I realized something just recently: I don't read enough stories from authors whose stuff I know I enjoy. A lot of my fanfic reading time I devote to stuff by new-to-me authors; partly this is a byproduct of looking for new writers for the RCL to feature, and partly it's just me putting a premium on the unknown. A bird in the hand is nice, but did you see that bush over there? There're two birds in it...
Anyway, having come to this realization, I've decided that for the next week or two, I'm going to focus my reading time more (though not exclusively) on stories I know I want to read, because I know from experience that the authors of those stories write (or at least, can write) stuff that appeals to me. And conveniently enough, there's one particular author who had three short stories on my radar. So, let's have us a Pascoite-centric round of mini-reviewing! Check out my thoughts on three of his more recent stories, below the break.
For the Birds, by Pascoite
Zero-ish spoiler summary: While practicing her cello, Octavia becomes distracted by the birds outside her window. Curious, she tries to imitate a few calls.
A few thoughts: This is pure Slice of Life most of the way through; a directionless, meandering peek into somepony's perfectly un-extraordinary day. The ending twists around to a bit of a joke, or rather to a comical situation (and one I found pretty amusing, at that), but the majority of the story takes the form of a low-stakes peek at Octavia practicing in her studio while her mind wanders over this and that, with relatively little in the way of overarching theme.
Recommendation: Readers who enjoy "day-in-the-life"-style stories should definitely try this on for size, but although it's a very well-written example of what it is, I doubt it will appeal to readers who require more thematic focus or a strong overarching plot to enjoy their stories.
Dinkin' Doughnuts, by Pascoite
Zero-ish spoiler summary: Dinky is determined to make something amazing for her mother for Hearth's Warming, and while watching her mother at breakfast, has the perfect idea: she'll combine a doughnut with coffee, so that her mom can eat them both with one hoof while she trots to work! Now, she just needs to find a cook who can help her...
A few thoughts: Written in the form of a children's story, and clearly intended to be read aloud, it's safe to say that this story is, stylistically at least, right up my alley. Absolutely filled with eminently quotable lines ("A little sparkle danced across Dinky’s eyes and exited stage left. 'I have an idea.' Such words from industrious fillies never fail to strike fear into grown-up hearts, but luckily, Pinkie Pie didn’t possess one of those"), this story oozes self-assured seriousness, without feeling condescending. Also full of repetition and formulaic building-upon, I feel comfortable saying that this is best treated as a read-aloud--but in that context, I consider both of those things to be strengths, not weaknesses.
Recommendation: Fans of children's stories as a style should absolutely read this, and even those who aren't necessarily enamored with the genre will want to give this a try if they like simple-sweet adventuring with a heaping dose of heartwarming. Readers who don't appreciate construction decisions based more on storytelling conventions than literary ones probably won't find this to be to their tastes, though.
Naval Gazing, by Pascoite
Zero-ish spoiler summary: The CMC accidentally stow away on a pirate airship, and Twilight goes to rescue them. The girls, meanwhile, manage to create some complications of their own.
A few thoughts: This story is at its best when it's reveling in stupid puns, glib observational humor, and the peculiar brand of idiocy which is endemic to children everywhere. And to its credit, the story generally tries to stick to its light-sardonic comedy. At times, however, and especially in the early going, the desire to move through necessary setup or story events without dragging leads to odd scene breaks or to noticeable summarizing, though in both cases the entertainment quotient invariably picks up as soon as a new joke comes along. And heck, I'll forgive a lot for a story that that will twist itself around in order to give Applebloom a tongue-twister like "That’s the rum sum some dumb numb bum runs." I thought the last line was a bit of a letdown, personally, but it does suggest a certain Celestial competence which tales of swashbuckling crime typically omit from their conclusions, I admit.
Recommendation: For fans of goofiness and punnery, this would be a good choice. Readers seeking a high level of consistency in the humor level might find too much unevenness here for their liking, but I think those not averse to a bit of setup in between jokes might find that less noticeable.
