Sounds of 2014: Nos. 85 to 81

Guess what, folks, it's time for another peek into the songs that were shaking the fandom a decade ago. That's right, we're back with the 2014 edition of the Equestrian Top 100. First up, the usual reminder of my criteria for inclusion in this series:

Rule 1: Still available in the same or (1b) similar form direct from the/an original artist.
Rule 2: Available from a third party, with reason to believe the artist is fine with this.
Rule 3: So famous that it would be plain silly to leave it out.
Rule 4: Being unlisted is not, on its own, grounds for exclusion.

The first three editions of "Sounds of 2014" had no skipped entries at all. This time, we're not so lucky. I did have to think about one song before deciding it justified a Rule 3 application, as you'll read below. The final entry, though, I felt fell the wrong side of the line, so it's not here. Sorry! Here's the list:

85: General Mumble – Couldn't You Just Simply Die?
84: Forest Rain – Nightmare Night
83: Sim Gretina, EileMonty & Copper – Moving On (cover)
82: Turquoise Splash & Megaphoric ft. Joaftheloaf – The Twilight Will Rise
81: skipped

As usual, if you come with me beyond the jump break, you'll get a YouTube embed of the relevant songs, together with a paragraph of my comments and thoughts about each of them.

New reviewer: abrony-mouse

Years and years ago, I remember a poster called abrony-mouse was very active on the late lamented UK of Equestria forums. They've had a Fimfiction account for longer than I have, but it hasn't been very active for years.

Well... they're back! And not only that, but they're doing ponyfic reviews! Well, more of a recommendations series (as with TCC56) than a review one as such, and with a deliberately short'n'snappy format. The first two are here and here. I always love to see new reviewers, given how few of us there are these days, so yay for abrony-mouse!

Edit: and a mini-review of my very own We Are the Everfree is right here!

Ponyfic Roundup 487: Spotlight on How We Met

Read it Later story count: 94 (nc)

Words read this week: 49,651

Well look at that, it's Spotlight time again! No 300,000-word behemoth this time, though, but instead a story that clocks in at just under the 50k-word mark. I've read and liked some other Rated Ponystar fics – for example, Treating Her Right (PR 371). How We Met is an old story, something I did bear in mind, but I'm obviously a sucker for Fluttershy/Rainbow backstory or I wouldn't have written Where They Understand You myself all those years ago! Anyway, let's see how this one does.

How We Met by Rated Ponystar
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash
G4; Romance/Slice of Life; 50k words; Feb–Oct 2012; Everyone

A story of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's relationship from their first meeting to their end

You can probably tell where this is going by the combination of the title, the shortdesc and those genre tags – and you'd be right. This is a story which starts with the two as fillies, although the bulk of the action takes place after they've grown up, got their cutie marks and moved to Ponyville. There are some cute moments and even the mid-story shift from friendshipping to plain shipping isn't too clunky. The writing is generally serviceable but isn't going to win any awards for style, and there are too many typos, awkwardly constructed sentences etc. Also, as PaulAsaran noted, the as-it-was-being-written Author's Notes every chapter irritate more than they illuminate. Not a bad story, but very predictable indeed in its progression. Its age and the author's relative inexperience in 2012 do show and do cost it a bit. ★★

You'll doubtless know this by now, but, expect spoilers beyond this point!

My Little Repeats 161: "Daring Done?"

They do the sand dance, don't you know?

S7E18: "Daring Done?"

9 Sep 2017

My original rating: ★★★
IMDb score: 7.2

The one with hotel mini muffins

Thoughts: This is a G. M. Berrow episode, so you know what to expect, and for the most part you get it. This isn't one for those who want perfectly crafted writing, but it does have some nice world-building with the (admittedly shaky) Somnambula legend. A special note too for the visuals and even more so the music, which really is nice. Characterisation is pretty variable: A. K. Yearling not being a flawless hero is good and I rather like Pinkie Pie here, but I'm not so impressed by Rainbow Dash – you know you can fly to escape Caballeron's henchponies, girl? Talking of which, the "hah, no flying here!" thing is a bit irritating, though I don't object to it as much as some fans apparently do. But the worst thing is that (as I said in 2017) the air-vent solution to save Rainbow is absurdly out-of-nowhere, right down there at bunyip levels of eye-rollingness. The main reason I'm downgrading this from a three-star episode to a two is that it's so frustrating: it does well for the first two-thirds, but then it falls apart. So, so much more could have been done with the third act. Oh well, on we go.

Choice quote: A. K. Yearling: "They don't sell my books in southern Equestria." [Er... why not?]

New rating: ★★

Next time around, we'll reach "It Isn't the Mane Thing About You". This is an episode which tends to split those irritated by overly convenient plot hoof-waving and those who just want to kick back and relax with the ponies. I tend to be in camp two by this point in FiM's run, so I quite liked it.

Hoping to post a bit more

Mildly ironic that I'm posting this at a time when I'm not posting more, but that's simply because I am extremely busy this week. You'll have noticed that last week I had a run of seven successive days of posts. That was fun, but in truth is not where I expect to end up – rather somewhere in between, yes. The "Daring Done?" rewatch should be along early next week, and with that, "Sounds of 2014" and Ponyfic Roundup there'll be at least three updates before the following weekend. Hooves crossed!

