Fic recs, April 28th! · 10:43pm Apr 28th, 2023
VisualPony has done a reading of Lise's Dear Discord, I Hate You So Much!, as well as PonyAmorous's Unleash the Magic (Under Controlled Experimental Conditions)!
Whoops, I was supposed to post this yesterday, but that's fine! I listened to a bunch of stuff today, so there's even more stories to find out about. :)
H: 1 R: 4 C: 6 V: 4 N: 3
Princess Luna is dead. Again. by Equimorto
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: Comedy
I was all set to complain that the story's punchline is in the title, specifically the word "Again". The first half or so of this story is fairly tedious: after all, as Celestia is the only one who hasn't read the rest of the title, and nopony else quite has the heart to tell her what happened. That said, once she finally is in the presence of the corpse, her reaction is hysterical, as is what comes after. So I would say, on balance, this is totally worth it. :) I had fun.
Recommended for Laughs
Study Project With Sci-Twi by ObabScribbler
Reading by the Author
Genre: 2P EQG
You and Twilight go to the library to work on your English project.
So here's something different. Scribbler wanted to do some ASMR videos, and she wrote up actual stories to read for them! I'm not into ASMR, but I'm sure this will appeal to those who are. As for the story itself, it's… eh, light on story, but there's some very good Sci-Twi character writing here. That's the selling point. Oh, and I finally had "me" give the proper reaction to something happening in a second-person story. :) But yeah, mostly this is Twilight going on and on about everything from Shakespeare and the Mandela Effect to sexuality and death. It's a pleasant ramble because she's a fun nerd. And I guess there may be more of this in the future?
Recommended for Sci-Twi Fans
There's something I never told you by DarthPinkie
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Random/Dr. Who Crossover
Once again, we have an author who joined the site to post this one story idea they had, did absolutely nothing else, left a month later — possibly because of the negative reaction, who knows — and now, ten years on, there's a reading of it. I don't know how VisualPony does it. So how's the story? Eh… I guarantee part of the backlash is because this is a ponification of a TomSka video (according to the comments), and the other half comes from anyone who also didn't know who that is looking at this as an earnest fanfic and going, "...What?" This is more random than random, often feels like it's trying too hard, and only the knowledge that this is someone else's idea of a good time is keeping me from panning it completely.
Vaguely Recommended
The Hole by A Winters Rose
Reading by Lotus Moon and MinxyTheFox
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror
I will open the door. Turn the power on. Do not look in the hole.
This was… weird. By the end, it felt like almost nothing made sense, though at least some of that is noted by our protagonist. It's otherwise a pretty neat "wake up in a strange location" sort of horror story, not super scary but definitely surprising. I do still wish I had a better handle on why any of this happened; I suspect it might be a case of evoking horror via redaction, but leaving out just a little too much.
Recommended for Fans of Psychological Horror Only
A Close Call by Jamin P Rose
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Action
So. We're introduced to some characters, a group of foals who are apparently part of a Cutie Mark Crusader camp? Or, as PaulAsaran posits — and, realize, I had to go look at someone else's review of this story to have any inkling this might be the case — this takes place after Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons, so it's technically post-post-apocalypse. But none of that ultimately matters, because the whole point of the story is having these kids witness a solid black unicorn chase a hydra out of a swamp with a goddamn scythe. :| All while making the unicorn foals feel completely overwhelmed merely for being in the presence of his magic. It just ends up being a vehicle for "look how cool this character is", and there's no point to it. Like, even if it had been about him saving them from a hydra attack, maybe stopping for a second to make sure they're okay before continuing to fight the hydra, that would have been worthwhile. At least then you could say, whoa, that guy's totally badass, and he cares about kids! He's a hero! Instead, I feel like we simply got a third-person glimpse into the major action of a completely different story, and I for one am left with no real takeaway other than being slightly annoyed at the whole affair.
Not Recommended
Burnt Year by Seer
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Grimdark
It's too hot.
I realized, listening to this story, that I've actually read quite a few in the same vein over the years. Not this particular doomsday scenario, of course — which I am not going to tell you anything about, figuring it out was too rewarding — but in the present-day setup of the timeline. You've got a single pony, usually but not always Twilight, working diligently to find a magical solution to the current problem, despite working under that problem being incredibly difficult, and despite the problem being way more than one person should have to take on themselves. And yet, she perseveres. I find I really like that conceit, so I do not at all mind that I've seen it before and likely will again. :) This was really, really good, with some excellent emotional gut-punches to boot.
