Fic recs, February 20th! · 2:24pm Feb 20th, 2016
So, I was planning a big “Top Ten of 2015 edition”, but given the way things are going this year (plus how they went last year), I think I’ll just release the list and leave it at that. :B These are the ten best stories-what-I-read for 2015!
Alarm Clock by Meta Four
An Ally Called Preponderance by Myriad Kay
Arthurian-The Black King by Wellspring
The Big Butterfly Brouhaha by adcoon
A Diamond and a Tether by Patchwork Poltergeist
Hyperportentia by MyHobby
Lady Prismia and the Princess-Goddess by Skywriter
The Last Dreams of Pony Island by horizon
Riverdream at Sunset: A Manuscript by GroaningGreyAgony
The Sisters’ Coronet by Fable Scroll
No other news, surprisingly. <.< At least, given how few stories I've had per journal lately, I'm putting out more reviews than February of last year. Got quite the odd lineup today!
H: 3 R: 0 C: 0 V: 2 N: 1
My Girl Fluttershy by White_Cloud
Reading by Captain Sand
Genre: Self-Insert Romance
I decided two chapters of listening to an uninteresting OC get moony over Fluttershy and complain that he’s too tongue-tied to say anything to her was enough. Even the promise of the Dark tag doesn’t make me want to keep reading. I was going to rant about the improper depictions of relationships in the media, but I’m suddenly not feeling up to it, so let’s just call this a big waste of everyone’s time.
Not Recommended: DNF 2/15
Just Drifting Around by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Slice of Life
With autumn coming on, Sassaflash and Tiger Lily engage in their biannual house move.
For being such a short story, this packs in an awful lot of stuff. From little bits about Sash (hard not to call her that after Integration) and her ‘cloudmate’ to scenery, culture, food, and the part where Sassaflash eats a live fish. In every scene, there’s a sense of life, of things existing beyond just this little snapshot, and that’s what I want out of my fics. I really can’t get over the fish thing, though; I’m not surprised it’s based on actual horse behavior. But yeah, this is a sublime piece of quiet world-building that doesn’t try to overreach itself and ends up effortlessly crafting a larger world.
Highly Recommended
The Three Travelers by Caerdwyn
Reading by Dr. Wolf
Genre: Fable
After finding an unexpected windfall, three travelling friends seek to put their fortunes to good use.
This a story in the same vein as The Good King, by the same author: a piece of in-universe writing with commentary at the end by Twilight and Celestia. I was less cheesed off by said commentary this time, though Celestia unfortunately explains the story, and overall I like this piece more than its predecessor, which was no slouch itself. What appeals most to me is how pony this is, from the statement that “They were ponies as ponies should be” (the significance of which is backed up by Twilight’s historical context commentary) to the fact that this isn’t a story where the more selfish characters are horribly punished for their greed. It’s not about avoiding material wealth lest some divine retribution fall on your head — characteristic of our fairy tales — but about doing right because you’ll feel better for having done so. That’s what makes it so strong as in-universe writing; it absolutely feels like a tale ponies would tell.
Highly Recommended
The Phoenix Cannot Rise by jmj
Reading by Captain Sand
Genre: Cliffside Fic
I tend to use that genre tag disparagingly, but at least this unnamed mare has a good reason to want to throw herself off a cliff: having been badly burned in a fire, she’s in constant pain and lost her cutie marks. It’s also got the best non-humorous use of a single tear I’ve ever seen. But on top of that, the writing smacks of thesaurus abuse, vacillating between florid and purple (with a couple sentences of alliteration?), and a quick glance at the text shows punctuation errors and inconsistent indentation. But most of all, this story exemplifies something the author told me recently: that they don’t write happy endings. And, as it turns out, suicide is not the worst outcome for this mare. I can’t say I like the ending this time around; the only readers who will want to give this a shot are the ones who want to witness the unending suffering of a random stranger.
Vaguely Recommended
Diamond Tiara Dies Alone by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
100th Review of 2016!
Genre: Future Fic
News of her oldest friend puts Silver Spoon’s life in new perspective.
If you’re new to writing and want to understand how to write a good sad fic, start by reading this. Admiral Biscuit makes use of juxtaposition to show differences in situations, and from that derive the tragic undertones that evoke emotional response. While one could say this is “Diamond Tiara was a bad influence” taken to its absolute extreme, it’s really just a story about bad kids: one who grew up and one who stayed bad. It’s a perfectly marvelous little thing.
Highly Recommended
Tell Me a Duck Story by Cold Blitz, Lord One Fish & listener
Reading by TheLostNarrator, et. al.
Genre: Light Comedy
A bath is the perfect way to de-stress before a massive invasion of Canterlot.
The main joke here is “Chrysalis talks to her rubber duck”. This is amusing, yes, but there’s only so far it can go, so overall I can’t say I was terribly entertained by this piece. It suffers from two major problems: lack of focus and a certain inelegance of narrative. The former is characterized by shifting POVs and a passage that seems to be setting up a joke for the end of the story, but which is never mentioned again. As to the latter, this is full of close repetitions and poor word choices that leave it feeling disjointed and surreal. The opening scene ends up being a lot funnier than the rest, once the main joke is revealed. It’s not bad, but again, I was only mildly amused.
Vaguely Recommended
While I'm entirely unsurprised by this, there is a little part of me that just died inside.
Haha. It's all good. Big Butterfly Brouhaha is fan-freaking-tastic too.
Ah, Alarm Clock. I cannot praise that story enough. The rest are fantastic choices as well, but I have to envy Meta Four for doing what I wanted to with Best Pony without needing to use a crossover.
3766277
y did u ded :B
HEY, I DON'T REVIEW SHIT, SO DON'T GO STEALING MY JOB, MISSY.
3766304
Ded 4 writin teh infereor Cadens fic.
Can't compete. Senpai too stronk...
I'm amused to see that almost half of your top stories of 2015 are things I told you to read. I'm a good influence!
3766404
Quite so :V
I'm pleased that Riverdream made your top ten. Thank you very much!
ETA: I'm also pleased that BBB got in. That's a story that deserves more love than it got at first.
PP's top stories of 2015! *adds them all to the read list*
Also a story that I think totally deserves to get into that list is A White Mare, have you read it?
Do you mean this integration or this integration?
~Leonzilla
3766714
No, I've not read it, but I'll take that recommendation into consideration.
And the Integration by Raugos. :B
I'm surprised that anybody else has used Sassaflash in a story. I mostly try to pick completely unknown ponies for my stories.
3767320
Okay, I can see that. :)