I think this blog is going to be about Pony Fanfiction. My own, and the stuff I read too.
And let me tell you... when it comes to other people's stuff... I'm a picky pony.
Writing is... a special sort of art form. If I may misquote my Science Fiction Professor, there's absolutely nothing appealing about tiny little symbol scribbles on paper.Written word is unique in its own way. A written world can be more vivid than any visual representation could hope to recreate. The worlds words create are built entirely in our own minds. And its cheap, all it takes to write is time and a word processor.
But writing can also... fail. Very, very easily. Because its cheap, anyone can create immediately, leading to an influx of amateurs. And I would say its the hardest medium to truly become skilled in. You can draw every day, sketch, and quickly know what makes something look good, look bad, correct it. But writing isnt nearly as intuitive, it takes training just to see other's flaws, and its almost impossible to pick them all out on your own. To you, your writing could make perfect sense. To anyone else, it could be barf on paper. Making writing at least have a semblance of care and sense is daunting, making it professional and polished impossible alone.
So um... fanfiction.
Often enough, what qualifies a fanfiction as a good work is that it makes sense. And I can see why that is. Theres a lot of complete amateurs out there who dont even know how to make sense or carry across thier ideas.
But I've had training. I've been in near professional workshops. I know what makes a piece publishable, let alone what makes things readable.
And it makes it very, very hard to get into what is considered decent fanfiction. All the tiny little things, flaws that are or are not important build up on me. I begin wanting to tear the shit out of the works for how atrociously horrible they are, even if they're really not that bad.
So yes, I am a picky pony. I tend to drop fanfiction two paragraphs in.
Which is why I'm going to talk about the fanfiction that doesnt make me want to kill everyone.
The Actual Review Part : Simply Rarity by Somber
http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/06/story-simply-rarity.html
Okay, actually, I started reading this skeptically. If I may quote
"Pinkie Pie yelled as she popped up in front of Rarity waving her hooves as more and more ponies filed into Sugarcube Corner."
BAD LINE. BAD. GO TO YOUR ROOM AND THINK ABOUT HOW MANY AS'S YOU USE.
The opening only saved itself because I shared kinship with the author on our opinions of Rainbow Dash. That pony is a jerk and I don't know why the other ponies tolerate her. Okay, that's not really my reason.
The three page setup creates a bit of a mystery surrounding Rarity. Simply put, people think Rarity is rich when she clearly isn't, and its making her crazy upset. It was enough to keep my attention. The writing didn't make me want to gouge my eyes out, and the characters felt believable and consistent. The prose was a little bland, but hey, it was just the framing device.
Once you get to the actual story, Rarity's Journal as she grew up... Its... its mindblowing. I'm serious.
Its not like its a work that's unique, its a story that's been told before, in this format as well. A journal of a girl's trials through poverty and steadily losing everything she ever knew and loved. But the writing captured perfectly Rarity's haughty tone. The events of the story fit together and flowed logically. It even fit inside the framwork of the world. Topics of death, poverty, depression, they arent something you talk about clearly in a fluffy and happy kid's show. Here, they were all touched upon, but it only barely got beyond what the show itself would talk about. This kind of story easily, EASILY falls to melodrama, but Somber carefully steps around it. And surprisingly, its because everything happens offscreen. Every single one of his turning points happened this way, and usually that detracts from any work. But seeing Rarity's retelling and internalization of these things is absolutely heartbreaking, especially the solitary line from the OC, Unique. What other story had an OC hanging out with the mane cast that actually freaking pulled your heartstrings?
Well... it doesnt happen often, thats for sure.
Also, I forgot over the course of the story, but keep in mind, she gets her cutie mark at the end of all this. Yes, this entire story happens when she's as small as Apple Bloom.
God its depressing.
However! Happy end! And Somber pulls it off expertly! It doesnt jarr with the rest of the peice, and the story actually winds up meaning something. Its not some tacked on bullcrap moral or issue that people think adds depth to a work. Its not a lesson, its not trying to teach you something. That character and her own growth, her struggles, that's whats meaningful.
I need to stop editing this past midnight. Bottom line now.
Score: Going to Have a Hard Time When the Canon Contradicts It
Hope I find more fanfics to actually review, and not murder any more authors yay!
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