Ponyfic Roundup 486

Read it Later story count: 94 (-1)

Words read this week: 34,257

In this week's intro, Logan will not be talking about 1960s pop groups. Sorry! Instead, he will mention that he has finally got hold of a £1 charity shop DVD of Titanic. The 1997 blockbuster, not the one with the rapping dog. No, it's not exactly difficult to find, but while I wanted to watch the film (I've never seen it!) I wasn't prepared to pay Amazon or Disney+ subscription prices to do so. Also, this way it's mine. I may report back when I've seen it, but more likely I'll forget. Anyway, today's fics are:

Ambulance Inspection Rejection by SockPuppet
Little Muffin Stand of Horrors by sister_mike
Above All Else by 8686
Sight by Slywolf930
Pieces of Me by DwarvishPony

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

Sounds of 2014: Nos. 90 to 86

Welcome back to our canter through the Equestrian Trot 100 chart of the most popular My Little Pony fandom songs of 2014. As a reminder, a track doesn't have to have been released in that year, just to have been popular enough to make the chart. As usual, I'll remind everyone of the criteria I use to decide whether a song should be included:

Rule 1: Still available in the same or (1b) similar form direct from the/an original artist.
Rule 2: Available from a third party, with reason to believe the artist is fine with this.
Rule 3: So famous that it would be plain silly to leave it out.
Rule 4: Being unlisted is not, on its own, grounds for exclusion.

Third time lucky today, in that once again in the 2014 series I'm not having to skip a song. At one point I thought I would, but... well, that's explained below. Here's what we have:

90: d.notive – Loveless Lovechild
89: Forest Rain et al – On Our Way
88: PsychGoth ft. Rina-Chan – Lulamoon
87: Aviators – Crash
86: Vylet Pony – Twilight's Kingdom (parts 1 & 2)

You probably know this by now, but beyond the jump break you'll find a little waffling about each of the five songs and YouTube videos to match. Onward!

Looking back at Kicking Back

Previously in this series: Sunset's Sales Snag, Ever Let the Fancy Roam

It's been several months since I posted anything in this series, so let's alter that! As before, I've let a random number generator pick which story I'm going to feature, and it's come back with Kicking Back. This is a fic which I wrote as a bit of silly fun but which did slightly better than anticipated. Not the most overperforming story I've had, but even now it's still mentioned occasionally.

This is a Cloud Kicker story, inspired by her personality in the first chapter of Chengar Qordath's highly popular The Life and Times of a Winning Pony. The reason I emphasise first chapter is that it's all I knew of at the time: in that fic Cloudy's story becomes deeper later on, but to start with she's seen as not that much more than a sex-obsessed airhead. That was what I found amusing to pick up on.

While Kicking Back isn't even remotely close to M-rated territory, it does go a little more down the innuendo route than I generally prefer. My usual complaint when stories do that is that there's no particular reason for it, but here it seemed integral to Cloud Kicker's personality, or at least the part of it I was using here. I tried to keep the tone light and fun, and I think I did fairly well there.

You see, in this story Cloud Kicker's reputation is not justified, and she's getting seriously tired of it. She even goes to the extent of hiring an image consultant. It... ah... doesn't go quite as she'd planned. I still smile at some of my descriptions of her sometimes physical rages when something goes horribly wrong – and so I think I got the humour level pretty much where I wanted it.

Would I have changed much? In all honesty, no, not really. Kicking Back isn't some great piece of ponyfic for the ages, but then it wasn't written to be one. I think it stands up quite nicely as what it is: a tea-break fic for those looking to, well, kick back and relax for a few minutes with perhaps a few laughs along the way. All the more so if you enjoy a little humorous wordplay.

One thing I will say is that you'll probably get more out of this if you have read at least the odd bit of Winningverse fiction. On the other hoof, you may for the same reason find it irritating and a bit one-notey. Maybe the ideal audience is the one I was part of when writing it: someone who knows about Cloud Kicker's reputation but hasn't yet read on to the other 300,000 words of Winning Pony!

Ponyfic Roundup 485

Read it Later story count: 95 (nc)

Words read this week: 34,262

This is apropos of not a lot, and not remotely related to ponyfic, but I have been listening to and greatly enjoying songs by The Seekers, especially those from their 1960s heyday. In my view, Judith Durham had one of the finest voices ever to grace the charts. My own pick would be "The Carnival is Over", a huge hit internationally (except in the USA) that was so popular in the UK that it kept The Who's "My Generation" off the top of the charts in 1965. That band never did have a British number one. All right, now it's time for ponyfic!

Labors at Sunrise by NaiadSagaIotaOar
A Tryst at Midnight by Cosmonaut
How the Foundation Ruined Nightmare Night by Drefsab
flith2 by Fluttergail
White Out by the dobermans

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

Sounds of 2014: Nos. 95 to 91

Ah, it really is fun to be doing these again! Much as ponyfic will probably always be my first love when it comes to Pony fandom creativity, I am glad to be back with a regular series on music for the first time in several years. As a reminder, for 2014 I'm using the Equestrian Trot 100 chart – and this chart is for songs that were popular in that year, not limited to those released then, as we'll see this week... As another reminder, my criteria for including a song here are as follows:

Rule 1: Still available in the same or (1b) similar form direct from the/an original artist.
Rule 2: Available from a third party, with reason to believe the artist is fine with this.
Rule 3: So famous that it would be plain silly to leave it out.
Rule 4: Being unlisted is not, on its own, grounds for exclusion.

As with my first post, I'll be featuring five tracks today. No skips needed once again, yay!

95: Ponyphonic – Love is in Bloom (cover)
94: General Mumble – Devil in Me
93: Canapplejack ft. Pencil Eraser – Pieces of Me
92: Aviators – Between Fairytales and Happy Endings (remix)
91: PrinceWhateverer – Promises (2013)

As before, after the jump break you get a YouTube video of the relevant song, plus some waffling from me, including where possible a link to Bandcamp or similar to allow you to obtain the track in high quality.

