Fics recs, October 21st: Blueshift edition! · 2:29pm Oct 21st, 2022
VisualPony's newest readings include RarityEQM's Forever and Shhhhhhhh, Ruirik's Hey Jealousy, Martian's Dance, and bahatumay's Ten of Cups!
And Midnight did Draco_Dei's Scratching a Diamond!
I can't blame anyone if they don't remember the name Blueshift, except I really do blame you, it is all your fault. :')
But no. He hasn't been on-site in two years (hope he's okay!) and hadn't posted any stories since years before that. Once upon a time, though, he was the funniest guy in two fandoms (the other was Transformers, fyi), and I called him a friend. :) No idea where he's gone, but he's left us a whole ton of fun to enjoy for as long as we like.
No but seriously, I hope he's okay, "last seen" dates in 2020 are so very ominous. D:
H: 4 R: 5 C: 3 V: 1 N: 0
Winter Wrap Up in Hell
Genre: Dark Comedy
The Lord of Hell discovers the power of friendship.
Boy, this sure is a product of its time. Not only because it begins with a joke about a brony killing himself so he can go to Equestria, but also because no one who wasn't around in the fandom's early days is going to know what getting "star-bombed" on Equestria Daily means it is a real problem you cannot possibly understand my pain Also also because it sits firmly in that early fandom realm where we were all busy making fun of ourselves on the regular. Damned (heh) if I didn't have a huge heaping of nostalgia reading this. Does that mean there's nothing more to it? No, though I suspect old guard G4 fans are going to get the most out of it. I do love reading about Christian mythology (where, y'know, it's less about following commandments or whatever and more about angels and demons having absolutely metal fights), and what Blueshift made for this story is top-tier. Also it's just funny as shit. Highly Recommended for the Nostalgic
Recommended
Leaky Secrets
Reading by Scribbler
Genre: Political Commentary
Never meet your heroes.
I'm actually surprised to learn this isn't the only one of Blueshift's fics I've ever downvoted. <.< The titular Leaky Secrets is, if it's not obvious, based off WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Even back in 2012 when I read this and left a comment, I was saying he'd ceased to be a person of major interest, ergo I didn't really feel anything about the story. In 2022, little has changed. I'm not sure I ever had any strong feelings about the guy to begin with as it is. Regardless, this also stands as a pretty slapdash effort, definitely not one of his better stories. Also, where the hell did that reading come from, how did I pass it over? c.c
Vaguely Recommended
XCOM: Equestria Unknown
Genre: Comedy/XCOM Crossover
Those aliens are gonna be sorry they ever messed with Earth. That's XCOM, baby!
I don't know anything about the XCOM games save that, many many years ago, a whole lot of people on this site were playing the hell out of them. And despite the fact that this story is almost nothing but inside jokes, it nevertheless remains highly accessible to the average reader so long as you remember that these are people from a video game. A video game, it would seem, with terrible RNG. The end result is hysterical, from the ridiculous names that I believe are a hallmark of avid players to the repeated cries of, "That's XCOM, baby!" which I had no context for at first but soon recognized as an inside joke, one which eventually became really funny. Blueshift is able to bring the reader into the jokes, and that's really what makes this work. It's as hilarious as it is incredible, and one of his best.
Highly Recommended
Sweetflank and Harps
Sequel to Harpflank and Sweets
Genre: Action/Comedy
Will an unexpected cutie mark swap keep Metropony's main defenders from their duty? Find out, in this week's episode of Harpflank and Sweets!
Hey look, the reason I read Harpflank! :) This was from the year when a bunch of authors wrote stories and posted them on each others' accounts for April Fools, and apparently Blueshift and Arcainum were paired up for it. I have to say, Blueshift does not have Arcainum's penchant for over-the-top action sequences. Also, the tone of this swings wildly. The first chapter is the kind of silly send-up you'd expect, but the second chapter is super somber and moody, while the finale just bounces back and forth between comedy, dark, and really dark. Also, the main joke isn't even ponified? I mean, what? This is clearly meant as parody, but I kind of find myself having enjoyed it less the more I think about it. It might have worked better in the original fic-swap gag. If nothing else, if you liked the original, the first chapter is really funny.
Recommended If You Don't Mind Your Comedy Getting Dark
The Scoot Sense
Genre: Random Dark Comedy
Scootaloo eats the green chips crisps.
Oh boy, Scootabuse. :D And for once, it's funny because it's actually intended to be! This story is entirely mean-spirited good fun, albeit with a creepy ending, but I laughed a lot because I'm terrible. :)
Recommended for Terrible People
Flutterdragon
Genre: Comedy
In which Twilight does a bad thing.
