Fic recs, April 16th: Sparrow9642 edition! · 1:06pm Apr 16th, 2021
I warned ya! Our next reader is not DT The Water Spirit, who only has readings of a story no longer on Fimfiction and the first 24 chapters of Your Human and You. Instead, we'll be revisiting Sparrow9642, who bucks the latest trends by still being active, and in fact released a couple more readings while I was compiling this! The list:
Boardgamebrony's It Moves Below
BlueColton's The Well with CadetRedShirt and TwiDashFTW
Alyssa Hartwick's Dear Diary
Jade Ring's Grogar: A Hearth's Warming Horror Story (part 1 2 3 4), The Secret of Everfree and The Thirteenth Hour with Vanilla Swirl
SgtSprinkles's Cupcakes with Agent0Fluffy and DinoReaper
TooShyShy's Let Her In with Agent0Fluffy and Classicat
AuroraDawn's Rainbow Factory with DinoReaper and Agent0Fluffy
InkHeartBrony's Can't Stand to Be Apart
Opium4TmassS's Flutterschmooze and Why I Stopped Watching My Little Pony
Stratocaster's Twilight Hears the Narrator with a whole bunch of people
Coyote de la Mancha's Twilight Doesn't with Scribbler and Lotus Moon
SamRose's Silent Ponyville (part 1 2 3 4 5 6)
Daemon of Decay's Help
Boy, that's a lot! Time to get spoopy!
H: 1 R: 12 C: 19 V: 6 N: 2
I See You by Horned Eclipse
Reading
Mature: Gore
Genre: Horror
Something is in Apple Bloom's room.
This wasn't bad. Maybe a little short to really build a strong sense of dread, but for a first horror fic, it's not bad. The main plus is that I wasn't notably distracted by anything, for all that I had to wonder about keeping an entire kerosene lantern in a nightstand. And if nothing else, the penultimate line of this story is really good. Also, I don't think the level of gore merited an M rating, but who knows.
Recommended for Horror Fans
The Survey by Sparrow9642
Reading
Reading by Agent0Fluffy
Mature: Gore
Genre: Creepypasta
The thing about creepypastas is, they tend to bend believability to such a degree that they end up silly. I got more than one big laugh out of this one, but that's only because it follows the tropes of its fellows. I mean, taking an online survey is such a non-event, such a normal, unthreatening thing, twisting it into something sinister took a lot of effort, so the author gets major credit for that. And I got a lot of amusement from taking the moral as "don't be a horny brony or Twilight Sparkle will invade your computer and murder you in a brutal and ironic manner". Not amazing, and I'll be skipping most of the sequels, I think, but I can't deny it was kind of fun, and should satisfy readers of a certain stripe.
Recommended for Creepypasta Fans
Behind the Wheel by Astrocity
Reading with Lillyleaf
Genre: 2P Comedy
For whatever reason, it is now your duty to teach Princess Luna how to drive one of the new automatic carriages.
There are a lot of things this story could have been. HiE. AiE, for that matter. Luna vs. And yet, to its great benefit, it is none of these things. The cars are modern style, but they were invented in Equestria offscreen, you're some random stallion OC, and though the jokes are about what you'd expect for a story with this premise, they were nevertheless funny. And it even gets heartwarming partway through! The more I think about this, the more I have to say, I just really enjoyed it. :)
Recommended
A Cutiemarks True Meaning by InkHeartBrony
Reading
Sequel to Can't Stand to Be Apart
Genre: Dark
The cutie marks are in control, not us.
This lost me almost immediately thanks to its premise. The only way this story would have worked as-is would be if Twilight had been reading some Equalist propaganda written by Starlight Glimmer. I honestly don't know why the author didn't go that direction, since this was written in 2017. But the idea of cutie marks overwriting previous knowledge, or imparting fresh knowledge about something a pony had only done once not only doesn't hold water with canon, it just doesn't make any sense. And since all this does is lay out that concept and then have Twilight go, "Huh, guess that's why the Crusaders died," there just isn't anything here.
