), I do love fussing over stats where anything of interest is concerned, Fimfic included. Happily, I’m not alone (because duh 
): Recommendsday blogger, fic writer and all-around awesome chap TCC56 does too, and in his latestGhost Mike's Ponyfic Review Monday Musings #4 · 5:00pm Mar 28th, 2022
Chrysalis: "Oh, no. I know that look, Ghost Mike. Even if I can’t read a spirit’s emotions, you’re like a book to me. Don’t you even think about reviewing some of your fellow lowlifes’ trash fiction that’s dared to desecrate me by my mere inclusion in such trite fantasies.
"If you do… well, I don’t know what I’ll do, I haven’t figured out how to maim your kind yet, but you’ll regret it!"
Even more signal posts, this time from the fantastic PaulAsaran. What can I even say? Well, other than much thanks. Fimfiction has its ugly sides for sure, but it has its great sides too.
Anyway: every series, no matter the timescales and preparation involved, finds itself adjusting during its early period of going public, and this review blog is no exception. While the reviews themselves are much the same, I’ve made some formatting changes going forward. Including a cumulative word count of all the fics each week, for instance, to show how much “content” has been covered. And also a reminder of the rating tiers (with direct links to the bookshelves) along with how many fics got each rating this week. Just little things to make the experience smoother.
The key change, though, is some renaming of the ratings. I’d been using these privately myself for almost a year, and naturally thought the explanations in the bookshelves would be enough for readers to understand my criteria and what they mean offhand. Of course, people may not check those, and it’s clear now one may make quick judgments based off of the names alone, especially if coming here after I leave a review notification.
Thus, some changes. After some discussion in the comments last week, I’ve elected to take the tier formally named Decent, and call it Passable. Many people interpret decent as a more unabashedly positive term next to how I use it, and for the rating that is the lowest passing grade, and where much improvement is still possible, this strikes me as efficient.
Meanwhile, the combination of three tiers with “good” in the name, and “pretty” coming across as not much of a boosting descriptor, has led to another change. Good is now called Decent, a much better place for that term, where fics one enjoyed but didn’t get more than marginally enthusiastic about reside.
I won’t rule out further changes down the road, but I feel much more stable about these ratings now. Hopefully you will too! I’ve retroactively edited the prior blogs to reflect these tweaks.
In other news, the Oscars continue to treat the medium of animation as the butt of a bad joke of a bad joke. The Best Animated Feature winner has always been Hollywood-biased, as the whole Academy votes on it and outside of the animation board, they openly don’t care for animation and just vote for their kids’ favourite. Bad enough they changed the rulings a few years back so the whole board votes on the nominees too (at least when just the animation people did that, indie films – like my precious Cartoon Saloon’s works of art, check out The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers if you haven’t – usually nabbed a few spots, now even that’s a dying trend), making it more of a big studio ghettoization.
But oh no, on top of all that, and the award basically being a Disney ego swag (only Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has bucked that in the last decade), AND having the category be one of eight pre-recorded rather than telecast live, they had actresses of Disney Princesses present the award, plug the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, reminds parents of a movie their kids have watched 100+ times and which they’re Frozen-levels sick of, they had other officials straight up say that animation’s just for kids, something adults have to suffer through, and that they only know the animated films they saw because of their kids (see, that award doesn’t require voters to watch all nominees).
Like, yes, that’s been painfully obvious for the past decade (the voter ballots and their comments from the 2014 slate of films is infamous in this regards, with one comment calling Song of the Sea and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya “too f*****G obscure Chinese films that no one saw” referring to an Irish and Japanese film respectively), but it’s another thing altogether for them to straight up admit that publicly, and be proud of it. It’s times like this I wish the phrase “kill me” has actual meaning for my kind…
The Oscars are always kind of a joke, doing very little to actually promote and celebrate filmmaking (all those years of no one understanding the difference between Best Sound and Best Sound Mixing, and they never bothered to explain the difference), further cemented this year by what Chris Rock and Will smith got up to onstage, but the way they treat animation is the absolute worst. This is why I only bother following the Annie Awards myself – plenty flawed, but they respect their work.
