Fic recs, November 13th · 9:17pm Nov 13th, 2013
Nothing like snow to make you never want to leave the house again. 20 this time, mostly V's and N's.
H: 1 R: 3 C: 5 V: 4 N: 7
Private Study Sessions by Steel Resolve
Genre: Shipping
I want to like this, but there are a few things holding it back. First, Dash’s section plays really heavily off the reason why I didn’t like Read It and Weep: the emphasis on reading, or being someone who enjoys reading, being uncool. Rainbow never really comes to grips with that in the episode, instead ending on a “well, these books are cool, but being an egghead is still not” note that rubbed me the wrong way and felt really out of date (that was a common plot in kids' shows in the 80's, c'mon). Despite the fact that, in this story, she’s meeting Twilight for study time and has branched off into nonfiction, she’s still got that attitude and it irks me. Also, I thought the denouement of “Are we a couple now?” was pretty awkward, and disappointing in a story that otherwise does shipping well. Yes, it’s a mutual attraction scenario, but a large portion of the story details how that mutual attraction built over time. It’s absolutely the kind of thing I demand from shipfics. Also good, because I’ve been harping and harping on this lately, is that Dash’s section really sounds like Dash, especially when compared to Twilight’s, which sounds like Twilight. So the author definitely has the characters down, he just didn’t make the best of the scene.
Vaguely Recommended
Thirty Dollars by Ezn
Genre: BiE Parody
This is… weird. As a BiE sendup, it hits all the right notes with its sweaty, obsessive manchild POV character. But then it just sort of stops on a not-punchline. This is, I believe, from the one writeoff I missed, which accounts for the shortness. It just needs a little bit of something more.
Vaguely Recommended
To Love a Rainbow by Midnight Dancer
Genre: Dark Shipping
This is Cupcakes with shipping. It's probably the best Cupcakes-with-shipping story you'll ever read, and all the really gory stuff has already happened offscreen, but that doesn't negate the fact that it's still Cupcakes with shipping.
Not Recommended
Fluttershy Discovers Animal Crackers by Art Inspired
Reading by Captain Sand
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Pony Discovers X
There’s no reason to read this if you can guess the plot from the title and cover art. The idea that Fluttershy would be upset by the concept of animal crackers is cute, and that her friends would try unsuccessfully to prevent her from finding out about them is funny, but there is literally nothing else to the story. She finds them and gets upset, the end. It’s not even written well. No wonder these stories were so heavily panned in their day.
Not Recommended
Autumn’s End by Martian
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Introspection/Scenery Porn
For being under fifteen hundred words, this is really purple. It’s not so much a story as it is a piece for people who like to read writing. There’s no plot, no conflict, just Scootaloo’s thoughts and a metric buttload of imagery. That said, the ending was surprisingly satisfying, drawing together the soft tranquility of the whole work into a single, quietly emotional scene. It just takes better than a thousand words of faffing around to get there.
Vaguely Recommended
Silver Spoon vs. Breakfast by Your Antagonist
400th Review!
Genre: Absurdity
Let’s get the bad part out of the way: the opening of this story is not much, as hooks go. It’s slow, it’s really slice of life, it’s just kind of dull. It does, however, effectively construct the norm in anticipation of the wrestle mania to come and tear it apart. For what does follow that slightly dull opening is a face-slappingly hilarious mixture of cereal commercials and 80’s pro wrestling. Fans of the Dr. Tran videos will no doubt appreciate the transitional scene. It’s absolutely madcap and I couldn’t stop laughing uproariously while reading. Of course, if you’re young or don’t have an appreciation for 80’s culture (or pro wrestling), you may not get much out of it, but who knows? It could be just wacky enough for anyone.
Recommended
After All by FluttershyIsMetal
Reading by Scribbler and Deep Voice Commentaries
Reading by Snogwritts
Genre: Sad Shipping
The plot is given away in the description: Thunderlane’s in love with Rainbow Dash, he gets prepared to tell her, he finds her making out with Fluttershy. Then he sits around for a page of words feeling sorry for himself, the dope. If anything, this is a treatise on why you shouldn’t keep your feelings to yourself just to spring them on someone at a moment’s notice, like every romance story ever has told you to do. Me, I got nothing out of it.
