Tag Archives: slice of life

Inquisitor M’s “Every Mare Needs Her Stallion”

18 Friday Sep 2015

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Secrets lie beneath the surface of today’s story — though they might not be the ones you’re expecting.

every-mare-needsEvery Mare Needs Her Stallion
[Drama] [Slice of Life] • 7,967 words

After Fluttershy threw a tantrum in Ponyville’s marketplace, Rarity invited her over for some good old girly gossip. The Fluttershy that turns up on her doorstep, however, is absolutely not the one she was expecting. Somefilly has a secret and Rarity isn’t above using a few tricks to find out what it is.

FROM THE CURATORS: This story also isn’t above using a few tricks to keep you distracted until the reveal hits — serving some shipteasing from unexpected quarters — but we were too engrossed by the prose quality to mind.  “This is a super-showy piece, dense not just with character drama, but with scenes and looks and touches that weave the tapestry of the central friendship,” Horizon said, and Chris added: “Inquisitor M keeps the focus here tightly on his characters’ emotional reactions and impetuses, sometimes to the exclusion of all else.”

That narrow focus gave this story a chance to dive deeply into the depths of its protagonists. “It’s about the best use I’ve ever seen Inquisitor M make of his ’emotions tightly-clamped’ style,” AugieDog said. “The events of the story, if told any other way, wouldn’t be nearly as powerful.”  Several of us cautioned that that reliance on showing made this story a dense one — “readers with a taste for implication-heavy literature will definitely be impressed, but make no mistake; this isn’t light reading,” Chris said — but for all that, Every Mare Needs Her Stallion was a clean read. “All the buildup to this story was ‘pay close attention,’ but I didn’t feel at the end as if I’d missed anything,” Present Perfect said.  “I really feel like this story has itself wrapped up, even if there’s room for interpretation.”

In the end, it was that combination of comfortable density and depth which impressed us.  “It’s the kind of story that rewards readers for investing in it.  Isn’t that exactly the sort of thing the RCL should be featuring?” Chris said, and AugieDog summed it up succinctly: “One of those rare stories where I find just about every word to be vital.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Inquisitor M discusses half-questions, unshipping, and the great war against chaos and despair.
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Ruirik’s “The Regular”

11 Friday Sep 2015

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Today’s story will keep you coming back for more.

the-regularThe Regular
[Slice of Life] • 3,436 words

In all his years of running his own shop, Doughnut Joe has seen thousands of ponies. Some he knew, most he didn’t, and many he would never see again. But he never minded that, for he always had his regulars.

FROM THE CURATORS: Right from the first paragraph, The Regular caught our attention with its lush yet approachable prose.  “I’ve gotta give it props straight off the bat: this is the first time in recent memory that I’ve read a weather opening that I don’t hate,” Horizon said. “The descriptions here are right in the sweet spot, vivid without being purple.  The story’s got a great touch for details.”  That quality continued throughout, as Present Perfect noted: “The style caught my attention straight away, and didn’t disappoint.”

But there’s more to this tale of sugary commerce than its sweet turns of phrase — and the characterization of its store owner and its OC patron were especially savory.  “The story builds up a wonderful picture of the two main characters out of a few quiet conversations,” Horizon said, and Chris agreed: “It works nicely as a glimpse into Joe’s life, and we get to see the characters grow over the course of the story.”  Present Perfect praised not only that character work but its economy of detail when he introduced the story to us. “What drove this nomination is how much we’re able to glean from the regular‘s reticence,” Present said. “He says little about himself, but suggests so very much more.”

Simply put, The Regular was a beautiful read.  “I love the picture of Canterlot and Joe’s life this story paints,” JohnPerry said.  It kept some surprises in store for us, as Present Perfect noted — “the final scene sets up a tantalizing juxtaposition that says a lot about a particular show character” — but it was the story’s core strengths which carried it through to a feature.  Present Perfect summed it up: “This is the best Donut Joe fic since A Cup of Joe.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Ruirik discusses hat horrors, viking chieftains, and spoilers in artwork.

