Wednesday 10 February 2016

Ponyfic Roundup 94: We've Followed Mr Spoon

I see that Smile HD etc have been zapped by Hasbro. I'm not in favour of censorship, but I can't bring myself to be devastated as I've never liked that sort of video anyway. Back to ponyfic, and now that my latest bug has relaxed its grip just a little bit, I've been able to do a spot of reading and reviewing. Which is quite handy, given what this post is actually for! Five fics have been perused for your delight and delectation this week, and they are:

Analemma by Miller Minus
The Stars Will Aid in Her Escape by dragonjek
Princess Celestia's Newest Arch Enemy by naturalbornderpy
Letters by Coronet the lesser
All of It, for Her by Pav Feira

Analemma by Miller Minus
Celestia, Luna and Other
Mystery/Slice of Life; 12k words; Nov–Dec 2015; Everyone
Once every month, a mare appears on a remote beach, far from her home. She plays, she reads, she sleeps, and she wastes precious, precious time.
A clever, well written mystery, inducted into the RCL, told from the point of view of... well, that's the puzzle. The narrative voice is distinctive and interesting, in a way I don't think I've seen before, and there are just enough clues to work out who's talking if you pay attention to the story. Celestia's part in it is enigmatic, but again it becomes clearer as time goes on. This is warmly recommended, and though probably a one-time read, you'll enjoy that one time. ★★★★

The Stars Will Aid in Her Escape by dragonjek
Celestia, Luna, Twilight Velvet and Night Light
Slice of Life; 3k words; May 2015; Teen
Twilight Sparkle is the result of centuries of careful manipulations by the Princess of Equestria with the end goal of freeing the Mare in the Moon. Of course, it is difficult to affect ponies from space; control of dreams was most helpful.
The story's description gives a fair idea of where this one is going, and it does so pretty solidly. Nightmare Moon's scheming is shown to be pleasingly subtle, and despite the story being fairly long on exposition it rarely feels heavy. The ending is a little predictable, but you'll be left wondering about all sorts of potential consequences. ★★★

Princess Celestia's Newest Arch Enemy by naturalbornderpy
Celestia, Luna and OC
Comedy/Random/Slice of Life; 5k words; Dec 2015; Everyone
When a colt named "Bad Dude" storms into Celestia's personal study and declares himself as her latest arch enemy, the Princess can't help but nearly gush from the sight. But is there more to "Bad Dude" than his cute exterior would suggest?
This reminds me of Akumokagetsu's Evil Belle (PR 10), but it's more consistently entertaining. If you find the notion of a "secret soup phone" amusing, then you'll like this. (If you don't, you may want to reassess your life.) There's a bonus chapter which is worth reading, but not quite up to the standard of the main story. Very silly, very cute and all-round fun. ★★★★

Letters by Coronet the lesser
Twilight, Celestia and Luna
Romance/Sad; 5k words; Oct 2015; Everyone
Celestia receives a letter from Twilight. The first in a long time. It makes her think...
Set after the CMC receive their cutie marks – and Celestia receives a letter from Twilight about that – this is a "lonely Tia" story first and foremost. She misses Twilight's company, but tells herself that her erstwhile pupil is her own pony now. I'm not a great fan of TwiLestia, and this fic is telly even for me, so it didn't do a great deal for me. It's perfectly competent for what it is; I just don't particularly like what it is. ★★

All of It, for Her by Pav Feira
Cranky Doodle Donkey and OC
Romance/Sad; 4k words; Oct 2014; Everyone
Another day. Another town. But I won't rest until I find her. Come too far to toss in the towel already.
Another RCL story, not to mention the Royal Guard, EQD, etc etc. Cranky has been searching for Matilda for 35 years now, and he sounds like it. Actually, that's a big reason for reading this: it has probably the best-written Cranky I've seen. His interactions with other characters, one in particular, are also very nicely realised. The author ties things into Cranky's canon debut with a lovely, light touch, too. It's a very satisfying read indeed, and it deserves its accolades. ★★★★★

Next time on Ponyfic Roundup, stories reviewed will include 8686's Winning, and Why and The Abyss's Sibling Snuggles.

6 comments:

  1. Secret soup phones! :D I can't wait till the sequel is done.

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    1. I just hope it's not going to be another This Platinum Crown, that's all. :P

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  2. I just cannot fathom what people see in Princess Celestia's Newest Arch Enemy. It's definitely got some kind of quality that eludes me. I also really dislike Evil Belle, so maybe I'm just missing the correct synapses.

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    1. Sounds like it. Evil Belle was only a three-star fic on my current scale, but I still enjoyed it. I've been in your position, but with other types of fics -- most notably, I almost never find trollfics anything other than searingly dull.

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    2. I really liked Arch-Enemy, but at the same time, I recognize it as the kind of appeal to cuteness fic that dominated the early days of this fandom. Stuff like Progress that created the "Luna and her abacus" trope; secret soup phones is along the same lines. So you really can't be blamed for not liking it. Don't feel bad. :)

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    3. I've never actually read Progress, apart from the first chapter. Maybe I'll get round to it eventually. Or not. :P

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