Fic recs, March 18th: Mythopoeia edition! · 2:33pm Mar 18th, 2018
Because "Cynewulf's World-Building Contest edition" is too clunky. :B
But first, Novel Idea still needs your help!
Anyway, Cynewulf held a world-building contest recently, and while it didn't produce a lot of entries (thank god), they were by and large pretty good. :) Let's see just how good, below!
H: 1 R: 4 C: 4 V: 0 N: 0
Daring Do and the Wailing Mountain by BlazzingInferno
Genre: Action-Adventure
In Daring's experience, ponies tend to call places 'forbidden' to hide treasures, not because no one should actually go there…
This is a good bit darker than your usual Daring Do adventure, as she stumbles across a cult disappearing ponies atop a mountain in the middle of a desert. But it's pretty darn cool! If you like Daring-style adventures with some action thrown in, and want to see her fighting something other than a rival treasure hunter, be sure to check this out.
Recommended
A Changeling Named Phallus by Silent Whisper
Genre: Changeling Comedy
Life is hard when you're…
This is the kind of story I would have read immediately upon seeing, had I seen it before now. <.< That title! In many ways, this is your average changeling fic, chock full of cutesy terms and hive-based headcanon, except it's not average at all. Our put-upon narrator and her awful name make this the single story I can call "changeling fic" that isn't afraid to not take itself seriously. Breath of fresh goddamn air, this is! But yeah, if a few thousand words of changelings making dick jokes at the expense of one of their own (not that she can't dish it out herself!) sounds like your bag, don't pass this up. :3
Recommended
Royal Blood by SPark
Genre: Vampire Romance
Shining Armor is used to his wife's… proclivities now. But finding out was a bit of a shock.
So the cover art (and my spoiler tag) does give away the main idea here, but thankfully there's a lot more to this than just that. Namely, the excellent rendering of Shining and Cadence's relationship. I'm always a sucker for that. But yes, this is pretty interesting, and very nicely written, even if I got squeamish in the middle and wished it had taken just a slightly different tack. (See my comment on the fic if you want to know what I'm talking about.)
Recommended
Feathers by Flutterpriest
Reading by CreepyPastaSalad
Genre: Dark/Drama
What is a pegasus without their wings?
This is a very creative way to explore pegasus magic: a virulent disease that makes pegasi shed their feathers has Equestria's flying population stranded, unable to walk on clouds. It's probably the first story I've seen with Rainbow Dash's parents in the lead, and I very much like the way they're written: caring, intense, not quite as silly as in Parental Glideance. It's very much like an episode of The Twilight Zone, focusing on the fear and tensions surrounding Cloudsdale during this crisis. And oh boy, that stinger. Not for the faint of heart, but definitely one to remember.
Recommended
He Broke It by DragonGeek
Genre: HiE
A human scientist visits Equestria to learn about magic.
This was actually pretty amusing, a decent way to run through a bunch of headcanon. I have to ding it for featuring a real, living person, though. (Although, after Googling him, I can't imagine he'd exactly be who would get sent to another planet like this. <.<) Still better than I was expecting, at least.
Recommended If You Like Human in Equestria
Kid Gloves by Forgoten Null
Genre: Twilight/Spike Bonding
Twilight tells Spike about one of the hardest lessons she ever learned.
This is a pair of stories-within-a-story, not nested, but one after the other. In the first, Twilight tells Spike a bunch of Minotaur-related headcanon that was honestly pretty neat and well crafted. The second story, then, is a tale about one such pair. It's a little cloying, and definitely far too detailed to be the kind of story you'd tell someone. I found myself wondering if this couldn't have been pared down a bit by taking out Spike's constant reactions to things and having it be just the story itself, but then I'm not sure if the loss of those reactions would be worth it. The writing does need some more revision, with a ton of close repetitions that kept catching my attention. And, well, it's a story about goats called Kid Gloves; suffice to say, there's a morbid turn at the end. D: But if you like stories about Spike and Twilight getting along and bonding, you'll definitely get a lot out of this.
Recommended for Twilight and Spike Fans
From the Hearth by Carapace
Read by Fimfiction
Sequel to The Village Called Respite
Genre: Changeling Fic
Why would changelings celebrate Hearth's Warming?
This is the story I was angsting over last week, but I've decided to go in virginal and see if this can stand alone. As far as I can tell, the answer is "yes". I mean, I didn't get everything — I have no idea who the "Sainted Ones" are supposed to be, and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who and how they were related — but the important parts were clear, and I could fill in most of the rest myself. This is a pretty interesting look at changelings, and I really appreciate the classic faerie backstory they're celebrating. A part of me felt like they were just ponies that looked weird, but this was perfectly fine, even if you haven't read Village Called Respite. And if I ever do, I'll revisit it.
Recommended for Changeling Fans
Forever Mare by Ice Star
Genre: Historical Drama
Despite all Celestia has done for the young nation of Equestria, some ponies will ever be beyond her help.
This story does a very clever thing. The main plot revolves around Celestia meeting with a pony, a mare who's been turned into a stallion by Discord and remains so after his defeat. Due to the nature of Discord's magic, Celestia is of course unable to help this poor pony, no matter how much she sympathizes with her plight and understands all the horrors she's gone through. Around the scene of this meeting, then, is a bunch of stuff about Luna. We see Celestia being rather proud of herself, and rightfully so. She's worried that Luna is often considered "the second princess" or "Celestia's sister", yet Celestia herself doesn't treat her much better. We see the ways in which Luna acts to make herself easily overlooked, to be easy to hate. This is all setup for the tragedy which has yet to unfold, and the reasons for it are held in the personal tragedy presented to Celestia. The one mark against it is that it fails the Luna Test: 'art' and 'hath' are just thrown haphazardly after pronouns, with little rhyme nor reason. Still, while this doesn't have a good ending, but it's pretty solid trangst.
Recommended for Fans of Historical Fics
Queen of Clubs by horizon
Genre: Romance/Tragedy
Princess Luna is the newest, most unapproachable, and least ruly student in the Imperial Academy. And Drying Paint wants to ask her out.
Our winner, ladies and gents! I can't explain this story any better than horizon himself does in its description. Just know that it is absolutely bonkers. It's won one contest and taken second in another (with a third still waiting to be judged!) because it's outlandish, ballsy, and utterly unique. Read it.
Highly Recommended
Oh, wow, that's a pretty favorable review for a thing that had some people seething. Wowza!
I’m glad you enjoyed my foray into Daring Do!
Based on your comments I’m wondering if I should add a dark tag... it already has a couple trigger warnings on it
4819598
It wouldn't be amiss, for sure.
Thank you for the glowing review :) I'm really proud of this one.
Neat