Fic recs, August 16th! · 10:09pm August 16th
Two review blog posts in two days, whaaaaat? :D I'd credit the new ADHD medication, but I hadn't even started taking it when I finished the review of The Head!
This is balanced by the next 'edition' being very long and likely not coming for a couple months. :B
H: 2 R: 3 C: 3 V: 0 N: 1
The Little Things by Princess Glitzy
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Shipping/Character Piece
Rarity always knew how Twilight felt.
It's so very odd to have to go way, way back to find something new. I've never seen a shipfic that focuses on a single member of its pairing like this before. This is really more an exploration of many of the things that make Rarity Rarity, specifically, as the title suggests, her attention to detail. In fact, at some point, I had to wonder if she wasn't so insightful as to take all the excitement out of life! But she seems to enjoy it regardless, so that's just me. Also, I have to give the author kudos for not avoiding use of "her" more than once in a sentence, yet somehow never losing the flow of who's being talked about at any given moment. A writer could learn from this!
Recommended
Daring Do and the Straining Constipation by overlord-flinx
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Random Comedy
Fun fact: If you put 'constipation' into the Fimfiction search bar, you will find six stories. This is the top result! (I don't suggest exploring the others c_c;;; ) So, I'm always up for a good poop joke, and I really have to give the author credit here: I do not think I could have passed up the opportunity to slip a "Daring Doo Doo" in there somewhere. I mean, it's a joke that writes itself, but also I just think the word 'poop' is really funny. :B And this is a funny look at an action hero laid low by *checks notes* nachos? Well, it's based on a real event, so who am I to critique the plot?
Recommended If You Like Poop Jokes
Octavia Hates Her Toothpaste by Cloud Hop
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: Romance/Emotional
Between her talent, good looks and successful career performing for the most important ponies in Equestria, surely Octavia is the kind of pony who has everything she wants. Right?
Going into this, I figured I knew what it was going to be about: Octavia just went through a breakup or something, probably with Vinyl, and now even the smallest things remind her of what she's lost so she's getting mad at toothpaste. But I was wrong! Not only does Vinyl Scratch not appear in this story (I can't remember the last time that happened!), but the end of a relationship isn't what's troubling Octavia. She does get angry at toothpaste, actually, and I quite liked that scene because the right amount of stuff is used to build up to it. This is a story about class differences, how the standards of society keep us from fulfilling our dreams, and what being true to oneself really looks like. It's all handled excellently, and the payoff is intensely satisfying. :) Definitely the best of Cloud Hop's work I've read to date!
Highly Recommended
Preparing the Perfect Party Pastry for Perfect Ponies With Pinkie Pie! by YukoAsho
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Recipe/Random Comedy
Pinkie shows us how to make cupcakes!
So. On the one hand, this is a recipe worked into a story. Not the first one of those I've read, somehow, and I highly approve of their existence. After all, even if you're just reading a random comedy, shouldn't you learn something every time you read a story? What better to learn than how to make delicious food? But on the other hand… This starts out with a Cupcakes reference and ends up being entirely a "Cupcakes rumors exist in canon even if Pinkie would never do that" kind of story. It may be the most positive one of its kind that I've ever seen, but nevertheless, the specter of the fandom's most infamous fic taints it. On the whole though? This is just so positive, and I'm so into the recipe-fic thing, that I can't be mad.
Recommended If You Aren't Allergic to Cupcakes
Saying Goodbye by GeodesicDragon
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Sad
Rest in peace, good friend.
So this is a solid feels fic, of the "character saying goodbye to 'you'" sort, where the reader is asked to figure out who it is who died, and… I mean, once AJ mentions, right at the start, how this 'friend' arrived, it's pretty obvious, right? c_c That wasn't just me? And then I spent the rest of the story going through various shades of confusion, as that initial guess felt off by the things assigned to this character, but said origin nevertheless didn't fit for anyone else. So maybe it was me, maybe it was the author… Well, regardless, I do think this works, and maybe it's just that I never realized how important this character is?
Recommended If You Enjoy Sad Stuff
Toast by Shaslan
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
Why doesn't Celestia date?
This is pretty funny, and a lot of fun. :) I had been expecting a silly comedy about Celestia's love life, the kind of single-issue headcanon thing that's perfect for a short story. But when Twilight doesn't get the answer she was expecting, we get to learn something else about her, too! So it ends up having a good bit more depth than I had anticipated, and that's only a good thing!
