Fic recs, May 7th: Shitty Sequels edition! · 10:33pm May 7th
Amazing how I can stack two blogs nearly atop one another after not posting for a month. <_<
Anyway, when this comment was left on one of my blogs last year (god, it was in December? how???), I of course took it as a challenge as I tend to, and I'm glad I did, because I had a good time. :) There's a bunch of silly crap in here, but also each one comes with its own super-special really good story! They're like service animals! :D
H: 2 R: 4 C: 3 V: 0 N: 0
The Definition of Insanity by Snow Quill
Genre: Sad/Drama
He does the same thing every day, but maybe this time, it will be different.
Well, this is different, I can't say I've seen a lot of stories revolving around Lil' Cheese, son of Pinkie Pie and Weird Al. This gives him a very plausible full name, something I've felt has always been necessary, while also throwing him into a pretty sad situation. Even better, it shows us his own growing sixth sense, in a flashback anyway, something else that makes him interesting as a character. As for the writing, it's fine, though there is an early instance of a missed attribution tag. And the ending, I felt, didn't quite have the leadup it needed to hit right, though I do like how vague and general the situation is. We really don't need to know the specifics, just their consequences, so that was handled well.
Recommended If You Need Something Sad
The Definition Of by Shaslan
Sequel to The Definition of Insanity
Genre: Dark Tragicomedy
Li'l Cheese just wants to know where his mommy is.
This is such a dark and brutal inversion of the previous story's premise. It's a comedy where the comedy comes solely from just how serious it is, and the manner in which it has been presented to us. Because this is actually a very dark, sad story about a broken pony who can't cope with the world and also grew up to be enormous. It's a police procedural where a character we like dies, no spoilers. Honestly, sitting here right now, I want to try and explain to you why it's so funny, but I can't, because the moment I form the words, I suddenly realize I sound like a lunatic. I thought this was hilarious and I'm not even sure I laughed once. I don't know who this is written for, I don't know who wants to read it, but damn, I thought it was just perfect.
Recommended
Changing Cherries by Shaslan
Genre: Drama
I've never had a great relationship with sleep, and that was before the changes.
I've always found it really hard to call a story a 'fantasy' when it's set in a world that's already fantastical. But this is another one of those, what you might call magic magicalism rather than magic realism. A serious idea set around animation errors, this imagines a very hard life growing up for Cherry Berry and her younger sister Berryshine (aka Berry Punch). And then the changes start happening, and it's not just her own feelings that I found compelling, but how weirded out everyone else seems to be about them. This is a solid character piece, albeit without much of an ending, but that's what we have sequels for, isn't it?
Recommended
Changing Cherries: Doki Doki by Zontan
Sequel to Changing Cherries
Genre: Action Comedy
It was all a lie, of course.
So take everything we learned in that first story, throw it out the window, and get ready for high-stakes silliness as Cherry Berry and Berryshine are revealed to be members of S.M.I.L.E. Remember them? I only wish this had been longer, it's a lot of fun and twists the original premise in a hilarious way.
Recommended for Laughs
The Troglodyte by Seer
Sequel to That Isn't Me
Genre: Horror/Comedy
No one believes in what Sweetie Belle sees in the mirror.
So here's the first one that's a sequel to something I've already read. And in case you don't remember That Isn't Me, it shows us Sweetie Belle slowly losing her mind as the reflection in the mirror changes shape, and also something something puberty. The Seer, being a Good Writer, takes to the "write an unserious sequel" challenge with aplomb, writing something that is quite serious on its face and only reveals the joke once you look a little deeper in. Or read the second chapter. But the astute reader will note word choices here and there that seem ever so slightly out of place. And every oddity leads to a conclusion that is just… like, I literally don't even, man. This is some top-tier trolling.
Recommended
Onkalo by Seer
Sequel to Pneuma
Genre: Romance/Horror
Everything will be better, once Calligraphy gets that promotion.
I got confused for a minute, because this story is a sequel, but it is the exact opposite of shitty and silly. No, it's the next story in the chain that was written for this little event. :) But that's fine, because we get to appreciate Pneuma again, and then we get to appreciate the hell out of this piece. It's a fantastic gay romance with even more fantastic horror. Early, it seems that something isn't quite right, but trying to put the pieces together will get you nowhere. You have to stick around for a while, you have to be patient, and just like the protagonist of both stories, by the time it hits, you'll be too far in to get out. Just some really fantastic pacing and writing here, top marks.
Highly Recommended
Narcissa by mushroompone
Sequel to Onkalo
Genre: G5 Comedy/Horror
Pipp Petals livestreams her journey into a dark, spooky cave.
