Recommended Story Reviews #1 – The AppleDash Project, The Things We Do For…, Roaming, On the Care and Construction of Bridges, Rainbow Dash Gets an Abortion · 9:28pm Dec 22nd, 2014
I have a large number of stories which are on my favorites and recommended stories lists but which I have never done a real review for. I thought I might start correcting that. Consequently, every story in this post is either recommended or highly recommended. I would say that I hope you enjoy them, but I know you will.
Or at least, you will enjoy four of them and I will enjoy your reactions to the last one. Not that it isn't a serious recommendation - indeed, it sat on my 15 recommended stories list for a long time - but it is rather... controversial.
The stories I reviewed today:
The AppleDash Project by bookplayer
The Things We Do For… by obabscribbler
Roaming by Skywriter
On the Care and Construction of Bridges by Ebon Mane
Rainbow Dash Gets an Abortion by jmj
The AppleDash Project
by bookplayer
Romance, Comedy, Slice of LifeThe AppleDash project is a series of short fics attached to various episodes, detailing a relationship between Rainbow Dash and Applejack behind the scenes. The stories take place sometime during or shortly after the indicated episode.
Why I added it: I read all of bookplayer’s stories.
Review
This is one of the most interesting ideas for a shipfic there has been; the idea is, basically, to create an interwoven plot with that of the show, where Rainbow Dash and Applejack are carrying on a relationship “behind the scenes” for the first two seasons of the show. Each chapter is related to an episode of the show and either reflects on how that episode affected them or builds on the story as a background to the one being told. It is a remarkably clever premise, and well-executed, with the story doing a good job of making their relationship feel believable.
It is funny, it is sweet, and it contains a lot of fun ideas; there’s a reason that a number of folks have tried to imitate it, though all of those projects are, sadly, defunct.
Perhaps the best thing about the story is that it depicts the pair going through all of life’s troubles and doubts in a relationship, using the events of the show as a springboard for talking about commitment, jealousy, fear of not being good enough, and a wide variety of other things… in only a bit over 30,000 words. There is conflict and multiple climaxes and payoffs, and while the story is more of a serial than a single piece, it works well.
This story stands as one of the exemplars of AppleDash shipping, and if you have any interest at all in the ship, or in shipping in general, it is worth your time.
Recommendation: Recommended.
The Things We Do For…
by obabscribbler
Slice of LifeWhen Lyra has a cold, Bon-Bon ventures out into the driving rain to fetch something she really wants. The act causes her to think back on their friendship and the unpredictable turns it has taken over the years.
Why I added it: I don’t remember; I first read this a very long time ago.
Review
This is a LyraBon shipfic. It says to bring your own subtext, but it is less subtext and more “text with a little bit of whiteout sloppily applied over it which is starting to flake off at the end”. It is also very dense in content; the story has a mere 2,600 words in it, but it manages to work wonders, giving us a very good look at the pair.
Lyra is sick and staying over at Bon Bon’s house, and Bon Bon brings her a gift to help her feel better. Lyra is adorable here, moaning about her cold and wildly exaggerating her ailments, as well as showing her fannish appreciation for Bon Bon’s gift, while Bon Bon plays the grumpy straight mare who can’t admit how much she cares about her silly friend, even to herself.
We get a ton of characterization in just a few thousand words – both Lyra and Bon Bon think the world of each other, with each believing that the other has genuine talent, while they themselves don’t pursue their dreams to their fullest extent. We hear that Lyra is a bit of a slob, but can be fanatically orderly when necessary. And we get little glimpses into their lives which do so much to let us know them, even though we have so little time to do so.
And we get some brony metacommentary to boot.
There are no ponies kissing here, but they clearly do love each other, even if Bon Bon is so deep in denial that she needs to watch out for crocodiles.
Recommendation: Recommended.
Roaming
by Skywriter
Sad, Slice of Life, HumanClementine Apple (née Orange) receives an extremely long-distance phone call. Equestria Girls-based content.
Why I added it: Skywriter is a great writer.
Review
This is by far the best Equestria Girls story I have ever read, though that is damning with faint praise if I have ever done so.
