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When I was young, probably four or five, I went to preschool. My mother tells me that one day, I and half a dozen other kids spent the entire free-play time sitting in a circle, telling the same joke over and over: "Why did the chicken cross the road? To throw poop on his friends!" For the entire half-hour, one of us would tell the joke, we'd all laugh uproariously, and then someone else would repeat the exact same joke to the exact same reception, ad nausium.
I just thought I'd throw that out there, in case any of you were still clinging to the theory that my taste and the word "good" share any point of intersection. And on THAT note, my review of Obselescence's Let's Just Say..., below the break.
Impressions before reading: I've read and enjoyed a number of the author's other stories, but this one's new to me. The description ("Suppose I killed them all?"), coupled with the random tag and <2000 wordcount, suggest a joke's-in-the-title(and description) situation, but I'm hoping there's more here than meets the eye.
Zero-ish spoiler summary: After escaping from her duties for a few minutes, Princess Celestia ponders aloud to an impromptu audience.
Thoughts after reading: As it turns out, there's not really a lot here other than the promised hypothetical. And yet, there's still a lot to like about this story.
Most notably, perhaps, is what it doesn't do: it doesn't try to cram a bunch of angst and portent into what is, ultimately, a very low-key fic. This is a story about Celestia taking the opportunity to say something she no doubt wishes she could, but can't, in most company, and Obs recognizes that overplaying the drama here would be counterproductive.
The downside, though, is that you end up with a story that doesn't have much weight independent of what a reader chooses to invest it with. There's a lot that can be read into this fic--indeed, that's one of the nice things about it--but at its heart, it's more an idea than a complete story. Celestia's audience adds a nice (if also awfully open to interpretation) touch, but there's not a lot here beyond "If I wanted, I could totally kill everypony."
The writing is simple, clear, and unobtrusive. The author opts for fairly straightforward, restrained descriptions in most places, with only an occasional hint of humor. Given that the fic is basically a short monologue, this choice ends up highlighting the ambiguities of the story, but also its sparseness.
Star rating:
I don't really have a lot to say about this one: it's a short portrait which doesn't set out to do much, but which does what it sets out to do extremely well.
Recommendation: Anyone intrigued by the description will find a pleasingly light-touch treatment here. Don't go in expecting more than a disarmingly simple vignette, and you won't be disappointed.
Next time: Vinyl and Octavia: University Days, by Dawnfade
"For the entire half-hour, one of us would tell the joke, we'd all laugh uproariously, and then someone else would repeat the exact same joke to the exact same reception, ad nausium."
ReplyDeleteI fail to see anything wrong with that. Entire shows have been built on this concept, and your joke's better than many of them :p
I don't add many fics with this rating (though there are, like, three on my list right now), but it's short and I like the concept, so I'll add it. Gotta finish the TwiLuna shipfic I was tricked into reading first, though. I hate you so much right now, Daetrin. With every fiber of my oaty being
Prediction for "Vinyl and Octavia": 2/5 for decent writing but meh, almost cringeworthy plot. I couldn't make it through the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, that's a funny joke. Especially when you're five. Especially the first time. The rest, though, I got nothin'.
ReplyDeleteAlso, University Days, oooh gurl!
I am so very sad that you chose this one to go for rather than, say, In Memory Of. I wrote Let's Just Say while I was still coming down from surgical anesthesia and remain to this day shocked that it got as popular as it did.
ReplyDeletePretty fair assessment, though, all said.
In Memory Of it is, then. You have a--frankly uncommon--ability to write without unnecessary weight or pressure. I should definitely try more of your stuff.
DeleteI can't help shake the feeling that I've actually read this before, but we'll find out soon enough!
Obs: I've had several of your stories recommended to me for reviewing; I chose this one on the highly scientific basis of "had the most FiMFic views of the fics suggested." Like as not I'll come back and hit some more of yours down the line, though, so I hope you aren't toodisappointed in the choice of fic!
DeleteIn any event, thanks for taking the time to comment.
Fair 'nuff! Hope you enjoy any of the others a bit more, if or when you ever get to them. Thanks for taking the time to review!
Delete"Let's just say" is my favorite Obs story. You said 'there's not a lot here beyond "If I wanted, I could totally kill everypony."' That's a criticism I'd make of his more-popular story "In Memory Of", which is 7000 words long but doesn't say much beyond "Twilight is going senile and that is sad and you should cry now."
ReplyDelete"Let's just say", though, isn't just a punchline. The story isn't "Celestia could kill everypony", the story is "Celestia might sometimes speculate about killing everypony". And the story subtly shows why she might--while loving them--sometimes get very fed up with how they see her and lean on her and make demands of her, and how hard it is for her to get a few moments to herself, and how that life might sometimes be more terrible than just being completely alone.
There is a lot to be said for an essentially pointless story that doesn't make me feel like it's wasted my time. As Chris said, it's what it doesn't do that stops it from carrying any baggage that might be deemed annoying.
DeleteI guess in then end then, it comes down to this: I could totally buy this fic as a throwaway piece of fun if I could buy this representation of Celestia. I don't, so I can't.
Luckily, Present Perfect game me something to get properly curmudgeon-y about today, so all is not lost.
Yay for being useful! :B
DeleteIt isn't a throwaway piece of fun at all. It's a dark and humorous yet serious piece on the stresses of being a princess of Equestria.
DeleteHonestly, I don't think you can square that circle. Either Celestia would have to be a sociopath or the author would have to have a pretty weak grasp of empathy—or Celestia is so unlike any human mind that has little emotional value.
Delete>2000 would mean it's more than 2000 words. Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteObselescence crams about 30% more meaning into each word; Chris was just weighting them accordingly
Delete...Yes, that's definitely what happened. It's most certainly not that I forgot that the alligator always eats the biggest number.
Delete...You learned that mnemonic too? I thought I was the only one. :O
DeleteHuh, that's actually a pretty good mnemonic. I remember my teachers saying something about alligators, but I never listened 'cause the symbol seemed pretty self-evident (I say as if I ever paid them attention)
Delete