My Little Repeats 160: "To Change a Changeling"

Feelings... nothing more than feelings

S7E17: "To Change a Changeling"

2 Sep 2017

My original rating: ★★★
IMDb score: 7.5

The one with changeling nymphs

Thoughts: The IMDb ratings for the last few episodes are similarly middling, but I rather like this one. Kevin Lappin's second and last Friendship is Magic ep (after "Honest Apple") is a rare episode (the first in the show's run?) with none of the Mane Six even on screen. It's enjoyable, and Pharynx is an interesting character. I've seen it mentioned by a few people that he's somewhat in the role of a demobbed soldier who finds adjusting to civilian life hard. This is one of Thorax's best episodes, especially when he shows the assertiveness he learnt from Ember. Trixie and Starlight are really getting into the groove now as a team, and they have some fun, snappy dialogue. The Feelings Forum is amusing, especially the bit with the soup. It's a shame that the Maulwurf is such an uninteresting monster, otherwise this might just have had a shot at a four-star rating. Even as it is, it retains its 2017 three-star score with ease and is on the high side of that band.

Choice quote: Pharynx: "I look better with holes."

New rating: ★★★

Next time around, it'll be "Daring Done?", an episode which prompted mixed reactions from both me and the fandom on first appearance. Now? Well, you know the form... we'll see!

Claude 3 Sonnet writes more (and better?) ponyfic

Don't worry, this isn't going to take over the blog! I won't be writing about AI things on here for a while now. I was, however, interested to see that a slight tweak to the prompt gave what I think is a more interesting attempt at ponyfic (albeit still with a hopeless title). This time I allowed Claude 3 Sonnet to use up two responses to write its story, prompting it with "More" to get the second one. This time the prompt was:

Please write a My Little Pony story (with a suitable title) in which Fluttershy and Rarity discuss a sensitive issue over a cup of tea. The two ponies are very long-standing friends and trust each other completely. Both of them are quiet conversationalists, so the conversation should have a restrained emotional tone. However, the much brasher Rainbow Dash barges into the cottage halfway through. The audience is very familiar with the characters already.

I think adding that last sentence has helped, but see what you think. Beyond the break, AI adventurers!

Claude 3 Sonnet writes ponyfic

It's time for more adventures with AI! In the past I've asked an earlier version of ChatGPT, then GPT-4 and Claude+, then finally Bing Chat, to produce a short MLP fanfic based on a moderately simple prompt written by me. I feel freer to experiment with this stuff here than on Fimfiction, given the latter's strict rule (which I support) that stories posted there have to be written by humans. I find it interesting, though, and since I have this blog I shall use it!

This time around I'm sticking with Anthropic's Claude series, but using the more advanced Claude 3 Sonnet model. This is not the top version of Claude, but it is the top version available (albeit for a limited number of messages) without the need for a subscription. Much as this stuff interests me, it doesn't interest me enough to pay £18 a month for!

The prompt is as before, with a single note added in brackets to remind the AI to include a title:

Please write a My Little Pony story (with a suitable title) in which Fluttershy and Rarity discuss a sensitive issue over a cup of tea. The two ponies are very long-standing friends and trust each other completely. Both of them are quiet conversationalists, so the conversation should have a restrained emotional tone. However, the much brasher Rainbow Dash barges into the cottage halfway through.

I'll put the result after the cut. I was amused to see that these things are still pretty damn useless at titles!

Ponyfic Roundup 484

Read it Later story count: 95 (nc)

Words read this week: 30,367

By some miracle, both Saturday and Monday of the Easter long weekend were nice days, with pleasant mildness and even a decent amount of sunshine. Actually better than the forecast, which doesn't seem to happen too often lately! Anyway, back to a world where ponies themselves can (sometimes) control the weather. After the excitement of The Silver Standard and its five shiny stars, it's back to much shorter stories in this week's Ponyfic Roundup. Here's the run-down:

Applejack's Hobby by TheLegendaryBillCipher
Covering for a Magician by Chromentazol (review requested by author)
Twilight is Annoyed by Protopony350
Maniacal by ColdGoldLazarus
Piano Lessons by gapty

★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 3 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

BABSCon to end after the 2025 con

Video by Herbie Hopps

 

 Some big news out of California: BABSCon, one of the giants of the My Little Pony convention scene and a stalwart of the calendar for ten years now, is nearing the end of its run. The decision to end after the 2025 convention was made public on stage, as you can see in the video above. No reason was given, but there are some suggestions as to possible factors in the description text of that video: Covid fallout, attendance drops, financial worries.

Of course, running a convention is a massive amount of work. I hope I've made that clear over my decade and more of writing about cons on here and elsewhere. Please don't assume I don't think about such things, as that just isn't true. It may simply be that as well as the issues already mentioned above, too many of the staff are getting burned out and/or want to do something else with their lives. You can't really blame them if that's the case.

Whatever the reason(s), and regardless of the fact that I've never been to BabsCon and won't be doing so next year either, two points to end on. One, it absolutely will be sad to see such a long-running and popular event cease to exist other than in people's memories. Two, it absolutely will not be the end of the fandom or of Pony conventions, any more than it was when BronyCon ended five years ago now. I wish BabsCon well for a successful finale next year!

Sounds of 2014: Nos. 100 to 96

Okay folks, here we go! As I've said before, since the Everfree Radio Top 100 ended with 2013, I'm moving to the Equestrian Trot 100 chart this time. This ran until the end of 2019, although "[2014] is the only year in which this countdown is based on inverse rank points as opposed to points earned in each week," apparently. I'm not sure exactly what that means, so let's move on!

I'm going to stick with the rules I worked by for the previous editions of "Sounds of". These are designed to respect artists who for whatever reason have decided they no longer want to be associated with their MLP songs, while also recognising the reality that the most famous tracks are not going to simply disappear whatever the case. Here's the list:

Rule 1: Still available in the same or (1b) similar form direct from the/an original artist.
Rule 2: Available from a third party, with reason to believe the artist is fine with this.
Rule 3: So famous that it would be plain silly to leave it out.
Rule 4: Being unlisted is not, on its own, grounds for exclusion.

Let's get galloping! Here's the run-down of the tracks to be featured this time, and happily there's no need to skip any of them:

100: Glaze – Energy Sway
99: Rarity ft. EileMonty – I Will Always Miss Us
98: EileMonty & Austin Hull – Inside
97: MandoPony & Silva Hound – Wild Fire
96: 4everfreebrony ft. ElectroBLITZ – Lost

Past the jump break, you'll find embedded YouTube videos of the songs featured, links to HQ versions where available and a little bit of waffling from me about each track!

