Fic recs, June 6th! · 10:26pm Jun 6th, 2019
Adda le Blue could use your help to get a friend out of an abusive situation!
I'm so depressed. D: Laughing helps. There's some good laughs in these minifics.
H: 2 R: 9 C: 12 V: 0 N: 0
The Player and the Game by Cold in Gardez
Genre: Chessfic
Twilight has been inspired by magical board games.
I mean, on the one hand, this is literally just Twilight and Rarity playing chess in some detail. But there's other things going on around them, and I don't just mean "you have to read the plot in each move" because those stories are crap and Cold in Gardez is a good writer. Still doesn't change that it's a story about ponies playing chess, but at least there's some eye candy.
Recommended as Light Reading
The Race Time Forgot by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Comedy
Pay attention to the story prompt, because the entire joke is how Esle twisted it around into definitely not what was intended. This is like a feghoot where the entire story is the pun. I laughed.
Recommended for Laughs
What We Have by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Slice of Life
An unexpected guest interrupts the Apples' Hearth's Warming feast.
Obviously, this one's not canon anymore. But it's got an interesting idea for pegasus culture, not to mention Fluttershy's backstory, and it has some good things to say about Applejack's dedication to family.
Recommended
Unsewn by Esle Ynopemos
Genre: Sad Shipping
Whoo. This was a thing. We watch Twilight step by step unravel a mistake she made, and the way everything unfolds in reverse is just stunning. Highly Recommended If You Like Sad Shipping.
Recommended
The Secret Ingredient by Nonagon
Genre: Comedy
Spike makes his friends some milkshakes.
Now this is a perfect flashfic. :D Just enough words to set the scene, and a hilarious punchline that drives everything home.
Highly Recommended
MLP/60's Batman TV show crossover by FuzzyFurvert
Genre: ...60's Batman TV Show Crossover <.<
Mayor Mare calls for Mare-Do-Well's help once again.
It is a tragedy of the modern day that there is no more to this than what is contained here.
Recommended
Heart by HoofAndQuill
Genre: Action
Would Rainbow Dash leave her friends to get help?
This was really cool. It's all about the measure of a pony, and Scootaloo trying to defend her friends against overwhelming odds. If that sounds like a good time to you, definitely read it.
Recommended
Captain Dash by HoofAndQuill
Reading by Scribbler and Warriorcatcloudtail5
Genre: Slice of Life
Princess Twilight has some concerns about Rainbow Dash's promotion.
I really like the setting for this, a raucous party at Canterlot Castle hosted by Twilight in honor of Rainbow Dash becoming Captain of the Wonderbolts. It's a solid future placement that future fics tend to bobble. That being said, while Twilight and Spitfire were talking, I was kind of waiting for a punchline, maybe something saucy, who knows. Instead, I got a short conversation that had something important to say about Rainbow Dash. This is a very good way to look at her character, and that of the Wonderbolts as a unit.
Recommended
Without Haste by FanOfMostEverything
Genre: MTG Crossover
Zecora has something to show Applejack.
Cheekiest passing of the Zecora Test ever. <.< Also, tons of shipteasing. But the centerpiece here is introducing a bit of Magic lore into Equestria and giving it a ton of gravity. Nicely done.
Recommended
Dear Princess Celestia by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Shipping
I cannot seem to type "shipping" today to save my life. D: Uh, so this is really brief, definitely a flashfic, but almost substanceless. Compare it to Nonagon's entry above; this just barely dips into the scene before ending it.
Recommended as Light Reading
Call and Response by AugieDog
Genre: Poem
Do I even need to review these anymore? It's always just "Augie writes another fantastic poem" and this one's no exception. Pantoums are one of those really intense, interlinked poetic forms that's hard to pull off, but he makes it easy. Challenge yourself to figure out who this is about before you reach the end!
Highly Recommended
Crooked and True by Silvernis
Genre: Shipping
Dash and Twilight argue about hanging a picture.
And that's kind of all there is to it, but it's a lovely slice of domestic life, showcasing their relationship and featuring the contents of the picture as its centerpiece.
Recommended for Shippers
Assumptions by Bombastic Bookpony
Genre: Doctor Who Crossover
I'm pretty sure this lifts a scene straight from a new Who episode, but I'm not 100% sure. Seeing Rarity as the Doctor's unwitting assistant is new, though, and I did like their banter. Just not really anything new besides.
