Fic recs, June 6th! · 3:25pm Jun 6th, 2016
I'm really pissed off because I was almost done finishing up this post, and then I accidentally shut my computer down. So have the garbage, unedited version instead. >:|
cleverpun's been doing a lot of short writing advice blogs; be sure to check out this one about writing dialogue for young children!
Time to introduce a new source of reviews! A Most Irregular Tea Party is the second feature on Cloudsdale FM, run by Blueberry-Dash! Go see what he had to say.
H: 2 R: 3 C: 3 V: 1 N: 1
Guy Talk by Riter
Reading by Captain Sand
Sequel to Girl Talk
Genre: Kilalaverse
When they get together, the guys end up doing what the girls do.
So this is almost the exact same story as Girl Talk: same universe, same events described, we get to see characters like Prism and Del (oh, that's apparently Golden Delicious, so much for my outburst last time) who were mentioned previously. What it has going for it is character. In comparison, the girls pretty much all act the same, with Starburst being the outlier. But here, you've got brash Prism as our POV character, who immediately takes a disliking to the smarmy Coal; "T", who is reasonable and seems innocent, but isn't; and Del, who is quiet and actually innocent. And that little bit of posturing between the first two really makes this. Granted, there's still little that goes on that's going to interest many readers, and if you already read Girl Talk, the various pairings discussed aren't going to be any kind of surprise. But as a quick, light read, this has more to offer, and I was surprised, since I had no prior investment in any of the characters.
Recommended for Slice of Life Fans Only
The 2016 Presidential Campaign Goes to Equestria by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Political Satire
Equestria, as it turns out, is the American state with the most electoral votes.
I was not looking forward to this story when I saw it had come up in my audiobooks. Politics is such a heated issue in the US, and this campaign has been considerably worse in that regard than even the last one. Thankfully, Admiral Biscuit approaches the candidates in the only way that can't piss everyone off equally: no spoilers, they all die. The skewering of various campaigns isn't doled out quite as evenly, but for the most part, it was enjoyable and comes alongside some skewering of Equestria. There's only one joke I didn't get, but at least it comes early. If you've got any kind of idea of how American politics works, this should amuse.
Recommended
A Little Push by LuminoZero
Genre: Kilalaverse
Prism Bolt isn't quite ready to fly. Too bad for him he's the child of two Wonderbolts.
This was recommended to me by Singularity Dream as an introduction to the Kilalaverse. Shoulda read it before Guy Talk, but whatever. So, for all that I've enjoyed, to various degrees, stories about the next generation characters, and for all that like Kilala's art, their taste in shipping leaves something to be desired. Flashlight is fine, Carajack is… okay, I guess. But SoarinDash is pleb-tier and Sparity is garbage. (Also, Discord's in there somewhere, probably paired up with Fluttershy, and that's garbage, too.) So stories about the kids are fine because I don't have to think about where they came from. So yeah, this is primarily a SoarinDash fic, is what I'm getting at, and it starts with the bane of all future fics: a lengthy catch-up exposition. It dragged on long enough that I started wondering if this would have anything to do with the kids. 2k off the top would have helped this have a snappier opening; not explaining everything would have helped the rest. It also feels packed full of small details, constantly name-dropping characters both canon and original, just so we can know what they're up to. But past all that, this is a decent story about parents and children. Rainbow learns not to project onto her son so much, Prism gets help from his cool aunt to overcome his fears. And I did indeed get a good feeling for the setting and characters, so it at least accomplished that much. SoarinDash shippers will get the most out of this, but it'll probably be a nice read for anyone who likes stories centering around family dynamics.
Recommended for Slice of Life Fans
Reconnection by A Fistful of Apples
Reading by CreepyPastaSalad
Sequel to The Severing of Friendship
Genre: Dark/AU
After being murdered, the Element Bearers get a second chance at life.
This was various levels of recommended to me after my somewhat lackluster review of The Severing earlier this year. Like its predecessor, it's a poorly-written, very old story written around a fairly interesting grimdark concept. In this case, four of the mane six, having been killed in a ritualistic manner by Twilight in the original, are given a chance to come back with some memories of what happened, at any time between when they got their Element and when they died. However, because of the way Twilight dies in that story, she gets to come back, too. This sets up a pretty engaging thriller, for the most part, as Twilight works to overcome the obstacles she knows will get in her way, while the others variously try to figure out what happened and then plot to kill her. A very grim mechanic behind the whole "severing" idea rears its head cleverly, given how the narrative plays out, and the particular ways that everyone is out of character feel naturally derived from the grimdark circumstances of their deaths. I liked the way Big Mac was written. That said, this story isn't great by any stretch: Rarity's arc notably involves her more or less reenacting Cupcakes on Twilight, some bits make no sense, the aforementioned writing problems include just about every editing mistake you can think of (though they at least get better toward the end), and there's a ship I really dislike that shows up in the finale. Also, the epilogue is way too long, taking us through a lifetime for our heroes, and the three "supplement" chapters aren't a great idea. (The first is the full Cupcakes, the second is the antithesis thereof, and the last shows Rainbow stopping Rarity, only for things to go terribly wrong.) Fans of The Severing will probably like this (and probably read it when it came out four years ago, natch), and I think it might be a slightly better story. But it all comes down to how much grimdark you can take in your ponies.
Recommended for Grimdark Fans Only
TD4W! by chief maximus (formerly Mr. Maximus)
Reading by Captain Sand
Genre: Dank Memes
Twilight goes out to a club with her friends while a burning question haunts her: Just what is everypony turning down for?
