Fic recs, October 19th! · 1:47am Oct 20th, 2023
Lotus Moon has done readings of Jade Ring's Thalassophobia and jmj's Like a Babbling Brook!
And VisualPony has done a reading of Miyajima's Rarity on a Ball: The Fanfic! Just the one, wow!
Currently, I am sitting on a tiny couch in my parents' house. I'm going to be spending the night here for the first time since I moved, for the sake of the cats. Parents are out on not so much a vacation as a personal journey, so I agreed to watch the beasts for them. :B It's just weird is all. Also I wish my couch was not full of mold, because then I could sit on it, as well.
H: 1 R: 0 C: 3 V: 2 N: 1
When It Rains by calmcalmcalm
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Humanized Sad
I may be loyal, but that doesn't mean everyone else is…
It would be shallow to characterize this as yet another story where Rainbow Dash is sad and has a deep, nuanced inner self, and also loyalty because Elements, am I right? There are elements — sorry — of that kind of thing, sure, but despite being a familiar take on Dash, this also goes in directions I haven't seen before. I actually found myself for once appreciating what might, again, uncharitably be called your standard teenage angst; Dash's habit of sitting in the cemetery when the title happens actually makes sense on more than one level. And, despite her protestations, Rainbow is very much depressed here, and probably also suffering trauma. That said, this does fall down in one spot, and that's the Human tag. Literally the only reason to make this humanized is to have the word "god" in there like, two times. It very easily could have been EQG, though despite her mentioning the Battle of the Bands, she doesn't include Sunset when listing off her current friends. But mainly, talking about loyalty as an inherent concept just doesn't carry as much weight when Rainbow Dash isn't a pony. Literally, what is loyalty to her, or she to loyalty, that she should weep so? So, setting-wise, this doesn't work, but if you can ignore that, it's a solid Sad Dash character dive.
Recommended If You Like Stories About Rainbow Dash Being Sad
Taste Like Raisin by DoctorDerpy
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: Cute Historical AU
Princess Luna gets an unexpected surprise from her sister.
I didn't have high hopes for this going into it, given as the title is taken directly from the classic piece of bakki fanart which also serves as the cover. Would the art simply be the summation of the story? Happily, no! DoctorDerpy exceeded my expectations by bringing in some solid world-building for the first half of the story, giving us this AU where Luna is the elder sister. The rest of it is… well, it's the picture, though that's not all that happens, and it's all very cute. Also, passes the Luna test! Ultimately, this is quite insubstantial, but I have to say, I'd read more set in this universe.
Recommended for Best Sisters Fans
The Hat of a Cowgirl by Rarity Belle
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Cute
Apple Bloom has always wondered where her sister's hat came from.
Right off the bat, I'm in that unfortunate position I find myself in so often. Writing a story in a language you have learned second-hand is a daunting task that requires bravery, but this author is Dutch, he didn't find a native-speaking editor, and so there are a lot of really odd word and grammar choices that especially make the dialogue very unfortunate to read. Beyond that, there's also some prevarication on things that don't really add anything to the story, not to mention a lot of telling. So how about the story itself? Well, I can't say it isn't original, I certainly haven't seen an AJ hat origin story with this conclusion before. However, in asking the question, Apple Bloom is really only given more questions in response. Or in other words, "How did Applejack get her hat?" isn't the correct question to ask if you want a real answer. In that way, this is intensely unsatisfying. Though I will say, this author gives shortskirts a run for his money in the "ponies being extremely cute and casually snuggly with each other" category, so it's not like there's nothing here worth reading.
Vaguely Recommended
Heat Death by JackRipper
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: Character Piece
Fluttershy wants to know more about Discord.
I can't say I've ever seen Discord approached in this manner. One part immortality angst, one part immortality "eh, what're ya gonna do?" JackRipper has managed to capture and portray Discord as a truly immortal, truly cosmic being. It's the kind of thing I've seen so many attempt but never quite hit on, but suddenly… Here I am, reckoning with the heat death of the universe in cuddly character form. Kinda blew my mind.
Highly Recommended
Farmer and a Princess by Red Fantasis
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Shipping
Applejack is about to face her toughest challenge yet.
I don't know why this continues to be remarkable, but here once again we have an author who was on the site for a little over half a year, seven years ago, and wrote but a single story, somehow getting a reading of said story. Unfortunately, what they left us with, in my opinion, isn't exactly worth the memorial. :/ The writing leaves a lot to be desired. If this is a case of another non-native English-speaking author, well, they did a significantly worse job at the story than the previous example thereof. Worse, the story they chose to tell is not exactly worth wading through all the muck to find. It's a very basic shipfic, where They Were Both In Love The Whole Time for whatever reason, and it ends on a confession and show of intimacy. Also, there's a scene in the middle where AJ makes Twilight do chores with her and makes fun of her for wanting to do things the unicorn way. Not a great thing to do right before confessing your love to someone! The irony is, being read aloud just shows off how bad the dialogue especially is. So I really don't know what they were going for, but even if you like this ship, you can probably find a better approach to it elsewhere.
Not Recommended
Contentment by MellowSoul
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Future Fic
Rainbow Dash introduces her friends to her new son.
I have a lot of thoughts about this. First, that AU tag is doing a ton of heavy lifting. I fear the author may only have intended it for the "Rainbow Dash has a kid now" aspect, when in fact it covers everything from "Rainbow Dash has a TV" to "she grew up in the early 2000s?" and "why is she wearing jeans?" Half the time, I was questioning whether there hadn't been a Human or EQG tag I'd somehow missed. But most of my thoughts surround the central premise here: Rainbow Dash has a kid for some reason, and she's started to slow down. Now, I hate to read bad intentions into a story, and I'll admit that questions of motherhood have lately become both present and troubling to me personally. But I feel like the main thesis of this piece, intentional or otherwise, is "you should have a kid because it will show you what's really important". And heck, phrased that way, yes, I'm sure it will, I can't disagree too much. Well, outside of the "should", anyway. Rainbow has literally just adopted a colt, because she was lonely, which as Rarity points out is not a good reason to raise a kid, but now that she is, she's realized that basically everything that made up her personality when she was younger was baloney, and now she just lives to be a mom. I hope I don't have to explain how that's problematic. You have a kid because you want to raise a baby, a toddler, a child and a teenager. Period. Rainbow is gonna really come to resent this kid and her own decisions in the near future if she's neither careful nor lucky. Putting all of that aside for a moment, as a story, this is fine I guess? The writing is without objection, though the ending is quite abrupt, leaving the whole thing as "Rainbow Dash has a kid now, I guess" and very little besides that. At least her friends are all just as confused as I was!
Vaguely Recommended
Being There for Her by BiriSpark
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Shipping Drama
Twilight is willing to do anything for the one she loves.
So this is pretty cute. Very season one, especially given just how fragile Fluttershy is, but showing someone you love them by giving them time to take care of themselves and not have to worry about anything is honestly not a bad idea! Though, as this story demonstrates, you might want to check with them first to make sure you're sending them to do something they actually enjoy. The rest of this, then, is melodrama: tear-filled confessions and passionate kisses. It would be much better if the tenses were not constantly shifting, but how much you care about that will likely decide whether or not this is worth your time.
Recommended for Shippers Only
Heat Death goes right on my kindle! Discord done well, is as delightful as it is rare.