Weekly Story Recommendations — Issue #1 · 10:27pm Nov 17th, 2015
Hey, how's it going? Here's something I thought might be neat...instead of dropping random reviews whenever I feel like, I thought it might be a cool idea to simply condense some of my favourite stories from the past week into one highlights blog post.
(Just as a note, this is more or less me simply talking about stories I liked, and less actual critical reviews, although I'll try to do a little bit of both.)
That all said, and without any further ado, let's look at some stories!
As I Walk by LunaUsesCaps
Publish Date:26th Jan 2014
Genre(s): Adventure, Dark, Historical
Central Characters: Celestia, Luna
Status: Complete
Oh, how I yearn to know what's become of LunaUsesCaps.
After a few recent stories (To Try for the Sun and The End of the Day, to name drop a few) reminded me of it, I decided to reread this story once more in an attempt to relearn why the hell it's sitting in my top favourites shelf.
And yeah, all the reasons I loved it at first are still present.
As I Walk is an origin story about Celestia's ascension, done amidst stellar characterization and worldbuilding. We're presented with a cynical, harden Celestia living in a gritty world ruled by Discord. She doesn't ask questions and knows better than to step out of line, and she works hard simply because she likes having a purpose. In many ways, her life seems hopelessly bleak, but when Discord begins drafting all unicorns to fight in a purposeless war, Celestia must protect Luna and the two flee from their corrupt home.
If I can think of one thing to complain about with this story, it’s that sometimes the pacing seems to operate a little too quickly. Celestia’s journey through the desert is a good example: for such a pivotal moment in her life it was over pretty fast, and I was pretty let down by the whole “cause it’s your destiny!” explanation.
Other than that, the dialogue here is rich and poignant, particularly between Luna and Celestia, but what really sells this piece is the richness of the world. I highly recommend reading this one.
Fermentation by Orbiting Kettle
Publish Date:7th Nov 2015
Genre(s): Slice of Life (With a Twist)
Central Characters: Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle
Status: Complete
Whelp. Fermentation. It's a...well, it's categorized as a "Slice of Life" story, which I suppose it is, but it's hardly a feel-good bit of life that I imagine anyone would want a slice of.
Details are kept sparse here, and I have no incentive to spoil the slow-building revelation of the few details that are presented. I'll just say that this is an interesting character study of the alicorns in the face of eternity. It subverts many of the clichéd tropes other similar fics tend to implement, and somehow manages to not be a completely hopeless and bleak tale despite the nature of the premise. Some of it almost seems like with a bit of tweaking, it could work as a black comedy.
The juxtaposition between these two friends simply talking over a drink and the heavy and philosophical implications of the actual things they WERE talking about was pretty interesting to read.
If I can draw up one complaint about this story (and it's hardly even a complaint), it's simply that I wanted more. I wanted to see more of the world presented. I wanted to see first-hand the situations behind the little anecdotes that Luna and Twilight shared. Then again, that would somewhat draw away from the focus of the story: that is, the relationship between Luna and Twilight (and the implicit ones between Cadence and Celestia, too).
As it stands, this is a unique take on the whole "Immortality Blues" trope that presents a whole lot of heavy shit in just over 3000 words. Yet another nice welcomed gift from the elusive Four Hooves and a Pen collective.
The Night Rages On by Overload
Publish Date:13th Sep 2015
Genre(s): Sad, Slice of Life
Central Characters: Twilight Sparkle, Luna
Status: Complete
Huh. Twilight and Luna. Seems to be a pattern with the stories I'm reviewing today.
Alright, well before I move on to reviewing the actual story, I'd just like to make a quick comment about the story's description:
"With each passing day, the night grows ever darker. Princess Luna has never felt more alone."
Now, if this isn't the most efficient story description I've ever read on this site, it's certainly a contender. Something about the cruel, blunt honesty really struck a chord with me, and drew me in instantly. Cudos right off the bat.
It's a damn good representation of the story itself, too. This one is deserving of its Sad tag. I should clear something up though: this isn't an angsty dark/sad Luna "woe-is-me-I'm-so-alone-why-won't-ponies-like-me" story. If you thought that, put those fears to rest.
I could go on about the writing or the richness of the interactions between Luna and Twilight, or the magnificent visual descriptions of the world around them, but I'll keep it simple and instead focus on what I found to be the strongest bit. The atmosphere. Right from the get-go, this story makes it’s melancholy, introspective tone clear. It probably helps that this story doesn't shy away from the harshness of the situation. The tragedy of the situation is played straight, as are the emotions of the characters. I can't even describe it well...some stories just have a...feel to them.
Now, I'm aware that somebody may read this and complain about, like, the astrophysics behind it or something. To which I go...
(I love this Zecora gif too much)
...because if you're going to read a story set in a world in which two winged unicorns control the sun and moon and them complain about the astrophysics...
Yeah, exactly.
I read over this story again and again trying to find something wrong with it to note. I couldn't find anything. Nothing in the story, nothing in the portrayal of the characters, nothing in the conveyance of emotion.
This is a sad tale, but it isn't devastatingly so. It's creative, but not incredibly complex. It's not a tale of dread, it's a tale of hope in the face of tragedy. Somber, but ultimately uplifting. Highly recommended. This site needs more stories like this.
That’s all for today. See you some other time, with more of my recommendations! Cheers!
Thank you for the recommendation, I appreciate it a lot. The other stories here go straight in my priority queue.