Fic recs, September 13th! · 8:59pm Sep 13th, 2018
I have spent the day reading fics so I could bring you news! Estee is in need! He doesn't need so much a large contribution as a speedy one. Go help him out!
Also, stuff is happening in Europe that may affect all of us. We don't know, which is of course the worst part. Should Fimfiction go down… this is like 50% of my online presence, so bye, I guess. :B I mean, maybe we'll still have Discord.
EDIT: This will matter to almost no one, but I just got rid of my Read It Sooner. Which is to say, I have renamed the Read It Now list to Read It Sooner, and moved everything from the original RIS to the top of the RIN. Minus a few dozen I'd either already read, didn't feel like reading as much anymore, or that weren't around years later. c.c People.
Point being, if I start reviewing lots of old, old, old fics, especially stuff that's only on EQD, that's why. :V
H: 1 R: 2 C: 2 V: 0 N: 0
Power Pony Adventures: El Taco Loco vs. The Red Menace by CoffeeMinion
Genre: Comic Book Comedy
After being pulled into Spike's comic book, Starlight has enough problems without having to worry about a taco-crazed Siren, too!
I don't remember who suggested I read this, but I'm very glad they did. Why aren't there more stories like this? Power Ponies left us a world ripe for action, comedy and gratuitous comic book references! Along with being pure, surreal comic action, this is a deep look into Starlight's character, her insecurities and inferiority complex, as well as typical superhero fare like "what is justice?" Also Communism. Also, a beard that speaks Russian. XD This is just what the doctor ordered.
Highly Recommended
Come Out and Play by Shakespearicles
Review #5200!
Genre: Dark
Twilight's friend try to get her to come out of her house.
I think I was just looking for something to read by Shakespearicles, since I never have, so of course I picked something short and old because I'm lazy. :B I say this because the writing here isn't great, notably due to short, simple sentences that only feel repetitive. There's some POV shifting, too, but I can actually forgive that because of the unexpected thing this story does at the end. I have to admit, recontextualizing the entire "Rainbow Dash, etc., want Twilight to just come outside already" leadup makes the whole thing work in ways I wasn't expecting. So if you don't mind the writing issues, definitely give this a shot.
Recommended If You Enjoy Surprises
Delilah's Birthday by Ether Echoes
Companion Piece to Through the Well of Pirene
Genre: Fantasy
Four kids are missing, and their parents are worried.
Daphne and Amelia's parents were mostly a footnote in Pirene, to say nothing of Marcus or Naomi, so it's nice to see them get some solid characterization. Perhaps even more interesting is Daphne's grandmother, Henrietta, who words can't quite do justice. But this is about all of them trying to deal with the missing kids back on Earth, and Delilah (Daphne's mom) in particular trying to deal with her family "curse", the visions she keeps having of her children, among other things. Honestly, I'm just pleased to see that Delilah and her husband have such a loving, caring, understanding relationship. We more fiction, not just writing, that portrays people like that. Anyway, this is yet another excellent little piece of writing from Ether Echoes, but it won't have any import whatsoever if you've not already read Pirene, so take that as you will.
Recommended
Blue Sunny Days and Pink Lemonade by Masterweaver
Sequel to Unfriendly Competition
Read by Fimfiction
Genre: Oversaturated World/Comedy
Coming to a coffee shop at regular intervals to talk about nothing is just what friends do.
