Fic recs, July 12th · 3:57pm Jul 12th, 2014
Reading schedule’s all wonky because of the current PR Battle, plus working my first paid editing job and still trying to get through Nyx’s Family after that huge contest post, not to mention lots of long audiobooks (it'll take me over a week to get through the next three stories on my list, I wager). So there’s lots of things to announce before I get to the reviews.
After rereading it, I am upgrading the rating for MDGC entry To Love the Sun to Highly Recommended. (I also moved it up to #3 on my top ten list for the contest.) That story is fuckin’ brilliant, not just the best of those that tried to use all five prompts, but just about the only story I’ve ever seen that really justifies use of second-person. It wouldn't have the same effect in first or third.
A dude is doing a survey of fanfiction writers, so go fill out his form thing!
Learn something I bet you didn’t know about me! I’m such an attention whorse.
Illya Leonov wrote a lovely ode to Luna and read it himself. Do check it out! :)
In case you don't follow John Perry, you might not know that Chris is looking for guest writers for his blog. Very important!
Oh yeah, and I’m confirmed for Bronycon. :B I’ll be on the EQD Pre-Readers panel! Announcements done!
H: 0 R: 2 C: 1 V: 1 N: 1
At Home on the Range by Bronius Maximus
Reading (part 1) by Intrapulation
Genre: Shipping
As punishment for a stunt pulled over Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash gets dragged along on a cattle drive with Big Macintosh. Let me just say, this is a hell of a setup for a ship (and here I'm ignoring the fact that Applejack was trying to set them up), but anyone who demands two characters be put through a full range of emotions before ending up romantically entangled will find this definitely fits that criteria. Of course, if they want to see Big Mac shipped with Rainbow Dash, they might be somewhat disappointed. Yes, I found Rainbow’s characterization to be a major sticking point in this piece. It’s old, and I just could not reconcile things like Rainbow using her “feminine wiles” to con stallions, worrying about her looks, or, y’know, crying, with her character from the show at any point in time. This is certainly a well-rounded character, it’s just not Rainbow Dash. As for the plot, the story is divided in two halves, the first being a fairly dull survival tale, during which each of them nearly dies once, followed by a sudden right turn into a fairly rousing Western. If anything, that’s who I’d recommend this to: if you like Westerns and don’t mind some shipping on the side. Still, the villains of the piece really show up out of nowhere, and there was quite a long time between the idea of cattle rustlers being brought up and acknowledgement that the cattle actually were rustled, during which it seemed like Macintosh was completely out of his mind and being hard on Rainbow Dash for no good reason. (Also why does she call him “Big”?) On another note, I really wish the distinction between talking cows like Daisy Jo and the ones they’re driving across the desert was brought up earlier, because for a long time, and even afterward, there’s this overtone of slavery over the whole thing that’s just really uncomfortable. Anyway, as I said, this is old, and while decently paced, suffers from close repetitions (I think it was five instances of “doors” in two sentences?), some poorly-phrased sentences, and POV shifts. And even that last one wouldn’t have been that big an issue had the POV not shifted from Rainbow to Macintosh in the middle of a sentence one time. Overall, I was able to get through this whole thing, and I appreciate the use of a time skip for the “alternate ending”, but this is not a terribly well-written story, and I know Bronius has done better since.
Vaguely Recommended
In Her Sanctuary by OmegaPony11
Reading by Doctor Cobra
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: Dark
Part of me wants to term this “Cupcakes, but Twilestia”, but that would be both under- and over-selling it. It really is a remarkably creepy fic, relying heavily on well-played fridge horror to tell the story of a crazy Celestia lugging around an incapacitated (dead? not dead?) Twilight Sparkle, with whom she is in love. Weirdly, it seems to play all its big cards right at the start, but it’s the fridge horror aspect that keeps things tense throughout. Of course, it would have been a little more effective had Celestia been more recognizable under the layers of madness. Still, I liked this because I can interpret it as “Celestia would have to be crazy to date Twilight”, and I dig that. (Though given the story was conceived by Vimbert for this author to write, I don't think that was the real intention.)
