YMLT - March 2015 · 2:31pm May 1st, 2015
As the month shifts over to May, I finally emerge from the dredge and slog that was the end of semester. I've done relatively little in the last several weeks, even by my standards of doing little, and as a result next to no writing has been accomplished and I was forced to bow out of YMLT for the month of April.
However, now that I've finished my last exams and the final papers have been submitted, I find myself with more flexibility. In terms of writing, I have many ideas that I'm excited to pursue over the next few weeks and have already started on a new, short TwiDash fic. With any luck, progress should be made on that over the coming days and it should be out in a couple weeks. I've also dived back into reading stories, and there's a lot of backlog I get to pick through.
Scroll down past the break to see the few stories I added to YMLT in March, 2015.
Genres: Romance, Comedy, AppleDashLight
Description:
Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash really enjoy each other's company. So much so that some ponies are beginning to wonder about them. Twilight and Applejack are a couple after all, so its a bit unusual that Rainbow always seems to be invited along. But sometimes, a couple is more than two.
We'll start off with some polyamory shipping, and what better poly ship is there than AppleDashLight? This story begins with Twilight and Applejack already in a relationship, and over the course of the first few chapters Rainbow Dash joins their relationship as shenanigans ensue courtesy of a couple nosy friends. Thankfully, the story doesn't end there. We get to explore how the relationship between the three (and later on between the pairs that can be made from the three) will work. There's lots to enjoy here, from teasing to pony cuddles to really heartfelt moments between Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. There's lots to laugh at, and lots of minor details that I really enjoyed and really made it a lot easier to get immersed in the story.
Genres: Romance, Comedy, Alternate Universe, R63, FlutterPie, RariJack, TwiDash
Description:
It's a normal day in Ponyville. Elusive, Rainbow Blitz, and Bubble Berry are all hanging out and having a good time until Blitz offends Elusive's honor as a stallion. Now the three have a bet, the objective: Get a date with one of their close friends, Applejack Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy.
This story contains R63 on three of the mane six and maybe a few other characters. (Haven't decided on a few yet.) This idea was spawned by the picture.
Warning may contain massive Dwaa's and a few clichés.
I had this story recommended to me by Zaphod, and it's a very interesting one from the set-up to the execution. In this story, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity are R63'd (i.e. they are stallions) whereas the rest of our regular cast (Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Fluttershy) are not. The premise here is that a bet is made between our R63'd ponies to see who would last the longest in a relationship with their female friends. A bet that just reeks of impending disaster, right? Bubble Berry (Pinkie Pie) goes after Fluttershy, Elusive (Rarity) woos Applejack, and Rainbow Blitz (Rainbow Dash) gets with Twilight. I was rather surprised by how much I enjoyed this one, and I'm happy to see that it's not dead yet. Each of the ships is well done, and it's a strangely refreshing departure from the lesbian ponies that well all know and love so dearly. My only complaint is that a lot of the RariJack shipping (and some of the FlutterPie and TwiDash) is chalked up to "opposites attract." While the story shows how each of these couples can have a deeper and more meaningful relationship, the fact that "opposites attract" is stated by the characters irks the shipper in me.
Genres: Romance, AppleDash
Description:
Applejack and Rainbow Dash knew this would be hard, but a long distance relationship was in their future from the start. A Wonderbolt and an apple farmer don't have a lot of time in the same place, so they do their best with letters and the occasional weekends. But when Applejack finds out that Rainbow Dash is on the cover of Flyers Illustrated: Wet Feathers Edition, it plays on a fear she never mentioned to Dash: Everypony knows that famous ponies are different from normal folks. . .
Right?
A month doesn't seem to go by where I don't read at least one bookplayer fic, does it? I swear I'm not doing it on purpose. Probably. This particular story was written back when bookplayer was all about AppleDash (nowadays she's more inclined to TwiJack, not that I'll ever complain), and like just about every other story I've read by her, I enjoyed it. Applejack's dilemma in this story is that she's afraid Rainbow Dash is no longer the pony she fell in love with after leaving to be a Wonderbolt. Long-distance relationships are hard to maintain, especially when one half of that relationship is a famous flier and generally not that good at communicating. AJ's turmoil feels real and you can't help but feel for her and hope that she and Rainbow Dash can work out their issues and stay together. While this isn't my favourite story that she's written by far, this was still a good read that I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys shipping, AppleDash, and/or stories about relationship after the couple has gotten together.
Genres: Sex, Gore, Romance, Sad, Comedy, Slice of Life
Description:
A series of vignettes exploring various pony ships. Because shipping is magic.
This is a bit of a departure from what I normally read in that it's not just one story, but rather a series of vignettes about various shipping pairs inspired by whatever prompt Donnys Boy was given or came up with. I remember reading the TwiDash chapters of this collection a couple years ago before I made my account here and I forgot about it entirely until recently. Donnys has a talent for being able to do in a few hundred to just over 2,000 words what other writers spend thousands of words trying to do. Friends and Lovers manages to create a depth to the various ships it contains that is often lacking in most other romance fanfiction, and I found myself thinking "Man, I'd love to see the full-fic version of this" more than once. You may be tempted to only read the chapters for the pairings that you like, but I would encourage everyone to give the other chapters a chance. For example, I've never considered myself a fan of TwiPie, but Donnys Boy has a few TwiPie vignettes here, and I enjoyed them all. If you like shipping at all, check this story out.
Genres: Romance, Comedy, AppleDash
Description:
Applejack is stuck in bed with an injury, and Rainbow Dash has just the thing to help her girlfriend through it: The complete collection of Daring Do books. But this generous act forces Applejack to reveal her dark secret.
One of the benefits of managing the AppleDash group submission folder is that from time to time I get to read a good story that would otherwise go by unnoticed. On Different Pages is a short story, barely over 2,200 words, that explores a small element of Rainbow Dash and Applejack's relationship. The most common shipping stories that you'll find anywhere on this website are get-together stories, which really isn't that surprising. The build-up to the two confessing their love for each other and sharing their first kiss is arguably one of the most romanticized and exciting moments in any romance. However, there are a lot of other firsts and a lot more stuff in general to explore in a relationship after they get together. These stories are more meaningful for me and most often leave a greater impact because I get to see how these two characters interact with each other and negotiate their relationship as it progresses. This short little story does exactly that, exploring how Rainbow Dash reacts to Applejack not liking Daring Do. It's short, it's sweet, and Applejack and Rainbow read like they're Applejack and Rainbow. Give this one a read, it's five-ten minutes that you won't regret.
