fJd Review: Of Fluffy Clouds by Snow Quill · 4:48pm Nov 1st, 2020
Overview:
A romantic date on the 3rd year anniversary of Applejack sand Rainbow Dash’s wedding. Set in Cherry Berry’s balloon. A prank, an adorable one.
My Thoughts:
This was a very sweet story, with a great of thought given to imagery throughout the story. I loved the chemistry between Rainbow and Applejack, the fact that Applejack put together this lovely, romantic, anniversary surprise just makes this story so much sweeter somehow. Even if Rainbow isn’t all about that “mushy stuff”, her willingness to accept it from her wife is quite telling.
Characterization:
Applejack
Very sweet, very tender. I’ve always thought of AJ as being terribly affectionate anyway, this just made it so much nicer. A very enjoyable, and faithful, recreation of AJ here.
Rainbow Dash
Just right. She’s sweet in her own, personal, way. She clearly doesn’t really like the mushy stuff, except for coming from a very specific pony. She also very clear cares about and worries about Applejack. It isn’t told, it’s shown. Well done.
Character Development:
There’s not a lot of room for it in a shortfic, so it’s more about their growth compared to the initial timeline. So I’ll explore that. Applejack and Rainbow, before the time skip, had been forever in competition with one another. Now, in this story, presumably taking place during the gap in time from the show, has them mellowing out a little and getting closer and more affectionate. It’s beautifully done, and doesn’t exclude their mutual antagonism either. Just fits it in so nicely.
Theme:
Lasting love, celebration of connection. I’m a sucker for these kinds of stories. The romantic feels here are plentiful, it is well worth reading for that reason alone. Marvelous work all around.
Logic:
There’s not much room for that in here either, but for what this story has it sure does do a good job at it. Logic is still here, as the chemistry between Rainbow and Applejack is done so well, and Rainbow’s general attitude towards early mornings is so well covered.
Rating:
Story Idea: 9.0
(I’m a sucker for shipping, but this is a great story. Very sweet, very SoL. I loved reading it.)
Writing Style: 8.5
(Honestly, there’s not much room left for improvement here. But something was missing, and I felt it. If I had to pinpoint anything, it would be that at times AJ presents a stunning lack of contraction, or emphasis to make her dialogue flow better or make more sense. It’s a trivial thing, certainly.)
Entertainment Factor: 9.0
(It kept me going, seeing just how sweet it would get and what, exactly, AJ’s surprise would be. Was worth the wait.)
Inner Logic: 8.5
Final: 8.75
Feedback/Final Thoughts:
Beautifully written, and executed, story. The ending was spot on, too, I felt. I mean, what else can I say? This was a very pleasant, and uplifting, read.