Out of all the Shadowbolts, Lemon Zest is undeniably "the ditzy one", but I think a lot of people forget that she was one of the top twelve students at Crystal Prep. Even if she's number twelve, she's on the same level as Twilight Sparkle. For once, a story remembers that she's not, nor can she possibly be, dumb, and I found this (unfortunately) refreshing. That said, I appreciated it less when "not just the ditz" was applied to Sonata Dusk. Oh sure, it's great that her problem is essentially being a non-native language speaker and thus bad with words, it's just… Maybe it was because her role is entirely "living headcanon dump", but I had a hard time believing it was her. But the whole point of this is, actually, just Sunny and Lemon hanging out and talking about stuff. Sometimes it's smart, sometimes it's philosophical, sometimes it's goofy, and sometimes it's just an excuse to world-build via headcanon dump. It's not going to be for everyone. The main joke is their continual denial of romantic attraction, but non-shippers needn't steer clear; you'll see what I mean. Still, it is just a story about people talking, and that's going to be your real bar to entry. It gets some interesting character moments out of the two, but there are also spots where I just had to wonder, you know?
Recommended for Shadowbolts Fans
Black Magic Mare, Roaming Queen by Meta Four
Companion Piece to Split Eyes
Genre: Comedy
On the road to Baltimare, the Great and Powerful Trixie runs into a strange cross-eyed pegasus.
This is also, I believe, somewhat related to Meta Four's Alarm Clock continuity. If nothing else, it explains why Trixie calls her "Dizzy". As to the story itself, I am at a loss for words. It's excellent, perfectly quirky, funny, and rather fascinating as Ditzy plays straightmare to Trixie's… Trixie. There's also pine cone eating. And disastrous snogging, though I wouldn't put too much stock in that Romance tag. All in all, a fun, if somewhat inexplicable, romp.
Recommended
camo.derpicdn.net/daa836885180b4449fe6731a4e12b02d8ce9d4b3?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgflip.com%2F1zp3yp.jpg
Oh god. I've come a long way since... this.
[Edit]: It's... better!
Thank you for the review! #5200 at that!
That'd be me. You got to talking about Sonata and tacos and Kamen Rider, and I said you needed to read this.
4937159
This is why we're friends. :D
>implying every character in the Oversaturated World isn't a living headcanon dump.
Wait how likely is the site to go down, and when?
4937175
Don't know, and not before next year, so there's breathing room. :B At this point, I would call that situation possible, but not worth getting upset over. Just, stay abreast of it if you can without getting yourself worked up. :C I know what that's like.
4937175
About as likely as Hasbro sending this site a C&D, I'd say. Fimfiction's servers aren't in Europe anyway, despite knighty being British.
4937232
I just parrot what I'm told. D:
4937203
4937232
I already have backups of all my stuff as it currently is... but this is helpful to know. I can’t say it’s good, because y’know anxiety and shit... but that’s actually quite the relief! Thanks!
Thanks so much for the review! It’s always good to see this old thing can still make people smile.
4937159
Thank you, sir, for spreading the joy of taco-communism-superhero fics! (We’re a niche group, we need the exposure.) You have earned
the promised $20a moustache:4937247
You're welcome. I'd like it to be made clear, however, that should various governments do things even more stupid than usual, it's not my fault. :P
You probably don't have to worry too much about the Europe situation. My understanding is that in the event the worst happens the more likely scenario is the site blocking IP addresses from the EU than anything else.
4937399
The revelation that this site isn't hosted in the UK probably kills any and all paranoia. :B
Delilah and Aaron are absolutely precious. You can bet it takes a lot for Henrietta to approve of someone.
We might see more of them as time goes on, if I become more obsessed with these unwritten tales.
I'm curious, do you have more detailed thoughts to share regarding it?
Now you need to read the Live Wire one :3
4937542
Not really, honestly. I think you did a fine job. :) And I plan to read that one next time!
4937591
Aww thanks~
I was curious about your mostly unstated opinions about Henrietta, to be clear :D
4937661
She's kind of your standard kickass, awesome old lady, but she's also got tons of nuance, which I really appreciate.
Thanks for the kind words about Black Magic Mare. I was definitely in a different state of mind when I wrote that one; I think it’s the most “Just start writing and see what happens” story I’ve done yet. That cliché about characters seeming to have a mind of their own goes double for Trixie. More than any character I’ve written, she kept yanking conversations in directions I never anticipated.