Rarity is an overworked seamstress for a time traveler agency that sends ponies back in time to fix time anomalies. Despite a lack of luck in the romance department, Agent Sentry seems to have some potential, but it all hinges on if that initial spark can be brought forth into a blazing inferno.
And that's why flirting was invented.
An entry in the Crackship Pairing Contest.
This story contains LGBT themes. (Emphasis on Gender-Fluidity and Bisexual).
This story is inspired by the time agency seamstress video.
Preread by The Sleepless Beholder and mushroompone.
Chapters (4)
Fantastic premise and cover art! Although Flash sentry looks like the meme about the jawbone Hitch
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They can become the Flashing Chin and Hitch chin and fight strange chin-themed enemies together.
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Still would be less weirder than whatever the fuck is going on in centaur world
(Which you should go watch)
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Already did
<puts on sunglasses>
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Cool I need to start up the third episode already but I'm waiting to watch with a friend
I believe one of these needs to be removed.
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Gosh darnnit, my bad. Thanks for pointing it out
Awesome work so far, keep it up
Well isn't this a cute little story~
I do love how Rarity and Curio were incorporated fairly as two halves of the same whole. And freaking super dork Flash, just oh man what a cutie.
Awwww, so cute!
This is my first time experiencing your Flash Sentry and it is glorious.
I swear this story has been on the chopping block for Celestia knows how long. Well, I finally got around to reading this. I have to say, I’m not usually one for romance, but this story was immensely charming.
The framing device of the clothing styles was very, very well done, as a fan of history lessons in general, I really love what you did with the worldbuilding here. In addition, the way all the styles that the chapter titles emphasize are used to show Rarity/Curio’s feelings felt natural. You felt like you were going through Rarity/Curio’s mind as they connected these styles to the story.
Love how the chapter introductions were done. It has an experimental flavor to it, which really just means I don’t see a lot of people use that formatting often.
The characters were also written very well. I loved Flash Sentry pulling slang from several different time periods, including the modern day, a funny occurance, but not complicated enough that I found myself getting lost. Also, Rarity/Curio just has that flair of dramatics that you’d expect the character to have.
If I had some little problems with the story, I’d say that the italics could’ve been used less in the first chapter’s introduction, but that’s a personal thing. I know you used it to show how much emphasis Rarity/Curio put over multiple words, but there were just a lot of them.
Overall though, this was a really good story. It looks like you got hit with the Enby Dislike Curse though, and that’s unfortunate. However, the story definitely doesn’t deserve those dislikes. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And yes this particular style of writing I've used only once prior (Flashbang) and it is a pain to write since I have to write incredibly tight theming to make the whole thing workout.
Also, yeah. I use italics... a lot, and with Rarity/Curio I tend to overdo it. Oops.
Anygay, just glad you liked it!
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I loved all of this deeply, though the third chapter especially for... reasons.
It really is the best, and also most forward, flirting I think I've read recently. Perfect for a goofy himbo like Flash to be assaulted with.
I hope we get to see more of this relationship some day. Flash and Rarity/Curio deserve to be happy timehorses. Kissing each other throughout the eras. Or just in the one era. Just more kissing.
Though if you ever make Flash say pog again my vengeance will be swift and ceaseless. I will take Flash away from you.
ooh, love how the names themselves are worked into the duality like this. i was wondering how the prim, proper, and transatlantic-accented Rarity could be the peasant in this analogy, since that is not what i would associate her with, but this is really clever! Rarity is the peasant because she is free to express herself as fully as she can, and indeed does so. fascinating!
this is so thick with Rarityesque melodrama i could eat it with a spoon, and i love that! as well as finding it very relatable, especially the dramatics of it. suffering such indignities, indeed!
well, now i know that i am in for quite a ride!
that pincushion bun is a very fun mental image, and such a great detail to underscore her exhaustion here
always love to see a "worst possible thing" in a Rarity fic! and indeed, making it accessible would be the worst possible thing
oh, hey, there was a Youtube video about this!
augh, love this line! i love Rarity so much
dang, maybe i should try this lifehack myself
hey, i know that slang!
haha, never heard that one before! very fun
pog
looking forward to how this comes up later!
love this historical tidbit, love it when eponyms are given pony-specific etymologies
also love this connection drawn between military tactics and fashion! feels somehow appropriate for a story featuring Rarity/Curio and Flash Sentry
perfect name!
oh no, things are never good when one invents a set of dating rules with initials...
