Fic recs September 4th · 4:54pm Sep 4th, 2013
Some days, you just gotta stop, look up, and realize you've been singing "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" under your breath for the past ten minutes.
H: 2 R: 1 C: 0 V: 2 N: 2
Accolade by Cereal Velocity
Reading by Voiceguy
Genre: Comedy
Welcome to story number ten, the oldest finished fic on Fimfiction. (1-7 don’t exist. 8 looks like it was never published and has no words. 9 is by Seth and will likely never be finished, though the first and only chapter kind of works as a quick joke.) It's a hilarious story that you need to accept one piece of season one headcanon for: Luna was not actually recalcitrant after being set free of Nightmare Moon, and still wants revenge on Celestia. If you can deal with that, this story is good, clean fun as her attempts to train Trixie to get revenge on Twilight are thwarted by her older sister gleefully playing matchmaker. I feel like I’ve read this before, and it was absolutely worth reading again.
Highly Recommended
Powerful by Larathin Bradley
Genre: Trixie Redemption
Obselesence won the contest! So, this is a very important story to me, because prior to reading it, I hated Trixie and could not stand Boast Busters. This is the story that turned my opinion of her around, silly as that sounds. It’s fairly old, admittedly, and relies far too much on Trixie brooding and worrying about her finances to evoke sympathy. It does at least do something interesting in providing a difference between Trixie and the Great and Powerful Trixie, which does a lot to humanize her without sympathy ploys. The presence of a character named “Seth” is weird to see, but I honestly think the author was just going for the name pun (his last name is “Oscope”). Again, it doesn’t surprise me that the writing in this doesn’t hold up to my standards these days, but it would be silly to expect it to. It’s likewise silly to expect fandom to change your opinion of a character, but sometimes all you need to do is be reminded that what we see in the show isn’t all there is to these ponies.
Vaguely Recommended
In Memory Of by Obselecence
Reading by WhoLandon
Reading by Scribbler and Tatsumari_K
Genre: Epistolary
And this is what Obs gets for winning! I was just talking about this story with him recently, so I'm pleased to get to it so quickly. It is heavy. If you ever wanted to watch an aging Twilight’s slow slide into senility, this is the story for you. As an epistolary tale, this works very well, the focus being on emotions and reactions. Spike and Twilight have very distinct voices, and the various textual effects are heartbreaking to watch unfold. Though, if you ask me, the saddest thing about this story is that Twilight’s been living the same life for the past fifty-some years.
Recommended
Sparkler’s Secret by BronyWriter
Genre: Slice of Life
This starts off so obviously about Sparkler coming out as a filly-fooler to her mother that you know it has to be about something else entirely. To wit, Sparkler doesn’t like muffins. It’s like a bait, switch and switch. It’s so incredibly inane that it doesn’t even work as allegory (and the author’s note precludes any suggestion thereof anyway). This story is one giant wink at the reader, and that’s really all there is to it.
Not Recommended
Glimmerhorn Vale by Abalidoth
Genre: Twixie
If that word immediately turns you off, consider that this is by the guy who wrote Celestia’s Teeth. Also, it’s actually just Twilight chasing Trixie, though that’s not obvious until the very end. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to say about this story, because I literally did not understand it. Whatever was supposed to happen in the Vale and didn’t is never divulged to the reader, so I can’t figure out what Twilight’s plan was. All I can really do is smile and nod at a fairly original piece of early world building and Trixie backstory. One thing that did strike me: there’s a mention in this of a unicorn supremacy movement that made the story feel outdated. And not in a “this is from season one” kind of way, but in the same way that a sci-fi piece I once read wherein a black bellhop weeps tears of joy over the announcement of Earth’s first contact with aliens, and what that will mean for the plight of African-Americans, was outdated. Which is a very interesting parallel to draw given that Twilight says her parents fought against the movement. Anyway, if someone can figure this thing out, let me know.
Vaguely Recommended
One Problem Child by SlyWit
Genre: Shipping
Speaking of things that are outdated. Honestly, the age wouldn’t be a problem with this story if it were better written. I mean, who is “the queens favored student”? How do you make a mistake like that? The writing is flat and fast-paced, and there’s no real emotional buildup. That said, I do like Dash’s ‘conversation’ with Angel, and the ending is cute if you’re really invested in FlutterDash as a ship. Beyond that, there’s not really any reason to read this.
Not Recommended
Nocturne by CupcakesNom
Genre: Self-affirmation
Despite the Sad and Luna tags, this is no Sad Luna story. We see Luna, unsure of herself and somewhat despondent after her return to Equestria, finding her place once again. She battles not only doubts about herself but about Celestia, not to mention a loss of both memory and power, which adds to her feeling of being a burden on her sister. Where this piece really shines (aside from the writing) is in giving both royal sisters an artistic side: Celestia a painter and Luna a composer. It’s an original facet to both their characters, and tackling all of Luna’s personal struggles from the angle of writing music really adds a lot to this piece, making it feel fresh and relevant even post-Luna Eclipsed. My only criticism is that the silliness in the first scene of part 2 is a little jarring after the soft beauty of part 1, but ultimately that doesn’t come anywhere near ruining the overall effect. This one definitely deserves its 6-star.
Highly Recommended
And now I get to figure out what to do with H’s that aren’t on Fimfiction. :B
I'll have to take a look at Accolade, that looks like fun. Plus I just can't pass up on reading story #10.
I sorry but did you actually read something by BronyWriter going in with the utterly terrible?
Nocturne! Woot!
I HELPED HIM WITH IT :B
Mostly I told him to make sure most of Luna's stuff related to sound rather than vision and said it in such a way that it looked like I knew what I was talking about.
1327834
pfft. I chuckled out loud.
I thought Accolade was just okay. It was kind of amusing, but not a whole lot more than that.
In Memory Of, on the other hand... I can't really evaluate it objectively because anything that does at least a competent job of depicting a character I know and love far in the future, when they're older and in their twilight years, will bypass my attempts at objective evaluation and hit my emotions head on. It's probably the easiest, most guaranteed way to score feels out of me. Thanks for bringing the fic to my attention anyway.
1327834
Theoretically, I once read something by him that I liked, which is why I'm following him. So yes? <:B
1328152
thanks you could help, bro! :D
1328371
My usual hatred for sad future fics was clouded by something. :B
1328609
It's OK. I viscerally enjoy terrible things too.
1327834
Pretty sure the author name up there was 'BronyWriter' unless i missed an hilarious joke.
1329360
Oh yes sorry I get the 2 confused.
Edited because the statement is interchangeable between the 2.
One does murder and self inserts, the other does rape, both do monumentally unfunny comedies.
1329744
Epic