Fic recs, February 18th! · 4:58pm Feb 18th, 2018
Goombasa's newest reading is GaPJaxie's First Take!
I have a read a ton of horsewords over the last four days. Just trying to get through some longer stuff that's been on my RIN for a while. Broad definition of "now" and all that. :B It's amazing what I can listen through with Fimfic's text-to-speech and some Binding of Isaac, though! :D
Speaking of TTS, does anyone know how it works? On my laptop, Fimf reads to me with a male voice; on my desktop, it's female, and they have different problems with different words, as though they're completely separate programs. I'd really like to have the male voice on both, just because he's a little stronger and I wouldn't have to turn my headphones up so high. >.>
H: 1 R: 2 C: 2 V: 0 N: 0
The Sparkle Census by Skyward Shoe
Read by Fimfiction
Genre: Multiverse Shenanigans
Twilight Sparkle's strangest day ever begins with her being summoned to a place filled with… herself?
I want to start by saying I think the Comedy tag is misplaced on this story. Oh sure, it features one of the funniest ways to defeat a villain I think I've ever seen in a fic, but the humor is otherwise stretched very thin throughout the rest of the story, and a lot of it is just inside jokes from other fics. What this could use instead is a Thriller tag, for all that that itself is relegated to maybe three chapters in the middle; it was definitely the strongest stretch of this story, though. The rest of it, though, often left something to be desired. The first two chapters are positively dull, for instance, though at least part of that was me focusing on that Comedy tag and waiting for it to kick in. It doesn't help that I've seen this idea in a story I read recently; I won't say which, because spoilers, but suffice to say, it was overall considerably crazier than what happens here. I did like how the EQG elements were woven into the whole "interdimensional Twilight Sparkle land" setting, though, and for all that there's strong sequel bait by the end, I'm glad the author didn't follow up on it. This isn't a bad story, by any stretch, just know what you're getting into.
Recommended for Sci-Fi Fans
What Is Left by OnionPie
Read by Fimfiction
Genre: Dark/Thriller/Tragedy
Five years in the big city have left Sweetie Belle with an addiction, an estranged sister, and a big debt to some very bad ponies.
The first word out of Sweetie Belle's mouth in this piece is "Fuck", so let that decide for you whether to even finish this review. If you're willing to give what is essentially a dark future AU the time of day, however, you will find yourself treated to a gripping thriller — I hadn't meant to sit down and read it all in one go, but here we are — filled with lush, emotional imagery, dirty dealings, and a gut-wrenching finale. A lot of the mystery hangs on characters not communicating, and that is kind of the centerpiece of this tale of estranged sisters trying to figure out what to do with each other. Sweetie is selfish, sassy, clever and driven, and has some surprising turns, while Rarity is downtrodden and suicidal, and they make wonderful counterpoints for each other. The villain is pretty darned impressive, too, intimidating in all the right ways. I don't really have anything to say against this, other than its grittiness will not appeal equally to all readers.
Highly Recommended
Rainbow Fart-tery by Flutterpriest
Genre: Rainbow Factory Parody
What's the real secret of the Rainbow Factory? Probably something stupid.
I can't remember the last time I read a story so quickly after it came out. This was everything I could have ever wanted. Will you like it? There's orderly panicking and farts and critique of a bad story via fourth-wall-breakage. In short, the kind of thing I would write. :V It's hilarious. What a perfect gift to Reverb and Scribbler on the eve of their betrothal.
Recommended If You Think Farts Are Funny
The Perfect Little Village of Ponyville by McPoodle
Read by Fimfiction
Genre: Meta/AU/Adventure
The moment before Vinyl Scratch woke up, she hadn't been Celestia's prized student, she wasn't heading to Ponyville to make some friends, and she definitely couldn't see.
I want everyone to take good note of that Meta tag. This is a story that asks a lot of its reader and more or less pays off the patient by the end. Things like the colored text and the occasional slips of "I" from the narrator are in fact very purposeful, but their true purpose is obscured until almost the very end of the story. As a matter of fact, the actual plot, the conflict, the what's-going-on-here isn't revealed until chapter ten, and even then, it's not the focus of the story. And that makes it hard to evaluate, because pretty much nothing that happens in this piece is actually important. But even knowing that, this may send readers for a loop. Sure, the AU setup is lots of fun: Vinyl is basically Twilight, magic is music in this world, Rarity has mind-controlled the Ponyville populace, Applejack is Filthy Rich with the moral compass of a Flim-Flam Brother, and on and on. Except that, as Vinyl struggles to reconcile her memories from this world with her memories of the world she comes from, things become insanely confusing for the simple reason that it seems like Vinyl has come from yet another AU. You see what I'm talking about? But in the end, I can't say this wasn't worth reading; it got into the RCL, after all, and this is me doing a little catch-up. :B
Recommended
Pillow Talk by Captain Unstoppable
Genre: Romance/Slice of Life
Something's bothering Rainbow Dash, and Big Mac is going to figure it out.
It tickles me how intrinsically season one MacDash is as a ship. I was never a huge fan, but it's fine, and just not something you see much of anymore. Anyway, this is exceedingly cute, though, being written for a snuggling contest (which it won), it's about as fluffy as you'd think. Still, it does a really good job of painting what Big Mac and Rainbow Dash's life would look like, how they entwine around each other both literally and figuratively. I find I really like the image of Mac as the doting domestic, too. If there's any one thing I really appreciate this story doing, though, it's showing how to be supportive in a relationship where your goals aren't exactly the same. Like, damn, this is some really good Big Macintosh character work, here. All around a feel-good piece, that might have things to offer if you're not normally interested in shipping.
Recommended
That McPoodle fic has a sequel. Interested enough to follow up with it?
4799897
Honestly, I'm not sure. Though the sequel bait is strong with that one.
Ah, What is Left. I loved that story, despite how brutal it was.
MacDash is OTP! Just like SoarinJack!
:V
I liked "What is Left," but i felt it suffered a common problem with many suicide stories in that I never got more than a superficial treatment of how the character got there. I only knew she was suicidal because I was told it, not because I was drawn into the character's mindset. So I never saw Rarity as that sympathetic a character, though its impact on Sweetie Belle certainly made her one.