Recommended If You Like Grimdark, or Dislike Twilestia
Mind Your Elders by Denim_Blue
Reading by Goombasa
Genre: World Building
This one’s hard to classify. The basic idea — Pinkie Pie is really a godlike being — is one I’ve seen before and generally become indifferent to, if not disdainful of. However, as we have seen, it is quite possible to do a bad idea justice with good writing, and this hits that mark. What caught my attention first of all was the showing. Luna’s nervous about a visit from the Elders because she’s afraid they’ll be angry about the Nightmare Moon thing. But when Celestia starts acting equally nervous, as if she is expecting punishment for something as well, that really drives home just how powerful these beings are. What sold me, however, was Pinkie revealing her true form; anyone who catches the scene from the show it subtly references will no doubt enjoy it. If there’s one thing I can criticize, however, it’s that this goes on for too long. Pinkie does something very poignant toward the end… and then the story doesn’t end, but keeps doing what it was doing, as though the author remembered they had a lot of ground to cover and didn't want to go back before packing everything in. Ending aside, though, this is a very charming piece that stands up well against others featuring ponies talking to gods.
Recommended
If I Can’t Have My Dream, You Can’t Either by ABagOfVicodin
Mature: Gore
Reading by TheLostNarrator, Caitbug and GutiuSerenade
Genre: Scootabuse
It wasn't the title and its shades of "You Couldn't Wake Me Because I Wasn't Asleep" or whatever Final Dreams of a Filly was originally called, but the content warning at the head of this reading (which, I should note, is beautifully visceral) that got me worried. As Rainbow Dash threw her tantrum over a rejection from the Wonderbolts, losing her mind and swearing revenge, I had to wonder just what I was in store for. And then Scootaloo showed up. Oh, sure, she’s a teenager now, but that doesn’t make what happens any more palatable. Thankfully, my laughter reflex kicked in and I was dying by the end of the story. It’s just so horrible. If you actually like Scootabuse, the writing is decent, though full of LUS. Otherwise, don’t bother.
Not Recommended
Old Friends, Again by RBDash47
Sequel to Old Friends
Genre: Character Death
I have to admit, despite knowing that I really enjoyed Old Friends (I gave it an H), I didn’t remember too much about it coming into this sequel. Thankfully, I don’t think there were any intricacies lost; you need to have read the first story, of course, but the main thing it will impart on the reader is the relationship between Celestia and her “oldest friend”. That said, I think this is a slightly weaker story, if still worth reading. The writing is strong, but the thought I keep chewing on is “What was the purpose?” All I can think of that this offers are some world-building and the chance to experience some very real emotions, something I consider very important when it comes to ponyfic. This is a piece about Celestia confronting her own death, and the thought that even someone like her would be transfixed by helpless terror while dying is really, really powerful. So yes, this is an excellent piece of writing, but I wouldn’t imply that it will change your life. If you’ve read Old Friends, of course, you shouldn’t pass it up.
Recommended
Oh yeah, and my second class starts up Tuesday, so it'll likely be another long wait for a rec journal. :| Maybe I'll read another book.
I'll have to take a look at that Mind Your Elders, looks interesting.
Old Friends, Again was good.
Alright, a few more for the pile. Still chugging through the Most Dangerous Game stuff too.
Huh. You know, Home on the Range is the story that set me on the dark path of MacDash, bu now that you mention it... Dash was a bit... Eh, I don't want to say "out of character." More, she was showing a side we don't ever see. Still, I highly recommend the sequel, Breaking Barriers. it really nails Dash's character, and serves as my go-to example of why I think those two work as a couple and are adorable together.
Congratulations on the job! And also thank you based pp because I have no other idea as to how I ended up on Chris' blog
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I looked at it, and it sounds interesting, and I can imagine the writing is better, but...
I really can't justify committing myself to that many words given how bad the first one was. :/
I don't understand the appreciation for To Love The Sun at all.
Don't everybody be surprised at once.
You have to figure it's not going to go well when the moment it mentions love I'm already inwardly screaming 'You don't even know what love is you fucking retard!' The second-person wasn't agreeing with me :P
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Shock, I have none. :P
I'm on the other side of the fence when it comes to transcendent-being Pinkie. I love the idea. Mind Your Elders is actually one of the few one-shots that I've favorited.
Still, thanks for the reviews.
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Usually, the idea is rolled out as a ham-fisted explanation for why she can do all the things she does. It was funny and original in season 1; post season 4, that is no longer the case. :B But this one endears itself to me because of the specific reasons why it chose that route. Breathing new life into an old, crappy idea is always appreciated.
>necromancy
Thanks for the review! Ostensibly, OFA explains why Celestia can see her oldest friend when no one else can. Mostly I wrote it because I loved writing the first one, like writing in that style, and it was also a lot of fun to burn her to death. ...Hmm.