Fic recs, August 10th! · 7:53pm Aug 10th, 2015
Welcome back from Bronycon, all you crazy pony people! I explicitly waited until today to post this so you'd all have something to return to. :V That of course means lots of news!
Obligatory signal boost for ABagOfVicodin’s new story, Doomsday Arcade, which I edited the first chapter of. It’s an action adventure starring Button Mash, being competent!
I feel the need to link to this journal, which SS&E’s latest review, of The Spiderses, which he calls “the Ebaumsworld version of Cupcakes.” I just love that line.
Thanks to my newest patrons, Bad_Seed_72 and Quill Scratch for supporting these journals! :D The next one will be a while in coming, as I'm reading two longfics. Which is totally my fault, sorry. :(
H: 1 R: 2 C: 2 V: 0 N: 1
Tough Little Pony by Isseus
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: Slice of Life
In an effort to prove she’s as tough as Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash lets Discord take her wings.
When you’re trying to write a story with a strong message, your greatest frustration is going to be unintended implications: look no further than Feeling Pinkie Keen for a good example. This story, meant to get Rainbow Dash to truly understand what must be going through Scootaloo’s head, gives us two implications. The first, that living with a disability makes you “tough”, is actually absolved by the end of the story, and quite well, though by that point I was rather rolling my eyes at the whole thing, so the damage had been done. The second implication is that earth ponies are one step above Breezies in the evolutionary chain, as far as being born with a severe disadvantage goes. The story even goes so far as to suggest that they’re more likely to die young; that’s harsh! And while I’m all for not sitting through another round of Earth Pony Magic Headcanon Time, there really is a connection to be made along the lines of “earth ponies are functionally disabled”. It’s no wonder Applejack was a grade-A asshole to Rainbow Dash; of course, she was also a grade-A asshole to Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow even points this out, which is one of my big complaints. The rest are just small issues with the writing, mostly telling, though I think the long “montage” scene toward the end is an example for those in the vocal crowd of “you can tell some of the time”. Because yeah, you can. Ultimately, and I had to read the author’s note to be sure, this does gets its main point across, and boy is that ending some effective, emotional Scootalove.
Recommended
Butter Up by GaPJaxie
Reading by Goombasa
Sequel to Deep Cover
Genre: Actingverse
Deep Cover draws Butter Up out to a restaurant to talk about her problems.
I think I get the Actingverse, thematically: In this world, magic has been removed from the “friendship is magic” equation, so friendship must therefore be hard work. That actually makes these stories hit closer to home for anyone seeking insight into interpersonal relationships, because these characters are closer to real life than those in the show. Using a background where the main characters play the show characters to explore this theme is just super-clever and adds so much to this verse. As for this story, you won’t want to approach it unless you’ve read at least the first entry in the series, to know what you're dealing with. This one gave me a greater appreciation for Deep Cover, so you may want to read her story as well. What this one has to offer is Butter Up herself, who is a very real character, with deep flaws that come to light over the course of the story, and economic sociology, much as Deep Cover talked about politics and power. I cannot wait to see what the next story’s going to be about.
Highly Recommended
That Awkward Moment When… by Hyzaku
Reading by Captain Sand
Genre: Comedy
Applejack catches Twilight and Rainbow Dash in an awkward moment.
This story has a lot of problems. The buildup to the big joke is mostly slice of life, with some very light humor. There’s a lot of extra stuff, like how Big Mac wakes AJ up, that throws the tone a bit. The writing’s not great. The ending stretches the joke too far. That said, Applejack’s reaction to the main scene is totally unexpected and therefore hilarious. It’s pretty much worth reading just for that.
Recommended for Laughs
Left Unsaid by MenialLabor
Reading by SolarPony
Genre: Grimdark
Big Macintosh blows up Canterlot.
I have spoiled the story for you because it’s not worth reading. I am currently disgusted, horrified and borderline apoplectic over this. The glorification of war as the only means for societal progress, the glorification of terrorism as a means to said war… Goddammit, who writes this? I haven’t been this mad about a fanfic in I don’t know how long. It’s like, how dare you use these characters as the vehicle for your hawkish sentiments? That war has traditionally been a big impetus for R&D in our world doesn’t mean that it’s the only way to progress. I don’t know what’s more unbelievable, the idea that Big Macintosh is a terrorist in his spare time, or that he uses pesticides, to say nothing of the questionable nature of the bombs he concocts. (How do you create or transport something that blows up when exposed to sunlight?) I mean, compare this to something like V for Vendetta, which espouses the same kind of destructive vigilantism as a reaction to an oppressive regime. Who prefers war over peace? Sometimes, the only advice you can give an author is “you shouldn’t have written this”. I am just so mad. D:
Not Recommended
Toot Your Own Horn by Hoopy McGee
Reading by Emogak, GutiuSerenade and Wolfboy91
Genre: Comedy
An itch in Twilight’s horn heralds something she never would have expected.