Not Recommended
Best Garden by Esle Ynopemos
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Slice of Life
Here’s the reason you shouldn’t read this story: It’s a setup for a Kanye West joke with Rarity as Kanye, Carrot Top as Taylor Swift and Applejack as Beyonce. Except Beyonce and Kanye are dating. That’s all there is to this and I facepalmed myself into a headache after hearing it.
Not Recommended
Matchmaker, Matchmaker by Abalidoth
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Shipping
More Thirty Minute Ponies, but unlike the last one, this isn’t on Fimfic. Also unlike the last one, I facepalmed a lot, but I didn’t hate the story for making me do so. No, I just really should have seen the pun coming. So, out of all the intermane ships, TwiJack remains the one I care the least about, and that’s despite having read stories like this one and Yours Truly and enjoyed them. And while this follows a “give gift as sign of feelings” format, I honestly did like it. It’s cute and the central pun is honestly fun.
Recommended for Shippers
Overture by Exilo
Reading by Scribbler, Finish Line and Goombasa
Genre: Future Fic
This story has a lot of weird little things that didn’t sit well with me. First of all, as much as I enjoy pony racism, as with ponies waging war, I prefer it directed at non-ponies. At this point in Equestrian history, individuals of the three tribes may still have their misunderstandings or differences, but personal racial identity doesn’t really seem to play into the Equestrian psyche in the show. And furthermore, despite the fact that Octavia seems to really hate being an “earth walker” — and here let me just aside to say why wasn’t “earth pony” good enough for you, author? — it doesn’t actually play into the story at all. Unless we’re supposed to believe that she thinks Vinyl is prettier than she is because she’s a unicorn. That, by the way, is our story. Thunderlane, now a Wonderbolt, sees Octavia at the GGG, follows her out, and finds out that she’s unhappy with the way Vinyl Scratch treats her. It’s kind of a weird way to approach getting that factoid out in the open. It’s also weird that that’s the conflict despite the focus during the first two-thirds of the story being on Thunderlane wanting to hook up with Octavia. Let’s talk about that, now. I couldn’t enjoy this story at all because of the way he acted. The author seemed very keen on emphasizing him as Good Guy Thunderlane: he communicates his feelings directly, he doesn’t take advantage of her even though she asks him to spend the night with her, he’s outright called a gentlecolt numerous times. But still, small bits of his approach didn’t sit well with me. He ignores her a few times when she tells him not to do things. He scoops her up in a hug when she starts crying. He pries and says a lot of dumb things that necessitate continual apologies. But oh, he doesn’t have sex with her despite getting in bed with her, so it’s all okay. No. And he doesn’t even end up with her, so what’s the point? Then we have the two endings. The first paints Vinyl as the bad guy, the second Octavia, and I think I dislike them both equally. In the first case, Octavia comes home to pounding dubstep beats (of course) and things go back to the way they always were, which is to say she’s in love with Vinyl (I think? I may have misinterpreted that line) and Vinyl abuses her emotionally. In the alternate ending, she finds Vinyl crying in the kitchen because she’s worried about Octavia being out all night. This despite the fact that Octavia has convinced herself, and clearly spells out during the course of the story, that Vinyl doesn’t care about her at all. So I guess she missed all the signs or something? I’ll give the author points for making the two endings entirely separate scenarios instead of changing one line of dialogue as a “what if”, but neither is satisfying and I don’t know what anyone could get out of reading this.
Not Recommended
The Things We Need by Pacce
Mature: Sex
Worksafe Version on EQD
Genre: Romantic Erotica
In a lot of ways, this is what I ask of my romance fics: a view of a happy couple, especially when it’s Lyra and Bon-Bon, doing what couples do. (Also I’m pleased that they have Tootsie Flute, because she never gets any traction in the fandom, it seems.) This is actually a pretty good look at a married couple having sex, all things considered. Points for breaking the sex scene up with asides and memories brought on by the sex itself, too. Downsides included a couple of coy wordings (I groaned at a passage ending in “they kissed” that had nothing to do with kissing) and systematic punctuation issues. But really, for horsefuck words? Not bad at all. (Update: I looked at the SFW version and, while it removes the sex, I also feel like it removes a lot of the story as well, reducing it to just a scene and a half of comfort fluff. Still, if you're really into LyraBon and really not into seeing them fuck, this is the version for you.)
