Fic recs, December 2nd! · 9:21pm Dec 2nd, 2017
Goombasa has done a reading of GaPJaxie's Pan Flash! Neighrator Pony has started a reading of Sweet Little Lovely by Mr V, with Goombasa, Scribbler, Gina M and a whole bunch of other people! Winged T. Spears has done a reading of The Lusty Human Butler that I can't link to! Here's another, of Akumokagetsu's Twilight Is Doomed, that I can.
And I've published my reading of the next installment of ArgonMatrix's series: One Friend!
Had to get this out before I post the final entry tomorrow, so have some minifics. c.c Yeah, that illness I talked about in my state of the writer post? It's back. All my plans to get lots of reading done have been ruined. :C
H: 3 R: 9 C: 8 V: 1 N: 0
The Patience of Stones (or, "Daring Do Works Alone") by Cold in Gardez
Genre: Adventure
This is a quick scene about Daring Do and her (former) assistant getting on the wrong side of a pressure-plate trap in an old temple. It might actually say more with the title than anything, but it's worth it, especially if you're a fan of Daring or short-form adventure pieces.
Recommended
To Be an Apple by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Crackshipping
Pinkie needs Applejack to marry her, like, right now.
I say "crackshipping" not because it's a crack ship — for all that they might be related these days — but that it's not really shipping, yet not quite a comedy either. I dunno, you'll have to read it. It's one of the most out-there ways to derive shipping from an episode I have ever seen, and it's clean, wholesome fun that brought a smile to my face. :)
Recommended
Chasing Butterflies by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Cyberpunk
This is one of those aggravating short fics that makes you wish it was a whole fucking 100k epic. This is really awesome, filled with grungy dystopian AU futurism, with Applejack (surprisingly) as a perfectly cynical narrator who's looking for something a little more out of life. I loved the hell out of this, and I would gladly read more.
Highly Recommended
Drink the Bottle by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Slice of Life
Do you want to know about: A) bottles, B) what happens when dragons get sick? This is the story for you. It's just a neat piece of textual still-life with some world-building thrown in.
Recommended
Horror Week, part 4: Applejack by Nonagon
Genre: Thriller
Funny how, with the way I read these, "Horror week" has stretched out to over a year. <.< This is one of the neater pieces in this collection. I don't know that it quite qualifies as 'horror', but it does a great job presenting an idea, a feeling, through its excellent mantra. If you read anything today, make it this!
Recommended
Sundagio Fluff by Fuzzyfurvert
Genre: Shipping
This does feel abandoned, for the sole reason that it starts doing a thing and then stops, but the scene prior to that is perfect as a ficlet. And, well, I've never been much for this ship, but their banter and chemistry are good, for all that it spends no time in explaining how anything got like this.
Recommended for Shippers
A New Day by HoofAndQuill
Genre: Sad
Twilight should have seen the signs sooner.
I like how, when this story mentions Celestia being defeated by Chrysalis, the ol' pro-Celly dander rose up in me and I was set to poo-poo yet another fic about how much the alicorns suck. But this takes that as just one of many signs that not all is right with Celestia, and turns into a much more thoughtful piece than those tend to be. For sure, I love the writing in this, it's fantastic. Be sure to check it out.
Highly Recommended
No and Yes by FanOfMostEverything
Genre: Future Fic
Pumpkin Cake isn't about to let Sugarcube Corner go without one last memento.
This is a fun little piece in the vein of Alarm Clock or The Big Butterfly Brouhaha. Hope I don't give too much away with that comparison. It definitely feels like part one of something larger that likely hasn't happened, but I dunno, I thought it was neat, and I like the way Pumpkin is characterized..
Recommended
❤ by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Shipping
This is a brief scene of MarbleMac. There's almost nothing to it, save that it's full of imagery and emotion. And that's about all I have to say about it!
Recommended for Romance Fans
Not a Love Song by AugieDog
Genre: Poem
What a nutty piece. It's Cadence talking about love, but it's meta as fuck, the very structure of the poem picked out and then hashed specifically to make a point. And of course, the flow is unparalleled, Augie's the best in the game! Can't say I've seen anything like it before.
Highly Recommended
Wednesday by Silvernis
Genre: Sad
This is a fairly standard "pony acting weird, then reveal the reason why" kind of story, but I'll admit, I haven't seen a backstory like this for Photo Finish before. I guess I could complain that it doesn't explain anything about her character, but I liked it for what it is.
