Fic reviews, September 19th! · 6:10pm Sep 19th, 2022
VisualPony has also done readings of Serina's My Mommy, FanOfMostEverything's Solar Wind, Jykinturah's Moonstone, Rambling Writer's Up Where the Air Is Clear, and Orbiting Kettle's The Symposium!
Also, I didn't need to read Your Own Fault for Leaving Fruit Out myself, because VisualPony has a reading of that, too. 
Man, why does everything always happen at the same time? Well, here's a month's worth of audiobooks. I still have 15 Pony & Wolf Productions videos on the list. And I'm about to add a whole new channel to my rotation. <.< Help.
H: 7 R: 13 C: 8 V: 3 N: 5
Life Is Music by Sonicsuns
Reading by Pony of the Stars
Hey, there's still new readers to review in 2022! Very good voice, solidly mixed background music, and no extra junk. Any qualms I might have I will chalk up to her excellent Octavia impression and the type of story this was. To the list!
Genre: Romance
When do I love you most?
This is interesting, a story narrated by Octavia, addressed directly to Vinyl Scratch in the second person. And it does that thing where Octavia has to tell her — that is, 'you' — a bunch of their life history together, but beyond that, this is a pretty solid little romantic piece. The end is perhaps a bit cheesy, but ScratchTavia fans especially will enjoy this.
Recommended for Shippers
Whatever I Shall Meet on the Road by astrolatryy
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: Cutie Re-Mark
Unexpectedly, Sweetie Belle meets another blank flank.
I love stories that explore the canon AUs. I've probably said that a lot by now. But oh boy, this one really goes above and beyond! Not only does it give us a really good look at what the would-be Cutie Mark Crusaders would be like in the Sombra future, it world-builds like no one's business. And then it ends like that. :O Don't want to say more, go experience this for yourself!
Highly Recommended
No Words Required by HapHazred
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Shipping Drama
When Applejack is upset, Rainbow Dash can cheer her up without saying a word.
Here's how to turn a writing exercise into an experimental story: make the exercise intrinsic to the story. In this case, we've got a completely dialogue-free fic, and it works quite well. Also, this is fairly light on the shipping. I was thinking at first that the setup would work just as well if they were still only friends, but I don't actually think they're together at the start. Shippers beware! Regardless, this is a good look into Applejack's psyche and her relationship — romantic or otherwise — with Rainbow Dash, with good usage of an unusual writing technique. Well done!
Highly Recommended
Unexpected Comfort by stillwedding
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: Slice of Life
If Discord's around, surely it means ridicule.
I wonder if "Discord actually being a good friend" could be its own genre. I don't have a whole lot to say about this one, save that it works quite well and I was pleased it didn't turn into shipping at any point. :)
Recommended
I'm a Girl, Dummy by DrySpell
Reading by Wolf Head Brony, Wuten and MagicMysticVA
Not bad, not bad! Good voice, good pacing, good mixing, and some very good VA talent.
Mature: Sex
Genre: 2P Anthro Clop
You confront Pinkie about the 'rumor'.
Let us all take a moment and reflect that men can have breasts. They don't even have to be trans. That doesn't prove anything. So yeah, this one's "problematic" with a capital "P". Even if you don't care that the setup is transphobic, heteronormative and probably misogynistic, this is a story where 'you' gaslight Pinkie into first letting you feel her up and then having sex with you. And while I'm still woefully undereducated about consent (which is its own kind of problem!), I'm pretty sure that doesn't count. Nevermind how enthusiastic she is. It's hinted toward the end that she maybe understands what's happening and is maybe playing along and/or using the situation to her own advantage, but it isn't clear. And given that 'you' confess your ruse about halfway through the story, and she doesn't seem to understand said confession, I would say that scenario is in fact unlikely. And it's a shame, because the narrator has a very "Is this really happening?" tone that would drive home the comedy that was no doubt intended and can still be found if you don't think about the story at all. But I think about stories. This is another case of not poorly written, just poorly conceived.
Not Recommended
The Princess of Paperwork by Waypoint
Reading by Midnight29
Reading by Lotus Moon
Genre: Slice of Bureaucracy
Celestia gets into her work.
Though not quite as exciting as a bureaucratic comedy, this nevertheless takes a fairly mundane task and uses it to explore Celestia's character. (I was kind of surprised, given the title, that this wasn't about Twilight!) Along the way, we also get some late-show world-building. All in all, very cute and doesn't overstay its welcome.