The story is a brilliant use of Equestria Girls, though; pony Twilight rigs up a special machine to allow pony Applejack to call her parents – her human parents, who are still alive – so that Applejack can speak to them and tell them that she loves them and hear their voices one more time. The story is told from the perspective of Clementine Apple – her (human) mother – who is bemused by the whole thing, having no idea about the existence of Equestria, or a second daughter, much less the untimely demise of her pony self.
It is a great use of the idea of having a second world where things may have turned out a bit differently, and Twilight’s attempted excuses at explaining away the inconsistencies in the phone call are quite funny. The story is short and simple, but well worth the time it takes to read.
Recommendation: Highly Recommended.
On the Care and Construction of Bridges
by Ebon Mane
Slice of LifeRainbow Dash is an unlikely matchmaker, but she's also not a pony that leaves her friends hanging. When she sees the feelings Applejack and Rarity have for each other, she tries to get them together, but ends up struggling with the knowledge that those very feelings may end up keeping them apart.
Why I added it: Because I follow Ebon Mane and it is a RariJack story.
Review
This is the single most underappreciated story on my Recommended to Others bookshelf. As of the time of writing, it has 411 views; only two other stories on that shelf have under a thousand views, and this has by far the fewest. And yet, it is a very good story, despite its 56:7 vote ratio.
So what gives? Why is this story so obscure?
I suspect it has to do with the reason why it doesn’t have the Romance tag.
Rainbow Dash sees the way Applejack looks at Rarity.
Rainbow Dash sees the way that Rarity looks at Applejack.
She shares this information with both of them.
Neither of them seem eager to act on it.
This story is a third party look at a “will they or won’t they” situation where the third party definitely wants them to get together, but knows that they can’t do it on their own, and all their attempts at pushing the two sides together fail because she doesn’t really understand why they aren’t together already.
In the end, Rainbow Dash does come to understand their perspective, and learns an important lesson in the process – but it isn’t the lesson that either of them were trying to teach her about why they aren’t together, but a lesson about fear of trying because you might fail.
I like this story a lot because it hits on something that a lot of people do – indeed, it hits on something that I do. In fact, I’m doing it right now, while I write this very review instead of writing a story.
If you never try at something, you never risk failing at it – but it also means you can’t succeed, either. Things just stay the same. Some folks seem to think that’s alright, but those folks seem to be terribly boring. Failure hurts a lot, to be sure, but you can pick yourself up afterwards – but only if you choose to do so.
Recommendation: Highly Recommended.
Rainbow Dash Gets an Abortion
by jmj
DarkWhen Rainbow Dash wakes up with morning sickness a few weeks after a big party she is forced to make a hard decision of life or death .
Why I added it: Because I am a terrible person.
Review
This is likely to be the only story I ever recommend which has more downvotes than upvotes.
Some people downvoted it merely because it mentioned abortion.
Some people downvoted it because they felt it was pro-abortion.
Some people downvoted it because they felt it was anti-abortion.
Some people downvoted it for the Scootabuse (though it is more like Scootindifference, which doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well).
And some people downvoted it for the ending.
So what is this story about?
Rainbow Dash managed to get herself knocked up at a party with the Wonderbolts. She’s just on the cusp of joining the team, but getting pregnant would ruin all of that as she has to take at least a year off, if not more, to have the foal and then get back into shape, and then she would have a baby to take care of.
Fortunately, Scootaloo comes along, telling Rainbow Dash that she was let out of school early due to some controversy over an abortion clinic opening nearby; Scootaloo has no idea what an abortion clinic is, but Rainbow Dash does. After some contemplation, Rainbow Dash decides to go.
Throughout the story, we’re shown that Rainbow Dash doesn’t care for Scootaloo very much; it isn’t so much that she hates her as that she finds her annoying, and in particular she notes the tragedy of her crippled wings (note that this was written about a month prior to Sleepless in Ponyville) . Indeed, that is the tipping point; it is wrong to bring a crippled foal into the world and force them to exist, and Rainbow Dash contemplates how cruel it was to bring Scootaloo into the world, and how hard it must be on her mother. However, at the same time, we’re shown that Rainbow Dash does have some slight motherly instincts, and she is really struggling with the decision as she talks to Scootaloo and passes by other parents and children on the way to get an abortion.