Recommended for People Who Like Erotic Pony Fiction and/or LyraBon Fans
Shutdown by Cupcakes
Reading by Scribbler
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Metafic
We come to the third of Scribbler’s readings that I was really looking forward to, not just because it was written by a friend, but because I’ve heard a lot about it. You’ll have to take my word that it’s worth reading, because further conversation requires spoilers. This is metafic in the same way as Pagemaster’s Radio Ga Ga, dealing with the ways in which we fans interact with the characters and presenting to the reader the end of that interaction. What Cupcakes does differently is take the role of the fans from mere watchers to actual participants, players in a virtual Ponyville-based MUCK (or somesuch) with AIs filling in the roles of the main characters from the show. And while I’d have maybe liked a little more focus on how the actual ponies react to the news that the world is ending, in the end this explores well a number of diverse topics: the nature of reality, fandoms, online communities and their eventual cessation, how we relate to fictional characters, the powerlessness of fans to protect their favorite properties from the creators’ whims, copyright law, letting go… Geez, it doesn’t stop giving you things to think about. You’ll definitely get the most out of this if you’re really invested in the show and the fandom, but it’s nevertheless a well-written and introspective piece.
Recommended
Darkest Before Dawn by Obselesence and Eakin
Genre: Dark
I edited this one, so I can jump right into it. :V This piece is really emotional for as short as it is, centered around a visit by Princess Luna to Twilight Sparkle, who isn’t exactly happy to see her. The reasons why are dealt out one by one as the story progresses, and lines of dialogue that feel OOC initially make sense by the end. This is a neat scenario because what’s going on is both familiar and unfamiliar; you’ll think you've seen this before, but it’s not the standard progression. I did think the opening was a bit long, but it does set up Luna’s feelings about the situation prior to the confrontation. In all, a quick read that sends two characters through the ringer.
Recommended
I Can Be a Filly Too! by RealmOfMereShadows
Genre: Trollfic
Who says the Shameless Self-Promotion Bureau doesn’t actually work? :V While working on promoting my own fics, I happened to notice a thread proclaiming a Filly Funtasia crossover and there was no way I was going to pass it up. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver what I was hoping for: satire provided by vapid, one-dimensional characters interacting with those from MLP. It’s hard to tell just where the author was coming from, mostly because this is so poorly written, though they make the claim that it’s unedited ‘trollfic’. Not quite funny enough, in my estimation. Well, suffice to say that's the last time I try that. :V
Not Recommended
Princess Celestia and the Laser Pointer by Countsmegula
Reading by VisualPony
400th Review of 2013
Genre: “Comedy”
Featured box, you have let me down again. Admittedly, I was no doubt thinking “pones acting like cats = hilarious” when I to-read this story, but had I given it one iota more of thought, I’d have realized that Celestia acting like a cat is kind of demeaning and embarrassing. That said, there’s a certain lovable ridiculousness to this story that I can’t deny… Except that the writing is flat out terrible. Every line of dialogue is delivered by the same lead brick. The setup is amusing but drags out too far. And then there’s the scene with two guards debating why the Princess just jumped in the fountain, to which one replies, “Maybe she’s on her period”, and that’s the story of how I was completely done with this. (And you know damn well it’s Luna behind everything, so why even bother with the reveal at the end?)
Not Recommended
Kindness by Twilight Snarkle
Genre: AU/Friendshipping
Here’s one I read before. It’s interesting because, as a post-pilot AU, it doesn’t give us a world where Nightmare Moon won, but where the mane cast’s friendship didn’t last. Where Twilight went back to Canterlot after saving Princess Luna and everything went back to normal. We see this world through Fluttershy’s eyes, and… Frankly, it’s a tad melodramatic. Fluttershy’s life is just dripping with sadness, to the extent that a single suicidal thought even passes through her mind for a second. This is the downside. The upside is that the story posits just how good friendship is for someone like Fluttershy. I mean, really drives the idea home that Twilight wasn’t the only one who needed its magic. That said, it hasn’t aged too well, so take that as you will.
