GaPJaxie Reviews: All Things In Time · 7:30pm Nov 18th, 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. He asked me to review All Things in Time, a story about why people die.
Some people die because they have to. Some people die because they choose to. And some people don't choose death so much as they give up on life. They die because they have nothing left to live for.
“Immortal angst” stories are common in the fandom. They tend to feature Twilight or Celestia as the main character, and come in two primary flavors. One, that life is amazing and immortality is amazing and while death is sad it doesn’t spoil the fun of eternal youth. Or, two, that the weight of years eventually becomes an unbearable burden and even the most youthful immortal will seek the sweet release of death.
The two types are quite different from each other, and tend to be written by people with quite different worldviews. Sometimes, fights start in the comments. But one trait that both variants share is they treat their conclusion as part of the fundamental nature of life. It’s not personal, but simply what life is.
All Things in Time disagrees. It treats death as a personal choice.
Some characters in this story have a lot to live for. They would live forever, if they could. They can’t. But the fact that, to their final moments, they choose life -- it matters to them, and it matters to the people around them.
Some characters in this story could have everything to live for. They could make new friends. They could forge new bonds. They could be a happy immortal, if they wanted to. But they don’t want to. They choose death.
And you, the reader, are left between them, trying to decide who (if either) you think was right.
There’s not much more I can say about this story without spoiling, but it’s a strong character-driven drama, and you should read it. I quite enjoyed it, and it absolutely deserves the attention it’s received.
That cover image... I've made it clear my assumption that Pinkie Pie probably can't die of natural causes (not the same thing as immortality, see the Norse gods which is of course the most relevant possible comparison), and Discord already nearly killed himself for Fluttershy's happiness so it would take a lot of character development on his part for her to be allowed to die. Rainbow Dash probably isn't going to die of natural causes either, but in the other direction; she's the major snag when it comes to "Twilight will not outlive her friends" having anything to do with immortality at all. Applejack... my solution to her mortality was probably a bit too meta slash inside baseball for some people, but I knew she wouldn't spring for immortality on purpose because she's big on tradition and dying is very traditional.
Thanks. :)
edit:
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"she wouldn't spring for immortality on purpose because she's big on tradition and dying is very traditional"
Phrasing that strikes me both as funny and rather meaningful.
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Incidentally, thanks for confirming that I don't get notified in that situation.
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Ah, you're welcome, but sorry about that. I don't know why the notification system doesn't fire sometimes... I thought it did work for edits. Oh well.