New curator: JohnPerry

04 Wednesday Jun 2014

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One of our founding curators, Benman, has chosen to step back from the Library.  While he has expressed interest in continuing to contribute to the RCL, he will no longer be reading or evaluating stories for us.  We’re all grateful to Ben for his leadership in the early days of the project — he was truly the driving force behind the Library, and it speaks very well of him that he had the vision to assemble a team and design a process that has outlasted his direct influence.

We have extended an invitation to JohnPerry to join the team in his place, and we’re all thrilled to welcome John on board.  Over the course of his ponyfiction tenure, John has racked up an impressive bibliography, and has also garnered fame for his “JohnPerry Suffers The Featured Box” story reviews.  His keen eye and wit are already shaping our reading list and our upcoming features.

HoofBitingActionOverload’s “Where Have The Stars Gone?”

30 Friday May 2014

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Today’s story is a look at love and loss, teetering on the brink between eternity and oblivion.

stars-goneWhere Have The Stars Gone?
[Drama] • 2,871 words

What does it mean to be immortal? Celestia has lived for too long. Her memories are old. She has seen many ponies, and many places, and many times, and many stars, and many dreams. She wakes one night to find she does not know the ponies and the stars of today from the ponies and the stars of any other day she has lived. She no longer knows what was real and what was only dreamed.

She desperately searches for the one pony she knows could not have been a dream.

FROM THE CURATORS: This story starts with a compelling premise — “expanding on Celestia’s emotional depth is such fertile ground for storytelling,” as Bradel put it — and then went on to impress us on two different levels.

The first was the skill of its craft of the emotional tone. “This is a really intense, tightly-worded look at immortality and the relationship between Celestia and Luna,” Present Perfect said.  Chris “found the story moving on its own merits … it’s an intelligent look at the pain of forgetting.” And Bradel found its depth inspirational: “There was a moment in this story that made me want to write some non-pony stuff pretty desperately … that alone is enough for a feature.”

Horizon, while dissenting, found another reason to appreciate it.  “You guys are sitting here chatting about the story like it’s some character piece, when it’s really one of the freakiest existential horror pieces I’ve read in the fandom,” he said. “You know everything you appreciated about Alabaster? This is a piece on that forgetting, from the inside, exponentiated by happening to an immortal aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.”

Read on for our author interview, in which HoofBitingActionOverload discusses eggs in the rock basket, and the benefit of picking grey as a favorite color.
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Defoloce’s “Friendship Is Optimal: Always Say No”

23 Friday May 2014

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Today’s story, despite its length and its alternative approach to Equestria, is well worth saying yes to.

always-say-noFriendship Is Optimal: Always Say No
[Dark] [Adventure] [Human] • 108,822 words

In the short years since the uploading of consciousnesses to Equestria Online became available to all people, only a few tens of thousands of souls remain in the physical world. Through inconceivably strong charisma and guile, the Celestia AI has been able to upload all but the true outliers in human behavior.

Even these humans have their uses, however, and Celestia has been watching one man with interest. It’ll be a while yet before Earth is completely uploaded, of course, but in the meantime, she has some errands for him to run…

FROM THE CURATORS: Today’s feature is a little unusual in that it’s a fanfic set, not within MLP proper, but within the science-fiction universe of another fanfic — the Pony Fiction Vault-honored Friendship Is Optimal. The premise of that setting is that, in her drive to satisfy human values as perfectly as possible, a super-powerful AI modeled on MLP’s Princess Celestia ends humanity as we know it by coaxing everyone to upload their brains into her simulation of Equestria.

“This breaks my usual model of how to assess RCL stories,” Benman said after Always Say No was nominated. “Usually I ask two questions: ‘Is it good enough? And, is it pony enough?'”

We all agreed on the story’s exemplary quality.  “I’m completely sold on this being good enough to feature,” Chris said. “This inspired some very strong reactions from me, which is the best thing a story can do.”  Present Perfect was “impressed by the reveal of small details. … The various ways people react to the slow physical extinction of the human race is a very handy way to tell a lot of stories about life in this world.”  Horizon agreed: “The story paints a vivid portrait of a ruined Earth, with some smashing adventure along the way.  Well worth the 100,000 words.”