I might be wrong, but I think For The Birds was written for a compilation of stories that never came out. The idea of it was for the stories to be as true slice of life as possible. Nothing amazing going on. Just a brief look into a pony's normal life. I think both he and I had stories accepted years ago for that and then they sat around forever. I looked at the Gdoc for it some time ago, and it looks like the author cancelled it. (Insert grumbling about my cute Pinkie Pie versus a mailbox scene...)
ReplyDeletePublish it under your account on FiMFiction! Might as well get it out there and let people read it.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOh, I published it a long time ago. It's in my scraps collection. After waiting for about a year, I threw it in there since I figured it would never get used otherwise.
DeleteOh, crap. A Pascoite edition. The last one of these didn't go well...
ReplyDeleteAh, that wasn't so bad. The first story was written for a project called "The Album" which Peregrine Uncaged started up. He has a bunch of authors collaborate to write very slice-of-life moments for a broad collection of characters. I wrote the Maud Pie one for the first Album (in my short-story compilation "Tales of Interest!" the chapter "Rock 'n' Roll" is just a link to it). There was an Album 2 in progress, but it ultimately fell through, and this is my entry for it. Yes, it is slice of life at its strictest: no character growth, no conflict, no plot. They have to be inconsequential, no-stakes things, or they'll be rejected. I'm not sure I see the appeal of reading dozens of such stories in a compilation, but I thought it would be a fun exercise. Check out "Persephone" by Present Perfect. That was his entry, and I suspect it would have been rejected, because it actually has some nice character development.
For "Dinkin'Donuts," it's the first time I kept up a children's-story feel through a standard length story, no it's something new for me. I had a lot of fun writing it. I think it probably would be fun to read it aloud, but I'm one of those people who hear the words in their head while reading, so it's a similar experience for me anyway.
"Naval Gazing" literally started out as a group of us tossing out ideas to Blueshift on Skype when he decided to write a story about the CMCs going on a treasure hunt. He wrote it so he could do it as a live reading during a live charity stream knighty held a couple years ago, which I believe is still posted on YouTube somewhere. It features Blueshift himself reading Sweetie Belle's dialogue in a hilarious, high-pitched, permanently exasperated-sounding shout, akin to a female version of one of the Gumbys from Monty Python. Anyway, I suggested the "cutlass" and "corsair" pun situations to him, which he didn't end up using. I couldn't let them go to waste! So it's mostly a story built around a few jokes that I had beforehand, which is generally not a good way to write.
Yes, Monobelle is a shtick I have stolen and used myself. :D
DeleteI can see a certain Blueshiftish influence in some of the CMC's straight lines. Glad to hear this went better than the last set of Pasco-themed reviews you got!
DeleteWhat madness is this, that Pascoite wrote a fic that's never been on EqD?!
ReplyDeleteRead and enjoyed the other two, though I had this weird cognitive dissonance while reading Naval Gazing. Dunno why, but I kept picturing Mainsail as a stallion and having to remind myself that she's a mare
You know, I had the same experience with Mainsail. I'm not sure why, though; -ail endings are largely feminine, at least in English.
Delete"For the Birds" is too short to make EqD's threshold, and the lack of a plot would kill it anyway. I've got around 7 stories not on EqD for various reasons, mostly because I know they don't meet the submission guidelines or aren't good enough.
Delete"I realized something just recently: I don't read enough stories from authors whose stuff I know I enjoy."
ReplyDelete*Suggestively raised eyebrow*
Mm-hm. And you are...?
DeleteWell, feel free to submit your resume, if you think you might qualify for the position of "author whose stuff Chris knows he enjoys." I must warn you, there's a lot of competition for a limited number of spots, however, and no-names without... say, multiple 4/5-rated stories on OMPR, an RCL feature, and at least one story on Chris's favorites list on FiMFic are unlikely to make the cut. We'll keep it on file in case of an opening. Don't call us, we'll call you.