along with creating a 'verse and being written in first person with minimal narration, its prologue is actually from yet another series of stories. (It's like, pick one, geez!) But first and foremost is that writing, which comes as a combination of dialogue and inner monologue, with the speaker changing every chapter or so. It gives us a really strong look into the characters' inner worlds, but it also can be hard to follow who's talking when. (Not between chapters, though; the character voices are well differentiated, and something's always given quickly to center the reader in the scene.) That said, I wish this were A) more focused, and B) more complete. When you see "Book 1", you expect it's going to be the first complete story of a continuing series, not "the first part of the story". It gets to chapter 8 and just ends, is what I'm saying. And while both Iqqel's devotion to Chrysalis in the face of her mounting depression and the worry over what "Cheery's" status as a magical clone means for her in Equestria were both interesting plot threads, neither goes anywhere, and the intercut between them thins both. Plus, this is full of cutesiness (both "everyling" and "everybuggy" are used, and I just ugh), Cheery is a fairly uninteresting Pinkie expy, and Pinkie herself is overwritten in the ways you tend to expect her to be. I don't think I would read more in this continuity if left to my own devices, but I'm not exactly here of my own accord, now, am I?
Review Updated 11/6/17

Hot Mess by ThePegaKris
Reading by Scarlett Blade
Mature: Sex
Genre: PWP
A shower isn't all Sunset needs at the end of the day.
Do you want to read a story where sexy Equestria Girls do sexy things sexily? Well, here's one! This is the kind of story where a character undresses and we get a blow-by-blow description of her body. And that wouldn't have been so bad, save that it's also the kind of story where Sunset spends a large amount of wordage both thinking and saying how much she really misses dick, only to have sex with Twilight because… she's there, I guess? I know, I know, I'm reading this for the wrong reasons, but still, between the lack of characterization and the porno-worthy dialogue, this could have been about anyone, because it just has about as many ramifications as it does justifications.
Not Recommended

The Artistry of Night by thehalfelf
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Sad Romance
Princess Luna is having trouble arranging the stars.
The worst thing I can say about this fic is that it likely would have had more of an impact on me had I read it when it was new. I feel like I've been over this territory already in the last six years, but that's not this story's fault. It's well written, filled with genuine sorrow, never maudlin, and ends on a good notion. I'm not sure whether the ship is meant to be a surprise at all, but Scribbler gave it away, so no impact in the reveal for me. Still, perfectly serviceable and worth it if you're looking for something mournful without being purposeless.
Recommended If You Like Sad Fics

Don't Be a Dick About It by Flutterpriest
Reading by Scarlett Blade
Mature: Sex
Genre: 2P AiE Sexual Comedy
You and your marefriend are about to do it for the first time. Both of you need to prepare for disappointment.
This story got off on the right foot with me by doing something I have literally never seen before in MLP:FiM fanfiction: the second-person human character actually pauses when presented with the idea of sex with a pony. Yes, he gets over it quickly, but actual thought is given to "horses on my world are not for sexual". It's fucking amazing, and I'm sad it's taken me so long to find a fic that does this. As for the rest of it, it's perfectly hilarious. You've got Lyra Likes Humans, you've got dick jokes, you've got awkwardly romantic gestures, it ends on a pair of really bad, maybe even tasteless, jokes, but hell with it, the rest was funny. I had far more fun with this story than I ever anticipated. :D
Recommended If You Like Sexual Comedy

Reincarnation or Immortality by Chinchillax
Reading (part 1) by Ditherer Fussbudget
Perfectly acceptable, as readers go. He doesn't try for voices, but he still reads dialogue with vigor. This is all I ask for from people who read fanfic. This is his only reading so far, and I don't know if he'll be doing any more, but he's on the list!
Sequel to A Place for Pinkie
Genre: Philosophical
Pinkie Pie is on her deathbed, and Accord will do anything to save her, even if it means making everyone in Equestria immortal.
I am not equipped to properly evaluate philosophical fics. The only philosophy class I have ever taken was an intro to deductive reasoning, and that's basically just math. I sometimes sit around contemplating life, but only in a very practical manner. I start the review by saying this because I want people who are more well-versed in philosophy to read this story and share their views on it. Note, you'll want to have at least read A Place for Pinkie; it's been a while since I read The Library of Discord, and I think not remembering it well made for gaps in my understanding here, but you might actually be able to get away with skipping it, if you so wished.