Recommended for Best Sisters Fans
Trust This by ThatOneWriter
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Shipping/Drama
Applejack hasn't been around much lately.
You know, from the description, I figured I knew exactly where this story was going to go. Shock of shocks, I was wrong! Points for not following the formula. :) Beyond that, this is a completely believable turn for Twilight, worrying about not only where her marefriend is, but just what that absence might mean, until she all but passes out. That said, like… If you feel this way every time your significant other is gone? Please talk to them. And/or a professional. Self-doubt is one thing, but that kind of behavior and emotional trauma is not normal, healthy or cute. Let Twilight beat herself up so you don't have to.
Recommended for Shippers
We Had Magic, and Friendship Too (Messages from a Former World) by Mockingbirb
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: Cutie Re-Mark
So much in our world depends on magic. What will a world without it look like?
Stories about people nobly facing an inevitable end while working to keep hope alive just… really get to me, man. ;_; And this one's great. Just a short letter that's part of a greater effort to maintain a historical record, which fills us in on what's changed and how ponies are coping. I was kind of a wreck by the end? Powerful.
Highly Recommended
The End of an Era by The Ancestor
Reading by Illya Leonov
Sequel to Absense of Chaos
Genre: Future Fic
How do you make a god?
I have to admit, I don't remember any details of the previous story, but there's enough here that I was able to get at least the gist of what was going on in amongst all the artistry. Not that I'm complaining about the writing; on the contrary, it's very poetic and atmospheric, quite fitting its subject matter. The rest is a bunch of interesting thought pieces about things from Equestrian politics to, uh, whales. You'll have to read it and see.
Recommended
Put That Crown Back Where It Came From by Ashfur
Reading by Midnight29
Reading by Lotus Moon
Genre: Random Comedy
Celesta and Luna have an announcement to make.
It's funny, the last story is "Twilight abdicates", this one is "Celestia and Luna abdicate", and they are very different. Anyway, when I realized this was going to be author tract, I got a little miffed, but then Rainbow Dash comes in to ask what taxes are and I laughed so hard you guys. This is the kind of author tract that's fun, watching a bunch of cynical, snarky, sarcastic character observations emerge from the mouth of one Twilight Sparkle, who is herself entirely out of character. When you realize that's what's going on, it's much more enjoyable, and I had a good time with this.
Recommended for Laughs
Consider the Coconut by Propmaster
Reading by Scribbler, Quill N Lead and Animelodie
Genre: Rom-Com
Starlight and Trixie go to a relaxing island getaway. Unintentionally.
It doesn't matter if they're romantic or not, Starlight and Trixie are one of the best duos you could hope for in a story. This piece not only shows why, but also puts some romantic tension into the mix, which is cute and hilarious, and I love that Trixie is such a disaster. Really, this is the kind of thing I just flat enjoy reading, I had such a good time with this and it basically gave me everything I wanted. :D
Highly Recommended
Woona Wants More Cookies! by AliceA020
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Cute Comedy
I kinda knew what I was getting into given the title. This is cute, light, inoffensive and nothing but pandering. It's another nail in the coffin of pure Luna woobification. And really, I wish that a story like this could have been told with any concession to how Celestia and Luna would have lived when they were young. It's just here to amuse the easily amused, and in this case, I do not count myself among their number.
Vaguely Recommended
Savior by Sparrow9642
Reading (part 1) by the Author
Genre: Humanized Supernatural Romance
I tried to give this one a shot. Vampire romance may be an oversaturated genre in the world of "real" fiction, but I don't see too many around here. I was interested. Unfortunately, I found myself quickly let down. For starters, despite the EQG tag, this is more just normal humanizaed fic, where Twilight, Sunset and I guess Sunset's mom all have pony names while everyone else is named things like Serena and Brandon. More importantly, once we get into the vampire stuff in the second chapter, I just found it silly? I mean, no big surprise that you have a race of bloodsucking parasites ruled by a self-important aristocracy, one of whom Sunset offs in the first chapter. So when her trial is held and the council or whatever votes overwhelmingly to save her, it becomes very odd that this 'sentence' means that she won't be immediately executed. Just, someone has to be. Might as well be her if no one else steps up, right? What kind of law is that? I can at least take some heart in that the vampires seem to be pretty standard, and the unstanard bit — Brandon has white wings — is pretty cool. But the major letdown is the writing. There's lot of POV shifts, at least one tense shift, and lots and lots of awkward phrasings that border on malapropism. Also, Twilight randomly kisses a guy. Just, literally for no reason. No amount of SunLight shipping promises could keep me going through this.
