What is it with these darn
Vinyl and Octavia stories that makes them so interesting to read? I
also wonder what it is about werewolves and vampires that makes those
stories so...well sold. Mixing two good things together always comes
out great right? Right?
Author: Dennis the Menace
There was only one explanation. For all of it. All of the strange, erratic behavior. Her irrational fear of the sun. Her nocturnal habits of locking herself in in the dark and closing all the blinds. Wearing her sunglasses everywhere, even inside! It was time to invest in some silver, garlic, and a wooden stake.
Vamponies and Wereponies
after the break!
Okay, this is going to be a
long review, on the account that I enjoyed this story enough to read
it twice before I even started writing reviews. I'd like to list a
few additional qualifications; I started following this story when it
was only a few chapters long, and I've read the first 'Twilight'
novel (if you think this loses me my stallion-card, let me know in
the comments and I'll explain why I still have it).
With that out of the way,
time for a quick background. This story follows our dear cellist
Octavia, who after running into some financial problems, moves in
with a friend whom she met at a bar several months back. Her new
roommate is just plain weird at times though. She keeps a nocturnal
schedule, wears sunglasses even at night, oh... and she really hates
garlic. Octavia is going to find out just what Vinyl is, no matter
what the cost.
If you didn't guess from
the title, spoiler: VINYL IS A VAMPONY! The story doesn't end there
by a long shot. There is a whole long action and romance fueled plot.
Supernatural creatures lurk around every corner, and anypony could
be a vampony or a werepony. If that wasn't clear, this story was a
very entertaining read. On a technical level, this story is simple.
That doesn't really detract from it all that much though, as the
story-telling doesn't need fancy rhetoric or architecture to work.
The characters really make
this story, those being of course Vinyl and Octavia. The deviations
from the typical fanon personalities are what make them special.
Octavia has a sense of grim humor that tends to kick in only when she
hits rock bottom, my personal favorite is her moping over how earth ponies
wind up getting tongue cuts. She also has some very disproving upper
crust parents which she works her flank off to please. Vinyl, while
being the bouncy DJ that many Bronies are fond of, also
has...other night work. She is construed in such a way that the more
dangerous work she takes on fits in wonderfully as a hidden
personality. Oh, and the twelfth unique explanation I've heard for why Vinyl can have red eyes was a great addition too.
While there is the near
obligatory Octavia x Vinyl shipping in this story, it isn't the most
important theme. After having that same ship re-told and re-shipped
over and over again, a story where it isn't the main focus was kind
of refreshing. The main story line follows Octavia coming to grips
with her own lycanthropy issues, while trying to learn
about/understand the past between Vinyl and another pony, Silver Streak.
I've heard some concerns
among those who haven't read this fic that it is based on/references
the Twilight novel series. I can safely say that there are no
solid references, and the only one that even comes close is that in
the first few chapters when Octavia is reading a 'vampire novel'. For
all I know, this could be Bram Stoker's Dracula (which is amazing
and you should all read it). On the safe side, there are no sparkly
vampires, and plenty of garlic issues, which really points to the
Dracula side of things; though this work is a clearly its own style
of vampire story.
The ratings:
Originality: 4.5/5
Composition: 3/5
Characters: 5/5
Imagery: 4.5/5
Plot: 5/5
Overall:
4.4/5
TLDR: This fic topped the
charts over at FimFiction for a while, and I'd say it was with good
reason. If you are bored and need a pony fix, give it a read. This
is Lt. Sage, still a proud man/stallion, signing off!
