Read it Later story count: 339 (+2)
Back to a regular mixed bag of fics this week, and I'm afraid we're back down to four stories. I couldn't concentrate properly while my back was at its worst, so I just ran out of time to read any more. Under review today are:
Dear Sweetie Belle by Jade Ring
Tantabus, Mk. II by Rambling Writer
The Prisoner of Zebra by Tumbleweed
When Space Met Time by Impossible Numbers
★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Dear Sweetie Belle by Jade Ring
Rarity, Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy
Drama/Sad; 5k words; Oct 2012; Everyone
Rarity writes Sweetie Belle a letter revealing her true origins.Have you worked it out already? Because I did as soon as I read the story description. I'm pretty sure this isn't headcanon you'd see in a fic today, except maybe from a really new writer, but this was written in 2012. We get the time-honoured format of sections of the letter alternating with little flashbacks. As stories with this setup go, it's quite readable, if extremely predictable, and points for not having crossings-out in the letter. It's a real shame about the end, though, which is one hay of a tonal handbrake-turn and just doesn't belong in this story. ★★
Tantabus, Mk. II by Rambling Writer
Twilight/Luna/OC/Tantabus
Comedy/Drama/Random/Slice of Life; 16k words; Feb 2016; Everyone
An attempt by Luna to update the Tantabus to spread good dreams has a few unexpected results. Self-aware ones.This is the fic that didn't get into PR 200 on account of its author already being featured there. This story is a bit scattergun, but most of the shots do find a mark and it does succeed in giving the new Tantabus a personality of its own. As this is set in the dream world, don't go in expecting everything to be logical – not waking-world logical, anyway. I find it slightly odd that neither Luna nor Twilight had considered that the new Tantabus would be aware of its artificiality, but it doesn't really harm the story. A very funny callback to a well-remembered scene in the show's dream world, too. ★★★
The Prisoner of Zebra by Tumbleweed
Flash Sentry, Carrot Top, Changelings, Fancy Pants and Zebra
Romance/Adventure/Comedy; 23k words; Nov 2016–Mar 2017; Teen
Flash Sentry: hero, heart breaker ... and self-admitted coward. For the first time, he details his own undeserved rise to heroism (as well as the trouble such a reputation brings him) in his own words.Although not strictly a crossover, this story will probably be enjoyed most by those familiar with George Macdonald Fraser's Flashman Papers series, as Flash here is very much modelled on that series' antihero. The writing style also hews very close to its inspiration, even down to the footnotes. This is done so well, in fact, that the odd blatant Americanism was actually quite jarring! The story is not to be taken too seriously and the comedy is fairly broad, but treat it as a rollicking good yarn told by an extremely unreliable narrator and it's plenty of fun. Carrot Top (well, Golden Harvest) is used in a way I've never seen before, and it works really well. This might even be a four-star fic if you're a devoted Flashman fan. ★★★
When Space Met Time by Impossible Numbers
Minuette and Twinkleshine
Slice of Life; 3k words; Feb 2018; Everyone
Twinkleshine met the universe one night, and they became instant friends. It took longer to meet a friend closer to home.Written with no direct speech at all, yet saying plenty, this is a really nice look at the backstory of these two ponies, concentrating on Twinkleshine's perspective. It's full of the wonder of the universe – and lots of satisfying little details about astronomy and telescopes and the like – but also a reminder of how devotion to one thing can mean neglect of something else important. It's quite emotionally restrained, which puts a new spin on Minuette's character, but this is very effective, especially when something unexpected is revealed late on. Very few negatives – one little thing I wasn't convinced by relating to Minuette's name, and another one that's probably my fault in that I don't get an apparent joke. An excellent story, regardless; sweet and satisfying. A strong four-star rating and happily recommended. ★★★★
Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: stories reviewed will include Horse Voice's Krastos the Glue Maker. Oh yes they will!
Ha ha, you're not slipping under the radar this time, Loganberry. Not like the time with [i]The Web Untangled[/i]. :D
ReplyDeleteOkey dokey, let's take a looksy...
"Written with no direct speech at all, yet saying plenty,"
It's funny how many people have said this. Without implying I could aim that high, it reminds me of the opening of Pixar's Up: how so much is conveyed without a word of dialogue. Speaking more broadly, I don't know what makes dialogue-free depictions work so well - perhaps the focus on stronger non-verbal cues makes a work seem more expressive and vibrant? - but it's a principle I go back to from time to time. When I remember to, of course.
"this is a really nice look at the backstory of these two ponies, concentrating on Twinkleshine's perspective."