DNF 2/11
Tilting Hopes by DegeTheMighty
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
Rumble plays Jenga with his foalsitters.
This opens on a very fun "mind of a child" fantasy that I got quickly into. But what really makes it work is the ending and Thunderlane's small role. This is good, clean fun!
Recommended
Sanctity of Life by SilverSolstice
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Drama
Scootaloo has learned the truth. She's a pegasus who can't fly, so her life is forfeit.
This story taught me a couple of things. One, if you're going to write a story about something as notorious as The Rainbow Factory, being loudly up front about it is a good idea. The references didn't bother me. Two, if you've done this, sneaking in references to Cupcakes is equally acceptable, and occasionally funny. :D Despite this being an emotional piece about how easy it is to traumatize kids, it's got some surprising comedy in it, and I'm not even talking about the usual stuff that makes me laugh in Scootaloo fics. Do I believe that Rainbow Factory works as historical tract? Eh, maybe not, but, what makes this work is the kid logic, the ways in which not only Scootaloo but the other Crusaders jump to conclusions about the story's events I suspect no adult would have. And it's also some good Scootalove, that's always nice to see. :)
Recommended
Laughing my ass off right now because Google suspended my ability to edit my own review file because it's "taking too long to save changes". You're fucking Google, give me a break.
Words on a Page by Tranquil Serenity
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Light Comedy
Spike finds something unexpected while cleaning Starlight's room.
I more or less knew where this was going to go, but that didn't stop me appreciating it. The comedy comes entirely from Starlight's reaction to learning what Spike's found under her bed, and it was highly amusing. The ending is kind of affirming, somehow? It didn't end in fanfiction, is what I'm saying, and that elevates it a bit.
Recommended
Play With Me by Northguard
Reading by Sparrow9642
Genre: Horror
Miss Smarty Pants wants to play.
So, the main concept of this, using Smarty Pants as a conduit for horror, is sound, and I like it. But in execution, it really doesn't have an effect, or at least it didn't on me. The mantra of "Play with me" really isn't as creepy as I think the author was hoping. And the main body of the story, a lengthy dream sequence that we are told up front is a dream, doesn't work either. For one, it's completely removed from anything having to do with Smarty Pants. She shows up outside the door to Spike's room, he hears voices, he goes to sleep, has a dream, then wakes up and Smarty Pants is there. Is she the cause of the dream? It's maybe implied, but not clearly. Furthermore, the dream itself is mostly just silly. I mean, it doesn't help that Spike quickly realizes he's dreaming. Uncertainty breeds horror. The main things he encounters are puppets of the main six, but they generally act like themselves, especially Fluttershy, and like I said, that just gets silly after a while. Not to mention leading him through numerous doors and wrong turns is just not scary. So on balance, I'd say this doesn't work, but it could just be me.
Not Recommended
Fluttershy and Rarity's Magnificent Tea Day by Supmandude
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Slice of Life
This story is very cute, but it gets saccharine toward the end. (It uses the word "yummy" more than Justin Bieber.) The writing is simplistic, if not necessarily bad. I would just say that the target audience is very young. If you've got kids who like ponies and would enjoy a simple scene of Rarity and Fluttershy having a nice time together (with a moral, even!), it might be worth reading to them.
Vaguely Recommended
What's Beneath by jmj
Reading by Scribbler
Reading by Lotus Moon
Genre: Horror
The worst monsters aren't the ones who live in the Everfree.
Straight up, jmj has crafted a fantastic, creepy monster that feels like it could fit into the world. Part of this is because it's never described. Part is because its motivation is friendship. And a large, large part is the name, which I am not going to spoil. :D There's maybe something to be said about the characterization of the Rich family here, but really, it comes mostly from how others react to them. The monster more than makes up for it, I loved this.
Highly Recommended
Laundromat by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by VisualPony
Review #7900!
Genre: PoE
I would have thought my pony neighbor didn't need to do laundry, but I would have been wrong.
It's amazing: Right about the time the narrator mentions reading a BoredPanda article, I fully believed that this was simply an account of something that had happened to a person in real life. Biscuit's personal narrative style and focus on everyday details lends this a strong verisimilitude that is not broken by the presence of a talking horse in a human laundromat. Also he has good taste in inspirationsIt's not particularly deep or anything, though I'm sure discrimination of this sort would definitely happen in this scenario, but the writing makes it feel bigger than it really is.
