Story Reviews » SA Reviews #120 · 5:57pm Jan 13th, 2018
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“So, uh, Paul?”
“Yeah, Matthew?”
“Why are you in my office?” Matthew shook his head. “Better yet, why are you hanging from the ceiling in my office?”
“Oh, you know,” Paul started, “I don’t have anyone else to hang out with.”
Matthew raised his right eyebrow. “Really?” he asked. “Puns?”
“Not quite. There’s a method to my acting.”
“Oh? Care to share?” Matthew asked.
“Eh, not really,” Paul replied. “I’m putting these in at the perfect times. It’s all in the setupl, ya know?”
“W-what?”
“I was also sent by Ferret to wait for you to finish coming home. We got reviews to do.”
Matthew sighed “Ugh, fine. What d’ya got?”
ROUND 120
STORY 1
Method Acting, by Pascoite
A phoenix seeking out a good nesting place finds an unexpected connection with the ponies living nearby. Unexpected for her, at least—they've been looking for just this phoenix.
Method Acting is one I found by accident. But man am I glad I did. Pascoite managed to put such an artful spin on even the simplest of actions, and especially on the not-so-simple ones. And within all this artful expression, he weaved a growing mysterious feeling... one that slowly changes everything about the piece. One that leads so smoothly into the ending that you wonder how you didn’t know everything earlier. It is, honestly, impressive Pasc could fit this much beauty into something as short as 2.5k words.
This is my second time reviewing this story, and I must admit I like it even more the second time. Pascoite weaves a little mystery, throwing in a steady stream of clues that might not seem so obvious at first pass. Once I got it though and went back to look at it again, I realized that everything we need to know what’s going on is right there in front of us. All we need is proper context.
I loved that about this story. Odds are you won’t ‘get it’ until the end because you’re missing that critical piece of the puzzle, but that’s alright. The magic here is in the characterization of the protagonist, which is pitch perfect and the single greatest clue. Coupled with a strong sense of atmosphere and setting, this is a story that knows exactly what it wants to do from beginning to end. It’s rare to see an author who can focus every aspect of a tale into a single goal like this, so color me impressed.
This one is nothing short of awesome, folks. If you’re not reading it, you’re missing out.
STORY 2
Hang, by AShadowOwCygnus
Recent archaeological expeditions to far-flung corners of the Old Kingdoms have revealed a wealth of pre-Celestian artefacts, dating as far back as the Hearthfire Wars. These artefacts shed a light on an era we of contemporary Equestria really know very little about, and the stories they share range from the highest court intrigues to the humblest backwater folktales.
This account, found engraved in the wall of an old Pegasi garrison known as the Eastmarch, relates the final night of a condemned mare, in one of the last wars of the pre-Celestian era. It has been translated for the benefit of the modern reader.
First off, like, whoa. That’s heavy, doc. Hardcore unification period racism... is it odd that that’s what I enjoy most out of it? Either way, that’s only a small portion of it. ASoC made this all world-building lore. And it’s amazing. Because even though it’s incredibly short, coming in at 1.2k words, it describes the entire social system of everything, and builds wonderful characters, AND manages to fit in so much that it’s fun to read it more than once.
Set during the war that – if I’m interpreting things correctly – led to the unification of Equestria, this story is a journal-type in which a pegasus lieutenant is writing his last words before his hanging. It turns out that his people have developed a draconian and presumably self-defeating method of dealing with failure: anyone who fails, dies. At the rate things are going, I suspect the lieutenant’s tribe will have killed more of their own ponies than the enemy will.
This story is one of those rare journal-type ones that is done right, and that automatically jumps it up several points in my eyes. We are given the events, the reasons behind this pony’s hanging, and we are given them in a way that is indirect. As if told by memory rather than immediate presence. Thank you, AShadowOfCygnus, for figuring that bit out.
Beyond that, the story is a fascinating bit of indirect worldbuilding centered upon a dying culture clinging in desperation to its final days. It’s interesting and saddening, but also gives a clear view of what the unification of Equestria means for ponies in general. All in all, I am pleased.
Amethyst Star used to be Ponyville's top organizer. Everything from balancing the Mayor's schedule, Nightmare Night, and even Winter Wrap-Up were dropped on her desk. When the mess ups and the mistakes started to pile up, however, she was only too happy to pass the torch to the new resident librarian.
But, with Cranky and Matilda's wedding under her belt, she can't help but wonder if she threw in the towel a little too early . . .
Good thing there's a pair of friends, dancing around their feelings for one another, that could use a little matchmaking. Amethyst just might be the perfect mare for the job.
