Fic recs, June 20th! · 4:05pm Jun 20th, 2016
Just getting the last few audiobooks out of the way before the Big One, after which I will add one, possibly two, new channels to my list, because fuck. But first, it will be either an hour's listening before deciding I hate the story, or two weeks spent going through it. I'm really hoping for the former. c.c
No actual news, other than one of those last few audiobooks was Scarlett Blade's reading of Exes by Donraj, which I reviewed earlier this year and didn't realize I had a duplicate reading of! Head below for a look at the next chapter of Warren Hutch's Screwball trilogy, Tantabus, Do Your Worst by Georg, MadMaxTheBlack's Uncertainty, and much more!
H: 0 R: 4 C: 2 V: 1 N: 1
Screwball Mio Amoré by Warren Hutch
Sequel to The Turning of the Screwball: The Strange Case of Button Stitch
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Ponyville's most tightly-wound mare and most boring eligible bachelor are a perfect match. Except for one little chaotic problem…
Rare is the OC/Canon romance that has gripped and thrilled me like that of Button Stitch and Davenport. He's horrendously dull, she's hopelessly naive and inexperienced, and they're just so cute together, you guys. :D Needless to say, this story is absolutely worth reading the first one for (not that that story is in any way a drag). The writing is slightly improved, too, which is to say there's a smidge less in the way of LUS (I never want to see the phrase 'limpid blue eyes' ever again) and referential jokes, and the latter are at least subtle enough that they're easy to pass over. I'll admit Rarity gushing in Italian is extremely bizarre, but that's balanced out by a pitch-perfect Steven Magnet cameo. This also edges a pass of the Zecora Test, though I look askance at the quatrains. Oddly, this story feels a lot bigger than it really is; after a romp through the Everfree, things wrap up pretty quickly, but as a funnier version of its predecessor with a new angle on its characters, it's quite a lot of fun. :D
Recommended
Tantabus, Do Your Worst by Georg
Reading by ABagOfVicodin
Genre: Alternate Perspective
The Tantabus was far more successful at its task than Luna could have predicted.
Usually, when an antagonist is presented as misunderstood, the story ends up being maudlin, resorting to tropes to make us pity them. This is not one of those stories. Usually, when an episode is recapped from another perspective, things quickly get boring unless new wrinkles are added to the events. This is more one of those stories, though at least Luna not knowing just how effective the Tantabus is, or the fact that it's sentient at all, is at least surprising on some level. So all in all, I was ready to call this a decent, if only okay, story… And then the ending happened. And I did not see it coming at all. And while it's not the most amazing twist I've ever seen in a fic, the sheer blindsiding I received from it makes it worth having read the entire thing. And of course, Georg is a good writer, so it's not like the stuff coming before the twist will be a chore to read or anything.
Recommended
Uncertainty by MadMaxTheBlack
Reading by Scarlett Blade
Genre: 2P Sad
Every once in a while, a writer will try something new or different and come up with something entirely worth the effort. This story is one such experiment, which features possibly the most creative use of second-person perspective I've ever seen. Intriguingly, had either portion of this story been presented on its own, the result wouldn't have been worth the time of day, but putting them together in this way leaves us with something much greater than the sum of its parts. And I'm not even going to talk about what happens in this story, that's for you to read and discover. :)
Recommended
Like Grains of Sand by DeluxeMagnum69
Genre: Puns
Something inexplicable is drawing Pinkie to Saddle Arabia.
For the record, this is all Pascoite's fault. I accept 0% of the blame. He likes to stay up late on Skype, feeding me stupid story ideas that he knows darn well I'll never write, and it seems he's not above giving them to others once I've passed. So yeah, there is very little in the way of rhyme or reason to this. It seems to have been written in a rush, going by some of the word use issues. There are a bunch of random jokes strewn throughout, including an early one that I know just enough about Overwatch to get. The ending is… kind of not worth the ride. But I will give the author this: if that's actually a fart joke, it's really subtle, and I appreciate that. (Goddammit, I'm just proving him right.)
Recommended for, Like, Two Laughs
Zecora Eats a Pear by InkRose
Reading by Untamed Reads
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Pony Does X/Dr. Who Crossover
Yeah, uh… I dunno. The main joke, beyond making a very mundane task grandiose, comes straight from Dr. Who. Passes the Zecora Test via throwing out sense-make. Overall, this is one of those very pointless fics that authors tend to write "because I was bored" or somesuch. I can't call it a comedy, because I didn't laugh.
Not Recommended
Anarchive Reigns by Aragon
Reading by Scarlett Blade
Genre: Absurdist Comedy
The Canterlot Archive has tasked itself with collecting the ages of everyone in Equestria. There is no way this could go horribly wrong.
Between the Luna hate, casual racism and general idiocy of the players involved in this story, it edges up on crackfic, that's how hilarious and ridiculous it is. And like three hours later, I realize I didn't finish writing this review, so all I can really say is, it's funny, I was a little lost in the first couple scenes, but eventually it didn't matter what was going on, because what was going on was funny. So, uh, yeah, read this.
