Fic recs, February 10th · 4:45pm Feb 10th, 2016
Am I a bad person for wanting to dump a third of my "save to fix computer" money on a Kickstarter? :( I haven't been reading a lot of fic lately because I'm obsessing over Sentinels of the Multiverse, and they just fulfilled their newest Kickstarter ten times over within 24 hours. :B And sure, for a hundred bucks, I could get the new expansion and a thing to keep all the cards in if I ever get the games. Or, for 300 dollars more, I could just get all the games and the case to put them in and I would be very happy because I could playtest all the original shit I've been coming up with for the last month. :D
In other news, Illya Leonov and Neighrator Pony have released a reading of Horse Voice’s The Savage Way!
And that's all I got. :B I'm probably a bad person. :(
H: 0 R: 5 C: 2 V: 1 N: 0
World of Traitors by DannyJ
Reading by Iron Scribe
Haven’t had a new reader to review in a while! :3 I do believe I found this guy via his work on the Project Horizons audiobook, but I could be wrong. (I've been checking out folks when they show up on EQD, too.) Either way, while I couldn’t help thinking his Tirek sounded like Strong Bad, his clarity was good. When he’s not reading a dialogue-only story, he does just fine. :) Onto the list he goes!
Genre: Tirek in Tartarus
Tirek justifies what he did to his unwanted visitor.
I realize I’ve read a lot of post-season-four stories about someone visiting Tirek after he’s recaptured (or, in the one case, just him going crazy) and talking about stuff, hence the genre tag. Anyway, as those stories tend to go, this doesn’t offer much beyond a single idea, but it is some pretty good Tirek characterization. He’s portrayed sympathetically, which is to say we get to see events from his viewpoint, and without being “Tirek did nothing wrong”. He certainly thinks he did nothing wrong, and his justifications are what make this worth reading. If nothing else, it’s short, so it won’t waste your time.
Recommended
Everypony Is Drunk and Speaking Russian for Some Reason by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Random Comedy
Trixie Visits England, Briefly: This is brilliant. From the title, it’s clear what’s going to happen, but where exactly she ends up, when, and why her stay is brief is why you should read this. It’s a hoot! R
Everypony Is Drunk and Speaking Russian for Some Reason: If there’s a reason I like this, it’s because everyone’s speaking Russian for some reason. :V (And Cygnus read it beautifully!) The translations are cleverly hidden in the text, so it’s all good. Unfortunately, only Applejack’s line is actually funny; once you know what they’re saying, there’s pretty much nothing to this. And yet, I still liked it. R
Fluttersaurus Rex: The problem with this piece is that the entire story is in the description. There’s literally nothing else to it. A low point in the collection. V
The Tragic End of Maregellan: From the description of this one, it’s kind of obvious where things are going to go, yet I enjoyed seeing a ponified Age of Exploration. I don’t think I’ve ever read about that before. Also, the last line is pretty funny. R
Gutterloo by jmj
Reading by Captain Sand
Genre: Poor, Pathetic Scootaloo
Scootaloo has no parents, no home, no money. But that doesn’t mean she has nothing to lose…
I’ll never get tired of stories showcasing the depths of misery the fandom is willing to subject Scootaloo to. This piece is a ur-example thereof: she starts out living in the gutter, and things only get somehow worse from there. The best part is, there’s no Scootabuse (defined as one or more ponies, Rainbow Dash especially, going out of their way to physically or mentally harm her). This is more Scootaneglect. :B It does have some problems — LUS, a jumpy POV — but I felt like it totally delivered on what was promised. And of course, a setup like this requires Equestria to be more or less not Equestria, which won't appeal to many. Not only is Cheerilee being dismissive and Mr. Cake thinking the worst of somepony, but an entire system has been set up where parents would abandon a foal (it’s not clear where her parents went, but this is suggested) and living in an alley is preferable to an orphanage. Still if you’re into Scootaloo as the universe’s punching bag — and let’s face it, if you’re not, you’ll be staying far away from this — be sure to check this out if you haven’t already. Because just when you think it’s going to have a happy ending, boom goes the dynamite. :D
Recommended for Scootaorphan Fans Only
Putting Flash Sentry Into a Woodchipper by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: 2P HiEQG/Random Comedy
Your quest to go to Equestria and have sex with Twilight doesn’t pan out quite as you’d planned…
This is a really funny parody of second person wish-fulfillment fics that takes the piss out of bronies in one of my favorite ways. The way the main character is depicted is perfectly pathetic, and while the dark twist foreshadowed by the title is a little “wtf”, the ride to get there is nevertheless hilarious. If you’re a fan of the random, be sure to check this out.
Recommended
Thanatosian Love by Majin Syeekoh
Reading by Tankulis Prime
Not sure where I found this guy; maybe EQD? Anyway, his background music is a touch loud, especially since his quality isn’t perfect, but overall he suits my needs for a reader, so I’ll be looking into him more in the future. :)
Genre: Monologue
All it wanted was Sunset Shimmer.
This is a weird piece. It’s got an interesting idea, and it’s decently written, but overall it doesn’t strike me one way or the other, minus the cheesy line-poem near the end. If you like Equestria Girls and want some more context for the end of Friendship Games, give it a read, it won’t waste your time.
Recommended as Light Reading
The poem literally sprung out of me as I was writing it.
I was a man possessed.
Life goals met:
-Became supreme overlord of a small nation []
-Acquired orbital death ray []
-Achieved immortality []
-World of Traitors confirmed for not a waste of time [X]
Everything is proceeding well.
Gutterloo is great if you like Scootaloo being the universe's punching bag. I have it rated quite highly.
And so I now have an urge to write a 'happy scootaloo' story
3746315
Flash Sentry and Twilight Sparkle clearly need to adopt her.
also mumble mumble something Rainbow Power because MAXIMUM BRONYRAEG
3746440
Flash who? You mean that guy in the wood chipper?
3746003
It's really weird, the things we both enjoy.
3746315
what is this
i don't understand
3746590
3746003 are there any stories TD loves which PP hates? I suspect the opposite exists for sure.
3746616
Pretty sure they both exist.
3746003
There's being the universe's punching bag, and then there's dying of starvation in an alleyway while Diamond Tiara laughs at you. I really didn't like that story. I never got anything out of it other than "here's a bunch of really horrible things happening to Scootaloo. Feel bad for her."
3749064
My reaction was more "Here's a bunch of horrible things happening to Scootaloo and it's hilarious." Bad stuff always happens to Scootaloo, and never just once. :V
3746454 I think he means Brad.