Wanderer D 5,510 followers · 65 stories

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117 weeks
SA: The Last Round

"So, what do you think, Corejo?" Wanderer D asked, politely showing off the stack of papers in his claw.
The burlap sack with the printed (in color!) face of Corejo remained silent.
"I see, yes, yes!" Wanderer D cackled. "Ahahaha! Yes! I agree! This story should do fine! So, who's reviewing it? RT?"
The sack that had the picture of RTStephens on it tilted just enough for a single potato to roll onto the table.
"And we have two! Alright, team, I expect you all to figure out who's doing the next one, okay? Let's not keep the readers waiting!" He glanced expectantly at the several sacks with pictures around him. "Alright! Dismissed."
"Sir?"
"Ah, intern. Is that my coffee?" Wanderer D took the proffered mug and downed the contents in one go. "Excellent! No time to rest! We have to edit what the guys just handed to me."
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110 comments · 8,879 views
138 weeks
SA: Round 186

Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
The Dodge Junction train ramp was not where Floydien expected to be part of a reunion.
He especially didn’t expect it to happen four times in a row.
“Wait, Winter? What are you doing here?”
Winter’s eyebrows raised. “On Summer vacation. What about you?”
“Uh, same.”
“Guys!”
The two Angels looked to where the voice came from. Cynewulf came running up to them, a wide brimmed sunhat and sunglasses adorning her head. “Fancy meeting you two here!”
Floydien scratched his head. “Same. Are you on vacation too?”
“Yep! Had a blast down on the Horseshoe Bay coast.”
“Well, ain’t this something!”
All turned to the fourth voice. Knight strode up, his body decked out in fishing gear, complete with a fishing pole balanced over his shoulder. “Haven’t seen so many of us in one spot since vacation started.”
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12 comments · 4,667 views
153 weeks
SA: Round 185

Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
Winter and Knight stared out at the bleak townscape. All around them, the fires raged unchecked as Ponyville's former occupants stumbled mindlessly about, their undead faces ravaged by rot and decay as they moaned for sustenance. Knight turned to Winter.
"Ready to go?"
Winter nodded and shifted a backpack. "Got everything with me. I guess it's now or never."
Knight gave a wry smile. "That's the spirit. You do have your reviews, right?"
"Of course!" he said, patting his chest. "Right here."
Knight nodded and said, "Alright, here's the plan: we stick to the shadows as much as possible. From what I can tell, their eyesight isn't that good, but their sense of smell is excellent. We just have to stay upwind."
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10 comments · 4,279 views
160 weeks
SA: Round 184

Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
“I see. Alright, I’ll let him know.”
Intern twisted a dial on the small mechanical piece attached to his ear, retracting a blue, see-through visor from across his face. He turned to Floydien, crossing his arms. “It’s confirmed. Generation 5 is on its way. Season 2 of Pony Life is just around the corner. And the series finale of Equestria Girls was scrapped for a holiday special.”
Floydien lifted an eyebrow. “And, what does that mean for us?”
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10 comments · 4,438 views
164 weeks
SA: Round 183

Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
Over their heads the flak guns peppered the sky. The planes roared and sputtered. The clouds were dark, heavy with the child that was war. It was all noise.

Cynewulf looked around the bend. “You know, I’ve been reading old fics. Remember Arrow 18?”

Floydien slipped—a Floydien slipped—One Floydien came through the fractured time in the lower levels of the Sprawling Complex. “Uh, human in Equestria?”

“Yeah. You know, we were probably too mean about those.”

“They were terrible. I mean some of them. I guess a lot of everything is terrible.”

“Well, yes. But anyway, I was reading it, and it occurred to me that what I liked about it was that it felt optimistic in the way that Star Trek was optimistic. It felt naive, but in a way one wanted to emulate. To regress back into it.”

“Uh, that sounds nice?”
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7 comments · 5,938 views
169 weeks
SA: Round 182

Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
“Okay, Winter, hit it!”
Winter pulled a lever that ignited a rocket placed underneath the communal Christmas Tree. The tree blasted through a cylindrical hole and out into the skies beyond. It only took seconds for the tree to become a tiny red dot against the blue sky.
Winter stepped away from the control panel and down to where Intern was standing behind a fifty-five millimeter thick glass wall. “We could have just picked up the base and tossed it in the garbage bin outside, you know.”
Intern scoffed. “Yeah, we could, or we can go over the top in a comedic and entertaining manner that leads into our reviews.”
“You’re getting all meta, now.”
“Exactly! On to the reviews!”
ROUND 182
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6 comments · 7,966 views
174 weeks
SA: Round 181

Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
For the first time in the year that he worked there, FanficFan finally experienced quiet in the Seattle’s Angels Compound. All the other reviewers had gone home for the holidays, leaving him and Intern to submit the last round of reviews of the year. However, with Intern off on an errand, FanficFan was left alone.
With stories ready to be read by his partner, all the reviewer could really do was wander around the empty building, taking in all the holiday decorations left behind from the Office Christmas Party a few days prior, like office space holiday knick-knacks, lights strown about the ceiling and wreaths on nearly every door. Plus, there was some leftover cookies and egg nog, so that was nice.
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8 comments · 6,379 views
178 weeks
SA: Round 180

Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
Cynewulf lay in a grassy field. This was a curious occurrence, as the Seattle Angel’s Dyson Sphere-esque compound basement labyrinth did not usually have grass.

But like she had many times before, she’d been teleported here, and whether or not the sky above her was real or not, she didn’t mind. The grass was nice, and the wind was nice, and whatever happened happened.
f
There was a great crash and Corejo stumbled into the grass to her right.
“Oh, god, are we out? How did—”
“No clue. I suspect that it’ll just take us back anyhow. Did you have the reviews? The machine came for me a few days ago, so I’ve got mine.”

“I… Uh, I was late. I mean, we both are, unless you’ve been here for days.”
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9 comments · 8,138 views
182 weeks
SA: Round 179

Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
Winter peered cautiously out the corner of the broken window, surveying the damage outside. He turned to his companion.
"Looks like we're trapped in here," he said quietly.
Intern grunted and adjusted the bandage on his arm. "Nothing we haven't gone through before." He looked up at Winter. "Got your reviews?"
Winter nodded and patted his chest pocket. "Right here, where they're safe." He turned and looked once more out the window. "Now, it's simply a matter of getting through all those ponies." Winter shuddered as he took in the horrors before him.
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10 comments · 5,236 views
185 weeks
SA: Round 178

Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.
Matthew stumbled through the basement, crouching low to avoid all the pipes on the ceiling. Floydien hadn’t told him much, just that it was extremely important, had nothing to do with Intern, and to take the last fire door on the left.
After what seemed like eternity in an instant, Matthew finally came to said fire door, damp with sweat and condensation. He carefully undid the latch and opened it with one arm raised just in case of any traps. Only to be greeted with the sounds of maniacal but joyous laughter as he spotted Floydien sitting in the center of the room surrounded by thousands of stacks of papers.
“I found it!” Floydien said, tossing a stapled pack of papers to Matthew. “I finally found the answer. The answer to all of our questions. To our very existence!”
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4 comments · 4,541 views

Feb

13th

2018

Story Reviews » SA Reviews #122 · 12:31am Feb 13th, 2018

Seattle's Angels is a group that promotes good stories with low views. You can find us here.

Paul paced about the thing laughably referred to as his office. He could get about four steps down before having to make a turn, and that’s assuming his line of motion was just right. He glanced at his clock, grumbled some phrase unfit for the world wide web, and continued his pacing.

“Hey, Paul!” The door swung open. Since this was the smallest office in the history of offices, that resulted in the door smacking Paul in the face. With a hand over his bleeding nose, he turned his glare upon the visitor, one Novel-Idea.

“You were supposed to be here hours ago.” Except it came out something like “Ou er spsed here hrgo” due to the current state of his nose.

Novel shrugged. “Blame T.O.M. We gonna do those reviews or what?”

Paul stared incredulously. “Ou evn’t dn urrs?”

“Not yet, nope.”

Paul looked to the clock, then back at Novel. There might have been tears in his eyes. “I ate tis jeeorb.”

ROUND 122

Hindsight
Hindsight, by Jack of a Few Trades

Hearts and Hooves Day was a whirlwind, especially for Cheerilee and Big Macintosh. They remained friends in wake of the fiasco that almost ended in hasty marriage, and Cheerilee never gave their friendship any further thought. They were just friends, nothing more.

However, when she learns of Big Mac and Marble Pie's fling over the Hearth's Warming holiday, Cheerilee begins to dwell upon her friendship with Big Mac. Could there have been something more to their relationship that she hadn't realized before?

After all, hindsight is 20/20.

PaulAsaran:

Ah, love potions. How annoying they are, amiright? This story focuses on Cheerilee who, upon learning of Big Mac’s rumored crush on one Marble Pie, begins to feel the first hints of jealousy. The first thing I noticed about it is that it doesn’t dive directly into the problem. Hindsight gradually builds up the issue, starting out seemingly unrelated to the central point. Then, abruptly, you realize you’ve gone from glancing at the shore to being neck-deep in water. This is reflected in Cheerilee’s reaction to the situation wonderfully.

