Fic recs, March 25th · 11:10pm Mar 25th, 2015
So my original job got outsourced to India, and this week has been training for the new job. I don't like this new job very much (I may quit), but training is super-lax at this place, so I've had just a ton of time to read, and MMDGC is melting away. I could possibly finish it this week; only 17 stories to go!
Hey, you guys remember Blueshift, right? Funny guy, British, kinda sorta gone but kinda also still around? Well, he started up a new food reviewing blog called Chobble Copter and so far it’s a lot of fun. You can expect his trademark wittiness all over the place. There’s even a guest post from midnightshadow already!
So click below the link for Flashback by shortskirtsandexplosions, a bunch of writeoff fics, and YESIDIDBENEATHYOURFEETWHATTREASURES :B
H: 2 R: 4 C: 2 V: 1 N: 0
Flashback by shortskirtsandexplosions
Reading by Goombasa
Genre: Sad
Flash Sentry uses the mirror portal to see someone special in the other world...
At the risk of spoilers, I’ll say that you might not want to read the review and just go read the story instead. It gives Flash Sentry a lot of character, and it’s absolutely not what you think it is, though neither is it hard to figure out, and it does sort of belabor its point. That said, the existence of Long Distance Call does not decrease my enjoyment of this story in the least. Someone will take umbrage with my saying so, but this is Long Distance Call meets A Cup of Joe, with all the best qualities of both. Granted, the difference is that Flash’s tragic backstory is wholly manufactured, rather than deriving from canon, but the really tantalizing part of it is the idea that in some ways, ‘our’ world — the Humania of EQG, at least — can be a far better place than the idyll we usually see in Equestria. That’s powerful. This is, altogether, my kind of love story.
Recommended
The Symposium by Orbiting Kettle
Reading by Captain Sand
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
It’s that time again: the writeoff is over and I can review some of the fics being released. But only some; I didn’t read them all this time, and I probably won’t next time, either. :/ Anyway, this is a short romp through a philosophy symposium gone wrong. It’s pretty funny if you’re into jokes about philosophy and/or self-important people behaving like children. Seeing Celestia keep her cool through the chaos is likewise amusing, and Shining Armor makes a great straight man. Not deep, but overall fun. :)
Recommended for Laughs
Through the Fire and Flames by horizon
Genre: Crackfic
This was one of my favorites from the writeoff. All I should really have to say is that everyone (possibly including myself) thought I wrote it. It’s about the girl who was playing cowbell in Derpy’s “band” in Rainbow Rocks, who we jokingly named Blue Oyster in the pre-event discussion threads. What follows is pure, unadulterated awesomeness. You know you don’t wanna pass up 800 words of nonstop musical references, now.
Troll Recommended
The Poetry of Politics by Pascoite
Genre: Character Piece
The Mayor has an odd reaction at an invitation to a poetry reading.
Were it not for The Old Gray Mare in the previous writeoff, this would be the best Mayor fic I’d read lately. This is a quick piece about Equestrian politics, cutie marks, and purposes. It features a very nice snippet of poetry. And, well, it’s quiet and surprising, all things told. I wish Pasco was expanding it -- oh wait, I guess he is! -- because I sure enjoyed it.
Recommended
The Stormclouds Beneath Your Hooves by Scramblers and Shadows
Reading by Dr. Wolf
Genre: Future Fic
Rainbow Dash rests on a cloud, admiring her work.
This is probably the best “old Rainbow Dash” fic I’ve read, owing entirely to the solid voicing. Beyond that, it takes a hard, heavy look at the way elderly people are treated: losing independence, end of life dignity, being seen as childish and unable to care for oneself. There’s no better character to explore that with than Rainbow Dash, too. Honestly, I haven’t got much to say about this other than it’s quite good and accomplishes well what it sets out to do, the very definition of a worthwhile story.
Recommended
Beneath Your Feet, What Treasures by TheJediMasterEd
Genre: Character Piece
Spike adds to his hoard.
I don’t know anything about TheJediMasterEd save that everyone on the site was super-excited about him posting his first story. And yet, I balked, and balked hard, because everything about this story screams “Sparity” and only Titanium Dragon was willing to assuage my fears, and then only after some prodding. Thankfully, it isn’t that dreaded ship, and all the hype is well worth it: anything you’ve heard about this is correct. Though I suppose I could take umbrage with the “nothing happens” assessment: this is very tail-end-of-something-happening, and even if it’s entirely in his mind, it’s important because it’s important to Spike. The writing is impeccable, though very "crunchy" and not for the novice reader. I was also thoroughly impressed that the author found the specific rocks to use in the story. It’s a unique look at Spike and his crush on Rarity that doesn’t delve into any of the usual stumbling points I try to avoid.
Highly Recommended
Tirek’s Prison by Terrasora
Reading by Thornquill
Genre: Tirek in Tartarus
Tirek’s prison is not made of bars, shackles, or stone.
