Interesting news on the upcoming film in Kidscreen

What I'm about to write might be considered a bit spoilery, so I'll place it under a cut. That may be considered overdoing the caution, as things like the actual storyline of the film, its VA cast and so on are still not publicly known – but we'll see as the months go by, I suppose.

Happy (belated) 10th birthday, brony music!

Eurobeat Brony – Evil Enchantress (Euro Spell Mix)

The other day, I was with some friends online and we were enjoying some fandom music together, a lot of it from back in 2011. At that point, I idly wondered what the oldest extant Pony track was, barring actual show tunes of course. Having poked around a bit, the best I can come up with is this. Quite impressively, it's not by a long-forgotten obscure artist but by someone who remains a very well known musician a decade on: none other than Eurobeat Brony (Odyssey).

Now, I don't think many people would say this was his best fandom track, But it holds up surprisingly well for such an early track; certainly the production values are well in advance of many 2011 pieces. Of course it's more than likely that people were making fan songs before this, but the odds are that they were on 4chan and so are long inaccessible. (If you know otherwise, please do let me know!) As things stand, Eurobeat Brony's song is the oldest one that I know of.

This was uploaded to the "Bandpuffs" account (which may have been called something different then; I don't know) on 28th January 2011. That makes it ten years and two days old as this post goes up. On 29th January, Eurobeat Brony's version of "Winter Wrap Up" appeared on the same account – and 26th March saw the release of Super Ponybeat Vol. 1 on Bandcamp. Was that the first Bandcamp brony release? No idea. But what a decade of music it has been.

Looking forward to rewatching Season 4

In due course I'll be resuming the "My Little Repeats" rewatch series, and next in line is Season 4 of Friendship is Magic. This is a season I've been excited to get to, since it has some interesting qualities. For a start, it's the first season of Princess Twilight – but it's also the last season of her living like anypony else in the heart of Ponyville. Accessible as she tries to remain, things are never quite the same again once she moves into Buyourtoys Castle at the end of the season.

S4 marks the start of a couple of years of considerable change in the show, and there's one new name who will be extremely influential in seasons to come. That name is, of course, Josh Haber. Less controversially, we'll also see the return of Amy Keating Rogers to writing duties (though M. A. Larson is absent this time). There's also another very popular return when Derpy is fully rehabilitated into the show, though the excitement that one brought at the time will probably not be so intense this time around!

On the downside, S4 does have its fair share of unimpressive episodes, and from time to time we even see some downright annoying characterisation. (I'm looking at you, Scott Sonneborn.) There's also some retconning going on this season, and the days of consistency there are starting to become a thing of the past – though not so much as they would later become. Finally, there's that finale. Will it still hold up after all these years? That's what I aim to find out!

Ponyfic Roundup 329

Read it Later story count: 166 (+1) 

For the first time in quite some while, my RiL list actually grew this week. Even now, in 2021, people are still writing too many ponyfics that look interesting for me to keep up with. Long may that particular problem continue! For now, here are three more I've ticked off:

The Dream World Record by Impossible Numbers
The Great and Powerful Farmer by Manaphy
Sunset Shimmer Goes to The Zoo by KitsuneRisu

★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 0 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I find average scores two stars.

My Little Repeats E1: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls

The CHS library would do justice to a medium-sized city

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls
Written by Meghan McCarthy
16 Jun 2013 (limited US/Canada release)