well, they are very healthy rules so far!
love it
noooooo never reel in the slang! :pinkiewhy:
this felt like a very Rarity way to express consternation
hehe, love this!
this sounds so ridiculously disproportionate, yet at the same time, so very much like an early Sweetie Belle thing to do. and this brings in the worldbuilding conceit into Rarity/Curio's backstory, nice!
and yes! i imagine this is how "Magical Mystery Cure" even begins to make sense as a story
the older i get, the truer i realize this is. and it makes sense for Rarity to not get it, this being her first job out of grad school!
oof, this is one lonely Flash Sentry!
i would certainly want to be friends with such a pony
gottem!
nice
loving this notion of a "Princess Republic"
that would, indeed, be very spiteful!
auauagh love this
this stallion ties
oof! i can definitely see both of them not taking the steps to not be overworked because of their loneliness issues, for their respective reasons. maybe this ties into Curio's idea that rejection is preferable to pity? they really do have a lot in common, here!
hehe, love this line!
augh, love this cultural worldbuilding! pony society definitely has a very interesting relationship with clothing
oof, i really love this passage! it feels like a love letter to pony culture, and augh, i really wish i lived there instead of here!
and of the bits relating a fashion period to Rarity/Curio's current internal state about their pursuit of Flash, this one is by far my favorite. but that makes sense, because the whole thing brought this emotional core that i could really feel resonate with myself. and it is just so wonderfully Rarity/Curio to have a perspective that lets them analogize between the two
also, i love the phrase "modern mare" for some reason. there's a very nice alliteration and rhythm to it!
hehe, that is pretty ironic
oof!
somehow, this scene already feels very charged, in the best of ways
oof, love how this is Flash's unknowing answer to Rarity/Curio's worries and anxieties earlier in the chapter. it's a great way to seal their connection right before the story's conclusion
and this is just adorable! Rarity's response to Flash being Flash is definitely a good sign that the FROD has served her well, here!
thinking back on this story, what strikes me is that it's a bit of a "bottle fic", with all scenes taking place within Rarity/Curio's workshop, and Flash being the only character that is present as opposed to being a reference. just like with Flashbang, i loved the introductory sections of cultural and historical worldbuilding that comments on the progress of the romance. can't get enough of that structure! and the time-traveling magical seamstress for a time-traveling magical agency was a really fun concept to see set in the world of MLP, which you did an excellent job of here.
and of course, having an in-story excuse to make Flash's dialogue be at times incomprehensibly slang-filled was joy to watch, and your Rarity/Curio is to die for with their wit.
i really liked the origins of Curio, and how the fic explored the differences between Curio and Rarity from their perspective. Rarity was a fantastic choice for this, as her deliberately cultivated femininity screams for its aristocratically masculine counterpart. and the vulnerability! Rarity is the only pony (besides Fluttershy) to show embarrassment at being naked, after all! you really stuck the landing with that in the last chapter, bringing a strong finish to this fun journey. thank you for it!
Neat start! Is Rarity/Curio supposed to be genderfluid here, or have multiple personalities?
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Genderfluid, though the split will be a bit better explained later
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I figured that out, yes. Probably should have read the description. 😅
This ended up having far more emotional depth than I expected, beautiful work. Rarity's philosophy on people's relationship with clothing actually reminds me of Kill la Kill, funnily enough, in that baring the self takes courage, and that people shouldn't be slaves to clothing.
Clever. I like this worldbuilding a lot.
This was fun! I liked the period-based structure of each of the chapters, really tied the whole story together. I kept waiting for the story to move outside of Rarity/Curio's dressing room, but can't complain too much, with all the tension in those fitting scenes.
Also, Rarity/Curio themself was a whole lot of fun! I didn't know I needed genderfluid Rarity in my life, but now I'll be mildly disappointed every fic I read where it isn't the case. Good work!
I've always loved the time agency seamstress tumblr post, so happy to see it in pony form! Great use of fashion through the ages to tell your story.
It was a cut and enjoyable read
Lovely stuff. Heck of a way to discover one’s gender fluidity. You make everything work fantastically. The themes of history, hindsight, and daring to move forward into an unknown future are captured outstandingly. The only constant is change. The trick is learning how to embrace that.
Thank you for a great read. Best of luck in the judging.
As someone who's bisexual and genderfluid this was joy to read.
The actual word for this would be a crowned republic, if I’m reading things right.