Fic recs, October 15th: G5 edition! · 11:34pm Oct 15th, 2021
Local coolperson Octavia Harmony is in need of some help! So, please go help!
Sparrow9642 has done a Halloween reading of Flutterpriest's Bloody Mane!
So hey, we've got a new movie, we've got a new tag, it's time to look up that tag and read a bunch of stories that use it! I picked stuff on my RIL, stuff that looked interesting, selecting only from stories that were complete on the 7th, when I posted my last blog. I also specifically skipped anything with a reading by StraightToThePointStudio (which was a lot!), since I'll be listening to those sometime in the future.
And thankfully, these were mostly really short, so it didn't take that long. :) Wanted to get this out for the signal boost, after all. Next time, I'll either start with old, old editions I've been saving like, forever, or else I'll pick 50k worth of fics off my RIN and see what I can get through. :B Okay.
H: 1 R: 5 C: 13 V: 3 N: 2
Window Pain by Halira
Genre: Emotional
Everything's done, finally. All that's left is to pick up the pieces.
We start with the first story actually published after the movie was released, on the day of said release. There are other G5-tagged stories published before this one (y'know, I kinda wrote one…), but we're here for actual inspired-by-the-movie stuff, not speculation. For the most part, anyway. :) So what's here? Well, for starters, a refutation for all the people who are mad because "Twilight failed" or everything she did "amounted to nothing". I see a lot of that vitriol, and I think it's short-sighted, myself. Here's a supposition about just what might have happened, alongside some very poignant writing and a little lesson about friendship. Just a single scene, but it's effective.
Recommended
Element of Himbo by daOtterGuy
Genre: Random Comedy
Hitch Trailblazer learns about his destiny.
Surprisingly, there's more than one joke here, but only just. Really, this is just goofy, silly fun, and it made me chuckle quite a bit. :)
Recommended for Laughs
A Glow in the Sky by Mlp_Starry_Night
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Slice of Life
Izzy was never like the other unicorns.
Well, this was cute, a 'what if' about a young Izzy, taking place right around the same time as the start of the movie. Writing's got a few early mistakes, but is otherwise acceptable, and it goes about where you would think.
Recommended for Izzy Fans
Izzy Moonbow x Female Reader by SweetCarol
Genre: 2P Shipping
You knew from the moment you met her that Izzy was special.
The bluntness of the title caught my attention, but it also speaks to the amount of effort that was put into this. The shipping is very superficial, and most of it is told, while the story itself is rushed and compressed to near nonexistence. I got nothing out of it. The author tried a gimmick, but it really didn't add anything, either. At least it's short.
Not Recommended
Princess Protips by Masterweaver
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
Pipp has some advice for Sunny regarding her newfound fame.
This was really funny. And yet, somehow the author managed to fit in a solid, serious message about parasocial relationships without losing the humor. That's pretty impressive!
Recommended
Tongues Like Tasers by Lighthawk
Mature: Sex
Genre: Comedic Clop
Izzy helps Hitch relieve some stress.
Look, I had to review at least one M-rated G5 fic, right? So it might as well be the one with the funny double entendre in the title. Happily, while this wasn't tagged Comedy, it's intensely funny, entirely thanks to good Izzy dialogue. Well, and the ridiculousness of the situation. Other than that, well, it's porn! With some good bits about earth ponies and unicorns and the differences and meetings thereof.
Recommended If You Want Some G5 Clop!
This Is How a Pegasus Hoops by Buck Swisher
Genre: Random Comedy
Princess Pipp needs to learn Izzy's talents.
This is a bit more Random than Comedy, if I'm being honest, given that large swaths of it are told quite straightforwardly. But I have to say I was highly amused by watching Pipp suck at basketball, because I am apparently on Team Pipp Sucks. (Motto: If Someone Has To Be Worst Pony, It May As Well Be Her!) So, yeah, it only hits the level of 'amusing', but it is amusing.
