Fic recs, June 26th! · 2:26pm Jun 26th, 2016
For being balls-deep in an audiobook, I'm doin' p. gud at the regular updates. :B Don't got nothin' important to say, so have some more minifics! (You guys aren't getting tired of these, are you? D:) Read below to find my 3400th review of ever!
H: 1 R: 10 C: 6 V: 0 N: 0
Tour of Duty by Cold in Gardez
Genre: Slice of Life
Cirrus gets a letter for a deployment that needs somepony good with weather.
This is just sort of a look at Equestrian military life (or any) with Cirrus from CiG's other short stories. What's interesting is the ways it builds tension without resolving anything; there's something slightly sinister about just what Cirrus does to get ready for this new deployment, but it's never explained what he's going to be doing. A good choice, I think. It might not have a lot going on, but between the displays of camaraderie and his inner monologue, this serves itself well.
Recommended
To Share a Closet With a Zebra by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Comedy
Zecora and Applejack get stuck in a closet.
So this has two parts: "how did we get here?" and the very obvious yet still-made-me-groan punchline. In between, it fails the Zecora Test hard. D: That said, if you appreciate puns, it might be worth reading for that punchline.
Recommended for Feghoot Lovers
Hiding Something? Me? by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: [Redacted]
As the note at the opening says, tagging this would spoil it. All I'll say is that it feels like the start of a story; as microfiction, it doesn't quite leave off in the right spot to be satisfying. Still, the twist is totally worth it. :)
Recommended
Keep Talking by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Friendshipping
A teleportation mishap leaves Twilight at the edge of death.
The final note is right: this is a good bit darker than the slice of life tag suggests. But really, it's about Pinkie being a good friend in a time of need, and not so much about how much need Twilight is in at the time. "Grimlight" might be a sufficient moniker, but that's kind of outdated anymore.
Recommended
Once More, With Feeling by Pascoite
Genre: Slice of Life
It's time for Spike and Rarity to talk.
Were this Sparity, I would of course be spewing vitriol, written by Pascoite or otherwise. But no, it's a nice look at things that have drawn Spike and Rarity together over the course of the show, and not, y'know, just trying to ship them because Spike has a crush. And of course, there's a twist. :)
Recommended
An Infinite Number of Walls by Nonagon
Genre: Psychological
I know I've been a little hard on the last few of Nonagon's microfics, but this one shows off what can be done in under a hundred words, suggesting quite a lot with the final line.
Recommended
Radiance by FuzzyFurvert
Genre: TwiLuna
Okay, it's not much of a shipfic, they're just together at the start. (Actually, I was struck oddly by how clingy Twilight is…) But this is mostly just a neat bit of headcanon, a quick look at moving Twilight's Princesshood forward. Not much else to it.
Recommended as Light Reading
Closer to Home by HoofAndQuill
Genre: Light Comedy
Twilight and friends speculate on the nature of the Pony of Shadows.
Okay, this is a fun twist on Castle-Mania. I actually won't say anything more than that, save that reconsidering the episode in light of what's suggested here makes it even more satisfying.
Recommended
Left Shaken by FanOfMostEverything
Genre: Epic
A strange earthquake shakes all but Equestria.
This is, surprisingly, about Discord being the voice of reason in the middle of a crisis. Despite this, he's also written pretty damn well. For all that this feels like chapter one of something much bigger, his snark and keen observations make it.
Recommended
Enemy Colors by FanOfMostEverything
Genre: Random
Scootaloo has been infected by chaos magic.
This is a goofy little ficlet based on a goofy prompt. (Why is Estee the root of so many bad ideas) It kind of doesn't amount to anything, but at the same time, it takes some shots at standard Scootaloo tropes, plus it again has that well-written Discord from the previous piece. Honestly, hitting him in the pride to make him help others out is just perfect motivation.
Recommended for Laughs
Twilight Sparkle Has a Peach on Her Ass by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Crackfic
Problems arise when Twilight finally takes a bath.
This is a crossover with Obselescence's hilarious story Where the Sun Don't Shine, about the same thing, more or less, happening to Luna. Only Biscuit took it in peach directions, and now we have to live with that. The ending feels very "ran out of steam", but the rest is pretty funny if you enjoy gleeful character destruction as much as I do.
