Fic recs, August 3rd! · 1:48pm August 3rd
haha, I forgot again ._. that's what happens when Friday is taken up by listening to podcasts instead of fanfics! I'm in the midst of a long one right now as it is, and I'm actually working on a vs. post at the same time, so things promise to continue to be exciting. :)
H: 0 R: 5 C: 5 V: 1 N: 1
Somnambulism by Scyphi
Reading by No One and Nobody
Genre: Shipping/Light Comedy
Finding out Smolder sleepwalks was one thing, but why does she keep ending up in Gallus's bed?
Smallus? Golder? I thought it was illegal to ship Gallus with anyone but Silverstream or Sandbar. <_< But, the Student Six's resident hardasses do go together pretty well, and this is a cute, fun way to get them to that point. Especially since it doesn't end with them Both Having Secretly Liked Each Other. Moreover, it sets up their dynamic via a very well-crafted montage right at the start of the story, which was a pleasant surprise. On the less pleasant end were saidisms and overexplaining via dialogue tags, which I started to notice around the middle of the story. Not a huge issue, but definitely one of those "you can't unsee it" sorts of problems. Still, on the whole, I think this works, and if anything, I'm giving it extra leeway for involving a set of characters I legitimately do not care about. Good shipping is just that hard to come by!
Recommended
The Equestrian Intelligence Agency by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: Comedy
After the changeling invasion, Special Agent Lyra Heartstrings is called into the chief's office.
Bask, if you will, in the irony of a fic written in season three or four about Lyra being a special agent for the Equestrian government. Lyra. So close! This is one of those stories that reframes several previous show incidents, as well as life in Ponyville in general, in a new light, and it does a good job of making these into fun little retellings. That said, there's not a whole lot of story beyond that? Like, Shining isn't even asking her to explain herself. This could be because he's Shining Armor and he was, y'know, there, but it means it's mostly just a clip show hung on this new conceit of Equestrian Intelligence. But beyond that? I can't complain, it's good work. I could swear it had spawned a series of other fics, but I guess not? And that's kind of a shame, it's a good concept.
Recommended for Laughs
Death by a Thousand Cuts by Donnys Boy
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Emotional Drama
Most ponies have missed that there's anything wrong with Rarity. But not Fluttershy.
This being from Thirty Minute Ponies — it's been a while! — it's missing a few things that I had to wonder about. Mostly, is this meant to be shipping? It certainly could be read that way, but there's nothing overt in the story that really points to it. Well, other than the fact that it just stops. And given what it stops on — a plaintive cry of understanding that I could not follow — it frankly doesn't make sense if there isn't some kind of romance happening between Fluttershy and Rarity. I think the confounding issue is just that the final couple of lines are the only indication of romance, so it comes out of nowhere and slaps you across the face while also being inherently confusing. And that's all unfortunate, since the drama in the leadup is all solid. I love that it starts with the question of "what's eating Rarity?" then spends all of its time following Fluttershy. That's so unexpected and really works. Well, I guess for a story written in half an hour, you can't complain too much if the whole thing isn't exactly perfect.
Recommended If You Enjoy Sad… Shipping?
Mysterious and Metaphorical Meanings of Marks by Sapidus3
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Random Comedy
Some ponies' cutie marks are more metaphorical than anything.
I kinda hate this. <_< Not the story itself, it's silly and fun. No, it's the author's decision to be as alliterative as humanly possible. It's one of those "too clever" gimmicks that… while it mostly works also just annoyed the hell out of me, to say nothing of heavily distracting me from actually figuring out what was happening. (Also, alliteration is more than just using the same letter at the start of each word; 'cheerful' is not alliterative with 'cupcakes'!) Now this is compounded by a funny bit in the story where Twilight notices that Celestia is speaking in alliterations; in fact, she and Luna seem to be the only ones who aren't, though I guess they're also the only three speaking roles, so aside from the narration, we're basically the only ones privy to this. I just wish it had gone somewhere? But if that kind of thing doesn't bother you, or even better, delights you, then check this out.
Recommended If You Like Random Comedies
Open Secret by Monochromatic
Reading by Lotus Moon
Genre: Shipping Comedy
For being so smart, Twilight Sparkle can be the dumbest pony in Equestria.
Oh boy, Mono writing a comedy? :D And it's not even Rarilight? Amazing! Also, hilarious! The funny thing about this story is, if you ignored the tags anyway, you'd be forgiven for thinking the first half was actually Twilestia. It almost seems like Celestia is trying to search for the right words to ask about Twilight's love life at first; thankfully, that's not the case. Watching her be awkward and hesitant is just as much fun as watching Twilight be stone oblivious to what's going on around her. And Rainbow Dash's role was equally fun, as well as a little surprising! This was, in other words, a complete joy to read.
Recommended
The Swan Song of Celestia by Frogmyre
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Random Comedy
Something seems different about Princess Celestia…
If you remember Princess Celestia Is Replaced by an Ohio-Class Submarine, and especially if you didn't like it, you might want to check this out. It seems at first blush to be the same kind of story — and it is — but it does take the joke just a bit farther, and that's what is needed if the simple act of "pony has been replaced and no one notices" does not suffice to entertain you. Granted, this doesn't go any farther beyond that, but I nevertheless appreciate the level of diegeticity at play.