Recommended
Sail Me to the Moon by Seer
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Sad
I am not lonely. I am remote.
I don't think I've ever seen a story depict a pony losing their mind this well before. This builds gradually from a lot of building blocks you'd probably expect from a post-banishment Nightmare Moon monologue, until it swells into pure heartbreak as she realizes she can't just declare herself redeemed. Through it all is a very clever subtext about how, while the ponies of Equestria may not have understood Luna or her night, understanding is a two-way street. I love that this is only ever implied. This was intense and extremely emotional by the end, thanks in no small part to Scribbler's excellent performance. And it was Seer's first fic!
Highly Recommended
What Am I? by PseudoBob Delightus
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Experimental
What the actual fuck. Uh, whatever this is, it does actually kind of work. It walks that line between presenting an alien mindset and making it understandable by the reader. Still gets a big ol' whut from me, though.
Recommended If You Like Experimental Fiction
Your Faithful Disciple by LysanderasD
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: G5 Crossover
No matter what other ponies said, no matter how they changed, Sunny Starscout always believed in the Elements of Harmony.
The really interesting thing about this story is the idea that Maretime Bay used to be at least a little tolerant of other tribes. Not welcoming them to their town, not harboring them within the town boundaries, but neither willing to run Sunny out of town for helping a lost pegasus at her house. The strange thing about this story is the idea that the alicorns are gods. I mean, "the ponies of old treated alicorns as gods" is nothing new, but when Twilight is able to hear prayers directed to her? The semantic distinctions kind of break down. Regardless, this is quite well written and does a good job of linking G4 to G5.
Recommended
2+2=tomato by GalaxyNight
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Slice of Life
Shining Armor teases his little sister.
In this story, Shining Armor is a shithead, Twilight Velvet is a bad mother, and Twilight Sparkle is a little autistic mess. This is a perfect example of what happens when you try to tell jokes — not even necessarily absurd or surreal jokes like the title — to people with autism. <.< I have been in Twilight's shoes before, and so I found this entirely unpleasant. Weirdly, the story almost seems to be sympathetic to Twilight by the end, yet it bills itself as a comedy. (No idea where the AU tag comes into play.) And the only comedy it seems to attempt is repeating its own title ad nauseam. As a one-panel image, the needling of Twilight's analytical side is funny. Stretched out to a thousand words, it is tedious and simply not funny, and I don't even mean in the "this is actually offensive" sense.
Not Recommended
Starlight's New Drinking Buddy by Heartland Picker
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: HiE Comedy
Ponyville's resident human introduces Starlight Glimmer to the 'joys' of drinking.
The writing in this story is… plain. Workmanlike to the point of pedantry. With no sense of POV and a lot of really bizarre similes. Frankly, I found it dull, to the point that I had difficulty paying attention to the narration. But then again, I wasn't likely to find this interesting to begin with. For those who do like HiEs? This does quite a few things right. For starters, the human hasn't suddenly become the center of Equestria, or even Ponyville; he's just the main character of the story. It manages to work in that old cherry about ponies disliking meat and then just… doesn't make it an issue. Absolutely astounding. And Ben is at least an interesting human: he's a luthier, a very unusual hobby to have and one that means he possesses a pretty unique set of skills. Of course, the narrative is also really into him, from Rarity, unprompted, singing praises about his sight (???) to the characters finding the story's events far more amusing than I did. Also, I've never read anything that treats musical instruments the way other fics treat guns or cars. So, yeah, it's different, but still didn't quite make it over that "I don't care about humans in Equestria" hurdle for me.
Recommended for HiE Fans Only
Dash vs. Dog by pubbyrot
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Shipping
Rainbow Dash doesn't like her marefriend's dog.
Well, this was unexpected. While the plot is decidedly slice of life, this manages to be a cute shipfic that also has drama, whose drama is neither world- nor relationship-ending. I cannot fully express how rare that is. I can't believe someone was able to pull it off in so short a story!
Recommended
The Door by Equimorto
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Psychological Horror
Twilight didn't know where the door came from, or where it went. But she would find out in time.
This defied all my expectations. You think, oh, creepy door in the castle? Sure, it probably leads to a pit of horrors or something. But no. Almost no horror is derived from Twilight opening this door. This is about a mare slowly losing her mind as she's stalked by something only she can see. When she starts anthropomorphizing the door, and ascribing reality-manipulating powers to it, treating it as an adversary, that's what really makes this work, and it's the bulk of the story. But spoilers, the door does open. Eventually. And what Twilight finds behind it is horrifying, sure. But that's not the point. And that's pretty great.
