Fic reviews, July 18th! · 9:35pm Jul 18th, 2017
Hey, you think maybe I should do one of those 'review' things? :B Minifics!
Also, Illya Leonov has done a reading of dragonjek's The Stars Will Aid in Her Escape!
H: 2 R: 8 C: 10 V: 0 N: 0
The Calligrapher by Cold in Gardez
Genre: Slice of Life
Ivory Scroll visits her father.
Ow, right in the feels. :/ Cold in Gardez paints us an intimate picture of Mayor Mare and her father, then proceeds to collapse it in upon itself before letting it blossom at the end like a phoenix from ash. It does feel more 'rushed' than 'economical', but that's pretty well par for the course with 750-word stories.
Recommended
A Doubled Date by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Shipping
Twilight and Applejack's anniversary date is more complicated than they expected.
The worst thing I can say about this is that it would make a fantastic long-form fic. As it is, it's a tantalizing presentation of a unique premise. It might even be worth the read if you're not interested in shipping!
Recommended
A Little Kindness by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Episode Followup
It's just kind of a thousand words of Gilda being a jerk (still), but I dig Fluttershy's characterization, and the ending made me laugh.
Recommended as Light Reading
Student of Magic by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Slice of Life
I've read this story before. It was called A Guide to Magic, and apart from being longer, it gave more of a reason for why Apple Bloom would be going to the School for Gifted Unicorns. Turns out, without that, this just isn't as interesting. If you haven't read bookplayer's story — and to be fair, this one was published first — check this out, then go see the idea given full life.
Recommended as Light Reading
Horror Week, part 1: Pinkie Pie by Nonagon
Genre: Horror?
It all comes down to that last line. If not for the title, I wouldn't know what to make of it.
Recommended as Light Reading
Music by FuzzyFurvert
Genre: Comedy
Twilight discovers Princess Luna's new hobby.
I lol'd. Not sure if Twilight and Luna are meant to be a couple in this; it could definitely work as a prelude to a relationship, though. I do appreciate the callback to the anti-gravity spell.
Recommended for Laughs
A Favored Genre by HoofAndQuill
Genre: Friendshipping
Twilight asks Celestia about her favorite memory.
I mean, you could definitely read actual shipping into this, but I don't think that's the point. It's just a nice, quiet moment between Celestia and Twilight with a fluffy, happy ending. Pleasant.
Recommended
Tutti Frutti by FanOfMostEverything
Genre: Historical
This is a quick supposition about how Granny Smith (nee Sugar Smith) might have learned to prepare zap apple jam. Y'know, all those bizarre rituals we saw in the episode? This is a pretty compelling explanation. Also, it has some of the worst pony name puns I have ever seen.
Recommended
Town Meeting by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Comedy
Ponyville's weekly town hall meeting comes with some changes.
This is a really weird, unfocused story built around a meta-joke that almost wasn't worth writing about. And yet… And yet…
Recommended If You Like Dumb Jokes
Storytime by AugieDog
Reading by Illya Leonov
Genre: Poem
Discord tells the story of his own creation.
Man, the meter in this is all over the place, and the worst part is, that's completely intentional. I mean, it is Discord telling the story. And then you go into a completely different structure entirely for Fluttershy's interjections; this is not for the faint of heart! But it's definitely quite the read if you do enjoy rhymed poetry, and the story itself is precisely the kind of thing Discord would tell.
Recommended
Hard to Starboard by Silvernis
Genre: Character Piece
A unicorn finds themself at the threshold of indecision.
I dunno. This is quite short, and likely that's why it didn't make much of an impact. There's a good character voice, but we see so little of them — and I'm not sure if this is supposed to be anyone in particular, either — I never got a feel for their predicament. It's okay, I guess.
Recommended as Light Reading
Of Afros, Mustaches, and Leprechauns by Bombastic Bookpony
Genre: Random Comedy
...This is mostly an excuse to make a reference to a terrible meme. >.< But as the author's note points out, there are some parts that are actually funny, both random and otherwise. The final punchline is pretty weak, but, eh, it's short.
