Fic recs, June 27th! · 11:46pm Last Thursday
gotdang, errbody be postin' reviews today! :B but hey, a normal review blog on a normal Thursday, what could be nicer? :D
This one comes with an update for anyone else who, like me, has been wondering wtf happened to VisualPony. Pony & Wolf Productions stopped uploading videos the start of this year, which I was very thankful for, because two videos a day from one channel was significantly more than I could ever catch up with. x_x That's why I still have well over 100 videos in my audiobook list!
But after a month or so, what seemed like a hiatus started to become worrisome. But, dingus that I am, I forgot Youtube has a Community area where channel runners can speak directly with their followers. So it wasn't until Midnight uploaded a video thanking patrons for helping out their cat and I felt like I was missing something that I realized... well, what I said above.
Long story short, Midnight's focused on streaming now, leaving Visual as the sole content creator for the channel. It's a lot more than he can do on his own, so he's been focused on a reading of FoE: Murky Number 7 (which I am now really looking forward to!) and releasing it to their patrons. I think he said it'll start coming out in 2025. Given that it sounds like each chapter has a significant number of parts, I'm betting it's a doozy!
But at least they're all right, y'know? :B
H: 0 R: 1 C: 4 V: 0 N: 1 I: 1
A Silent Film - Cold Case by CrackedInkWell
Reading by Lotus Moon, et. al.
Sequel to A Silent Film
Genre: Mystery/Horror
A stallion goes looking for the lost film his great-grandfather made during the golden age of cinema.
So the previous story had a really solid premise, but I definitely felt like not enough had been done with it. This, then, is more like what I wanted. It does explain a lot of what's going on with that apparently cursed film, so a lot of the mystery that made the original so tantalizing does get solved, but at the same time, we get significantly more story and less infodumping about old movies. Plus, it's not epistolary! So on top of avoiding the pitfalls its prequel fell into, this sequel also has strong atmosphere and a really interesting explanation for everything. In the end, I felt totally satisfied; it's absolutely worth reading the previous story to get to this one. You might not have to, but given how much light this casts on the events of that story, I'd really suggest you do.
Recommended
All Along by Equimorto
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Random Comedy
The results of a changeling-detection spell can be quite a surprise.
So, I looked at the title. The description. The cover art. And I thought, do I or do not I now know the entire joke and/or story? Happily, the answer is 'not'! The reveal spoiled by the cover is maybe the halfway point of everything, and what follows is a series of surprisingly plausible explanations for canon events that continuously took me by surprise. And then a punchline! Equimorto knows what to do! :)
Recommended for Laughs
Changeling in the Pool by Mimic Kairatta and Limescale
Reading by No One and Nobody
Genre: Comedy
The operative word is, "why?"
So this did a thing that I had kind of been hoping it wouldn't. Twilight asks Fluttershy why there's a changeling in her pool, and Fluttershy reacts completely calmly. Fitting for a pony whose defining character trait is kindness, but it also makes her seem, I dunno, kind of dumb? She just has zero idea why anyone would have a problem with there being a changeling out in the open, let alone in somepony's yard. This gets worse as more and more of the mane six show up, first demonstrating just as much surprise and concern as Twilight, and then slowly gravitating toward being as calm about the situation as Fluttershy — because he's just relaxing there, he's not doing anything — which then makes Twilight look dumb for being so gung-ho about arresting and interrogating it. So, yes, everyone just looks kind of dumb for various reasons. The reveal that this is a specific changeling was good, but otherwise, I felt like it was a story I'd read many times before. That being said, would you believe me if I told you none of this was the actual mistake the author made? No no. That mistake is marking the second, bonus chapter as omake, which means it isn't canon. Because that omake chapter actually makes the whole story make sense, makes it all really funny, and gives everything a solid conclusion that it otherwise lacks. Just say it's chapter two since the POV character changes, and you've got a solid comedy with a great twist near the end! So if you can ignore that one word borrowed from another language, this is actually pretty good.
Recommended for Laughs
Hugs by looneymoon
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Slice of Life
I can't remember VisualPony having ever read an incomplete story before. c_c; So yeah, while this is tagged Comedy and Romance, absolutely no hints of either appear in the first chapter. It's just a conversation between Twilight and Celestia, both written well, where they mostly talk about Luna. And it's… fine. It doesn't have much of an ending, and if you didn't check the tags beforehand, the stopping point might come out of nowhere. But like I said, the characters are good, and while the comments suggest there are, or at least were, formatting issues, read aloud it sounded just fine. Can't really recommend giving it your time, though, since it just doesn't reach any kind of conclusion.