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bookplayer’s “Of Cottages and Cloud Houses”

04 Friday Sep 2015

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Today’s story is quite a moving experience — just ask Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

cottages-cloud-housesOf Cottages and Cloud Houses
[Slice of Life] • 4,641 words

When they first moved to Ponyville, Fluttershy moved into an ornate cloud house, and Rainbow Dash moved into an animal infested cottage. As they settle into new lives and meet new ponies, they quickly discover that this isn’t going to work at all.

FROM THE CURATORS: In some ways, this 2012 story shows its age — it’s “a real throwback to the old ‘magic of friendship’ era,” as Bradel put it — but inside is a heartwarming look at the Mane Six’s friendships and relationships which has stood the test of time. “This has held up as an origin story for Rainbow and Fluttershy, even in season 5,” Present Perfect said, and Horizon added: “Like so many of our fandom’s best pieces of headcanon, it explains more about its characters, and makes more intuitive sense, than the show itself.”

One aspect of the story which we singled out for praise again and again was the gripping writing of the main characters’ relationships with their parents. “One of the things I like so much about bookplayer’s stories is that, even more than they’re about romance, her stories are about families, those that you’re born into and those that you choose to become a part of,” AugieDog said.  “This story’s got that idea front and center.”  As early as the first scene, we were hooked by Of Cottages and Cloud Houses’ family problems.  “Fluttershy’s parents are gloriously awful — I can’t remember the last time somebody wrote a passage that provoked me as much as that one, and I don’t even like Fluttershy most of the time,” Bradel said.  But they’re not villains, as Chris noted: “This story succeeds because it’s obvious that Fluttershy’s and Dash’s parents are looking out for their kids — they’re just doing so in blinded, myopic ways.”

The other core strength was the powerful and moving way this showed Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash overcoming those issues.  “I like how this closes out a lot,” Bradel said. “Rainbow’s letter is good, but Fluttershy’s letter is just awesome — a perfect mix of passive-aggressive and self-confident that stays in character for her but still shows some growth.”  Ultimately, Chris noted, it has some important lessons on that topic. “This is a wonderful story about growing up,” he said.  “It’s a story about finding your own voice and learning to use it in a meaningful way.”

Read on for our author interview, in which bookplayer discusses steampunk translators, target audiences, and crafting vs. writing.

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Admiral Biscuit’s “A Taxing Evening”

28 Friday Aug 2015

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Ask not what sort of reading today’s story offers; ask why you’re not yet reading today’s story.

taxing-eveningA Taxing Evening
[Slice of Life] • 2,735 words

Most of the year, Written Script enjoys his job as town treasurer–but not when tax time rolls around, and everypony thinks they’re paying too much.  Then he becomes the most disliked stallion in all of Ponyville.

FROM THE CURATORS: By the numbers, this easily sailed past our featuring threshold — the major debate we had during voting wasn’t about its quality, but whether it worked specifically as MLP fanfiction. “My first reaction was: ‘This isn’t pony enough,'” AugieDog said. “But after letting it stew in my brain all morning, I’ve decided that it’s absolutely pony enough.  As Cold in Gardez is fond of saying, ‘Stories about ponies are stories about people,’ and people are never more peopley than when taxes are involved.”  Horizon found himself won over after similar initial doubts. “I want to recommend this just for the thoughtfulness of its argument in favor of taxes, which seem to be a favorite whipping boy of anyone with political opinions … but I don’t think that’s enough for the RCL threshold,” he said.  “That’s where the writing comes in. The characterization here is compelling and authentic.”

The “crisply-drawn” characterization, as AugieDog put it, topped our list of exemplary features, getting us emotionally invested in the story and its put-upon protagonist.  “You can feel the resignation wafting off Written, and it’s hard not to empathize,” Chris said, and Horizon agreed: “It’s hard not to cheer for the heartwarming ending Written Script earns.”  While the characterization was top-notch, we found its writing compelling as well.  “I found this story immensely charming,” JohnPerry said.  “It’s simple, it’s very relatable, and yet it’s also profound.”