Recommended as Light Reading
Of Plants and Puns. Or: A Shameless Attempt to Win Donny's Affections by Bombastic Bookpony
Genre: Random Comedy
This is a good bit more random than comedy, if you ask me, though there are at least two good jokes in here. Well, one good joke and one funny meta-crack that I was amused by. Daring's misappropriations of Applejack's name wore on me, however, and the villains felt stock and forgettable. Might have been better with more flesh on it, but hard to say.
Vaguely Recommended
After the Pact by KingMoriarty
Genre: Random Bureaucratic Comedy
This succeeds much better at the comedy, with a lot of randomness thrown in because Discord is involved. Good lord, I have never seen more ridiculous pony names in a story! Best of all might be the reason this was written, for all that I don't quite get all the Magic terminology. But yeah, this was definitely a unique work.
Recommended
The Race by ObabScribbler
Genre: Comedic Shipping
This one's really quick, like, Nonagon quick almost, and you'll almost miss what's going on if you read too fast. But for a crackship this out there, it's a fun scenario, and I got a chuckle out of it. :D
Recommended for Shippers
Mega-Pony Trophytershy's Owl by SirNotAppearingInThisFic
Genre: Holiday Story
Fics in this collection tend to be a little out-there, but you have to love the story this pony's dad tells her about Hearth's Warming. It's a good attempt to integrate some Earth traditions into the pony holiday, and maybe it's just that it's seasonal right now, but I enjoyed it.
Recommended
Anon's Muffin Day by GroaningGreyAgony
Genre: AiE Comedy
Does this qualify as a feghoot? Whatever it is, it's stupid and marvelous. I don't think I've seen anyone try to do anything similar before. What a joy. :D
Recommended for Laughs
Unleash the Magic (Under Controlled Experimental Conditions) by PonyAmorous
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: EQG Comedy
This is something of a fix-fic or a take-that, but as it's just some good, old-fashioned riffing on the slapdash plot of Friendship Games, I had fun with it. Just imagine how the movie would have gone had Twilight been truly dedicated to science!
Recommended for Laughs
Unleash the Macking by FanOfMostEverything
Sequel to Unleash the Magic (Under Controlled Experimental Conditions)
Genre: EQG Comedy
Picking right up from the previous story, this continues the skewering by moving to the events that happened after the credits… Or wouldn't have, in this case. Just some silly, shippy fun.
Recommended for Laughs
Speedster Camp, Day One by KwirkyJ
Genre: Bullying
That's the first day of Gilda's, to be precise. You can guess how this goes. I have to say, I appreciate the world-building at the end, but overall it's a little fast-paced and flat. Didn't leave much of an impact, but it's still interesting.
Recommended for Light Reading
My Little Pony: The Movie: The Unofficial Fix-Fic by Sharp Spark
Genre: AU
This is what happens when someone knows about the movie but hasn't seen the movie yet and tries to write a fic about it. I'm pretty sure this is far better than what we actually got, for all that it does not make one bit of sense. Seriously though, it goes to some crazy, unexpected places!
Recommended
The Truth by Shrink Laureate
Genre: Philosophical
This has something of the tragicomic to it, as we're introduced to a stallion scientist whose cutie mark turns out to be based on a theory that's just been disproven by his own student. Pretty heady stuff, for ponyfic! Along with some solid world-building, this carries with it a strong message about the purpose of science and the nature of truth. Kind of fascinating!
Recommended
Before anything else...
I'm super excited to hear that! :D
I would like to apologize to Pascoite for somehow dropping Tales of Interest from my usual minific rotation. D: I'm not sure how that happened. Guess it'll be in the next one...
I DO WHAT I WANT.
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The reading is finished now, if you felt like having a listen.
Thanks also to PP, I'd have never found the fic without your recommendation. It might be my best work to date.
The fix-fic, Chasing Butterflies, Sundagio Fluff were all great. A New Day was one of those things where I can see it was very good, but just didn't enjoy that much myself. I think it's that at this point I want more exploration in a Princesses Dying fic than can happen in a minific, or probably even a short story.
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I'm planning to make it my commute listening this week.
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Gotta say, the reading was excellent. Great performances not only for the narration and three principal characters, but the bit parts as well. I didn't expect commissioning the review from PP to result in the story getting a reading, much less something of that caliber. Many thanks to you and your contributors!
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Oh, you commissioned the review! Then I owe you my thanks as well!
Tragically, I haven't been able to get ahold of Mr V at all, it seems he's not very active anymore. It certainly was a surprise finding such a gem from way back in 2012!