"I think it’s a good story. And I mean, a really good story. There’s a reason why the author is one of the few I follow regularly, or why I’ve literally written fanfiction about it. It’s above every other story of its genre I’ve read, and while I certainly haven’t read them all I’m pretty sure I know what I’m talking about.
"At one point, I had plans to create this type of content under a different name. The drafts are still there, with around fifty unwritten or unfinished stories I meant to write at some point. And the reason I never returned to it was because of this. Before then I was convinced all porn was shallow and rather lacking in quality, and this proved to me that I was wrong. And at that point it would have felt pointless to add something to the scene in the way I was meaning to do.
"As the author has said, it is character driven smut, and in my opinion the characters are handled much better than in many other stories I’ve read, regardless of genre. I might be quoting myself here from another one of my rants, but there’s never a point in the story where what is happening doesn’t feel like the result of what the characters would do in their situation.
"It handles sex scenes in perhaps an unusual way compared to many other stories I’ve read. While it certainly is porn, the scenes aren’t there just for the readers to get their rocks off between a part of the plot and the other. They’re meaningful moments of character growth and exploration, and they actually impact the relationships between the characters. Not only does it feel like there’s actual emotional weight behind them, but arguably because you’re invested in the pornographic aspect of them they allow you to understand the characters and their actions and thoughts. It’s the only example I’ve found of a story having this type of symbiosis between plot and sex scenes.
"Being, as is pretty evident, focused on mind control, the story actually takes the time to explore the moral implications of the subject matter. Which doesn’t mean it’s there to teach what is and isn’t right. There are a number of situations where you can point at what a character is doing and say that it’s wrong. The story doesn’t necessarily acknowledge it, and there is no karma system of sort to punish or reward the characters, but it’s aware of what is wrong and right. Characters don’t hold the truth in the palm of their hands, they’re flawed, they make mistakes, occasionally pretty big ones, and the story doesn’t stop to point that out, but that doesn’t mean it’s implying everything that’s happening is right. On this topic, it’s important to note that it’s always written from the perspective of a character, not by that of some outside observer.
"It’s very well written from a formal point of view. Even the ponies who think it’s a bad story have admitted that, so you can at least be sure you won’t find reading through it unpleasant. And the same is true for the quality of the porn, I’ve seen ponies who despise the plot yet still come back to it just because of the quality of that. Not that I think it’s a particularly strong motivation for why you should read it, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
"And speaking of the plot, I personally found that to be rather good as well. You might be aware of what other popular story the author has compared it to (though only after others pointed out similarities between the two stories), and in my opinion there’s a big difference between the two, the second half of this story isn’t bland and forgettable like that story's. I very much enjoy the (literal) mind games, or the drama that comes as a consequence of the characters’ actions.
"What makes it interesting? It’s a story about mind control that tries to go past the simple use of mind control as a tool for sex scenes, and actually looks at the consequences of something like that, it’s up to you to decide whether the story does a good job with that or not. It’s a story that doesn’t use BDSM as a mere subject for a fetish but actually explores the way this type of relationships work in real life, as well as the twisted version of it that results when someone has a power like the one presented in the story.
"It’s a surprisingly emotional story, one that has left a literal hole in my chest (though this is probably not the place to talk about that). It treats sex as an actual moment of intimacy between two characters, even if the context is often not that of a normal or healthy relationship. It doesn’t shy away from the moral implications of consent and the lack thereof behind the “it’s just porn” excuse, but that doesn’t mean it spells out what is and isn’t right. It simply presents a situation for what it is, and gives the reader a chance to understand why the characters are acting the way they are.
"It’s an exploration of the characters’ nature and minds, and of the way power can influence one’s decisions. It gives a character the ability to effectively act however they please with there being no consequences for their mistakes, and then follows that character to see what they do with that power. It doesn’t use it as a moral example of good or bad, but treats them as an actual pony, with their flaws and desires.
"A mistake I feel a lot of ponies make is thinking that because something is perceived as good by a character then the author is implying that thing to be good. That’s not the case. Many times things that the character sees as good aren’t when looked at from an outside perspective, but because you’ve seen all that led up to that moment through the character’s eyes you understand them. It poses the very interesting question of what you would do if you had that kind of power. The protagonist doesn’t just turn evil at the flip of a switch, it’s a slow process and one the reader gets to experience for themselves as well, and understand, something the sex scenes help to accomplish by making the reader aware of why the events are having an impact on the characters.
"That’s why I think it should be read, or at least part of why. There are more reasons, but I’ll wait to hear your thoughts on it before bringing those up. I think it’s a good story, one you would probably enjoy, and one that does a good job at handling the moral dilemmas it raises. Hopefully this is enough to convince you, but if not I can probably come up with more stuff."
Everypony in the room stared at Twilight, wide-eyed and speechless.
Rainbow, still half-standing and with her hoof extended forward, was the first to break the silence. "Twilight? I just asked you to pass me the salt shaker."
"Oh. Sorry." Twilight levitated the salt shaker from her side of the table to the pegasus' hoof. When Rainbow didn't grab it and just kept staring at her, she simply set it down in front of her.
Rarity went back to eating, trying her best to keep a straight expression and hide the embarrassment of the situation.
Fluttershy was clutching her face in her hooves, furiously blushing.
Pinkie still stared at Twilight, blinking occasionally and pondering what she'd been told.
Applejack got up and walked away from the table, without looking at Twilight.
The alicorn tried to chuckle.
"So... What's the name of that story?" Rainbow asked.
Rarity let out a chocked sound as she heard that. She then burst into a violent coughing fit, a piece of the food she'd been eating having gotten stuck in her throat.
Twilight smiled. Awkwardly.
Author's Note
Go throw Wintermist a follow, you all.