Incomplete
Seven Minutes in Heaven by Boomstick Mick
Reading by No One and Nobody
Genre: Drom-Com/Silver Spoon Redemption
Silver Spoon was supposed to get Rumble for spin the bottle. So why is she in the closet with a huge dweeb?
First things first: If that title being on a story with a picture of Silver Spoon makes you worry, fear not. This is a story fully enmeshed in third-grader drama, where crushes give you special privileges over a person and nuzzling is the most intense romantic act our protagonist can think of. It's all super cute, very wholesome, and never crosses that line. Surprisingly, I really like Button Mash's characterization, absorbed as he is in fantasy worlds and prone to making pop culture references. He's actually far more observant than his mannerisms suggest, and he's even able to utilize his own nerdy obsessions to his advantage, or at least his own defense. This also has a very good message about someone who's willing to do nice things for you and wants to see you happy is more worth pursuing than someone who just looks nice at a distance. There's no real attempt made at ponifying any of the games or properties mentioned here, which didn't bother me as much as I might have expected. If anything, this is the rare ponyfic where a Fallout reference is just that and not a Fallout: Equestria reference, so points for that! That being said, points off also for the penultimate chapter, specifically the characterization of Button's mother. I don't think this is meant to be the character popularized by Jan Animations (and might even predate Button's Adventure), but the lengthy rants about the utility of booth babes and the legitimacy of the gaming industry feel very out of place and mouthpiece-y. Not to mention we switch to Button's POV for the only time in the story, and the kid crush romance drama plot resolves as a true gamer's fantasy, which… C'mon, really? But if you enjoy stories about kids having crushes, or even SIlver Spoon (and Diamond Tiara, to an extent!) redemption, this is pretty decent, all around.
Recommended If You Enjoy Foal Shipping
Maud's Lover by Holocron
Reading by VisualPony
Genre: Random Comedy
Pinkie Pie finds out her sister has a special somepony.
You know, I was very confused the whole time I was listening to this, because I noticed it has a sequel whose short description mentions Mudbriar. So I assumed it was directly related to this story, which doesn't at all detail how Pinkie found out about him. Silly me! This was released well before Maud had a canon boyfriend, and it's all leading up to a very solid punchline. I agree with the author's note: I hope they got to this first, because it's totally worth having written about, but only once. Ever. >_> I do not want to see more stories with the same punchline, you hear me?
Recommended for Laughs
Splish Splash by Drunk Luna
Reading by Lotus Moon, et. al.
Genre: Cute/Comedy?
Princess Luna gives her daughter her first bath.
So, I was ready to call this one live and let live. It's very focused on the joys of parenting, which is not a topic that has ever interested me, but that's fine, many would appreciate the cuteness. But, funny thing. As I write this, I'm in the midst of a project of listening to the hits of the 1950s all the way up through the 90s probably. I'm knee-deep in the 60s at the moment, and so I've already passed Bobby Darin's hit single, "Splish Splash", which this story not only is named for references directly. And this was not a good idea. Like, I find it impossible to believe there is anyone who's never heard the song, but if you haven't? It really does not fit this story in the slightest! Sure, there is splashing to be had, but no one's putting their dancing shoes on afterward. And even that wouldn't have been so bad had the story ended naturally. Instead, it dragged on and on as the royal sisters snipe at each other like children for absolutely no reason. The story seems to think that song is really funny or something, and by the end, I was just begging for it to be over. Too much of a good thing is possible, but when something is meant to be funny but I disagree? Too much become way too much.
Not Recommended
Ah, but you posted the last one of the day--the one that will stick in people's minds.
... and be primarily in their feeds until GhostMike posts a phantasmagorical Monday update. 
(of course loganberry not posting on the site makes the feed comment less valid... but the point still stands(!)
)
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hey, at least you know Logan posted! :D
5788995
It was this rumored white rabbit of a review site. 
Loganberry really needs to put it (or at least an announcement of each forthcoming entry with link) on the corresponding Fimfiction blog feed... It was extraordinarily difficult to find Loganberry's off-site blog years ago when I first tracked it down.