Fic recs, September 27th! · 4:10pm Sep 27th, 2015
Not much to say today. ShadowOfCygnus has done a reading of InquisitorM’s excellent The Boy Who Cried Wolf!
I’ve started a big audiobook, so it’s time for a quick jaunt through the short story collections! Also, I may be more incommunicado than usual until I can watch Friendship Games. I dunno when that’s gonna be. c.c Also I'm still sick D:
H: 3 R: 8 C: 5 V: 1 N: 0
At the End of the Day by Cold in Gardez
Genre: Heartwarming
This is really just a couple vignettes about Pinkie spreading cheer. But I love the way in which it’s presented: telling the story from other ponies’ viewpoints makes her seem like some fleeting spirit of happiness that just shows up wherever she’s needed. I wish this was a series.
Recommended
Kindness’s Legacy by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Sad
Harry couldn’t remember being that hungry before.
This is a very quick, very effective piece from the POV of Harry the Bear, after being abandoned by Fluttershy for reasons we never quite learn. I can’t say that I’ve seen much written about the ramifications of so many animals being cared for hand and mouth by a single pony, but here we go. Animal POV stories always tug at the heartstrings, and this is no different.
Highly Recommended
Forever Dummy by Chris
Genre: Comedy
This is a story about ponies playing bridge! I don’t understand bridge. It always seemed like some kind of cult, the Masons of the Cards, with their own tiny page of the daily newspaper doling out eldritch secrets in a language no mortal can fathom. Thankfully, little aside from the title of this piece seems to be caught up in the jargon of the game. It’s mostly just a “ponies can’t play card games” joke mixed with the identity of the “dummy”. I mean, I was highly amused by both of those things, at least.
Recommended
A Sister’s Pride by Pascoite
Genre: Light Comedy
Apple Bloom will finally get her cutie mark!
This has some really good imagery, like the orchestral conducting in the first scene. The way it plays with Apple Bloom’s expectations is fun and surprising. That said, I don’t quite get the final scene, but I assume that’s a failing on my part that others will circumvent.
Recommended
Why I Left by horizon
Genre: Metafiction
An explanation of where I went after Las Pegasus Unicon.
I’m actually a loss to categorize this. One part realistic fiction, one part EiH, one part creepypasta, it presents a realistic enough depiction of a dealer suffering from the collapse of the fandom’s Macbeth, up until the point it takes a right-turn into show-insertion. Yet it's only after that that things get weird. It’s a really fun little piece, if only because nothing that happened was anything I expected to.
Recommended
Caught by Titanium Dragon
Genre: Shipping Comedy
This is a little confusing, but it all comes together in the end. What’s not confusing is what’s going on; the voicing is really strong, which is very important, since this is a three-way dialogue with no tagging. That takes real effort. I also really appreciated the punchline. This is fun, if you can handle the shipping.
Recommended
Battle Cellist by Wanderer D
Genre: Comedy
Cheravina Kaiser the II has challenged Princess Luna to a cello battle! Unfortunately for Octavia.
This is so goofy and I love it. Awesome graffiti, music battles, call-out challenges, and poor Octavia stuck in the middle. For all that this is only a few hundred words, it packs a lot of over-the-top wackiness in. The only thing that fell flat for me was the Exit Through Canterlot reference, but if you’ve actually read that story, that most likely won’t be the case! I wonder if anything ever came of D saying this was up for adoption…
Highly Recommended
A Piece of Forgotten History by Ezn
Genre: Alternate Universe
Comet Tail remembers when the floating fortress arrived over Ponyville.
Man, this is not enough story to really get across what it’s trying to. It’s Beyond the Wall meets Lost Cities with some horror thrown in for good measure. But there’s just not enough to sink my teeth into, and I definitely want to know more about what’s going on. (Most tantalizing is the idea that everyone in Ponyville is a unicorn. Or possibly an alicorn?) This is really good at teasing, but not delivering.
Recommended If You Like AUs
Mud by alexmagnet
Genre: Scene
I’m at a loss for this one. It’s got good imagery, and good internal monologue from Rarity, plus some nifty-keen fantasy fashion. But at the end, it just sort of stops. This is Rarity on her way from A to B, thinking about fashion, and suddenly, there’s a complication. And that’s it. Unless the punchline is poop, which would actually make a lot of sense. But I’m not sure her reaction quite suggests that. Someone figure this out for me. D:
Vaguely Recommended
The Controls Were Smashed by the Falling Debris… by Filler
Genre: Sci-Fi
This is a short, sad piece about the dangers of space travel. It’s not very pony, but I definitely liked the tone set. Having Apple Bloom as the captain was neat, too. What can I say, sci-fi fans will like this, and there’s not enough sci-fi in this fandom.
Recommended
A Human Meets Filly Rainbow Dash by Nonagon
Genre: HiE?