M’kay, enough housekeeping horsekeeping. Let’s get to the reviews. Back to a theme-less week, though no worse the wear for it, I find.
This Week’s Spectral Stories:
Cutie Marks Under the Knife: A Special Report by Mica
Trust This by ThatOneWriter
Chrysalis Works at Quills and Sofas by Majin Syeekoh
Chrysalis Still Works at Quills and Sofas by Majin Syeekoh
Consider the Coconut by PropMaster
A Lonely Heart Weeps by Those Kids In The Corner
Down the Laundry Chute by Tethered-Angel
Weekly Word Count: 20,175 Words
Cutie Marks Under the Knife: A Special Report by Mica
Genre: Sad/Slice of Life (Alternate Universe)
OC, Toola Roola
4,876 Words
January 2021
Twenty years after Twilight became Equestria's sole ruler, cutie mark cosmetic surgery has become a thriving practice. No longer does a pony have to make do with a mark that feels wrong, now they can get it altered or replaced, efficiently and safely. It's so affordable and popular that close to half a million get it annually, and that's saying nothing of the joy it brings non-ponies. Yet the practice is still a contentious one, outright outlawed in some cities, and facing enough backlash to halt full legalisation elsewhere. In the midst of all this, a Manehattan Times journalist finds themselves writing on the matter, and interviewing a pony named Toola Roola as she awaits getting her mark changed.
Oh, this was a well-crafted piece. Easily the most impressive aspect was the journalistic voice, which threaded a needle between presenting the news writing as trying to be neutral while being very clearly biased in one favour on the matter, while having the actual story and authorial voice perfectly neutral, making it all but impossible to be sure where the author stands on this matter. Throughout, there are moments where it seems they're leaning one way, but then moments creep in, or are presented nakedly raw, which throw a curveball. And with the fic being so matter-of-fact, it actually allows the reader to take away their own stance on the matter within.
The fic also does a great job considering the logistical practicalities of such a possibility being introduced in Equestrian society. One of the great pleasures, especially in the first half, is just finding out more details about how this works, where it's gaining the most traction, what level of change one can get, who can get it, where Equestrian society is at now, and so forth. Again, the journalistic writing, jumping between fact-reciting scenes/paragraphs and those where the interviewer is talking to Toola Roola and other characters, is exemplary.
However, some issues abound. It's not a surprise the bleaker elements towards the end generated some controversy in the comments. Not the final scene, that was built up and is the moral conundrum's main cornerstone, making for a chilling final taste. But before that, we have some questionable character decisions involving canon characters acting in weird ways to enable the story to proceed its given way (honestly, without this, the fic wouldn't even really need the AU tag). More noticeably, the fic feels aware of this, and deliberately holds back details it would almost certainly tell, to try and gloss through these parts before the alarm bells start ringing – it's the one place where the clipped, efficient pace and prose throughout feels like it's hiding something. It does disappoint to see an otherwise-fantastic control of authorial remove from the subject at hand stumble around the last few hurdles.
Though the journalistic voice's emotional distance was largely perfect, it was at times still too intimate into the story, providing the kinds of descriptions only given by a character in real-time, diluting the immersion occasionally. And for as effective as the different sections were and the cross-cutting between full-journal scenes and interview scenes was, points are sometimes repeated and sections are separated when they would have been better together. Nothing a pass with an efficient editor willing to look beyond basic prose cleanup couldn't fix, making it slightly disappointing it wasn't.
Regardless, the topic is so interesting and presented so carefully, leaving us with a real thought-provoking piece, one I feel everyone should read, even if the topic disturbs them, or they find the real-world parallels upsetting. The room left for minor refinement doesn't take away from that.