Not Recommended
A Little Bit of Nothing by Karrakaz
Reading with Lillyleaf and Agent0Fluffy
Genre: Shipping
Rainbow Dash has been dared to confess her feelings to Fluttershy.
I can't believe it. Someone finally wrote a shipfic where both parties already like each other and actually made it work! It has to jump through the "Rarity gives bad romance advice" hoop to get there, but I'll take it! The whole thing hinges on Fluttershy's dramatic and unexpected reaction to Rainbow Dash's confession — she doesn't even get the words out! — which is what keeps it from being too easy. They actually have to, like, sit down and talk about stuff, so that by the time they start the smooching, it feels earned. Plus, this is just super cute. You love to see it. :D
Recommended
An Angel of Grief by Nugget
Reading
Genre: Sad
I let her go, and now she's lost because of me.
It's funny, earlier today I was just thinking about how difficult it is to write sad stories well. If you want the audience to feel grief at what's on the page, you first have to make them care about the main character's wants and what's important to them, so that ultimately the character's loss is the reader's. In this case, we have a guy who's looking for his wife, and finds her grave (I guess? he's not even sure about it), and he feels a lot of guilt for her death. Yet, my only reaction was to wish he wouldn't be quite so whiny about it. I know nothing about this character, save that he's supposed to be Edgar Allen Poe? And while it's understandable to grieve over a lost spouse, at the same time, the commonness of that scenario was not enough by itself to make me feel any grief. Also, like, why the angel? What significance does that have in Equestria? Literally what is any of this? I will give the author credit for some good writing, and for using The Raven as inspiration but not trying to recreate it. That would have been too much. But as it is, I never connected with it, so it doesn't work for me.
Vaguely Recommended
To My Beloved Sister by Realm Jumper
Reading with DinoReaper and somebody else
Genre: 2P Psychological Horror
It was a normal day, until you found the letter from your sister.
I can't remember the last time I saw a second-person story where 'you' are an actual character from the show. I feel like it worked here, keeping the focus narrow while also allowing for occasional tangents. As for the story itself, the random comedy of the opening bit is good juxtaposition for what comes after, driving home just what sort of life Celestia lives and really portraying it well, if you ask me. As for the content, well, as Luna started laying things out, I was all, "Uh, but canon?" and then it very neatly brushed that objection aside. Is it scary? No, but I do think it works as a what-if with a dark, creepy answer. A really worthwhile experiment if nothing else
Recommended
What Lurks Outside the Door by ShadowWalking18
Reading
Reading by Lotus Moon
Genre: Horror
In the night, a tapping at her door. But when she opens it, no one's there.
All through this story, it was only ever okay. Decent premise, though tropey and playing hard on the "woman living alone in a new city" angle. Writing is fine, minus a lot of limiters. Pacing is a little slow, but not overly so. It was just always adequate. It does make the mistake of showing the monster, which is a mistake both because it answers the question "what's doing this?" and also because the monster is your average Slenderman clone, the kind of thing you'd see on DeviantArt. Creepy, yes, but nothing about it really tells you why this thing in particular is scary. And the ending, just having her go crazy? Not really satisfying. So, eh, I dunno. It's okay, I guess.
Vaguely Recommended
What Have You Done? by Realm Jumper
Reading with Snoopy 7c7 and DinoReaper
Genre: Grimdark
Twilight has found a way to bring back the alicorns and draconequui. Rainbow Dash is determined to stop her.
I'm betting the reading is the best way to experience this story. It sounds really good in practice, while the actual descriptions are kind of straightforward and uninteresting by themselves. But otherwise, this was good. Not for everyone, of course, but if you enjoy Twyrant fics, this rides a similar wavelength.
Recommended for Fans of Darkfics
Scratch by TooShyShy
Reading with Princess Heather P. Blossom and someone else
Genre: Body Horror
Twilight fights a mysterious itch.