Recommended for Laugh
The View from Above by Jeevesie
Genre: Mental Health
Ivory Cedar's life hasn't been the same since magic returned to the world. But it hasn't been the same in a very different way from everypony else…
Thank god at least one person wrote a story about Balloon Pony, the best running gag I've seen in a while. :D A serious story, no less! And one that's very heartwarming, to boot. Ivory Cedar is a great name for the guy, by the way. This approaches his understandable fear of the sky in a very sober manner, bringing in Zipp to help him out. I swear, reading this story is therapy all by itself, doesn't matter what your issues are. I was genuinely touched and impressed.
Highly Recommended
As Much as They Change Some Things Stay the Same by TheCrimsonDM
Genre: Shipping
Sunny's got herself a roommate now, and she's really weird.
Have I mentioned I'm also Team Snizzy? Yeah, I'm way into this admittedly very easy ship, so time to start reading fics about it! This is… okay, but not particularly satisfying as shipfics go. I mean, it does take a different tack at least. But different in this case doesn't equal 'good'. The story feels a rushed, and Izzy is definitely too random. Not a waste of time, since it's so short, but it could have offered more.
Vaguely Recommended
Crumbling. by Caedro
Genre: Horror
Something is changing, and Sunny is the only pony who's noticed.
I always have a hard time critiquing horror that doesn't quite work since, y'know, I'm not particularly good at writing it myself. This has a number of things going for it, at least: the uniqueness of the scenario, the way the changes ramp up, and the haunting refrain of "It's no big deal." But I never really felt frightened or tense? Maybe it's just me, this is still fine to read.
Recommended If You Like Weird, Creepy Stuff
Grinded Pony Hooves by Kaidan
Genre: Weird
Izzy invites Hitch over for a special time…
Is it weird that I'm kind of disappointed this isn't actually G5 Rainbow Factory? I mean, it even quotes the song! I shouldn't be excited about that! I just didn't expect anyone to take my suggestion of rewriting classic MLPFiM fics with the G5 characters, and y'all continue not to do so! Anyway, this is not actually as dark as its tag would suggest, which makes for a delightfully bizarre little tale. Not sure what you'd call it. Grimlight? Weird fun regardless.
Recommended If You Like Weird Stuff
Reflections of a Unicorn by Child of Stars
Genre: Slice of Life
Izzy's off to make new friends!
Boy, I don't have a lot to say about this one. It's just Izzy having minor, almost nonexistent mishaps on her way to Maretime Bay. The writing's very telly, but notably free of typos, so clearly this is a writer growing into their own. I was mostly just not really interested or excited by what was happening on the page, so a stronger central idea might result in a better story.
Vaguely Recommended
DUDE. by Masterweaver
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Movie Followup
Hitch has a few words for his former deputy.
This wasn't quite as funny as I had anticipated, but it does sound perfectly in character for both of them: Sprout still coming down off his dictatorial bender, Hitch up to his eyeballs in "What were you thinking?" Mostly, though, I was miffed by the ending. It looked like it was going to be a heartwarming lesson learned through kindness and understanding, and then it wasn't? At least not to my mind. Isn't Hitch supposed to be the Element of Being Fluttershy? Well, it was still a good, short read.
Recommended If You Want Sprout to Suffer Some Sort of Consequence
Ticklish by Art Inspired
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Cute
Zipp is asked to preen her sister's wings ahead of a show. There's just one problem.
This is pretty cute, but completely fluff. Oddly, I got the sense at the start that this was taking place in the past, when they were kids, but on reflection, I'm not sure why I thought that. I mean, the cover art definitely doesn't suggest it. Well, whatever. I kinda don't get the appeal, but it does have a fun punchline at least.
Recommended If You Like Cute Stuff
Aren't We Forgetting Something? by tzening
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Comedy
There's a very important fact that seems to have slipped by everyone…
The author's note states "not exactly my finest work", and despite this being my first time reading this author's work, I have to agree. <.< It starts off just fine, if you ignore a couple glaring typos, but the longer it went on, the more I realized it wasn't very funny. The characters talk in long monologues, the narration is very summative, and the lightheartedness of the opening quickly fades to stark realizations, followed by an attempted punchline that… I mean, it's comedic, but I didn't exactly laugh out loud.