Recommended
Tilt by Seer
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Romance/Psychological
Twilight just wants to be with Luna. If only there weren't something wrong with the Princess's bed…
And on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from the previous story, here's some of the best horse kissing I have read in… What feels like years, really! Probably not, but still. Seer needs to write more horse kissing. c_c But though that opens the story, it really isn't the focus. See, this got to me on a level I wasn't expecting. It's been a sadly long time since I was last with anyone, you know? And in that time span, not often but sometimes, I have found myself daydreaming or contemplating my next relationship, and very occasionally spiralling into a dread that this very thing might happen to me. I mean, in my own defense, I'd say I'm far more likely to bust out laughing in the middle of an intimate moment because intrusive thoughts and also sex is funny. >_>; But that's just a different sort of reaction; it's those intrusive thoughts worming their way through your head at the worst time possible that leads to a break like what Twilight experiences in this story. And the takeaway, for me anyway, is that when you're in a place where you know something is wrong but everyone else — including, but not limited to, whatever tools are at your disposal for okay-ness checking — is telling you it's not? Doesn't necessarily mean you are wrong, but that it's definitely time to at least consider if maybe the problem is with you. And it's a hard thing to grapple with, no doubt. But with the way this story ends, I could almost classify it as psychological horror, so let's do what we can not to find ourselves in that position, hmm?
Highly Recommended
Cthulhu Smothers Fluttershy With a Pillow by Amethyst_Dawn
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Random Comedy/Cthulhu Mythos Crossover
Okay, maybe 'smother' is a strong term.
I will admit that some small part of me was a bit disappointed this wasn't more about Fluttershy fighting Cthulhu. Then again, her reaction to seeing him is kind of fantastic, in that she doesn't really react to him at all. Ultimately, the reason why an Elder God has shown up outside her window with a pillow of all things is… Is maybe what they mean when they talk about things being 'eldritch'! XD You're never gonna guess, is my point. What a wild, random story this was!
Recommended
Kiss Her, She's Lyrish! by Alicorn_Avionics
Reading by Lotus Moon, et. al.
Genre: Comedy
You know, the funny thing about this story is, "Why are ponies celebrating St. Patrick's Day?" is not the biggest issue here. I mean, the title actually get dropped by someone… and then the word "Irish" is used! And neither is explained! So, okay, fine, it's a holiday with lots of green, beer-drinking, shamrocks and music, we can go with this. Unfortunately, the story also focuses on a pretty shit tradition, at least as it's portrayed here. And don't even get me started on the characters. Tannor (or is it Tanner?) is a sadsack who's bad at romance (who hasn't seen that before?), and while his friend Cooper is a good bit more interesting, he's just a dudebro. And really, that's what this is: two bros, drinking drinks, talking about mares, all in the worst ways. It's a trip through time back to the darkest corners of the fandom. There are not just one but two gay jokes, and of course when Cooper learns that Lyra decked the last several stallions who made passes at her, he goes to try and save his bro from the same fate, only to find out that, for some reason, just getting kissed on the cheek was enough for her to go home with a complete stranger. I agree with his final statement. This was unpleasant.
Not Recommended
Okay, Tilt goes right to the top of my list! (Big surprise, huh?)
EDIT: Okay, wow, is that Romance tag inappropriate.
Oof, the Paddy’s Day fic gets the lowest rating.
Not that I would have expected a high one, but one still doesn’t like to see it.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Best Wishes.
Your reviews are an enjoyable read!
So, just "Recommended" then, right? I mean, either you like poop jokes, or you're lying about it.
5798927
people are allowed to be in denial :V
Thank you for the very kind words, I'm glad that 'Tilt' resonated so much and I appreciate you reviewing it
I'll be honest, it's not a story I'm overly fond of, but it goes to show that even if you're not the biggest fan of a piece as an author, it can still strike a chord and be a worthwhile read for someone else
Haven't read any of these! Tilt looks intriguing but I'm not sure whether I can cope with it, so it may have to wait quite some while if not forever. The Cloud Hop one also looks intriguing but less scary, and it sounds like it avoids the common "Here is my political stance and here is a fic to agree with me" thing, so that's a plus.
I'll defer to 5798913 when it comes to St Patrick's Day stuff, though I must confess I've generally found (some) Americans' approach to the day to be way over the top. I find it about as interesting as St Andrew's Day on the whole, ie not very unless you have personal connections to the country.
5798927
I don't. At least, not unless they're extremely nicely done and different from the usual ones, which they almost never are. I don't like fart jokes either, with the same narrow exceptions.
5799066
I thought it went without saying, but I wasn't being serious.
5799069
Oh, it was obvious enough, or should have been anyway. I was just tired and dense.
That lyra one reeled me in enough with its silly pun to give it a review
didn't mind the characters as much as you, and thought there was some fun in there, but the last line is just the worst.
was more bothered by the sexism than the straightism tbh, but that is there (those two go hoof in hoof)
Omigosh, that last line of "Tilt" is a killer.
There's another Tilt that's completely different, but also great!
What's the new ADHD medication? I don't know any that help me.
5799357
interesting, that's not the one I expected the link to lead to! :O but it was also already on my RIL!
the generic name is guanfacine, I'm not sure about the brand names
I was taking Strattera, but it seemed like I gained resistance to it rather swiftly whenever the dosage was upped :/ as for the new stuff, jury is still out, it's only been a few days so far
Just saw that my story was added to a "Reviewed" list, glad to see that you enjoyed it!