My original rating: 7/10 (=★★★)
IMDb score: 6.2

The one with Twilight's wing-tucking problems

Thoughts: Oh, how this one angered the fandom back in 2013! Lauren Faust was famously unhappy with the stick-thin human girls (and she had a point) but in the run-up to Equestria Girls' release it's fair to say supporters were in a decided minority. In the end, though, it largely won people over, with the humans being so clearly like their familiar FiM characters (and with their familiar voice actors) absolutely key. I went to see it in the cinema, since it had a reasonably accessible (if limited) UK release, and the sheer wonderfulness of seeing ponies on the big screen – after all, the first section is ponies – was enough to compensate for everything else. Now? Well, the whole Humane approach is vastly more familiar to us all, but equally the novelty has worn off. As a film, this is frankly a mish-mash of memes and references – Derpy's muffiny cameo, the cut-off CMC theme, etc – linked together by a pretty obvious story. Perhaps even more than with the 2017 FiM movie, complete MLP newcomers will miss a good deal of the fun. You have to put up with the teen-movie clichés (why hello there, Flash Sentry) and a few bizarre touches such as Celestia's iffy character design. It's strange encountering Sunset Shimmer as a villain again, complete with darker red in her hair. By no means all villains become more interesting after reformation, but Sunset will. Her demon form is a nice little "you know, for kids" moment, but it's rather overshadowed by all the magical girl stuff with the ponying up etc. Songs? Well, one absolute classic (you know which one!), the odd other decent one ("This Strange World"), a solid theme tune remix but also some forgettable blah. I think I still like this enough to let it keep its three-star rating, but it probably only just scrapes that these days. Stick your brain on autopilot and just let it wash over you.

Choice quote: Twilight: "I have no idea!"

New rating: ★★★

When I return with this series, it will be back to FiM and the start of Season 4. I'm sure that season, one which is unique in some ways, will be quite an interesting ride!

UK PonyCon postponed again

I doubt this will have come as a surprise to anyone, but UK PonyCon has announced that its scheduled in-person convention on 8th/9th May 2021 has been postponed. The new dates are 4th/5th September. At least in theory – bluntly, I think it's a very long shot that even that will go ahead; I'd love to be proved totally wrong, but I would be really surprised. My money would be on no conventions at all in the UK this year.

Which is all a bit depressing, so I'll add here that I'm restarting my rewatch series tomorrow with the first Equestria Girls film. Hope to see you there!

Ponyfic Roundup 328

Read it Later story count: 165 (-4) 

As I type this, the weather outside is pretty terrible, with wind and rain. As it's about 11 o'clock at night, though, I'm not out in it! Not that I'm out and about much anyway these days, of course. As it happens, one of this week's stories touches on some of those issues from an Equestrian perspective. Anyway, here are today's trio of terrific (possibly) tales:

MLP: Fallen Angel by Dainn
Away by The Cloptimist
Starlight Glimmer, Tomb Raider by Green Akers

★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 0 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I find average scores two stars.

Taobao strikes again?

If accurate, the first MLP logo without a heart since G2 two decades ago!

As reported on EqD the other day, a new MLP logo (above) has been spotted over on Taobao. It could be nothing, but the source is interesting as Taobao has seen genuine Pony things surface for the first time before, and more than once to boot. Slightly later, also via EqD, an intriguing animatic turned up from someone who is reported to have worked for Boulder Media.

I'm not sure I'm all that convinced by the animatic, since there's simply not enough to go on. The fact that the upload was rapidly deleted after becoming known doesn't say very much, as you could imagine someone making one as a fanwork behaving the same way if they didn't want the hassle. The logo, though... I could see that turning out to be real, I really could. We'll know one way or another in due course!

My Little Repeats: Reflections on Season 3

It's taken me around four months to get through S3, but here we are at last! It's been an interesting experience, though, with some things being just as I'd expected but also a few surprises along the way. My mean star rating for this season worked out at 2.92, not terrible but nevertheless significantly lower than the 3.38 that both the first two seasons managed.

Past the cut, you'll find my star ratings breakdown as well as some slightly more detailed ramblings.

Ponyfic Roundup 327

Read it Later story count: 169 (-4) 

Here we go with the first normal PR of 2021. As is usually the case these days, there are three stories on the list. That's about all I have to say right now, so here's what we're doing this week:

Shame at the Checkout by gmen15
Opportunity by Bluegrass Brooke
Applejack Goes To Magic School For Some Reason by Jason The Human

★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 0 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I find average scores two stars.

"My Little Repeats" will include some Equestria Girls rewatches

I was asked about this by a friend recently, and I don't think I've given a definitive answer until now. So here it is: yes, I will be including Equestria Girls in the "My Little Repeats" (MLR) rewatch, as well as Friendship is Magic.

