It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #45 · 7:32pm Jan 26th, 2022
With the Seattle's Angels announcement earlier today - one of the sources that inspired me to start this series - I'm feeling a little melancholy. Fortunately, I've had a pair of stories sitting on my docket that fit this sort of mood. The theme is one I summarized in my notes as 'The end of the rainboom'.
First up, we've got The Rainboom by Desire.
The story opens with the birth of Rainbow Dash's grandson. He's named for her and for his great-grandmother, Smith.
Then it eases into the next scene, where Rainbow Dash does her last rainboom - and her last flight.
What follows watches as the younger Dash strives to live up to his grandmother's legacy and repeat her feat.
This story's the sole piece from a pretty unknown author - didn't break 10 votes, author's only got seven follows - so it's a real hidden one there. It tells the story in a quick, choppy fashion through quick vignettes through the younger Dash's life. It's a nice quick shot that's got a nice feel-good vibe to it and makes me smile. It could probably have used some more time to breathe life into the focus character, but it accomplishes what it was trying to - a little story about legacy.
[Unpublished stories cannot be embedded]
Second on the docket is Scribblestick with One Wish. It's a recent story but man. Quality.
Rainbow Dash is getting old - she hates to admit it, but her body reminds her every morning. She's long since passed out of the Wonderbolts active roster, now just training the next generation of fliers. In particular, she's got a trio under her wing in the hopes that one of them will finally repeat her feat and do a rainboom.
Then a letter arrives from Twilight, carried by Fluttershy. A young foal in the Equestrian equivalent of the Make A Wish Foundation is asking for something special: she wants to see a rainboom. And one performed by Rainbow Dash.
The only problem is that Dash hasn't been able to do one in more than a decade.
But since when has that kept her down?
Despite December being just packed with great stories (I could name a dozen in Jinglemas alone), this one is one of my favorites for the month. It's excellently written, the character work is solid, and the ending really elevates it to a step above while making it feel like something the show would have done. It's sad but hopeful but painful but sweet all at once. I loved every bit of it.
Plus the author's kind of a thing? Pretty active in the early days and apparently actually one of the Seattle's Angels founding reviewers, he vanished for around six years before returning to finish another story and write this one. So welcome back! But even without the writer history, this story's a dang good one.
New or catching up? Try Recommendsday: The Index for your story needs!
i see you as carrying the torch with these blogs, Tempest. thank you
Scribblestick is such a great dude. Glad to see him back
I remember seeing the second story on EqD a few weeks back. Passed on it at the time, but your recommendation's making me reconsider. Maybe worth a dip now.
Yeah, Loganberry posted a thing recently that like, me, him, you and PaulAsaran are the only active fanfic reviewers left. c.c You are serving an important role in the community!
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We all gotta do our part. Besides, it's an excuse to read a ton and I'm all on board with that!
(Also I will of course give an additional nod here to Nailah and her team - though a slightly different niche, they're still an important part of the review ecosystem, so to speak.)
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oh yes! I'm not too familiar with them, but I know they exist :)