Rating: Really Good
Trust This by ThatOneWriter
Genre: Romance/Slice of Life
Twilight, Applejack
2,008 Words
July 2015Listened to via Scribbler's reading
Twilight and Applejack have arranged for a picnic to celebrate their one-year anniversary of being together. Twilight is on time, naturally, but Applejack is running behind. Despite her best efforts, Twilight cannot help but panic, wondering why Applejack would stay with her given all the wonderful ponies, old and new, she sees as a result of her business.
Despite the above premise being as stock as they come, Twilight’s worry and panic attack is surprisingly nuanced, and easy for anyone to place themselves in, wondering why their partner would choose them, warts and all. It’s enough to make this more than just a fluff piece… for the first 30% of the story. Then Applejack shows up, and the remaining 1,400 words has Applejack reassuring Twilight why she’s so special to her. That’s all stock in both idea and execution, and common to most short fluff pieces, we don’t really learn more than tiny possibilities as to why or how they’re together in the first place.
There are other things that could be improved – visuals and atmosphere over just dialogue to enhance the mood wouldn’t go amiss – but it’s largely immaterial in light of what it is. A perfectly fine fluff piece for the romance and TwiJack crowds, one which gains a marginal boost off of a more unusual opening but also feels more disappointing once it switches from that to the usual generic fare.
Rating: Passable
Chrysalis Works at Quills and Sofas by Majin Syeekoh
Genre: Slice of Life
Twilight, Chrysalis, Rarity
1,041 Words
December 2014
In a rare moment of character, Twilight has opted to actually go shopping to Quills and Sofas herself for the first time, having found Spike’s preference for getting everything they need from there on his own rather perplexing. She finds someone working there she’s never expected to see.
Reviewing a one-joke fic is tough, but this is a pleasurable one, as they go. It’s competently written, concise, and knows when to go through its jokes fast or slow. The lack of a comedy tag seems odd, for even though the fic doesn’t go all-in for laughs (and it probably should have), it’s still silly and tongue-in-cheek enough for it.
A solid silly little diversion. Worth the 3 minutes it’ll take to read.
Rating: Decent
Chrysalis Still Works at Quills and Sofas by Majin Syeekoh
Genre: Slice of Life
Luster Dawn, Chrysalis
1,240 Words
October 2019Sequel to Chrysalis Works at Quills and Sofas
Luster Dawn has only just moved to Ponyville, and is still getting used to how things work around here. Thus, it takes her a few moments to register something's off about the changeling serving her at Quills and Sofas. All the colour's gone out of her carapace.
Calling it a sequel is a bit misleading – it’s more like a level pack, just a bit more refined and honed down. Swapping protagonists for Luster Dawn over Twilight (though as others have noted, her characterization here, in light of Luster herself being a terrible cypher, feels akin to Season 6 Starlight getting to grips with Ponyville) allows for different types of reactions to Chrysalis, more of the “let me figure out who you are” variety over the “what are you doing here?!?” kind. We thus get a higher hit-rate of the comedy, and Chrysalis herself has far more opportunities to be her snarky self in this one. And though the fic ends anti-climatically, the revelation of how Chrysalis is working there at this point in the timeline is great.
It’s not going to win over anyone who didn’t like the first one (and the comedy, though better, could still be amplified more, the tag still being oddly missing), but it’s a more successful execution of the same idea. Not bad at all for a nearly-five-years-later sequel.
Rating: Pretty Good
Consider the Coconut by PropMaster
Genre: Comedy/Adventure/Romance
Trixie, Starlight
4,725 Words
May 2017Listened to via Scribbler's reading
Starlight and Trixie were just hanging out, doing what all good gal pals do, when Trixie decided to try a teleportation spell well beyond her capabilities. Cue Starlight getting involved to try and help, Trixie doubling down on her futile efforts, and the pair’s sudden teleportation to a small deserted tropical island. Oh, and their horns are overloaded, stranding them until they build enough energy to teleport back. Starlight is understandably frustrated. Trixie feels that Starlight would be better off relaxing.
