GaPJaxie Reviews: The Carmine Line · 1:21am Oct 1st, 2019
So, I run a speedwriting contest once a week or so. Our last contest had prizes, and one of those prizes was that I would review any fic of the winner's choice. But when I handed out that prize to the lucky winner, something shocking and unexpected happened.
He asked me to review his own story. God. I couldn't have seen it coming. What kind of writer would ever promote one of their own fics?
Apparently, a pretty good one, because I really enjoyed this story! So without further adieu, I present my review of the winner of the 11th Quills and Sofas Speedwriting Contest...
This story is like an episode of the Twilight Zone. The original, shot and black and white, depicting a dimension of sight and a dimension of mind. Everyone remember the opening credits to that show, with their dissonant theme and floating images, but fewer people remember what came after the credits ended. The narrator turned to the audience and said, "I invite you to consider..." and then gave the premise for the episode.
That's what this story does. It invites us to consider. It presents a clever, interesting premise, and encourages us to think about what it means.
And in that spirit, I invite you to consider the strange case of one Twilight Sparkle. An alicorn, not by birth but by ascension, and for the first time since that ascension something has happened. Something so mundane it escapes the notice of friend and family alike. Twilight has cut herself -- a scratch, sustained while sizing a new dress.
For the first time in a thousand years, an alicorn has bled, and no pony quite knows what is about to happen.
The Carmine Line was written in one hour, and can be read in a few minutes, so you've got no excuse not to take look. It clever, thought-provoking, and at times unsettling, with a soft-spoken and intellectual sort of horror. I was very pleased to see it win, and I hope this post gets it some of the attention it deserves.
Not just one of their stories, but the specific story that won them the contest. If I were sane, I probably would have expected that to already be part of the contest.
Interesting; thanks. I've put it on a list for later today. :)
And because Thing: :)
"Everyone remember the opening"
"Everyone remembers the opening"?
"to take look. It clever"
"to take a look. It's clever"?