Ponyfic Roundup 299

Read it Later story count: 207 (-1)

Here goes with the final regular edition of Ponyfic Roundup before I reach the big three-oh-oh. If you're especially anxious to see what I'll be doing for PR 300... then you'll have to wait, as I'm keeping it a surprise! However, there's a small clue in the "Next time" text at the end. In the meantime, here are the three stories that I've been looking at this week.

Collaborators by Baal Bunny
Literary Foray by hester1
Free by Martian

★: 0 | ★★: 0 | ★★★: 1 | ★★★★: 2 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I find average scores two stars.

Collaborators by Baal Bunny
Daring Do, Ahuizotl and Other
Slice of Life; 10k words; Nov 2014; Everyone

Ahuizotl threatens to sue A. K. Yearling for libel unless she stops writing the Daring Do books. She makes him a counter-offer.

Daring's nemesis shows up at the Random Horse publishing house and causes trouble. Yearling asks Ahuizotl to work with her on her next book, imagining he'll refuse. He accepts. The two head for her cabin in the woods and spend plenty of time trying to collaborate, learning things about the pair of them that they'd never imagined. As do we. It's funny and touching and heart-warming and even suspenseful, and Ahuizotl's secret is both startling and perfectly suited to him. It's nicely paced and the author's real-world writing experience has clearly informed some of the comments about the publishing world. That's really my one small criticism: that there are just a couple too many scenes of Yearling explaining about writing in detail to Ahuizotl. It's a minor complaint, though, and as an overall package this is very satisfying stuff. ★★★★

Literary Foray by hester1
Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Discord and Mane Six
Romance/Comedy; 10k words; Jun 2013; Everyone

Rainbow Dash has resigned herself to hiding her feelings for Twilight Sparkle. Discord decides to help her reveal them. Nothing can possibly go wrong.

This author was on Fimfiction for two and a half months in 2013 and then disappeared. I reviewed their Decisions quite favourably last year (PR 237) and this is their only other fic. Happily, it's also good – actually, very good considering it was written for a contest where the whole first chapter was dictated – it was the prompt. Rainbow likes (as in likes) Twilight, who handily he's teaching how to fly; note the publication date. How can he get through to her? Books! This story is a great deal of fun, and it has some absolutely fizzing dialogue, especially in the middle section. It doesn't hurt that Discord (of the just-reformed variety) is considerably better written than the average for him. Spike, Rarity and Applejack are also used very nicely. It's a shame that the ending is perhaps not one of the story's strongest parts, but this is still well worth the read. ★★★★

Free by Martian
Fluttershy
Slice of Life; 5k words; Dec 2012; Everyone

Break the bonds.

As you may have guessed from that minimal description, this isn't quite a normal story. It's one of those little pieces that's part character study, part writing exercise. As the character is Fluttershy, and the story is pinpointed as being set just after "Hurricane Fluttershy", a hard act to follow indeed, my interest was thoroughly piqued. It's a very pleasant read, too. PoweredByTea in the Fimfiction comments calls is "a sort of prose poetry" and I can see what they mean. That writing does fringe on excessive purplitude at times, and the story's final scene will probably divide opinions, but as a way of just spending time with Fluttershy you could do a great deal worse than this piece. ★★★

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Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: issue 300! I'll have be reviewing more fics than I have done in quite a while – and I'll be returning to the heart of what got me into ponyfic in the first place. Watch this space!