Ultimately, it was that sympathetic look at an often-vilified occupation that captured our hearts.  “What it is above all is relatable,” Chris said.  “For example, I’ve had the ‘schools’ conversation from this fic in real life almost verbatim, and where Admiral Biscuit really shines is when he’s showing us these common, everyday bits of idiocy, ponified and localized to the story.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Admiral Biscuit discusses soothing quadrupeds and and and nonexistent deer.
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Autumn Wind’s “The Tale of the Three Alicorn Sisters”

14 Friday Aug 2015

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In today’s story, dive into the depths of history to find a familiar legend distorted by time.

tale-of-3-sistersThe Tale of the Three Alicorn Sisters
[Slice of Life] • 1,064 words

A classical Equestrian fable, passed from mouth to mouth; from quill to page. The children of yore are the parents of today, and as they grow and change, so does the classic tale. Let us explore this tale as it may one day be known.

In the magical land of Equestria, three regal alicorn sisters rule for the good of their subjects, all the types of ponies, until one day, the shadow of jealousy comes upon one of them. How will the three sisters deal with this? Will harmony be lost forever?

Open the storybook, reader, and let us find out.

FROM THE CURATORS: “So, the premise of this story is basically ‘now that Twilight’s a princess, how will the legend of the two sisters change and mutate over the next few centuries?'” Chris said as he nominated this story.  “Right off the bat, I love the premise.”  He wasn’t alone.  “Not only do I like the premise, I like how the views of the princesses seemed to have changed over time,” JohnPerry said, and Horizon added: “The big thing right here is the recontextualization of the legend, in a way that feels authentic to both the show’s events and the show’s internal framing of its core myth.”

While a good idea is enough to draw eyeballs into the story, it was the solid execution of that idea which won us over.  “Celestia seems less divine and just as petty and flawed as Luna, and even Twilight has an arc,” JohnPerry said. “Reworking the classic legend into a completely different moral is a stroke of genius.”  Horizon felt it was stronger for taking a broad view: “It would have been easy to write a ‘Twilight saved Luna’ surface retelling, but this captures all of the trio’s failings and lessons.”  And Chris was impressed with the way the story reflected on the world which told it: “Fairy tales are inevitably products of their times and need to be understood as such,” he said. “The way this story shows us how Twilight and the girls have changed (and will change) Equestria for the better is empowering, deliciously subtle, and open to interpretation.”

Ultimately, the tale was quite moving despite its minimal size.  “I love that, despite essentially compressing the first two episodes of the show and glossing over all the details, the tale of redemption still drew a sincere emotional reaction from me,” Present Perfect said, while Horizon noted: “It packs some big ideas into its thousand words.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Autumn Wind discusses orphaned plotlines, rainbow factories, and humble goddesses.
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Kaorin’s “Selling Out”

31 Friday Jul 2015

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Today’s story reminds us that the one constant in life is change — so keep your coin purse close by when you pay with a big bill.

Selling Out
[Slice of Life] • 2,361 words

When the time of monarchs and royals ends, what becomes of Princesses who live on?

FROM THE CURATORS: This is exactly what it says on the tin — a story about a pony coming to grips with modern capitalism.  We started out worried that such a premise seemed like a recipe for soapboxing, but this story quickly vaulted past those doubts to unanimous approval. As JohnPerry said, “I think it says something when a story gives you a premise that’s hard to swallow, but still manages to impress you.”

The biggest factor in that was Selling Out’s arresting portrayal of its protagonist. “The voicing really is the draw,” Present Perfect said, and JohnPerry was more broadly appreciative: “The characterization of Luna is absolutely marvelous, and the larger historical landscape this story merely touches upon is very intriguing.”  Horizon, meanwhile, found the two sides of Luna poignantly juxtaposed: “The contrast in tone between her regal narration and her out-loud dialogue is proper heartbreaking.”

It wasn’t only the characterization that impressed us, but also its excellent choice of character.  “Seeing Luna in this situation, harboring all of her pride and past hurts, is so much more heartbreaking than seeing Celestia, or Cadance, or even Twilight would be,” Present Perfect said.  “Luna’s the one who’s already fallen once, and she fell so much further than this.” The story’s nuanced portrayal of the world around her sealed the deal. “What strikes me the most is the ‘long view’ of Equestrian society,” AugieDog said.  “Yes, ponies will learn and grow and discover new and different things, but they will always be ponies.  And their princesses will always be there when they’re needed — even if what they’re needed for changes and shrinks and grows back differently as the pendulum of the centuries swings to and fro.”