I’m not sure what the best way to describe what this story actually is. Some people have called it a trollfic, but it really isn’t; while it may offend some people (okay, lots of people), I wouldn’t actually call it offensive. If anything, it is closer to a black comedy, though I’m not sure if it really is funny or if it is just that I am such a terrible person that I find it amusing.
I greatly enjoyed the story, and I found it to be a worthwhile read. It isn’t terribly long, and then all of you can tell me either that this is the best or the worst story recommendation ever.
Recommendation: Highly Recommended.
Summary
The AppleDash Project by bookplayer
Recommended
The Things We Do For… by obabscribbler
Recommended
Roaming by Skywriter
Highly Recommended
On the Care and Construction of Bridges by Ebon Mane
Highly Recommended
Rainbow Dash Gets an Abortion by jmj
Highly Recommended
And Present Perfect thought that I couldn’t write a set of reviews that were nothing but recommendations. Hah!
Number of stories still listed as "Read It Later - Recommended": 148.
Number of stories listed as “Read It Later”: 1532
GASP!
All stories are.....recommended!?
2670875
Yep.
I'll probably be putting these up periodically as I work my way back through my lists, even as I go forward.
After all, part of the reason for these is to have good stories to read, right?
Makes sense to periodically go through some other stories that I've already read but haven't reviewed to promote them/let new people become aware of them.
No... my read list is getting ever longer.
How will I ever get through them all?
Why, oh why? Why did you recommend "Rainbow Dash Gets An Abortion"?
Despite your warnings, I read it.
F***. ME.
It was too well written to downvote.
It was too incredibly dismal to upvote.
I think I'll take your warnings more seriously from now on.
Thank you for doing these reviews. I do like having a lead on well-written work.
2670973
By reading stories?
In all fairness, four of these are quite short; The AppleDash Chronicles is longer than the other four put together.
I often try and "knock out" short stories quickly, though this has also lead to my "read it later" list being slanted towards longer stories in the long run, which just discourages me from chewing my way through it...
2670991
I'm also the fiend who added that story to the MLP: Motherhood is Magical group, which was probably my finest moment on FIMFiction.
It has remained in the group to this very day.
You have to admit, it is about Rainbow Dash and motherhood.
It really is a hard story to describe, because a short description doesn't really do the discordance within the piece justice.
2671000 I did the math recently, and the average length of stories on my Tracking shelf (which contains more or less every story I've read) is less than half that of those on my Read it Later shelf, even though the longest fic on either is in Tracking.
Also, you finally got me to read "Rainbow Dash Gets An Abortion". I really don't know what to say.
2671028
That seems to be a common reaction.
You really need to be more positive in your reviews. I mean, only three of those are highly recommended! Then again, pushing you for recommends got that last one slotted. So maybe I should just leave well enough alone.
2671104
Are you saying that Rainbow Dash Gets an Abortion doesn't belong here?
Well, I've got a lot more of these planned. I actually have another set of reviews already written up for tomorrow, though they're more of my Read It Later type reviews.
Apparently I am some sort of reviewing machine, now.
I should really spend some time this week trying to make some nice little icons so I can hand out little ribbon type things with my reviews.
How does this sound?
Eh... needs work.
2671132
Nah, your list your opinions. I'm just thinking that escalation might not be the best idea. I'm sure that's a good story, though I have no intention reading it. Makes a wonderful opening for comedy comments though.
Wait until it really grabs you. I had a life once (okay, not really) but then I started doing pony reviews. Of course I'm not sure you can call yourself a reviewing machine until you get up to triple digits. So another 35 or so for you.
2671144
Oh, I have five ratings. Maybe I should make a little icon at the start of every blog post, or copy-paste them.
Not Recommended - Didn't vote or downvoted it.
Worth Reading - Upvoted.
Recommended - Is on my favorites list.
Highly Recommended - Is on my special recommended stories list, which is about half the length of my favorites list.
Read It Later - Reserved for stories which are incomplete (or feel like they're a part of a larger work and the sequel has been written and not yet read by me)
Worth Reading is, well, exactly that - something which was worth reading, but you will not be forever lacking in your life if you go without it. Recommended is something that you should read soon, and Highly Recommended are stories that you should put at the top of your list.