This is one of those stories you just have to read because of the title and cover art, and I’m pleased to say it totally delivers on the comedy front. It’s a wacky fic based around a weird idea that ends up turning into a really nifty bit of headcanon by the end. Plus, it’s got two alternate endings that I love because the humor is all at Cadence’s expense. :V There are a couple spots early on where I felt the writing wasn’t as good as it could be, but I didn’t take any notes, so I can’t be any more specific than that. Just know that this is absolutely worth the read, and a lot of fun besides. :)
Recommended
Die Spider! Die! by misskoifishpony
Reading by Dr. Wolf
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
When Fluttershy finds a spider on her face, it’s Discord to the rescue!
Taken on its own merits, this is a very weird story about a spider and Discord having a crush on Fluttershy that he quite possibly doesn’t even realize he has. Most of the humor comes from him acting over the top (the OOC intro is lampshaded amusingly toward the end) and creepy, and it’s fun, if weird. That said, it’s actually a parody of a Phantom of the Opera fanfic (what?), which explains a lot of that OOCness. Having read the story, which is equally weird but no less amusing, it’s obvious where this one got its inspiration, and also where it deviates to let the characters be themselves. The main joke is “Discord is weirdly possessive of Fluttershy”, and it works in either context. The writing does need some work, though, as it veers toward purple more often than not. I don’t think that’s actually part of the parody. Still, this is at least worth it as a quick, fun read.
Recommended for Laughs
Who paid you to read that fic.
3309928
What fic? As you can see, all readings in this journal are brought to you by our lovely fic-reading crew on Youtube. :B
3309964 ...oh shit, someone actually did a reading of big mac blowing up canterlot.
3309968
Yes, and I was actually mad at him for a while for making me read it. :B
3309972 any plans for revenge?
Butter Up is an excellent story and well-deserving of praise.
3309975
Nah, we made up. :B
3310008 That's cool, then.
Although if you ever decide to change your mind, you know who to call.
What is it with some "fans" of the show who have to write fics that are completely antithetical to the tone of the show? They can't all be trolls.
I'm glad that you found "Toot your own horn" to be a fun read! I sure had a lot of fun writing it
As for the writing issues at the beginning of the story, I think I know what the problem is. When I first start writing a story, I tend to ramble a bit until I find the story's pace. I usually try to trim that back, with varying levels of success
Thanks for the good feedback on Tough Little Pony. You probably noticed that it has quite a personal importance to me, so hopefully more people will read it thanks to your blog as well. I do wonder though: Where did I ever imply that Earth Ponies were shorter lived in the fic? That bit kinda confused me.
The talk between AJ and RD could have been handled better, I agree. I just wanted to show how RD actually did feel superior to AJ thanks to her ability to fly, and being brought down to the ground (argh the puns) had to be harsh. It was to immediately clear the room of any elephants that were looming in the corners. We all know RD is brash and doesn't think of what she says, and we all know AJ has a lot of pride and stubbornness, so their clash felt inevitable to me, friends or no. AJ sure doesn't feel handicapped, at least outwardly, but it still makes me think...If I lived in a world where one third of the population could fly and another could use magic, and all I could do was walk on the ground, would I feel myself to be less compared to them? I personally probably would.
"The glorification of war as the only means for societal progress, the glorification of terrorism as a means to said war… Goddammit, who writes this?"
The same people who think Fall of Equestria and Fallout: Equestria is high literature within the fandom?
Shall I get the alcohol? I feel like we both need to drown our sorrows on that one.
I'm not sure what astounds me more, that someone actually bothered reviewing a crappy three year old story of mine, or that people keep liking it. I'm honestly curious why you picked that story for a review.
Spot on review, though. Reminds me why I've considered deleting it so many times.
HOW DID I NOT SEE YOU AT BRONYCON.
3310897
Yeah, I know what that's like. :B
3310977
When Soarin had to come save that filly from drowning. Literally, if there hadn't been a pegasus or unicorn around, she would have died because she's an earth pony. Granted, it could just have been since she couldn't swim (Dash didn't seem to have any trouble in the water), but coming off that conversation between AJ and RD, you can maybe see where I would infer that? <:B
3311468
Like I said above, I let the audiobooks guide me. You'll have to ask Captain Sand to know for sure. :B
3311545
I ONLY POSTED LIKE FIVE WHINY JOURNALS ABOUT HOW I COULDN'T GO
3311720
SORRY I MISREAD BECAUSE I WAS REALLY REALLY STUPID AND POSTING SHIT AFTER A 20-HOUR DAY
3311982
THIS IS UNDERSTANDABLE AND FORGIVABLE HAVE A LOVELY DAY
3311720 Wow. That idea never even crossed my mind. The idea was that Dash would have been able to save the foal no problem, but Soarin' just happened to be faster. That's actually something I might have to revisit.
3312064
Unintended implications! :V
3312039
3311289
Fallout Equestria at least emphasizes the horror of war and widespread death as something to be overcome instead of embraced like those other two things.