Ultimately, by treading a careful path across the razor’s-edge of modern cynicism, Selling Out left us with a thought-provoking message. “The idea of balancing duty, pride, and commercialism is one that’s more applicable to many of our real-life idols than we might like to admit,” Chris said.

Read on for our author interview, in which Kaorin discusses technological singularity, paycheck relevance, and post-apotheosis continuations.
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archonix’s “To Be A Mule”

17 Friday Jul 2015

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Today’s story is about the lines that we tell ourselves should not be crossed.

to-be-a-muleTo Be A Mule
[Sad] [Slice of Life] • 2,983 words

She smiles at him every time she comes to visit the stately home where he works as a gardener, but Dilly Daliér has never spoken to her.

Nor will he ever.

Because he’s a mule and she’s a unicorn, and those are the rules.

FROM THE CURATORS: “This is a short, sad story about institutionalized racism in Equestria,” Present Perfect said when nominating it. “You’ve got regret, longing, and societal pressures balled up into a neat little package.”

That sparked quite an interesting debate over this story’s presentation of discrimination.  “This story certainly feels like an antebellum South metaphor,” Horizon observed, and JohnPerry chimed in: “It’s always good to find a story that deals with the matter of racism without whitewashing it.”  On the other hoof, Chris pointed out: “It’s not really a story about racism; it’s a story about class.  If Daliér and his dad were earth ponies, they would’ve said that was the uncrossable divide. … The problem isn’t that ‘those kind of ponies’ don’t marry mules; it’s that ‘those kind of ponies’ don’t marry anyone who isn’t ‘those kind of ponies.'”  AugieDog found some middle ground: “Whether it’s about species or race or class, this story is very much about ‘being the outsider,’ about looking in at a group whose opinion of yourself you accept as being more true than your own opinion of yourself.”

Those themes are embodied in a pair of OCs whose layered characterization gave us plenty to dig into.  “I understand why the father personally would stick around as a gardener, but it seems almost like he’s actively trying to force his son away from anything that will make him happy or successful,” Chris said, and JohnPerry argued: “The elder donkey, far from coming across as unenlightened or callous, actually sounds pragmatic and sympathetic. … That illustrates how that divide is often self-enforced through the collective fears or indifference of those who are affected by it.”

As should be obvious from how much the story’s central idea engaged us, we found the depth of To Be A Mule exemplary; that and its clean writing sent it to a feature. “There’s not a whole lot else to say about it, other than it does what it sets out to very well,” Present Perfect said, while JohnPerry was more effusive: “If there’s any complaint I have of this story, it’s that I wanted more at the end. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go read the sequels.”

Read on for our author interview, in which archonix discusses statuesque sacrifices, fanfiction dating, and the two types of reading.
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Bronetheus’ “Waiting For Celestia”

03 Friday Jul 2015

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If you’re looking for some comedy with a philosophical twist, don’t wait to read today’s story.

waiting-for-celestiaWaiting For Celestia
[Comedy] [Slice of Life] • 6,056 words

After Celestia takes her flying chariot to Ponyville to have an important talk with the new Princess Twilight Sparkle, she teleports back to Canterlot … leaving her charioteers behind. Unsure what else to do in the wake of this improbable, nay, highly unusual, nay, nay, impossible event, the two pegasi have a conversation that leads them to some startling revelations.

FROM THE CURATORS: Appearances can be deceiving with fanfiction — and in this case, there were pleasant surprises behind the façade of the title.  “I’ve never actually seen Waiting for Godot, but this isn’t really a crossover with it, so no worries on that front,” Chris said.  “What it is is a story that moves from absurd comedy to crisis-of-faith in barely 6000 words, and is both funny and thoughtful where it needs to be.”  Present Perfect agreed, adding: “I’m very glad that the author decided to invoke Godot just long enough to subvert it, then put in some actual plot.”

Subverting its source material was a point in Waiting For Celestia’s favor, but it didn’t stop there — and one of the factors in its feature was how memorably it made the tale its own. “It’s been more than a year since I last saw this story, but all its scenes stuck in my notoriously sieve-like brain,” AugieDog said.  Even its send-up of the titular absurdist play was a joy to read: “The image of how the guards communicated while guarding the chariot was, alone, enough to get me liking this story,” Horizon said.

