Site Post » Reviews! Round 4! · 4:50am Nov 20th, 2012
STORY 1
Rain, by FlameOfFaith
FRICKIN’ MAGIC, HOW DOES IT WORK?!
All too often, a setting’s magic is simply used as a catch-all for problem solving. A rampaging dragon is destroying your kingdom? Better find the magic amulet to seal it away! Need to get your hero out of a sticky situation? Magic will save him! Need to explain a complex part of the work’s inner mechanics but lack the time or inclination to do so? Magic! Want to put on your socks without using your hands? Shut up and do it, anyway, you lazy bum!
My point is, magic is often used as the spackling over cracks in a narrative, so when a piece devotes time into demonstrating the process behind the sparkly, glowy stuff we see happening all the time, it grabs my attention. This fic gives us some nice worldbuilding with regards to unicorn magic, explaining things with a well-made metaphor that seems perfectly in-character for Twilight. Perhaps more, it shows how inspiration can be found most anywhere, if you keep an open mind.
Plus, it’s Twilight as a filly! There is no resistance!
Filly Twilight is undeniably cute; let’s just get that out of the way. But seeing Filly Twi learn under Celestia’s care can be a somewhat common story. What does Rain do differently?
More than anything, it’s sensory. We’re right there with Twilight, along for the ride. I’ve read stories that made me feel that way before: feelings of joy, sadness, even some unusual sensations like flight. FlameOfFaith tries to tackle this with magic, something that none of us can remotely relate to. Yet through energy and muscles, waves and analogy, Rain gives us a small scene that attempts to make the unrelatable relatable. It explains magic—not in the midi-chlorian sort of way, but in the way that your friend describes their vacation in enough vivid detail that you feel like you’ve actually been to Tahiti yourself.
The next time you see Twilight cast a spell, think on Rain. There’s more to it than just a magenta horn glow.
Ever wonder what it’s like trying to squeeze an apple through a test tube? No? Huh, guess that’s just me.
On a completely related note, Rain is a story that gives us a glimpse into Twilight’s early years as she struggles to master a spell most of us take for granted. While not the most thrilling or action-packed fic around, Rain gives us a nice look into what Twilight’s youth might have been like as well as the technical aspects of unicorn spellcasting without making it boring or distracting from the story’s main point.
And boy, do I like Twilight’s lesson in this one. It’s surprisingly simple and subtle, yet so very important to everything she’ll do for the next decade or so, if not the rest of her life. Funny how sometimes it’s the simple things, like a routine friendship report or a late-night downpour, that teach us the most important lessons. It has its technical slip-ups, but that doesn’t stop it from being good.
Oh, and that apple thing is totally relevant. Trust me.
DISCORD SURE THINKS A LOT FOR BEING STONED, AM I RIGHT?
What does a despot of disorder ponder during his imprisonment? This fic gives us one answer, and unfortunately, it has nothing to do with socks.
What it does have, though, is an interesting interpretation of everyone’s favorite draconequus. The chaos-loving cretin that he is, Discord’s thoughts meander through a whole range of subjects, from long-buried origins to recent defeats to future plans, and from this tract we get a considerable sense of depth to an otherwise pretty straightforward villain. Even if it stretches the canon a bit, that’s part of what makes it intriguing; some of the concepts (especially that one about long-buried origins) are inherently thought-provoking. Musings inspiring musings… Who’d have thought?
And furthermore, the idea that Discord has learned from his mistakes, something a lot of cartoon villains fail to do, is a chilling concept. If, as is rumored, he is to make a return in the show proper, I would hope this is taken into consideration by the show’s writers.
Like our previous entry, The Musings of Discord is a somewhat familiar tale, as we watch everyone’s favorite villain contemplate his fate. Like our previous entry, it does something different. Specifically, it’s what it doesn’t do.
So many Discord stories use this as a setup for shipping with Tia or Pinkie Pie. Or perhaps a good ol’ vengeance fic (admittedly, J.Xayph does toe the line on this latter point). But this story oozes some different vibes. Confidence in his powers. Zealous belief in his vision for Equestria. Certainty in his return. It came across to me as not hostile, but rather inevitable, which is far more chilling.
One of the main reasons that someone might read or write fanfiction is to explore the characters: to poke or prod at them from different angles, cast them in different lights, and make us reflect on how much this affects our own headcanon. Some readers may embrace the characterization of Discord in The Musings of Discord, while others won’t. But it’s bound to make you think. To consider the canonical version of Discord, our own personal thoughts, the claims posited here, and weigh them against one another. For a short read like this to trigger that much reflection, I can’t ask for much more.
You thought all those Pinkies had a hard time watching paint dry? Try being the lord of chaos stuck counting the number of leaves on the same bush over and over for a thousand years—and then doing it again.
What I like about this story is the insight it gives into Discord’s past and personality. I haven’t read many Discord origin stories, but the ones I have read center more on Celestia and Luna as the saviors of Equestria. Just how did Discord come to Equestria, and what was his role? This story takes a stab and pinning down Discord’s past, as much as any chaos lord’s past can be pinned down. J.Xayphr does a good job of imbuing the exposition with Discord’s trademark voice, which keeps it from getting dull and repetitive. While I don’t agree with Discord’s views and opinions, that’s part of what makes it so interesting.
If you’ve ever wondered what a draconequus trapped in stone thinks about to pass the time, this is a story for you.
STORY 3
The Botched Job, by Bok
DON’T TRUST THOSE LAGOMORPHS, MAN! THEY WILL MESS YOU UP!
Like one’s choice of socks, a person’s mannerisms can say more about their personality than any number of things what come out of their mouth. Thus, body language is one of the most important things to write when designing a character. When said character is ostensibly mute, this importance is magnified tenfold.