It's a shame that content warning is on the front of the fic. Speaking as someone suffering from said ailment, I've never had a problem reading about it, which doesn't mean it wouldn't bother anyone else, but it does give away a lot of the game ahead of time. That said, it doesn't give away everything, and what's here is pretty fantastically creepy. I'm not sure what else to say, save that it seems like TooShyShy is really good at this stuff, this story got me to follow them, and it's a shame they're not around anymore. :C
Recommended
Cutie Mark Seance by Waxworks
Reading
Genre: Dark
After finding a ouija board, Apple Bloom tries to use it to contact her dead mother. She finds something else.
Summoning up something terrible by using a ouija board is not exactly an original idea, hearkening back to a lot of horror movies that were probably wrapped up in the Satanic Panic of yesteryear. But in reading this story, I realize what makes them work as horror devices: you have to wait for the answer. Every letter has to be spelled out, usually very slowly, so it always keeps the tension high, even if the lights aren't flickering or whatever to signal danger. So that's one part of this story. The rest is honestly a very touching piece about Apple Bloom's connection with her mother, who she was too young to ever remember. It goes through a lot of her family relationships, how Mac and AJ are her living parental figures but that she still somehow feels something is missing in her life. So, given the chance, she wants to try and do something about it. You can hardly blame her, and I was really there for her emotional journey. That said, this has some issues. The characterization of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo especially seem to be constantly flip-flopping during the argument scene. The writing is on the repetitive side. And, if you ask me, it should have ended at "I'm sorry". The final scene is just a little too dark, considering the rest of the story has this lingering sense of dread but is otherwise fairly light. So, not perfect, but I think it's worth reading if you can handle your Apple Parents stories getting dark by the end.
Recommended
Reliving by lxonardo
Reading with CadetRedShirt and TrebleSketch
Genre: Shipping/Mental Health
Rarity comforts Applejack after she has a nightmare.
This is what I think you'd call a comfort fic, one of those stories whose purpose seems to be illustrating how to help someone through their mental issues. Pretty good idea, and it also does a good job demonstrating why and how Applejack would have this much trauma still swimming around in her head. The writing trends toward the telly, and there's not a ton for shippers, but really, this is about seeing someone else feel good, so that you know it's possible for you, too.
Recommended If You Like Stories About Coping With Mental Illness
Me by QueenMoriarty
Reading with somebody else
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Psychological
Twilight's latest attempt to clone herself has unfortunately been successful.
Ah, cloning. What a fun topic for presenting the reader with all kinds of existential questions. :) This one's all about the perspective, since Twilight seems to have all her memories, but there are enough discrepancies that it's hard to say which Twilight is actually the clone. I was a little sad that it just sort of ends, but to be fair, a continuation would eventually have devolved into endless circular arguments, so it was probably for the best.
Recommended
Room 22 by Nugget
Reading
Genre: 2P Dark
You couldn't remember how you got to the hotel, exactly, but you did need a place to stay the night.
The story is about this abandoned hotel that just sort of happens to the main character, and yet not much is done with the premise. It all hinges on this room, and the promise that it will either be Paradise or Tartarus, but, like… Check the tags. Heck, check the tone. This ain't gonna be Paradise. And the story almost pulls off a third hour twist, save that where 'you' end up is… not that scary? Like, it's bad, but it's also a known quantity. So, not really sure what was being attempted here exactly, but I don't think it was achieved.
Not Recommended
Wanna Play? by Opium4TmassS and MisterNick
Reading with a bunch of people
Sequel to Why I Stopped Watching My Little Pony
Genre: Dark
When she becomes the ponies' next target, all Anna can do is hope her friend Derpy keeps her safe.
I swear, each entry of this series I read is better than the last. This one gave me a positive first impression with a strong sense of place, of this strange, abused little girl living in probably the rural American South. Then it goes coocoo bananas with a pair of reveals that you won't see coming, not that they necessarily make sense. But this really seems to be expanding the mythos, along with leaving behind its creepypasta roots, as The My Little Pony Ride did. And the ending was quite the trip. I'm gonna have to go read the rest of them sometime, these stories are just so unique and tons of fun.
