Fanfic Recs / What Are You Reading

[Valikdu]

I thought we could use a thread for this. Sometimes stories are recommended in the chat threads, but they're easily lost in those.

[Valikdu]

Alright, looks like I also get to start.

There's a lot of fics with humans in them. Most aren't worth anyone's attention, some are downright horrible; I believe that the percentage of crap in this application of Sturgeon's Law is higher than usual.

However, there's one that recently caught my attention.

Five Score, Divided By Four

This one is reasonably well-written and offers what I perceive as a refreshing twist to the usual HiE formulas.

Actually, there's more than one: the story has garnered a following, and several writers are adding their own stories with a similiar premise. Although, if you decide to read any of them, you should have the original first.

[Formis_Fluttergod]

I think a similar thread was already been made ages ago (Favourite Fan fic?). Regardless, we could use a reincarnation since that one is already dead a while and fan-fic recommendations weren't even its purpose in the first place.  
So, to start anew with everything I already posted there already (aside from Fallout Equestria and Project Horizons for obvious reasons ).
Guess I'll take it gradually then...

I'm sure everyone who has at least a bit of good taste and can appreciate good writing (I really shouldn't be questioning this given that majority of the members are fans of PH) had already read Past Sins, or anything else from Pen Stroke for that matter, but I'm gonna put it here anyway.
If you haven't, shame on you and go read it. >:(

For those who can appreciate a good horror, I highly recommend the Silent Ponyville Chronicles. And by good I mean it's not just a simple zombie gorefest. It has some gore, but for a reason, not for the sake of gore. It's well thought out, scary and even contains feels. The entire structure of the series is a bit more complicated than just the main three Silent Ponyville stories, there are a few side-stories either explaining stuff or setting up character development for the following story. If required, a chronological order in which to read it all can be found on DeviantArt + one side-story following up after SP2 that isn't included there, because it was written by someone else and is kinda long, but it's more or less accepted as canon (minor references to it on a few occasions, nothing plot-breaking if you won't read it).

That's all for now, will return with moar stuff later, Twi commands you to read.

[Valikdu]

I have found some well-written Mass Effect crossovers that I'd like to share.

The Equestrian Equation
Set during ME2 as a side story arc, with Shepard going to investigate yet another Cerberus project that has, as per usual, blown up in their face. I like how this one fits the ponies logically into the ME universe.
It's continued in Shades of Twilight.

The Commander of Shepherds
Set after the conclusion of ME3, with Shepard (a different one) having been transported to Equestria by space magic the Crucible's side effects.

[Kippershy]

All That Remains, because I'm allowed to recommend that.
It has very strong prose and solid characters that feel realistic and well thought out. The story is slightly dark without being non stop clusterfuck of darkness and angst, which puts some people off of other dark fics.
(Not that any of us seem to mind dark.)

The storyline so far has been rock solid, following an interesting path that although it doesn't have any real idea of an ultimate goal at the moment, is showing signs of one and doesn't feel aimless either.
The bonds between the two main characters are believable and very human, the way they interact impeccable and simply put, it's my favourite FoE sidefic.
Interesting settings, interesting 'antagonists', interesting enemies, interesting everything! Can't go wrong with it.

[RoboRed]

I need to sit down and post my list of readings...

[RoboRed]

Okay, let's start with this one (or these two, rather):

Of Skies Long Forgotten and its sequel, Snow and Shadows.

The first tells the story of Commander Hurricane and his rise in pre-Equestria Pegasus society from colthood, as well as the story of the Pegasus Cirran Empire and it's bloody war with the Gryphon Empire. The sequel tells of the true story behind the Hearth's Warming tale, and has a small side story set in modern day Equestria with Twilight and Rainbow Dash which overlaps with another fic in the same universe (which I'm reading right now, I'll get back to that later).

These stories are just plain awesome, full of Greco-Roman style pegasi, bloody battles, conspiracies, and emotional moments, several of which almost made my eyes moist. The author also links soundtrack music in the second fic, which definitely adds to the story.

