It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #111 · 6:32pm May 3rd, 2023
Right, so to get back on track: last week I'd planned a focus on Blueblood to dovetail with my latest First Hoof Account update. Things obviously got delayed slightly, but it's back in the saddle with that!
He's an early fandom favorite who fell off as time went on - the lack of a second show appearance didn't help him any - but ol' Bluey still has some life to him and some really interesting takes. I'mma do two today from different sides of the coin.
First is Blueblood in the more heroic - or at least more protagonist - vein: Raleigh's Blueblood: Hero of Equestria (and sequels).
In the wake of the Wedding, Equestria is at war with the Changelings. Prince Blueblood would love to help the war effort, he really would! But he's got a prior engagement with doing literally anything else as far as possible from anything bugpony-adjacent. Unfortunately he is caught up in a commando attack at a party - which he promptly foils, saving Cadance's life. This brings him to Luna's attention, and she promptly assigns him to the field as the first of her Commissariat: political officers outside the chain of command intended to keep the officers honest, the war on track, and force her lackadaisical nephew to do something useful with his life.
In the process and across 750,000 words, Blueblood turns out to be quite the hero against his own will. He even saves Equestria a little bit as he attempts to save his own hide.
So this story wears its heritage on its sleeve: the front page calls out tribute to Ciaphas Cain and Flashman. (I, personally, see a lot in it of one of my favorite novel series - the Sharpe books.) Blueblood is pointedly an independent officer in an Equestrian military relatively analogous to that of Britain in… well, it's a little tough to tell. The original story is closer to the 16th and 17th centuries, while the sequels move into the 18th and 19th (with more widespread usage of musketry in particular) but those are somewhat skewed by ponies being, well, ponies and their opponents being shapeshifting pathovoric insects.
But to the point, this is a wonderful example of Blueblood in a protagonist's role. He's still quintessentially Blueblood: self-serving, vain, a jerk, and kind of brainless at times. But he also shines: he develops a fairly capable tactical mind, he's capable of playing the game on both the military and political sides, he's brave even when he's acting out of his own cowardice, and he legitimately cares for those around him despite insisting otherwise. (And those around him are a treat - from the laconic Cannon Fodder to the stoic Square Basher to earnest Gliding Moth to… I'm not even certain how to describe Market Garden. Anyway, it's a wonderful full cast.)
As a war fic, the Blueblood Papers are a bit of a mix: while they pull few punches and characters absolutely die in both deserved and undeserved ways, it's also an adventure tale so you can kind of feel the beats. The good guys do triumph in the end (though often at grave cost), the bad guys get what they deserve, and the day ends a little brighter than it started despite how dark and dire it gets.
This series of stories is a widely recognized gem (in fact, it was one of the list of 'must read big names' I was touting in the #100-104 blogs) and while it's a lot of words? It's well worth the reading.
Companion to that, I figure it's good to show Blueblood's other angle with him as the bad guy - but with a story where that's not quite so clean. Final Reign by Lise fits that bill perfectly.
We open with Applejack being captured by Blueblood after her failed attempt to assassinate him. She's the fourth Bearer to try in the year since his coronation as ruler of Equestria. His careful rationing of Equestria's essential resources - sun, love, dreams - drove her to the desperate attempt. He doesn't look forward to having her killed, but that is what must be done. He's Equestria's last hope, after all. Princess Celestia gave him her wings for a reason.
The story itself is quite out of order, but that acts as a wonderful tease. You get tantalizing snippets of events a dozen chapters before they happen, patching together a decade-long tapestry of mystery and tragedy. The author does a good job with that because I don't think there was any point where I was confused about what was going on, merely teased about unrevealed events.
And even though Blueblood's the bad guy, he's also the good guy. The world's gone mad after all, he's doing what he feels he has to do. Sacrifices must be made. Of course, that's also the fastest way to damn one's self and Blueblood really goes there.
It's a potent tragedy as a result because you can get what Blueblood's trying for and see very easily where he lost his way. And up until the end, there's the uncertainty if he's even truly wrong - maybe doing things wrong, but he potentially is still trying to reach the right end. (Or at least, the most right end he can in the circumstance.) The Dark tag isn't kidding, but it's still a thrilling read.
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