My Little Repeats 159: "Campfire Tales"

One thing I will say for this episode, it's very visually interesting

S7E16: "Campfire Tales"

26 Aug 2017

My original rating: ★★
IMDb score: 7.6

The one with cave-wall shadow pictures

Thoughts: Ah yes, the only episode credited to Barry Safchik and Michael Platt is the one where we meet the Pillars (in the show; the comics got there first) for the first time. I've never found them all that interesting, which doesn't help this episode in my book. It's not a bad ep, but it just feels too disjointed and irritating for me. Not the least of my issues is Scootaloo's demeanour, which suggests she hasn't toughened up at all since "Sleepless in Ponyville". I find that hard to credit. I'm not fond of the flyders, either as interesting critters or for producing those unappealing bites (especially on Dash). Rockhoof's apparently hopeless task is fixed out of nowhere with "and then magic happened!" Good things there are in here: Mistmane's legend is more interesting than the other two. The episode looks very nice, and the background music is very fittingly chosen. The brief moments of Rainbow/Scootaloo sisterly bonding are adorable, and the other Crusaders aren't bad either. It's maybe slightly risen in my estimation since 2017, but not enough to lift it much. A top-end two now, but still a two. It's all a bit blah.

Choice quote: Apple Bloom: "I've seen the way you two get when you miss breakfast."

New rating: ★★

Next time, I'll be rewatching "To Change a Changeling", which I enjoyed in 2017, albeit not entirely without reservation. I hope I shall enjoy it again this time around.

Announcing: Sounds of 2014!

It's been a long time coming – I first posted about my hope to do this more than a year ago – but I think it's high time I got music back on these virtual pages. As such, in the next few weeks I will be starting "Sounds of 2014", in which I look at the Top 100 fandom tracks of that year as voted in the Equestrian Trot 100. The format will be similar to that I used for "Sounds of 2013", although with a few small changes to account for the move from the Everfree Radio chart (which didn't continue into 2014).

When will this start? Soon™! Not immediately, though, not least because the next thing I'm going to post here will be my rewatch of "Campfire Tales". That will be coming in the next few days.

Ponyfic Roundup 483: 2,000th review and 10th anniversary special: Spotlight on The Silver Standard

Read it Later story count: 95 (-1)

Words read this week: 296,450

Okay, okay, I didn't read all those words this week. But I did read them all for this review! It is ten years to the very day since my first Ponyfic Roundup, and The Silver Standard is also my 2,000th PR fic. I didn't plan that the two should coincide, at least not until very recently, but I'm not complaining! Today's fic is the fourth longest I've ever featured on these virtual pages,¹ and as such it took me quite some while to read. Was it worth it? Yes it was. Read on...
¹ After Fallout: Equestria (PR 5), The Life and Times of a Winning Pony (PR 68) and The Immortal Game (PR 154).

The Silver Standard by PatchworkPoltergeist
Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara, CMCs and Other
G4; Drama/Slice of Life; 296k words; Apr 2015–Apr 2018; Everyone

Once upon a time, Silver Spoon's life made sense. Now she lives in Ponyville.

For many, perhaps most, MLP fans Silver Spoon isn't a character they spend a lot of time thinking about, except in a vague "Diamond Tiara's sidekick" kind of way. The Silver Standard may well change your mind. A tale running from before S1 of Friendship is Magic until after the events of "Crusaders of the Lost Mark", the fic gives us a far wider and deeper insight into what it's like to be Silver Spoon. The story's length allows substantial sidelights such as a grippingly vicious battle of wills and words at Silver's old school or the gently running mystery of what "battletag" actually is, while other foals such as Dinky "The Dink" Hooves (interestingly portrayed as almost playground royalty) and Berry Pinch are given plenty of development too. Canon events happen all the time – Twilight's ascension, Tirek's attack, the bugbear, etc – but only rarely is Silver front and centre and the story is written to reflect this. Written very well, at that, with consistently excellent character work. A really satisfying read that easily justified the time I spent reading it. Top marks! ★★★★★

As usual with Spotlight reviews, if you continue reading then expect spoilers!

Hat Man Reviews

I don't know whether this is a one-off or the start of something more, but it's always great to see new ponyfic reviewers around the place! Well-known Fimfictioneer The Hat Man has posted a fairly detailed review of Bandy's adventure story H A Z E. That's not a fic I've read myself, but I still enjoyed reading The Hat Man's thoughts. The more people putting the time into writing MLP fanfiction reviews, the better!

Ponyfic 2,000 (so to speak) – Feeble attempts at hype

I did promise/threaten you all that a post like this would be coming! As you'll know if you've been paying even marginal attention, my next Ponyfic Roundup review will be the two thousandth story I have covered! I'm also going to be publishing it on Tuesday 26th, since that's ten years to the day since PR 1. (For the sake of it, the first fic I wrote about was Capn_Chryssalid's The Best Night Ever.)

Now, I am not the only person who knows the story I am about to name as the 2,000th! Why? Because I revealed it at the last Worcester Shires ponymeet. (Come to Worcester Shires for exclusive ponyfic review revelations!) However, I'm pretty sure the number who already know is in single figures... until now. Are you excited, 'cause I'm excited, I've never been so excited— [Oh, get on with it! —Ed.]

Okay, here goes. The 2,000th Ponyfic Roundup review will be a Spotlight for...

The Silver Standard by PatchworkPoltergeist

Wait, what? Logan's been reading a near-300,000-word fic? About Silver Spoon? Surely some mistake? But no! I was told by several friends that The Silver Standard was really good and easily worth the time investment. I therefore decided that it was time to find out whether I agreed – and what better place to publish my thoughts than in a landmark review? You'll see how it fares in just six days' time!