Recommended
Mason by Odd_Shot
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: 2P HiE
Your neighbor builds a wall.
Talk about defying expectations. For starters, this is a second-person Human in Equestria fic, as I have labelled it, wherein the second-person character is not the human, but a pony. And actually Twilight Sparkle, at that; not sure the last time I saw 'you' getting to be a canon character. Secondly, this starts with a weather report opening yet manages to justify it by bringing things back around in the final line. Never have I seen its like. And while this maybe doesn't have the quiet, intimate character building of your Sam and Rosees, I'd still call it a high-quality HiE -- BiE to be exact -- that elevates the genre. Which it really had to, to get past me while being a self-insert. >:V
Recommended
The Carnivorous Flower by Shaslan
Reading by Sparrow9642
Genre: AU/Horror
I'm always amazed by the hoops an author will jump through to justify a particular setup for a horror story. This one, I think, does eventually make good on its own efforts, not to mention the setup itself is pretty well executed and adds a lot of mysticism to the main characters. The story here is ultimately pretty good, though the conversation that uncovers it is rather circular for a while. The author did of course give themselves an out to not have to write Zecora's dialogue in rhyme, though again, they at least did so in an interesting way that serves as world-building. So on the whole, not bad!
Recommended for Horror Fans
Theories of the Wise by MellowSoul
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Experimental
This… I've really got nothing. It's like some kind of 60's hippie LSD trip. The only concrete thing I can single out is that Spike and Twilight do not sound like people, let alone themselves. I guess it was worth experimentation, but I don't expect this will be accessible to most readers unless they're into, uh… existential… spirituality? I don't even know how to classify this.
Vaguely Recommended
"Hey, Twi…" by Flint-Lock
Reading by Sparrow9642
Genre: EQG Cosmic Horror
"I know you're busy being a princess and all, but I could use your help…"
What's going on in this story isn't super scary, at least to me, but what makes it work is us being in Sunset's head the entire time, watching her lose her mind as things get worse and worse. The believable journaling doesn't hurt, either, and the finale is a real gut-punch. Good horror story!
Recommended
The Fall of Celestia by bahatumay
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
Celestia examines her own hubris before her fall.
I'm not sure why this is labelled Thriller, unless it's simply to throw the reader off the scent. But, c'mon, the author spoilered which category the story was submitted to the contest under! That's got "not what it seems" written all over it! Thankfully, this is genuinely really funny. I was not expecting to really laugh by the end, but I did. :)
Recommended
Attack of the Vampire Apples by terrycloth
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Comedy
Twilight's attempt to fix the vampire fruitbat problem has some unexpected side-effects.
Talk about unexpected hilarity! This is an utterly madcap little treat based off one of the worst episodes in the show's run. :) What a way to elevate a concept! Best part is when Pinkie feeds on Rainbow Dash, and no, you do not get any more context than that! ;D
Recommended
Free Moon by Shrink Laureate
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Sci-Fi
Ponyville, we are nearing the moon. Over.
The reading for this actually makes it very confusing. He read it as a conversation, when it's actually all dialogue from the commander of this lunar mission. Barring that, well, it's not very clear what exactly is going on here, but it has a whole lot of tantalizing talk of some 'tyrant' that these ponies seem to have come to the moon to find an alicorn to help them with. Being a 1k fic, that's about all there is to it, but the one-sided conversation actually works pretty darn well.
Recommended for Fans of Pony Space Exploration
A Buggy Mess by BradyBunch
Reading by Scribbler
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Genre: 2P Shipping
Chrysalis's latest scheme to feed her hive starts with kidnapping you.
Coincidentally, another one-sided conversation, but 'mess' is right. I wish I knew what the author was going for, here. I at first found this very silly, because they've got Chrysalis desperately cooking up a romance scheme to try and get love for her hive, but she's also all tsun-tsun about it. But as the story goes on, her awkwardness and desperation just become more and more off-putting. Like, it's creepy that she thought kidnapping someone would make them like her, but then that sort of actually happens? And she's basically selling herself for food. That's the real issue, I guess. By the end, there's nothing funny, cute or silly about this, it's just sad.
Not Recommended
Ten Things That Keep Bulk Biceps Up at Night by Boopy Doopy
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
Look, all you need to know is that #1 is "protein bars" and #2 is "the horror of existence", and the juxtaposition had me on the floor. The rest of this ranges from "funny" to "really funny", except for #9, which is just too real, man. But that of course makes the last entry even funnier. Also, I love the characterization of Bulk Biceps as a health nut. Like, with more than just exercise.
