Fic recs, October 31st! · 8:22pm Oct 31st, 2019
Happy Halloween, if you're into that!
Have you heard of Night Mind? I hope you have, though I'd imagine it's more likely if you enjoy dark stories. Even if you don't, be sure to check out this video, wherein he details the lives of four great American horror writers in his supremely mellifluous voice.
I did a thing where I moved all the new audiobook readers to the top of the list so I can get to them faster. There are a bunch. Once I'm done with that, I may spend a day bingeing read fics; whether I do or not, my plan is to get the list down to single digits, or possibly even zero, then add six new readers. Because, y'know, I tend to review six stories at a time (though not today). We'll see!
H: 2 R: 2 C: 0 V: 1 N: 0
Second Thoughts by President Dead
Reading by Zachmoviefan
This guy definitely knows what he's doing. I wish he'd been a little louder, but that's just me. The vocal modulation for the dialogue really helps it pop, at least. A hit!
Reading by Lotus Moon
Genre: Horror
Twilight Sparkle sets the table for two, prepared to make a confession.
I almost hesitate to call this horror, not because it isn't creepy — Twilight's holding a pony hostage, it's in a really awful state, there's spooky atmosphere dripping off the walls — but because that doesn't seem to be the point. Taking Twilight's confession a little metaphorically, this becomes a dark and intense character study, with a bunch of philosophical thought experiments thrown in to set the tone. However you want to interpret this story, it's quite effective.
Recommended
Talking Ponies Syndrome by shortskirtsandexplosions
Reading by Luvlessi
While his narration voice feels affected, it's nevertheless really darned good, smooth and bassy and extremely pleasant to listen to. He read the story in a measured, perfectly paced manner, until the single action scene hit, at which point he sped things up! Amazing! He really knows what he's doing, so it's a shame he hasn't been active in the last four years. :C
Genre: Poor, Pathetic Derpy
No obstacle holds Derpy back as she does her mail rounds.
Though more slice of life than sad, this is nevertheless deserving of the tag I used. Granted, I would call this an example of how to do this kind of story well, so don't take it as a condemnation. Far from it, this is quite unique, presenting a Derpy who not only can't talk, but is either deaf or cannot understand speech. (I was never perfectly clear on the distinction.) This causes hardship in her life, frustration and even mockery from other ponies, though some good ponies like Mrs. Cake and Rarity are understanding and even accommodating. The prose is lush, as one might expect, and of course there is the standard skirtsian ultimatum that All Ponies Must Be Soft. Overall, this was very uplifting, I liked it.
Recommended
Tea and Cakes by Gizogin
Reading by Scribbler and Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Drama
Luna has a few concerns about Twilight Sparkle.
I have to say, if your all-dialogue story can spawn an excellent reading like this one, you've definitely done it right. This was excellent, and highly suggest experiencing it as the reading for the best effect. Put simply, it's a story about forgiveness framed as Luna confronting Celestia over the way she's guided Twilight's path in life, airing out a lot of anti-Celestia fanon arguments and giving them a serious going-over that leaves nothing black and white. Both sisters are characterized strongly, and there's even a break for levity in the middle. It's kind of everything I ever wanted.
Highly Recommended
A Hearths Warming Kiss by Cirrus Sky
Reading by Brook the Book Horse
Genre: Shipping
Minuette has plans to give Berry Punch and Ruby the best Hearth's Warming gifts ever.
Man, who remembers Berrygate? I saw the tag on Derpibooru earlier this year and thought it was some kind of political scandal! But once upon a time, Berry Punch and Minuette were a popular background pony ship, just like Vinyl and Octavia or Lyra and Bon-Bon. As for this story… well, I ultimately didn't find it satisfying. No effort is made to show us what Minuette sees in Berry, only that she tolerates her drunken behavior for some reason. Minuette barely utters a sentence that doesn't end in "love", and the scenes are really, really short. It's not a bad story, but that missing apostrophe in the title should lower your expectations accordingly.
Vaguely Recommended
How the Half-Naked Santa Saved Christmas by Dubs Rewatcher
Reading by Neighrator Pony
Review #6000!
Genre: EQG Comedy
Pinkie still believes in Santa Hooves, but it's hard when her friends don't share that belief. For some reason, this bothers Adagio.
Exhibit A in How to Write a Perfect Comedy: this story. Set shortly after Rainbow Rocks but just as fitting in modern canon, this shows us an Adagio Dazzle who's maybe kinda trying to reform herself while trying really hard not to admit she has feelings for Pinkie Pie. A sleepover brings up the Santa question, and Adagio decides to do something to help Pinkie. Every aspect of this story is perfectly paced and placed, the jokes are hysterical (my favorite is the Friendship Spray), and this has both the right amount of sexiness and a ton of heartwarming feels. I am absolutely in love with this story and I wish I'd read it sooner. (Though I'm so stoked it got the milestone! :D)
Highly Recommended
The Half-Naked Santa one really sticks out in my memory just because of how damn long it took me to get Maud's "I can see that" joke
Really nice to see it being spotlighted here, though! Definitely one of my favorites, of the siren comedies out there.
ahhhh that’s my jinglemas present
Review 6000! Wow!
I’m a bit drunk right now — like Adagio! — but I wanna tell you that you’re real cool. Like Adagio!
Happy Halloween!
Apropos of nothing, thank you for linking Harbin Hotel in your twitter. That shit is amazing.