I like these two a lot, and they have firmly set my headcanon for pegasi.

[RoboRed]

Here's another set I really, really must recommend:
Austraeoh
and it's sequels Eljunbyro and Innavedr.
(with several more projected to come)

It's a bit of an oddball, Austraeoh. A funny title that just sticks out. I first found the story by pure chance from it hanging around in the feature box (back when it was at the top of the screen everywhere on FIMfic.). Didn't have much of a summary either: "Rainbow Dash flies east".

Not much to work off of there.

And the chapters were strange and extremely bite sized. Something that could be breezed though easily, and stopped at will.

But the initial part is what started to draw me in. You don't have much to go off of, except for the tiny summary, and what happens in every chapter bite. But with how it starts, it is almost like a work of art. The first section of the story is told purely by act. No character dialogue whatsoever. And bit by bit, as the current story and backstory are pieced together, you find yourself being taken on nothing short of an epic journey.

I really can't tell much without spoiling any of it, but suffice to say, there is definitely a plot, and a very important reason why Rainbow Dash is suddenly flying a LONG ways eastward. And she finds some extremely interesting stuff along the way.

This is quite possibly the biggest, most epic adventure that I have ever seen Rainbow Dash on, especially at the current point in Innavedr, where you really start to realize how crazy far away from Ponyville, (nay, the Kingdom of Equestria) she really is.

If you like adventure, world building, Rainbow Dash, and something you can easily pick up and read and put down at will (thank you bite-sized chapters). The saga of Austraeoh is for you. (updates about every day, btw)

(Did I mention that Imploding Colon is really one of shortskirtsandexplosions' other accounts? )

[RoboRed]

Small update my on Snow and Shadows recommendation.

The last couple chapters just came out.

It made me cry.

Now you KNOW it's gotta be good.

[RoboRed]

Innavedr is in the homestretch right now. Three chapters remaining before the next story begins, all most likely to be uploaded tonight.

[RoboRed]

Odrsjot has joined the Austraeoh saga.

[Scienza]

It's chapters may be somewhat short, and the writing a bit wonky in the first installment, but MLP Laboratories by Neustrasbourg is one of the most creative (and darkest) reimaginings of the ponyverse that I've ever encountered.

[Formis_Fluttergod]

Also, reading through my post above, it strikes me as funny how I post stuff like that. Maybe I'm not paying enough attention, but it doesn't seem like anyone else on this forum goes on and on about the themes, meaning and the mental/emotional impact and significance of stuff like I do.
I know most of you like me, but I have to imagine y'all rolling your eyes half the time I post stuff like this :P

Not at all, I find it interesting, though in my case you're right that I usually don't nitpick emotional/mental impact of stuff much. I'm used to keeping emotions in check all the time, don't get emotional very often and when I do it's usually the kind of mixed feelings that I don't  bother dragging all the way onto the Internet. I prefer to focus on the physical aspects, not the mental ones, but I'm interested in how other people see and nitpick this stuff. So please, continue with posting "stuff like this".

[Formis_Fluttergod]

Well, keeping your emotions in check is kinda the "guy" thing to do, right?

Well, that came out kinda differently that I had in mind. I'm (mostly) phlegmatic in my personality, so it comes naturally to me not to be too emotionally involved most of the time (At least when I feel it's not necessary or seems pointless). But I like observing and thinking about this stuff.
Even though my "Internet personality" can most of the time be defined by this emote:

[Third Wind]

I like indulging in my emotions... especially trying to figure out how other people feel in these fics. I've got a somewhat limited emotional range, but I enjoy manipulating them and hitting extremes of positive and negative emotions.

Oh, I know that part! Not sure about my emotional range but I do like to experience mixed emotions with "shades" or something, and manipulating, yessss . 

Speaking on topic, I've just finished Treasure Hunting by Hnetu in one go and I think it is great. Chapters 10 and 11 are so grimdark, your eyes might just burn out   I'm a bit upset with later chapters, though. They are not bad, just seem a bit.. strange or hard to believe, dunno.
Currently searching for something to read, as I'm in danger of having no alternatives to doing my job, apart from doing my job.