I haven't had many highly recommended stories so far - Bitter Harvest and Her Blood Ran in Hollows of the Floor both got it back in Read it Later 2, and A Lot To Think About was highly recommended in Why Does It Work #1.
In the long run, I'd guess my ratio on stories is going to be something like 5 Not Recommended:3 Worth Reading:1 Recommended:1 Highly Recommended. I'll note that I actually wouldn't recommend more stories than that, but I'm much more likely not to review a random story that I don't like than one that I do - I've skipped reviewing several stories simply because I didn't feel like they would have been interesting to review.
Hello, Sir,
It is an honor and a pleasure to be on your review list. You have ever been a faithful defender to my story and I believe it is because of your ability to look at a piece of writing objectively and discern, free of emotional response, the major themes and cusp of literary architecture therein. For this, as I have seen your comments on other stories as well as the other reviews you have given, I have always found you respectable and admirable even when a story does not pass your examination. This is a credit to your character and ability to which I feel is a prerequisite for reviewing a piece of work fairly and unbiased. For this, let me thank you. It is not often that my story is treated impartially as most people will project a response onto something that strikes them emotionally.
Now, as I have never commented on the page of "RD Gets an Abortion" and just watched the pages rack up and the arguments roll like thunder, let me give a brief explanation as you have said that you believe it not to be a trollfic.
You are correct; it is not. The story was an exercise in horror that was to conclude with a dark twist that could rival "Cupcakes" or "Cheerilee's Garden" but without the use of gore or violence. In that, I do believe it succeeded, but it provokes many radical views and evinces the extreme sides of a debate that I never intended the story to discuss. As you have mentioned, many people thought it was an argument for abortion and an equal amount of people argued that it was anti-abortion. It was neither. The story never makes clear any viewpoints I have about the act and was never meant to. What is seen are individual peoples projections of "is it right or wrong" thrown onto a neutral text. Perhaps I was too blinded by what I believed to be a successful horror story free of over-the-top gore to predict the fallout that would come from it, and that comes from being too close to the story itself, "Forest for the trees" if you understand my meaning.
To conclude, I wish to thank you again for reviewing this story and giving your interpretation of it for others to, hopefully, approach correctly. You are one of the few who read it the way it was intended and understood that it was not a stance on abortion but simply a piece of horror fiction.
*unsummons the shit-flinging inferno monkeys he brought with him with a lengthy wave of a mana engulfed hand and snap of the fingers*
Well, I'll be the father of a bouncing basket of yowling newborn puppies. Tit Dragon made some reviews that didn't automatically look like he nommed down on a bucket of red paint and spat it out so that it somehow arranged itself into a bunch of negative reviews.
That is beyond amazing :O
Like, you do not know how many times I have gone and checked out stuff you've reviewed and been like, "Damn, this shit is alright. Like and fave. What the hell is Tit Dragon's issue? Boo him. Boo him good."
Then I would proceed to come back to the review blog and boo and heckle my phone screen. And let me tell you, it makes you look pretty damn unstable if family find you booing and hissing and pissing at your phone :B
Naw, actually, I find your reviews to be helpful, regardless of the negativity. I think FanOfMostEverything stated it somewhere, but I'd like to think I have the same mindset of anti-hate. Err... liking. Like is a better word. I end up liking a lot of crap. A fan of most everything. Sure. That being said, the reviews are most helpful in telling me if I should read a story or not. I can decide on my own from your observations if a story is worth my time or not, and within my personal, rather vast, taste. The final verdict you give of Not Recommended, Recommended, and so forth... well, I've been trying not to pay attention to that too much. Evidentially, I'm not doing a good job cuz I boo the phone screen.
Like, read Tit Dragon's reviews and make your own call if a story is worth your time or not. His dragon words are pretty good that way, eh?
If not, I'll be camping right here, selling shit-flinging inferno monkeys so you can express your opinions about Tit Dragon's opinions right to his shiny metal face (likely soon to not be so shiny). I dunno. $10 sounds fair for a monkey. Oh, and to find homes for a bouncing basket of newborn puppies. Anyone want to adopt? :D
One more thing. I'm actually convinced to read Rainbow Dash Gets an Abortion. It looks mighty interesting now that there are dragon words to bolster it. Time to see if it's worthy of the drama it incurred or if people are fucking dumb and spontaneously chimped out over nothing.