Recommended
Rarity's Collection. by Dustchu
Reading with Luna Farrowe and Vanilla Swirl
Mature: Death
Genre: Horror
Everyone is dealing with Fluttershy's death in their own way. Rarity, for instance, has her collection.
For all that it's really easy to figure out what's going on from the description alone, this story's actual misstep is in just laying out its concept without doing a whole lot with it. This could have been the start of some grand, grimdark "Cupcakes but with Rarity" thing (not that that's necessarily something that needed to happen). So it doesn't have a lot of impact. Still, I didn't hate it. In particular, I like how the other named ponies are all characters who appeared in season one and then not again for quite some time. Lends a bit of verisimilitude to the setup, if nothing else. So it's not amazing, but it's all right.
Recommended for Horror Fans
Mark My Words by TwiwnB
Reading
Genre: Grimdark
Scootaloo's gotten her cutie mark, and now she has to leave.
I can't be too hard on this, because I've done similar things myself over the years, but this is nevertheless one of those cynical pieces that decides cutie marks are a destiny overlaid atop a pony by some outside force, rather than something that demonstrates who they've always been. In this case, a single act ends up scarring the rest of Scootaloo's life, and yes, I had to laugh at the reveal, because I'm terrible. That said, the fact that her friends decide to stand by her was strangely heartwarming? Like, totally unexpected given where the story starts out. I guess the author didn't want a completely bad ending?
Recommended Only If You Like Dark Stories About Cutie Marks
The Double by Goat Licker
Reading with a bunch of people
Mature: Gore
Genre: Horror
Sweetie Belle has been replaced with a doppelganger. And Rarity has been tasked with dispatching it.
Augh, dammit, this was so close to being the best horror fic I'd read in this blog. Forget dealing with your own clone, dealing with someone else's is the perfect vehicle for maximum tension. And this pulled it off! Everything up through the sheriff's reveal at the end was perfect, minus the one moment that seems extra dark just for the sake of making things worse. (Though, granted, Rarity has just killed something that looks like her sister at this point, and is perhaps understandably starting to lose it.) But after that, the denouement of Rarity experiencing shock and horror is really drawn out. And then we get the explanation for what started it all, and… It just raises further questions. I don't think it was an effective ending at all, but the journey to get there was still kind of worth it? Highly Recommended If You Ignore the Ending
Recommended
Monsters by Inky Shades
Reading with Scribbler
Genre: Psychological
Rarity's greatest creation is a monster.
You know, there are a couple spots where the phrasing could have been better, and the metaphor is rather unsubtle, but… A straightforward metaphor means it will be that much more accessible. And this is the kind of story that is trying to reach out and reassure. I really do like it when authors use horror tropes to tell other kinds of stories, and the heartwarming ending is really just the best. This was unexpectedly excellent.
Highly Recommended
I'll Be Watching You by Billy G Gruff
Reading
Genre: Epistolary Horror
Tender Taps is willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure Apple Bloom will be his, forever.
Holy fuck, was this terrifying. Not only is it a perfect example of the kind of deranged, delusional shit actual stalkers pull off, but because it's also in magical horse land, it's possible for things to be so much worse than in the real world. The reading may be the best way to experience this, because hot damn, Sparrow's gotten to be good at VA over the years, but do make sure you also check out the text so you can appreciate just why the story feels a tad long. :) This won't be for everyone due to the content, but in my regards, it is Highly Recommended for Fans of Realistic Horror.
Recommended
You Can't Kill the Me in You by GoddessOfCarries
Reading
Genre: Epistolary Tragic Romance
Do you remember when it all went wrong, Twilight?
Sensing a pattern here as the fics get more real. c.c; So, this is clearly about Twilight suffering some kind of mental breakdown and taking it out on Fluttershy, to the point that there is no chance of a happy ending. But I had to wonder what, exactly, was going on. "Depression" definitely is not a sufficient answer here. I would buy PTSD, especially since it's intimated that the stress of princess life is what's getting to Twilight, but "depression" is all we get. Beyond that, this isn't bad at all, but I do wonder who would want to read it.
Recommended If You Like Shipfics With Bad Endings?
