Fanfiction Reading Update #167 · 9:55am May 27th, 2015
It's been a while. Can't say I've been reading many fanfics of late, but it's not due to laziness for once. I've actually been spending a fair amount of the time I would usually spend reading fics, writing instead. That weird clopfic has rapidly spiraled out of control and is now 1/3rd as long as Ascend 23k. It's probably a huge waste of time given how unlikely Fimfiction's readers are to like it (there's no sex in it so there goes the Featured Box), but I don't care since I've really had fun writing it.
On a related note, I'm really liking the “write the whole thing before posting it” method of publishing fanfics. Serialized is great and all, but there's so much more freedom to writing it all at once. I can add stuff, cut stuff, rewrite whole chapters, and I don't have to fret about retconning previous chapters or upsetting readers with the changes. I'm probably going to be using the “write it all at once” method for all future multichapter fics.
The Itch updates with Twilight realizing she can't exit Mr Grimdark's Wide Ride and potential foreshadowing to Dash being put on the body count. Probability of [Grimdark] ending: 85%.
Winter Storm updates with Celestia and Luna initiating the story's endgame and it quickly plunging toward a grimdark ending. Probability of [Grimdark] ending: 96%.
Corruption of the Sun updates with Twilight trying to beat Celestia in the race to the bottom of the grimdark pit. There's not a hope spot in sight. Probability of [Grimdark] ending: 93%.
Rebirth updates with Twilight continuing to settle into her live trying to raise up her friends while questions over just what the hell is going on linger on.
D=S-M updates with Lightning Dust putting the “scream” in “eye scream” and me calling the author's bluff about killing the protagonist of the story well before the plot's even close to finishing. Twilight could have gotten minced into salsa and I still wouldn't buy it. Probability of [Grimdark] ending: 88%.
Solitary Locust updates with seeming final confirmation that changeling!Twilight is indeed a changeling and has been suffering from becoming the mask. With the main mystery of the fic now resolved, it leaves the problem that the fic's not finished yet. Such things should really be done right before the story completes, because now it runs the risk of meandering along for a couple chapters without anything really keeping the plot together. Never mind, he deleted the chapter due to the negative reaction.
Mirroed Hearts stumbles somewhat with an out of place chapter disconnected from the rest and Celestia and Luna really showing off their naivety.
I catch up on Memoirs in Ink and Blood as the very faint hope spot seems drowned out in the sea of grimdark. Probability of [Grimdark] ending: 100%.
I get around to reading Valor is Magic's newest chapters as the griffins continue their Klingon impersonation—complete with a bid for fighting Luna the honorable way.
Getting Even stuns the world by updating for the first time in years, and promptly reminds me why it's the most disappointing fic I've read. You read a story for some Twiluna and possible evil!Luna and wind up with 60,000 words of prequel fighting. If I wanted that, I'd read Lunar Rebellion.
Can't afford your Possible Trackings?
Sparkle Day is tracked for its action and use of the “x years in the future” plot that reminds me of Glim. Although, the princesses do seem a tad OOC.
Conversion Bureau: Unlucky Day receives a rare autodownvote for being another one of those shitty “humans aren't evil genocidial maniacs, now lets kill all the ponies to prove it” TCB stories. Why, oh why can't there be a TCB fic that doesn't fall into one of the extreme camps? It's such a great premise that just can never be done right.
Oneshots may be able to help.
The Fake Alicorn is a decent time waster, but suffers from being rushed and having a couple of plot weaknesses as a result.
Eclipse probably would have worked better if it had been entirely a comedy without any clop. The humor's fine as it is, but the non-comedic clop seemed unneeded—although the chess masturbation scene is proof you can make me laugh with the sex tag.
I'm Not Either is unintentionally hilarious thanks to its grimdarkification of an otherwise normal, ordinarily canon scene. It's “Twilight committed genocide against the Pinkie clones” all over again, except with sociopathy and who wants to live forever.
RIP in pieces Deadfics.
I discover that Inferno has been axed by its author and joins the deadfics list, which means I'm now once again searching for a “ponies recover from natural disaster” fic.
And that's all I read for the dayquarter.
# of story updates remaining: 442.
# of “Read Later” stories remaining: 1,016.
Yeah, the Conversion Bureau has built up so much stigma that even approaching the topic means navigating a massive minefield. It's a shame, really.
Ever read Storm?
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Oh god what have I done. Turns out I could rant for hours on this subject, so I put my extremely long comment in a blogpost. Send all your friends for a fun and lively discussion! (Of why it's barely an excuse of a blogpost.)
3103338 I've heard "Grayscale" is decent in that regard. And how about The Other Side of the Spectrum?
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Grayscale's good, really good. But the author's name is "MisterOneShot" for a reason. Moreover, it's premise doesn't really lend itself to much except that one story. And it's been 2.5 years. <_<
The Other Side of the Spectrum is yet another fic to feature TCB's Tyrentlestia: A character that's the
personificationponification of everything people generally don't like about TCB created so as to write stories where war is waged against Tyrentlestia and/or she is killed. I've read plenty enough of those stories. No thank you.3103569 Point. It's just that that's explicitly not quite our Celestia, but it's still not going to be for everyone. (Not that I've gotten around to any of these yet myself.
)
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That's the damn story that got me wanting a multichapter disaster recovery fic.
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Figures. :V
Well, there was *ONE*. It was called Not Alone, ironically.
3105568 And from what I've heard Celestia's pretty much a villain in that one too.
I like your fanfic reading updates, but man... I miss your episode reviews. There was just something about the way you did them made it all that much more entertaining. I dunno why, but yeah I preferred yours over other people's review styles. Do you ever consider for a moment about doing them again?
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I would like to do them again, but they took quite a bit of work. It was the primary reason I stopped (the secondary reason being the wiki wouldn't upload their screenshots in a timely manner).