This fic perfectly demonstrates how you go about doing it right. From the moment our “strange visitor” shows up, we immediately know what he’s all about just from physical description alone. But more than that, he demonstrates exactly how an OC should be used: as another personality for the established characters to bounce off of. Even though the plot does, in essence, hinge on his actions, the overall narrative is more concerned with the interactions between the other characters as they deal with the repercussions.
And this, in turn, leads to an over-the-top little romp through some silly shenanigans that, while perhaps stretching the characters’ canon standings a bit, is nonetheless quite enjoyable.
We often debate over who is Worst Pony, but where’s the love(?) for Worst Non-Pony? Bok gives us a bit of insight via the unexpected arrival of an OC in this silly and episodic tale.
What earns this such high marks in my book is that it follows the show’s example in focusing on a character-driven story. The OC’s introduction is deliberately disruptive, he’s given some personality and zazz, and then he gets out of the way. The story largely becomes about the other main characters’ reactions directly to him, secondary reactions amongst themselves, and so on. The show’s characters are so well-defined that if you can capture their essence as Bok did (if stretched slightly for a few comedic gags, not that I minded), the story unfolds naturally and is a treat to read.
Overall, The Botched Job is a fun and silly tale with some enjoyable interactions between its characters. What’s not to love?
A gangster bunny hops up to a cottage . . .
I like this story because it’s fun, over-the-top, and suspenseful at the same time. Luna’s on a rampage, and Fluttershy and Angel have gotten caught in the crossfire. Everyone’s favorite animal-loving, height-fearing pegasus finds herself torn between her kind, polite nature and the threat of retribution while trying to figure out what her mysterious late-night guest is doing in the quiet outskirts of Ponyville. Who’s the criminal mastermind behind Luna’s wrath? The answer may surprise you. Or not. Guess that depends on you.
It’s not deep or life-changing, but the characters are great and the action is fun, and everyone can use a little fluff now and then. Especially when it comes in the form of an ill-tempered rabbit.
*** Please note: The reviews are done by a group of individuals whose only relation to fimfiction is that they have proven themselves to be dedicated and honest members of the community and are providing the reviews for the post—because that’s what this is about: the fimfiction community. None of the Fimfiction Staff members are endorsing or promoting the particular authors, reviewers, or the stories reviewed; we are just providing a means for others to find good stories they might have missed.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT PM the reviewers asking them to review your story. There are lots of them, so have faith in them and in your story, they'll get there.
In the meantime, you can find the Reviews in the Seattle's Angel's Group!
~WD & Seattle_lite
The link to Rain is broken, there's an extra / at the end. Unless that's just me.
Anyone else having trouble viewing Rain?
Edit: nvm, magically fixed. :D
520061>>520064>>520069
Link's been fixed. Enjoy!
Discords Origin story.... A friend of mine said that Discord was at the beginning of the Neopets universe before getting kicked out and in to EQ...
But I have no clue for now... and oops...
520095
> A friend for mine said that he is the begining of the Neopets before getting kicked out and in to EQ...
Whatever your friend was smoking, I'd like some.
520131
oops... made some errors in the text there and just fixed it.... and yeah me too..
I only know of one Lagomorph, and he's the president!
So that's why I've been getting all those favorites out of nowhere. Thanks for the reviews, guys!
520074
What, now we have to check our own urls? Seriously?[/i[ What next? We're gonna have to check our own grammar or something? Sheesh, Seattle asks so much of us.
520329
...bravo, Pav, bravo.
520329 I know. Next, they'll be asking us to make sure our BBCode tags are right.
I seriously have no problem with promoting a few stories, but for you to turn around and claim that plastering them in a compilation review post on the top-left of the front page isn't promotion is just silly. Especially considering these reviews are literally all positive.
Okay sure you're not promoting the stories yourself, you're just promoting reviews that are promoting the stories.
521532
The intent of that disclaimer is that Fimfiction staff like Knighty or Seattle_Lite are at no point involved with the selection of the stories or authors; the reviewers in this group are not staff and operate fairly autonomously. We have accountability to Seattle_Lite in terms of deadlines and quality of the review blurbs, but Seattle_Lite doesn't exercise editorial rights over the content of the reviews themselves. We're endorsed insofar as Seattle_Lite selected us to be reviewers, and that we were given space on the front page to fulfill this purpose, but that's the full extent of it.
Promotion is an unavoidable by-product (the stories reviewed so far have mentioned a small spike in readership), but the intent is first and foremost a service to the reader base. Intent is important.
Naturally. Reviewing a mediocre story here would be a waste of everyone's time. Giving a negative review can offer a lot of useful insight if done right, but with the drama that would undoubtedly inspire, it's a wholly inappropriate use of the front page. The service that we hope to provide is in the selection of stories that the group unilaterally agrees would be enjoyed by the reader base. Thus, stories here will all receive reviews that are mostly positive.
How did I miss these reviweing stuff until now?
Huh, I gotta read volume one!!
522401
Well yeah, I mean, of course we agree. That's why we pick the stories we do. These reviews are a platform to promote fanfics we like and think are well-written, or demonstrate a theme particularly well, or even use a tried and true plot and manage to make it interesting. At the end of the day, we are here to provide you, the reader, with a bunch of bitchin' fics to read, not lambaste a few stories in the town square, as fun as that sounds.
Do you message the author of a story to inform them that a fic's been featured?
523011
Nope. It's like a small surprise for them. Sometimes authors figure it out on their own from the increased trickle of comments. Sometimes people tell them. Sometimes they're none the wiser, but we get their stories exposed anyways, and that's what we do. =)
523281
Best surprise ever. I can't thank you guys enough for the reviews.
520151 I personaly know a lagomorph, and she gave me her lipstick after having a romp with her.
Thanks for reviewing my fic, it means a lot!