It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #20 · 5:42pm Aug 4th, 2021
The origins of this blog series go back to the idea of trying to shine a spotlight on new, promising and underappreciated authors. And this week, I'm taking a jaunt back to that. Originally I had two I wanted to focus on, but a third popped up on my reading list over the weekend so you'll just have to enjoy a bonus story.
Oldest of the block (relatively) is The Education of Tumbling Leaf by Slipshod Extension.
This interesting story is a take on an Equestrian fairy tale (though I find it has more of a Buddhist 'zen master' story feel). It follows the titular Tumbling Leaf who one morning asks; "What is harmony?" From there, Leaf journeys through the world to ask first the wisest he knows - and then the wisest he's heard of in distant places.
As I said, it's got that storybook sort of feel to it - it's not action-packed, but you have the distinct vibe of a story being told by a teacher to their student to help them learn a moral lesson. It's a story that delves into some deeper philosophy with a light touch, and that really appeals to me.
Next up is Rain, by WannaBeLaika. A very recent new author, Laika has put out several good short pieces in quick succession. The first - Rain - caught my eye and was a wonderful first publish.
There's not a ton of complexity to the little character piece: Pinkie Pie muses on a rainy day. But it's short, sweet and has some great character packed into just one thousand words (exactly!) as Pinkie enjoys watching the rain and thinking about how fun it can be, despite the grey of the skies and how everypony rushes to shelter.
I love these little character studies, and this one's a great first step into the FIMFiction world.
The last one jumped out at me over the weekend, catching me quite by surprise - Painting in the Dark by Nebulus. While an older account, they just started writing recently and this - their third story - snapped at me the moment I saw it.
In it, young Aniseed slips out of her house in the dead of night. Undertaking a perilous journey, she sneaks across Canterlot and breaks into the Castle gardens with a singular goal: to find Princess Celestia and beg a favor of her. But in the midnight gardens, she stumbles across another princess - Luna, only just days returned from the moon.
What really grabbed me about this story is the wonderful scene dressing it does. The first half especially relishes the descriptions of Aniseed's house in the night and her clamber across a sleepy Canterlot. Then it transitions well into a confrontation between a child and the literal boogeyman redeemed - which it does quite well.
I'm definitely watching Nebulus for more offerings going forward - this was a wonderful piece that I really enjoyed and I'm hoping for more in this vein.
New or catching up? Try Recommendsday: The Index for your story needs!
you do a great job in highlighting these underappreciated authors, tempest. truly Celestia's work
Nine months late--thank you so much for the feature! It's incredibly kind of you, and I'm glad you enjoyed my story!
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And thank you for writing it! It was a real pleasure to read. Obviously, I quite enjoyed it.