As for this story, yes, it starts 50 years in the future, with Pinkie Pie about to be the first of her friends to die, and by god, if there's a reason to read this, it's the scene where she's contemplating her own mortality and whether dying in front of her friends would be rude. This story is a lot of things, but poorly characterized is not one of them! But this upsets Accord (read: a reformed Discord from before reformed Discord was canon), who wants to make her immortal. But you can't have just one pony be immortal, she'd be sad when her friends died! But if he makes them immortal too, what about their friends and families? It snowballs, is what I'm saying.

Accord hatches a plan to make every creature on the planet above the evolutionary level of plants immortal. This of course runs him up against the ire of the god-beings who watch over Equestria and oversee the design of all existence, first introduced in APfP. With time running out, he makes his case to Hope — I do love that that's the name of the supreme being in this universe — who presents some very solid counterarguments. He ultimately decides it's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission, and though this bothered me a bit while reading — a big theme in this piece is choice — I can't say that's a philosophy I disagree with.

One of the things that bothered me about the piece, though, is that there seem to be no ramifications. Obstacles come up in Accord's quest to make everyone immortal, but they're generally overcome with apparent ease. Few raise objections. The final chapter seems to ask the reader to forget about all those ethical ramifications and just live in the moment. And then you get to the scene where he's visiting literally every creature on the planet, informing them of what's happened and asking how they feel about it, and I started to think that maybe all the godlike power had gone to his head. I mean, when you're talking to a dragon who can't read, concepts like "you're going to have infinity to live with regrets, so it's better to forgive" aren't something you can really expect formerly-mortal creatures to understand. And Fluttershy's no better in this regard.

I should add that there is also a lot of Fluttercord in this, since they're married. I mean, technically it isn't; Accord is more "an OC who used to be Discord" (and there are at least two scenes that strongly demonstrate how he is no longer Discord). But for all that I was grossed out by the romance, the story at least convinced me they'd been married for decades. That's not something I encounter often.

Beyond that, I'd like to call this my anti-Immortal Game. Celestia and Luna's parents, introduced in the previous story, are quite a refreshing look at beings with near-infinite power and perspective. I mean, Queen Galaxia is your standard "above mortal ken" being, but she wants to get closer to the souls she cares for and doesn't know how. King Cosmos, meanwhile, is a giant dork and I had a very strong appreciation for him by the end of the story. I mean, that's just not something you should be able to say about a cosmic entity! XD

In all, I have to hand it to Chinchillax: whatever he was trying to get at with this trilogy, I think he succeeded with this story. This is the culmination of everything that came before it, and a lot of pains are taken to at least justify the characters' actions in the moment. It's confusing — we're still dealing with absurdly large, all but meaningless numbers here — but I enjoyed it more than what led up to it. It won't be for everyone, but if you read and were intrigued by either of its predecessors, be sure not to pass it up.
Recommended If You Like Philosophy on a Cosmic Scale

Report PresentPerfect · 702 views · #fic reviews
Comments ( 17 )

So, Reincarnation or Immortality is basically Mortal all over again?

4703405
The fandom will never tire of that stupid battle.

Dude, I just read Cheersalis, like, 4 days ago. I guess this is the universe telling me to finish the series.

4703436
But drama is fun! :derpytongue2:

And besides, my problem with that story isn't the usual one.

Every time I try to watch honest apple I get interrupted. Still haven't watched it all :V

Thank you for the review, and for informing me of yet another reading of my work about which I had no prior knowledge. :twilightsmile:

PresentPerfect
Author Interviewer

4703405
Haven't read that one!

4703523
I'll bet it's because Scribbler linked to the TMP post instead of Fimfic. She likely doesn't know it's here!

thehalfelf and I were just talking when he noticed you'd commented on one of his stories. We were both like :pinkiegasp: and then proceeded to be in denial for a minute until we stumbled over here.