Recommended If You Don’t Mind Melodrama
The Sidewalks of Noo Yoke by scoots2
Genre: The Rest of the Story
In Apple Family Reunion, Babs starts telling Apple Bloom a story about meeting another blank flank at school, but never gets to finish. This purports to be that story. And while I’m appreciative of the attempt to fill in holes from the show, this doesn’t quite sit well with me. First of all, it’s your pretty standard “new girl runs afoul of bullies" plus "county pony in big city culture shock” scenario. Second, everything is really stereotypically New York. (And why is the city’s name spelled like it is in the title?) The accents are rendered about as poorly as AJ’s tends to be, and the single “Whassamatta you” stands out, though I suppose it’s not technically out of place. But furthermore, the usual view of New Yorkers as being unfriendly and unhelpful all the time doesn’t sit too well in the pony world. Overall, this feels like a first idea, not developed beyond the need to fill in the aforementioned gap. There is some decent writing here, but it’s not great.
Vaguely Recommended
Crude Stew by Ponydora Prancypants
Genre: Horror
Apparently this one’s from last year’s EQD Halloween contest, but I don’t remember it. Strange. Let’s see, negatives. This starts off as a murder mystery but is cut short thanks to some magical deus exing from Twilight. It’s not entirely a bad thing to have happen, as it allows the gruesome stuff to get underway, but this does feel rather short and could have played out a little more measuredly. It also suffers from the same plot hole as M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs. (Hopefully that doesn’t give too much away.) That said, the ending is really fantastic and very effective. It gave me a little shiver.
Recommended for Horror Fans
Old Friends by RBDash47
Reading by Neighrator Pony
Reading by Nightfire5150
Reading by WhoLandon
Genre: Supernatural
Did you know RBDash has two stories on this site? The other one's on hiatus, but this one's finished, so it’s time for the compiler to be himself compiled! And compiled he shall be, because this is really good and he needs to write more. This is a very quiet story about death and friendship that doesn’t do anything more than it needs to. I don’t have a whole lot to say. It took me until pretty much the end to figure out who our perspective character was (I’ll tell you flat out, it’s not Twilight, though I don’t feel like knowing ahead of time who the pony is will really ruin the story or anything). The addendum is sort of an extra scene (it’s explained in the author’s notes) that neither adds to nor takes away from the main story. It’s almost the alternate ending that actually works, save that it’s not really an alternate ending. I dunno, go read this, it’s short and great.
Highly Recommended
The Next Edward VIII by Gabriel LaVedier
Genre: Shipping
Non-shippers take note: you’ll have to be able to accept Twilight and Pinkie being in a relationship at the start of this, because that’s kind of the whole point. This is a quick look at how Twilight’s becoming a princess (not just an alicorn) affects her romantic endeavors. And while I usually have to mention the author’s expanded world with every review I do of his stories, this is one where it really doesn’t come into play, and is thus probably his most accessible story yet. That said, spoiler time. First off, if you know who Edward VIII was, you’re not going to be surprised by anything in this story. I've talked with the author about my main problem with this, which is "Why would Twilight put Pinkie through that much grief?" to which the answer is apparently "She couldn't tell anyone beforehand" which either I missed or didn't come across well. At least there’s a happy ending for them. Of course, and this might again be due to not understanding the full spectrum of the author’s headcanon, I felt like Twilight giving up her honorary throne was kind of a non-conflict. I mean, it shouldn’t be that hard a choice for her to make, especially in this situation, when the alternative is not being able to see her friends/lover often if at all. I fully expect this to happen in season 4, fyi. So while I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this, at least it’s not for the usual reasons.
Recommended If You Can Buy the Ship
The "Discover" genre isn't ALL shit. A much more recent story, "The Mane Six Discover Human Music" is ongoing and awesome.
1505845
I more meant that as a subsection of "Pony Does X". :B
1505868 Fair enough.
Still, if you haven't read the Human Music thing, you should ;)
So.. is this system for fic reading working out? I might try it out.
I've only read Old Friends and Shutdown, but I definitely enjoyed them both.
