Read it Later story count: 188 (+1)
Well, if real life isn't coming back for six months, then made-up life will have to fill in the gap. That at least is nothing to fear in the wonderful world of ponyfic! Three more stories under the somewhat battered magnifying glass this week:
Empty Nest by The Descendant
Future Considerations by Chris
Mise en Abyme by Slavoj Zizek
★: 0 | ★★: 0 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I find average scores two stars.
Empty Nest by The Descendant
Mr Cake, Mrs Cake, Pinkie Pie and Cake Twins
Sad/Slice of Life; 9k words; Aug 2014; Everyone
It just struck me that this was TD's final published ponyfic – and that it's now more than six years old. Anyway, the setup here is simple: the twins went off to college yesterday, and for the first time in 20 years their parents have the house to themselves. Even with Pinkie still around it's hard – and even she has moved out now and is married with foals. Although I have no way of knowing for sure, this feels like quite a personal tale. I'm not sure many people could have written this, at least not in quite this fashion, if they hadn't had the "kids flying the nest" experience for themselves. I'd guess it will also resonate most strongly with readers who've been through it, though others can certainly appreciate the story too. This is a clear-eyed yet sympathetic look at the Cakes trying to come to terms with their new situation; it's heartbreaking at times. Pinkie provides a key insight in a rather early-series way, but one that nevertheless treats her character with respect. ★★★★Yesterday had been a very, very hard day for the Cakes. Today will be worse.
Future Considerations by Chris
OCs
Drama; 4k words; Apr 2018; Everyone
It's hard to get a group of politicians to agree on something. Even when they all agree.Most of this fic consists of a conversation between a highly experienced party whip and slightly idealistic MP Gypsy Moth. Gypsy represents the Party of Celestia's Rural Laborers, who hold the balance of power in the Equestrian House of Commons. This is very much one for those who enjoy talky political satire along the lines of Yes Minister. Fortunately, I am one such! I'm not sure whether the details are modelled on any particular real-world legislature. Some seem a bit Canadian, such as the use of "Bill 1002AC-143" rather than the British-style "Suchandsuch Bill" – though if so, Chris missed a horse pun by not using the Canadian "riding" instead of "district"! (He makes up for it with the sublime "fillybuster".) The dialogue won't be startlingly new if you've read this kind of fic before, but Chris handles it with aplomb. Possibly even twoplombs. ★★★
Mise en Abyme by Slavoj Zizek
Twilight
Slice of Life; 2k words; Nov 2014; Teen
At a hotel cafe, Twilight Sparkle meets herself traveling in the opposite direction.This is the author who gave us the excellent but disturbing Let Me Tell You About the Hole in My Face (PR 83). That one really struck a chord with me. This one, not quite so much, perhaps because I don't really understand what the author is trying to say. No, not even after reading the end A/N explaining. It's about the self and whether/how it matters, but I'm not sure I really grasped the story as I'd have liked to. Happily the Twilights' interaction was nicely done and the distinctions between the two subtle but definite. I did enjoy the ride, hence the three-star rating, but I felt a bit more stupid than I did delighted at the end, hence no higher than a three-star rating. ★★★
Next time on Ponyfic Roundup: the first Spotlight edition in aaaaages! I'll be taking a look at Georg's Drifting Down the Lazy River.
I've never known Descendant to talk about having or had a wife and kids, and yet his Cake stories have such a strong personal touch, it's hard to believe he hadn't at any point. :C
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know almost nothing about TD's life outside Pony, and I'm fine with that -- but as you say, this really did feel like it was drawing on some personal experience.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed! I wrote Future Considerations for a contest that revolved around writing a story in someone else's style, and the writer who I drew mostly wrote dark action and cynical political stuff. Neither of those are areas I had much writing experience in, but I decided that putting a comical bent on the latter (very much a la Yes Minister, as you saw) was something I was up for.
ReplyDeleteI now wish I had more specifically based the parliament on a particular real-world one, but in fact, I made it all up whole-cloth. As you say, missed a good pun along the way :( Thanks for the review!