Fic recs November 25th · 9:58pm Nov 25th, 2013
Hey so does anyone know how to get a hold of Chicken Vortex by any chance? He doesn't have a Fimfiction account and I need to talk to him about something. :B Vaguely important.
So, d'you remember when I posted rec blogs with like six stories in them? Seems crazy, doesn't it? Thankfully I have a bunch of great stuff this time.
H: 3 R: 0 C: 2 V: 1 N: 0
Pilgrimage by Pascoite
Genre: Family
I believe I name-dropped this story earlier, in the context of another of Pascoite’s fics that had a similar idea but didn’t execute it nearly as well. Or maybe it was someone else’s, I don’t know. Anyway, this is from the last writeoff, but it’s been revised and expanded quite a bit. It’s a well-worn premise — Applejack and Apple Bloom go to visit their parents’ graves — but Pascoite puts a new spin on it by considering just what this trip means to each pony. The answer is, not the same thing. This is a really powerful piece about family in general, theirs in particular, and the meanings we give things and places.
Highly Recommended
The Shadow of a Doubt by Ardensfax
Genre: Romance
The writing in this story is fantastic. At it’s heart, it’s just a “Twilight confessing her love to Rarity” (in a slightly more emotionally mature manner than tends to occur in this fandom) story, but the atmosphere, the setting, the vibrancy and warmth in which the night keeps them makes it a joy to read. The author has done some things very well, like setting this not so far in the future that Equestria has dramatically changed. There’s a line about unicorns lighting firefly lamps on the street that really drove home the idea that this is after the show, but it’s still the same Equestria we know. There’s a lot of attention given to Spike’s situation, as well as what Twilight having studied friendship actually means. That’s how you do headcanon dumps. Things do get a tad wibbly in the second part, especially during the extended makeout scene (at least there is the requisite amount of horse kissing!), and I can’t quite figure out if this is actually a good approach to a ship because I’m just so dazzled by everything else. I think, at the very least, the author has made a standard setup work. Twenty thousand words of ponies talking about their feelings never looked so good. (I really hope Scribbler does a reading of it, because I totally heard it in her voice. c.c)
Highly Recommended
Coffee by Schurchk
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Slice of Life
I’d like to draw attention to why I always mark the stories I listen to. It’s not just to advertise the readings (though that’s part of it; certainly Scribbler and Illya Leonov deserve it), but because listening to a story is a very different experience from reading it. To wit, I listened to this one twice in a row because I felt like I had missed something the first time around. Turns out, I had. This is a pretty simple story, about Octavia drowning her sorrows in bad coffee while mourning the loss of her cello. It’s one of those pieces that makes a lot out of a little, and it’s not bad. There are a few odd things about it though. It’s got background ScratchTavia, for instance, that really made no impact on the story whatsoever (if not for the single word ‘marefriend’, their relationship wouldn’t even be discernable). I found myself a little hard-pressed to accept how the cello got broken, too: she stumbles over the instrument stand while getting out of bed one morning. That just speaks of a tremendous amount of carelessness on her part to have it sitting so close to the bed that she could catch it with a leg while leaving it. And then there’s the ending, which is actually pretty nice, but odd. There’s no reason to think that Octavia comes from Ponyville, save that there’s no reason to think that she doesn’t (other than “good lord there are other cities in this world for characters to come from”). I’d definitely say this is “weird” overall, but certainly not bad.
