Fic recs, February 2nd! · 12:12am Feb 3rd, 2020
Scribbler's newest reading is Alaborn's Applejack's Bar, with a huge all-star cast!
I didn't find anything to my liking in this month's Flash Fiction Online. So you'll just have to deal with five random ponyfics instead. :B Still working through that audiobook reader. Oh hey, and I've hit 100 reviews in just over a month this year! :)
H: 2 R: 1 C: 2 V: 0 N: 0
On the Rocks by iisaw
Side Story to The Twilight Enigma
Genre: Adventure
The crew of the Nebula stop in Zanzebra for some shore leave.
Boy, it's great to get back into the world of Captain Blackmane and the crew of the Nebula. :D And it's so short! I didn't think that was allowed. :B But this is just a lush, imaginative, well-researched, and above all else, unimportant piece of fun. I include that last bit as it isn't necessary to have encyclopedic knowledge of the Celestia Code series to enjoy this. Heck, you can be like me and completely forget which story it happens during! I was fine! This was great.
Recommended
Fulcrum by Orbiting Kettle
Sequel to Roam-Springa
Genre: Romance
On her own road to self-discovery, Mayor Mare happens upon a compass.
So who's up for Mayor Mare falling in love with Daring Do? Pascoite bugged me for years to write this story, so I'm glad Orbiting Kettle saved me the trouble. :) I forgot my awesome idea for what to do with it, anyway, and this is assuredly way better. It takes place over the course of several years, in snapshots of the two of them meeting up whenever their lives give them a chance. And first they develop a deep friendship with strong understanding and just a little attraction, which blossoms into something considerably more adorable by the end. If you want really good character work for either of them, or a unique background for Daring, look no further.
Highly Recommended
The Fall of Detective jakkid166 by jakkid166
Sequel to Detective jakkid166 Save Tha World
Genre: Trollfic
Oh no Detective jakkid166 got framed for killin Princess Celestia and he probably didn't do it? Can he prove he wasn't the kill guy! Sure.
Oh man, the final Detective jakkid166 story? D: Say it ain't so! Well, what can you expect? Only all the stops pulled out: Celestia dead, Detective jakkid166 develops a cocaine habit, Diamond Dogs, pirates, demons, and a climactic final battle with the great detective's greatest foe. Also, I shit you not, this passes the Zecora Test. It stomps on the Luna Test before throwing it out the window, but this story has better Zecora rhymes than half the fics on this site, and some of you have some explaining to do. Not gonna lie, the ending honest to god made me get teary eyed. That should be a testament to the mark jakkid166 has made on this website. Godspeed, you crazy diamond. Shine the fuck on.
Highly Recommended
Twilight Doesn't by Coyote de la Mancha
Reading by Sparrow9642, Scribbler and Lotus Moon
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Sequel to Bridges and Guides
100th Review of 2020!
Genre: Slice of Life
AJ and Twilight talk about the Gala.
This is short, simple, and completely unrelated to the previous story. And honestly, it's a little too simple, just a quick acknowledgement that Twilight (and somepony else) is ace, and that that's okay around Ponyville. This almost has value as world-building, but it doesn't go into enough depth about pony attitudes on sexuality. So… I dunno, I guess it might come up later in the continuity?
Recommended for Slice of Life Fans
Twilight Sparkle Has a Type by errant
Genre: Light Shippy Comedy
Twilight wonders why no one's asked her out.
...And here we are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum! I had to read this one because of said type. As for the story itself, it's not bad, though POV shifts literally every paragraph. This explores a very true-to-form theory on who Twilight might like, in a way that makes sense. That said, it also feels like chapter one of a "Twilight dates everyone" shipfic. I suppose that could happen down the line, just know that it's more of a prelude than a full story.
Recommended for Shippers
Thnaks for the nice review!
Yay for "Fulcrum" getting some love. Definitely a worthwhile read.
What exactly is the Luna test? I presume it has something to do with Jacobean English :P
5196759
You'd be about correct. :)
"Twilight Sparkle Has a Type":
Comes the closest to any story I've read in a long time to making that head-hopping stuff actually work. POV shenanigans will sour me on a piece faster than anything else, but I was amazed at how the author here almost pulled it off.
Mike
Well, the iisaw fic is already on my RiL list. I have no interest in trollfics, even H-rated ones. But Fulcrum is intriguing, even for someone (me) who isn't that invested in either character. That's my add for today.
5196759
Basically, if you have Luna saying "Thee must sleepeth" then you've failed it.
(Deletion above was by me, so I could combine two separate comments into this one.)
5196891
Yikes. One thing my childhood diet of ancient religious texts has given me is the ability to spot that stuff ten miles away. It gets worse when writers actually try to write not just ye olde dialogue but bits of Equestrian scripture for their story.
StraightToThePointStudio just did a reading of "Twilight Sparkle Has A Type"
5198282
They're on the list for later, no rush. :)