Glenda is Stygian's biggest fan in Griffonstone. (Not that there was much competition.)
Set a year or two after Twilight's Coronation and many years before the finale episode. Contains no S9 spoilers.
Note: M-rated sequel, "Beaks and Talons," available here.
Glenda is from the wonderful comic "The Convocation of the Creatures."
Winner of "Most well-written story" in the May Pairings Contest 2021.
Every single sentence this author wrote made the story come to life in a BIG way! I didn't once feel like I was reading a story. I felt like I was experiencing it, like I was right there, in the characters' shoes, feeling what they were feeling, seeing what they were seeing. It also helped me to get a better understanding of each character and love them on a deeper level. For example, let's take one paragraph from the story:
...
This kind of vivid imagery is found throughout the entire story, and the characters' voices help bring out their personality in meaningful ways that help you bond with them, to learn to love them beyond what the comics or cartoon give you. This was a no-brainer as the most well-written story in the contest.
Big thanks to Aragón for help with story structure, Wolfjack for trout en papillote, and Steel Quill, Krack-Fic Kai, Sledge115, and Nitro Indigo for prereading.
Cover art via commission with Harwick. I love it and it is far better than I ever envisioned or deserved.
Oh yeah. That comic. Not the worst by far. But still dumb in every way possible.
Story is... Meh 😑.
I’ve been curious to see the story, and it didn’t disappoint! Glenda is a charmer, and the various touches of Griffon culture (current and long past) were full of fun and rich world-building, as were the little species touches that came from Glenda’s mix. Good stuff!
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Big thanks! I still say the art is the biggest draw, though!
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Well, the closest thing you have to a good story is an utterly generic three wishes story that's been told a million times, so who cares what you think?
This concerns me. Here I always thought that when I dive-bombed a cat and its tail went all poofy, that meant the cat was upset and scared and angry. But now you seem to suggest I'm giving them ANOTHER kind of excitement.
You forgot to add the comic tag.
Anyway, I'm not into romance, but I still enjoyed this thanks to all the worldbuilding. Also, you nailed Stygian's voice.
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It's good then I could care less what people think of what I write or comment.
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Yup. Exactly.
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Thanks!
I had a fantastic time going over this and found myself really enjoying Glenda as a character. I never even read the comics, but reading this story alone made me appreciate her and like her a lot. Keep up the great work!
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Then why are you here you're just one of those people who just complains about everything but yet when people complains about your story you just dismissed it
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Huzzah! Thanks for the words and the preread!
griffoness x male pony? SIGN ME UP!
I adore this. Stygian and Glenda are both just so, so earnest it's hard not to smile seeing them stumble over one another. It's beautiful and adorable both. I particularly enjoyed Glenda discovering her kind's legacy with Stygian's aid here, it really sells their relationship. As I've mentioned to you, I also really liked that bookreading scene. It sealed the deal.
A lovely story
Best of luck in the contest!
This was fun. Stygian is quite rare in ships, and his dynamic with Glenda was bright. I actually paired him with Alice (the reindeer) as a side bit in probably my least-read fic, but this works too. There were a couple points in their extended conversation where the topic shifts felt too abrupt, but that's not a dealbreaker.
Well this was a pretty interesting story and awesome to see Glenda getting more recognition after her appearances in the comic and pretty interesting that stygian used to live in griffonstone and they have a pretty nice conversation with each other this was a pretty unique story with those two keep up the good work
Interesting. Very interesting. This is a pairing I never thought of before, but I was willing to give it a chance, and I'm glad that I did, for I liked what I read.
Yay! \^w^/ I being wanting to read this story since you mention it on the discord server. Now is that is finally out I can wait to give it a read (the problem is that I’m still at work so I will sadly have to wait T_T)
This is just wonderful. I have been looking forward to it since you mentioned it on discord. The details you go into are amazing.
Quite literally!
Yes, yes, we get it, Stygian, you're over a thousand years old and yet still young.
I was actually just a tad disappointed the story didn't follow up on this, even if just in passing, because I was sort of curious as to what Grimdark's end fate was in that little debacle. I'm sure he survived to admire Gilda's bum again another day, certainly, but still.
Really? Because that's Spanish, modified directly from the original Latin, and not really of any real relation to English (of which Ponish is clearly just the MLP equivalent) of any era.
Not that it matters, of course, it just struck me as an interesting choice.
Oh, Stygian, I wouldn't blame you for that.
...well, at least he mixed it up a little this time.
I am no wine connoisseur...but even I know the faux pas in that.
I mean, might as well just cut to the chase at this point.
This was a wonderful little tale, great little character exploration as well as wonderful world-building--two of my favorite things in storytelling.