Some very early G4 merch!

YouTube: Toy Fair 2010 and MLP/SSC/RB updates

One or two of you will have already seen this, but I thought it might interest a few others. I found this by accident while looking for very old fandom stuff. It's a video of some of Hasbro's exhibits at the 2010 Toy Fair, an important annual trade-only showcase. Lots of Strawberry Shortcake in there and a little G3.5 MLP, but at 3:45 (and in the video thumbnail!) we get a little time with a few very familiar characters!

This video was uploaded on 17th February 2010, so as of this moment it stands as the oldest G4 video I've ever seen. If you know of anything older, please do let me know in the comments!

Ponyfic Roundup 482

Read it Later story count: 96 (+3)

Words read this week: 23,796

Four stories only to review today, since that will take me to 1,999 of the things since I started out doing this almost a decade ago. Imagine all the actually useful things I could have done with my life in the time it's taken to write all these posts. But hay, would any of them have been as much fun? Well, okay, probably one or two would, but an awful lot would not. It's mostly been a blast, and it mostly still is. Off we go...

Fly Hard by Aragon
Alabaster by DawnFade
Wake-up Call by Cyrano
Top Edge by Raugos

★: 0 | ★★: 0 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 2 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

My Little Repeats 158: "Triple Threat"

"And that's how Equestria was... destroyed."

S7E15: "Triple Threat"

19 Aug 2017

My original rating: ★★★
IMDb score: 7.2

The one with Twilight's chairs

Thoughts: IMDb ratings are to be treated with caution, but this episode gets a score 0.6 points lower than "Fame and Misfortune". Although fewer people truly dislike it, I'm not sure many people adore it either. Like a large chunk of the second half of S7, it's not an episode that forces remembrance. Thorax doesn't help: the reformed changelings just aren't that interesting, with the occasional exception such as his spiel to Spike about "renegades" (foreshadowing "To Change a Changeling"). Ember is a good deal more fun and certainly has the best of the humour and dialogue, though Starlight has a nice supporting role. The third act feels a little flabby, but it does the job. So does the obvious plot convenience of the Cutie Map summoning Spike in the first place, for that matter. Plus a little Derpy spot. I'll stick with the three-star rating I gave this first time round.

Choice quote: Ember: "I had no idea it was polite to decorate your walls in your friends' favourite foods!"

New rating: ★★★

Next time, it's "Campfire Tales", in which we'll meet the Pillars for the first time in the show itself.¹ I've never been an enormous fan of either them or this episode, giving it only two stars in 2017. As ever, let's see how it goes.
¹ They debuted in the "Legends of Magic" IDW comic subseries.

My most prized Pony possession? Maybe this

On Friday, I asked you fine people what your most prized Pony possession – excluding plushies – might be. I also said that I would reveal my own answer before long. Well, here goes! This wasn't actually the easiest choice for me, partly since I'm not that big on merch and partly since a couple of options had very specific personal significance that wouldn't make much sense to most people. This item, though, is one I do like a lot:

Back in 2012, I was in my first year in the My Little Pony fandom and I very much got caught up in the hype about the then-imminent release of the IDW comics series. So much so that I spent more time in comic shops as a result than I'd done in my entire life up to that point! I went with a great friend to purchase issue #1 in Nostalgia and Comics in Birmingham on release day. That alone would give the IDW series a special place in my heart.

This first edition, though, had a lot of variant covers, more than 20 in the end. I bought a few myself over the next few months, and this is perhaps the most special to me. The Hastings Comics variant of that first issue, signed by artist Andy Price, writer Katie Cook and cover artist Amy Mebberson. I don't care about commercial value (fortunately, as I like reading the comic!) but I am very happy every time I see it on my shelf. So I'll pick this.

What's your most prized non-plushie Pony possession?

As the subject line says! I'm simply curious. I'm excluding plushies because they tend to be chosen again and again when this kind of question is asked, and I'd like a little more variety. As usual with this type of post, I do intend to give my own answer in the near future – but not until I've seen a few of your replies! :P

Ponyfic Roundup 481

Read it Later story count: 93 (-2)

Words read this week: 31,925

A little hint about something I'll be doing after the 2,000th review: I'm currently picking out five stories for a themed edition concentrating on one author. I intend to post that in the nearish future – by which I mean before summer, all being well. No, you won't yet get to find out who will be featured. Other things to come first, such as today's quintet:

Ladybugs Awake by Uz Naimat
The 41-Second Goddess by Bicyclette
"Teach Me Goodness" by Posh
End of Our Story by qiley
Persephone by PresentPerfect

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

UK PonyCon 2024 ticket details!

Much earlier than was the case last year, UK PonyCon has announced ticket details! They will go on sale at 7pm BST on Saturday 6th April. Although that's over a month away yet, the official tickets page is now online, so you can see what will be available.

The convention is sticking to its four-tier ticketing setup: Standard, Bronze, Silver, Gold. There have been tweaks, however, notably in that Silver places have increased from 60 to 75 and Gold from four to five. Last year all four Golds went inside two minutes, so I somehow doubt UKPC will have any difficulty in selling the extra one!

Now then, prices. As I usually do, I'll concentrate on Adult Weekend tickets, but one-day, child and family rates are also available. Also, a reminder: since this con handles its own ticket processing, there are no booking fees – the price you see is the price you pay. I'll just pause for a moment to say that I think this is something really worth applauding.

Standard: £60 (+15% on 2023) – entrance to the convention on both days (including the Saturday night concert), con book, basic blue lanyard. Book before 1st August and you'll also get a personalised con badge.

Bronze: £85 (+5%) – nicer lanyard, Bronze sponsor badge, name in con book (if you want it), Bronze button badge, vinyl sticker sheet, £5 donation to the con's great friends at the RDA.

Silver: £185 (+23%) – priority queue, silver sponsor badge, messenger bag, Silver/Gold sponsor-exclusive T-shirt, art print, mug, enamel pin, two autograph/photo tokens, £10 RDA donation.