[RoboRed]

The Commander Hurricane saga (Of Skies Long Forgotten, its sequel, Snow and Shadows, and it's future untitled third part), recently titled the "A Song of Storms" trilogy, has recently gained an official side story: Wind and Stone. This goes over the story of one of the major characters from the trilogy, Centurion Pathfinder, and his life both before the war and some years after the event of the first Hearth's Warming.

It is recommended that it be read after the first two stories, as it contains references (spoilers) to them.

[Formis_Fluttergod]

Welp, finally got around to reading Sunset (and the sequel For Want of a Dawn). I'd been avoiding it for some time cause it seemed like one of those terribly depressing stories with a tragic ending, I prefer those to be shorter as to not drag the feels for so long (Though I'm probably not one to talk considering I read PH ), but it turned out nicely.
Keep in mind the stories had been written before season 2 and during season 2 and create somewhat of a bridge between the seasons without the newer stuff and facts accounted for. Also, 'For Want of a Dawn' contains some mild gore, if that's not your thing.

And lastly, while fetching the links I found out there're actually prequels to both of these stories 'Blood is Thicker / The Reluctant Reunion of the Redoubtable Rabble-Rouser' (One before each story) that I missed, so some stuff seemed like coming out of the blue without explanation as to why. Suggest you read them too.

[Scienza]

It's a classic that I think I've mentioned in another thread, but Forever is Forever is just perfect. Concise, thought-provoking, and just utterly heartbreaking. It's like a strong kick to the feels that still makes me tear up.

[Formis_Fluttergod]

Well, finally downloaded another bunch (about 500) of fanfics after depleting my ebook collection, and what do you know, the second fic I read turned out being quite good. 'Destiny' and Other Lies Told to Foals is essentialy a sort of a critique of Magical Mystery Cure and its stumbling over its own hooves with character development/(in)consistency and pacing, all that in a short story with almost spot-on characterization of Twilight and Celestia.
Enjoy.

[brony all alone]

reading a fic called Across The Dimensional Divide. it pretty funny

[Scienza]

Having commenced with my gooey shipfic splurge, I found Chocolate-Covered Grapes, and it's really good. Like, really, really good. This is the third time that a fanfic legitimately made me cry.

[RoboRed]

So, bumping this up with a different kind of post, because I totally cannot keep with my plan of writing out proper recommendations for fics I've read...

Anyone read Starlight Over Detrot? I'm thinking of taking a look at it, but I'm apprehensive at adding even more to my ever-growing list of unread horsewords, because I'm already a glutton for literary punishment as it is.

[Formis_Fluttergod]

So, bumping this up with a different kind of post, because I totally cannot keep with my plan of writing out proper recommendations for fics I've read...

Anyone read Starlight Over Detrot? I'm thinking of taking a look at it, but I'm apprehensive at adding even more to my ever-growing list of unread horsewords, because I'm already a glutton for literary punishment as it is.

Meh, if it interests you, just add it to your list and you'll get to it when you get to it. There's too many potentialy good fanfics to study them all closely before reading, gotta add them on a hunch that they might be good, if they have an interesting synopsis and good ratings there's a good chance they are.

[RoboRed]

The End of Ponies - by shortskirtsandexplosions


This story.

I've been putting off on posting about this one for a while. Partly because, again, I hate making long posts. But I also am really apprehensive on how to post about this is in a way that does it justice, and keeps interest in it alive.

This is another story I ran into early on in the fandom. One of the first ten in a long litany of fanfics, in fact. I ran into it by chance in a pdf archive of stories in the same place I first found FoE, and started reading roughly about this time back in 2011. The summary drew me in because I like post-apocalyptic stuff, and airships are also cool. (Also, I was somehow under the impression that the lone survivor was Twilight. I was very wrong about that, but hey.)