Troll Recommended
Rhapsody by AugieDog
Genre: Poem
I think the offputting thing about this is it's the same meter and rhyme scheme used in most Dr. Seuss books. So I generally associate it with lighthearted, silly things, and Luna discussing why she was wrong to become Nightmare Moon is anything but. Of course, this being an Augie poem, it's still excellent, and even if it's not the best poem in this collection to date — there are a couple spots I'd quibble with word choice or meter — it's still loads better than what makes a lot of people on this site detest poetry.
Recommended
Good, Better, Best by Silvernis
Genre: Episode Followup
Spitfire confronts Lightning Dust after kicking her out of the Academy.
This is very much a sympathy piece for Lightning Dust, but if it does anything well, it's that it doesn't treat anyone present as entirely at fault for anything. I found Lightning's motivation fairly standard, but it's a better piece than I anticipated, given the subject matter.
Recommended for Lightning Dust Fans
Hoofprints by GhostOfHeraclitus
Genre: Science Fiction
This is a really amazing piece. It starts out something like an essay, doing a clever bit of recasting Earth technological history as magic. Then it goes into true speculative fiction territory, crossing over with ponies and who knows what all else. The presentation is self-aware enough not to be confusing, even when it's outwardly trying to be confusing. It left me with a sense of wonder and awe, and for being at its core about Neil Armstrong meeting Luna — an old, old fandom trope — it's a pretty spectacular little jaunt.
Highly Recommended
Trixie and Pumpkin Cake Save the World by Sharp Spark
Genre: Adventure
This is unfortunately actually the first chapter to a story that was never finished, and it's a shame, because it's pretty darn good. Trixie's situation is interesting, Pumpkin has a good voice and fun circumstance. I could really see these two being a hoot together. Unfortunately, we can only appreciate what's here and imagine what could have been.
Recommended If You Don't Mind Unfinished Works
Last Stand by Bombastic Bookpony
Review #3400!
Genre: Comedy/Shipping
Pinkie won't leave Twilight, not even if it means the end of the world.
This is all about the reveal and reactions at the end. I won't spoil it, I'll just say it's worth reading for the laughs. :D
Recommended
Celestia and Shining Armor Have a Chat by Eakin
Genre: Slice of Life
The author's note complains that this piece is disjointed, and I have to agree. The story is comprised of three conversations, and the serious one in the middle — in which Shining Armor and Celestia do some bonding as older siblings — is bookended by two that are far more lighthearted. However, the disparity in tone really isn't a huge problem, because each conversation is perfectly entertaining in its own right. Plus, I don't think I've ever seen a scene with Shining and Celestia like that before.
Recommended
“…balls-deep in an audiobook…”
Whatever sinks your sub, I guess. This may be of help to you.
I wonder if I should be concerned about being so good at writing an avatar of insanity...
I'm a fan of most everything by FanOfMostEverything.
If not for you I would pretty much never read any of these miniature stories that are parts of collections.
4049944
If not for fic readers and the occasional relevant crosslink, I wouldn't either. D:
4049961 which is why I feel no shame when I publish barely-over-a-thousand word stories separately.
4049977
You're doing the Lord's work ;_;
4049944
4049961
Same here. Also why the next several things I'm publishing are going up as stand alones and link them, rather than do another collection.
4050067 Lord Tirek, maybe. :B
Must... fight... image...
Ack! Image winning! Image winning!
4050766
You just have to stick to a solid meter and rhyme scheme. Listen to her in the show: she doesn't talk in quatrains, they use close rhymes sparingly, they absolutely do not have her say two words, then try to rhyme that with an entire sentence (something I have seen far too often). Writing rhymed poetry seems to be a skill that escapes most people, and I just don't know why.
"Hoofprints" is beautiful.
4051131
I concur with the assessment of my esteemed colleague; Hoofsteps is truly wonderful, and the introduction of it in particular sticks with me in an incredibly powerful way.
4052204
Honestly, no. Everything I know about it I picked up in school. :/ Maybe look for a workshop, something at a community center or local university?
4053254
What is this world coming to ._.
!!!
Awwwww. I'm quite humbled.
Thank you.