I love how this story neatly sidesteps "Twilight fucks up a spell". She doesn't even misaim a spell so much as enchant something and then that goes awry. Fun. Anyway, this is one of those stories where everyone is flanderized and somewhat mean, to a funny end. A major joke is "don't be racist to dragons", so YMMV. But the funniest bit is a single line about Applejack in the very last scene.
Recommended
It Ain't Easy Being Pinkie
Genre: Comedy
Pinkie Pie is just so random.
Oh my god, this is hilarious. You will never expect what the joke is here, nor how well it's justified. Also, it has a callback to at least one of Blueshift's other stories. Some people's imaginations simply boggle the mind.
Highly Recommended
The Terribly Taxing Tribulations of Twilight Sparkle
Genre: Comedy
Who would ever want to cheat the Equestrian government of collecting taxes?
I know a lot of people have a lot of very strong opinions about taxation, so kindly do not share them with me in the comments of this blog, kthx. :') This is really funny, though, a highly self-aware comedy in which Twilight Sparkle is the only honest pony in Equestria. The lengths to which that joke is taken are pretty astounding. I had a good time, and you likely will too, no matter how you feel about taxes!
Recommended
The Cutie Mark Inspector
Genre: Comedy
One thing I really love about Blueshift's fics is his penchant for writing Twilight as insufferably smug and arrogant, often delusionally self-assured about her own ability to do a friendship and/or take control of a situation. This story puts that on full display. It's also super bizarre, I cannot even come up with a halfway decent summary. Personally, when the major movie meme reference showed up halfway through, I was absolutely enthralled waiting for it to reach its inevitable conclusion. And that only came after one of the craziest twists I have ever seen!
Highly Recommended
Weapons of Moth Destruction
Genre: Comedy/Crossover
Sometimes, when she really needs a book, Twilight makes poor decisions.
So this is a crossover, but you needn't worry about that. Blueshift himself admits at the end that no one will have heard of this character, and hilariously, the link he so helpfully provides leads to a 404. Now no one will know! Regardless, all the info you need is right there on the page. Watching a giant robot stomp around Equestria and finding out the reason why is quite a treat.
Recommended
The Viper in Ponyville
Genre: Comedy/Game of Thrones Crossover
After dying in Westeros, Oberyn ends up in Equestria, alongside his longtime foe…
I know nothing at all about Game of Thrones, and if you don't either, never fear. The characters in this story are more than happy to spout their entire backstories and motivations at the drop of a hat, so it's easy to keep up with. :) The main joke here is how incompatible MLP is with these grim and gritty settings people like crossing it over with. You've got this poor guy trying to seek justice for another, even after death, with the misfortunate of ending up in a world where the inhabitants don't like thinking about 'icky' things. This strikes a really solid balance between comedy and portraying its source material. And then the horse shows up and really, I do not even
Recommended
Princess Rainbow Dash
Genre: Comedy
Rainbow Dash wakes up one day to find she's a princess. Just like she wanted.
This is a pretty light and silly comedy, good fun, and if I say anything more, I'll ruin the joke.
Recommended for Laughs
Sometimes Never
Genre: Sad
Celestia and Luna have a slumber party.
It seems somehow fitting to end this on not a comedy, but a cute story about Luna and Celestia celebrating Luna's return from the moon. A cute story about Luna and Celestia celebrating Luna's return from the moon that will not go anywhere you expect it to. This one blew me away.
Highly Recommended
...Yup.
That's XCOM, baby.
Blueshift could be hit or miss for me, but he was genuinely one of the best humor writers in the early fandom. That said, what I really appreciated about him was that instead of just finding a "wacky comedy" niche and sticking to it, he was constantly exploring. He wrote some truly touching stuff, and he wrote gross-out gags, and at least once he did both in the same fic, but he was always willing to experiment and try something different. And damned if a lot of it didn't work.
ANYWAY, let's talk about my very strongly held opinions on taxation! In this 5000 word essay, I will
Blueshift still pops into the pre-readers chat once in a while, which you'd know if you ever did >:V
5693711
It's usually just knighty talking about weird shit. :P
5693719
It can be both blue appearing randomly and Knighty talking about weird shit. n__n
Awww... you didn't do Nineteen Neighty-Four, which is my second favorite story of his. And The Star in Yellow... did you review that earlier?
Good to know he isn't dead of the plague.
5693787
Oh yeah! With this blog, I've reviewed all of his completed stories! :)
Only read half of these, looking forward to completing the set!
Also, I would be remiss not to mention that not only is Blueshift a top-5 author on this site, but Rise and Thanks for all the fish are so good it makes me want grandchildren to read them to.
Gosh, this takes me back! I met Blueshift a few times, both at local meets and at BUCK (where he and Knighty were both on a fic panel). But I haven't read any of his stories for a long, long time. The Cutie Mark Inspector I remember having a great time with, but a couple of these will have to go on the RiL list now. In particular, it appears I haven't read It Ain't Easy Being Pinkie. That will have to change!