It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #42 · 8:36pm Jan 5th, 2022
A new year and I'd like to get us started in a flash!
...I feels shamed for making that lame joke.
Still telling it.
ANYWAY.
Our lead this week is one of my all-time favorite Flash Sentry fics, Off the Market by Summer Dancer.
Flash Sentry and Ditzy Doo are close friends - have been for a long time. But things go a bit awry when it comes time for the Spring Fling dance. They both don't have a date, so they agree to go stag together... and suddenly all of Canterlot High is abuzz with their relationship. That doesn't exist. And nobody believes them.
Now they have to break up their non-existent relationship in a way that's convincing but doesn't make either one of them a social outcast for being the bad guy.
So like I said, this is one of my absolute favorites. Flash and Ditzy have a great chemistry throughout - they instantly show their connection and you can really get that vibe of two people who've been friends forever. And the situation - while sitcom ridiculous - is actually kind of believable. Or at least, everybody involved acts in a reasonable way (for high schoolers.) Plus it helps that Flash and Ditzy are on equal footing throughout, so the non-relationship feels more legit.
And honestly, the bonus chapter adds so much to sell things. It could be a fic in and of itself.
Really, this story's just so dang cute and funny and sweet. I can't get enough of it.
And on the other side we have... another one of my favorite Flash Sentry fics. This time, it's Flashbang by daOtterGuy.
Before I launch in, do note that this one's M-rated. I don't think it needs to be M-rated, but the author was playing it on the safe side so just an FYI.
So - Flash Magnus and Flash Sentry are buddies. Mind you, they're not quite friends-friends, but they're guy pals who give each other crap, compete to out-macho each other, and occasionally make dumb silly bets. And this time, their bet is simple: getting Princess Twilight to agree to a date. Along the way, though, things go off the rails and the two of them, well... let's just say things go in less than a straight line.
There's so many things I can really talk about with this one. Flash Magnus does a lot of the heavy lifting for setting the story's tone - his baggage from the time before Limbo adds a lot of seriousness to things, but also his predilection for outdated 1920s-era slang keeps things light-hearted in the correct places. There's also the way that the interplay between the two develops, capped off by the final chapter where Sentry talks about the legends he heard about Magnus while growing up. And of course, there's Otter's signature Flash Sentry: Elite Himbo going on, which is just a delight and one of my favorite fan interpretations of a character who really needed more personality to call his own. And then there's Twilight, who gets in some great licks of her own along the way. (Really, her reactions in the final chapter are goddamn gold.)
Really, from start to finish this is just an awesome story even before you get to the romance. And it's a great romance. This one won the Pillars contest for very good reason.
New or catching up? Try Recommendsday: The Index for your story needs!
Flashbang is one of the best fics i have ever read on this site and i cannot recommend it enough