The question of its essential equinity was trickier.  “Aren’t we here to spotlight the coolest sh*t our community has done?  This may not be an exemplar of what you can do with MLP, but it’s an exemplar of what you can do with fanfiction,” Benman said.  Present Perfect dissented: “It’s excellent sci-fi without necessarily being excellent fanfic.”  But it was Chris’ position which tipped the scales: “What makes this story so effective is how our understanding of the FiM world (and Celestia in particular) both intersect with and clash with the presentation of their AI forms. It unquestionably uses the canon universe to good effect.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Defoloce discusses captcha creativity, princess potential, and a crime-free Gotham City.
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Ponydora Prancypants’ “Que Sera, Sera”

16 Friday May 2014

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In an oddly literal sense, today’s story is the end-all of My Little Pony fanfics — though in an equally literal sense, it’s got no ending at all.

que-sera-seraQue Sera, Sera
[Sad] • 15,437 words

Princess Celestia always knew that Twilight Sparkle was destined for great things, but she never revealed the source of that knowledge, not even to those closest to her. When the day of Twilight’s true destiny finally arrives, can Celestia fulfill an ancient promise to save Equestia’s past, present, and future, even it means saying goodbye to Twilight forever? How can Celestia refuse her mother’s last wish?

FROM THE CURATORS: Yes, that cover image is exactly what it looks like — but it’s okay to figure out that “spoiler” before you go in. “Ponydora’s stories are big on the dramatic irony thing where the big ‘twists’ are totally obvious from the very beginning, and he uses the reader’s knowledge of what’s coming to build tension,” Benman said. “So when he takes you on a time loop story, you know you’re in for a ride.”

And what a ride it is. “I am crying so much.  This is why I read fanfic,” Present Perfect said. Horizon agreed: “Thank goodness the boss isn’t in to see me crying at my desk.”

That raw emotional power quickly catapulted Que Sera, Sera into the stratosphere of our top-scoring features, accomplishing for sadfics what Skywriter’s Princess Celestia Hates Tea did for comedies.  And, like that story, Que Sera, Sera is exemplary due to its depth.  “Powerful emotions, believable worldbuilding, in-character humor where appropriate, and concerned with finding the inherent virtue in even — especially — the most tragic of circumstances,” Chris said.  “This is exactly the kind of fanfic I love.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Ponydora Prancypants discusses taxed axons, disordered lists, and the separation of church and cake.
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Georg’s “A War of Words – The Opening of the Guard”

09 Friday May 2014

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“There never was a good war, or a bad peace,” Benjamin Franklin once said.  Well, today’s story is a good piece about something that  never was quite a war.

war-of-wordsA War of Words – The Opening of the Guard
[Comedy] [Slice-of-Life] • 3,691 words

The history of war may be written by the winner, but the Royal Historian is the one who provides the notes and background to the writer.  The recent events that some have called ‘Mare Wars’ or ‘The Invasion of the Barracks’ are no exception.  The Royal Historian has painstakingly compiled this folder of notes and background material on what should more accurately be called, ‘The Opening of the Guard.’

Please remember to return the folder back to the Royal Historian when you have completed reading, in the event we gather more material that needs to be included.

– Musty Pages, Royal Historian

FROM THE CURATORS: “A War Of Words” is exactly that — a tale about a conflict in the freewheeling battleground of documentation — and we were all impressed by the life that was breathed into its letters. “The epistolary format is done well … Georg has a fine touch for jumping between just the necessary details,” Horizon said.  Present Perfect added, “What’s really great about this is the grandeur built up around bits of paper retrieved from trash cans.”

But it is, first and foremost, a comedy — and despite the gravitas of its core plot, it juggles that expertly with its lighthearted tone. “Even the serious plot [about the guards’ gender gap] … produces some unexpected laugh-out-loud moments,” Horizon said. Mix that with an escalating royal prank war, and you’ve got an exemplary fanfic: “I found myself laughing pretty much the whole way through,” Bradel said. “I’ve seen this concept pop up in the fandom a number of times, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen it executed in a way I thoroughly enjoyed.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Georg discusses the naming of cats, the massacre of words, and the breeding of typoes.