Recommended for Laughs
Sweet Tooth by Obselescence
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Comedy
Pinkie Pie endures the minutes before Sugar Cube Corner closes.
This being quite short, I don't have much to say about it. But I can say, it is extremely relatable, especially if, like Pinkie (or myself), you have an insatiable sweet tooth. You'll likely get a kick out of this either way.
Recommended
Elevator Show by gapty
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: EQG
Trixie finds a temporary escape from her boring office job.
Man. The opening of this story is so depressing, and it's likely also extremely relatable to a lot of us. But that's great, because it sets us up for some excellent catharsis, and even a well-earned reward for Trixie by the end! (I like that her reward is executive function, that's the dream frfr) Honestly, this is a nice short fic that just feels good to read. :)
Recommended
Open-Heart Operation by anonpencil
Reading by No One and Nobody
Genre: AiE Romance
Anon's date with Redheart doesn't quite go as planned.
Well, here we are once again. I didn't check the description or tags before adding it to my RIL when pencil first posted it. I didn't check again when the reading was posted and I made sure I hadn't reviewed the story already. So I'm stuck reading a fic about something I truly do not care about, written well, by an author I like. :/ There's not much more I can really say. Anon is a bit of a dope here, and avowedly not good at romance. It's obvious why he's so hard up to make sure this date goes perfectly. He is beset by comedic circumstance after comedic circumstance. I just wish I could give a more enthusiastic endorsement. Sorry. :B
Recommended If You Want to Date a Horse
Helping a Sister Out by King of Madness
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: EQG Slice of Life
Rainbow Dash sees Fluttershy looking sad in the park.
This is a very cute, very effective, and somewhat funny story about Rainbow Dash Being A Good Friend, and her connection to Fluttershy. It's set up very well, with the first scene basically telegraphing what she's going to do in the second, though it's no spoiler. We're then left to wonder how Fluttershy will react. Heck, how Rainbow herself might react! Really, it's just nice to see these two having such a close bond. :) Good stuff.
Recommended
Will We Be Forever? by Sara Santiago
Reading by Lotus Moon, Art Star and XavierthePhoenix
Sequel to The Right Gift of Love
Genre: AppleDash
It's been three years, and Rainbow Dash wants to make this Hearts and Hooves Day extra special.
I have to say, this is an improvement over the first story, but only story-wise. In no particular depth, it gets into some issues Rainbow Dash and Applejack would have, not with each other, but simply with their circumstances. I also liked Applejack's reaction to the proposal. And with that, we segue into the problems. For starters, this is just your very, very average proposal fic. Sure, they don't get to spend as much time together as they'd like, but there are no actual problems in this plot. But moreover, the writing hasn't improved any. The dialogue in particular is horrendously unnatural, and gives me the sense that the whole thing was Google translated from a different language. I'll never know for sure, of course, but yeah, I wouldn't rush to get to this one, were I you.
Not Recommended
What's in the Box? by TheTobbaconist
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: Random Comedy
Sweetie Belle goes looking for her stash of building blocks and finds the wrong box…
I feel like the execution is here, for the most part, but I wasn't really into the punchline. This does a good job building (heh) up the importance of Sweetie finding her Legos, and also has the decency to skip over a couple of sections of action that would have just bogged things down. But then you get to the end, and… Well, the author challenged readers to guess what was in the box. And 90% of the guesses are sex-related things, and he was extremely coy about what the right answer might be. I might have preferred the "older gen toys" answer myself, but instead we're more or less left with the most obvious and overdone answer. I'm not sure if outright stating it in the story would have improved things or not. :/
Vaguely Recommended
Gotta admit, I was half-expecting a Se7en joke from What's in the Box? Probably best that's not where the story went.
LOL one of these days I'll have you review something of mine you TRULY hate rather than just something unobjectionable. :P
Also... I don't think I knew this recording existed. So thank you for that!
Ah, elevator show. The fic I specifically wrote in American English instead of British English because of the title. After all, "Lift Show" sounds weird imo.
Huge thanks for the review!
I would have sworn that I had read The Equestrian Intelligence Agency, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I dig the admiral's little slice-of-life stories, and with this one having an extra twist, I should like it a lot. Onto the list it goes!
BTW, got any podcasts that you'd Highly Recommend?
5796321
There's apparently a short film called Lift Show.
But it's French.
5796371
Clearly a case of the French not knowing what's better
5796320
in all seriousness, that is just one of the many services I provide :)
5796321
really? :D now that's fascinating, good choice!
5796349
I can only imagine there's another story/series with that name. <_< And, well, I only listen to a handful of podcasts:
The Letters Page, if you like (fake) superhero comic books
The Play Greater Podcast (which really only gets a C, it's very inside baseball)
and Lingthusiasm, if you like language stuff :)
5796383
Lingthusiasm sounds intriguing! I will give it a listen, thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed my little story.
Oh yes, Open Secret is funny and adorable.