My plan is to watch the EqG stuff at the right point to fit into the chronology of MLP G4 as a whole. This is relevant now as the first EqG film appeared after S3 of FiM – and so it will be the next thing I rewatch for this series! Looking further ahead, I will definitely do all four movies and I will probably do the specials as well. The shorts are very unlikely, though.

Coming up this week will be my little retrospective on S3 of FiM. I hope to get Equestria Girls rewatched (and written about in MLR's usual briefish way) by the end of January, but we'll have to see.

Colourful equines as promised

( Text link )

Okay, not actually pictures of colourful equines, but at least music associated with them. I meant to post this before doing my S3 rewatch, because of course Network Musical Ensemble's original vocal version of "Giddy Up" was used in the S3 trailers that The Hub put out before that season started. However, I really like J. B. Scott's orchestral interpretation, so that's what you're getting now. I actually have this as my alarm sound on my phone. :D

Will do the best I can here

Okay, this is a slightly more personal post than most of mine. Please feel free to skip this one; I won't be offended if you do. The next post will be more straightforwardly Pony, promise!

However, it's only fair to give you a heads-up that I may struggle to keep this blog going in the way I'd like to for a while. I will keep it going in some form, and I am absolutely not abandoning it, but things here in the UK are – to be blunt – bloody awful and getting worse at least in the short term. I don't know what frame of mind I'll be in over the coming weeks.

My head is also a bit sideways as I've recently had to tell someone I once considered a friend that he is no longer someone I want in my life. The reasons may or may not have to do with recent happenings on the other side of the Atlantic from me. As far as I know, none of you here know this person, and I won't give further details now. I don't want to discuss it, but I felt I needed to note it.

I do still intend to put up a Ponyfic Roundup on Wednesday, since I'm pretty sure I can manage to read a few short fics between now and then. I also want to go ahead with my look back at my rewatch of S3; its being a short season helps here, since I won't need to write such a long article! Beyond that I don't know. But let's end on an up: I am still very much committed to Louder Yay in the longer term.

Take care, everyone. End of my "getting real" bit. Back to colourful equines next time.

Ponyfic Roundup 326: Spotlight on Twilight Sparkle of the Royal Guard

Read it Later story count: 173 (nc) 

Thanks to Lockdown III: This Time It's Snowing, I'm actually quite surprised to have got this Spotlight edition of PR published on the right day! Okay, I know it's a bit later in the day than usual, but in the circumstances I'm reasonably satisfied. As usual with this format, you get a standard one-para review up top, then a longer, spoilery-er discussion past the cut:

Twilight Sparkle of the Royal Guard by King of Beggars
Twilight, Cadance and OCs
Romance/Adventure/Alternate Universe; 80k words; Dec 2014–Mar 2015; Teen

Twilight Sparkle is the newest member of Celestia's Royal Guard. Fresh out of the Military Academy, she's ready to prove herself, but will her first assignment be too much for her to handle?

On her parents' flip of a coin, in this AU it was Shining Armor who entered Celestia's School and Twilight who joined the military. Nevertheless, Celestia still takes a close interest in Twi and so before long she's given a special mission to undertake – guarding Cadance, who has been sent on a convenient "diplomatic mission" to Saddle Arabia just before the Summer Sun Celebration. Yes, that SSC; this is a factor in the tale, though not quite how you might expect. Twilight-focused romantic adventuring inevitably brings to mind iisaw's excellent The Celestia Code series, but this is a different animal. It's a bit more cerebral and talky, more closely focused on the principal characters and lore, with less of the wild swashbuckling and world-spanning scope that iisaw's tales specialise in. The main OCs are well drawn, especially a Diamond Dog character, though him saying he finds it hard to speak Equish and then using complex idiomatic language a day or so later is niggly. The mythology and lore is nice, and the development of the TwiDance romance is pleasant and sweet without being anything especially eye-opening. The writing is fine as a rule, though occasional brief and unneeded head-hopping is a slight pain. Given there's a sequel and the author knew there would be at the time, the epilogue chapter is also too long. All in all, a solid and readable story with nice character work, a top-end three that would probably be worth a four for those who really like TwiDance. ★★★

There's a fair bit more of me waffling – spoilers ahoy! – past the break.