Fic recs, June 3rd! · 11:26pm Jun 3rd, 2017
This month's issue of Flash Fiction Online dropped, and once again, I had to shrug at most of it. That said, Lora Gray's Water Like Air deals with loss in an interesting way, which is to say it involves a water ghost woman thing covered in mud. I'll also give lip-service to Owning the Dragon by Frances Pauli, which might be a good read for anyone who really likes Equestria-style dragons (it's about a greedy dragon); I just found the ending a little underwhelming, for all that it does give you something to think about.
There are paid reviews in this blog! You can find more details about how to get one yourself here, or you can throw money at Wanderer D, who's open for writing commissions!
The review commissions thing seems to have slowed my output down, but boy oh boy am I reading a lot more stuff than usual that I actually like!
H: 2 R: 4 C: 0 V: 0 N: 0
Because I Have Friends by TheAccidentalBrony
Proofread by Me
Genre: Slice of Life
It's a time to celebrate, and all Twilight can do is drink alone.
This is a short piece taking place right after the season 7 opener, and serves as an affirmation of friendship, between Twilight and all her friends. More importantly, for me, it seemed to refute something I've been pondering lately: the idea that Twilight especially, but the rest of the mane six as well, is becoming superfluous. Starlight's speech showed me that's definitely not true. That said, this story is also a little unfocused, moving from quiet drinking to drunk shenanigans (that unicorn drinking game is really cool, though!) to heartfelt declarations of friendship and stuff. Still, worth the read, and Starlight especially is written well.
Recommended
The Stars Will Aid in Her Escape by dragonjek
Reading by Illya Leonov
Genre: Chess Game of the Gods
For the thousand years Nightmare Moon spent sealed in the moon, alone and forgotten, she was not completely powerless...
Now this is an immortal's game. Giving Nightmare Moon the tiniest bit of influence over dreams allows her to set a very long-term plan in motion, the endgame of which is just monumentally clever on the author's part. I'll note the writing is a tad dense in places, but this should be worth it just for the world-building payoff. :)
Recommended
Friendship 101 by BlazzingInferno
Paid Review for BlazzingInferno
Genre: Slice of Life
A pony only gets one cute-ceañera, and Twilight Velvet is going to make sure her daughter's is perfect.
What a perfectly marvelous little story. :) Twilight Velvet wins Mom of the Year for doing everything in her power to make sure her daughter has friends, young Twilight and Shining Armor are written perfectly, and Celestia masterfully sidesteps any potential accusations of favoritism among her students in the cleverest, most heartwarming way imaginable. This is the kind of story you read when you want to feel good.
Highly Recommended
Three AM at the Waffle House by Star Destroyer
Mature: Sex
Paid Review for Star Destroyer
Genre: 2P HiE Parody
Little do you realize , you're about to go to fucking Equestria. Again.
I've seen sexual comedies before, but I think this is the first story I've ever read that qualifies as sexual absuridsm. It also succeeds in presenting pony sex as completely non-sexy, though it's probably not the first of those I've read (that honor probably goes to Fiddlebottoms, or maybe Amit). But yeah, this is completely batshit insane, has the kind of second-person narrator mockery I like to see, and did I mention it was completely batshit insane? Because it is. The droll deprecation is the real draw here, giving you plenty to be ashamed of, if shame is a trait you possess. It always kept me guessing! Highly Recommended If Gross Pony Sex Doesn't Totally Weird You Out.
Recommended
Morsel of Truth by Pen Stroke
Genre: Somehow Not Actually Horror?
All legends have the ring of truth to them, and Nightmare Night's is no different.
The whole time I read this story, all I could think was "How is this only tagged SoL?" The ending of the first scene is a little confusing, but once the same thing happens in scene two, you quickly realize, this story ain't fooling around. The tensions only get higher by the final scene. It's a bit of a slow burn, but absolutely chilling and totally worth it.
Recommended
The New Crop by xjuggernaughtx
Paid Review for xjuggernaughtx
Genre: Dark AU/Drama
When you're from a down-and-out family like the Apples, fighting's the only way to keep from losing everything.
There aren't too many stories I have yet to read that I've heard more consistent acclaim for than this one; it's about time I got to it. Goddamn. In a world where the Apples settled in a bustling Appleloosa, rather than the patch of land south of Canterlot, and were nowhere near as successful at farming there, where Applejack is dead, Apple Bloom only has one eye and Granny Smith is torn and bitter, Big Macintosh fights in the boxing ring for tournament purses to keep his family's farm afloat. There's actually a good bit more to this AU, revealed in the final chapter, that makes it even more tragic; if you demand your fanfics be anything like the show, run far away from this. Just know that you're leaving behind a fantastic story, a meditation on fighting and duty shot through with personal drama and tragedy, written to the highest standard.
Highly Recommended: Top Fifteen
And this is why I submitted The New Crop for revised entry into the RCL. It really is that good.
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And this is why it never had a chance, despite all protestations of it not being a popularity contest.
Hey! Top fifteen! That's pretty awesome!
4557368 I did come in third, though. Not a bad showing, considering what I was up against. It did create an unintended firestorm in the process, unfortunately...
The New Crop is outstanding. I absolutely detest boxing, and I found the unflinching depictions of events in the ring extremely hard to read. And one thing I found a bit odd was the identity of Big Mac's opponent, which would apparently have been explained in a sequel that never came to be. But I still came away immensely impressed. I'd have been rather shocked if you hadn't given this fic its HR, and Top Fifteen doesn't surprise me either. Even if you hate boxing as I do, it's worth the pain.
Hay PP, this was an unexpected surprise, thanks for the boost there, bro!
4557368 Not true. I got in first and shouted a lot. It came very close. It's as much marketing competition as a popularity one :P
4557558
Advertising is much more agreeable when you can share it with someone. :B
4557640 I was confusing this with the later RCL re-feature event. Yes, the first was rather punctuated with lots of marketing.
4557868 Ahh, yes. Didn't bother with the second as I didn't get in early enough to matter.
xjuggernaughtx, you beautiful bastard
4558055 I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. I don't associate with that lowlife.
Your praise humbles me.