The summary is that a horrible cataclysm has taken place, specifically one in which the sun and the moon have collided in the heavens, resulting in an explosion of massive physical and magical proportions. The surface and sky of the entire world have been sundered. Anything four-legged or equine is dead, reduced to naught but skeletons and ash. The world is barren, rocky, and burnt, lit only by an eerie glow from what light comes from the stars in the eternally twilit sky, reflected on the constantly blowing ash/snow. (Needless to say, this level of destruction puts all those megaspells of FoE to shame and renders them looking nothing more than firecrackers.) One pony survives this cataclysm by chance (Who? I make a habit of not telling first time readers because the guesswork is half the fun. But after the first chapter it becomes pretty obvious.), and now spends her days trying to survive in the wastes with/around the world's new inhabitants, and trying to find any sign that she is not the only one of her kind in existence.


One day, she her travels make her cross paths with an old companion (you also have to figure that out, but he/she is obviously not a pony, and is a canon character), who shares with her the knowledge to go backwards in time, albeit temporarily and in a limited fashion. From there, the two of them work on using this limited from of time travel to discover what caused the cataclysm to take place, and find a way to restore the world, which is one of the central ways in which the story progresses.


This story is, I believe, one of SS&E's first contributions to the world of pony fanfiction, if not the first, and was his first major work before he released Background Pony (I'll cover that later). Sadly, there hasn't been much progress done on it, partly because his mind keeps getting pulled to other stuff (currently the Austraeoh saga, among other things), but also partly because of apprehension on getting it right because he suffers from self-loathing artist syrdrome and maintains that the story is crap and not good enough. That being said, he still plans on getting back to it, so it's not a dead story.


So, why do I like this story? A few reasons, really. I already mentioned the post-apocalyptic environment, and he really does it justice. The words used to describe the scenery paint it in your mind as if you were there. You can feel the cold and wind, hear the roaring lightning storms, see the greyscale, rocky, ashen environment. It's flat-out cool.

Moreover, the wastes play host to a bunch of creatures from Skirts's own mind. Goblins, imps, gremlins, trolls, ogres, nagas, harpies, and some more sapient varieties of furry folk such as raccoons, baboons, foxes, and even a talking squirrel. And of course, there's the existing races such as diamond dogs and gryphons. I find it fascinating how life continues to exist and have something resembling a social structure, despite the world being destroyed. On top of this, Skirts has developed quite the mythos in regards to the princesses, Equestria's history and background, and the origins thereof. And they play quite a role in at least one arc of the fanfic.

This story also is on the philosophical side. The protagonist tends to do a lot of navel-gazing (probably a little too much at times), but it has a degree of meaning to it. It sometimes is used as an active example of character development, and gives the story a slightly deeper and more emotional feel to it.

The time-trips are definitely individual stories in their own right (they are long enough, for christ's sake...).

Most importantly, though, the story has this whole epic feel to it that makes it so enjoyable to me. I can't quite describe it. Maybe it's because I tend to think in video game terms. Much of this story I can imagine playing in the style of the classic adventure game genre, or at the very least along the lines of something like Fallout. Stories, quests, puzzles, things to obtain...this fic has them. The protagonist and her companion are on one big quest to change the entire world, and all they run into, past and present, play one massive and entertaining role in that quest. And I always want to find out more, see how it pieces together, juxtapose it, etc.


Now, a bit of warning on this story. It is a long one, and takes about 5-7 chapters to warm up (the previous version of it had fewer chapters, but a lot of them averaged 20-30k words). Sometimes the plots drag on a little. And as I said before, the protagonist does a lot of introspection/navel-gazing.

But it's really all worth it in the end. This is a fantastic story, and I still await the day when Skirts returns to working on it. And I'd like for everyone else to enjoy it too.


Currently, while it sits on hiatus, there are other works related to it that are going on.
- Skirts recently released two of his drafts for the next arc (the Petra Arc), that never got published and he essentially trashed. He posted them in his scraps bin: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/54553/short-scraps-and-explosions

- One reader developed a really cool side story, Red Wings, that also takes place in the wastes, and is told from the POV of the diamond dogs. It was put on hold for a while, since it was meant to cross over with the next arc of EoP (that was supposed to come out February this year), but he said he's resuming work on it in a different way. http://www.fimfiction.net/story/33177/red-wings

- The Sweetie Belle Chronicles (something I've also been meaning to post about and will later) is scheduled to have it's next chapter have Sweetie cross into the twilit wastes of EoP.


