Fic recs, October 30th · 5:39pm Oct 30th, 2014
Hot dang, I love that there's a "new blog post" button in the drop-down now. Also, newer, easier-to-use story tagging system! :D
Things will be slow for a bit as I’m currently a third of the way into an audiobook of The Celestia Code, which will be my next vs. post. Unless, y’know, I read something else first. (I have a couple shorter ones lined up.) The upside is, my dad’s finally recovered from his heart surgery and will be going back to work, which means mornings are mine again! That means more time to listen to stuff, is what I’m saying. :B Also, when I said I wasn't doing Halloween recs this year, I meant it. Hope no one's disappointed.
H: 1 R: 2 C: 2 V: 0 N: 0
The Life and Death of April Fool by Prak
Genre: Surreal Comedy
A little filly named April Fool comes out from under a rock in the Everfree Forest once a year to play with the foals in the nearby town. This is a magnificently charming comedy, moving from whimsical fairy tale to bizarre random fic at the drop of a hat and without ever feeling disjointed. That is the biggest “thing done right” in this piece. I’m kind of amazed at how much comedy is packed into this, given that the fairy tale and nursery rhyme motifs are front and center. The twist at the end is the kind you’ll never see coming, but which makes perfect sense in hindsight. Definitely give this a read if you’re looking for something upbeat and cheerful (yes, in spite of “death” in the title, there is no darkness here) with maybe a bit of whimsy and carnival in addition.
Recommended
Sacrifice by Mystic
Genre: Low Fantasy
Two pegasus knights climb a mountain, hoping to slay a dragon. This isn’t very pony, set as it is pre-Unification, and it’s rather telly, but man, it’s kinda cool. The dynamic between the two characters is compelling, and there’s a lot of little hints of world-building around the edges that really caught my attention. Plus, the fight against the dragon is a lot of fun. The ending is pretty well foreshadowed, so it likely won’t catch you by surprise, but if you ever wanted a tale of pony knights doing knightly things, check this out.
Recommended If You Don’t Mind Telling
Breaking the News by horizon
Genre: Comedy
Oh yeah, horizon’s got a writeoff compilation too, so expect lots of him in the future. :B This has a great premise: how do you manage a disaster when they're all planned? Given the ponies’ control over weather, this seems a natural thing to consider, and the journalistic style makes this a hilarious read. This is absolutely brilliant, and its shortness means it doesn’t stretch out its central joke more than necessary.
Recommended
Sugar, Cubed by BlazzingInferno
Reading by Scribbler, et. al. (and me!)
Genre: Slice of Life
This story is a giant middle finger to anyone who took “Don’t use your fancy mathematics to muddle the issue” to mean “Applejack is terrible at math”. Here, we see just what math means to her, both in the present and the past. Despite the Sad tag, the emotional overtones are subtle, and the result of the contest deftly avoids either of two poor outcomes. My only real complaint about this piece is the use of the title; it’s extremely cheesy, specifically as it appears in chapter 3. Still, the writing is good, and this is a very unique look at Applejack.
Highly Recommended
Sonata Grabs Twilight’s Peaches by Admiral Biscuit
Sequel to Twilight Eats Sonata’s Taco
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Crackfic
Oh dear, we’ve crossed the memes. Never cross the memes! Anyway, all you have to know about the prequel to approach this story is that Twilight Sparkle ate a taco that was Sonata’s and it wasn’t sexual in the least. I find I like this story more, for a couple of reasons. First, while it’s mostly just an excuse to again have a silly sexual title, the characters feel a little more real and the situation is less far-fetched. The inherent ridiculousness is left to hang in the air while the characters move on with the story, rather than the setup. Second, it’s mostly just the Dazzlings arguing, and that’s always fun. Third, the touted locker room scene just barely passes muster by leaving all the true details to the imagination. And fourth, the ending has quite a twist to it. I hope we get more in this series.
Recommended for Sonata Fans
Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and ever molecule of your body exploding at the speed of light.
And that's bad.
I love these kind of stories, not only because of the general amusement behind the idea, but the motivation itself infers some real care went into writing it. Looks like I got another story to read at some point.
So AJ actually knows fancy mathematics, huh? Well, it's a H, so to my RiL it goes.
2564341
No studying!
Noooo! I was just getting caught up. Guess it's time to add 'sabotage PresentPerfect's mornings' to my to-do checklist.
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Code for the pony illuminati.
It is actually the totals of recommended categories.
I guess I can't argue with that. The title was written several months before anything else, and I still go back and forth on the comma in it. I originally planned on the story being a comedy, oddly enough. Instead the title morphed into a silly term of endearment that redefined nearly everything I'd planned.
Thanks for the review
I loved Breaking the News; it was just perfectly Onion-esque satire of something you get the impression that the showwriters never quite thought through to its (il)logical conclusion.
Also, I miss Mystic
Y'know, I really should consider changing the title on April Fool. That name came from the first draft, which was written as a black comedy that didn't work as well as I'd hoped. I kept it since it still kinda relates to the ending of the final version, and I find it mildly amusing as a joke, but I've been concerned that it might be off-putting to some people.
I've read Sugar, Cubed myself and loved it a lot more than I thought. What I loved is how the entire idea of why AJ would like math fit perfectly into who she is as a pony.
Glad you recommended it highly!
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That's how many of each recommendation is in the journal. :B
Noooooooooooo!
My streak of "PP has Highly Recommended everything I've written" just ended, and my first non-HR wasn't even My Harshwhinnial!
Seriously, glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you get more fun out of the many and varied stories in the collection. Also, glad to hear your dad's recovered. My mom recently had the first surgery of her life, for a serious nerve problem in her neck, so I know that feel, and I'm glad you're all through the other side.
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HAH!
A PLAIN RECOMMENDATION
EAT IT, RIZON! YOU... CELL PHONE DISTRIBUTOR
OR POSSIBLY ROOT VEGETABLE