You guys remember the episode Slice of Life, yeah? Good. You remember Amethyst Star, then, yes? If you do, you’re doing better than me. You see, I had forgotten Amethyst existed until Paul rec'd this one. And, in some ways, that made it all the sweeter. Because this is a character piece about a background pony, and not remembering anything stated in the show gave me a fresh slate with her. Sure, she didn’t have much characterization to begin with, being a background pony, but that’s unimportant.
But anyway, we got Amethyst trying to set up Rainbow Dash And Applejack, like every good shipper should. And thus inspires the conflict. You see, Amethyst has lost her self-worth, and must struggle against herself in the ultimate showdown for if she will make RD and AJ come together! Add this already epic-sounding plot with beautiful narrative, perfect pacing, and wonderfully new characterizations of background ponies that needed some love, and you got this piece.
I may say this a lot, and I will certainly say it even more, but it is a serious tragedy this piece does not have more attention. Please go read it. This is me, begging you to go read this amazingness.
Yet again, I can safely say I enjoyed this more the second time around. That’s probably not amounting to much, considered I loved it the first time. The Perfect Setup centers on Amethyst Star, who suffers from a serious crisis of self-worth thanks to what she considers her failures to organize two Winter Wrap-Ups and a Nightmare Night. But then she got to do Cranky and Matilda’s wedding, and things went right. Now she just needs to prove that it wasn’t a one-time deal. How better than to get Rainbow Dash and Applejack together?
This is a delightful character piece centered on a rarely utilized character, and I love it for that. It’s all about escaping our comfort zone, being satisfied with our own achievements, and fostering a sense of positive self-esteem. Put that together with some stellar pacing, strong characters, and a pleasantly descriptive narrative. As the cherry on top, Timaeus grants us a delightful showing of Mayor Mare being an awesome pony.
Need I go on? The story is fun, endearing, and comes with a great lesson. By all means, read it and give it the attention it deserves.
I am alone...
For days and days I have sat and awaited the one who will call me her own, the day my limbs no longer collect dust, but love. The day my book no longer remains empty. The moment when I find my other half, and she finds me.
Today is going to be that day. I can feel it in every fiber and stitch I have.
Ya know, I will admit I did not expect this one to be so great. Suffice it to say, I was blown away when I read it. I mean, this is just packed full of artistic everything. The descriptions are perfect, and really make you experience the world instead of read about it. And then, then there is so much story put into it as well. I mean, this is gonna be short, because I literally cannot think of words to describe the amazingness. Please go read it.
This story is far more emotional than one might expect.
Here we are introduced to the origins of one Smarty Pants, who sits alone and unloved on her shelf, watching while so many other, more traditional toys leave to be with foals that will adore them. It’s a slow yet well-paced story, filled with the gradual roller coaster of a mere toy’s hopes, dreams, and disappointments.
I’ve always had an appreciation for stories of this sort. As a particularly imaginative child, I was always one to assign personalities and wants in my toys. That same tendency heavily influences my writing today, allowing me to view my characters not as words on paper but as living individuals. I see this same spirit in Coming Home, melding the ideas nicely.
And then the story goes where it must, with a little filly who we all know as an adult. There are few things quite so cute as a tiny Twilight, and this story utilizes that precious filly in combination with Smarty Pants’ lifelong wishes perfectly. It’s a wonderful moment that never ceases to have me smiling.
By all means, read this. It might just surprise you.
“That was a lot more fun than I thought it would be,” Matthew said, collapsing on the bed.
“You’re right,” Paul replied, “We should prank Chris’ room more often.”
“You know what we forgot to do, though?”
“What?”
“Reviews...”
Feel free to visit our group for more information and events, and to offer some recommendations for future rounds. See you all next time!
Dangit you guys. I'm trying to wear down my RiL, not build it up.
Those are some solid fics, right there!
Oh, for the--what did you guys do to my room? I can't even get the door open! Every time I turn the handle, it shoots fire out the keyhole and screams "you don't have enough badges to open me!" Honestly, you two are almost as bad as Ferret...
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...d...did you just say that your doorknob was charizarding you?......someone went to urban dictionary....
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Allow me to humbly point my finger at my partner. I'm too new here to risk my job casting forbidden magic on doorknobs, but I'm also too new to risk my job saying "no" to my partner when he wants me to try something new.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hitch a ride out of town on that bus that just ran over Matthew.
Hell. I really need to start reading these when they come out.
Thanks for looking at my stuff. (Again. For some reason.)