But ultimately, the story’s stand-out feature was the way it first balanced, then merged, the comedy and philosophy, which at first seemed destined for an ungainly collision. “Not only was I engaged all the way through, but I found the ending surprisingly impactful,” JohnPerry said.  “The earlier discussion on the omniscience of Celestia came back in a big way, such that it turned the absurdist nature of the set-up into a surprisingly grounded tale.”  That light touch with philosophy was praised by several curators. “Waiting For Celestia doesn’t try to tackle something as weighty as ‘what does it mean to be seen as deific by those who serve you’ in its entirety, but instead confined itself to what that meant for two ponies, for one night,” Chris said.  “Sometimes, keeping things small is the right way to go.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Bronetheus discusses altruistic struggles, pony charity, and mythic trees.
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zaponator’s “Blink”

26 Friday Jun 2015

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Today’s story is one to pop onto your reading list.

blinkBlink
[Slice of Life] • 3,947 words

Twilight does some research into her tried and true teleportation spell.

FROM THE CURATORS: On one level, this story is about pulling back the curtains on an unsettling implication of teleportation — one that’s going to be familiar to longtime fans of speculative fiction.  But there’s more to like here.  “This is more than a ‘one idea’ fic,” Chris said. “It doesn’t just stop at the (easily predictable) reveal, nor does it it follow that up with a bunch of wangsting and/or an immediate descent into insanity.”  JohnPerry was similarly impressed by Blink’s nuanced approach: “Deliciously dark, without resorting to an unnecessarily tragic ending.”

What ultimately propelled Blink to a feature, however, was the presentation of its central characters. “The handling of the characters throughout is superb,” JohnPerry said. “Spike and Twilight’s dialogue at the beginning was delightful … it’s a great examination of their relationship and underlines the importance of it, but without dwelling on it too intensely.”  Chris agreed: “The setup helps sell the ending, and makes this a true story about Twilight and Spike, not just an event that happens to involve them.”

The combination of those two factors made this feel like an authentically pony story, despite the dark sci-fi flavor of the core idea.  “It gives me shivers on a level I’ve not experienced much before in fanfic: the ‘that could have been so much worse’ level,” Present Perfect said. “That it wasn’t speaks volumes about how well this spellcrafting headcanon fits into the show.”

Read on for our author interview, in which zaponator discusses sticky names, mutual caregiving, and unintended debate.
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Noble Thought’s “Under a Tree”

12 Friday Jun 2015

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Like the titular tree of today’s story, this farmer’s tale has deep roots.

Under a Tree
[Slice of Life] • 13,558 words

Applejack tells Fluttershy about the great oak tree atop a hill on the farm. It was the first one she ever planted, y’see. That doesn’t have anything to do with why Granny Smith is in the hospital, and why Applejack isn’t there.

Nope. Not at all.

FROM THE CURATORS: This is a story that has had our attention through multiple iterations, starting out as a shortfic of under 4,000 words before being expanded into the larger multi-chapter story it is today. We have Bradel to thank for introducing it to us: “I’m a sucker for a good AJ story and a good grief narrative, so this is in my wheelhouse.”

“This is a story told in negatives,” Present Perfect pointed out. “Applejack doesn’t want to talk about what’s really bothering her, so she talks about her first time planting a tree. Said tree wasn’t an apple tree, but an oak. It’s a story just as much about Fluttershy as about AJ, but it focuses entirely on the latter.” Bradel put it thusly: “What I really love about this story is the tension between foreground and background. … Although the story never seeks to hide what it’s doing, its impact is delivered through metaphor and implication rather than direct engagement, through paralleling Applejack’s stories with her state of mind.”

But what really sold the curators was the dynamic between this story’s two main characters. “The meat of the story packs a punch, and the interactions between Fluttershy and AJ felt genuine,” Chris said. “The real triumph is the conversation. Rather than drop the current setting to skip back into the past, Applejack’s story-within-the-story is spoken, with fits and starts that make it feel naturally told without being unfocused,” Present offered, and Bradel added, “I enjoy how the story forces Fluttershy and Applejack to trade roles — here, Applejack is the avoidant one and Fluttershy is the more direct one. I find all the narrative subversion going on in this story really delicious.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Noble Thought discusses long commutes, character growth, and rewriting.
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