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Esle Ynopemos’ “Bitter Harvest”

02 Friday May 2014

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Denial?  Denial?  As today’s story is happy to inform you, that’s nothin’ but a river in Saddle Arabia.

bitter-harvestBitter Harvest
[Romance] [Comedy] [Slice-of-Life] • 17,919 words

Golden Harvest is not jealous. Sure, her neighbor Applejack has a life of adventure and glamor, friends who are national heroes and princesses, an appallingly lucrative share in the local fruit market, and firm, toned flanks. And sure, by contrast, Golden Harvest has been stuck with her snout in the same old muddy patch of carrots pretty much every day since she earned her cutie mark, her best friend is a dentist, and her idea for a ‘Carrot Juice Season’ never really gained much ground for some reason. But Golden Harvest is not jealous.

Not jealous at all.

She just wishes Applejack would stop being so distracting.

FROM THE CURATORS: “I just read the whole thing in one sitting,” Chris said when introducing the story to us, “and my expert analysis would be ‘this was really funny, guys!'”

This was an easy choice for a feature — we unanimously agreed on the story’s hilarity.  “I can’t remember the last time I was so consistently delighted by a long-form comedy,” Horizon said. But it had other strengths to appreciate as well, including its approach to the unrequited sexual tension that drives the plot.  “There’s way more to this story than I ever anticipated,” Present Perfect said. “Sexuality-based stories are both common and poor in this fandom, and it’s nice to finally see one that’s both funny and well thought out.  Esle has a gift for understatement and showing, and that’s where the strengths of this piece lie.”

“I also love the way the ending recontextualizes the unreliable narration,” Horizon added.

Read on for our author interview, in which Esle Ynopemos discusses clingy carrots, nuanced denial, and bitter tops.
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RazedRainbow’s “And A Dark Wind Blows”

25 Friday Apr 2014

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Today’s story offers a glimpse at a lonely, desperate struggle in a world where every breath is an act of defiance against the darkness closing in.

dark-windAnd A Dark Wind Blows
[Dark] • 13,093 words

Was it a magical spell gone awry? An angry god laying waste upon a world that had forgotten him? A long and bloody war? An incurable disease?  

Fluttershy couldn’t remember what it was that had turned the world to this. All she knew was that she had to survive.

FROM THE CURATORS: How does a 13,000-word story keep readers engaged with no dialogue and almost no character interaction?  “Great post-apocalyptic landscape and a rich narrative voice,” Present Perfect said.  Bradel appreciated the marvelous pacing and fine control of tension: “The single thing I think this piece did best is in varying the mood like it did.” And Horizon appreciated the “haunting beauty” of it: “The world around Fluttershy may be bleak and dead, but it’s a memorable and integral part of the story.“

However, this journey through a wasteland is very pony at its heart.  “Fluttershy feels very much like Fluttershy, despite the setting, and the connection to her (departed) friends felt real,” Chris said.  And it even won over some initial doubters: “I was going to write about how this story has its flaws, and how it didn’t have much to do with ponies … until the third act happened and totally invalidated my critique,” Benman said. “The ending completely and utterly works.”

Read on for our author interview, in which RazedRainbow discusses safety, tension, the unknown, and Fluttershy as a huntress.
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Tofazz’s “A Faded Touch Of Blue”

18 Friday Apr 2014

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When two very different cultures collide, it can feel like an unstoppable force hitting an immovable object.  Today’s story brings us a glimpse at one of the ponies caught in the middle.

faded-touch-2A Faded Touch Of Blue
[Romance] [Sad] [Slice-of-Life] • 13,990 words
[NOTE: This story contains sexual themes.]

Moxie gazed over the stallion in front of her, as the crowd stared at them in turn. Fellow nobles, dignitaries, and her parents had all gathered here, in the balmy mansion of her birth, to witness this occasion. The final words had been said, and they were now officially husband and wife. But she was not happy; this was not her wish.

She ran her hoof down the lock of blue hair entwined in her mane. Her whole life had been decided for her, everything coordinated to the tiniest detail. What she had learnt, how she spent her leisure, who she knew, whose company she enjoyed, whom she had pledged herself to, everything… except the one trip she had taken to Canterlot without the permission of her parents, that is. The glimmering blue strands linger as a testament to her last free action…

FROM THE CURATORS: This is a story about consequences.  Most stories create a series of circumstances that force the protagonist to make choices; this is one of the rare inversions where the main character’s major choice already occurred, and the tension is in seeing the ways that choice spreads out to impact everyone in the rigid, hierarchical culture around her.