Gold: £450 (+12.5%) – all the Silver perks and sponsor hoodie, Sewpoke Britannia plushie, top-table seating at Afternoon Tea, personalised welcome letter, four autograph/photo tokens, £20 RDA donation.

I haven't listed absolutely every feature of each tier above, but that should be enough to give you an idea.

So, a few thoughts? The one that immediately stands out is that the respectively small and large increases in Bronze and Silver prices mean that the gap between those two is now much wider than it was in 2023: the difference was £69 then but is a full £100 in 2024. To my eyes, that makes the Bronze ticket probably the best value for what it offers if you're willing and able to spend that amount.

UK PonyCon will be keenly aware that annual 15% rises would eventually make tickets unaffordable – if they did it every year, a Standard ticket for the 30th anniversary in 2034 would cost over £240 and by the 40th in 2044 it would be very close to £1,000! It'll be interesting to see how they handle this over the next few years. I don't intend to dwell on that, though, since here I'm more concerned with providing information.

With that in mind, there is one more very interesting innovation tucked away on the tickets page. This year there will be optional Friday pre-registration! If a substantial number of people opt for this, then there will be fewer needing to register on Saturday morning, which with other (as yet unspecified) changes ought to improve on last year's sometimes excessive queue waits.

If you've been around me for any length of time, you'll know this next part by heart, but: no, I don't know whether I will be able to make UK PonyCon this year, and if so for how long. I won't know for ages yet, so don't hold your breath! But as you'll also know, I have a lot of time for UKPC and I think it's an event that really enhances this country's part in the MLP fandom. Here's to a great 20th!

How Ponyfic Roundup will mark the upcoming milestones

The plural in the title is correct. Read on to see why! Assuming next week's edition goes according to plan, Ponyfic Roundup will then have reached its 1,995th story. I've been debating with myself recently about how to go about marking the big double thousand, and I've now decided. So, here's how it will go down:

6th March: PR 481, which as you already know will feature five fics.

13th March: PR 482, which will feature four stories, taking me to review number 1,999.

20th March: No PR! Instead there'll be some feeble attempts at hype.

26th March: Wait, a Tuesday? Why?! Because that will mean that PR 483 (featuring review number 2,000) will appear ten years to the day since I started all this fic-related rambling back in Ponyfic Roundup no. 1. An opportunity like that is just too good for me to pass up.

3rd April: Back to Wednesday for PR 484, which will see reviews number 2,001 to 2,005 inclusive. Sorry folks, no more anniversary excitement from there on in until I get round to doing PR 500 in the summer!

Now, the observant amongst you will have noticed a couple of things. One is that I've arranged my schedule so that the 2,000th fic to be reviewed will be a Spotlight. Indeed so! I feel I'd like to make the lucky (or unlucky, depending on how things go...) fic stand out for a double occasion such as this one.

The other thing you'll have noticed is that I'm not saying which fic I've chosen. That reveal will be part of the aforementioned feeble attempts at hype on the 20th! So for now all you get is that it's long enough (my guideline is 40,000 words or more), isn't Mature-rated and isn't a crossover.

Ponyfic Roundup 480

Read it Later story count: 95 (-1)

Words read this week: 25,292

As trailed last week, a low word count this time round, but still the usual five stories under review. Without further ado, let's get to them:

Strong to the Finnich by KnightMysterio
Late Delivery by WaywardSon
Quod Timeo by Figments
Letter Never Sent by Rambling Writer
To Be Remembered by MrSpartan

★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 3 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

My Little Repeats 157: "Fame and Misfortune"

"Why no, of course we fans didn't take anything here to heart!"

S7E14: "Fame and Misfortune"

12 Aug 2017

My original rating: ★★★★
IMDb score: 7.8

The one with stress couture

Thoughts: Perhaps the most controversial episode in the show's entire run, mostly for M. A. Larson's unhappiness about what went out with his name on it, but also partly for the way the ponies themelves behave in-ep. The first is a real issue for me. The second? Less so.¹ I do think it's dated a little bit, in that you only get the full impact if you were in at Peak Fandom and recognise some of the specific dramas being poked at,² and those are far less common in today's quieter fandom. It's also arguable that it went back to the "hi there, bronies" well too often, when "Slice of Life" (especially) and "Stranger than Fan Fiction" had already been there. But as someone who was there, do I still find it funny? Yes, and on occasion hilarious. Do I find it mean-spirited towards this fandom? No, not especially. I still feel a few of those jabs were actually needed. I appreciate Starlight being the voice of reason, Toola Roola was a nice surprise, and after growing on me a lot "Flawless" is now one of my favourite songs. The way Larson was treated will always rankle, Spike's unexplained absence is odd and the townsponies being jerks towards the Mane Six for so long is pretty out-of-character for Ponyville – but the episode as it appears on-screen was an entertaining ride in 2017, and for me at least it's still that way today. As I've said, it has dated a little, so it's losing a bit from its score. Not much, though, and it's still a top-end three.
¹ Reading the EqD comments is interesting: a slanted source of course, but most commenters liked the episode in 2017.
² I'm damn sure the mass "Yee-ha!" from the Sweet Apple Admirers is a nudge to the fandom (over)doing "Fun! Fun! Fun!"

Choice quote: Pearly Stitch: "Twilight was better before she had wings!"

New rating: ★★★

Next time, we'll be back to a slightly less controversial episode – and one with Spike very much present – when "Triple Threat" hoves into view. Join me then!

Ponyfic Roundup 479

Read it Later story count: 96 (nc)

Words read this week: 41,260

By some miracle, it's actually been both mild and dry (well, largely dry) on the day I'm writing this intro. That means I managed to spend a little time sitting outdoors reading ponyfic, the first time I've been able to do that this year. With a coat on and the sun out, plus shelter from the wind, it was pleasant. Anyway, it's back to the usual setup this week, with no particular theme involved.