Rarity's Lucky Charm by Monochromatic
Reading with Luna Farrowe and Lullaby VA
Genre: Shipping
After Rarity breaks a mirror, Pinkie Pie volunteers to be Rarity's bad luck bodyguard.
Monochromatic, shipping Rarity with someone other than Twilight? That's literally everyone's comment on this story ffs So this was super cute, which is not hard to do when you can write Pinkie well. She's just hyper enough to be in character, while just serious enough that her feelings are realistic, for all that Rarity having a hard time taking her seriously is kind of a major cornerstone of the piece. Other than that, solid shipfic, even if you're not into the ship.
Recommended for Shippers
Stable 17 by The Blue EM2
Reading with Keyframe and someone else
Mature: Gore, Violence, Death
Genre: EiH Creepypasta
This is a ponification — though not, as far as I can tell, a direct ripoff — of a Thomas the Tank Engine Creepypasta video, which… I just need to take a minute and absorb that sentence. What the fuck. Anyway, this starts off along the lines of Why I Stopped Watching My Little Pony and ends up in The Conversion Bureau meets Friendship Is Optimal territory, with a little Blink thrown in for good measure. Also, 'anthrofusion', though a direct callback to the video, sounds like something out of a furry fetish fic. <.< I guess I'm saying this isn't terribly original, but it's okay. Didn't need the M rating. I'm just not that into creepypastas.
Recommended for Creepypasta Fans
These Words Are Not My Own by The 24th Pegasus
Reading with Thelifeoncloud9
Genre: Psychological Horror
Autumn Blaze will do anything to make the drumming in her head stop.
Yaknow, I don't think I've ever read a Kirin fic until now. And, well, y'all know why. :V But this was good. I maybe got a little too much enjoyment out of its dark ending, but setting it before Autumn gets her voice back was inherently interesting, and I really loved how her dumb hoof puppet becomes first this outlet for her mental trauma, then something far worse. Like I said, I enjoyed it maybe too much, but we all know by now I don't react normally to lots of things.
Recommended for Horror Fans
Horror at Dusk by MrNelg
Reading with a bunch of people
Genre: Horror
Grounded, Apple Bloom is home alone when a strange filly knocks at her door.
This is another one of those stories where the monster reveal is actually a plus. What it is and what its motivations are are both really original. The way Apple Bloom deals with it is clever in a narrative sense, and I definitely liked the ending, just because of what it suggests about the monster. The overall structure of the story is familiar, but what the author did with the tropes makes it totally worthwhile.
Recommended
The Legacy Will Endure by mayorlight
Reading
Genre: Horror/Mystery
The day after Crystal Prep's latest Friendship Games win, Twilight Sparkle wakes with a mark on her abdomen, missing memories, and a lot of questions.
The central mystery of this piece is really fun, quite sinister, and, unfortunately, also where the story goes wrong. We're given a whole bunch of clues, but not enough to put anything together, nor any answers as to what's going on. I mean, I can come up with a few ideas, many of which would be delightful in the wake of Friendship Games, but there's no confirmation one way or the other. Have to say I'm disappointed.
Vaguely Recommended
A Motherly Princess by TheWingman
Reading with a bunch of people
Reading by Lotus Moon
Sequel to Sleepless Snuggles
Genre: Cute
Celestia comforts an orphan.
I wouldn't have pegged Sleepless Snuggles as the sort of story that could support a sequel, let alone require one, but here we are. Comparing the two, I have to say I like this one better. The writing hasn't improved much if at all, but the story itself makes sense with far less setup, not to mention the OC's name is much more reasonable. I don't think I have any interest in continuing the series, because there are quite a few more stories after this one, but this wasn't bad, for all that I always look askance at tales where a character gets exactly what they always wanted.
Recommended If You Want to Read Something Cute and Positive
Duality by Zael
Reading
Genre: Dark EQG
Why didn't Sunset go for the kill?
