Fic recs, April 17th: Post outage edition! · 12:40pm Apr 17th, 2015
Of course the site's gonna go down on the day I want to build up excitement for a big announcement today. :| Well, you'll just have to wait a few minutes instead of a whole day, I guess. Good thing the writeoff's going on, or I'd have had nothing to read! :V (Except EQD.)
Hey, so you remember that thing I mentioned about two weeks or so back, where Scribbler and Lost Narrator were talking about stuff in a video? Well, there’s a new one, and guess who’s in it? :D
('Swhere my new avatar is from, btw. :V)
Neighrator Pony was late to the Purple Challenge game, but you should listen to his reading anyway because it’s funny as hell.
Things’ll drop off for a bit, as I’ve started the 42-part audiobook of Ruirik’s Fire and Rain. Stay tuned for that big news in the next journal, and in the meantime, you can check out Craine's An Apple a Day, A Very Chaotic Birthday by Seven81493, and three other fics below the break!
H: 0 R: 2 C: 1 V: 1 N: 1
An Apple a Day by Craine
Reading by Scribbler, Traveling Arrow and DaWillstanator
Genre: Crackshipping
Discord has lately been a huge help at Sweet Apple Acres, much to Applejack’s consternation.
The other thing that’s so fun about crackshipping is reveling in pairings that would never work. At least, that’s what I enjoyed about this piece, though I suspect the author had different intentions. Oddly, this is very light on the actual shipping and more a pure comedy. We only get hints that Discord is being irritatingly helpful because he like-likes AJ, and her only response to this revelation is to be tsundere as fuck. Meanwhile, Big Macintosh makes a cameo that is thoroughly hysterical, and I just about died at “forbidden bones”. So on those merits, I think this will satisfy people who aren’t interested in horse kissing because, well, there isn’t any, nor even any draconequus kissing thank god.
Recommended
The Trees Are Screaming by ReluctantBrohoof
Reading by TheLostNarrator, Magpiepony and Emogak
Genre: Horror
Apple Bloom writes in her journal when Winona suddenly goes missing.
I kinda feel like this avoids a lot of the pitfalls of journal fics, especially considering its age. The entries are short and focused, and definitely sound like Apple Bloom. Unfortunately, it also doesn’t use that format to build a good horror atmosphere. Partially this is because “the trees are moving” isn’t overtly terrifying in and of itself. (C'mon, it's the Everfree, I'd be surprised if the trees didn't move on their own.) Partly, it’s that we go from “there’s a storm and Winona’s still missing” to “the trees attacked us and everyone’s dead”. There’s no way the description of what happened is as scary as what you might come up with yourself, and again, there’s not enough buildup. Plus, the reading is quite good, but highlights just how flat the same writing is when you read it yourself. This just doesn’t work.
Not Recommended
A Very Chaotic Birthday by Seven81493
Reading by Dr. Wolf
Genre: Friendshipping
It’s Fluttershy’s birthday, and all her friends are out of town. All except one, that is…
If I could boil this down to one thing I liked, it would be the spot where Fluttershy playfully ribs Discord. I think more authors don’t do that kind of thing because Fluttershy isn’t much of a jokester, but there’s no better way to demonstrate friendship between two characters. Anyway, this is light and fluffy without being offensively so, and I generally enjoyed it. I will say that it gets off to a confusing start describing Fluttershy as Ponyville’s vet (because, y’know, Mane Goodall), and I didn’t quite get the hype behind “she’s 20 now”. Honest, I’m just glad it wasn’t Fluttercord.
Recommended
Beautiful: Rainbow Dash by Nom_deCheval and TheLandgrave
Reading (part 1) by Goombasa
Genre: Crackshipping
Gussied up after a disastrous date, Rainbow Dash finds something she didn’t know she was looking for in Canterlot’s version of a dive bar.
For all that it’s a fairly ridiculous ship and the story setup confuses me, this has some really amazing Rainbow Dash characterization. And it needs to, since she’s the narrator… at least in this version. See, this is actually one half of a double story, the other coming from Fleur’s perspective, and I am very interested to read that now. But, sticking with this story, a few things don’t work. I got the feeling this was set in the future, but there are too many givens that need explanation, not the least of which is why is Rarity setting Rainbow Dash up on a date in the first place? Why with this stallion, who Rarity should know Dash has nothing in common with? Dash has good dynamics with both Rarity and Fleur, but the scenes where she’s on her own drag. They end up having sex for absolutely no reason whatsoever. And while I love the tragic stoicism Fleur displays at the end (I’m really big on tragedy right now for some reason), I detest this story casting Fancy Pants as the villain. Maybe the other one will clear that up? In all, this is a really hard sell, but I think I’ll go with its strengths, because it was certainly a joy to read.
Recommended If You Appreciate Strong Characterization
Passions by KuroiTsubasaTenshi
Genre: Rainbow Dash Loses Her Wings
After a tragic accident, Rainbow Dash gets Twilight to help her out.
Oh no. Here’s the downside of going back through EQD. I should have read the tags! I wanted Twidash! I was a fool. At least this takes the ol’ RDLHW in a uniquely dark direction. I can appreciate it for that. Unfortunately, It’s All A Dream, so unless you’re really interested in a decently-written reinterpretation of a moldy oldie, don’t worry about this one.
Vaguely Recommended
Feels like a while since we last had an 'H' in these lists...
Noice. Something to listen to when I get back.
2990411
You are not incorrect. :B But then, I also had tons of H's in numerous blogs in a row for a while there. It's nice to relax a bit.
2990455
I'm not complaining, and neither is my RiL.
I feel like your new avatar's picture was taken directly after finishing anything that I've written.
2990545 Nah, that requires more than one hoof. And possibly a pie.
2990640 If I could get PresentPerfect to double-hoof pie himself in his face, my life could be considered complete. It's all downhill from there!
2990721 Gasp! Then clearly it should never happen, that way you always have something to strive for.
Thanks for reminding me I need to finish my DiscoDash story, which like that double crown sonnet collection I've been meaning to read for a while, will feature over the top lexiconical gymnastics.
I have to admit that this made me giggle.
In any event, thanks for the review. I'm actually really surprised anyone found it at all, given that it never made it past the third tier of the EqD star system. >.>
That AppleCord fic looks funny, I'll take a look at it.
2990545
You people have no self-esteem, do you? D:
2990883
Oh dear.
2991000
All I can say is, I bookmarked it likely years ago, possibly back in 2011 when it was written, and somehow decided it was worth hanging on to for an eventual read. :O There's quite a few more where that came from!
2991300 I have way more self-esteem than any one person needs to have. I just think it's fun to take a potshots at myself. And anyone else, really. But I've never doubted that I'm awesome. I'm xjuggernaughtx's greatest fan!
I still want to see you pie yourself in the face. Can that be a patron level thing?
The new icon is Perfect!
2991300
Aha, that makes more sense. To be honest, I was expecting you to tell me that there's some secret for navigating the EqD database that I'd been missing all those years. >.>
I'm glad you thought it sounded interesting enough to backlog that long, though.
2990879 But that's all I want now!
Well, that and some time to actually finish some of these halfway completed stories I'm sitting on...
2991306
God, that would be a bitch to clean up. And a waste of a pie. :( How could you?
Ah, negative criticism is so hard to hear, especially when it's true!
In any case, I do agree with everything you said about my story, and I appreciate the review.
2995605
You're quite welcome. :) Hope you keep writing.
2991402
2992306
PP, you *are* coming to BronyCon riiiight?
2996954
No plans right now.