Recommended for Doctor Who Fans
The Heart of Equestria Burns by KingMoriarty
Genre: MTG Crossover
The Cenobite army invades Equestria.
Full disclosure, even after looking up Elesh Norn, I have no idea what a Cenobite is. <.< I really wish I had more background to appreciate this from, because it's all about Badasslestia and hoo boy, that did not disappoint. I just wasn't really sure what was going on otherwise.
Recommended for Magic Fans
Doing the Right Thing by ObabScribbler
Genre: Shipping/Drama
Golden Harvest just doesn't belong in Appleloosa.
Does anyone remember Carrotburn shipping? Because I sure as fuck do. It was a Thing for like five minutes once upon a time. And of course, there's nothing better for a ship you like than putting it through the wringer. :D This delivers in spades. It hits pretty hard, no lie, but it's pretty great for as short as it is.
Recommended
Megavitaminational Guard Airship by SirNotAppearingInThisFic
Genre: Random
How does a lookout go so long without blinking?
This was bizarre. It's kind of a character piece about an older Scootaloo who's lookout on board an airship, which is totally cool. But there's that whole off-kilter staring contest thing going on, and then it devolves into madness in the end. I think the final scene might have been a little too short, but otherwise, this was fun.
Recommended as Light Reading
Shard #14781498 by GroaningGreyAgony
Genre: All the Myriad Worlds
Hey, another story gets its own genre tag! Pleased I can read this short now, at least. And uh, well, I guess someone's going to want this kind of thing in their eternal digital heaven. But this is one of those stories that's so random, it's hard to visualize everything being described. That said, the contest going on in the comments is pretty intriguing; go check it out and see what you can figure out.
Recommended If You Like Random Fics
Besmear'd by KwirkyJ
Genre: Dark
There is another moon.
This is another flashfic, and it's kind of just a single idea laid out in not-quite-dialogue, but the way it's written is really intriguing and I like the concept just in general.
Recommended
Good Food Takes Time by Pascoite
Genre: Feghoot
Pinkie learns a lesson about taking shortcuts in cooking.
Goddammit. This one got me good, I never saw it coming.
Recommended
Nice Work If You Can Get It by Abecedarian
Genre: Comedy
How did someone like Smart Cookie end up as secretary to Chancellor Puddinghead?
This isn't the best written shortfic I've ever read, but good lord is it funny. XD If you can stand gratuitous anachronisms, check it out.
Recommended for Laughs
The Rumor Come Out by 2Merr
Mature
Genre: AiE Comedy
Twilight Sparkle wants answers.
I wonder if I should have seen the joke coming from the title; the meme it references is so old and obscure, though, there's no way I could've. I had a large laugh at this, both from the sarcasm dripping from every word of narration and from the fact that I just like laughing at purposefully bad writing. This is a trip.
Recommended for Laughs
Quills by cogwheelbrain
300th Review of 2019!
Genre: Comedy
Twilight needs three-hundred and eighty-five of them within a week.
This one's got a really good setup, with an abject lesson in biting off more than you can chew. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite stick the landing. Still a good "journey over destination" kind of fic.
Recommended for Laughs
Stuffy Lies the Head by FanOfMostEverything
Genre: Comedy
There are downsides to being an alicorn.
Yeah, that's how you do a single-idea short fic. This was gross butt fun.
Recommended for Laughs
I'm getting real close to finishing two of those Esle one-pony collections. :O
I just wanna know how I ended up with two by HoofAndQuill in this. >.< Oh well.
Hey, it was in the middle of One-Shot-Ober. Give a guy a break.
You always like my stories just a little more than I expect. I'm not sure if that says more about my expectations or your standards.
Making a pantoum:
Swallow its own tail the way its supposed to and end with the same line that it starts with is about as near to magic as anything I ever expect to experience...
Mike
You know, I don't know if I could do a 60's Batman TV show styled Mare-Do-Well story that would be long enough to meet the requirements of the site to stand alone. But I'd give it the ol' never went to collage try!
Which spells success in feghoot world. Yay!
5070425
You really fucking need to.
The fandom needs this.
Adda actually reached her goal fairly quickly, but if you'd like to keep sending money, feel free! All of it will go to getting her friend out of her home and to safety.
5070604
Glad to hear. :D
Thank you! ^_^
Cute story, but yeah... About Abecedarian...
I think they'd be happy they're remembered.
5072904
oh :(