And that’s what I like the most about this story. It’s delightful interpretation of Cheerilee as she wades through her own feelings is quite the treat. At no point does the story hurry us into the solution or give obvious answers. Instead, Big Mac and Cheerilee struggle just to admit the problem exists, much less talk about it, and when they do talk about it it hardly rolls along with the smooth logic of your typical romance.

Combine this with some pleasant recurring elements of the narrative, such as Cheerilee’s regular internal arguments, her battle with the ever-present Chocolate Overload cake, and a few pointed criticisms of the show. The end result is a feel-good romance with great pacing and solid characterizations. Give it a read and add some warm fuzzies to your winter.

Novel Idea:

Considering how they’ve canonized Sugar Belle and Big Mac, this is an especially interesting story. A simple rumor makes Cheerilee start to wonder about her feelings regarding Big Mac after “the love poison” incident. What follows is a classic result of someone stuck in their own head as they fight against the need for closure versus the fear of confrontation.

The best aspect of this story is how it takes the love poison seriously. While it was mainly just a gag, the implications of them almost getting married are fully realized in this story. In fact, there’s a moment of horror when somepony implies just how far it could have gone.

This story handles what was essentially a Valentine’s Day gag and takes it seriously, something I definitely respect. It takes the time to explore a real dilemma for both Cheerilee and Big Mac, a dilemma that they may not be able to overcome.

Come in for something cute, stay for the deeper thoughts (and maybe a bit more cute).

STORY 2
Ship of Fools, by Hap

Everypony on Rarity’s ship is in love with someone impossible. Some earn their fortune and go back to claim their love. Others find love along the way, or outgrow their crush and move on.

Rarity? She’s in love with the sky.

PaulAsaran:

Rarity is desperately in love with a married stallion. Since he’s unavailable, her reaction is to…

...buy an airship and become a pirate? Excuse me while I “What?”

As silly as the premise sounds, Hap somehow manages to make it work. That alone should indicate how good the story is. Told half in flashbacks, Ship of Fools filled me with a steady, bittersweet sadness as we are shown Rarity’s growing infatuation with the perfect stallion she will never be able to attain. Flashbacks and I usually don’t see eye-to-eye, but every now and then we agree to tolerate one another. On very rare occasions, we even have cordial relations. This is one of those occasions.

My only regret with this story is that we never got to see the moment when Rarity snapped and decided that the pirate life was for her. That would have been an interesting scene. But ignoring that, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I wish I could see more.

Novel Idea:

I’m a sucker for romances. I’m a sucker for airships. This one’s a no-brainer… but starts with the most bizarre concept ever. Rarity as a fashion pirate! She actually goes around, boards over airships, redoes the crew’s outfits and occasionally steals a crewmember or two for special training… and that’s it.

What on earth would possess Rarity to do something this insane?

One of the most poignant and powerful reasons around: to stop herself from falling to temptation. I won’t ruin what that temptation is. It was a slow reveal for me. But let’s say that Rarity’s concepts are honorable… if unique.

While the setting strange, the underlying concept beneath is resonates enormously. Because the truth of the matter is… we can’t always get what we want.

And when that happens, become a sky pirate.

ILurvTrixie failed to provide cover art.
STORY 3
Edited Details, by ILurvTrixie

Daring Do is underway in another big tale! The legendary artifact is in her hooves, and her enemies are right on her tail!

But then everything changes. Things are wrong, but... in all the right ways?

What happens when an action hero finds a peaceful rest stop outside their story?

PaulAsaran:

To be honest, this is not the kind of story I would normally recommend. But its weaknesses in writing it more than makes up for in plot. The story stars a ‘fake’ Daring Do who came into being when A.K. Yearling attempted, and failed, to nab an ancient tor artifact from a jungle temple (because where else are these things going to be?). From there we get a whirlwind romance between Daring and Fluttershy and a villain that gives even Discord pause.

What’s that? Boos for OP villains? Normally I’d kinda-sorta agree, except this villain’s OP is used effectively in my opinion, and it’s balanced out by some distinct character flaws. The result is a fun final conflict with some creative solutions.

The best part, though, is how self-aware this story is. It makes mistakes that, normally, I would consider critical blunders, only to immediately turn around and point out its own error. It even finds ways to expand upon this idea by pointing out the exact same errors in the events of the show from time to time. Villain appears and is defeated within the last fifth of the story? Yeah, we’ve seen that.

