Fic recs, August 29th! · 6:21pm Aug 29th, 2021
You know what just turned ten years old? Rainbow Factory. Yeah. And in celebration, its author is hosting a writing contest! Details can be found here!
Kudos to the community for helping out Flutterpriest faster than I could get a blog out about him! :D If you're still in need of a commission of some kind or just want to help someone out, Rated-R-Ponystar is also in some need!
Scribbler's newest reading is the Descendant's classic comedy, Dear Idiot, with Agent0Fluffy!
Also also, Sparrow9642 has done jmj's Withering Bloom!
One last review blog before the month is out. :) This one took a while; the next one is going to take even longer. :B I currently have just shy of 450 videos in my audiobook list. c.c;;; Some of those, maybe even a lot of them, will no doubt be latter-day chapters of old gorefics I don't want to finish reading. That will help a bit. I might be able to do vs. reviews of some of the longer stories. But holy shit. Holy shit, you guys. I do this to myself.
For now, let's catch up on regular audiobooks. I'm gonna finish my current Youtube obsession (Todd in the Shadows) before moving on to the huge reader channel...
H: 0 R: 6 C: 2 V: 0 N: 1 X: 1
Tell My Wife I Said "Hello!" by Silent Whisper
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Shipping/Drama
You miss out on a lot when you're gone for two years.
This was really original, and I'm not sure how to classify it, so I'm leaning on the author's chosen tags. But I'm not sure 'drama' quite fits. Nor would comedy, even a light one. But this has elements of all three. Twilight's reaction to her ongoing incarceration sure is goofy, after all. And she comes to some very intriguing conclusions about her relationship with Rarity that almost make it feel as though she wanted to get kidnapped, just so she could avoid commitment. As much as one can avoid commitment when one is already married, at least. So yeah, definitely did not go anywhere I anticipated, and presents a really unique look at her captors, some years on from the end of the show. Check it out.
Recommended
Heteropaternal Superfecundation by Thornquill
Reading by NeighratorPony
Genre: Drama/Tragedy
It wasn't bad enough that Sugarcube Corner burnt to the ground. Now Cup Cake's secrets are coming out…
Okay guys, I have to take the L on this one. This story taught me a very important lesson: I do not want to read stories about Mrs. Cake committing infidelity. I don't care what you think about where the twins came from or why they look the way they are, I think these stories suck shit and I hate them. :| All I could think of while listening to this was the Descendant's Cake fics. I just want them to be happy, is that too much to ask? And look, Thornquill is a really good author, maybe even great, if Carousel is anything to go by. That knowledge is what got me as far into this story as I did. And yes, the writing is excellent. Also, it's quite impressive to see someone like Neighrator tackling a long story like this in audio form. They're both good creators, I want to support them. But I was just not enjoying myself here. It was painful to watch these characters make these mistakes. I got up as far as chapter five — which definitely merits a Non-Con tag on this story, IMO — and then I gave up. I just can't do it. It's not a story I want to read, and no amount of good graces from the author could surpass that. I look forward to seeing what Thornquill does later, he does at least have one other story I haven't read yet.
No Rating
Through Death and Life by Chengar Qordath
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Celestiangst
The ten thousandth time a pony has made this request of me hurts just as much as the first.
This is apparently an entry in the Winningverse, a longtime AU that I have yet to set earnest foot in, but thankfully most of it is approachable. I mean, I get the sense that there's a lot that's been going on up till this point, but most of the background is gone through on the page, and quite a lot of it is very standard pre-S4 headcanon anyway. But oh man, talk about a good Celestia! The hook here is that she seems to have some measure of omniscience. She knows every little bit of her little ponies' lives, and she's equally aware of the fact that she is not, concurrently, omnipotent. She is in fact impotent in the face of an angry, hurting Rainbow Dash who just wants desperately to save the life of her friend. It's really crushing to watch her go through the five stages of grief in front of the Princess, only to get an answer of, "I'm sorry." And then we get a flashback that shows us Celestia is gay and sad, and it's great. :) On its own merits in 2021, it maybe isn't anything new, but it's definitely a good story.