Recommended for Octavia Fans
The Detective and the Magician by Bad Horse
Genre: Sherlock Holmes Crossover
First, I want to point out that, while this is a Holmes crossover with a Romance tag, there is no romantic tension between Holmes and Watson (I am looking at you, Game of Shadows!) Instead, we have Trixie filling the role of Irene Adler (who, I must mention, was contained in but a single Sherlock Holmes story, regardless of what movies or television will have you think), not as a find-and-replace, but as still the only mare Holmes has met who can match him point-for-point in intellectual prowess. This is a very deft crossover in that regard. The writing feels very much like Doyle, even if it doesn’t necessarily sound like him (I read the collected Sherlock Holmes stories within the past few years, so I feel qualified to comment on the subject with a certain experise). Holmes and Watson are both voiced perfectly, but if that were the end of things, this would be clunky indeed. Instead we have an earth pony Fetlock Holmes — surprising, since you normally only ever see him as a unicorn in most fics — who is keenly aware of his genetics and place in Equestria at large. (More surprising is his blank flank, and the reasons he gives for not having a cutie mark.) There is a certain amount of self-awareness to the characters in this vis-a-vis their roles as ponies, which I found quirky but not off-putting, and probably the only thing I could say against it. There are long passages where Holmes expounds on magical theory (necessary knowledge to investigate crime in a world where such exists) that were remarkably readable, neither dry nor bogging down the story at large. Holmes’s logical leaps work perfectly, and the final revelation of what’s going on is a really impressive gut-punch that I just barely saw coming (despite not believing my hunch at the time and thus being caught up by it regardless). Holmes is on display in all his anti-social stoicism and this is a real treat to read. Ultimately, it hit me the way it did because it is entirely about two characters who are incapable of interacting with the world at large in the same way the rest of us do.
Highly Recommended
The Broken Wing by Cyanide
Genre: Comedy
No, it’s not "Sad" Comedy, there’s no such thing and this isn't sad in the least. It is slightly amusing, so there’s that. This is a quick vignette about Rainbow Dash breaking a wing while performing a dangerous stunt. It’s very rushed and the comedy outside of Tank’s reactions isn’t set up very well. That said, while I could have done without the itty-bitty Fluttershy text, she delivers a punchline that’s completely unexpected and makes this almost worth reading. It still doesn’t feel like the setup to a joke though, so take that as you will.
Vaguely Recommended
A Candle to the Sun by Moabite
Reading by Astro-Brony
Reading by Nightfire5150
Reading by BigAshRandomVids
Genre: Shiptease
I’m going to be forward about this because I didn’t appreciate what this story did: it’s framed as Twilestia, but it's not shipping. No, the feelings Twilight has for Celestia and wants to express to her with a gift are decidedly not romantic. There’s some good stuff in here regardless. It’s well written, it has given me a headcanon of Celestia enjoying trashy romance novels, and I really like that Spike takes charge and makes sure Twilight goes through with her plan. Also, while still thinking of it as shipping, I was very pleased to see “I don’t want to ruin the relationship we have” followed by Twilight walking away. But why am I disappointed by this? I don’t like Twilestia. Maybe I like being jerked around less. There are reasons to read this, but if you’re expecting anything ordinary, then don’t. (WTF, that’s hardly criticism.)
This Story Makes Me Feel Dumb
Hmm, where did your review of Arbitrage of Moments go?
"Ultimately, it hit me the way it did because it is entirely about two characters who are incapable of interacting with the world at large in the same way the rest of us do."
The way most of you do. I very much consider myself in that other bracket. The world is a monstrous place from my point of view. It's the reason I liked Five Hindred Little Murders as an uplifing story, rather than the sad one most people seem to talk about. Anyway, I love this story. Partly because I'm in awe of Horsey for writing Trixie into a story without me hating it passionately, but mostly because it's one of the few stories that manage to make a crossover slightly more that either facet is alone. Was in my top five for a while.
Beyond that, I thought A Candle to the Sun was kind of vacuous. I had the distinct sense that it thought it was clever, but I just found it obvious and dull. If it was longer, I'd have been annoyed at having my time wasted.
Shadow of a Doubt added for later.
I'll be sure to read that Holmes fic at some point.
I read The Shadow of a Doubt back around when it was first posted and thought it was quite good. Looking back it was just a few paragraphs, but I rather liked Spike's development in it.