This is how you do flash-fiction. The title tells you what you need to know, and the body carries it to a hilarious punchline. This is the best one of these to date.
Highly Recommended
Where the Sun Goes When It Sets by FuzzyFurvert
Genre: Slice of Life
This is a very clever piece, not about the sun, but about knowledge and learning, and how to relate to others. It’s a very good lesson for a well-adult Twilight to learn.
Recommended
Worth Every Fight by HoofAndQuill
Genre: Romance
Rarity apologizes.
I think I can safely say that “tragic Rarijack” is my absolute favorite fanfiction subgenre. This one’s like Mistakes Were Made, compressed into a one-sided dialogue and with a much happier ending, but it’s still got the same kind of feeling to it. I love the ways this looks at their relationship, and the truths that are laid bare in Rarity’s confession. It feels very true-to-character, but I’m sorry to say there won’t be anything in this for those uninterested in the ship. Highly Recommended for Shippers, though!
Recommended
Common Burn by Tall Tales
Genre: Shipping
Rarity comes up with a plan to get finally Trenderhoof over Applejack.
This one confuses me. The opening quote was hilarious, but didn’t set the tone for the piece. How long after Simple Ways does this take place? If Rarity was dating Applejack during the episode, why would she care a toss for Trenderhoof’s feelings? How does she know he’s bi? Too many questions and not enough answers.
Recommended for Shippers
Little Difference by Twinkletail
Genre: Children’s Story
The author’s note explains everything about this, which is very useful and gives it a lot of purpose. And while this is nice, I wish the “difference” that makes the filly run strangely was gone into just a little bit. It leaves the whole thing kind of nebulous otherwise; I dunno if this would actually work for the kind of scene it’s trying to portray.
Recommended If You Like Writing Meant for Children
Course Review by FanOfMostEverything
Genre: EQG
This isn’t a story so much as it is a scene, but it’s nice. We get some light comedy about the various educational failings of the Humane Five and Sunset Shimmer, and a little exploration of the tribulations of a pony living in Humania. Again, there’s not much to it, but I liked it.
Recommended for Sunset Fans
Helper by darf
Genre: Sparity
Spike’s been working himself to the bone lately.
So, this is a really nice, visceral look at Spike working himself to death for Rarity’s sake. It reminded me of that “Do it for her” image meme that’s become popular of late, the way he can be dead on his feet but just one smile from Rarity makes it all worthwhile. Unfortunately, this falls down in the very final line, for two reasons: first, a POV shift to Rarity; second, the insinuation that Rarity has similar feelings. It should be pretty obvious by now how I feel about that. :|
Recommended If You Don’t Mind Sparity
Okay, I'll bite.
Why don't you like Sparity? I don't think I've seen a blog or anything of yours regarding it, and I'm mildly curious. Not that I hate your opinion or think it's wrong to hold it, because I'm not that much of a fan of it either, but I'd like to know why your view on it is negative and the reasonings for why it doesn't work for you.
Again, curiosity.
I'm not too surprised the second part didn't make sense for you. Only a couple of people understood it when it was in the write-off, and many of the comments were of the "I didn't get Applejack's part" or "the second part doesn't appear to be related to the first—are they separate stories?" type.
Take the story backwards. Applejack was dreaming about Apple Bloom getting her cutie mark while fixing up the school's playground equipment. Apple Bloom was only doing that in the first place because she'd been caught sleeping in class, during which she dreamed about getting her cutie mark as a dancer. The first dream is inside the second one.
3424311
1) A boyhood crush is a normal kind of thing, but it does not translate into "true love" as so many writers seem to think.
2) Any hint of Rarity returning his feelings edges up on pedophilia.
3) Rarity is a grown mare and should know better than to lead him on the way she does (a problem with the show writers, not the fandom as such).
4) I hate interspecies romance. :B
3424514
Oh! I didn't realize Applejack was dreaming the whole thing. :O That's quite clever. I still don't get the crow though.
What is the “Do it for her” image meme that you mention? I'm not sure if I missed it or not. (I'd guess something to do with Steven Universe, but only in that that show has a song by that name.)
Damn, top billing on a Present Perfect blog? Be still my heart!
3424749
Nope! It's originally from the Simpsons.
3425507 Ahh, gotcha.
I've been known to churn out a Sparity story or two (and counting, and I don't apologize for my differing character interpretations), so imagine my surprise when you cautiously recommend one… and I don't really care for it. Setting aside what characters we're dealing with and whatever your views on pairing them up are, this doesn't strike me as romance, or at least not a healthy romance in any sense. I think the first sentence of your review nails it:
My reaction to the last line wasn't even that Rarity might have feelings for him, it was more like "tee hee, I've got a slave!" Which cheapened everything prior.
3426164
At least we can agree the last line is butts. :B
You'll have your laugh when I read that one story that's in my RIS somewhere that you recommended. >.>