Fic recs, July 1st! · 1:59am Jul 2nd, 2020
Out of nowhere, Twilight Snarkle came back with the first update to Fine Steps in six years! Six years, and I had no trouble sliding back into the stories of ponified Dr. Robotnik. :D Go catch up.
Scribbler's newest reading is Butterscotch Cream's Silverware, with Illya Leonov and Goombasa!
VisualPony's done a reading of Chinchillax's Unlimited Breadsticks*!
And as I was writing this, Illya Leonov published a reading of A Hoof-ful of Dust's Blue Skies Bring Tears!
I want to do something enjoyable. Is that okay? Also haven't reviewed anything in a while, and it'll be a while longer still for the upcoming large blogs. So let's take a look at five short fics from the bottom of my RIN. And happy birthday, Canada!
H: 0 R: 2 C: 3 V: 0 N: 0
I Hugged Myself Today by shortskirtsandexplosions
Genre: Experimental Character Piece
Sometimes, you just need someone to talk to.
So we're back in season 6 "Starlight is a stupid, stupid old fat pony" territory, which is a nice place to be for a story like this. She knows she's stupid, she's hiding things from her new friends, and the only way she can work it out is by casting Similo Duplexis and having a heart-to-heart with herself. Is that the way the spell works? I'd like to think so. The way this is written won't work for everyone, as it's pretty erudite, but it kept the scene feeling frantic and dreamlike all at once, which was a pretty impressive feat.
Recommended
Not My Rescuer (But Not Bad Either) by HapHazred
Genre: Romance
Rainbow Dash sets Rarity up on a blind date.
I can't say I've read many shipfics like this one: told from Rarity's perspective and very focused on how and why the attraction forms. Of course, it's also pretty transparent about how little fuel there actually is for this crackship, but it makes that enough to justify what comes from their blind date. This was a good character piece, in the end. Highly Recommended for Shippers.
Recommended
Chamomile by wishcometrue
Genre: Tea Fic
Twilight visits Rarity for tea. But it's not about tea.
I didn't want to read another story about tea, but this came recommended by both the Seer and the wackybox. Thankfully, there's more to this than just tea, for all that it's a major component of the quiet drama. In particular, there's a lot of tension, as we wait for Twilight to spill what's on her mind. That said, there's only a few ways a story like this can end, and the slice of life tag reduces those options even further. I have to say I was a little disappointed the reveal wasn't something more original or divergent from canon; not to give it away, Twilight's worried about things she absolutely should be worried about as the series comes to a close. And that's really it. Rarity gives her some kind words and a shoulder to lean on, the tea thing is clever, good end. A perfectly competent story, but not one that I think will stick with me.
Recommended for Slice of Life Fans
Starlight Glimmer's Real Mother by Mockingbirb
Genre: Random Comedy
What a fucking hysterical concept. And really, there's not much more to this than what is given to us in the cover art, title and description, so we get a ton of completely ridiculous answers to old fanon tropes (and a few things that never were). Kudos nevertheless to the author for daring to write something this outrageous. Could use an editing pass, though.
Recommended for Laughs
The Perfect Present by garatheauthor
Genre: Shipping
Rarity's birthday is coming up, and Twilight doesn't want to disappoint her.
Usually, when a story has two specific words in the title, it's meant as a jab at me, but this one's for Monochromatic? I don't get it? Anyway, it's super fucking cute Rarilight with some pitch-perfect Twilighting as she decides two weeks is enough time to learn a skill and make Rarity something for her birthday. The characters are voiced quite well, their words and interactions making them sound like real people. That said, purists may find themselves aghast. Not only do Twilight and Rarity swear real teen cusses, Rarity makes jokes about partaking in illicit substances! Le gasp! The horror! Anyway, this is fucking adorable if I didn't say that already.
Recommended for Shippers
All these stories are lovely, and so are you~
It wouldn't be a garatheauthor fic if my characters weren't as baked as i am.
Yay, reviews!
The alternative can often be letting the day’s issues swallow you whole, so I’d resoundingly agree. Everybody has to recharge at some point.
Why do I have the chapter intermezzo-I read on Fine Steps and nothing else even the prequel? It must be because someone linked it, odds are it's you :p
I did not expect to get sucked into a story about Robotnik going on a one-way trip to Equestria today.
Not only okay but plain good sense. However sad and/or worrying and/or anger-inducing the real world may be, you can't be sad and/or worried and/or angry all the time without ruining yourself. So basically, yes.
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I do not lie. :B
Not unless I'm being obvious about it, at any rate. :V
Not My Rescuer was fantastic!
The world needs so much more Spitfire shipping