P.S. Professor Vimbert is voiced by George Carlin. Because my mind says so.

[RoboRed]

So, back to an earlier topic of discussion, I'm slowly making my way through Starlight Over Detrot.

I've gonna say, I'm enjoying what I'm reading. I already like crime/investigation/detective stuff, and this certainly has it. But I'm really loving the main cast. A hard boiled, experienced cop with a sense of humor. A plucky, adorable newbie. And a driver with a unique set of tricks and a history with the detective (along with a penchant for pushing his buttons).

Really, the only thing that's been holding me back from this (besides schoolwork when I picked this up) is the ~10k chapters and the fact that I'm pretty much burned out on long stories. I wish I'd kicked myself in the butt to read this sooner.

It's not really "noir" yet from what I've read, but I've seen assurances in the comments that it does get there.

http://www.fimfiction.net/story/34706/starlight-over-detrot-a-noir-tale

[RoboRed]

I've finally caught up with Starlight Over Detrot.

It is so worth the read. I wish I'd gotten to it sooner. I guess, looking back on it, I'm not really sure what "noir" is. All I've got in my memory are the stereotypes and Grim Fandango. What I do know is that this story, the atmosphere, the setting, the intricately woven plot - it is all just amazing.

If you like crime drama, reading into puzzles and mysteries, dark gritty stuff, gallows humor and the occasional wisecrack, I recommend this story.

Also, there's a side-story separate from the main plot that goes into some of the history of Detrot and goes into the pasts of the main character (Hardy) and his driver (Taxi/Sweets). That's also worth the read: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/60597/starlight-over-detrot-nightmare-night

P.S. Swift Cuddles is best pony.

P.P.S. I was just reading through the authors' blog posts on FIMfic. They mention Somber in passing a couple times in a rather positive light.

[O. Hinds]

Hm, yes, it does seem to be pretty good so far (about midway through the second non-prologue chapter); thanks.

[RoboRed]

Odrsjot has been concluded. The journey continues with Urohringr.

[RoboRed]

The Sweetie Chronicles: Fragments by Wanderer D

The Sweetie Chronicles is one to be thanked for for introducing me to a handful of great fanfics, but it's also a great fanfic in itself. The story revolves around Sweetie Belle (obviously), who has been studying magic under Twilight Sparkle, and proving herself to be quite adept at it. However, an accident occurs which fragments Twilight across time and space, and Sweetie makes it her mission ot rescue her lost mentor. It's alsmot like a Quantum Leap sort of thing the way its plays out.

The interesting part is this: each jump takes her to some random place in another fanfiction, with Sweetie taking the form of the Sweetie Belle from that fic. Some of them are funny, some of them are frightening and suspenseful, others full of emotion. And along the way, Sweetie grows as a person every time she jumps from one world to the next. She deals with her own worries, anxieties, problems, observations from the places she visits, and questions she has. There's more substance to this fic than world-jumping.

Worried about crummy fics? Don't be. I mean, for one thing, this is Wanderer D we're talking about. Popular fic writer, one who offers blog posts giving tips and advice on how to better write other fics (often posting advice from other popular fic writers such as Pen Stroke, Cold In Gardez, Vimbert, etc), and esteemed mod of FIMfic. (And he loves Project Horizons, too! I mean seriously, can we fault this guy?) He picks quality fics before starting to write. I've actually started following almost all the fics linked in this one. They are really good works by themselves.

This is a really great story, and I recommend it.

- The Sweetie Belle Chronicles (something I've also been meaning to post about and will later) is scheduled to have it's next chapter have Sweetie cross into the twilit wastes of EoP.

Hooray me: King of the slow people. I actually did it.

[O. Hinds]

I can also recommend that, though it's been an unpleasantly long time since the most recent update.

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