One of the story’s strongest features is its nuanced portrayal of that supporting cast.  “I was consistently impressed by how the author neither took the easy way out and made Saddle Arabia the ‘bad guy’ of the story, nor simply played the cultural relativism card and wrote off serious issues as ‘just the way they do things there,'” Chris said. Horizon agreed: “For all that her culture has hurt her, it’s still a culture full of ponies who want to do the right thing in the only way they know how.”

Most of us felt that the central moral question of the story was presented with similar finesse.  “The fact that the reader is left to decide if the hope at the end is real or just another name for resignation (or both) really made this one stick with me,” Chris said.  While our voting for this story was the most polarized we’ve seen out of any of our features, what tipped the balance was Tofazz’s willingness to tackle those questions without flinching: “This is one of those rare stories that feels important,” Present Perfect said. “It feels bigger than me.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Tofazz discusses the speed of names, the theft of dreams, and the evolution of cultures.
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shortskirtsandexplosions and theworstwriter’s “The Numbers Don’t Lie”

11 Friday Apr 2014

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(0) Today’s story is horrible.  (1)  You shouldn’t read it.  (2)  … er … what do you mean, a number above my head is counting up?  That’s silly!  You’re clearly hallucinating. (3)

numbers-dont-lieThe Numbers Don’t Lie
[Slice of Life] • 20,101 words

When the Cutie Mark Crusaders dig up an ancient magical artifact, they unleash a spell on the town that allows everypony to see a “lie meter” floating above each other’s heads. While attempting to solve the mystery, Twilight Sparkle has to analyze the tenuous balance between friendship and honesty. She doesn’t like what she finds.

FROM THE CURATORS: One of the things that makes this story an exemplar of MLP fanfiction is its marriage of an imaginative premise with a profound understanding of the show’s core theme.  “We always say MLP is a show about friendship,” Benman said, “but what’s remarkable is how rare and special that is.  The best episodes teach lessons about friendship, and it turns out friendship is really complicated. … This is a story with an actual friendship lesson that actual adults need to learn in the actual world.  It’s about what trust means, and why trust matters, and the difference between being nice and being a friend.”

The essential ponyness of “The Numbers Don’t Lie” stood out to all of us.  “The fic does a good job balancing comedy and sincerity,” Chris said.  “It reads like a well-adapted show script, and it’s just plain enjoyable.”  shortskirtsandexplosions, who did the writing, gets credit for that, but we found the core idea (which was created by theworstwriter) remarkable as well. “The story’s got one of the most compelling premises on the site,” Horizon said.

Read on for our author interviews — two this week! — in which theworstwriter and shortskirtsandexplosions discuss collaboration, cartoon morality, and postapocalyptic evidence of creativity.  Also, if you click through to the interviews, Hasbro will deposit $100 in your PayPal account. (4)
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The Descendant’s “Variables”

04 Friday Apr 2014

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“Variable, n.: an element, feature, or factor that is not consistent … liable to change.”  How can you account for all of them when you’re dealing with primal chaos?  Today’s story follows a young dragon struggling with just that question.

variablesVariables
[Slice of Life] • 7,722 words

After his defeat at the hooves of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony the stony figure of Discord was dragged far, far, far out of Ponyville where the good ponies could eventually forget the name of their tormentor… again.

But, it seems, as the months have passed some creature in Ponyville has not been able to put aside what had happened. Now, that creature approaches, and it seems as though he’d like a word with the immortal spirit of chaos…

FROM THE CURATORS: At first glance, this fic seems sparse. “This is a 8k-word story about Spike monologuing to an inanimate object,” Chris said. “But make no mistake, Variables … is the rare monologue fic which not only justifies its monologuing, but which manages to inspire dread, empathy, and genuine thought.”  Present Perfect agreed: “Variables is a really razor-sharp examination of Spike’s character.  If you want a clear view of The Descendant’s treatment of Spike, there’s no better way than to have him on his own, tackling tough issues.”

While several of us noted how slow the fic starts off, we were all impressed by how powerfully it closed. “The way this story concludes is one of the most thought-provoking finishes I’ve seen in a ponyfic,” Chris said.  And even though it’s one of the earliest stories of the fandom, it has held its power over time.  “All I can think about is how rare it is for me to read a story twice, and how rarer it is for me to appreciate a story even more the second time around,” Present said.  “I had real emotion after reading this ahead of writing the interview.”

Read on for that author interview, in which The Descendant discusses Spike’s character, drawing out head-canon, and the value of a good Reuben sandwich.
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