Fic recs, November 26th! · 3:59pm Nov 26th, 2019
Everybody go check out JawJoe's website! He's looking for specific feedback right now, which is why I linked to a blog and not directly to the site. :B
Review blogs may start getting a tad larger than usual, though this one's only by a single story. Not only am I raring to get to those six new readers, who knows how long it'll be before any of them decide to take down their stuff, or have it marked 'for kids' so I can't save it in a playlist anymore. :| So I'll be spending some time every day listening to audiobooks while playing video games. Also, I will be going through new channels one at a time instead of all at once. The stories will remain, but the videos, not so certain.
Also, in this blog I finish up the newest round of readers finally and hit a milestone!
H: 2 R: 3 C: 1 V: 1 N: 0
Romancing the Sun by Impossible Numbers
Reading by Poniverse
He's got a bit of a speech impediment, which he makes up for by reading with confidence, vigor and volume. He didn't differentiate when characters were talking, to occasional detriment, but there is character in his narration itself. I was impressed! If you can stand the echo, definitely give him a whirl.
Genre: Characters Piece
Celestia reads her Hearts and Hooves Day letters, while Luna tries to get her to do anything else.
A part of me has to admit that I don't think I fully got this, and that's due entirely to my own personal failings. I think my little description up there speaks to that. The good news, though, is that there's still a lot to get, and to enjoy. This is about Hearts and Hooves Day, in part, but the bulk of it is really about Celestia, and especially Luna, and the way they communicate. I mean, it's a story wherein Luna saying "I see" sends Celestia into a full panic. That's the kind of communication and character work I'm talking about. But I can't shake the feeling that there's at least one last facet to this that lingers just beyond my grasp. Well, whatever, I'm hardly going to ding a good author for being better than me.
Highly Recommended
Wrong Side of the Glass by Rosencranz
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Review #6100!
Genre: Tragic Character Piece
As he waits to die in the hospital, Second Fiddle takes a moment to learn who his roommate is.
You kinda can't fault this guy for being bitter; he's dying of heart failure and all. But as you read his story, you realize Second Fiddle was maybe never all that great a pony to begin with, and the reason why is the center of his tale. About halfway through this story, I realized it was something I'd always wanted to write, a call out to everyone who's given up on their dreams and not only convinced themselves it was the right thing to do, but that it's the only thing anyone can do. I am so glad this story exists, and it certainly doesn't hurt that the ending is a real heartbreaker. I'm absolutely in love with this piece.
Highly Recommended: Top Fifteen
The Land of Glass and Stone by RazgrizS57
Reading by Illya Leonov
Genre: Lost Cities
This place was not always covered in sand.
Man, Lost Cities really brings out the best in authors, doesn't it? I don't think I've ever read one of these that wasn't good. Granted, they all follow a certain pattern that, by this time, I'm well used to seeing. This one stands out by showing remains of living creatures, something other entries in the series(?) tend to eschew, and also by, if I'm not mistaken, featuring a canon location. Check the character tag to see what I mean.
Recommended
April Fourths! by shortskirtsandexplosions
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: Comedy/Shipping
Rarity is three days late for April Fool's. Rainbow Dash just wants to sleep.
Well. That was a thing. I'm not sure what to make of the ending, but the whole thing is pretty funny. It's kind of like skirts and White Diamonds got together and made a story-baby.
Recommended for Shippers
Door to Door for Love by Carapace
Reading by Illya Leonov and Goombasa
Genre: Comedy
The only thing worse than a door-to-door salespony is a hungry changeling in Canterlot. Who is also a door-to-door salespony.
I was highly amused by this, mostly because the main joke is "changelings can't do anything right". :) The main characters' inability to understand one another is endlessly entertaining. Doesn't hurt that the ending was rather cute, too.
Recommended
Battle for Equestria! by Za Raapini
Reading by ShadowOfCygnus
Genre: Not What It Seems
The Elements of Harmony are at war with each other!