Not Recommended
Her Promises by Omegathyst
Genre: Emotional/Shipping
Sunny takes her marefriend to see somepony special.
Gotta say, I wish the buildup was its own story, because there's a lot packed into those first few paragraphs, but then it also would have detracted from the point of the story. And I want to emphasize, the writing is solid, which is important when exploring emotional topics like this. There's maybe nothing surprising here (except the castle!), but it's all done well.
Recommended
Argyle and Caela by OneLonelyPickle
Genre: Romance
Argyle and his wife talk about their coming foal.
This was pretty cute, just getting to see a couple being in love, awaiting the arrival of a child, and of course getting the author's idea of what Sunny's mom might have been like. But I couldn't shake the feeling there was just something off about it. I can't say what that might have been, exactly, so I'm gonna let it slide. Still worth the read.
Recommended for Slice of Life Fans
Pegasisters by The 24th Pegasus
Genre: Emotional
Zipp and Pipp have something very important to discuss.
It's so weird, at least right now, to think that Zipp is the older of the two princesses and thus the heir to the throne. Cuz she's clearly not the one who's suited for it! And that's just part of what this story explores in its short but poignant talk between two sisters. The concerns Pipp brings up were all solid, many of them things I never would have considered writing about myself. Also, puts Pipp in a much better light than the movie did. :) Quite a good piece.
Recommended
The Mayonnaise Incident by Kaidan
Genre: Comedy
So why is 'mayonnaise' a taboo word, anyway?
I have to wonder if the way mayonnaise is used in this story is based on some real-world old wives' knowledge, or if it was made whole-cloth for the story. I mean, I've never heard of it before, but I have no trouble believing the ponies have. The pacing is fast and the writing is kind of slapdash, but this is legitimately quite funny, and that's all you really need when it comes to reading a comedy.
Recommended for Laughs
The Curator by Punished Bean
Genre: Slice of Life
The Zephyr Heights Museum of History is quite the interesting place to work.
This story has a really cool idea and a really weird end. For starters, I like the idea of the Curator, and I like specifically that she's teaching history via coins, because I like coins. :B The writing is really good, and the sudden reveal that we've actually got a narrator who's a character in the story was odd, but pulled off well. Then you get to the ending. And I get what the author was going for at the end, I really do, it's a strong message. But… this is still a story about helping a ghost masturbate. It's not explicit, not by half, and the tag is there, but still. I just… Why that?
Recommended If You Don't Mind Suggestive Content in the Middle of Your Slice of Life
The Light of Day by SoniaSquishy
Mature: Gore, Violence, Suicide/Self-Harm, Death, Profanity
Genre: Grimdark
Magic has returned to Equestria, and that means ponies have to start making weather again.
Wow, look at all those content warnings! I don't see myself actually reading the entirety of the Rainbow Factory anniversary contest, so let's slip one in here, shall we? And, well, I'm starting to rethink the whole "Rewriting the classic stories of the early MLP:FiM fandom for G5 will be the pinnacle of self-satire?" thing. Yes, this does at least make some attempt at world-building as we follow the story of Zipp rediscovering the old ways of Cloudsdale and how terrible they were. That story on its is pretty decent, but intercut with it is literally-just-Rainbow Factory with different characters. Zipp is the new new Rainbow Dash, and the foals who get sacrificed are all OCs because there's no Scootaloo in G5. There's a scene near the end that really should have come right at the beginning, because it actually gives the foals some character, but it's too little, too late. The writing's fine, but, y'know, it's still a gluefic, and a horribly unoriginal one, at that. This is going to be for hardcore Rainbow Factory fans only.
Be Careful What You Wish For
Pipp's Digital Detox by BeautifulHorse
Genre: Comedy
Pipp decides to spend some time with her sister, and without her cell phone.
