Fic Recs August 10th · 12:57am Aug 11th, 2013
Yours Truly by Thanqol
Reading by Nimbus Productions
Genre: Epistolary/Shipping
Let me talk about that reading for a second. It’s a full cast production, with each character having their own voice, and it really adds a lot to the story. It’s definitely one of the best readings I’ve ever heard. Now to the story itself. I would hold up Yours Truly as an example of how to do epistolary tales right. The criticism I usually see levelled at them is “too much telling” because, well, letters are generally meant to tell. But in using multiple letters from multiple individuals, rather than one or even two, we can see the same event from multiple perspectives, and that really enriches the story, not to mention Thanqol does a good job of making each character's letters feel like their own. Of course, this breadth of perspective is also what I would consider Yours Truly’s main flaw: it gets off track from time to time. Most especially with Rarity’s letters, which are otherwise generally funny. The long one in the middle about her fighting Diamond Dogs to save Spike’s diamonds is just... What? It’s not doubt because I’ve never put much stock into the Spike/Rarity pairing, certainly when it comes to her feelings for him. I essentially did not care about that part of the story. And likewise, Pinkie’s pirate-themed tangents went from “just Pinkie being Pinkie” to “wait, why is she actually pillaging Equestria?” It was the one downside of a “mane cast in the future” setup that was otherwise well-realized. And that leads me into the other thing Yours Truly does well: slice of life. I tend not to enjoy stories that take that tag at face value, presenting us with the normal routine of the characters in between what are, in my headcanon, the bits we see in the show. But when you take slice of life beyond what we see broadcast on the screen, then it catches my attention, and Pinkie aside, I really enjoyed seeing what the mane six were up to. And then they started falling in love with each other. This was, of course, the best part. It’s not how I would divide up the six myself (which would be PinkieDash/Rarijack/TwiShy or TwiDash/Rarijack/Flutterpie), and as a matter of fact TwiJack is one of my least-favorite mane cast ships, but by the end I really felt that romance as a tangible thing. I also appreciated that, despite including pony death and a sad tag, emotions were not wrung outright but allowed instead to flow. Flaws aside, this is a really well-crafted story that does well a lot of things that writers in this fandom tend to struggle with. No wonder I’ve heard so much about it.
Recommended
Friend and Foe by Benman
Genre: Comedy
This is a brief look into the concept of “what if an evil pony overlord lived the life of a normal pony when not out trying to destroy Equestria?” The payoff isn’t overly strong, but for what this is, it’s really clever and pretty funny. It all comes down to the juxtapositions and the way the story handles them.
Highly Recommended as of 2/15/15!
The Liar by Chopper’s Top Hat
Genre: Character piece
Once upon a time, I tried to write a story backwards because it was shitty to begin with and I couldn’t think of any way to make it better. It was still terrible. This story isn’t. But it’s also not great. Each paragraph is sort of a self-contained chapter, with a few exceptions, and if you turned them around, it would read terribly. There are only a few scenes where one paragraph happens directly after the next, plus the constant POV shifts don’t help either. But, if you did reverse everything, you’d miss out on a well-revealed story about who Trixie is and why she does what she does back in Boast Busters. It’s honestly extremely clever, a little emotional by the end (the betrayal in the final third of the story really hit me hard), and it fits in a little with some of my headcanon about Trixie. It’s definitely unique amongst Trixie stories and in that sense, it’s worth reading. Just mind the gimmick.
Vaguely Recommended
Last Dance by amazonessduo
Genre: Action
This is a story about Trixie and Spitfire fighting changelings and... it’s not very good. It’s paced poorly, the narration is bad, and Trixie’s “heart-wrenching” backstory, though a nice try, is ultimately hamfisted. I did like Spitfire’s characterization, what little there is, but that’s the only nice thing I have to say about this. Spoilers: Trixie dies in the end for no reason.
Not Recommended
The Changeling Queen by Wanderer D
Reading by Keyframe, et. al.
Genre: Monster Transformation
There’s a type of story I’ve never liked, usually fairy tales, wherein a person, often through no fault of their own, is transformed into a monster and then proceeds to go about doing whatever it is that monster does. It’s never deserved, and it’s never anything they can help. I hate those stories, and that’s precisely what this is. Beyond that, it also feels fast-paced (not to mention there seems to be an awful lot left out; granted, that gives the ending more oomph) and there’s some weird dialogue, so I’m gonna go beyond a standard “this might appeal to others” and give it the thumbs-down. (It is, nevertheless, better than, say, the previous story.)
Not Recommended
Pinkie Pirate was the best part of that story and it deserves its own story and...
I seem to be the only pony who didn't love "Yours Truly". What was in it was beautifully written, and that got me through it (I'd still say it's in the top 5% of stories here), but the most-important parts weren't in it. My recollection is that it was mainly a bunch of unmotivated "Oh Applejack, I love you" ships pushed together into one story, where we're told which characters love which other characters deeply, without seeing why. It might have been great without the shipping, or even if it had been shipping of background ponies, but shipping any of the Mane 6 demands an explanation, at length.
I'd recommend The Old Stories much more, or Do Not Serve These ponies.
Yours Truly had one issue that I accept is based on personal response that not all might share. Friendshipping moves me more strongly than romantic shipping. Because it amps up what is already there without altering it. And I never felt that story had any reason to have the relationships be romantic love rather than the love that was already there. I would have enjoyed the story without any romance.
(I also prefer PPxRD, RxAj, TSxFs if only because the stories I read with those pairings were ones I enjoyed. Not personal preference)
The Changeling Queen was just experimental concept darkfic. It is actually humorously derided in The 3 Sisters series. I actually felt it relatively well justified how Twi was going about doing what she was compelled to do since her transformation.
However, whatever you do, do not read the sequel by a different author. The one about Twi turning Dash. It was basically ham fisted villainy, rape, violence, and socio-political tirades.
1276279
ew
1276076 You are not the only one. Between Mustache Socks and Fluttershy guilt-tripping Dash into quitting the Wonderbolts, my feelings on it are less than positive.
Now that I think of it, I bet it's partly why I hate the "Dash chooses love over the Wonderbolts" plot so much.
I may owe Bats an apology...1276294
I am a firm believer that that "choice" is incredibly contrived.
There is no reason being a Wonderbolt would keep her away more than say a reservist would be.
1276302 Yeah, and that's what generally ticks me off about it if I dwell on it too much. People in the military don't get to have romantic relationships? That'd be news to the people I know who are married and in the army.
Aww, you didn't like The Changeling Queen?
I guess it is definitely aimed at certain tastes, rather than the general public. I've found people either absolutely hate it, or love it. Only gotten a few 'mehs' out of it. 
1279835
Transformation-based fics have to abide by a certain set of rules (namely, no changing a person's mind along with their body) in order for me to appreciate them. :|
inb4 I break my own rules