Look, you don't start a story with Twilight and her friends being "at war" and tag a story comedy without it all being a smokescreen. I don't know if the point here was to obfuscate for the eventual reveal, but I knew exactly what was going on from the word go. All I can say for this story is that it features a good look at how each of the mane six might lead an army, and the punchline was actually strong. But overall, I didn't get much out of it.
Vaguely Recommended
Interlude by Pale Horse
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: Slice of Life
Octavia returns to the home she left as a filly.
Yooo, who remembers when we all thought Octavia was Marble Pie? (And her fan name was Inkie?) Talk about favorite headcanons that were eventually proven wrong. :) And this story's relatively recent, considering, written at least after season three and Twilicorn. All that aside, this was kind of surprising. Like, you'll never guess what minor detail from season five was hinted at herein. I spent most of the story cringing at the presence of Vinyl Scratch, not because she's written poorly, but because this is actually one of the best Vinyls I've ever read, and I was just waiting for her to meet the Pie Family and fuck everything up. But, spoilers, that never happens. This is just a story about a pony trying to bury the hatchet, as it were, with the one member of her family who really meant the most to her, something she never realized until it was far too late. Good writing, though the POV is a little shaky, but definitely a must for anyone who likes Octavia, Pinkie, or just remembering when we had more room for headcanon. :')
Recommended
I really hope JJ's blog does well. He's been wanting to run that thing for years.
Okay but it is a real holiday tho
5160732
I wonder if it was mostly the ending of Romancing the Sun where you felt that "facet" was missing or hard to understand? Looking back, I suspect I might have been too coy and too reliant on implication there, especially with the "Carpe Diem/Carpe Noctiem" element. Because what I was mainly trying to get across was that Celestia, due to politics and the cautionary tales of history, feels trapped by the obligations of her post, but takes the opportunity to turn Luna's pleas back on itself and urge Luna to "seize the day/night" by taking advantage of her relative political freedom.
I'm very grateful you gave it a generous review, of course! But I'm also interested in pinning down this problem you and others report of feeling something's missing or hard to understand, because it's happened far more often with my writing than I feel it should.
5160812
Yeah, that was at least most of it.
5160840
I must admit I'm surprised you rewarded it a "Highly Recommended". I thought it might be a conditional.
Myself, if I didn't understand a writer's point or felt something was missing*, I'd find it a bit unsatisfying. That would have a negative impact on my reading experience and be docked a few points accordingly.
*Exceptions include details which don't matter so long as we can accept them and proceed with the story from there, or elements that are supposed to be mysteries that may or may not be revealed.
Neat :) a highly recommended story I disagree with ^^
Anyways, I actually did for the most part like most of Wrong Side, and it’s moral. I just had problems with the endings. Which I guess you can say has the Wonder Women effect.
Or perhaps Daring Doubt, where everything about the story is great, but the ending just takes you out of it, and some can look past and believe the last few minutes never happened while others cant.
Anyways, onto the story it just felt too engineered to be tragic at ‘just the right moment.’ Which I would have been fine with if the story didn’t just give us that small hope things be fine. It felt artificial, Like someone cruel had planned it. Which I know it’s a story written by someone, but to me a good writer is one that makes you not think that, and I did. I think even scribbler agrees with me as when I pointed this out she faved my comment. Still, looking past that I did enjoy everything leading up to the ending, but unlike Wonder Women or Daring Doubt, I couldn’t overlook this stories ending personally.
What do you mean a speech impediment?!
Seriously, though, thanks for the positive comments. I'm still learning the ropes, in all honesty, and the lithp is probably not going anywhere anytime soon, but hopefully improvement will come with practice.
5160870
The main difference is I can tell something is there, I just can't grasp it. I ding when execution fails intention.
5160899
Ah, is that you? :) I actually noticed that the lisp kind of vanished at some point into the reading. I've always thought reading stories aloud would be good for people who want to improve their speaking ability, so maybe I'm onto something! Regardless, you're really doing everything right.