Some More Fanfic Recommendations · 8:30pm Sep 8th, 2020
(Not an essay this time, I swear)
Well, school has started for me - virtually. That means I get to stay home and sit at my desk waiting for class to start. That also means I am in a unique position where I can read stories during class and not get caught!
(Don't do that, kids. I don't even do that. It was a joke. I make those. Sometimes. Heh.)
Now that I'm a reviewer, too, I've had to up my ability to read a lot and think about what is good and what needs some work. I've had the fortune, thankfully, of coming across some truly delightful stories, and I am more than happy to share a number of them with you. Take a look!
Ninjadeadbeard
I reviewed this story technically before I became a reviewer, and I didn't give it a score then, but regardless: this is a very good story. It's got a warm fuzziness to it that just makes each word and scene feel like such a delight - though, to be fair, I've always had a soft spot for Sunset Shimmer. It's got a healthy dosage of feels, too, but not enough to suggest over-sentimentality. I found it uplifting, too, despite the implications.
Twilight Velvet and... Derpy Hooves? It's an unlikely pairing, but for a short story all about the difficulties and beatitudes of being a mother, Impossible Numbers is able to join the two together. And they don't mince on the fact that the two characters have drastically different experiences with motherhood - in this way, it is a bit of a commentary on social class (in the pony sense), as well as the role of the nurturer. Lovely stuff.
(for some reason, copying and pasting just the title proved extremely difficult)
Ironically, I dislike horror movies, but horror stories have something to them. The visceral ugliness of events gone wrong is enough of a catch, but so are those mysteries that are unresolved - the quiet in the dark left alone and unanswered. This story has elements of Silent Hill and also a bit of Lovecraftian horror, which lend themselves to the overall mystery of what the hell happened to Ponyville. I've linked the first story here, but honestly, you should consider checking out the whole Fleeting series. It's complete!
Why are there only four recommended stories here? You have this one to blame - but it's a good blame. This is a massive story, as its word count clearly demonstrates, but it's one of those stories that you cannot stop reading once you get started. That word count quickly becomes nothing once you hit your stride. Heck, I had begun reading it when Act II was just getting started, but it slipped my list for a number of years. Having gotten back into it, I was able to reach Chapter 75 in the course of a week - I was that unable to put it down. The mystery is captivating, the characters are absolutely delightful, and each twist and turn is beyond incredibly executed. Don't let its length intimidate you from trying it: there's some incredibly captivating prose here, which is no small praise, considering this is the author's first written work.
Well, that's all I've got this time. It's a shorter list, I know, but still a decent number of horse-words. I hope some of you consider giving these a read.