Arbitrary by RunicTreetops
A Moonlit Storm by SilverNotes
Pinkie Pegasus by Lets Do This
Dying to Get There by Titanium Dragon
Winona by Obsequiosity

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

Ghost Mike looks at MLP in the Netflix figures

Over in the intro to his latest Monday Musings post, Ghost Mike takes a look at the viewing-hour numbers Netflix put out in December for the first half of 2023, with special reference to the various bits of G4 and G5 My Little Pony in the figures. There's too much to get your teeth into there for me to summarise sensibly, and I'm not any kind of aficionado when it comes to this industry-stat stuff anyway, so I'd recommend reading Mike's post for yourself. But one little nugget: S1 of Friendship is Magic is (just) inside the top 500 shows in watch hours. Four years after FiM ended. Makes you think.

Ponyfic Roundup 478: Silly Edition

Read it Later story count: 96 (-2)

Words read this week: 30,382

Welcome to the Silly Edition! In spite of its name, this does not in fact mean that all today's fics are silly, although some of them do qualify. I simply chose five stories that have the word "silly" in the title. I'd never heard of any of the fics before, and indeed I didn't know several of their authors, so it was a bit of a leap in the dark. Let's see how it turned out, shall we?

Silly Little Filly by EnderBlaze
Silly Assumptions by Owlor
On the Very Silly Origins of Alicorns by GroaningGreyAgony
Silly Little Things by ForgottenExistance
Silly Filly by ValenceBond

★: 1 | ★★: 3 | ★★★: 1 | ★★★★: 0 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

My Little Repeats 156: "The Perfect Pear"

Candles on hay bales don't strike me as especially safe...

S7E13: "The Perfect Pear"

5 Aug 2017 (in USA; 21 Jun 2017 in Australia)

My original rating: ★★★★
IMDb score: 9.5

The one with Tube station pony

Thoughts: Well, here we go. A sizeable chunk of the fandom applies the "Best Episode Ever" tag to this, and on this occasion its IMDb score probably doesn't lie. I'm not going to be all perverse and say I hate it, as no: I also think it's a very fine ep. Having it air six weeks earlier in Australia than the US made it very hard to avoid spoilers, and many (including me) viewed and reviewed earlier than August. It can be hard to recall now, but at this point the idea of finding out about the Apple parents was a huge deal, given there'd been speculation about them for years and years. The expectation was a lot to live up to – but it managed. A lovely story with organic progression, thoughtful and sympathetic characterisation, excellent world-building, a nice guest turn from William Shatner of all people, that very fine song (with a reprise in the end credits!) and some really appealing visuals. But the writing made it great, something you couldn't always take for granted by S7. Yeah, okay fandom, you win. This episode can have a five now.

Choice quote: Goldie Delicious: "Now that's how you make an entrance... or is it an exit?"

New rating: ★★★★★

Next time, it'll be "Fame and Misfortune", an episode some people loved and others hated. I was in the former camp, finding it much more funny than cringy. That may or may not change. As ever, we shall see!

The meets scene seems in decent health still

At least here in the UK it does; I can't speak for anywhere else. The Worcester Shires meet on Saturday had no fewer than 18 attendees (albeit not all at once) which is very close to our all-time record – not bad considering we've been running for more than ten years! I've also noticed a couple of people discussing starting up local meets in other places.

As someone said on Discord, there was a bit of a feeling that with the end of Friendship is Magic and G4 as a whole, plus the underwhelming response to G5 (apart maybe from the original film), interest in ponymeets might start to show a clear decline. That doesn't in fact seem to be the case, and I for one am very happy about that. Long may this continue!

Ponyfic Roundup 477

Read it Later story count: 98 (+3)

Words read this week: 30,409

It's blustery and grey outside in a rather typical early February sort of way as I write these words, so it's definitely a good day to be indoors and writing about MLP fanfiction. This week I'm back to the core Ponyfic Roundup approach: picking five short stories that look as if I might find them interesting and, well, reviewing them. Here goes...

A Story About You by CrispySparrow
Assassination Manifestation by TCC56
Lack of Faith by Tennis Match Fan
Stopping Distances by Mica
Daring Do: The Opera by AlexTFish

★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 3 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

Ponyphonic to perform at GalaCon 2024

There aren't many truly big firsts left in the world of My Little Pony conventions, but I think this one qualifies. This year's GalaCon will see the first ever con appearance from none other than Ponyphonic! They of course are behind some of the best known songs in our fandom, from "The Moon Rises" to "Lullaby for a Princess". Even though I won't be going to GalaCon myself, I am delighted for those who are. Very exciting news!

No Ponyfic Roundup today, so have a Scootapic

Pony Scootaloo Wing Shrug Dunno by xbi
( CC by 3.0 )

As I said in the footer of last week's Ponyfic Roundup, I'm taking a break from reviews this week. I hope and intend that the next edition will appear in a week's time, on a Wednesday as usual, though life has knocked me about a bit recently (it hasn't stopped yet, either) so I'd better not absolutely promise that. So for today, I'm reviving something I used to do occasionally but haven't done for four years (eep), which is to say posting a Creative Commons-licensed picture I like. Ta-da!

PR stats: the multi-fivers

By this I mean authors who I've awarded a five-star rating in Ponyfic Roundup more than once. There aren't many of them, so I'll provide the full list below. No attempt has been made to account for the fact that some of my standards have changed over time, or that I have simply read more fics by some authors than others. The list is here purely because I thought it was mildly interesting.