I was going to complain that this was just a long complaint about Kids These Days spending too much time on their cell phones, except then I remembered my G5 fic came off that way to some, so I'm giving the author the benefit of the doubt. :B This never hits gut-busting levels of comedy, but it is generally amusing, and moreover, very cute. Also, for not having watched the movie before they wrote this, the author did a pretty swell job getting things right. It helps that there's essentially zero canon post-movie world-building, and this is a good look at how getting pony-made weather started back up might go. So, yeah, not a bad little story.
Recommended If You Like Zipp and/or Pipp
Cardboard Castles by Peridork
Genre: Shipping
Izzy knows just the thing that Sunny needs on her vacation: An adventure!
Okay, if you want to have some adventures in your shipping, look not here. This is focused on shipping and shipping alone, and the supposed adventure is basically just a spaghetti incident that happened in the middle of the story. I must admit to being a tad peeved about that, but it also would have meant a much larger wordcount. As for the shipping, it kind of almost doesn't deliver on that either? It's certainly not as emotionally in-depth as you might expect, though I really can't complain with the very matter-of-fact way the two of them admit they're attracted to each other. I mean, it's a far cry from the instant "I love you", and in that way, it's a breath of fresh air. But it doesn't matter anyway, because, aside from a smattering of editing errors, this was just a joy to read thanks to Izzy's dialogue. I just love seeing authors pick her up and run with her. :D
Recommended
This Is How a Unicorn Thinks by Casketbase77
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Character Piece
Izzy is alone with her thoughts, like always.
This is another piece with excellent Izzy character work, and in this case, that's all there is, so it can focus on what really makes her tick. And like… We just have the one piece of media on which to base our characterizations right now. We essentially know nothing about these ponies. And yet despite this, there are just some ways to approach writing them that feel perfectly on point. Like this one, a fantastic little snapshot of what life was like for her before she left Bridlewood.
Recommended
Ghost by Ninjadeadbeard
Mature: Profanity
Genre: Random Comedy/G4 Crossover
Rarity has a few choice words for Sunny and her friends. Not that they'll hear.
Yeah, that's right. If we're doing G5 edition, any G4 content means it's a crossover! So this was a late-game addition that showed up in the featured box and interested me. And once again, the wackybox lets me down! I was all set to quit in the first page, because it's literally just the "oh no, it didn't work" scene from the movie, just with Rarity's ghost swearing a blue streak. And I mean, I'm all for ponies swearing for comedic purposes, but this was really egregious, just no point to it whatsoever. But this does eventually get funny on its own merits, so it's not a complete waste of time. Guess you just can't get your hopes up too high with these things.
Vaguely Recommended
'Preciate the review on my fic. I plan to write something else soon, just don't know what.
An interesting slew of G5 fanfics; a few of which I’ve read myself, and some I’ve liked more than others.
Though I’m surprised TheOwtcast’s G5 fic isn’t in here. I liked that one.
5596172
I think I passed that one over, but I'll put it on my RIL. :) Thanks for the recommendation.
5596187
No problem! Happy readings!
Thanks for the review. I'm surprised mine was the first published after the movie was released since I watched the movie twice through then slept on it before writing it out.
Thanks for the reviews.
It's been real fun reading and writing gen 5 short stories lately. Now you've given me a few more to check out.
The new ponies are safe for now, but I'm sure there are lots of horror and dark stories coming for Halloween.
If I hadn't already been there, I would have been persuaded by the name alone. Yay, Team Snizzy.
Only one HR out of the bunch? Well, the story also has the added advantage of not being extremely susceptible to getting jossed by the next bit of G5 we get.
5596210
That's what happens when I shotgun reviews by tag rather than literally anything else. :B
Thanks for the review! It's a bit funny that you would think that it is a complaint about kids spending too much time on their devices, because I seem to spend more and more time staring at a screen myself
More G5 stories to read! Yay!
Hey thanks for the review friend. Sounds like you enjoyed it for exactly the reasons I intended, so that's great.
Thanks for the review!
Well gosh, thank you so much for the high praise of my story! <3 I'm delighted that you enjoyed it so much!