Fic recs, October 8th, 2019! · 9:14pm Oct 8th, 2019

Scribbler has done a reading of President Dead's Into the Other, with Rina Silverstone and Neighrator Pony!

Writer and scientist Pineta is commissioning stories about science stuff! His description is complex, so I'll leave the rest to him.

No theme or anything this time, just a handful of things I wanted to get read so I could get that news out. Enjoy!

H: 1 R: 2 C: 3 V: 0 N: 0

Brave Nocturne by Eruantalon
Genre: AU
Luna has finally mastered dreamwalking. If only someone would help her figure out how to use it to help the Princess…
Oh boy, does this have a lot to like. For instance, Celestia and Luna as fillies… but in an AU where they're a pegasus and unicorn, respectively, and the only princess is Twilight. This setting is really good, you guys, and the story only scrapes the surface of it. I adore Luna's portrayal, too; she's basically canon Twilight, a little filly struggling with precociousness, too smart to connect with her peers but tasked with trying to find friends regardless. In total, this is pretty simple, it doesn't go very far, but what's here is excellent, and it implies so much more besides.
Highly Recommended

Lanky and the Nyoom by Damaged
Genre: Shipping Comedy
Rainbow Dash is being chased.
This story is based off of the artwork of dilarus, who may be most famous for creating some highly varied designs for the mane six and then shipping Flutterdash.[citation needed] Said art also accompanies this story as illustrations, which was a pleasant surprise. As for the story itself, there are a couple places where the POV shifts without a clutch that I found intensely confusing, but otherwise it's a fluffy, amusing piece that's really strangely focused on how tall any given pony is. Like, I would accuse this of being softcore size difference porn, except literally what else did I expect? :P
Recommended for Shippers

Biography of a Tyrant by Coyote de la Mancha
Sequel to Luna's Gift
Genre: Historical
My father was not an evil pony, and I was but a child.
Of all the stories I've read about who Sombra is or where he came from, this is probably the best. It's a unique, original take on him, casting him as an earth pony (!), the bastard son of a unicorn lord who finds himself constantly at the cruel mercies of his half-siblings and his own fears. I suspect the specifics of this story won't be necessary to know in order to understand what comes after it, but it's absolutely worth the read, even if you're not invested in its series.
Recommended

YCH by ROBCakeran53
Mature: Sex
Genre: Slice of Life
Tab A and Slot B: two ponies who go together really well, and whose services are in high demand.
This is really notable for two things: it's a M-rated, sex-filled story by ROBCakeran, and it's based off placeholder art. He actually wrote a story about placeholder 'your-character-here' art, and made the sex an integral part of the plot. No pun intended! Also, it's sex worker-positive, if that matters to you. :) This has some really good characterization in it, which is great, since it's first person from both of their perspectives. This is also really wholesome, considering how matter-of-fact it is about the sex part; there's lots of old-timey charm in the way Manehattan is depicted, which I really appreciated, to say nothing of Tab and Bee's relationship itself. This is ultimately about family, and may in fact be worth turning your filters off for if the idea of ponies having and/or being interested in sex does not churn your stomach.
Recommended

The Mare in the Moon? by yarnmouse
Genre: Cute
Featherweight tries to get a photograph of the Mare in the Moon.
I think I also got to see the author read this story live. :D This story is adorable, though I do question Featherweight's dialogue. He seems to have some rhotacism, except it doesn't carry through the whole thing, and I'm pretty sure that wasn't true in canon? Has he ever spoken? Well, whatever, this was cute and I liked it, you probably will, too.
Recommended If You Like Cute Stuff

Everything That Happens by Grimm
Genre: Scootabuse
Every day has its own pattern that Scootaloo knows too well.
As much as I didn't really want it to happen, I seem to have glommed onto the idea of Scootaloo having a family quite readily, which makes a story like this a bit of a challenge to get into the right headspace for. Which is not to say she doesn't have a family, but that she doesn't have a good one. Yes, even considering what happened in the episode. This is a hard-hitting look at how alcoholism can destroy a family, and how a parent's pain can become a child's life. It isn't trying to wring out emotions that aren't there or slam the feels button. Everything is laid out very matter-of-factly, and that's why this works. Of course, that means it won't sit well with many people, but now you know what to expect.
Recommended If You Enjoy Real World Issue Fics