Yeah, so, I love Turn Down for What, but this story is basically just an attempt at evoking comedy by inserting that phrase more or less at random into dialogue. I got precisely one laugh from reading this, and it wasn't from the meme. The sexual innuendo and general nightclub setting don't fit the world well, either. I won't say it's bad, but really it did nothing for me, and it won't for you either unless you just like seeing memes appear on the page.
Not Recommended
Consequence by Wanderer D
Reading by ABagOfVicodin
Genre: Future Fic
Immortals like Twilight Sparkle are not meant to play by the same rules as mortals.
This is a really cool fic with a lot to offer. It starts in medias res, giving us some indication of what's gone wrong in the past 600 years. The future is bleak, Twilight has a lot of guilt on her shoulders, Spike's gotten cynical. Then we get to see what led the world to this state, and the threat, while perhaps a bit more existential than what we've seen in the show, is no less creative. Along the way, there is a ton of cool headcanon regarding everything from Starlight Glimmer's place in the world to why Celestia sent Twilight and friends after all those threats in the past. This all leads up to what I would call a perfect ending. I am, of course, a huge sucker for setups like this, but I think this will have wide appeal if you haven't read it already.
Highly Recommended
Cant by Rambling Writer
Reading by Luna Farrowe
Reading by Voiceguy
Genre: Horror
Twilight attempts to copy the world's most boring book of eldritch horror.
As a long-time aficionado of the SCP Foundation, I highly appreciate the kind of horror at work here. And yet the reader could be forgiven for thinking this a comedy; the first line is perfectly hilarious, after all, and Twilight's musings on the various failures of this book to drive anyone insane are equally funny. This just means that the horror is all the more insidious, creeping out of the narrative gradually. It's a lot of fun. Make sure you go back and check out the name of the book after you've reached the end, too, it's quite a hoot.
Recommended
The Wreck by John Perry
Genre: Mystery/Psychological
A.K. Yearling keeps dreaming of a shipwreck.
Once upon a time, Daring Do was an in-world fictional character. Then she became a real person, the writer of her own stories, and a good bit of potential for how to use her was lost. This story shows that Daring Don't didn't rob us of our ability to interpret her how we like. To wit, in this piece, it's A.K. Yearling who's real, and Daring who's fictional. Of course, Yearling's been getting some crossover in her dreams; it seems like she's seeing herself as Daring more and more. Along with this is a mystery about a shipwreck, a great look at her home life (her relationship with her fiance is cute), and a look at a writer dealing with writer's block. The way this story unfolds itself is quite the treat, and overall, it's a gripping, thrilling experience.
Highly Recommended
Celestia Makes Dinner by Overlord-Flinx
Reading by Captain Sand
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Sequel to Luna Makes Toast.
Genre: Random Comedy
I didn't realize this was a sequel to a story I'd already read, but it doesn't seem to matter, as it has little to do with that one beyond being a variation on a theme. Unfortunately, this one doesn't hit home as well as its predecessor. Finding out that it follows the same formula, at least as far as starting with a letter goes, doesn't help. Mostly, I just couldn't get over the idea that cooking breakfast and cooking dinner are the same skill. It shouldn't be possible to be good at one and not the other. And given that Celestia can't follow a simple recipe in this story, it's hard to believe that she can make breakfasts successfully as well. But maybe I'm overthinking it. Regardless, the real problem is I got precisely two laughs out of this, and one of them wasn't the punchline. The final line strikes me as a "ran out of words" ending, and for all that the last scene is funny, it ends the story on a very weak note. I won't say this is a terrible story, but I think Luna Makes Toast was better, and that really isn't saying much.
Vaguely Recommended
Twilight Learns to Prank by Eakin
Reading by Emogak
Genre: Comedy
Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie recruit Twilight to help them prank the Princess.
Oh boy, it's time for a new shortfic collection. D: Curse you, Emogak! Anyway, I don't know why this wasn't published by itself, it's just about a perfect comedy. The prank being used is a classic, and I saw quickly where things were going to go, but that didn't stop the experience from being a ton of fun. :D Plus, it gives a reasonable excuse for ponies having refrigerators! Don't pass this up!
Recommended
This is super-confusing because you've previously reviewed my Girl Talk story, but the prequel to Guy Talk is a different story that has the same name.
Oh, cool, thanks bro! I have to say, ABagofVicodin's reading really made the story shine, I feel, more than my writing.
Seeing Reconnection actually makes me more nostalgic than seeing Season 1 episodes themselves.
Whew...
Seeing that story added to the 'Reviewed' Bookshelf made me a bit apprehensive, but thankfully the review wasn't as brutal as I was expecting. XD
To answer your unanswered question, in that universe Fluttershy is single and Discord is with Celestia. Also, we're gonna have words if you be speaking cross bout my Sparity OTP. The gauntlet has been thrown, good sir.
Thanks for the review!
-Lumino
Thanks for the review! The main reason I didn't post 'Prank' as its own stand-alone story is the length. It was a self-imposed challenge to write something self-contained in under one hour. Other stories have started in the compilation and developed into their own independent stories. 'The Mare Behind The Mare' was the main one, and you can still sort of tell by the structural shift between the two chapters.
I love Twilight Learns to Prank, and I think I'll add D's story to my list; sounds like exactly the sort of thing I'd enjoy.
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SPARITY IS GARBAGE
Dislestia is pure and wholesome, however. :V
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There are some you published, then? Are these marked (so I don't review them twice)?
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-Lumino
4004025
Sparity would be fine if it didn't get in the way of my precious Rarijack.
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I removed it from the compilation when I expanded it into its own story
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Okay, good. I know some people don't do that, so I wanted to check. :B