Fic recs, December 16th! · 2:26pm Dec 16th, 2023
Surprise! I don't have to move! :D Yay! I was having trouble finding an apartment and very worried I wouldn't be able to book a moving company in time!
But that also means I'm stuck in this hole for another year! D: Not so yay! Could be worse. I definitely found worse while looking!
I just reorganized my audiobook list to alternate Pony & Wolf with non-Pony & Wolf videos. The whole list is 190 videos. The organized section? Takes up 114 of that. c_c;;; It's a few less stories because there are some multi-parters in there, but good gravy.
Starting a longfic today, finishing up an edition probably this weekend hopefully.
H: 2 R: 1 C: 3 V: 0 N: 0
With Tears in Her Eyes by Peekaboo
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Emotional
Why isn't Luna living in the castle?
So my favorite part of this story is the casual way in which the author gives an in-universe explanation for why the Celestia vs. Nightmare Moon fight we saw at the start of season 4 was, y'know, kind of disappointing. This is one of the best examples of actually fixing the show I've ever seen. :) Which is not to say the rest has nothing going for it, because this is also some top-tier Celestiangst, and y'all know how much I love that! And like the description says, this isn't a Celestia take-down fic. I suppose one could think that, given that we're learning the real truth behind her treatment of Luna, and it's not flattering in the slightest to Celly. Except, what makes this work is that we're hearing it from Celestia herself. It's not Twilight finding an old book or talking to Luna, and having to take someone else's word for it. Well, I mean, she is, but she's taking Celestia's word, and Celestia might just be an unreliable narrator! A millennium of self-recrimination would probably convince you you're the actual monster and hadn't, like, grown as a person or anything. So yeah, this is a whole bunch of things I really love, and they're all done quite well, I was very happy with it.
Highly Recommended
Twilight Meets Herself by Foals Errand
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Random Comedy
Well, this was a fun bit of absurdity. :) I think the author really nailed the reactions here, first Twilight to herself ("Again?"), then Twilight on her own, then the denouement. That said, the punchline, uh, is intensely random and just a non-sequitur of a reference? So, not perfect, but I still enjoyed it.
Recommended for Laughs
Bubble Berry: Be a Man! by uberPhoenix
Reading by Agent0Fluffy, et. al.
Genre: R63 AU Comedy
Bubble Berry decides he wants to be manlier. Meanwhile, a familiar face is lurking around Ponyville, looking to cause trouble.
There wasn't a Lunaverse-style collaboration built around On a Cross and Arrow, was there? I'd think if there was, I'd have at least heard of it? I ask because the way the author of this story expands on the original reminds me a lot of the Lunaverse, most specifically in how many background ponies get R63'd names in this story. (Many of them are really funny. Barry. Haw.) Otherwise, well, this is an episode-structured approach to a gender-swapped universe. The author intentionally wanted to write a story that could only take place in the Cross and Arrow universe, and that's definitely true. Unfortunately, it's somewhat uncomfortable watching Berry decide that the only path to "true manliness" is basically toxic masculinity. What helps is that it's also really clear the moral is going to be about being yourself and not changing who you are just to please someone else. Like, that theme really suffuses the whole narrative; it was very cleverly pulled off. Plus, it's not like Pinkie Guy here is going out to chug beers and punch orphans or something. There's actually some variation in the manliness on display here, plus a sense that the traits associated with "manliness" aren't necessarily expected for every stallion. The writing is good, though I felt it got a bit patchy toward the end. The final action scene goes on for quite a while, not to mention there's head-hopping and some needless explaining. But for a 2012 fic based on a not-great story written by someone who claims not to have read it (how? The story is directly referenced! Did they just guess really well??), this is really good.
Recommended If You Enjoy AU Stories
Dreams Are Living Things by Whirl Hoof
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: AU
Rainbow Dash deals with rejection.
This very deftly captures the sense of unreal numbness that can follow an earth-shattering blow. Just that sense of wandering around in a daze, wondering how this can be the world that's still spinning after what happened. Do I think this is a likely response from Rainbow Dash being rejected by the Wonderbolts? Eh, I don't think giving that question an answer is necessary; it happens in this story, and I'm convinced it's happening, so that's how it is. I will say the dialogue felt just a tad off in spots, but not enough to really ruin my appreciation for this short, simply, and very effective story.
Recommended
Umbrellas by sstwins
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Shipping Flashfic
Wow, I can't remember the last time I reviewed a story that wasn't on Fimfiction! And not being on Fimfiction means a story can be short. Like, really short. This one's only 240 words! (A previous reading is only 100, but it's not really a story, so I'm not reviewing it.) The author was nevertheless able to make the best use of each one of those words, giving us a quick glimpse steeped both in Applejack's voice and her reactions at seeing Rarity framed in the moment. Not bad!
Recommended for Shippers
Many Mirrors by NorrisThePony
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: Emotional
The crystal ponies are free. But what does that mean?
And here's another really short, really effective story. In a thousand words, we're shown how trauma is not so easy to shake off, even once you know the cause is gone. Also, it brings up a really good point: isn't it kinda fucked up that Cadence isn't a crystal pony, but her destiny is to rule them? Kinda fucked up. This packs a lot into a very small space, and I was quite impressed by all of it.
Highly Recommended
Eee, thanks a lot for the review and recommend Present! I'm thrilled you enjoyed!
Yaay for not having to move to a worse hole!
Haven't read any of these, but Norris is reliably good.
So that's five stories to go on my list, because I also downloaded all the sequels to With Tears in Her Eyes based on the descriptions. I love a good "Celestia screwed up, but she meant well and is very sorry for how it all turned out" story.
And as for Many Mirrors... Yes, sounds very promising and I'm looking forward to it, but...
If you go by European* history, that's absolutely normal!
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* And most of the rest of the world, tbh. Cleopatra was the Queen Elizabeth II of her age. Descendants of Greeks and Germans ruling Egypt and England? Totally not sus, my dude!
Norris' stuff is always good~