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I would respectfully have to disagree then--I thought it actually one of the better stories the comic's done. Tells a tale that feels very much like the sort of tale MLP would tell on all points, but also does what the comic has always been better about doing than even the show itself did--worldbuild. Add in a few nice new characters to boot, and at that point, what's not to like?
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Big thanks!
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Oh, you make a good point, appreciated!
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Big thanks, and appreciate it!
This was a lovely read! Excellent worldbuilding, plenty of glorious nerdery with Glenda and Stygian both, and a really cute romance, too!
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Heh! Actually it's not something written in stone; you just want a red wine without much tannines, as they'll clash with the kind of acidity that suits most fish. A crystal berry wine would probably have the acidic fruitiness that suits the trout & salmon that G & S are having.
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Big thanks!
Also, I'm assuming Stygian knows something Grapeshot doesn't, even if it's just a change in taste over the centuries.
This was wonderful.
And I'm guessing Shadow Spade's books are also secretly autobiographical? I remember reading a story once where it turned out ALL fiction in Equestria was actually autobiographical.
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Thanks!
My intent was that Ms. Noir is just a writer who happened to be a cop, like how John Grisham was a lawyer.
Stygian's eternal tragedy. He can never see himself as the hero.
I love this. I can imagine it like a Star Wars scene where some alien rattles a string of incomprehensible syllables, then caps it off with a mocking "So-lo."
I knew this was coming through the teaser on Estee's Discord, but it still got me.
Fascinating concept with the magically charged wine. One could do a lot with that in cuisine...
Wonderful blend of character interaction and world building, both geographically and historically. Thank you for a great read.
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Thanks for the comment! Much appreciated.
I really like this one. The characters feel really fleshed out and the worldbuilding, past and present is great. You've made really good use of Glenda. Her character design is really neat too.
Gilda still being horrible to other gryphons might need someone sending a letter to some ponies about.
Funnily enough I also go out watching raptors when I can, actually watched a pair of peregrines today.
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Glad you enjoyed! Big thanks.
Cute story
This was adorable!!! I hope to see some more of this pairing.
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And you've shown your mettle with going for personal insults as a starting point. If writing skill was a requirement for commenting here, there'd be very few comments. If you don't like their opinion, it's okay to disagree, but don't be a douche.
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Oh, you don't know morion yet
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Thanks!
I have that comic! And I liked it a lot. I love the way you had these two interact. This was a great read!
This was a very good one-shot.
W-why did it end!?!?
We need more!! I want more!
These two are perfect !
This was actually super cute!
That was adorable, nicely done on the characterisation.
This story had me enthralled from beginning to end. The way you set each scene was masterful. You give enough details to let the reader know what's going on without droning. I felt like I was there with Stygian and Glenda the whole time, and my attention never wavered until the end.
I've never read the comics that feature Glenda, so I went into this story with no idea who she was. In short order, not only did I feel like I knew Glenda, I felt for her and the dreams she has for her life and her people. The way you write Stygian was excellent as well. It can be easy to forget sometimes just how long 1,000 years is in cultural terms, but you demonstrate how Stygian's upbringing has made him different from modern ponies in ways that made me appreciate how he might sometimes feel displaced among his own kind, and yet feel completely at home in Griffonstone.
It was a delight to see these two grow their relationship together, and I was never left bored in their nerdy discussions of history and language. Language learning is one of my hobbies, and you managed to capture the combination of hesitancy and excitement that a language learner gets when presented with someone who truly knows the language.
Those are just a few of the details that you got right in this story. I don't want my review to be longer than the fiction, so I'll just leave it off saying:
Congratulations on winning for Most Well-Written Story! You truly earned it.
Also, side note: props to Harwick for that cover art. Just... wow! We didn't do judging for "Best Cover Art" but I have a feeling that this one would've been a shoe-in. It looks fantastic!
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Huge thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed! I had a lot of fun with this story and I'm glad other people enjoyed it, to. And Harwick is amazing.
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Many thanks, glad you enjoyed!
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more!
we....neeed....more!
That was fun
Man this story was excellent, glad I finale got round to it. These two work so well together and it’s a tone of fun exploring old Griffinstone’s rich history through their eyes. A really unique story to say the least.
Only nitpick that stuck out to me, but probably works better for this story.
Celestia and Luna were still very you kids when the pony of shadows attacked, so there’s no way Discord would have attacked by then.
Overall a great read, abs looking forward to its more Spicy sequel in the bedroom
Lol
I loved the additional backstory for Stygian, and the relationship was fun to watch develop. Great story.
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Thanks for reading!
Nice, but there’s just something odd about the whole package.
Looking forward to a continuation!
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I just published that the other day
[Adult story embed hidden]
This was good fun. Tons of neat worldbuilding and a lot that just makes sense for the characters.