Recommended for Laughs
A Mare Walks Into a Bar… by Eakin
Genre: Comedy
A mysterious and rather teed off figure visits a Trottingham tavern.
The ending, I'll admit, is a little less so, but the rest of this is perfectly hilarious. It's obvious who our 'mysterious' mare is from the get-go, and watching her stumble over trying to cover her tracks is really a joy. A few expected jokes, perhaps, but it was fun.
Recommended
I Have No Ears, and I Must Hear by KingMoriarty
Reading by Illya Leonov
Genre: Adventure/M:tG Crossover
Something still lives in the San Palomino Desert.
So, knowing what the thing this is about is isn't really important. I mean, if you're like me, you're going to be wracking your brain trying to figure it out — at one point, I thought it was changelings — but just knowing it's an alien thing is enough. The real draw is the Lost Cities-style backstory, and watching this thing figure out how to communicate. Just the alienness of its mindset is satisfying enough. Quite a nifty piece!
Recommended
A Challenge Worth Taking: Part 2 by ObabScribbler
Genre: Romance/Drama
Fleur just wanted to introduce her coltfriend to her best friend. Was it so much to ask?
That 'part 2' is well-earned; this features the Fancy Pants/Svengallop pairing from the first part. Even better, it pits Svengallop against Big Macintosh, beau of Fleur de Lis, as the couples try to spend some time together. But Fleur is absolutely precious. I completely adore the way she is written, and the tension between Sven and Mac puts a new wrinkle into a ship I wasn't initially taken with. I just really loved this piece! (And if you didn't read the first part, all you really need to know is that Fancy and Sven are dating. :B)
Highly Recommended
Apple Family Feud by SirNotAppearingInThisFic
Genre: Comedy
The Apples' crops are being disturbed, and garden gnomes are a likely culprit.
Man, these stories are feckin' weird. I have to say I was let down by the punchline, because most of this is your standard wacky world-building in service of building up to it. Still, the situation is presently seriously, even if nothing about it is, so it's quite the quirky thingummer.
Recommended for Laughs
La Douleur Royale by GroaningGreyAgony
Genre: Sexual Comedy
Celestia sends Twilight something… special.
I can't even. I love that incantation, though. Bonus for this being just as long as it needed to be.
Recommended for Laughs
After Saying Yes by GroaningGreyAgony
Sequel to Friendship Is Optimal: Always Say No
Genre: Comedy
This is just a series of silly what-if endings for Always Say No. The first is sadly too short to have any impact, because it'd be a good twist; the second is a bad joke, and the third is legitimately funny. Not a must-read by any stretch, but if you read the original, this is probably worth it.
Recommended for Laughs
To Be Forgotten by Chris
Genre: World-Building
Celestia comes to see if Tirek is still in Tartarus.
Dang. This has a whole ton of really great ideas in it. I've read a lot of stories about ponies, be they princesses or otherwise, going into Tartarus to talk with Tirek. This one stands way above all the rest. Check it out.
Highly Recommended
Eee En Vee Why by FanOfMostEverything
Genre: EQG Comedy
Trixie missed out on yet another magical adventure.
I don't have too much to say about this. Silly though the premise may be, it has some fun Trixie characterization, and I overall like her reactions to everything. Read it if you've seen the recent EQG shorts.
Recommended
Music to my ears.
Are you really going to review these one-by-one, though? (Oh, how I assume.) Given the nature of the collection, I don't promise anything beyond the premise of the collection.
4605680
Yup. Gonna go through every single one. :B
Minifics!
Glad you liked To Be Forgotten so well; I always love it when you review my stuff, but it's doubly nice when you actually enjoy it. But on the downside, now that you've finished my collection, I'll have to write some more minifics if I want you to keep doing reviews of them; such is the curse of the part-time writer!
4605698
I just realized that you must have already reviewed the first two since the Imposing Sovereigns contest. It's not like you can add the story to your bookshelf more than once for me to know, though (at least, not without taking it out first).
Oh, really?
4605713
"To Be Forgotten by Chris": A story about a fanfic writer who is sad because sempai never notices him.
4605725
Yup. :C
Heh, I remember reviewing that story as a quest post for John Perry once. Definitely worth looking at.