Let's try something new, shall we? A bunch of y'all expressed interest in getting fanfiction recommendations from the pre-readers back in May. That's all well and good, but how about we turn that on its head?
Why don't you tell everyone else what you recommend? Give us the fix. (See what I did there? Master-level post title/content integration)
There are hordes of you every Sunday morning itching to let loose with copy-pastes the moment a new episode followup goes live. I'll wager that there's a non-zero number of you who also read fanfiction, and have oodles to say about it, too. Since we're limited in how much fic we can post, this could be a nifty way to get the word out on what stories really speak to you -- and you'll also make a bunch of authors who may not otherwise get much attention really, really happy in the process.
If this pilot run does well, we'll keep posting these on a monthly basis -- for now, expect them on the fourth Thursday of every month. And for those of you who were wondering what happened to our Royal Canterlot Library cross-posts -- I suddenly got a job. As a compromise, we'll toss in links to the RCL's features for the month as well. Be sure to click the links to read the interviews -- they're way too informative to paste in here!
Anyway, that's enough column inches from me. Head below the break for democracy! I for one look forward to reading what everyone has to recommend.
This month's features from the Royal Canterlot Library are:
“The Art of the Dress” or “Expectations” by NTSTS
[Dark] • 8,547 words
Rarity finds herself especially intrigued by the dresses of Ponyville’s newest dressmaker. Struggling under the burden of her own adoration she finds herself trapped within an existential crisis. In this nihilistic twilight, she clings onto the last of her creative sanity, trying to pierce through the mysterium that is the new dressmaker’s identity. A story that deals with what it is to be and, subsequently, what it is to not be in the world of creativity.
[Dark] • 6,312 words
Ever since Bon-Bon left for a new life in Manehatten, Lyra’s life has lost its focus. She gets up, she goes to work, she eats, she goes to sleep. One day she knows she’s going build up the courage to tell Bon-Bon how she really feels about her and they can live happily ever after.
That day will never come. Something terrible is happening in Equestria. Something that could be the end of the world. The Smooze has arrived and no-one can stop it, not even Twilight Sparkle. What hope then does Lyra have?
[Adventure] [Romance] • 28,733 words
Prince Blueblood dislikes being secret agent Double-O-Zeta, but since no pony does it better, the princesses won’t let him quit. Trailing the mad unicorn Green Briar to Ponyville, though, Blueblood runs into Rainbow Dash, already investigating the odd new pony in the area. She resents this jerkwad of a prince suddenly butting in, and when circumstances force the two to work together, the unexpected feelings they arouse in each other might prove more dangerous than anything Green Briar has planned.
And on a final note -- as this is a pilot, is there a better day you'd rather see these kinds of posts every month? Should it be twice a month? Weekly? Let us know in the comments, too!