Why do I have the feeling this fic is neither pro-life nor pro-choice?
All in all, keep doing your dragon things, Tit Dragon, you're doing a good job, and get that goddamn shotgun wedding story rolling again. I originally followed you for that cuz that's how muh parents got married :B
2670973
Do what I do and let them build up? You can shamefully brag to your friends later when you have several thousand stories in your RIL. It's something to brag about, and that's what really matters
2671028
Your fly is open. Also, it would appear that someone snuck a pair of hawk-sized blue jeans on you. That person is a clever bastard. Quite perverted, too.
2671104
Would you like to purchase a monkey to emphasize your opinion to Tit Dragon? I give discount, yes?
2671132
Your persistence will soon make PresentPerfect obsolete. Continue, for he may want to purchase a monkey from me and I do a money-make.
All recommended?
IT'S A HEARTH'S WARMING MIRACLE!
*shoos the Windigoes away*
>tfw
2671378
I'm pretty sure, judging by a number of people's reactions to it, that you succeeded in horrifying them. It has always seemed a little bit bizarre that anyone would assume a story like that was making any sort of moral commentary on anything. The rejection notices from Twilight's Library still amuse me in a grim sort of way.
I think part of the problem is that some people just don't recognize horror stories without a lot of the Hollywood trappings that people have come to associate with the genre, even though they don't really necessarily have anything at all to do with it. Thus, they decided that it had to be about something else which was more comprehensible to them.
Then again, I suspect a lot of people just downvoted it because of Rainbow Dash's behavior towards Scootaloo, even though it says "Dark" right there on the front of the story and "Rainbow Dash Gets an Abortion" is right there at the top of the page, along with your name. I'm not sure who clicked on it and thought, "Gee willikers, this is going to be a sweet story about Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo!" but judging by some of the upset comments, I have to assume some of them must have done exactly that.
2671422
I know! That's my best trick, too!
I know, right?
Why don't they understand?
Thing is, that's really the goal of a review in the end; while I give my opinion, ultimately, the body of the review should give you the information to tell you whether or not I'm right or not, or whether or not the story is something YOU might enjoy. Ebert gave Shoot 'Em Up three and a half stars (out of four), noting:
He notes at the end that he is going to get hate mail from people who hate the movie, but notes that his goal is to inform, and his recommendation is his recommendation; so long as he described the movie accurately, you should be able to figure out whether or not you want to go watch it, whether or not he liked it. Many critics noted the opposite phenomenon with the Transformers movies: that they hated it, but that a lot of folks would like it anyway for what it was, when they hated it for exactly those reasons.
I hope that my recommendations are helpful, but the textual bodies of my reviews should give you some idea about the stories independent of my recommendations. If they don't, then I've failed.
Are you implying that FIMFiction readers overlap significantly with the readership of The Daily Mail?
Reminds me of an article I once read in The Guardian:
I always have that as my third thing on my list.
Somehow it seems to be forever fixed there.
BUT I PROMISE I'LL DO IT THIS TIME I SWEARS.
Really it is mostly a matter of editing right now, which I've just not done. I've had chapters 5 and 6 written for over a year now, I just haven't finished them because they're not funny enough.
2671464
I know, right? Turns out there is a Santa Claus!
It is too bad I didn't start doing these reviews until after I read all of Ghost of Heraclitus's stories though, something I put off for absolute ages for no good reason; that would have been an interesting post to see the response to.
All highly recommended?
TD HAS GONE MAD RUN FOR THE HILLS.
2671565
Totally blank, eh?
2671570
I agree with you, sir, on all accounts. Despite the huge margin of downvotes, the response for the story is insane and that proves that it was powerful.