It's really hard for me not to like stories delving into Sunset Shimmer's character, but this one comes close. The scene where she confronts her demon is actually pretty great, a very good take on resisting temptation. But the stuff leading up to that is drawn-out to the point of dullness. The constant word use errors don't help any.
Vaguely Recommended
Raze This Barn by Tekket
Reading with Animelodie
Genre: Grimdark
Applejack watches as the Apple Family barn burns to the ground.
I dunno about anyone else, but I thought this was funny. <.< Given the sheer ridiculousness of the premise, it's truly a darkly comedic inversion of Apple Family Reunion. But it's also not tagged Comedy, so I really don't know how to take it. The fact that AJ's motivation is mostly left to the description is also a strike against it.
Recommended for Darkfic Fans
Flightless Rainbow by XenoPony
Reading with DoeOwO and Thelifeoncloud9
Genre: Shipping
Grounded for a month due to a wing injury, Rainbow Dash seeks her marefriend for comfort.
This is a pretty straightforward shipfic, and it's got a POV shift, but I'm not gonna turn my nose up at even a halfway decent PinkieDash because OTP. :3 Also, surprisingly, this is more about Rainbow Dash's character and self-doubts than it is her relationship with Pinkie, even if said relationship is super fucking cute. So all in all, I thought it was quite nice, would read again.
Recommended for Shippers
Secrets of the Two Sisters by Flutterpriest
Reading
Genre: Horror
Twilight will learn that some secrets are meant to remain buried.
This is a very weird story, and I think I know why: All the horror comes from Twilight's assurance that something is wrong. Other than the motif of a ring appearing where it shouldn't be (and, let's face it, a ring by itself is not particularly frightening), that's all we know. We don't get to see the monster Twilight summoned, and her struggle against it is told to us long after it's over. So it sort of comes off as Twilight freaking out over nothing. Not a bad story by any stretch, it just had zero impact on me.
Vaguely Recommended
The Rainbow Under the Stairs by Opium4TmassS
Reading
Sequel to The Truth Behind My Little Pony
Genre: PoE Horror
Monica wants nothing more than to go out and play with her friends. If only Rainbow Dash wasn't waiting to eat her.
This is easily my favorite story out of this series. :) Just that transition from the opening scene, detailing a young child's desire to be outside and play with friends, right into "Rainbow Dash is lying in wait to eat me". What a joy. I can't get enough of ponies used as vehicles for real-world horror. The only thing that caught me up short is the scene where she compares herself to an older girl. From the intro, I got the sense Monica is in the 5-8 age range. Thinking about how your body won't ever compare to someone else is, I would think, somewhere in the preteen-to-teenager range. But I could be wrong, never having been a young girl myself. It's not enough to sink my enjoyment of the story, though. Rainbow Dash, tempting a child to heinous acts in the name of saving her own skin? A-plus, bro.
Recommended
I'm Sorry, Twilight by the7Saviors
Reading (part 1)
Genre: Psychological/Eldritch Horror/Tragedy
Spike has been having strange dreams, dreams that are straining his relationship with Twilight.
Boy, do I love seeing authors take risks. :D Almost as much as approaching an author I haven't read before and coming away with a stellar first impression. The first half of this story is made of the highest-quality tension, as Spike suggests that Twilight is hiding something from him, and she starts to wonder if maybe she's hid it from herself, as well. Twilight's an excellent unreliable narrator, not to give anything away, and the way she reacts to things like Rarity being concerned about her only ramps up the tension even higher. Then she finally discovers what's going on, and the story takes a hard right into crazytown, but it's okay. This is the kind of horror that's worth seeing on the page, because it's just so much worse that way. And, spoilers, this doesn't have a happy ending, but if you're okay with that, you really need to read it, I was honestly blown away. Highly Recommended for Horror Fans.
Recommended
Apple Seeds by Waxworks
Reading
Mature: Death
Genre: Horror
When Granny Smith finds a patch of bubbling earth in the west orchard, the Apples learn that some things shouldn't be dug up.
