Fic recs, May 10th! · 4:03pm May 10th, 2015
Happy Mother's Day! I hope you didn't all forget (like I did). :B
Neighrator Pony has started a reading of Bad Horse’s Bedtime Stories for Impressionable Young Colts and Fillies! (I was gonna do it. ;_;) Also, Chrome Myriad wrote a funny review of my fic Like a G5. :D That story still needs more views, I say!
Hit below the belt for my reviews of Arwhale's Crying on the Inside, Diamond Eyes by Cerulean Voice, georg's Who Will Guard the Dreamers and seven other rousing tales!
H: 0 R: 5 C: 3 V: 0 N: 2
Crying on the Inside by Arwhale
Reading by Dr. Wolf
Reading by Voiceguy
My only real complaint about this reading is that he didn’t designate the description as such (he reads the entire metadata first, which is kind of interesting), so I thought he’d started the story at that point. But otherwise, this is another good’n. :)
Reading by Captain Sand
Genre: Episode Followup
Applejack cries on the inside, it’s true. But she wasn’t.
“Applejack cries on the inside” is, in my opinion, one of the best moments of the entire show. But what if we took it seriously? Asked why Applejack cries on the inside? Well, the answer is pretty easy to come to, but there’s something to be said for getting to it first. This is a underspoken piece, emotional without relying on dramatics. It presents a very believable portrayal of Applejack’s mindset during that scene and sends her through almost as many emotional tides as Rainbow Dash experienced during the episode. It’s maybe not the most mind-blowing story ever, but it is pretty remarkable.
Recommended
A Life Rebuilt by Epicburst
Reading by CreepyPastaSalad
Another good reader! He’s got good pacing and a nice voice. I guess his opening music is a little loud? Hardly a dealbreaker.
DNF: 1/2
Genre: Character Torture
After a terrible accident, Twilight tries to help Spike put his life back together.
I was put off almost immediately by Twilight being highly dismissive of Apple Bloom, up to silently critiquing her speech. The tone is generally off, and it’s mostly thanks to a poorly-written Twilight. There’s a reference to Deadalus. Beyond that, I realized that if this were a story about Twilight, or Applejack, or any pony character being terribly hurt and losing a limb as well as all their scales hair, I’d have been okay with at least listening to the whole thing. But putting Spike through that? No, thank you. Even Twilight says it in the story: “He’s just a child.” And all that just to make a point that the Noble Dragon Code was a bad idea, something everyone could figure out just by watching the episode? I don’t know how this got on my radar, coming from a new reader and all, but I honestly have no interest in reading it.
Not Recommended
Diamond Eyes by Cerulean Voice
Proofread by Me
Genre: Adventure
Princess Luna calls upon a special little filly to help her stop a great evil.
Yes, this is a story about Snowdrop. Don’t leave, it’s not that bad. Cerulean Voice has opted not to use her as a bundle of pitiable adorableness, instead sending her through a serious quest alongside her bestest friend, Princess Luna. This does some hard hitting on the subject of disability, and also offers a new spin on an old classic myth. Overall, the story is focused and passes both the Luna and Zecora tests. If you’re at least vaguely familiar with Snowdrop as a concept, you’ll be set to enjoy it.
Recommended
Cosmic Discoveries by Earth Pony Bard Lyric
Patreon Reward for Protopony350
Genre: Fable
A story of where the stars came from.
This is a cute and effective piece in which a bard tells a tale, a good frame to present this sort of just-so story in. That said, I do wish there was more to this; the framing story is given only the merest of attention, and the inner story isn’t all that long. Still, I do like the fable itself (even if the ending leaves some questions). If anything, this needs to have a reading done, so we can actually hear the music that’s supposed to be played. Being written, it loses something.
Recommended for Fans of Fantasy
Pipsqueak’s Fetish Trouble by Shred_Hexstring
Patreon Reward for Alexstrazsa
Mature
DNF: 2/5
Genre: Fetish Fuel
This was actually on my RIL. Why was this on my RIL. It’s one of those fics that’s trying hard to be as awful as possible by piling on every depravity known to man, while simultaneously being terribly written. It’s fast-paced, telly, and features foalcon. Plus a whole bunch of other stuff I’d really rather not read about. Goddammit.
