Fic recs, March 17th! · 2:43pm Mar 17th, 2016
Good timing! Just today, Opalescence dropped. It’s a charity album set up to help out The Lost Narrator. So if you haven’t had a chance to give yet, you can get some awesome music in exchange. And if you don’t know what’s going on, you can find more info in my last post!
Emogak needs some help too, so she’s open for commissions! As I’ve said before, supporting fic readers is a great way to get eyes on your story!
Lastly, Dr. Wolf has recorded a reading of Akumokagetsu’s Twilight Is Doomed!
Slightly larger than usual because of edition-related shenanigans earlier this week! Head below for reviews of Braiding by Admiral Biscuit, Rune Soldier Dan's To Try for the Sun, and something I wasn't actually expecting!
H: 2 R: 3 C: 2 V: 0 N: 1 N/A: 1
Braiding by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Sequel to A Sleeping Rose
Genre: HiE
After a surprise visit from Rose, Sam braids her mane and tail.
This is a pretty natural extension of its predecessor, starting with a lot of the same before stretching out the original exploration of the differences between pony and human societies into something even greater. Sam gets some characterization (and a gender, which I shan’t spoil!), and the relationship between Sam and Rose gets some interesting twisting. The question of why Sam is so hard-up about wearing clothing meets an answer in pony taboos about tails. The main theme, of course, is Sam trying to fit in with pony society by getting more comfortable with being naked. And I continue to be impressed at how much is suggested by little details, glances, small body movements and the like. This remains a story of two people trying to be comfortable with each, and there’s no romance. Yet.
Recommended
To Try for the Sun by Rune Soldier Dan
Reading by Crafty Arts
He’s maybe a little on the quiet side, but a reader I can hear at full volume is every bit as good as a reader I can hear at half volume. He read this with a nice, slow, ponderous evenness. He’s a good’n.
Reading by Keyframe, Scribbler and Jennabun
Keyframe should need no introduction. I just haven’t had an opportunity to listen to one of her readings until now. :B She’s also a good’n!
Genre: Historical
In a sunless world of winter, Celestia does everything she can to provide for her sister.
This being only the second of Rune Soldier Dan’s stories I’ve read — the first, of course, being the RCL feature Glory — I realize he’s a pretty tremendous author. I love stories like this, where we know what happens to the characters later and can see where their attitudes came from, or even the underpinnings of obstacles they would have to overcome to get to who they would eventually be. (The importance in this piece of friendship in particular is excellent.) The story is paced methodically, giving every event proper weight. Celestia is characterized well, young and put-upon, with just a hint of her older, more regal self. The best world-building moment comes early, when she encounters a beggar. The direness of their situation pervades the narrative; never does anything pass by without its potential effects on Luna’s well-being fully considered. And the fact that this isn’t some end of the world brought on by wendigoes or other disastrous forces only makes the setting that much more grim. All in all, very well-written and a very insightful and moving piece about Celestia and Luna’s early life.
Highly Recommended
Twilight Loses Her Quill by Sneaky
Reading by Captain Sand
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Much Ado About Nothing
Here’s how the story goes: Twilight is doing stuff. She has to pee, as explained in eyebrow-lifting detail. One bathroom break later, she can’t find her quill. Spike saves the day and gets run off because Twilight is scary when she freaks out. Twilight finds her original quill. Something worse happens. I honestly didn’t find this one funny because A) there’s not much here, and B) I’m really not into Twilight freakouts. And while I’m generally forgiving to super-short fics because they aren’t going to waste a lot of your time if you read them, at the same time, this is so pointless that I can’t find any reason to recommend it. If you just need something to read, give it a shot?
Not Recommended
Nightmare Night Sleepover by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Slice of Life
There’s no better time for telling ghost stories!
This isn’t actually a followup to Playing in the Park, but the characters are the same. (Trivia: I swapped this reading with Maud and Captain Kirk Go on a Date for the Captain edition reviews. Shows you where things are located, yeah?) This, of course, means stuff is super-cute. If I’ve got a complaint, it’s that the second ghost story is glossed over, and thus isn’t quite as good as the first. What makes the first so good is all three fillies more or less work together to tell it, begging details and making things up as they go along, and yet they’re still scared by the ending. The second is thus pretty lackluster in comparison. But otherwise, this is worth reading.
Recommended
Dancing With Myself by Marshall_Evergreen
Reading by SolarPony and Scribbler
Genre: Sad Romance
Spike, nearly fully-grown, returns to Ponyville after a seven-year absence, wanting to see her again.