Ahh Chicken Vortex. Author of the least "pony" fic I really like and one of the first fics I read. Last time I interracted with him was a dumb post that had something to do with near death or intense life experiences or something on OMPR. Not sure. I drank more back then.
I was certain people would interpret the pile of stones as a grave marker, but it's actually not. It's just like one of those roadside memorials you see all over the place. I'm also certain that a lot of people skipped it as "another AJ's parents are dead" fic, but that's only tangential to the story. It's about the stress that Applejack's and Apple Bloom's differing attitudes about their parents have caused between them, and in Applejack's case, without her even knowing it. To me, it's a story of sisterhood, and it wasn't until recently that I realized how many of those I write. Go figure.
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September 13th. I am apparently extremely bad at remembering to add stories to the group.
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Actually, I put myself outside of the 'us' in that statement as well. :B
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I was severely dismayed at the amount of people claiming it was an overdone concept. :( You know where. When I've read stories where "AJ's parents are dead" is literally the entire plot, they've got no room to criticize you for having a fresh take on the idea.
Thanks for reviewing D&M! And for having the good taste to like it. And for finding that typo. :P
I've always wished I'd found a more-clickable title or description for it. I think that was my only story that hit Fimfiction and EQD on the same day, but didn't make the featured box.
>The writing feels very much like Doyle, even if it doesn’t necessarily sound like him
What do you mean by "feels like" vs. "sounds like"? I originally wrote it with more sentences using Doyle's peculiar syntax. EQD asked me to "fix" many of them. Things like very long sentences, sentences starting with "And", and "Clause A; and clause B" sentences.
That story took forever to write. I was surprised when I saw the final word count & realized it was only 14,000 words. It felt like writing a novel.
Did you like / dislike having internal pictures?
>No, it’s not "Sad" Comedy, there’s no such thing
You thought version 1 of "Big Mac Reads Something Purple" was comedy, and it's sadder than it is funny.
> I need to talk to him about something. :B
Unless you've got a forked tongue?
You keep using :B . I don't understand it.
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Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the pictures. I actually didn't mind them. I think I'm starting to appreciate the ways in which hypertext allows us to illustrate our stories.
And, uh, I forget what I meant by that. :B Sorry. It may just be that the changes you made took it out of direct homage. Or that the prose is Doylian while the story isn't necessarily.
:B as i see it is a dude either puffing his cheeks out or who has large buckteeth and is letting them show. I use it as a myriad of things: "well, that's the way things are", "I just said something dumb", "I'm being obtuse", "well'p", etc. You're not the first to be confused by it, and those who have been have given me tremendous reason to consider my own usage of it. I'm not even sure sometimes; it's one of those things that just feels right, and thus is fraught with inconsistencies.
As for Sad Comedy, I'll give you Alexstrazsa's reasoning. The two tags cannot coexist because they are diametrically opposed across an axis of intent. You can have a funny story with sad elements and a sad story with comedic elements, but ultimately you want your audience to come away with one reaction in mind, even if they've had both. The quick and dirty way to figure out which you've got is to look at how it ends. Is your reader going to be laughing or crying? They can't do both, so choose wisely.
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I don't think what note a story ends on determines what tag to give it. That's like the Christian tradition that whether you go to heaven or hell only depends on the last moments of your life, which always seemed odd to me. I think the idea that ending determines type of story is because the ending has to sync with the theme. You have to know how a story ends to know whether it's a tragedy. Comedy is more like a flavor than a theme.
But it wouldn't change my opinion about sad+funny if I believed that the ending were all-important. Jewish storytelling and comedy have a long tradition of ending on a note that's sad and funny at the same time. Think of it like you think of dark comedy. Nobody would deny now that dark comedy is a thing, but I don't think it even existed in America before 1960. It was only in Europe before that. Sad and funny are no more incompatible than dark and funny. Hollywood avoids sad comedy, but that's a cultural preference (or maybe a marketing dogma).