[THE LIST] ...SH*T!!! · 5:22pm Jan 30th, 2019
Damn and double-damn! I completely missed my reminder last Friday to post another List entry! My bad entirely, here's a late entry to make up for it. Please enjoy!
This list is not about my favorite stories of all time. That's my favorites list and one of these days I may get around to writing reviews of those fics.
The List is about stand-out, in-progress works that deserve more love, for whatever reason. In addition to general reviews of the fics, these blog posts will tell why I picked a particular story and highlight any features the reader should look out for. Spoilers will be appropriately marked, so you'll be able to read my reviews with confidence that you'll be able to read the story itself and experience the same surprise and delight I did when I first found it.
Also, authors and fans of works will be able to submit stories. Your particular selection may not make it onto the list, and the more information you give me for why you think it should be featured, the more likely I'll be to read and post it. To submit a fiction, simply PM me through FiMFiction's link on my profile.
The list can be found here: Princess Columbia's List
The Bright Side of the Moon
by
Crescent Minor1
Premise
Princess Luna has the unfortunate burden of being a trans-stallion without having any frame of reference that such a thing could even exist.
Princess Columbia's Synopsis
This story is...fairly narratively driven. There's very little that actually happens, and what little "action" does happen is mostly in flashback. Then again, the fic is nearly entirely about Luna being introspective and trying to figure herself out.
Why am I highlighting this fic?
If this author doesn't have an editor...they don't need one. Seriously, this is a fantastically written, well paced, HIGHLY cerebral fic that hits you in the feels and makes you think.
What makes this fic particularly good?
It's an unfortunate truth that most fiction written by trans-folks tends to come out of the "angry" or "depression" phase of the 5 stages of Kubler Ross cycle. We've had our world shocked by the reality of who we are, our growth and maturity gets locked while we're scrambling to deny the base facts, and we come out of that swinging at anyone and anything. Some of us plow straight into "depression," and that's where most of the sad-fics around transgender issues comes from. (I personally suspect that most of the transwoman-centric BDSM erotica stems from the "angry" phase, as the overwhelming majority of transwomen are subs, and they seek to be "punished" for their "deviance;" it's an unfortunate truth that transmen don't have this sort of outlet)
What's lacking for nearly all transgender fiction is a good, serious expression of the dysphoria that a trans-person feels until they have the opportunity to transition. Hell, I live at least 80% of my time as a woman these days, and even on days I'm presenting female from my alarm going off in the morning to tucking into bed at night, I still have bouts of dysphoria that are severe enough to spin me out into an anxiety attack.
This fic, while being a bit light on things that make it unique to ponies specifically (you could easily transplant the entire text to a D&D based fantasy series and just change the character names, for instance), uses the setting and characters to magnificently show what living with gender dysphoria feels like. It is especially good at showing a character that may not even be aware that their bad feelings are even related to gender issues.
10/10, would read the update as soon as it comes out.
Who would like this fic?
Obviously, people who are experiencing gender issues will get some catharsis, as well as those who are trying to understand the problems faced by their friends/family who are going through gender dysphoria but (like most people) are having a hard time articulating their feelings and the "why" of their trans-experience.
Even with all that, it's just a damn good start to the story. Go read!
Does the author monetize?2
No, be sure to drop them a line to encourage them to become a filthy, filthy capitalist. 
- Endorsement on Princess Columbia's List is an endorsement of the selected work of fiction only and is not intended to endorse the creator of the work in any other way.
- Why highlight whether the author monetizes their work? By providing renumeration to the author, you often get the opportunity to request certain works be given higher priority. Additionally, when a person is able to get paid for their passion on their terms, it can often allow them to cut out things that otherwise distract from said passion, like a day job. Please support your content creators!
I think you should put the name of the story you are reviewing each week in the blog title.
5005008
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Oh ... wow. I feel so honoured! This is exactly what I hoped this part of my story would accomplish. And it is very nice to hear someone call my stories cerebral and introspective, as opposed to the feedback I got in my high school writing groups for similar fics: "Nothing fucking happened!" It took quite a lot of digging to remember what that dysphoria felt like back when it had no name, and even more to put it into words. I haven't glowed like this since my mom read it and told me she felt like she finally understood why I transitioned.
Geez, though, with all this buildup, I hope the ending doesn't disappoint.
Just wanted to say you're knocking it out of the parks with this recs. I've enjoyed the vast majority of these fics & this one in particular I've loved. Thank you so much for writing these.