This was a marvelously surreal piece, with all the imagery strongly conveying a sense of wrongness. The ending is something of a mystery, though. I mean, they more or less discover what's going on, and then a mysterious voice fills in the details. But what happened? Who was that? I don't think it really ties up the horror in any way, leaving me only with questions. Still, I thought this was original enough to be noteworthy.
Recommended for Horror Fans
Psychosis by CrackedInkWell
Reading
Genre: Horror
A skiing trip to the Crystal Mountains goes horribly wrong.
Funnily enough, literally just a few days ago, I read an article about how the wendigo is an indigenous spirit, poorly understood by outsiders, and thus should not be used for Western storytelling. Do with that information what you will; it's not even the main problem with this story. See, this is actually really good survival horror, ponies vs. nature, trying to weigh the risk of going for help with the certainty that one of their number will die if they don't. It's when it dives into the "we read a scary story and now it's coming true" trope that it really starts to fall down. I mean, that works better if it's more like "this local legend is not actually a legend", but I still think it's dumb. Plus, I couldn't get a handle on any of the characters, and, as the description says, this is completely unedited. I really wish authors wouldn't do that. For that reason alone, I don't think I'll be checking out the other stories in this anthology.
Vaguely Recommended
Underneath by Dandereshy
Reading
Genre: Horror
Mazy doesn't want to sleep because of the noises under her bed, but nopony will believe her when she tells them.
The main thing to note about this is that it's not very pony. Other than a few words like 'filly' or 'foreleg', this doesn't even feel like regular fiction with the edges ponified so much as straight-up regular fiction. It's also not terribly scary, though I did appreciate the author's ability to create tension with imagery. I kind of saw the end coming, but I still liked it, because it leaves so many questions. All in all, not bad.
Recommended for Horror Fans
Octavia's Final Stop by Waxworks
Reading (part 1)
Genre: Horror
Octavia's bad day only gets worse during the train ride home.
I really wish this story didn't take as long as it does to get going. Yes, the setup is good — I don't know what it is about train stations, but the creepy ones are just somehow extra creepy — but it just takes so long for Octavia to get anywhere even somewhat off. That whole route, I was distracted by word choices — I don't think "operator" is the right word for people who punch your train ticket, but what do I know? — Octavia's potty mouth, and a density of Britishisms bordering on the parodic. But wouldn't ya know, it all turns out to be worth it for the twist in the third chapter, which is creepy, and cleanly and elegantly executed. No idea why this happened to Octavia, or how she ended up on that train, but the outcome was pretty neat. :D
Recommended for Horror Fans
A Mare's Needs by Kodeake
Reading
Genre: Rom-Com
Ponies, is it lame to miss your marefriend?
This is a one-joke fic — Rainbow Dash is tsundere as fuck and unable to cope with her own emotions — but the author successfully stretched it out to a decent-sized story without overstaying its welcome. This is as cute as it is funny, and that's all I really needed. :)
Recommended
Give and Take by The 8-Bit Flame Princess
Reading
Genre: Shipping
Fluttershy wants Applejack to move in with her. Applejack isn't so sure.
I need more Flutterjack in my life, it is a good ship. :B That said, I wish this had gone a bit deeper into Applejack's hesitation. She seems to have commitment problems, after all, choking over the word 'love'. The story basically just comes down to Rainbow Dash saying a few things to her and somehow making all her problems go away, so it isn't exactly satisfying. Also one of those stories that's really in love with love, focusing just on the fact that the characters are in a relationship and not exploring much else. Still, yay Flutterjack.
Recommended for Flutterjack Fans
Day Zero by Ponyville Ranger
Reading with ViolaRules
Genre: FoE Pre-Apocalypse
This is it. The end of the world. All the ponies can try to do is survive long enough to make it to a Stable.