Highly Recommended
Much appreciate the review, bro. I figured it might not be well received, but it's fanfiction. If it was one of my serious storied, the tone would've been much different. Sometimes ya gotta miss before you hit.
Thanks for your kind words, glad you liked my story enough to recommend it.
So. Many. More. Stories.
That's a lot of stories!
It's strange. The story's had three readings by different narrators, and two of them decided to use multiple voices. I think it still works, since there are three ponies on board, but it was unexpected.
I think my brand of romance stories has been described as 'friendshipping with unconventional marketing'. To be fair I think that any relationship where you're not also friends is a bold strategy, and since I often aim for a more cozy vibe...
I've been trying to turn it around in the past few years though. This story's an old boy though!
Well, Play With Me was just a small thing I did during my free time, and it was written a few years ago. I am by no means the best writer.
5687377
I counted up the tally at the end and went, "Only 36?" I found a blog from like 2013 where I apologized for reviewing twelve stories at once. <.<;
So many fics, though…! I recognise a couple I've reviewed this year (not implying any connection, I know you base your reading selections almost exclusively on fanfic readings), have a few others on my reading lists already, picked up a few tantalising ones, and that was about it. Of course, we are talking about Present Perfect, the reviewing maestro.
5687400
I kid, but I'd probably apologise if I reviewed even ten at once.
5687400
Oh, I'm not complaining about the number of stories you reviewed, I'm complaining about the number of good stories you reviewed! With this batch of HRed stuff, my download list is at nearly 200 stories!
5687408
how terrible that must be :V
I just added over 300 videos to my audiobook list. V:
5687410
Pity Party at your place!
5687417
Pared it down to 273 so far! :V
Legit every time I wash clothes, I think to myself, "time to mat my laundros."
5687453
:D
5687439
You're a machine, man!
5687457
Back up over 290, for some reason I thought a particular longfic reading had not been finished. :B
Thanks for the review! I was definitely going for a 'whut' vibe with that, so I'm glad that's what you got out of it. I really love this story, so one day I hope to take the concept further than 1000 words...
Anyway, it was surprising that anyone would make a reading for that, but VisualPony did a really good job with it.
Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it, especially since it was a prompt-response sketch kinda story.
20 fics with R or above? Sheesh. Why do you do this to me? :P
5687760
because I care :D
I'll be honest, I was deeply conflicted when I saw Scribbler's reading of Sail... pop up. Not because of any slight towards Scribber, her readings are always excellent, and whenever I've had the privilege of her reading a fic of mine, it's given me a new perspective on the piece in question. This was particularly the case for 'Again'.
My mixed feelings were due entirely to the fact that I don't particularly like to look back on work this old. Sail is over a decade old at this point, I am a fundamentally different writer and person to when it came out. I have tried to read it to see how it is, and I find myself irritated by the prose, annoyed by its clumsiness in comparison to newer, better pieces of writing of mine, and I inevitably barely get even a paragraph in before stopping. Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I haven't taken more pieces down. I've taken a couple down, but not things like Sail... or Selfishness of Love, and I wonder why that is. The site wouldn't miss them afaik, I certainly wouldn't. If they embarrass me so much, surely it's better to just get them off my page and chuck them out.
And yet I've never been able to make myself get rid of them.
Suffice to say, when I saw you had reviewed the piece, I had that same conflict. I look forward to your review blogs and love hearing your thoughts on my pieces whenever one ends up on the docket, however I find people looking at my older work embarrassing, at times. When anything it getting reviewed, as a creator you always want to take the reigns and insist the piece that most superlatively represents whatever creative vision you might have be reviewed.
However, seeing you review it well and get some enjoyment out of it adds more weight to the pile of reasons to not get rid of the story from the site. I guess it's easier for us to simply, and more purely, enjoy pieces of writing for what they are when we don't have all those thoughts about what the piece might mean in the 'story' of where we're going as a writer, and where we were. Maybe, the real way to evaluate the older pieces of your own work is to just remember where you were when you did write it, as opposed to where you are now.
Thanks for the review mate, I appreciate the kind words, and despite my own deep confliction as to the piece, I'm glad you were able to get some enjoyment out of it!
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And just think, if someone were some kind of weird fanfiction-reading completionist (no idea what that's like), they might want to start reading your first stories and continue on up through your body of work. :)