You know what? I have no one but myself to blame. If I had read the description of this story, not only would most of its more confounding beats have been expected, but I probably wouldn’t have read it in the first place, because it’s SpikeJack. Is that even a thing? I’ve spent so long — five years, an internet lifetime — building up a solid hatred for Sparity that hearing the name “Applejack” just completely floored me. I had no idea how to react. So I’m going to just completely ignore the ship (it didn’t get gross until they kissed) and focus on the actual merits of the piece. What’s here? A lot of pathetic fallacy and moping, for one. Telling us everyone’s dead and being coy about Spike talking to a gravestone, for another. What’s left is the story of how they got together, a combination of “stuff I didn’t like” and a single scene — the reason why Spike left — that’s actually pretty nicely tragic. If you like gross interspecies ships starring Spike, this might be worth a read, it just wasn't up my alley.
Recommended for Spike Shippers Only
Sweetie Brick by shortskirtsandexplosions
Reading by Captain Sand
Genre: Surreal Humor
In this collection, Sweetie Belle is treated as an object and put to a variety of uses. Half the humor comes from the fact that not everyone treats her as an object. The first installment, for instance, has her asked to be a door stop by Rarity, after which Sapphire Shores ignores her presence. From there, it’s a cavalcade of wackiness, and I never got tired of hearing “then she pulled out Sweetie Belle”. It’s worth noting that those averse to anything vaguely sexual being anywhere near children might wish to steer clear of “Pencil Sharpener” and “Relaxation” due to implications. But the rest is good, clean, completely ridiculous fun, and I loved it.
Recommended
Insecurities by Shachza
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
200th Review of 2016!
Genre: Character Piece
He’s very nervous, because she’s just so pretty.
I did not so much read this story as remember it. I have been Hyperic Cable all my life, a trait I share with the author if the final note is to be believed. The titular insecurities are his. He’s shy, awkward, socially phobic and possibly autistic. He’s had no luck with mares, and never even had a fillyfriend. Into his life steps Fleur — daughter of Fleur de Lis and Fancy Pants — a charming, garrulous, confident, upper-class socialite and more or less his perfect opposite. The juxtapositions between the two are excellently wrought, and the fact that she just doesn’t understand him or his problems only highlights how important this piece is. Because at its heart, this is a story about why “nice guys” finish last: self-defeating prophecies, often the result of mental illness, that can only really be overcome with a lot of patience and persistence. (Once again, a recent blog post ends up being uncannily timely in relation to what I’m reading.) Is it fair that the mare, in this case, has to take on that burden all by herself if she wants to see this guy improve? No, not at all, and a lack of address of this situation left me feeling just slightly miffed by the ending. (The true solution, if I may be so bold, is to stop putting such a high value on being in a relationship.) Then again, the fact that this is openly touted as self-insert wish-fulfillment is undercut by Fleur’s portrayal as the viewpoint character. There’s a real understanding of women here, a very rare thing to see in our male-dominated fandom. That said, the covert “camaraderie of mares” unspoken communication, along with the various background things Fleur does to make sure she’s safe before going on this not-really-a-date, make this feel very un-pony. I mean, those are all things that happen and are necessary in our world, but Equestria is hardly our world. Add to that Fleur’s parentage being the only mention of show characters and most of the (very well described) places being original, and you’re left with something that could easily be sanded and published. But as I praise good fanfics for being good fanfics, so too do I praise good stories for being good stories, and this story is excellent. If you’ve ever found yourself on one side of the confident/unconfident divide and wondered why you had so much difficulty understanding the other, this piece will perhaps give you some insight.
Highly Recommended
Lament by Bradel
Reading by Illya Leonov
Genre: Vignette
Times past, ponies knew and loved Luna’s poetry. Now, she struggles to write even one.
I think I was expecting more out of this. To be sure, I was ready to listen to Illya Leonov read poetry for six minutes, but I can’t say I’m disappointed that didn’t happen, however good the poem in question might be. But after that, there’s a short conversation between Luna and Celestia, something meta about how writing is hard, and then it just kind of ends. :( This feels like more of a scene than a story, and I was a smidge disappointed it didn’t resolve the writing aspect, because I’d sort of assumed that was the intent.
Recommended as Light Reading
And one final note: Little did I expect that a fic called Shingeki no Pizza Hut would not be pony-related. But since it was, just from the title alone, one of my most anticipated of Captain Sand’s readings, I decided to go for it. How was it? Amusing. Turns out watching super-intense anime characters be super-intense about pizza is pretty darned funny. Unfortunately, there are long stretches where that isn’t happening, but chapter two is considerably funnier, as it goes into total crack mode. Still unfortunately, the whole thing is incomplete, but if you’re an Attack on Titan fan, it’s worth it for some laughs. :)
I don't care what anyone says, Sweetie Brick is highly entertaining.