So, thanks, this might actually get both of us back into writing pony words again. Well, really, he's the one writing them, I'm just the editor.

PresentPerfect
Author Interviewer

4704663
More words is good words, I support anything that happens! :D

 I want people who are more well-versed in philosophy to read this story and share their views on it. 

Aw! That's quite the recommendation.
I would also like their opinions, as I've never taken a philosophy class either. I just think a lot about existing.

One of the things that bothered me about the piece, though, is that there seem to be no ramifications. Obstacles come up in Accord's quest to make everyone immortal, but they're generally overcome with apparent ease.

If there was a part I failed at this story, it's probably this. I try to avoid letting "me" have the last word in my stories. But I may have gone too overboard in Accord's case.

I'm a voidwisher at heart. I've been constantly fighting suicidal thoughts since I was a child. I hate existing. And I can't stand Accord for what he's doing. I can't stand our modern age's obsession—either technologically or theologically—with achieving immortality. To exist is to suffer, no matter how good the "heaven" ends up being.

I know that's not a very popular opinion.

I do truly want to understand these people that somehow want to be alive, it's one of the things that keeps me tethered. Writing and contemplating about this story helped me understand them a little better.

Oh well, this story achieves it's happy ending by framing it before the unending tragedies start.

And if someone wants the unhappy ending... there's always Everypony Lives.

I enjoyed it more than what led up to it. It won't be for everyone, but if you read and were intrigued by either of its predecessors, be sure not to pass it up.

Thank you so much for reading this PresentPerfect. Your encouragement and praise mean a lot to me.

PresentPerfect
Author Interviewer

4705712
Haha shit, I'm sorry to hear about that, because I'm the exact opposite and was shocked to finally find a story where living forever is presented as a wholly positive thing. c.c

shocked to finally find a story where living forever is presented as a wholly positive thing.

That's awesome! That means my weird opinions didn’t get the last word! (I know, rationally, immortality is the way to go for 99.999% of existers)

But it does make me wonder: why are there so few "immortality is awesome" stories?

Is everyone as messed up in the head as I am? Or is this just a "most writers have depression" problem?

Or perhaps the main issue with a happy immortality story is that it's required for the story to continuously be written forever to confirm that immortality is a good idea?

Or perhaps it's just impossible to write a story without conflict and a happy immortality story would be without the conflict that makes it interesting to read.


Well... At least now there's at least one positive immortality fanfic out there :twilightblush:
Just ignore author opinion on it. Yay for "death of the author!":trollestia:

PresentPerfect
Author Interviewer

4706107
It's probably an overwhelming sense of "life is terrible, why prolong it?" I mean, lots of things about life, anyone's life, are terrible.

But then I sometimes feel like I'm surrounded by a death cult made up of most of the world's population and wonder if I'm not missing something. c.c

It's probably an overwhelming sense of "life is terrible, why prolong it?" I mean, lots of things about life, anyone's life, are terrible.

Yep. Makes sense. Though I do wonder if there's some religious twang to it. What gives people the conviction that they'll still like "heaven" 200 trillion years into it.

But then I sometimes feel like I'm surrounded by a death cult made up of most of the world's population and wonder if I'm not missing something. c.c

I always thought that most of the planet really, really liked being alive for some reason.

>___>

Well, aren't opposite's fun! :rainbowlaugh:

Now I really want to put up a creepy poll on my blog asking:
Do you like being alive?

And then seeing what camp most fimfiction users are... >__>

PresentPerfect
Author Interviewer

4706374
Religion definitely plays a big part in it. How much, I dunno, I ain't got none o' that, but you gotta figure, when life on earth is pain, Heaven's gonna be better, so why not welcome death when it comes and demonize any attempt to prolong life or cheat death as "unnatural"?

Heaven's gonna be better, so why not welcome death when it comes and demonize any attempt to prolong life or cheat death as "unnatural"?

That's probably a leading cause.

The user researcher in me demands statistically significant answers >___>

Okay, I think I may need to check out more from Flutterpriest.

"Inheritance" was certainly cute, but I think not for me.

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