The first part of this story is a very long, detailed retelling of the backstory for Fallout: Equestria. It was pretty dull, but I also realized, it means anyone not familiar with the original would actually have a solid starting point here. o.O Unexpected. The characters I couldn't tell you much about, but you get a really strong sense of their relationship, what they mean to each other, since that's kind of the point of this piece. I've never seen that sort of thing done before, but I feel like it's a valid method of characterization. These two are meant to work as a team, so it's important we see that first and foremost. The rest is basically "life goes on" as the characters get to watch the Megaspells fall and run to Stable 2. It's got a dark ending, because there's really nothing else it could have, but it's still somewhat hopeful. Honestly, about the only thing I can say against it is the use of G-rated swearing was bizarre. Like, you don't just shout, "Dang it!" in response to seeing Canterlot covered in a pink cloud. This is a setting full of swearing! It was a strange choice. But while I feel like I didn't get a whole lot out of this while listening to it, in hindsight? It's not bad at all.
Recommended If You Want to Dip Your Toes Into Fallout: Equestria
Monsters was really good; thanks for sharing.
Daw beans. Sucks to hear that Tales didn't land squarely for ya. I was trying to replicate an older, more subtle style of horror rather than GOREMURDERCHAINSAW. It was definitely intended on starting small, with little inconsistencies (i.e. A ring that wouldn't obey) and escalating from there to more vicious things. But that's my fault for not continuing it. Thank you for the review never the less. Lessons learned, I suppose.
This was an unexpectedly pleasant surprise to see today! Thank you for reviewing my story--Monsters. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I definitely agree with what you had to say. It's always nice to see some of my older work get a little love.
*whistel* good ole bird boy, but man what a selection of dark fics to pick 😱 😍
And who know, maybe one day we’ll get a one AJ addition :p dreams happen 😇 lack of any highly recommended stories aside >.> but always better than I was yesterday
Soooo happy to see my goal of the channel finally get noticed! I try to pick stories that are underrated and get overshadowed by others, so the authors can get their moment in the spotlight, as much as know that there are people who recognize their work as well. I agree with a lot of points you made, especially on the older fics on the list from back around 2016ish, because I was really just picking at rapid pace back in those days, and posting all I could to get my channel more attention. The censored swearing in Day Zero is mainly because of the author's preference, and yeah, it drove me nuts XD! I'm a fucking sailor, so yeah, I constantly had to correct myself when I recorded the audio for that.
While some didn't fit your preference, I do appreciate you giving these fellow authors a chance. They deserve it, because personally, minus The Survey, I loved all of these fics. I love psychological horror and prefer to be left wondering what the hell was coming next. I hate trope filled horror fics, and is mainly why I stick to grimdarks, because they are all unique and 70% of the time original. It doesn't take much to catch my interest, unless it's full of tropes, cliche's, and godawful grammar. Anything else will normally catch my eye, and I'll give it a shot.
I heavily appreciate the comment on the voice acting too! That fic was creepy asf, and I felt I got a little TOO into the acting, but hey, it made for a great display of voice acting! I will have more stuff on the way soon. I try to release at least two readings a month, so stick around if you want some more underrated fics to review!
EDIT:
Thank you also for sharing my work! I thought at first the first listings of the blog were reviews on their own, especially given that SP is 6 chapters long, it is really appreciated and helps in many ways :)
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One day! You are on the list. :)
Noticed you changed your name, too. :P
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I will, don't you worry. :)
Thank you for the reviews they really picked up my spirit. And btw when I wrote it I pictured Monica as being around ten or eleven but after a second read-through your right I did make her seem a lot younger.
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Eh, realized I could, so I did at last
Thank you for giving Legacy a chance. I probably relied too much on the implied horror, as some readers have drawn wildly different conclusions from what I'd hoped to hint at. I greatly appreciate your insights and will remember to provide a few more concrete clues in my next mystery.
Thanks a ton for your review! Keep up the good work!
I'm glad you found the monster and it's motivations to be original. I find - when creating monsters, the design is always the easy part. The hard part is coming up with a gimmick. This helps the monster become unique, rather than just, yet another ugly creature.
Unless I'm missing something, this is more or less what happened in the season 3 finale, no?
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That's with magical interference, though.
Not, "I got my cutie mark in something I've never done before, so now I know everything about it." :|
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Ahhh, I see what you're saying. They definitely didn't know what they were supposed to do with their new cutie marks in the season 3 finale