Recommended
Twilightning by Blarghalt
Reading by Midnight29
Genre: Light Comedy
A spellbook dedicated to only one spell? If anyone's going to figure out what it does, it's Twilight Sparkle.
This is kind of a weird story. The bulk of it is Twilight trying to figure out the spell, then trying to figure out how to control its more difficult aspects. It's kind of a magical adventure, if you will, or an action story with no fighting. But I went with the comedy designation because of where this ends. It was highly amusing, and surprisingly pulled a solid moral lesson out of a big joke. But mostly, it was just fun to read, and that's what really matters. :)
Recommended
Sweet Dreams, Sweetie… by Bronie312
Reading by Sparrow9642
Genre: Horror
A few words come to mind to describe the writing in this story. Convoluted. Belabored. Tortuous. This is an author who is incapable of just stating something plainly, and the semantic hoops they jump through while conveying each individual idea in the story leave any sense of meaning lagging well behind the plot. We get lines like "her deepest desire, wanting to see us lying on the floor, without any sign of life in our bodies and souls" and "when my consciousness finally returned to being full". My mind was so occupied trying to untangle the knots in the writing that I honestly have no idea what was going on in the story. I'm sorry, but this is quite poor.
Not Recommended
Ra by Kodeake
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Apocalypse
Let me tell you how the world ended.
This was way cool. I was all set to be like, "Yeah, this is good, but if you're not interested in reading a sad story about the end of the world, it might not be for you." But surprisingly, despite this being a fic in which Twilight is the last living thing left on Equestria, it ends on a hopeful, even happy note. That was a real shock! Also, I really like what happened to Discord, just read and find out. This is great. :D
Recommended
My Tax Policy? by Leondude
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
With a new princess on the throne, there's just one question on ponies' minds…
This isn't super funny, but I was highly amused by the guards that just pop into the scene to spout random, relevant, but not always useful facts. But yeah, not much of a punchline, per se. It's all right.
Recommended If You Like Bureaucratic Comedies
Misaligned by Rambling Writer
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
In a forgotten waste, the Unspeakable One slumbers, waiting for the stars to align.
Huh, another comedy and another one set post-canon. This one's a good bit funnier, though, laying out a scenario, undercutting it with a joke, and ending on a funny note. That's about all you need to make a comedy work!
Recommended
Starlight Glimmer Tries a Dating App by LunarRainbow07
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
This was amusing, but hardly a laugh-a-minute. Maybe it's because I've never tried online dating myself; those who have will probably nod their heads like, "yeah, that do be how it is." Granted, the main draw is the dating profiles of various show characters (also their ages, that's the real joke here :V) and Twilight falling for a meme. Honestly, that might have been the best part, which really isn't saying much. But if nothing else, this knew exactly when to stop, so kudos to the author for not overstaying their welcome.
Recommended If You Like Online Dating Humor
Unbroken by The Bricklayer
Reading by Everfree's Narrations
Genre: Drama/Light Shipping
They said Rainbow Dash would never fly again, but Spitfire had other ideas.
It was 2018, and someone was still writing "Rainbow Dash loses her wing(s)". One of the biggest cliches in ponyfiction, right up there with "Twilight Sparkle fucks up a spell", so cliche that pointing out how cliche it is is itself a cliche. And yet, this works. Why? I would point to it not being from Rainbow's POV, which is honestly a major break in convention. This is just a good story about Spitfire helping her friend and teammate through literally the worst moment of her life. And when you put it that way, it doesn't sound cliche at all, does it? :)
Recommended
Me: *Sees story reviewed* *Gets Excited*
*Review: Not Recommended*
Me: Yeah, th-that actually sounds correct.
Thanks for the review.
Amusingly, it's the first part of a series I dubbed Twilight's Bureaucracy.
...wow, that was... unexpected. And it's been a few years I admit, but I swear that fic was a rush job. Something to occupy idle hands, thanks for the review though.
Glad you liked it! To be honest, I've got no clue how to classify it, either. Nothing quite fits, so I gave it my best guess. Thanks for the review!
Huh, that author must have changed their name. I read and liked Twilightning back when it came out, and it was listed as written by Bok.
5575215
Yeah, I dunno when they changed, but Bok is now Blarghalt. :B