It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #75 · 6:43pm Aug 24th, 2022
This week, I'm back to again correct an oversight. While I was going through my reserve list of stories, I realized that I'd put a story into the queue and somehow bypassed it week after week. And it's an important one, because the author's a significant part of this blog's original creation. So - time to correct that oversight!
So I lead this week with The Little Things, by the man who gave this blog it's name, TamiyaGuy.
The chapter title for this piece is In Which Nothing Happens, and that's both correct and incorrect. The whole scene is a simple moment of Sunset and Wallflower together on the couch, watching the rain and chilling together. And as they do, Wally wrestles with the personal demon of "Why is this hot girl into me? I suck." And at the same time, Sunset tries to convince her that she's worth the care.
Now, I'm biased because this story is really, really familiar to me. Having a significant other who battles with depression, self-esteem, and the like? This is a daily occurrence. I've been in this conversation dozens of times, and I know the little bits and details that this story dances through.
I'm also familiar with the little bobbles along the way that make this story feel that extra bit of real. There's no precise perfect works from either character - just the fumbling to try and find the right way, even by the diplomatically-trained Sunset. But that's being human.
In the end, nothing's resolved in the story. It can't be. The issues aren't ones that fix neatly, and the conversation shown will be repeating again later on in Wallflower's week, and the week after that, and the week after that. Maybe there's a future where the conversation's rarer, but not today. Today, all we've got is this window into a quiet, moody moment of a cute couple finding comfort from their own personal problems. And that's beautiful.
So the counterpart is one that grabbed my attention initially because of the unusual part of the pitch: it's a self-harm fic with Wallflower Blush. But neither Wallflower nor her self-harm is the focus (well, not really) and that's a goddamn rarity and a half.
And that's Just Thoughts by PonyAmorous.
Our story begins with the human Twilight Sparkle looking at a train and pondering just how easy it would be to step in front of it. Not because she's suicidal, she insists, but because it's entirely normal to consider your own demise. Then in true Twilight Sparkle fashion, she starts to rank methods of suicide on a scaling rubric for effectiveness.
The next day, she stumbles onto Wallflower in the bathroom... and to a few drops of blood on the sink. She confronts her - not to rat her out, but with questions and curiosity. And the two form... well, honestly a rather screwed up friendship. But a friendship.
This one's a haunting story. Partially because it's understandable - where Twilight starts isn't that far from where the average person's mind can go, and the progression along her way is shockingly easy to grasp. And it's quite a progression, watching Twilight come to understand her ideation and build a friendship around them. Exploration at the emotions behind self-harm beyond 'I'm Sad :(' is uncommon enough, and this story shows just how simple and reasonable it can be to make those steps forward.
As today's other author says in the comments, the story's like watching a runaway train: it's going to go horribly, but you just keep watching as things jump the tracks agonizingly slowly.
New or catching up? Try Recommendsday: The Index for your story needs!
