Fic recs, April 15th: Anthro edition! · 1:10pm Apr 15th, 2021
I've done it once again. >.< If I hadn't posted that blog yesterday, I coulda put this out yesterday, but instead, you can expect a HUGE review blog tomorrow because they both finished up within a day of each other.
So the modus operandi for this one was that Anthro was the only tag which has never had a representative in the RCL. And it's maybe little wonder, since there are very few reasons for actually writing Anthro pony stories, and most of them are "I like when the horses have boobs". :B Seriously, even furry writers agree, there's very little reason for writing anthrofiction beyond "I want to".
So I checked my RIL, sorted by rating, and grabbed the top ten (short) stories for this blog. I allowed myself one that was M-rated, though it's not the only sex fic. And the exact reason why these are tagged Anthro actually varies a bit, which was surprising! Enjoy.
H: 1 R: 0 C: 8 V: 0 N: 1
First Contact Protocols by Airy Words
Side Story to Cosmic Lotus
Genre: Sci-Fi
First contact with an alien species does not exactly go how anyone expected.
For whatever reason, when I set up this edition, I had a note to myself to be sure to include this fic. In hindsight, I really have to wonder why. I suppose I thought it would be a crossover with some external property of Goldfur's, but instead is related to another fanfic. (Meaning this is actually furry fiction, since none of the pony species are anthro.) And, well, the author expects you to have read this other story already, which is reasonable, whereas I have not, so I had no idea what was going on or who these people are. I am kind of dumb. :B Really, all I got out of it was that there wasn't a whole lot more happening than "basically Star Trek", informing us that chakats are hermaphrodites in the most blunt way possible, and the cover art. Like, the story is just set up to give us the cover art as a 'climax', and you can get about the same effect by just looking at it. Cuz it is cute. Anyway, I can't be harsh on something that I should have been smart enough to avoid in the first place, so here we are.
Recommended If You Like Sci-Fi Furries
Pushing His Buttons by Sparkler
Genre: Shipping
Babs Seed goes to visit a friend to get out of the rain.
Button Mash shipped with someone other than Sweetie Belle? Inconceivable. I just wish the story was a little better. I mean, I really like that you've got two high school kids talking about what they want to do with their future, especially since one of them is Button. There's some good character development like that. But the focus shifts at the drop of a hat, and the way they get together is pretty standard wish-fulfillment stuff. Plus, like, I can't claim to be an expert here, but that's not how you use "youse". It's like "y'all", it doesn't just substitute for the singular 'you' (Texas aside). And I hate to say it, but I was really distracted by all of Babs's dialogue because of that, and it drove my enjoyment of the story down.
Recommended for Button Mash Only
The Simplest Wish by Steel Quill
Mature: Sex
Genre: Cloppy Romance
Feeling like her life is going nowhere, Carrot Top takes a chance with a close friend.
I said I'd give myself one M-rated fic, and this is it. (Actually, it was another one, but I was like 'why did I want to read this?' so…) I definitely chose well, as this is about two-thirds story and one-third sex, right at the end. It's focused on how Carrot Top, feeling inadequate, ends up hooking up with her friend Written Script — the grey stallion we sometimes see her with in the show — and how far their romance goes. It's quite wholesome in that regard, though I do wish it had focused a little more on the early stages of their relationship and less on her having to fend off a controlling jerk. There are some issues in the writing, like this line that affected me enough to copy-paste for the review:
So how have things been at the castle? I guess things have been busy since that whole thing just popped in out of nowhere.
That is too many things. There's also a real writing disconnect between where the sex starts — again, wholesome, cute, as they experience each others' bodies for the first time — and where it goes immediately after that. I was just put off by the sudden turn for the raunchy. Also, POV shifts. But I definitely can't complain about there being more plot than porn, so overall, this was a good'n.
Recommended If You Like Clop
The Filly and the Boy by Yoni
Genre: HiA
Excited about humans, young Princess Flurry Heart runs off into the city.
This was short and cute. There's not much to it beyond a young Flurry Heart making friends with some random kid. The world-building is there, but very much not the focus, and the writing is a little shaky in places, especially the start. But you can't say no to kids learning to be friends across species lines.
Recommended If You Like Cute Stuff
No Magic Carpets by Equimorto
Genre: Sexual Comedy
Twilight finally confronts Celestia about the… other effects of using alicorn magic.