I love this for the look into Tartarus, probably the best since It Is My Fate to Enter Every Door, before we actually saw it in the show. This borrows from a litany of mythologies to craft a place perfectly designed to torture, truly torture, its inhabitants, and this becomes clearest when Tirek’s cage is described. Past that, it’s enough like a lot of other “Tirek in Tartarus” fics that I went ahead and made that a genre. The ending has a nice twist, though, and the writing is good, so I feel confident in giving this a yes.
Recommended
Grey by Foehn
Reading by Plunder Steed
Genre: Character Piece
Life is lonely for a precocious filly.
Up front, the main issue with this is that there’s nothing pony about it. Aside from some names — least of which is “Mrs. Polanski”; why was the obvious horse pun not used? — you’d be hard-pressed to even realize this is about Octavia for most of its run. (She’s not even tagged.) But this is a really marvelous story nonetheless, and I’m not ashamed to admit I had to read it twice to make sure I didn’t miss anything. The writing is economical and evocative, and what really caught me was the portrayal of genius, giftedness, putting a rift in young relationships. Nothing is crueler than a child, after all. Foehn has a perfect grasp on how a child can be both precocious and also still a child, seeking approval, trying to fit in, unable to identify with either their peers or adults. There’s a wonderful thread of color versus music in this, for the image-inclined, that gives it a little more meaning that one might expect. Ultimately, anyone who’s ever felt the sting of isolation will be able to connect with this story.
Highly Recommended
Happy Birthday to You by n
Reading by KwirkyJ
Yes, the author also does readings! And he’s a shoe-in. It’s worth noting that most of his readings are hosted on MLP Audiobooks (it exists!), but even this, being two years old, is still good.
Genre: Sad
Every year, we celebrate your birthday.
Just the from title, I could tell the birthday pony was dead. I then spent the rest of the fic wondering just who it was — I assumed Rarity, with Sweetie as the narrator, until the Wonderbolts were mentioned, after which point I had no idea — and was thoroughly irritated by the ending not naming any names. Fact is, this is a story about OCs, according to a comment by the author, and that is really unfortunate, because there’s no grounding to connect to the characters, and making this a waste of a good story idea. There’s ultimately nothing pony about it. I will say that it conveys the emotions well with the repeated scene structures. It’s a story about moving on after losing someone you love, and that works. I’ve just never been so frustrated; even looking at the cover art told me nothing. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for the reveal, and it never came. It’s like there’s no one in this story.
Vaguely Recommended
People levelled the 'nothing really happens' complaint against Beneath Your Feet?
That actually angers me.
Gaaah, stop adding so much to my reading list. Almost all of these sound really interesting to me, and I had to make a new bookshelf to separate everything. Thanks for doing these reviews, it helps a lot to keep me reading stuff I like.
2910549
I saw it at least twice. :B
2910680
Hey, how do you think I feel? D: I haven't touched my RIL in months!
Yeah, I think I'm going to have to try and think about how I want to review stuff in the future to try and avoid similar problems - if people are missing stories because I'm not giving a good enough idea of what they're about, that's a problem. I try to get too fancy, sometimes, I suppose, and too clever in obscuring the plot.
Anyway, I'm glad you liked it anyway.
And yes, he has a bit of a cheering section. I know him via Bad Horse and Ghost of Heraclitus, and via his various interesting comments. He's a smart cookie.
2910549
I think it is fair to say that nothing happened in the course of the story, but the story was about things having happened, and over the course of the story, we come to understand what they were and what they meant to Spike.
Spike had already made his decision at the start of the story - that was why he was out looking for the stone - but we don't really know what his decision was, or what the significance of the stone is, until the end.
2910680
I can vouch for Beneath Your Feet, What Treasures; it is short and very good.
I saw a suggestion from Titanium somewhere that Treasures possibly should have gone without the Romance tag, and I'm inclined to agree. It makes the story seem like Sparity sight unseen, when it so very much isn't.
It occurs to me now that I didn't ever leave a comment on it myself, which kind of surprises me. Not sure what I'd say other than contentless gushing, and it always just slightly pains me to leave that sort of comment.
2910549 One or two of the comments on it rather irritated me too, to the extent that I figured it was best I let cooler heads respond.
2910885
The tag, the cover art, or both. :B
2910882 Nothing happens in the plot. Something definitely happens in the story.
Anytime a reader's expectations are manipulated, or an emotion is evoked, something is happening in the story.
I imagine most people probably find that a ridiculously semantic point, but I think it's the only one that counts.
Incidentally, I ended up reading both of Foehn's stories and following them as a result of this.
Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you liked Grey! Praise from the likes of TD and yourself means a lot for someone as new to this as myself. That, and the increased visibility is nice. Always lovely to be able to share one's work with more people.
I'll have to go and check out all these other stories now...
2915260
You're welcome, and enjoy! :)