Google has no idea what "Hyperic Cable" is. Is that an autocorrect thing?
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The male character in Insecurities.
Which, by the way, sounds like an interesting study, so I'll tuck that one into my bookshelf.
Ooh, an interesting selection here. Only one I've read (Sweetie Brick, which I didn't much like. There's always one) but To Try For the Sun is going straight on the list, while Insecrities seems like the sort of story that will delight and infuriate me in equal measure, so that's going on it, too. I'm also half-tempted to read the SpikeJack one just for the novelty of it being a ship I've literally never read before.
I suppose that's the main reason why I originally had such a 'story spoiling' description; I knew that I was only trying to appeal to a certain few. I don't mean it to sound obnoxious like, "If you're just gonna hate then don't read"...I just reminded myself of how much I really don't like that phrase...but it was a type of forewarning to say, 'this is what you're going to read', just a quick heads up.
However, I do still appreciate that even though you didn't enjoy it, you didn't condemn my story as being outright terrible.
But what you said about the "pathetic fallacy and moping" is completely true
and I'm glad you picked out something that I can definitely improve on. Overall, a great review!
3812692 It's cool that you want to try out reading something else, but I'm just gonna say, maybe my story isn't the best way to start off on that road. If you do read it, I sincerely hope you enjoy it. And if you don't, at least try another try story before you condemn the ship as being the bane of the fandom...I'm pretty sure that spot is already occupied.
Still, shipping on its own is a formidable force.
3812862 Heh, I'll try almost anything once. I don't have strong feelings on ships, not really being a shipper myself -- I won't read foalcon, but I'll give most other things a chance. E-rated SpikeJack isn't something that disturbs me in itself, just something I find a bit weird.
By...? Sparity? FlashLight? TwiLestia? DisLestia? OctaScratch? SelfinsertAnypony?
I just read Insecurities. Very good piece.
I'm not sure. I could understand concern if she'd, say, entered into an exclusive relationship with him and there was no way to get out, or something similar, but as it stands she's just agreed to sometimes spend time with him and be a friend he can talk to without expectations attached; I got the vibe they both knew there was no relationship between them, and no expectation of one either. So it's just "let's hang out sometimes, and if you improve, then, you know, that's cool."
I wasn't expecting such much glowing praise. I mean, like everyone, I would hope for the vaunted HR rating, but...
A number of things:
I hesitate to associate with even mild autism because I'm not sure it really applies. It could. However such a thing gives me the impression of an inability to engage when I think my problem is more an ingrained conscious refusal to out of insecurity.
You got all that about Fleur Lumineux? I, uh... Woah. I don't know that I have any particular insight into the female mindset. I just wrote her as full a character as I could who just happens to be female, like I've been told to.
Then, with regard to the emotional lopsidedness:
1 - The story is necessarily incomplete and this is really just the very beginning. I just don't feel like a continuation would be appropriate.
2 - I tried to get across that Fleur kind of blew open his insecurities in the past, so this would be her moment to bear the relationship burden.
3 - As much as I tried to make this a great story in its own right, it is still a product of wish fullfillment.
P.S. I really like that blog post. Though, y'know, insecurity makes me wonder if I'm capable of that necessary effort...
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3812645
A 'Hyperic Cable' is a made-up part in an Equestrian airship. He works on airships.
3812911 As far as shipping goes...hmm...toughy.
Although, I suppose my first guess at what can be classified as 'the bane of the fandom', probably comes under a black and red alicorn OC, who is the genetically modified product of all known alicorns and recurring villains, taking preferred stats in magic, strength and speed.
...Naturally.
3812856
And I'm glad you changed the description, because the original review was considerably more scathing. :B I even bumped you up a rating!
3813347
Being autistic, I tend to read autism into characters. :B
Yeah, I mean... Making sure her friends know she's going on a date? The conversations she has with Dancer? That's all anti-rape defense mechanisms, from what I've read. Very true to life.
I wouldn't want to see it continued myself, much as I like the characters.
Thank you for clearing this up. XD
3813395 That's good to know.
I'm just glad you were willing to point that out first, rather berate me.
you sure do love admiral biscuit
Cheers!
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The stage loves him, darling. The lights, the glamour!
Actually, it's just because Shadow of Cygnus read all his stuff. :B
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