This is a very short one-joke comedy that nevertheless gave me a big laugh right in the middle. I was legitimately interested to know what the 'effect' was, and the answer was amusing. Ending's open to interpretation, I guess!
Recommended If You Like Sexual Comedies
The Mannequin of Carousel Boutique by Emeralddragon2
Genre: Don't Know
I've never been turned off a story so completely so quickly. Okay, maybe I have, there are certainly more objectionable fics out there, but in this case, I just didn't want to take the time to find out. The first chapter is nothing but wall-to-wall explanation: Who Rarity is. Who Sweetie Belle is. What they look like. How they stand. What Carousel Boutique is. On and on and on: things we don't know, things we can guess at, you name it. And then, in a move of pure, unmitigated gall, the author skips over what sounds like a charming story of Rarity and Sweetie putting on a little play with the mannequins, all in the name of Rarity saving face in front of her sister. I just wish all that explaining energy had gone into the play instead of the introductions, for all that it wouldn't have been the story. It could have been its own story! But after that — and after taking note of a cup size being mentioned in the midst of otherwise G-rated character description — I just had no desire to continue.
DNF: 1/9
Mizuki by ocalhoun
Genre: FiE/Action
A demon-slayer sent through the barrier between worlds finds herself in a land of colorful, and suspiciously helpful, talking ponies.
I was thinking this would be like the first story of this group, but our edgelord anthro protagonist actually ends up in Anthroquestria, so that's pretty different. The rest of this I say having read a lot of ocalhoun's work and knowing that the blame for this story can most likely be placed at the feet of the commissioner, who seems to have vanished: this is some edgy bullshit. This is the kind of story you write when you're a teenage furry obsessed with anime. The Japanese cultural trappings, the hardass protagonist obsessed with her sword, the "I can't trust anyone" throughline lasting way longer than it needed to, the constant refocusing on needing to defeat the opponent, and let's not forget the scene where she's like, oh nooo, my boobs are sooo big, don't look at them! :| Take a hike, lady. But with all that said, when I was a teenaged furry obsessed with anime, I definitely would not have written this story this well? The writing's a strong point here, as is Mizuki's character growth, for all that her realizing she does need to trust others and make friends is really on-the-nose. The MLP characters are all written well, too, and there's an interesting twist near the end. So I don't know who would want to read this, besides the guy who's already left, but you could certainly do worse.
Recommended for Furries
Crisis on Infinite Twilights by CoffeeMinion
200th Review of 2021!
Genre: Anime
The day goes from normal to bad when Neo Canterlot is assaulted by a swirling pink vortex. Alicorn Catgirl Twilight-chan to the rescue!
You fuckin' wot, mate? XD This was great, absolutely a blast from start to finish. I just never get enough of ridiculous action fics that read like bad fandubs of anime. I'm left with so many questions — why does Sci-Twi have a 'metal' bikini, who's Tuesday? — but I'm nevertheless satisfied and thrilled by what we got. :D This wasn't really what I'd call 'anthro' (look at the cover art), but it was certainly a trip!
Highly Recommended
Calm by JeremyStorm
Genre: Sad Romance
Octavia thought they were happy. Was she wrong?
Oh boy, if you like closure, do not go sticking your head in here. There's a lot implied by the ending, but none of it is satisfying, and the central question is never resolved. I don't feel like it was really satisfying? But that could also be the old selfish desire to have everything neatly tied up talking. Either way, the bulk of this is quiet internal struggle as Octavia questions the meaning of what she found. Good writing, just feels incomplete.
Recommended If You Like Your ScratchTavia Emotional
Spell Bound by LackLustre
Genre: Fairy Tale/Romance
When a wicked sorceress bewitches the fairest maiden in the Crystal Empire, only a mousey mage in training can save her.
This is set in a really neat AU, where our familiar characters all live in the Crystal Empire, which itself is somewhat more high fantasy than the show's setting. Okay, but my favorite part is the way Starlight is used, not only because she's the bad guy but because she's also a dark mirror for Twilight. I also particularly enjoyed the Rube Goldberg series of events that happen in the middle of the first chapter, which serve to waylay Rarity's other would-be rescuers. That said, I do have to admit the second half was terribly rushed, and it's a shame, because I'd have liked to enjoy this world a lot more. I can't say the romance is particularly satisfying, either, so you'll probably really want it to happen to get anything out of it. First chapter's worth a read, though, no questions about that.
