Read it Later story count: 99 (+2)
My life becomes ever more thrilling. Today, as this goes up, I have my Covid booster jab. Important, yes, but it involves a fairly dull journey to a fairly dull town in what promises to be fairly dull weather. Thank Celestia for the magical world of Equestria, where everything is all sunshine and rainbows! Well, usually. In the first of this week's stories, not so much...
Diamond in the Darkness by Sharaloth
Chrysalis Works at Quills and Sofas by Majin Syeekoh
Her Brother Doesn't Talk Much by Alpha Scorpii
★: 0 | ★★: 0 | ★★★: 3 | ★★★★: 0 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I find average scores two stars.
Diamond Tiara
Dark/Alternate Universe; 9k words; Jun 2015; Teen
A despairing Diamond Tiara is brought down into the darkness. A Fallen World Vignette.
Set in the world of the same author's The Archer and the Smith (PR 165), this is a considerably darker story despite the same background (which, as there, is never fully explained). Something awful has happened and the world is now dark and dangerous. Diamond Tiara, trying to escape to... anywhere, really... is rescued from death by diamond dogs. The price is high: enslavement in their mines. She works there for years, hidden from view and from the sun, until at length she comes to the attention of a servant of the world's brutal pony leader. It's not especially hard to guess who that is well before the actual appearance, so this fic is more about the atmosphere. It has that in spades – but the tone is almost relentlessly dark and despairing, so even at this length it's a tough read. Well written, though, and you feel you're there with Diamond. A high three, because I just found it too gloomy and gruelling to like it more than that. ★★★
Chrysalis Works at Quills and Sofas by Majin Syeekoh
Twilight, Rarity and Chrysalis
Slice of Life; 1k words; Dec 2014; Everyone
Twilight finds out that Chrysalis works at Quills and Sofas.
That's the story, really. It's one of those one-joke fics, though it's a fun enough read while you're working your brief way through it. Some pleasant if not enormously memorable dialogue, and it's well edited and solidly written. It doesn't seem entirely sure how funny it wants to be (note the lack of a [Comedy] tag) and I think I might have preferred if it had gone all-out on that score. It's still very enjoyable, and I don't have much trouble giving it a three. Just don't expect to be rolling around on the carpet. ★★★
Her Brother Doesn't Talk Much by Alpha Scorpii
Apple Bloom and Big Mac
Slice of Life; 1k words; Nov 2012; Everyone
But she doesn't care.
Do you like cute, heart-warming fics about Apple Family love? Yes? Then this may well be right up your street. Set a couple of years before the start of FiM, this fic sees Apple Bloom as a younger filly demonstrating how much she loves her big brother. In the Fimf comments, Themaskedferret notes that the way this reads is reminiscent of a picture book – albeit without the pictures. I found this a charming story, and with illustrations it could have been a minor classic. Even as it stands, if you're looking for something to make you go, "Awww" then this is likely to hit the spot. A high three. ★★★
Next time, stories featured should include Singularity Dream's comedy Ponyville Chess Club and Mail Swap
Interesting mix of tones and textures this week, and all of them sound intriguing for completely different reasons. Thanks for another great instalment, and good luck with your dull jab journey!
ReplyDelete