Fic recs, November 7th! · 6:58pm Nov 7th, 2019
Man, I have nothing to report for once. :B It's my mom's birthday? That's about all that's going on.
H: 2 R: 1 C: 2 V: 0 N: 1
"Chrysalis, I've Come to Bargain!" by Doctor Disco
Reading by LoveBug Sektiss and Lotus Moon
LoveBug Sektiss has been featured in Scarlett Blade's readings of Twinkletail's Anon x Thorax stories as the voice of Thorax. They've also got their own channel of readings, but… This was actually read by Lotus Moon, and Sektiss was just there as the voice of Chrysalis. <.< Not that either of them did a poor job! Lotus Moon seems to have improved as a reader in the two years since I reviewed her, and Sektiss is good at what they do. It's just a strange circumstance. Well, I guess I'll put them on the list, nothing actually bad here and all!
Genre: Doctor Strange Ponification
Starlight goes to ask Chrysalis for her friendship. Chrysalis is not amused.
So, the problem with this story is that three-fourths of it is just a ponification of the climax of Doctor Strange. Like, some of the deaths are funny, but some are exactly the same, and once you've gotten the idea, the scene just goes on and on and on. There's more to this than that, but not by much, and the final scene doesn't really justify just how lengthy and unoriginal the former is. And it's the length that really gets to me; I mean, that's a good scene, and it's a funny idea to have Starlight and Chrysalis play it out. I just wish there had been more ideas here.
Not Recommended
Dust by Jamin P Rose
Reading by Illya Leonov and Thelifeoncloud9
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic HiE
A lone wanderer in an abandoned world discovers its sole occupant.
The setting and story behind this are great. You've got an empty, dusty world overwatched by an unmoving eclipse. No spoiler that the only pony there is Nightmare Moon, but the reason why is really neat. You get the sense that she's been there by herself long enough that, even if she's maybe not going to undo what she did, she perhaps regrets having done it. That said, while the descriptions pulled me in, the dialogue left something to be desired. It's frequently awkward, and the characters repeat themselves constantly. Conversations are more compelling when told to us after the fact than relayed in real time. It's not enough for me to say no to this story, but this certainly could have been better.
Recommended If You Don't Mind Awkward Dialogue
Fishing by Admiral Biscuit
Reading by Curtis Wildcat
Nothing amazing, but he mixed his background music well. Perfect for my needs!
Genre: 2P HiE
Weekends are for you time, so you go fishing.
Just about the time I was wondering whether anything was going to happen, and whether this was actually in Equestria, and pondering that I have come to prefer my second-person stories with a snarky dumbass Anon (god, how did that come about?), the first pony showed up. Things got amusing quickly thereafter. :) Let's face it, Admiral is one of those authors whose work I don't even need to review, because it's always good.
Recommended
I, Daybreaker by Rune Soldier Dan
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: Character Piece
One could forgive a young princess who had newly lost her sister for coming to find darkness in her mind.
She didn't come from the best episode, but I tell ya, Daybreaker is the best thing that ever happened in the show, and this story approaches her with a lengthy view. The best thing about it is that it doesn't stop with Luna's return, as I had expected it would; instead, we get to see up through A Royal Problem and even beyond, as Daybreaker lurks in the back of Celestia's mind. I find I really like this approach to Celestia as well, because it means her status as a kind and benevolent matriarch of ponykind doesn't come from simply having centuries' worth of experience, but because she worked diligently to make herself that kind of pony, lest she fall to the darkness within herself. Add in the obsessive planning that stems from paranoia, and you've got a thrilling and nuanced exploration of Celestia that doesn't fall too hard on making her some kind of monster. That's just her shadow.
Highly Recommended
Dream Horse by Regidar
Reading by Luna Farrowe
Does she need any introduction? She's Luna fucking Farrowe, she's great. It's only a wonder I haven't gone after her readings before now.
Genre: Mental Health
Luna came to me at my weakest.
Being good at writing stories like this is not something I would wish on anyone, but I'm glad someone can do it, because it's so important to have. I got pretty choked up by the end, by the soft, quiet hope that emerges from this encounter. I was also highly appreciative of the dream imagery. There honestly isn't too much to this beyond one person working through their darkest thoughts, but it's absolutely worth reading if you've never been down that path. And probably even if you have; we all need a reminder that things can and will get better.
Highly Recommended
A Creature of the Dark by Xhoral1865
Reading by Illya Leonov
Genre: World-Building
So this is interesting, recasting the Nightmare as a fey creature that doesn't like names and has a very truncated understanding of the material world. It's quite the imaginative piece, very original… Up until we hit the "retell the pilot through the creature's eyes" segment, which is comparatively tedious. For a story this short, no time should be spent in tedium and retellings. Still, it's not bad, and there's more to it once that section is over.
Recommended for Nightmare Moon Fans
Happy Momday!
My mom's birthday is coming up soon. I know what I want to give her.
That is not what I will give her, sadly. 
That issue was broached once by my father so I've always assumed it's off the table.
Plus she has dementia, and that's kind of sad. Fuck dementia, seriously. It is the worst.
Ugh. So many good-looking stories, so little time...
...It's also my mothers birthday today (or, yesterday, but that's also today because timezones, I think?,)
Damm you Birthday Paradox, my mortal nemesis, you strike again!
Also, I keep forgetting Regidar actually writes fics, because I always think of them as the person who got first comment on way too many stories way back in like, 2013-2014.
That Daybreaker story is really good, and I am told its author is very handsome.
Thanks for the review.
5151949
Oh my god, the spoiler bar actually colors the emoji black. :D It's not just overlaid anymore!
5151996
It's vaguely menacing!
I'm so happy you enjoyed that reading. I've been on a bit of a slump readings-wise lately, but knowing that it left an impression like that rekindled some inspiration. Thank you
5152032
Praise where praise is due.
5152032
You are of course very welcome. :) I think that was a good story to leave a strong first impression, too!
Again, I can't believe I forgot to say something especially considering I come back to this one in particular when I'm feeling weak (that is often). Your words mean so incredibly much to me; especially here, on a story that captures one of my darkest nights. I cherish this tiny and powerful paragraph more than I could ever relate.
I actually don't know what to say that I hadn't already in the comments of 5152032 's beautiful and wonderful reading. I'm just glad I haven't hurt for nothing. I beg to not be alone—and I'm not.
thank you so much for being here
5152088
(affectionate)
5152094
5744908
hey, you're like
a good person
and a good writer with important things to say
I'm glad you're around :)
5744920
i'm so glad i write these stupid pony stories and met all you wonderful people <3