Highly Recommended
Tea Time by SweetStrokesStudios
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: OC Fic
I just wanted to share tea with the mare I met on my outing.
I have to say, I wasn't sure what to make of this at first. Some random OC, living in Ponyville, just so happens to find Celestia of all ponies out in the woods, being angsty, and he's just… totally cool with that. Celestia even points it out. But it all culminates in a really good ending that I won't give away, save that I think it was worth reading the story for. :)
Recommended for Celestia Fans
Hearth's Warming Weather by Ragnarokia
Reading by Lotus Moon
Genre: Shipping
After a job well done making a Hearth's Warming snow, Rainbow Dash visits her best friend.
You know what's hilarious? Right after listening to this audiobook, I watched this video. And now I feel I just have to say, if you need to visit your friend on the one day a year she 'accidentally' hangs mistletoe right above where you're going to be snuggling… you might just be a lesbian, Rainbow Dash. Anyway, being a very short fic, there's not a lot here, but Rainbow's characterization was good, and in general, the whole thing is very cute.
Recommended for Shippers Only
Hearth's Warming Eve Dinner by Jamin P Rose
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: FoE Sidefic
To start with, I think this is confirmation that A Close Call takes place after Project Horizons. This author apparently is focused on what they call the "post-Sunshine and Rainbows" period of the Equestrian Wasteland. In fact, I think what's actually going on here is… Well, these two stories were written for a One-Shotober event, and I suspect Jamin P Rose used said event to write a longer story in many small pieces. It would certainly explain why A Close Call works the way it does. I think this may be the tale of that scythe pony, doing stuff across the Wasteland, finally getting to come home in this story. In which case, the author's mistake wasn't throwing an edgy OC into an otherwise unrelated story, but in not marking these as sequels, or at least stories that should be read in a certain order. I'd have made sure to fill in the gaps between audiobooks if that information had been out there! So still an N on the previous story, I'm afraid, it just doesn't work as a stand-alone. As for this one? It's got maybe a few too many OCs introduced to us all at once, but at least the are introduced. And it's nice to see a family sitting down to a holiday meal, even if it's a really strange and varied one like what we've got here. That also maybe says something nice, you know, something something, found family. I just could have done without the one character ribbing the other for "having the hots for" their mom.
Vaguely Recommended
What's in a Name? by dawnbreez
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
200th Review of 2023!
Genre: Random Comedy
Cheerilee's new class includes a student with a very… unfortunate name.
This is a very… off-color comedy. I think the description's warning makes sense in hindsight but perhaps doesn't quite forewarn fully about what lies within. Let's just say, the name in question is definitely one that a filly should not have. I found it incredibly uncomfortable. However, I won't say this is without merit, because the parent-teacher meeting called to get to the bottom of said name is actually really funny. This just plays with fire when it comes to sex jokes told at the expense of kids, so YM-definitely-MV.
Vaguely Recommended
Hello, Spike by Cara
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Cute
Captain Shining Armor runs into an unexpected sight: a baby dragon, crying and alone.
Did I or did I not very recently review another story with this same cover art? That's not so unusual, it's more the timing than anything. Anyway, this was super cute and posits an excellent family dynamic for Celestia, Spike and Cadance, albeit with no mention of Twilight. I might quibble a bit with Spike's dialogue; his baby speech is rather articulate. But I think that's a minor issue. For a low-stakes, feel-good story, this hits the spot.
Recommended
Breakfast Cuddles by Twilight Star
Reading by Lotus Moon
Genre: Shipping
Twilight feeds her marefriend.
Okay, about the only thing worse than shipfics that have inexplicably reformed villains is one where the narrative essentially says, "I'm sure you have many questions. However, despite acknowledging they exist, I will not answer a single one." It's just so blasted vague! As for the meat of the story, I dunno. I found the detail with which the cuddling/feeding is presented somewhat off-putting. It might have to do with the very flat, matter-of-fact writing, I don't know. Whatever it was, I did not feel satisfied by the end.