Also, horror films and horror stories are vastly different. I enjoy quite a few horror movies but they don't grasp me as horror literature does. Literary horror is all about that ending that you don't see coming whereas movies are about gore and visual effects. It would be difficult to write a story-form of a Hollywood horror film because it would simply be" and then, in this chapter, the monster kills another character" and that limits the intrigue and characterization options. In short, they lack a plot. Some of them use twist endings, and they are good a lot of the time, but too many use the trope of "the final girl" and are terribly predictable because the story is very linearly focused. Monster+People=Dead People. In fact, I fear that the attempts to bring that style of Hollywood horror into literary pursuits are a large part of why dark stories are generally poorly accepted on fimfiction. There is a stigma that they are all pointless and bloody. I do have to admit that, for the most part, dark stories I have read on here have pretty much been bloody and pointless but that shouldn't be the case. Many of the stories have good foundations but lack a plot device or a reason. I can accept that Sweetie Belle could be a hatchet wielding maniac, but why is she one and where is there substance to the plot? It's simply not enough to give a character a melee weapon, have them hack others to bits, and then say "my masterpiece is finished".
2671187
Yeah, I pretty much put up a basic review of everything I read these days and about 2/3rds of the time there really isn't much to say. Even if it's a story I mostly liked. But that's what I get for being way on that end of the quantity/quality end of the review spectrum.
2671187
Seems to me:
That you've got six ratings. The one you gave my "Funatics" and ambion's "Racing Thoughts" seems analogous to Present Perfect's "Conditionally Recommended"--though around here perhaps it'd be more properly phrased "Conditionally Not Recommended"?
Mike
2671422 I, umm... oh no, they can see my cloaca?
You trolled us with an horror-story. This does bring up points:
Scootaloo clearly wants to live, and might be able to take care of herself by eating out of garbage and living under bridges. One can sexually mutilate the genitals of children against their wills without medical necessity. This also has relevance for places like China:
China will be just like Turkana # Ⅳ. One would think that they would abort and infanticide males for making it easier for scoring, but when looking into the misogyny, I discovered that parents want at least 1 son for marrying, 1 daughter for marrying, and 1 son for castrating to be a eunuchs for taking care of the parents in old age —— ¡if my parents would make me a eunuchs for taking tare of them in old age, I would take care of them by torturing them to death slowly! If the Chinese would castrate these extra males, all would be well, but China probably will become a land of roaming rapegangs because of hundreds of millions of desperate excess males being driven insane by horniness.
Hmm. I read RD Gets an Abortion based on your recommendation, and I'm ultimately ambivalent towards the story. It really is hard to describe the effect of the story. I didn't find it particularly horrifying or sad (honestly I think it was more comedic than sad, but apparently it was heart-wrenching for some people), but I think you're spot on--or as close to it as you can get--with describing it as amusing. The twist was quite interesting, and I don't specifically know how it could have been executed better, but I don't think that alone is enough to carry the story. It ends up feeling like a goreless Rainbow Factory more than anything--kind of cool to read but nothing outstanding.
I dunno, I guess I just have no idea about this story.
2677547
Well, I think that "horror story without the use of gore or violence to shock the audience" was what jmj was shooting for, judging by his post below in the comments here.
It seems like that story inspires very varied reactions in folks, which is very interesting to me as a writer; it isn't even just love it or hate it, people have a very wide spectrum of reactions.
Pretty good stories in this list. As for the abortion one, it kind of irritated me. Not for the reason most would expect (the subject matter), but more because stories like that are a major pet peeve. I absolutely hate when authors think that the inclusion of a tag gives them carte blanche to ignore any sense of characterization. Yeah, it has a dark tag, but if the characters are so OOC that they might as well be (badly written) OCs, then what's the point of having the story in the first place? It's the same reason I didn't care for fics like Cupcakes; if the story doesn't care enough to give any reason as to why the character is acting the way they are, then why should I care about the story? For fanfiction, the setting and characters being familiar are usually the reasons people care. When you take that away, you're basically left with something that might as well be in a completely different setting.
2698490
I'm glad you felt they were mostly pretty good. Sorry you didn't care for Rainbow Dash Gets an Abortion, but it is a highly divisive story.
Hopefully you enjoyed the others more than enough to make up for your annoyance with that one.
2698519
Definitely, and I'm beyond happy that I found your recommendation blogs.
Who cares?
2729239
This is in reference to what, exactly?
2729254 Oh wrong page.