Surprisingly, Trixie is actually rather humble (for her) in this one, and not just because she is mostly the viewpoint character. Neither is she overtly frustrated at Starlight being frustrated, displaying an almost Applejack-level of zen in taking the verbal and responding calmly with the right words to soothe her. It all makes for a somewhat different take on the two’s interactions. The events of “All Bottled Up” is referred to within, making this feel like the two have fully learnt from that – they’ll still snipe, but it won’t escalate. And given this was published mere weeks after that episode, there’s no way this wasn’t conscious and intentional.
Other than the effective character chemistry, this fic is a very relaxed, leisurely one, confined as it is to a beach and the nearby foliage, with the biggest conflict being the cracking and harvesting of a coconut. When it wraps up with a nice moment of solidarity as the two make to leave, one is aware how little has happened. But the StarTrix playfulness and light ribbing is quite lovely. Fans of the characters and the ship (though the romance element here is only confined to a few light implications, this is 95% just a friendship story) should really adore this.
Rating: Pretty Good
A Lonely Heart Weeps by Those Kids In The Corner
Genre: Sad
Twilight, Luna
2,214 Words
February 2022
Among the volumes from Twilight’s old tower that were shipped to her was one not of hers, but of Princess Luna’s. By the time Twilight realised this, and that it was a personal journal, she was too taken in. By the longing. By the isolation. By the hurt. By the realisation she cannot just sit on what she’s found.
With both Twilight and Luna having as many stories written about them as they have, I don’t doubt there are plenty out there like this. That said, this is an effective take on Twilight wanting Luna to let her in, largely staying away from the usual territory of Luna being stubborn and prideful, and instead focusing on Twilight’s perspective, at least after the journal itself. Which is unusual itself, focused on all the things Luna wants to try out, but cannot will herself to.
There’s some effective minimalist writing technique here, especially in the back half, of knowing when to present what’s happening “conventionally”, and when to let Twilight’s thoughts and perspective dominate as a kind of window into what’s happening. It all makes it land harder than it might have otherwise. This is only this writer’s 3rd published fic, but they’ve been around since 2014, and know their command of the language. This is a confident, assured piece.
It’s too slight to truly excel, but for what it is, it’s quite impressive.
Rating: Pretty Good
Down the Laundry Chute by Tethered-Angel
Genre: Adventure/Romance/Alternative Universe
Sunset Shimmer, Adagio Dazzle, Opalescence
4,071 Words
August 2018
Being the favourite stuffed toys of a tween girl is the best thing ever for Sunset and Adagio. They may be a bit too used to the life of luxury; it is when lounging around in beautiful fabric that they make an unintended journey to the laundry room. And as if that wasn't bad enough, on the long journey up stairs as high as them, they run into the worst fear to all stuffed toys them: the snow-coloured feline called Opalescence by their owner's elder sister.
The fic has some trouble settling into the Toy Story scenario during the early paragraphs (though the religion-like worship they give to the sewing room, Rarity being their creator, is the best kind of layering). But once the two toys have been tossed down the laundry chute, this one doesn't set a step wrong. If one is even a little partial to adorable toys making quips so true to their characters (especially in Adagio's case, made all the funnier by her being technically a sheep) while facing insurmountable "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" challenges, with a little romance between the two as a bedrock along the way (hey, Toy Story does it, and I can accept the logic of the Cars universe, I won't question it), this should be just what the doctor ordered.
And did I mention this was cute, fluffy and adorable? Because it is, and the plushie-themed swears only add to that. I wasn't expecting to like this more than marginally, having almost no personal affection for either Sunset, any of the Sirens or Equestria Girls (though truth be told only a few small details rely on EqG over FiM as a setting here), yet here we are. It’s lovely having your cynicism dispelled (then again, a plush round ghost can only have so much of that, can’t he?) Least I had the advantage of not risking dying from the adorableness overload. I take no responsibility for that risk the rest of you must take to read this.
