Fic recs, November 14th! · 3:55pm Nov 14th, 2014
I am now no longer worried about dying on the operating table Monday! :D Hooray! (Which is to say, I'm no longer worried about the procedure, not that I've given up on life. :B)
Go read this short blog story by Aquaman, and then read CouchCrusader’s reply to it, a few comments down.
And if you thought I wasn’t going to post Sonata this time, you were wrong!
H: 2 R: 1 C: 1 V: 1 N: 1
Princess Celestia Makes the Sun Explode by Protopony350
Genre: Trollfic
I have to say, this doesn’t quite hold up to its predecessor. It’s also something of a sequel, or at least has connections to the other story in the collection. There’s not a whole lot to say about it other than the honey joke still isn’t funny. Only attempt this if you liked Twilight Sparkle Gets Stuck in a Bear Trap.
Not Recommended
All’s Fair in the Music Business by ThunderTempest
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Slice of Life
Vinyl Scratch has a gig at the royal wedding. Octavia wants the same gig. Vinyl lies to her about just where she’s going. Octavia gets mad. That’s the entire story. Seeing that this was written for Thirty Minute Ponies explains a lot, namely there really being no point to it. This could have been an interesting setup to explore their dynamic, whether they’re friends or fillyfriends, but absolutely nothing is done with it. That said, this is another one of those cases where, had it been longer, it would be a waste of time, but the reading is barely five minutes long and a personal reading would only be shorter. Tackle this if you like ScratchTavia, I guess? (Not that their relationship is specified one way or another.)
Vaguely Recommended
Three Goddesses, the Apple, and the Stallion by Snake Staff
Reading by Goombasa
Genre: Fable
Discord sows chaos among the goddesses of day, night and love so that he might be free to sow chaos across their realm. The first thing that strikes me about this is the writing: the language use is properly “epic legend”, and other than a single misstep, this passes the Luna test. Second, the only real show character in the main part of this is Discord. That the others are referred to as “goddesses” and not “princesses” helps sell what would otherwise be a horribly out of character story about Celestia, Luna and Cadence, if one does not account for it being a legend in the first place. (In which case, it makes plenty of sense.) Discord’s plan is great, though I’m sorry we don’t get any mention of him actually being defeated, even offscreen. I will say that I was surprised by the stallion’s choice. (I was expecting something more along the lines of “you’re all equally pretty, but you don’t care enough about the ponies to put aside your argument and save them, so really, you’re also equally ugly”. I mean, that’s how I would have done it.) However, this is recontextualized by the end. I won’t spoil it, but I’ll say that the implications are somewhat staggering.
Highly Recommended
One Thousand and One by Cold in Gardez
Genre: Sad
A pegasus couple awaits the return of their son. This is short, sweet and really powerful. The writing is superb, and the scene unfolds almost agonizingly, drawing a portrait of a family unsure of what to do with itself. The ending is perhaps predictable, though I wasn’t expecting it. I did maybe want to see more insight into the wife’s state, just to strengthen the emotional impact of her actions. But overall? Really fantastic for as short as it is.
Highly Recommended
The Riding Pony by O
Mature: Sex
Genre: BDSM
Rainbow Dash gets Applejack a riding saddle. I felt I needed to read this because O was talking about it in the comments of my Fall of Equestria review. (Also the sequel was released recently and has been making the rounds.) This explores societal taboo through the lens of sex: riding saddles were once a symbol of power, of the rich over the poor, and also pegasi and unicorns over earth ponies, but in this time of peace and harmony, they are mere sex toys. There’s a lot of nuance in just what this sexual play really means to both Rainbow Dash and Applejack. I only wish that nuance hadn’t been spelled out in the narration. The history and significance of the saddle, along with why RD and AJ are playing with one, is literally dumped in a string of paragraphs near the start of the story. Given that I knew damn well I wasn’t going to enjoy this story on its erotic merits — though it’s an equally good look at the point of submission, I suppose, and how power works in a consensual sexual relationship — this writing issue is a major letdown. There’s also a distinct lack of commas at the end of dialogue. And, well, I found myself horribly uncomfortable with the content, because humiliation is like, my anti-fetish (see also, Fallout: Equestria). I kept wanting Applejack to get mad and stay mad, not think about how much she liked it, and if the societal taboo stuff had been sprinkled through the story instead of dumped at the beginning, there would have been a good bit more oomph to it. (Considering that Rarity shows up to join them, this is 100% the scenario posited at the start, just never explored to its fullest emotional extent.) That said, this story is so totally not for me, and I have to assume that the people who it is for will like it. (And not, y’know, give a damn why ponies are doing dom/sub play in the first place.)
Recommended Only If You’re Into This Stuff
Wingmare by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Shipping
Fluttershy goes to a bar, not for the drinks, but for one pony in particular. Fluttershy is drinking juice boxes at a bar do you really need another reason to read this story? Well, okay, it’s also about Fluttershy being Rarity’s titular wingmare while secretly pining after her. It’s equal parts cute and touching, and well written to boot. The only thing I can say against it is you have to accept inter-mane shipping, but I think swallowing that pill is worth it for this short.
Recommended
>pixiv
PP, why
2594584
What's wrong with pixiv? :B
2594588
Pixiv is a butt
No, but seriously. The site looks like a mess, and all sorts of dumb things pop-up every time I go there. It's super sketchy.
2594588 it's where I find Japanese bondage porn and I like keeping that sphere of my life seperate from the pony one. Is that a valid answer?
>Implying there's something wrong with inner-mane shipping
You monster.
That's a big "no" for me, too. I like light BDSM and power play, but hate humiliation and degradation. I was wondering if I ought to read that saddle thing, since I wasn't particularly interested in the social aspects of it, and I guess this means it's a "no" on the sex side, too.
And two of the three fics I opened off of this wound up being anthology chapters.
The honey joke came from a realllllly sleep deprived mind. It was horrifyingly funny to me in the state of mind.
2594734 For me, it depends on the humiliation. For example, if the girl (or guy if the story is femdom) finds getting caught in the act both sexy and embarrassing and the other party starts getting intimate in a public place, then it's all good. But living toilets, blue-balling, etc are right out.
What's the Luna test? :o
2594591
NoScript better, noob. :V
2594646
Any time I make a comment like that, just assume I'm talking directly to Jake the Army Guy. :B
2594734
Well, the sequel is labelled a standalone, and it doesn't have a sex tag. From what the author said to me, it sounds like it's going more into the social ramifications of saddle play, so I'm still up for reading it.
2594814
Well, it's not like I didn't already know you're a strange kitty.
2594912
HA HA LET'S NOT DISCUSS OUR FETISHES ON THE BLOGPOST, GUYS D:
2594930
Proper rendering of Early Modern English, aka "ancient Equestrian".
2594993
>still not mentioning me
PP pls :(
2594993
Aw, come on. Who doesn't like a good fetish comparison session?
2594993
B-But Present-sempai...
You are my fetish.
2595158
goddommot pov :(
2594993 Aww... but I didn't get to tell you about my hair fetish!
2595267
That's okay, I don't mind! :V
Hypnotism fetish?
(Look into my eyes. … You are getting sleepy. … The sixteen comments above mine are all best wishes for Monday's surgery.)
Thanks for the flattering review.
Incidentally, not doing it the way you expected was a completely intentional move on my part. I thought about it, but it seemed really ooc of the stallion to insult the only ones capable of helping him. And, of course, it was based on Greek mythology, so maybe the gods weren't so nice back then.
2595556
Had I been expecting the ending, it wouldn't have come as such a shock, and as I said, it works within that context. I applaud you for doing something unexpected!