Recommended
Disbelief by cloudedguardian
Reading by Untamed Reads
Genre: Sad
Celestia has banished her sister, and that was sad, so now she's sad, and there's a reason Sad was once my most-hated tag. >:B I will admit, this story has some cool headcanon going on, even if the amount of agency the Elements are given doesn't seem to hold up these days. Plus, it takes place in the aftermath of one of those epic Nightmare Moon battles we didn't get in the show. But the prose is often florid, and there's just no real point. Only read if you like sad stuff.
Vaguely Recommended
Hellpiercer by somatic
Reading by Zephysonas
It's funny, I knew about this guy previously because I have a song that Orion Melody wrote for him. Weird to finally be encountering him like this. Happily, he's a swing and a hit, no qualifiers. :D
Genre: Light Comedy
With the fabled weapon Hellpiercer in her possession, Twilight makes her way to the dragon.
Knowing what story this one is related to (that one's actually a sequel, or at least was published later) gives away a big joke, but thankfully that's not all here is to this. No, once it's clear that not all is what it seems, this has one more hilarious reveal, and that's what really makes this, along with some bonding at the end. The writing's good, and I would definitely read more in this 'verse!
Recommended
The Minuette-ventures of Princess Twilight Sparkle by Sharp Spark
Sequel to A Stallion for the Time Being
Genre: Comedy/Shipping
As it turns out, even when I am "distinctly looking forward to the sequel", it often takes me a while to get to it. :B Also as it turns out, this isn't one sequel, but multiple! I shall treat them as such.
Pets Control: Fluttershy's animals have turned into zombies! Twilight and Minuette to the rescue! I've never seen a story make a point out of failing the Zecora Test. XD Anyway, this one's pretty silly, mostly focusing on ponies being nonplussed by dramatic declarations of evil intent. Worth it for a chuckle. C, For Laughs
Sobriety Sucks: Twilight and Minuette investigate an attack in a bar. Was it vamponies? I'm sensing a theme, and I don't just mean the prospect of the undead. But yes, Minuette drinks a lot, I don't remember the original enough to have anticipated that, and I find myself wondering why Twilight hangs around with her. Anyway, this was a very odd story as they chase clues around Ponyville, trying to uncover the culprit, building up to the one-joke ending. And the joke is more or less worth reading this for, but it is, at the same time, just a single joke. C, For Laughs
Ghost Partum Depression: Applejack's barn is haunted! Twilight and Minuette to the rescue! It's not my imagination, there is a theme here, and it turns out the stories are somewhat related, if definitely entire stories in their own right. It also turns out this one's really funny, presenting a new take on a classic trope that makes for a ton of laughs. I was starting to wonder about this collection, but this one's great. :D R
One Flu Over the Cuckoo Clock: This one was rather confusing at first, but that's because it plays off a major part of Time Being that the others so far haven't: Minuette is the ponification of time itself. And when she gets sick, things go majorly awry. This one didn't leave much of an impression on me, though it does have some fun time-loopy things that should please those who are into that kind of thing. C, If You Like Time Loops
Vinyl Fantasy VII: There's something fishy about Ponyville's all-night dance club. This was… confusing. Or just confused. There's the mystery about the club, the reveal of the supernatural element, and then things get majorly sad. Everything turns out all right in the end, but I was left feeling a little whiplashed, and I'm not sure what my takeaway should be. V
The Phantom of the Genre: Rarity recruits Pinkie Pie to help with a haunted theater. I remember this from the writeoff! But not enough to remember that it was a feghoot! >.< But yes, this is quite the funny fic, though what it has to do with Twilight and Minuette is anyone's guess. (There's one line that could be a minor reference to Minuette, I suppose…) Still, this is totally worth it, even if you're not into puns. Just gird yourself for that last line and laugh through the rest! R
I kind of feel like, overall, this was worth doing, but didn't end up nearly as good as the original. So I'll call the whole thing Recommended for Laughs
Just to let you know, I don't take positive reviews and print them out on little gold-embossed sheets of vellum and store them in a tiny little candlelit shrine to Princess Luna (Open 9PM to 3AM, M-F) for proper attention and adoration.
Really.
Honest.
You're probably very bored and have nothing to read. You should read my Minoan Crisis before it gets too long. (That ought to keep me writing.)
4037085
I only read them after they are too long, good sir or madam! :V
I love that you clearly gave up halfway into explaining this shit and just went "fuck it." This is the most half-assed review I've ever seen of ya, mate.
Loved it. Fits the story pretty damn well, I'd say.
(Although I'd edit the review to explain that the racism is not me being a racist, it's the characters being racist, and the story knowing they're racist and calling them out on it. Y'know, to avoid people getting the WRONG IMPRESSION).
4038080
No, you are obviously racist against pegasi and the characters are just soapboxing your darkest-held secrets because this is how fiction works obviously
And this isn't the first time I've half-assed a review like that! :V I do hope it hasn't impacted anyone's desire to follow my directives and read your thing. :C
I dunno who that zephysonas guy is but he sounds really handsome and cool and just like an all around awesome person that you should all subscribe to ;) ;) ;) ;) But really, thanks for the kind words.
4037050
I should hope not! gold-embossed sheets go in the shrine to Princess Celestia. *silver*-embossed sheets go into the shrine to Princess Luna.