Not Recommended
Who Will Guard the Dreamers by georg
Genre: Historical
After the banishment of Nightmare Moon, the survivors try to put their lives back together, save for one mare who refuses to believe Luna betrayed them.
This cleaned up really nicely from the writeoff. It’s a very emotional look at what war does to a people, and Dreamweaver’s pain is very compelling. It doesn’t get too deep, but there’s a lot to be said for it. Not to mention the portrayal of Luna is very cool. The story this tells may be one we’ve seen before, but it executes it well. Not just for batpony fans!
Recommended
Great Pecs-pectations by Dubs_Rewatcher
Genre: Comedy
All Rainbow Dash ever wanted to do was make her dad proud of her.
This was one of the weirder entries in the last writeoff. For it to work, you have to believe that Rainbow’s dad was a bodybuilder, and that she always wanted to impress him by competing in a strongpony competition. (The stuff about Luna is considerably less hard to swallow, honestly.) Given some of the plot devices at play, there are only a few directions the story can go in, but it is a lot of fun to read, and the ending is pretty well worth it. Good family bonding!
Recommended for Laughs
Doing Well by Doing Good by Baal Bunny
Genre: Caper
Rarity's attempt to locate the missing Azdariz Diamond is hampered by a certain rainbow pegasus.
The most recent writeoff is a near record-breaker as far as people actually publishing stories goes, but with this entry, I think I’m finally finished. This is a fairly unusual piece, featuring Rarity at long last donning the Mare-Do-Well costume to go out searching for a gem that, it seems, she’s the only one who appreciates. It’s a story perfectly crafted for her, but it’s odd in that it’s just about her learning a lesson, show-style. Those looking for a thrilling mystery or action-packed comic adventure will be disappointed. That said, I love the character of Fashionably Late, and everything about this piece rings true. Another great offering from Baugie Bunny.
Recommended
A Dazzling Christmas by Justice4243
Reading by Astro-Brony
Genre: EQG Comedy
Adagio and Aria have had it up to here with Sonata’s “Christmas spirit.”
Stories where Equestrian characters learn about earth holidays, Christmas especially, in the EQG-verse are all up in my alley. This one tears me, though. On the one hand, I’m totally with Aria and Adagio in hating on Christmas. I am kind of sick of all the trappings these days myself. On the other hand, Adagio makes Sonata cry and must protect Sonata waifu. Like ya do. :B Anyway, this is a really funny piece, of the sort Justice tends to write, and contains great lines like “horrible Christmas ninja” and “Today’s the one day out of the year that’s not for murder!” Also, I appreciated that the Dazzlings aren’t portrayed as living in squalor, for once (though it might take place before Rainbow Rocks, so). I also like that Aria is allowed to get on Adagio’s nerves, rather than just having Adagio be the sole terror in the group. This is a fun romp with MLP’s most dysfunctional family ever, and I really enjoyed it.
Recommended
A Final Farewell on a Moonlit Evening by HoofBitingActionOverload
Genre: Crackfic
Rarity’s mane decides to call it quits.
Yeah. Uh. Okay. That was a thing. That I just read. I don’t even. It’s hilarious, though, especially if you have an appreciation for overblown prose. Leave your take it seriously at the door!
Recommended If You Like Wacky Stuff
(And it's worth noting that you, too, can make me read awful fanfics by donating to my Patreon!)
Thank you, PP-sama.
So that's Cadance and Snowdrop I've managed to warm you to. What other characters aren't you particularly fond of?
I'll write them all and make you review the story!Hey, thanks for your honest review of Cosmic Discovieries.
I do agree that my framing stories are not always the best, but I do hope I've improved some seeing that this was the first FIMFic tale I wrote. That said, I am glad you enjoyed and gave your honest opinion. Cheers, mate!
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No, that's child's play.
Now you have to make me like ships. :V
3060350
Man, I don't even like ships. How am I gonna do that?
Wait . . . so I can give you money to have you read and review one of my crappy fanfics?
I'm almost tempted to write something simply horrible, for the perverse satisfaction of you reading it and then conveying your total disgust in a blog post (or worse, actually liking it). Don't make me do it.
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I win! :D
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No, the Patreon stipulates that people can't buy reviews of their own fics. :B
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Damn that fine print.
As good a review for Pipsy as I could've asked for.
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It Is You That I Hate