A Writeoff Menagerie 2: Writeoff Harder

Once more, I spent the weekend writing and reading writeoff stories instead of, er, not-writeoff stories.  Well, I also had a concert on Saturday, but I think we all know that that is hardly an excuse for not reading things.  Anyway, I've reviewed the 49 entries here; don't be daunted by the long list, they're minifics, so they add up to just a bit over 30,000 words combined!  That's nothing!

If you'd like to read and vote, go to the gallery and give it a whirl!  If you'd like to comment on those stories, or if you just want to see what everyone else is saying, check the FiMFic thread.  And if you want to know why so many of the stories are...

a) weird metafiction, it's because horizon is a guy who regularly participates, and the prompt was "just over the horizon," and people are people.

b) about skeletons, I assume because it's October?  Also, the second-place prompt was skeleton-themed; I think some people tried to go double for kicks and giggles.

c) Equestria Girls-related, I have no idea.  I guess a lot of people liked the new movie.

d) using the phrase "just beyond the horizon" in the stories, I blame reviewers who get persnickety about whether or not a story uses the prompt enough.  Makes writers afraid, so they try to get really blatant so they aren't accused of not following the prompt.  Hopefully it passes.

e) really pretty good, it's because a lot of really pretty good authors do this each time, and even without them, there always seem to be some great stories from readers whose names I don't recognize.  I do like that about these things.

Anyway, go to!

Mini-Reviews Round 54

Hey, FiMFiction finally got bookshelves!

...Aw man, now I've got to stop using "favorites" as "tracking" and start actually using these, don't I?  Man, that sounds like work; I finally got all the mini-reviews into a header-linked page this week, and now I've got more going back over old fics to do?  Man, life is suffering, man.  Man.

So instead of doing that, I'm going to type up some mini-reviews!  Short takes on fanfics I've recently read, below the break; bookshelf-work TBD.

Fandom Classics Part 74: The Last Human

To read the story, click the image or follow this link

One of the odd things about middle-schoolers (well, teens and pre-teens generally) is that they're desperate to forge an identity for themselves, often with little regard for how well it fits.  Even if that identity literally doesn't fit at all, even.  Where I work, the "Mexican" kids hang tightly together--even though the kids in question don't seem to really understand what "Mexican" is, using it to vaguely encompass anyone Hispanic who grew up in a Spanish-speaking household, and encompassing kids born not just in Mexico/raised by Mexican parents, but also students from Salvador and third-generation Americans.  But not an actual Spanish student, who speaks Spanish "wrong," nor a white teacher who was raised in Tijuana.  On one hand, it's kind of cute, and I get that creating an identity is part of being that age.  On the other, these kids need to know what the words they're using mean.

Speaking of identities, here's a story that features that as a theme!  Identities, that is, not Mexican-ness.  PatchworkPoltergeist's The Last Human: Tales of the Pre-Classical Era, below the break.

Mini-Reviews Round 53

Time for some short reviews of some of the stuff I've recently read for fun!  Click on down below the break for your latest dose of the unending juggernaut that is One Man's Pony Ramblings.

The Sweetest Water

The Sweetest Water

Nothing is without a price, as many discover to their sorrow. Few are those who truly know themselves, and fewer still are those who know which prices are worth bearing—and which hide perils threatening that which they most treasure.

*****

My new story/most recent Writeoff entry was posted on FiMFiction yesterday.  The Sweetest Water is decidedly in the "fairytale" genre, which is a favorite of mine (the genre, that is) and which I hope I've crafted a suitably Equestrian take on.  I got some very good advice on the Writeoff version, and although the finished product has many of the same words and events, I believe it's a much stronger story (and one with fewer stupid mistakes)--thank you to everyone who offered reviews or suggestions!

And speaking of reviews or suggestions: if an Equestrian fable sounds like your sort of thing, you should check out The Sweetest Water.  And if, after reading, you have any thoughts or critiques, please share them here or on FiMFic; I appreciate any suggestions or advice you have.

The Moment of Epiphany

Time to ramble!  If the title interests you, click below the break for my thoughts on that most powerful, rarest of moments, and when and why it strikes.