Fic recs July 3rd · 10:08pm Jul 3rd, 2013
I guess I really felt like reading some fanfic. :B Except for the first, all of these I read today.
Trivia: the oldest story currently in my to-read is EbonMane’s “Merely a Mare”, story #91 on the site.
Little Wonders by bats
Genre: Romance
I’m very happy to see that bats writes nothing but shipping, and you’ll be hearing more about him in time. In the meanwhile, we have Little Wonders, which reminds me ever so much of a certain fic that I’m fairly well known for. :V It is, at its core, a story about two ponies realizing they have feelings for each other. Y’know, kind of like every other shipfic ever? Where this stands above the rest is in the depth of emotion it conveys. Everything is woven into Wonderbolts Academy and Magical Mystery Cure, and it comes off feeling completely natural as a result. Those looking for deep plot may be let down, but the writing is otherwise excellent. I read it without the song lyrics (that’s what the note at the top about reading the author’s note first is all about, fyi) and it worked just fine for me. Who puts lyrics into a songfic? Sheesh. :V I really, really enjoyed this and I hope you all get something out of it.
Highly Recommended
The Talk by The Descendant
Genre: Relationship Introspection
Having followed Descendant, become familiar with his works and his headcanon as I have, I know that he has a very particular and unshakable view of Spike and Twilight’s relationship: as big sister and little brother, less often mother and child. I have never seen that relationship more muddled in one of his pieces before this one. By the end of the story, my expectations for that relationship were restored fully, but this is a piece delving into and, I dare say, breaking apart what Descendant sees as their interaction. Central to this is not just the titular Talk that Twilight tries and fails to give Spike (part of the issue is that he’s portrayed as just a little boy and simultaneously worldly for his age) but the Talk that she herself received from her poor father. There’s a very explicit inversion of their relationship as Twilight contemplates Spike’s reaction to seeing her take a colt up to her room with her father’s post-Talk head icing. It confused me, is what I’m saying. Taken outside the context of Desc’s body of work, what you’ve got is a lot of emotionally awkward moments that amuse in turns, a comedy of errors without so much comedy, headcanon musings on Spike’s station (a mention of Cadence surprised the everliving hell out of me because I thought this was a for-sure season 1 fic), and nothing sexual that isn’t also clinical and theoretical. (This story marks the first time I’ve heard the phrase “plateau phase” since tenth-grade health class.) And yet I find myself not overwhelmed by the story. It’s not his best. And let it be known that “hoofycolt” is hereby banished from the lexicon of ponified words.
Vaguely Recommended
Pinkie Pie Is an Eldritch Abomination by PonyAmorous
Reading by Voiceguy
Reading by Crafty Arts
Genre: Fourth Wall Meets Lovecraft
At heart, this is just your average series of fourth wall jokes, only dark instead of funny. The entire story is a series of Twilight’s journal entries framed by a few paragraphs of her in present time. It isn’t terribly deep or evocative, owing to its short length, but what got me was the final scene. Its implications are honestly a tad horrifying, and Twilight’s reaction to discovering the fourth wall and the nature of her universe really does ring of Lovecraft, rather than the standard imitations we tend to see from writers who think they know what they’re doing. So there’s not a lot to see here, but the payoff may be worth it.
Vaguely Recommended
Lunacy by NTSTS
Genre: Tragedy
As soon as I started reading this, I remembered having done so before. So, a year and a half later, what do I think? Well, it’s actually pretty good. Yes, it’s got a few missing words and there’s a POV change in the middle that’s a real issue, but what you’ve got here is a story about Luna losing her fucking mind and becoming suicidal that’s chock full of visceral imagery that is sure to set any arachnophobe’s teeth on edge. It’s tragic, and I still say the ending is miserably pointless, but that seems to be the idea. Not everything can have a happy ending.
Recommended for People Who Like Really Dark Stuff
Twilight’s Last Gleaming by Blueshift
Genre: Comedy
With Blueshift stories, you can always expect a few things: deadpan humor, lots of wacky gags, and a twist somewhere that will make you question your own existence. This story sadly delivers none of that. The story of Twilight trying to be the best prankster in Ponyville comes off as a bit of a slog. Worse, the writing is pretty dodgy. I found none of the usual hallmarks of a Blueshift story, and taken on its own merits, well, it tried. (A scene in the middle with Fluttershy was about the only bit that got me laughing and/or shaking my head.) I can’t say I had much fun reading this.
Not Recommended
I've read a couple of these. The Talk... isn't one of TD's best stories, and it REALLY doesn't work well on its own (i.e. for a reader without some grounding in his writing style and character interpretations). I don't think it's awful by any stretch, but I'm constantly bemused by the fact that the author clearly thinks it's one of his best stories. Oh well, to each his own.
As for Twilight's Last Gleaming, I give that one a little slack because it was written on a deadline for a contest. Maybe it's just the fact that my own entry was such garbage that makes me eager to give underwhelming submissions to that event a pass, though.
Never read "The Talk". Probably because in my opinion it is longer than 3 sentences.
"Adults need to share their bodies with each other to be happy. When you grow up you will understand why, but you are not capable of understanding before then. In the meantime, if you want any information on sex or your body, I will explain anything you want to know in terms you can understand."
If the story had been about Twi's dating affecting her relationship with Spike in some meaningful way, rather than just freaking him out, I'd be interested.
1185942
Oh, I hadn't noticed the contest aspect. Of course, I can fault Blues for not sprucing it up afterward, at least. :B Everyone seemed out to disappoint me today!
1185969
Actually, it is a good bit deeper than just "Twilight gives Spike The Talk". She builds up this whole mental list of Things To Tell Spike, finds out he knows most of it, and then discovers she misinterpreted why he was upset. Granted it kind of falls over itself in developing his reasons, but yeah, it's more than is on the wrapper, at least.
Hmm, I'm on the fence for whether or not to check out Lunacy. On the one hoof, I do really like horror fiction, but on the other, I never really found Luna to be an interesting character until after Luna Eclipsed. S1!Luna stories have always been kinda "meh" for me, mostly because I didn't read any good Luna fics until after S2 ended.
I dunno, how's the characterization in it?
1186163
I thought so. But I wanted to comment and that was the best I had.
1186178
Honestly? Edges up closer to sad Luna than anything. Then again, she's not so much a character as a pile of neuroses developed during a thousand years alone on the moon.
Hey, just saw the group add for Little Wonders, which led me to you, which led me to this blog post. Thanks for the shout-out!
And for the record, I don't only write shipping stories. I also wrote a story where Fluttershy kicks a puppy. I just almost only write shipping stories.
1197567
Yes, I loved that one too. :D