This story has enough smart to it to negate my displeasure with its many grammar-related mistakes. Provided you’re not allergic to such things, definitely give it some attention.

Novel Idea:

Stories about characters having to directly interact with the Narrative are pretty wild. It’s strange that it never occured to me to put Daring Do in that situation. I mean, who better? Especially when you have two of them.

Daring Do the Author vs. Daring Do the Adventurer. Personally, I like the Adventurer more. But maybe because I’m a shipper and we have some simply wonderful adorable romance in here. Not only that, but the author wrote every character down pretty much perfectly.

Discord’s the real standout for me. It’s rare to find an author who can pull of Discord just so, but this one does it with room to spare. Not only that, but the author nailed his interactions with character, including a fantastic rivalry with Angel.

If you want a fantastic mix of adorable cute fluffy romance, meta-narrative psychological concepts and an epic adventure (complete with Jumanji reference/borrow), stop what you’re doing and read this right now.

STORY 4
How to Train Your Pegasus, by L3gion

Things haven't been going well for little Snow Bolt. She's always in trouble at school, her father is always yelling at her, and the bullies at school pick on her relentlessly. But just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, she's kidnapped by a dragon, who plans to bake her into a pie. Can Snow Bolt escape from the monster's lair before it's too late?

PaulAsaran:

My first thought upon seeing this story? “C’mon, guys, this thing alone is as long as my regular daily reading!” Then I reminded myself that my own suggestion was even longer and shut up. Then I started reading and… yeah, nevermind. It was worth the lost writing time.

One part cute, one part self-discovery, this is a wonderful story about a miserable filly finding her place in life with the help of a witty (and hungry) dragon and a squirrel. Does that sound strange? Good, because it is, and L3gion pulls it off fantastically. Snow Bolt’s daily efforts to learn to fly amidst the mountains in the dragon style is continuously endearing, combining subtle worldbuilding by way of pegasus flight theory through intuition. Add to that a charming filly who refuses to quit and a dragon that always knows exactly how to lighten the mood (at least for the reader), and you’ve got something really worthwhile.

I have no idea why Celestia had to make a cameo. Rather pointless, that.

But in the all, a great story with enough charm to keep things interesting from beginning to end. Read it, like it, love it.

Novel Idea:

Who doesn’t love a wonderfully sweet coming of age story? How do you top that classic formula? Simple! Add the fact that the main character, one insanely adorable Snow Bolt, is about to get eaten by a giant red dragon named Scarlet.

This story is cute and fun every step of the way, save for—of course—a rather tragic and painful start point. But, that’s another piece of the coming of age setup! But don’t worry, it gets better from there… even we have the imminent death of the main character hanging over our heads for the entire story.

Sadly, Snow Bolt can’t really fly. Scarlet finds this rather pitiful, so demands she work on it before dinner. And she does, through an ever-increasing (and ever-cuter) series of tests with a serious understanding of aerodynamics. The cumulation of these skills transform a pegasus who can’t fly into something truly spectacular (while still remaining mind-meltingly adorable).

Add a cute animal sidekick in the form of Cheeky the Squirrel (who’s rather cheeky, believe it or not), and you may need to consult a medical professional before diving in. And you’ve got an ending to make anyone cry. (Or maybe just me. It’s not hard to make me cry about stories with kids finding their way… and their parents). It’s fantastic and beautiful and everything this story needed.

Go get some cute!

Paul stared up at the hospital ceiling, his face covered in bandages. He was doing his absolute best not to glare at Novel, who was busy drawing Daring Do and Fluttershy cuddling on a napkin. “Dude, you really should be more careful. The office blows up once a month or something, you should expect the floors to cave in at the worst possible moment. It’s practically a tradition.”

This was met only by a long, silent glare. But then Paul sighed and shrugged. “At least we got the reviews done on time.”

“Oh, no, we gotta do them again.”

A blink. “Wut?”

“Black holes. Happens all the time. Ask Ferret about it.” He slapped Paul on the shoulder with a grin. “Welcome to the club, new guy.”

A twitch of the eyebrow was the only response.

Feel free to visit our group for more information and events, and to offer some recommendations for future rounds. See you all next time!

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PresentPerfect

Author Interviewer

PresentPerfect #1 · Feb 13th, 2018 · 1 · ·

Ah yes, How to Train Your Pegasus wasn't bad. :)

L3gion

L3gion #2 · Feb 13th, 2018 · 4 · ·

WHU Never thought I'd hear from this story again, y'all are too kind. PP gave it a "Conditional Recommend," if I remember right, which I thought was a lot more fair.