Rating: Really Good
Spooky Summary of Scores:
Excellent: 0
Really Good: 2
Pretty Good: 3
Decent: 1
Passable: 1
Weak: 0
Bad: 0
Only read one of these, and it seems we're in general agreement about it. I feel like I'd like to read some of the other ones.
I approve of the changes in rating names :) All good ideas.
5646783
Yup, that’s probably where I got it from too. My backlog, RiL list and Reread list certainly have their fair share of fics I’ve picked up from your reviews. Through my checking out other reviews when following a review link on a fic, and a period of a few months when I actually worked my way through your 2020 and end-of-2019 blogs in reverse order, there’s no shortage of them! But that’s to be expected, given how many you’ve looked at over the years.
I have a personal “rule” now, which is I can’t publish a review of a fic I picked up off another review blog unless it’s been at least a month since that person reviewed it (something we see here today: I discovered Down the Laundry Chute off of TCC56's Recommensday blog in late February, and Cutie Marks Under the Knife: A Special Report from FoME’s unused RCL fic submissions after it officially closed in late January). Just keeps their from being much overlap. After all, I read all the big ones, it stands to reason a lot of other people will too. It’s mostly for other blogs, though: given yours these days only have 3-5 per blog and at least one is quite long, and there’s always plenty of topics that just won’t appeal to me, it’ll be a rare occurrence for me to instantly prioritise something off of one of yours.
Then I’m doing my job well.
At least my general tendency towards one-shots thus far will mean fics around these parts won’t be more then a little extra should any get added to your schedule. That’s the theory, anyway. 
guess we’ll see what happens!
5646831
Your rating system is a pretty great one, I do see the use in rating things by how much you recommend them to read over just their quality, given how many fics will only appeal to a certain niche. I still find I have to mentally process the one-letter abbreviations at the start every time, but I’m getting better at it.
And I, of course, pick up fics of interest there after sometimes add them to my own queue. Not as frequently as with Logan’s, but a bit more than with PaulAsaran’s. Except Déjà vu with the odd fic here or there in the weeks to come!
Down the Laundry Chute is just the cutest friggin thing.~
And to the OP, Secret of the Kells is gud. Not my own top, but certainly top ten.
''Cutie Marks Under the Kinfe'' sounds horrifying, the more I think about it the worse it gets. I suppose I have to read it now.
This is definitely an idea that belongs in a pony dystopia fic.
The new ratings are much more intuitive!
Right, that'll be Consider the Coconut and Down the Laundry Chute added to the RiL for me! I don't have a formal equivalent of your "wait a month after someone else's review" rule, so whether I read them soon depends on what else I have to look at! Cutie Marks Under the Knife I have read, as you know, and I'd imagine the journalistic voice will appeal to most readers. It did to me. The other fics this week I can probably take a pass on.
5646885
Given you've gone and read it, it's redundant to say now, but it's not so tough/horrifying one can't get through it.
In any case, glad my recommendation pointed you towards much good, thought-provoking reading!
5646973
Just what I want to hear! Not that it's a surprise, given we discussed them in the comments last week, of course. But repeated approval's always nice!
5647230
I'm sure occasions will pop up that compels me to ignore it, but I do honestly feel it'll keep this nice and varied, given most viewers here will read at least some of the others big Ponyfic reviewers.
You've also read the Chrysalis at Quills and Sofas duology, buddy.
Fair enough; I'm guessing A Lonely Heart Weeps, despite the Pretty Good, isn't your cup of tea?
By the way, don't feel obliged to have to comment all the time either – I like hearing what you and others think, but that isn't always going to be the case week in and week out, by any means. I'm not so starved for attention I'd go through withdrawal symptoms without weekly comments from everyone! I think…
5647316
Indeed. I wasn't intending to mention every fic, though.
It may be at some point, just not right now.
I don't! I enjoy commenting, though. If anything, I'd like to do more of it, not less! (Not just on your posts, I hasten to add.) I know you wouldn't expect me to feel I had to comment, any more than I expect you to feel that way about my reviews. But if I have something to say, I'll say it.