1506265
What system? :O
1506445
The 2 fic blogs I read are yours and xTSGx's. His has way too much grimdark and yours has way too much shipping. I really need to start mine again ;P
Fluttershy Discovers Animal Crackers pretty much redefined the meaning of banal.
Silver Spoon vs. Breakfast is a modern classic of our age and everyone should read it.
Haven't read any of the rest and I should actually be paying attention to this tech ed video I have loaded, so I have no further opinions.
Here's the worksafe version of The Things We Need since you didn't provide a link.
1506505
Well, it's letting me read and review large amounts of stories, but I'm in no way keeping up with what I add to my to-read. I believe I started at 2359 and it's at 2371 right now. So no, it's not working out at all. :(
1506526
You do! I like yours! Gabriel Lavedier's been doing them as well, and his is mostly worldbuilding and sex. :V
1506584
Whoa, slow down with the gushing praise! It wasn't that good!
1506778
Whoa. <.< Did not expect to see that one on EQD. Thanks for the link!
Yeah! I'm not recommended!
I hated Animal Crackers!
I down voted it, and you should too!
cdn.derpiboo.ru/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTIvMTAvMDcvMThfMjNfMTJfMjQ5XzExNjM5N19fVU5PUFRfX3NhZmVfcm9pZF9yYWdlX2ludmVydGVkX21vdXRoIl0sWyJwIiwidGh1bWIiLCIyNTB4MjUwIl1d/116397__safe_screencap_edit_inverted-mouth_roid-rage_hurricane-fluttershy_medley.png
1506265 Likewise. I introduced a new category into Serious Stories just for Old Friends.
PP, you are a story-reading machine.
1507423
Hey now! I deal mostly in romance and comedy. The sex comes aorund because some of it is actually good as a story. The worldbuilding is because I've hit a layer of my favs with a lot of Kipakuta's stuff.
Also, you read something I suggested! And even suggested one of mine!
To more clearly explain: My headcanon Equestria can be very rigid. Or at least very focused on proper things. Nobles have responsibilities. Twilight may be a figurehead, like Blueblood, but there are responsibilities she may not shirk. Luna once expressed this in (bad) Middle English at the end of "The Bad Apple Chronicles- Apple Shrugged" as The Cost of the Crown. Whatever pain personal sacrifices may incur, the greater good always matters more. Yea, I know. But I'm a socialist and it shows, and the world is depicted as working extremely well even so.
1508063
It's not like I have anything else to do. D:
1508079
I see. So, lack of insight into the world again rears its ugly head. :B You made a hard choice taking that path, my friend.
1508629
Blame my methods. I have this crippling fear that I will get "called" on saying one thing and then writing another thing. I don't want to be humiliated by being called on a lack of continuity. Ironically, now I grow more and more fearful of tripping over my own continuity. But really, considering how rich, deep and broad I've made the world, and filled it with characters and cultures, I feel I made the right choice, for me. I love hooking those threads together.
1509440
That explains it, at least. :)
1509928
But you're right. I thought about one recent story I love, "The Long-Eared Temptress." to get the deeper elements there are four other stories to read (General premise: "The Equestrian Resident", who Luna's lover is: "The Unfavorite", what the suit chamber is: "The Unsuitable", why Luna is hanging out with Fleur and why a guy is fired out of a cannon: "The Dames of the Tea Table.") It's involved. But so is FoE, and folks have no problem reading that drivel. Then again, folks have allegedly read the literary massacre that is "Atlas Shrugged" so I'm no sure what to think.
1510063
The weird thing I've learned about FoE side stories is that few of them have much to do with the details of the main story. Nothing more than you could probably get summarized in a short paragraph, anyway. Using the original characters is considered taboo (something I need to break someday), and the rest basically is just a shared crossover universe that probably anyone familiar with the game could come up with on their own. :B
Then again, I also don't know of any good enough to justify reading the original FoE for.
Until I write mine of course.Now four, three of which are finished: this, the sequel Old Friends, Again and Home. They're all great, too.
Edit: okay, this seems to have been a Fimfiction glitch, as this blog turned up in my notifications. Only now do I realise it's three years old. :P
4289038
wtFimficton c.c