Fic recs: September 4th! · 11:12pm Sep 4th, 2019
Steel Resolve needs your help!
It's not a contest, per se, but Admiral Biscuit is looking for people to write more stories about working ponies!
The first story in this crop I helped edit, so I wanted to get the review out quick. Which gave me a chance to just read some good stuff I've had on hand for a while! It's amazing to think I can do that. :O
H: 2 R: 1 C: 2 V: 0 N: 0
Just a Stone's Throw from Sanity by Pascoite
Sequel to Roam-Springa
Genre: Drama
It's time Limestone Pie went on roam-springa, even if she already knows the answer to its question.
The immediate comparison to the first story comes off as "less smooching, more punching". If you love Limestone Pie as I do, this is an acceptable tradeoff. :V Regardless, the reason to come here is the character work. Limestone in this story is every bit as inscrutable as her older sister, and for completely different reasons. Watching her fail again and again to act like a normal pony was painful at times, but it was nevertheless continually tantalizing as I tried to suss out just what her deal was. And not to spoil anything, but this comes with bonus Marble roam-springa, and it is just as cute as she is. A worthy followup to the original.
Recommended
Awsome Ass Hear by Estee
Reading by Me!
Mature: Gore
Genre: Displaced Parody
Equestria is invaded by Kool Powerz.
Yaknow, sometimes I really feel bad about this kind of thing. I mean, I always try and go the sympathy route first with awkward people. They can be understood, if not necessarily liked. But given the punchline for me is always "Thank god that's not me anymore" — and that this is about Displaced — dammit, it's funny! And also this is meta as fuck. And the bad dialogue was written so well, it's legitimately hard to figure out in places. The Mature rating is maybe not worth it, though the final punchline is both funny and gross. But it's not like there's a ton of gore in this, is what I'm saying. This was a hoot.
Recommended If You Enjoy Mocking Displaced
Before the Rot Sets In by Impossible Numbers
Genre: Character Piece
Oh boy do I love stories about Grand Pear. This is him struggling with his identity, trying to decide if he should just give in and go back to Ponyville to see his grandchildren, or stick it out alone with his pride. And of course, Impossible Numbers is one of the best writers in the fandom (and this is his 100th story!), so… Oof, yeah, just go read this if you haven't already.
Highly Recommended
Nothing Left to Lose by Freglz
Genre: Drama
Starlight knows the meeting won't end well, but she has to try.
Sometimes you read a story like Before the Rot Sets In and whatever you read next can't possibly hold a candle to it, but this one does, somehow. It pales not at all, and that should speak to the quality of Freglz's writing. Take that level of quality and mash in the season five and six finales, and you come up with an emotional war of words as Starlight tries her darnedest to keep Chrysalis from making the same mistakes she did. This is another one that's just worth reading to read good writing. :)
Highly Recommended
Princess Detective jakkid166 by jakkid166
Genre: Trollfic
Celestia and Luna are bored of being princesses and need a vacation. But who will princess for them while they're slacking off?
Never been more pleased to see a story fail the Luna Test. :) This was great, as jakkid's stories tend to be. It even has good reference jokes and cutting political commentary! Also Detective jakkid166 magnanimously letting the princesses save most of the day, as is right. Fun!
Troll Recommended
The only other online references via Google for "the Luna Test" are you mentioning it in another blog, again without explaining what it is.
5116311
It's proper usage of Early Modern English when writing Luna in season two mode.
And I've been using that term for years now. :B Google is dumb.
5116312
I did that a grand total of one time, in TSJ when Twilight is sent backwards through time so Past Luna from more than a millennium ago would be able to stall her in the dream realm.
What Luna said in that chapter was 75% incomprehensible, even if you know English perfectly. Because Early Modern English is 75% incomprehensible if you haven't studied it in specific. It took forever for me to write her speech.
Example from the story:
In the story, Twilight translates some of what she said for you, because there's no fucking way you know what all of that means.
So I don't know if you actually mean EME. I suspect that's not what you mean. Or, you mean fanciful-sounding inaccurate Middle English instead.
5116312
Also sorry if that sounds rude, I didn't mean it that way. Rough past few days.
Hooray! My existence is validated!
Ha, I saw your comment on the story and I thought, If PresentPerfect's here, that means a review can't be far behind. At least, I assume you always review what you read... (If so, doesn't that get tiring after a while?
).
Either way, I'm glad you enjoyed this one, and thanks for the review. There really ought to be more Grand Pear stories on site, if only to show what he was doing all that time away from his own family. I mean, wow, imagine what must have been going through his mind after disowning his own daughter. (Have I mentioned yet how much I love "The Perfect Pear"? Seriously, such a good episode.)
5116312
Am actually interested whether the episode itself passes the test. (Guessing no).
5116430
You've got a big one-double-oh on your page, and that's all that matters! >:B
And yeah, it does. :B
5116327
Okay, to be more precise, it's about using "thee", "thou" and "thine" properly, because most authors think conjugation belongs in the M-rated stories. <.<
5116434
Ah, I see.
Yeah, I don't like using "thee" and "thou" unless the rest of the language is also archaic, which is hard to do. Throwing in a "thee" just looks fake and stilted to my (not mine) eyes.
I love writing Luna, and her voice comes easily to me because I identify with her predicaments. In my writing she's overly formal, a bit behind the times, and she never, ever uses a contraction. I may have had her use 'tis at one point, though.