Recommended If You Don't Mind Pacing Issues
Haha, that was a much nicer review than I was expecting going in! Thanks so much for reviewing it!
Now if that isn't a "prove me wrong" writing prompt -- I haven't seen one. -- I'm adding this to my list
5498213
Furry characters can be used to tell stories about racism and similar topics, but like... You can also just do that with human characters. <.<
For ponyfic, I believe it's even harder to justify. Crossover with anthropomorphic properties is about the best non-prurient reason I can come up with.
So my usual approach is just "don't try to justify it" because really, why must you? :B
True, a lot of anthro stories are just for the boobs, so it's hard to find any worth reading (unless you're specifically looking for clop). Though there are a few good ones, and I'm a fan of the ones that work. One I like is "Ace Combat Equestria: Shattered Clouds" by Cpt Celti. It's decently written, and I'm a bit biased because it breathes a bit of life into a game series I used to love. It stands on its own enough that you don't even have to know the series exists to read it. You won't miss anything due to lack of knowledge.
Kind of surprised it doesn't have more views than it does, especially when you compare it to some of the other junk in the anthro category.
5498219
That's the prompt :3 I'm gonna try to write a story that only can be told using anthro characters in ponyverse, that using human characters wouldn't suffice. Bonus points if it's not just for sex. The real question is if Its goin to be both normal and anthro horses, or only antro :3 Make my life hard
Pony is kind of weird, as honestly I can't think of many other cartoons that have non-humanoid characters, yet also so much room for, well, fanfic. Unless there's like a huge archive of Oliver & Company fanfic out there.
And then things get weirder when you get into "oh shoot, this story would be so much better if the characters had thumbs and modern technology!" Which ... is what humanized/EQG stuff is for.
This said, when it comes to, uh, 'furry' fiction, it can often be an easy source of metaphor-- make the conniving character a rat, for example. And sometimes it's just, like, baked into the premise-- TMNT, for example. Or Usagi Yojimbo-- both of which wouldn't work if they weren't "furry." (Insomuch as reptiles are furry-- shelly? I dunno).
Though on the fiction side of things, there's also Daniel Polansky's The Builders, which is a solid little novella that's basically "Redwall as a gory Sam Pekinpah revenge-western." It's a fun read! And possibly the only non-Redwall furry-novel (well, novella) that I can think of off the top of my head.
... though Eric Flint's Rats, Bats, and Vats comes close, though those are just genetically uplifted bats and rats engineered to fight giant space bugs. It's, uh, a weird book. Pretty fun, though.
What's this? An anthro-themed review blog that doesn't include Bulletproof Heart? I am offended, sir!
*Totally not faking it to try and get unnecessary attention drawn to his 2-1/2-year-old story*
Anthro* edition!
(* fingers 'n' tits edition)
Equestria already has a multiple of species that are bipedal, handed, etc. It’s not just a question of if a story requires a human-like body shape, it’s a question of if a story requires a particular character to have a human-like shape...
5498269
Fingers 'n' Tits edition when?!?!?!
5498234
"Lyra tries to turn herself into a human but only gets halfway there! What waaaacky shenanigans will she get into?" :B
5498256
it's too fucking long D:
5498452
See also the Mature folder of the Soft Hands group. :B
You know, No Magic Carpets is anthro because it can only work as anthro. Specifically the 'coloured skin instead of fur' variety Wintermist uses, and a discussion with her about how alicorns' hair works in her stories is what inspired the fic. Ponies in the show are fur covered, which completely nullifies the premise. That and the lack of clothes, which would also be a hindrance to telling the story. I suppose it could have also been humanised instead of anthro though.
Anyway, thanks for the review.
5498916
This is a good point, though it probably could also have worked as EQG. Granted, 'alicorn' doesn't translate out of horse people, so maybe that's it.
5499240
There's no case of someone going wavy haired in EQG as far as I remember, or at least not consistently. And more importantly there's no one who's used to that being their default state. I suppose you could go with ponying up having a similar effect, and have Sci-Twi be the one who gets to confront Sunset and the others about it, but it's a completely different dynamic and as a result a different fic.