Mini-Reviews Round 211

True quotes overheard in the lunchroom from the fifth-grader's table:

"I'm so savage, my first word was 'Harambe!'"

I weep for our future (also, wasn't Harambe last year?  Does it just take a year for memes to filter down to the elementary-schoolers? Or at least, to the elementary schoolers in flyover country?).  Anyway, mini-reviews below the break.

(Also: no reviews Friday.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!)




Mind Your Elders, by Denim_Blue

Zero-ish spoiler summary:  Celestia and Luna receive a visit from a representative of the gods who created the world and all other worlds... and to their surprise, that representative is Pinkie Pie.

A few thoughts:  This story lays the portentousness on thick from the start--"needlessly vague" is the best descriptor of the princesses' dialogue in the first chunk of the story, and the narration is heavy on emotional cues and reactions.  Things pick up a bit in the middle when the conversation with Pinkie lets the author do a bit of worldbuilding, but the entire tone ends up feeling extremely self-flagellating on Celestia and Luna's parts.  And the ending is abrupt in a way that largely pre-empts its attempted depth; it's hard to have much of a reaction to Pinkie's decision when there's so little to set it up, and when the lack of time spent establishing Pinkie as "not just a pony" makes it feel more like a return to status quo than a break therefrom.

Recommendation:  If you enjoy portentous musings and seeing a bit of fear from those nominally in charge, this might tickle your fancy.  But if you're put off by rushed developments and "as you already know"-style dialogue, this probably isn't your fic.



Freedom Flourishes, by The Hat Man

Zero-ish spoiler summary:  A tale of a group of crystal ponies who fled the Empire before it vanished for a thousand years--and of the family they left behind.

A few thoughts:  The early going on this story feels a bit forced; the author's hand in making everything as difficult as possible/necessary is a little too obvious at times.  For that matter, a lot of story elements come off as pretty predictable--there's a neat and potentially powerful idea here, but the tendency to emphasize movement and action-oriented dialogue over emotion and reaction doesn't let that side of the fic fully blossom.  However, it does nail its ending, landing on a sweet, slightly-yet-appropriately-for-ponyfic-silly, and all-around heartwarming note.

Recommendation:  If you can't summon some of your own empathy for friends and family trapped on opposite ends of a thousand-year timeskip, this fic probably won't do enough to sell you.  But if you enjoy more event-based storytelling and will pardon a bit for a good finish, this is worth a look.