Fic recs, August 26th · 1:14pm Aug 26th, 2016
I recently found myself thinking, "I wish I didn't have to read so much so I had more time to read." c.c I just posted my review of one big audiobook, and this journal represents the last few videos before the next one. D: Oh well, at least I'm looking forward to this one.
ShadowOfCygnus has lately been scouring old fics on Fimfiction — like Vanner's Remembrance — but that doesn't mean he doesn't have time to read things like Lost by NorsePony!
Head below for reviews of At the Riverside by Pascoite, uSea's Dinky's Morning, Seamless by Terrasora and the rest!
H: 0 R: 2 C: 3 V: 1 N: 0
At the Riverside by Pascoite
Genre: Slice of Life
Twilight and her friends talk about Death.
Apparently, I've read this one before! In reminds me of Synchronicity, in that it's a folktale being told different ways by different people. In this case, it's about the demeanor and identity of Death. For all that it's set in a raucous bar scene with all six of them, it's somehow a very quiet, personal story. And the reveal at the end is great. This is definitely a memorable piece.
Recommended
Everypony Talks by Comet Burst
Reading (part 1) by Scarlett Blade
Genre: Comedy
Celestia has tea at a coffee shop and brings down the entire coffee industry.
This story is a perfect example of how to grind a run a joke into the ground. The first chapter is decent enough; sure, the main joke is kind of eh, but Luna's reaction sells it, and it ended with a great punchline. The second chapter starts dragging out that joke as well as the Royal Canterlot Voice, which doesn't add a lot of humor on its own. The third chapter continues this, seemingly bringing things to a close before more occurs to keep things going. The fourth chapter is nothing but references and fandom memes, and that's about where this lost me. If you want to read something short and silly starring Celestia and Luna that has some good laughs, you might consider chapter 1, but don't go any further than that.
Vaguely Recommended
Dinky's Morning by uSea
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Cute
Dinky and her mom get ready for the day.
This is one of those stories where the ending makes me exclaim, "That's it?" Not just because it's not much of a story and the ending isn't much of an ending, but also because I'm greedy and want more. I don't care if DerpyDitzy/Dinky doesn't work in canon anymore, those stories are still precious to me, and 'precious' definitely describes this one. I think I can sum up my reaction to it best in regards to what I said after hearing the poem at the end: "Well, that was cute and pointless." Yes, this is cute and pointless, and the combination of those two things isn't bad in the least. :)
Recommended for Derpy and Dinky Fans
Right Action by Seventh Heaven
Reading by GutiuSerenade, Treble Sketch and Emogak
Genre: Shipping
Starlight has something to tell Rarity.
If I'm being honest, this is a very standard kind of shipfic: Pony A has feelings for Pony B and tries to make small-talk while working up the courage to express said feelings. The ending is extremely pat and a bit of a disappointment. The only thing really notable about this is the pairing. I can't say the rest of this is bad, just that Starlight/Rarity is the only part I've never seen before.
Recommended for Shippers Only
Seamless by Terrasora
Reading by Scarlett Blade
Genre: Friendshipping
I found myself very confused by this story until when it was nearly finished; I lay the blame on the reader for not differentiating thoughts from dialogue. Without that, this becomes a jumbled mess, and definitely not the kind of story that should be read aloud. Now, to be fair, the story's point doesn't become clear until around the three-quarters mark: it's an explicit refutation of fanon Vinyl and Octavia portrayals, along with being about how to be yourself. I mean, the scene where Octavia's sitting around, literally talking to herself and contemplating how sad she is would have caught me off guard, read aloud or not. Same for Neon Lights, who seems to have been pulled from a completely different story. But I think this is overall effective, and the more I think about it, the more I like it.
Recommended
My Dear Teacher by Spider8ite
Reading by Scarlett Blade
Mature: Sex
Genre: Domination/Roleplaying
Twilight and Sunset try to spice up their love life.
I've definitely seen this before: teacher/student roleplay, you've been bad and need to be punished, yadda yadda. Some bits are a little goofy ("eating her lover's treat"???), and the opening is very "the story up till now" which, if I'm being honest, I wouldn't have minded reading as an entirely separate story. But what this does, it does adequately, and I definitely like the ship.
Recommended Only If You Like Clopfics
Your comment on "Seamless" about the reader not differentiating between thoughts and dialogue was a bit confusing at first. I thought you were blaming yourself for not realizing the difference before I figured out you meant the reader in the audio.
Y'know, I'm not at all convinced that Derpy/Dinky is now non-canon. There are so many kids shown running around Ponyville, and it's really inconsistent which ones are associating with which adults. The only kids I can think of who have explicitly shown parents are Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, Flurry Heart, and the Cake twins. Just like people were initially dismayed to see Dinky with someone else (Sparkler, right?) at the Sisterhooves Social, they then realized sister didn't mean parent, and then "Brotherhooves Social" basically said they didn't enforce any sort of real relationship anyway. "Carts Before Ponies" was the same way—Cheerilee just said they had to pick any adult they liked, not necessarily a parent or sister or anything. There's nothing implied about how that colt knows Derpy, and maybe Dinky just wasn't interested in participating. I wouldn't take the occasional associations of background ponies as any enforceable canon relationships unless they're explicitly stated, as was the case for Diamond Tiara. The rest I just take as the animators not wanting to have to keep all that straight and being able to just grab whatever ponies they like to put in a scene.
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Derby Hooves is kind of the nail in the Derpy/Dinky coffin for me, but since I wanna say season four, she's been showing up a lot with Carrot Top and Written Scroll, too. (Granted, there've been at least a couple really good fics that explain why!)
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You know, that whole dilemma could be fixed pretty trivially just by making Derpy the center of a Ponyville-wide polyamorous herd.