If this had been a contest whose theme was "make an irreverent sequel to a serious story", this story would not have made the cut. Because this is a comedy, let's be clear: it even blends comedy and horror in a way that I have never before seen. But it is also completely reverent and completely serious about following in the footsteps of not one but two excellent horror stories. The comedy comes from the situation, from the fact that this is all happening to Pipp Petals G5 because she wants to do livestream challenges to get more subscribers. But what actually happens to her is this masterfully crafted, dreamlike horror that somehow remains funny despite simultaneously being terrifying. Having read both of its prequels means you know what's going on long before Pipp ever does, and that ratchets the tension up to delicious heights. Even the fact that this is based around livestreaming is relevant to the theme of the trilogy! What I'm saying is, once again, mushroompone has elected to be just one of the best writers in this community, and we are all the richer for it. :) What a fucking treat this story is.
Highly Recommended
Passion by Undome Tinwe
Genre: AU Romance/Dark/Biblical Crossover??
With her death, she will take away the sins of the world. All her lover has to do is pass sentence.
So I may not know much about the Jesus, but I know one when I see one, and this here is a Rarity Jesus, by gum. Every step of this journey, my jaw was hanging open, at the sheer audacity of writing something like this. Like, yes, it's the story of the crucifixion of Jesus, except he's been snogging Pontius Pilate (I think? Twilight does say she washes her hooves of it all) on the side. Also, Judas is Fluttershy. The emotions captured on the page, held aloft by the impending certainty of Rarity's fate make for some really delicious shipping drama, and I just… I don't know, man, this is completely wild. Capturing divinity on the page is no small feat. People who take their faith super seriously need not apply.
Recommended
The Kingdom of Heaven by Zontan
Sequel to Passion
Genre: Trollfic
It's not exactly easy being Pony Jesus.
This is perhaps the most appropriate note to end this cavalcade of irreverence on, as by its very nature, it is the most intrinsically irreverent of all of these. That's honestly about all I can think to say, that sentence alone should perfectly set your expectations for this story. :) It features the line "G5 isn't real". Go!
Troll Recommended
Hope you're doing well.
Oh shit, thanks for the review! I almost loved Shas’s sequel more than my original story tbh, but Shas also hit a LOT of things that I love - a gory tragedy that is almost played off as a comedy but then sucker punches you at the end.
If the ‘attribution tag’ you are talking about was during Lil’Cheese’s dream sequence at the start, it’s because I couldn’t figure out how to format a black bar like in gdocs and honestly just never got around to trying to fix it. I’m..still not sure how I would either.
Anyways, thanks for the review ^~^
I read this as "Ohio" for like the first two passes.
A delightful write up of a chaotic little gift exchange, thank you for the reviews!
Narcissa continues to be one of the funniest straight man comedies I've ever read.
Never did I expect to receive the coveted badge of Troll Recommended. I shall cherish it forever.
Delighted that this event got this coverage, there will hopefully be another one soon, so people can once again enjoy the load of absolute nonsense that we will inevitably create
I will say a particular thanks for covering Onkalo. It remains my favourite one-shot I've ever written and your review means a great deal, I really appreciate it. Mush absolutely smashed it with Narcissa and I very much echo your comments about their piece
I've read "Passion," and I'm not sure I agree with the caveat you put on the recommendation. The author expressed concern to me that it would be taken as derogatory, which wasn't his intent, and I didn't feel like it came across that way. Yes, it takes some liberties that could possibly offend folks, but that's different from being mocking about it from the word go. I just thought it was a good story and was largely respectful with a bit of tongue-in-cheek.
Omg, how awesome!! I love looking in the comments and thinking "wow, the gang's all here" ^^ Narcissa was such a fun story to write (especially being such a fan of Onkalo and Pneuma), and makes me think I should give comedy another honest try
we'll see! I'm so glad you enjoyed it - and that you enjoyed the others. So much to love about this slate. In particular, Definition Of was one that had me laughing out loud, and The Troglodyte unlocked a depth of rage that was previously unknown to me :) said with love.
<3 to my pals in the comments, I love doing this type of thing with you all
5844361
could be worse, I start singing, "Onkalo, bonkalo, honkalo, donkalo" to the tune of the World 1 map music from Super Mario Bros. 3 every time I see that title
5844378
thank you for orchestrating this, even if unknowingly, and thus subjecting me to laughter and love :D
Onkalo and Narcissa are both just absolutely wonderful continuations of Pneuma (shoutout to Seer's The Way Out as well). I do need to get around to posting the stories I made for these events, though I did fumble the second time.