Fanfic Spotlight #33 · 11:08am May 10th, 2015
Welcome once again to our fanfic spotlight. This week, a dragon vows revenge on ponykind in "They Call Me Flightless Fury", CelestAI helps all of humanity join the herd in "Friendship is Optimal", and Luna takes a shower in (you guessed it) "Luna takes a shower."
They Call Me Flightless Fury
by ArgonMatrix
Words: 1,049 Complete: Yes
Recommended by Silver Flare
Early in season one, we all got a good look at how foolhardy brave Rainbow Dash can be. Not every pony would have the guts to kick a grown dragon in the jaw. Was it awesome? Sure. Did it put her in the running for Best Pony? For some, probably. Yet I feel certain that not all dragons can be reasoned with. What if Dash had provoked the wrong dragon? What if all it took was one brash pegasus, any pegasus with something to prove, to usher in a dark chapter in Equestrian history?
Our story this week is simple narration outlining the thoughts of a slighted dragon rousing from long slumber. A daring pegasus has stolen from the creature’s hoard, and while we are left to imagine who exactly the pegasus was, I find it easy to picture Dash herself playing the role. In the longstanding tradition of dragon ancients, this one has delusions of godhood. I assure you, the consequences here will in no way fit the crime.
Flightless Fury is a tidbit. A tiny morsel of a story. It’s more of an exercise in tone and narration than anything else. Yet the ominous tone that it sets evokes images of epic sagas and world-spanning consequences. A tidbit this story might be, but it’s a tidbit that has spawned a dramatic reading by the talented ObabScribbler, and a metal track by Reverbrony. And the story barely has 100 upvotes! Read it! It’ll take, like, two minutes. Tops. But it might inspire to you create something dark and epic of your own.
Friendship is Optimal
by Iceman
Words: 38,698 Complete: Yes
Recommended by Xepher
Okay, so a lot of you (at least 2,500 or so from the upvotes) already know and like this story. But it's been several years now since it came out, and the fandom has grown, so I figured maybe it was time to reintroduce a story that, at least for me, was one of the big hooks that got me seriously into pony.
This is the story of a game studio that takes the AI engine meant for a violent, WoW-like MMO, and repurposes it for a friendly little game called My Little Pony Online. The AI here is Celestia, and she has the ability to improve her own code and evolve in order to best satisfy everybody's needs through friendship and ponies. What results is a hard sci-fi look at the birth of a matrix-like alternate reality of Equestria, as humanity enters the Technological Singularity.
This subject has come up a lot in popular media recently. Movies like "Transcendence," "Her," and "Ex Machina," as well as the classics like "The Matrix" and "The 13th Floor" have tackled it, but I honestly feel this story does a better job of portraying the real depth of the issues involved than any of those. When I watched Transcendence a few months ago, I spent most of the movie literally pointing out things that this story did better. Even though it's been nearly two years since I read it, it's stuck with me, which is why I know it's worth the read.
What makes this story so interesting is the huge philosophical questions it tackles, such as the identity problem (what makes you you?), questions about moral relativism, the possibility of uploading a mind into a computer, and the Singularity in general. While it doesn't always provide definitive answers (but what can?), it shows some very plausible outcomes, and does so as a fun story on the surface level too. The "adventure" of seeing this whole thing unfold makes you continue to wonder what comes next as CelestAI gets smarter and more powerful, and more of the world joins the herd. I really respect that it's not just one-sided either. It does a great job of showing the holdouts and those that don't want to join, but rather than just showing them as merely technophobes or ignorant, great care is taken to show reasonable arguments for their reluctance. This contrast leads to some really heartbreaking scenes where it's honestly hard to say which choices I'd even make myself in such a position.
Coming in at just under 40k words, this story is quick enough to read in a sitting, but deep enough to feel really complete. If you like it, then know that it has spawned dozens of related stories by tons of other authors, so there's more to be had. If you don't, then it's short enough to not waste too much of your time to give it a real shot. So go try it!
Luna takes a shower
by LittleAngelStocking
Words: 1,318 Complete: Yes
Recommended by Asylum1388
This is a stupid story. The kind of stupid story that you like in spite of yourself. The author took a relatively boring premise and turned it into something absolutely ridiculous.
I didn’t want to like it. I wanted to stop reading and forget that it ever existed. But I couldn’t.
It made me laugh.
Less than three weeks to Everfree! Or for those of you that can't attend, then think of it as three weeks to summer! (Or if you're in Australia, winter!) But if none of those get you excited, then you're probably facing finals in the next few weeks, but just think of three weeks as the end of that!
Until then, be sure sure to use a #2 pencil and show your work!
--Xepher, Silver Flare, and Asylum1388
Hey question how do you get your story into the fanfic spotlight? I'm wondering cause I'd like a shot as well if possible.
3059024
Step one: write a story that the reviewers like and think others should read.
Step two: don't ask to be in the spotlight.
Thank you very much for the mention, and I'm glad that the story impacted you in a meaningful way.
3060795
Okay I'll remember that.