Not Recommended
Love You Too, Doofus by Summer Dancer
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Shipping
After a dangerous map mission, Rainbow Dash and Applejack are just thankful to be alive.
Oh wow, Summer Dancer, whatever happened to her? :( She was really cool, and she hasn't been seen since 2019, how sad. Well, she left us a neat little story where Rainbow and AJ grapple with internalized homophobiaare tsundere as fuck and punch each other lovingly and stuff. Honestly, I really like the line stating that they both knew how they felt and didn't really need to express it. That's how Appledash should work. Other than that, there's actually not a whole lot to this save satisfying characterization, but what more can you ask for?
Recommended
Business in the Front, Party in the Back by Tumbleweed
Reading by Scribbler, Agent0Fluffy and RBDECEPTICON19
Genre: Comedy
Applejack gets a new hairdo.
It would be quite disingenuous to say the only joke here is making fun of a hairstyle popularized by people with no taste in the 1990s. This is about AJ doing something offhanded, really without thinking about it at all, and Rarity freaking the fuck out over it as she is wont to do. It's got a solid punchline, and best of all, some extremely good chemistry between its two characters. I actually had to check a couple times to see if the Romance tag was there. Which it is not. Sadly. Regardless, this was really funny, and quite good to boot. :)
Recommended
Are You There Twilight? It's Me Twilight. by Forgetful
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
Twilight arrives from the future, ready to help herself be better.
The comedy in this story is undercut by two things. First, the writing is extremely repetitive, constantly summing up what just happened or was just said, or adding in very telly details that do nothing but grind the narrative to a halt. Second, this feels like it's just the author complaining about the later seasons of the show. That said, I actually like how this ends? It's not a punchline, the comedy just kind of stops at a point, but I might be more inclined to read a sequel. So long as it didn't just end up being a clone of a certain beloved AU, that is.
Not Recommended
Beating Hearts, Crumbling Walls by Silver Mint
Reading by Lotus Moon
Genre: Romance/Drama
It doesn't matter how they feel. They can never be together.
It's funny, I was just complaining about ships with reformed villains never explaining themselves, but when it's a pairing like Chrysalis and Celestia? I don't have the same demands. I can't explain it. Anyway, it's been a hell of a long time since I last read a story that was this in love with love. Every word drips with smoldering passion and so forth. Like, if you need more yearning in your shipfics, this provides it in spades. It's almost silly, how over-the-top it is, but I think it's also tempered just enough that it slides over the line into emotional.
Recommended for Shippers
That's Not My Name by ManeBrony
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Random Comedy
A slip of the tongue gets Twilight into it with Rarity.
I really don't know what to think about this one. It's another story about Rarity losing her shit over something even more trivial than the previous one, but it's never clear why. She's just really upset Twilight called her the wrong name. And, I mean, I guess she kind of spirals that out into voicing "what if my friends secretly hate me" sorts of thoughts, but I never really connected the answers with her general character, nor did I find much of it funny. Though I will say Pinkie is written well.
Vaguely Recommended
The Alicorn Button by TheMajorTechie
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: Random Comedy
Twilight got more than just wings with her transformation into an alicorn.
Yo, check out that story number! :O Also, yo, check out this story, it's insane. XD Absolute tongue-in-cheek random wackiness from start to finish, exactly the kind of bullshit I like writing. There is one name in particular that almost killed me with laughing. This is intensely stupid, in just the right way to be completely awesome. Highly Recommended If You Like Random Comedies
Recommended
yo thanks for the review! im no writer, im actually an artist. I wanted to explore this idea about something that had always bothered me. so in the show at the time (seasons 1-6ish maybe) rarely ever do you see anyone treating any of the alicorn royalty as anything other than that, a royal. i always wanted to see someone interact with them as a character not a royal. so i used the tried and tried and tried and barely even true anymore method of a self insert to explore who the character of celestia might be, thus he finds her with all the regalia off, just being herself.
Do i think i really characterized her? not really, I mostly went with the thought that shes still really torn up about the nightmare moon situation but still appreciates the odd prank or two on her sister to show she appreciates her being there. It was a little experiment by an absolute novice and a decent excuse to make a celestia drawing.
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hey, I like me a good angsty Celestia :)