Personally, I'm just glad to give these two more attention. Twinkleshine-Minuette has been in the show since Season One, and yet gets so little attention. Plenty of untapped potential there, especially for me, given how simple it was to link Twinkleshine's cutie mark with the greater field of astronomy.
"It's full of the wonder of the universe – and lots of satisfying little details about astronomy and telescopes and the like –"
Yes! That's exactly what I wanted to emphasize. Much as it impinges on Twinkleshine's behaviour elsewhere, can you really blame her when astronomy is just so rich and mind-boggling? My main concern during those passages was to make them detailed enough for a reader to appreciate, but elegant enough that the reader isn't bogged down with technical details.
(Although I confess I couldn't resist a silly horse pun with one of the pieces of equipment near the end).
"but also a reminder of how devotion to one thing can mean neglect of something else important."
I like to think there are complications in there too. For instance, Twinkleshine's passion for astronomy actually proves to be a way for her to find common ground with Minuette. And Minuette's blithe and overbearing approach to socializing is just as much to blame, since she makes it harder than it needs to be for Twinkleshine to open up to her.
"It's quite emotionally restrained, which puts a new spin on Minuette's character,"
Does it? I'm not sure what you mean here. If anything, I thought Minuette's characterization was pretty unremarkable by fandom standards, especially after "Amending Fences" sort of "standardized" her personality.
"but this is very effective, especially when something unexpected is revealed late on."
I don't want to sound clueless, but I'm genuinely not sure what you're referring to here. Current best guess is it's Minuette's observation in the final scene, but I'm not sure.
"Very few negatives – one little thing I wasn't convinced by relating to Minuette's name, and one that's probably my fault in that I don't get an apparent joke."
No, that was intended as a character note. Firstly because Twinkleshine doesn't particularly care enough at that point to get it right, and secondly because it tied in to her "arcminutes, archours" bit with Sideways earlier (compare the description of Upsy and Sideways, for instance, with Twinkleshine - the straightforward one - and Minuette - the really weird one). Though I'm guessing I didn't convey that as well as I'd expected, judging from your response.
"An excellent story, regardless; sweet and satisfying. A strong four-star rating and happily recommended."
Supremely delighted you enjoyed the story so much. Four stars is a true badge of honour, and a [i]strong[/i] four stars is something else entirely. Thank you. n.n
Also, how do you format italics? I thought it was square brackets, but clearly not.
DeleteAnd while I'm at it, good luck whittling the list down to 100. I don't mean that in a sarcastic way; it's always a good idea to get a to-do list down to a more manageable level.
Regular ol' HTML. :B
DeleteRight, let's get going! I don't have anything much to say about the first part of your reply, so let's start from:
DeleteMuch as it impinges on Twinkleshine's behaviour elsewhere, can you really blame her when astronomy is just so rich and mind-boggling?
Nope. I was a kid in the time of the Voyager probes and the first Space Shuttles, and once my family had a video I watched most editions of The Sky at Night. Sadly, there was another side to this, which was that the first non-personal tragedy I really understood was the Challenger disaster in 1986. To this day, though, I still have a very soft spot for space. (Twilight writing about comets back in "Owl's Well That Ends Well" may be my favourite part of that episode, which otherwise leaves me rather cold.)
Does it? I'm not sure what you mean here.
Maybe "perspective" would have been a better word than "spin". Minuette may not be different, but seeing her bounciness from Twinkleshine's perspective, as something less jolly and even rather annoying, isn't something we've had in the show.
I don't want to sound clueless, but I'm genuinely not sure what you're referring to here.
Spoiler alert!
When we get to enter Minuette's house. I'd blithely assumed that we'd get clichéd Canterlot middle-class: a spotless, rather posh house, perhaps with a servant or two. Not cobwebs on the walls and papers on the floor. It worked, but it wasn't what I'd expected.
No, that was intended as a character note.
Hmm, I'm guilty of ambiguous phrasing, which I'll fix in a moment. I didn't think "Minute" was a joke – I'm just not entirely convinced that, even allowing for her lack of interest in conventional socialising, Twinkleshine would make that particular error. If she'd lost contact and hadn't seen Minuette for years, possibly. Given the sort of names ponies have even in canon, "Minute" itself isn't a problem.
The joke I didn't get was "A tiny jaw, not used to jutting, and against a big world, so used to jutting it probably kept catalogues." I get the point of the line, but "catalogues"? I thought of star catalogues, but it still doesn't seem to fit with "jutting".
And of course you're welcome. Thank you for writing it.
I am going to assume the title means midichlorians from Trafalgar. :B
ReplyDelete"get the RiL list down to about 100"
I don't know what this means. All the reading I've been doing lately has gotten mine under 8000, though! :D
It'd be fun, but the title is actually a Vonnegut reference. :)
Delete