Fic recs: August 24th! · 8:40pm Aug 24th, 2020
A lot later in the day than I usually post these, but it's been that kind of day. :B Nothing special, just audiobooks this time around, aka the Scribbler and VisualPony show. :V
H: 1 R: 2 C: 3 V: 0 N: 1
The Academy by The Lunar Samurai
Reading by Sir Brony
Genre: Future Fic
The scooter remains as a reminder of past battles fought.
This ends on an uplifting note that we nevertheless know now is canonically impossible, and it got me thinking about Scootaloo as a figure. A lot of people in the early days of the fandom didn't want her to be portrayed as disabled, just somehow slow to pick up flight, because they needed a character who could inspire them by overcoming her own personal obstacles. But I would say — to no detriment of this story, mind — that it's far more important she be disabled because there are far fewer disabled characters in television than characters who overcome their own personal obstacles. To say nothing of the fact that the two need not be mutually exclusive? Like I said, this has nothing to do with the story itself, which is well written and, I suspect, was based entirely on the cover art, in which case it's even more impressive that the author derived this much story from it. So yeah, a good read.
Recommended
Sniffles by Cackling Moron
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: HiE Comedy
Queens do not get sick.
The joke is that Chrysalis is tsundere as fuck, and she's being doted on by an indulgent human. How or why? Don't ask questions! If two and a half thousand words of that sounds like your bag, then by all means, you could do far worse than read this story.
Recommended for HiE Fans
Daring Didn't by Hoopy McGee
Reading by Scribbler, et. al.
Genre: Comedy
Who messes with the sun, anyway?
Yaknow, I thought for sure this was going to be a feghoot, but it wasn't! It's just a goofy comedic takeoff on Daring Don't with some funny bureaucracy on the side. And I mean it; there were a lot of little things in here (and the reading) that had me in stitches the whole way through. :D
Recommended
Cadence's Sweet 16 by The Blue EM2
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Slice of Life
Cadence has a special birthday.
Huh, comments and ratings disabled? A reading is the only way I'd touch one of those. So I really don't know what to make of this. The first third retells Cadence's backstory, which I suppose is okay, since one can't assume the reader has read the official books. But it also changes it, so that she's from Canterlot and not some random, unnamed village, and therefore people knew her as a pegasus? Why bother? It only really matters for that same opening, and one line spoken to Twilight. Then we have the party, and the highlight of the story, wherein Cadence and Blueblood have an altercation. Really, I wish this had been more about the two of them growing up in the palace together and having tiffs like that. Then we shift POV to Shining Armor, who shows up and tells Cadence she looks beautiful. The last line of the story is her telling him he's sweet. And that's it! Now, this might not necessarily be the author's fault; this is a commission, and it's very possible they weren't given a whole lot to go off of. But still, couldn't something more have been done with this?
Not Recommended
Three Letters by horizon
Reading by Scribbler and NeighratorPony
Genre: Philosophical EiH
This story feels a lot older than it actually is. That's because, at its heart, it's about how Equestria is a much better place than Earth, the sort of thing old FiO and TCB authors used to write about (and get shit for). And why did they get shit? Probably because peering into the darkness of one's own heart is difficult and painful. But this is also about the nature of goodness, and true to the story's own description, it doesn't bash you over the head with its (sadly quite relevant) thesis. Plus, it'll teach you a really unique driving game I'd never heard of before.
Recommended If You Want Some Assistance Peering Into the Darkness of Your Own Heart
Oxygen Factory by Liquid Truth
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Light Horror?
Nothing interesting ever happens at the Oxygen Factory, thank Celestia. Don't forget to breathe.
I'm really not sure how to categorize this, save to say that it will mess with you. You will be heavily aware of your own breathing by the time you're done (especially if you listen to the reading; I love how Visual emphasized his own breathing). By all rights, this should be a surreal horror story, from the multiple characters named the same thing to the mantra of "Don't forget to breathe". But at face value? It's just a bit of world-building and a short, hopeful story about a very special — that is, unfortunate — pony. I can't say I've read anything quite like it.
Highly Recommended
Tennyson's Time by Learn for Life
Reading by Scribbler, BasicallyBB and Emogak
Genre: Sad Slice of Life
Apple Bloom's worried about her tree in the storm.
This is a very methodical, pastoral slice of life whose description, tags and foreshadowing leave no doubt about its outcome, and yet it still takes forever to get to its point. I think this might be a story meant for parents to read their kids? But then again, the ending's a bit on the traumatic side, and the lesson about bravery may spur young minds to recklessness. At least all that extra time is used to really drive home the importance of this tree, and the author also did a good job anthropomorphizing it, giving it a semblance of character and agency. I'd have maybe liked to see Apple Bloom questioning her place as an Apple Family member, considering how often that comes up in the story, but that also would have made the ending even more traumatic, so maybe it wasn't necessary.
Recommended for Apple Fans
I thank you for reviewing my story, and apologize for any frustration that my story may've caused you. Making things happen in a satisfying pace is one of my larger struggles with writing
on top of literally everything else. I shall continue pushing myself to improve.Glad you enjoyed the story
That'll be Daring Didn't and Oxygen Factory for the RiL list, then.
BTW, Cadence's Sweet 16 has disappeared into 404-land now, though its author's account is still very much active.
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According to a comment left on my userpage yesterday, the author was unhappy with how the story turned out. :C