Five times 

Cold in Gardez (All the Mortal Remains; For Whom We Are Hungry; Lost Cities; Naked Singularity; The Destruction of the Self)

Four times 

horizon (Quiet Boy and Moon Horse; The Dragon's Riddle; The Last Dreams of Pony Island; Watch! Watch!)
Pascoite (Ambergris; If Memory Serves; Dinkin' Donuts; The Art and Science of Letter Writing)

Twice

Blueshift (Life is a Lemon; So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish)
Cynewulf (General Amnesty; When the Levee Breaks)
Lucky Dreams (In the Place the Wild Horses Sleep; The Starlit Promise)
mushroompone (The Head; Womb)
RBDash47 (Home; Old Friends)
Skywriter (Martial Bliss; Roaming)

A total of 35 authors have had a single five-star fic.

UK PonyCon 2024 theme announced

UK PonyCon announced yesterday that its theme this year will be "We're Making History". This celebrates the fact that UKPC turns 20 years old in 2024 and has now become the world's longest running My Little Pony convention! This theme will give attendees and online fans a chance to participate with nods to the previous PonyCons, and I expect there to be a decent amount of merch on sale that will nod to this. For what it's worth, I really like the choice of theme. :)

Ponyfic Roundup 476: Spotlight on Spark Visions of Twilight

First up, an extremely rare after-the-fact star upgrade. I discovered that Binky Pie (PR 472) made considerable use of Discworld-style SMALL CAPS for Death's speech. These did not render on the EPUB version I read on my phone. Having them there made a small but significant enhancement to my enjoyment, just enough to push it over the line from a three-star to a four-star rating. :)

Read it Later story count: 95 (nc)

Words read this week: 46,050

Yes, everyone, it's a second Spotlight review in the space of about a month! As I said in my end-notes last time around, this is a fic that I have thought about reviewing time and time again for years, but each time I've ended up looking at something else instead. Well, this week that run comes to an end, because at long last it's time for...

Spark Visions of Twilight by Tangerine Blast
Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight and Mane Six
G4 AU; Adventure; 46k words; Dec 2015–Jul 2017; Teen

After a visit by an Alicorn she's seen before, Rainbow Dash has a chat with her friends.

Originally a quick one-shot written in the wake of the S5 finale, this was progressively expanded to the full adventure you see here. The Alicorn in question is of course Twilight. Why doesn't Rainbow see her all the time? Because this is the "Nightmare Moon won" AU, where Dash is a palace guard. Meanwhile, Pinkie works in (and is largely confined to) the kitchens, and we gradually meet other ponies (and others...) as time goes on. I like the world-building, but several plot threads meander off into nothingness. It's well into the second half before the core of the adventure is on, with the ponies trying to defeat Nightmare. Quite a harsh world, as you'd expect, with violence both open and lurking in the background, and some real heartbreak too. The writing seems rushed, with lots of minor technical errors, and the use of a canon song in-story is strange. A smoother version of this would have scored more highly, but the fact that it was written as Tangerine Blast went along (revealed in the A/Ns that end each chapter) is a little bit too obvious to justify more than a moderate three. ★★★

Given that this is a Spotlight review, inevitably, there be spoilers beyond!

And now, a short break

I am not having a particularly nice time of things at the moment (I explained a little in this Fimfiction post) and I don't really feel up to concentrating on reviews and so on for a little while. Don't worry, they will be back, and I will be writing about "The Perfect Pear" before too long. I just can't say exactly when. I've already written and scheduled my Spotlight review of Spark Visions of Twilight, though, so that will appear on Wednesday in the usual manner.

Ponyfic Roundup 475: Gone But Not Forgotten

Read it Later story count: 95 (-2)

Words read this week: 33,137

As I mentioned at the end of last week's Ponyfic Roundup, this time I'm looking at stories by authors who have left Fimfiction far behind. Not a single one of them has logged in there since the end of 2019. I've deliberately chosen a mix of the (at least once) very horsewords-famous, such as AbsoluteAnonymous, and authors I'd never come across before, such as Mourning Zephyr. Off we go!

Tirek's Prison by Terrasora
The Little Mermare by AbsoluteAnonymous
A Sun Without A Moon by Mourning Zephyr
Divenire by The Wizard of Words
Abracadaver by Obselescence

★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 3 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

My Little Repeats 155: "Discordant Harmony"

Now there's a con cosplay idea for someone brave!

S7E12: "Discordant Harmony"

5 Aug 2017

My original rating: ★★★
IMDb score: 8.4

The one with singing teabags

Thoughts: Season 7 picked up after its (fairly short) mid-season hiatus with this episode, one which was quite popular even among those strange people who don't think Fluttershy is Best Pony. This ep isn't one where I've really changed my opinion in six and a bit years: it's a good deal of fun, and it's probably my favourite extended look at Fluttershy and Discord's friendship.¹ There are plenty of amusing jokes, and I like how it's 'Shy who takes the initiative – by now she's comfortable with Discord in a way few ponies are, and she steals the show in the third act. The moral is solid and MLP-appropriate, too. Pinkie has a nice cameo, and this could have been a four-star episode. It's a notch lower because of its uneven pacing, spending significantly too much of the running time on the setup. Even so, a clear high three and still a good watch.
¹ I'm generally not a great fan of actual FlutterCord as heavily hinted in S9E26.

Choice quote: Discord: "And although we've never discussed it, I'm pretty sure Fluttershy likes gravity."

New rating: ★★★

Next up, we'll move on to one of the most beloved (by the fandom as a whole) episodes of the entire series, let alone of the last three seasons: "The Perfect Pear". I did not give it five stars in 2017, rating it a "mere" four, but will it make the leap this time around? We shall see.

UK PonyCon 2024 dates announced

So hot off the press that at the time of my typing this it wasn't even on the UKPC blog yet, but the official Twitter has the info and so here we go: UK PonyCon 2024 will be on:

5th and 6th October 2024, NTU Nottingham

So to absolutely nobody's surprise, the convention will be at the same venue as it has been every year (bar the enforced gap in 2020) since 2018. To be honest I doubt that will ever change now unless the venue becomes unavailable or unaffordable for the convention committee. UKPC is very much "the Nottingham convention" these days, and so it is again.

The date isn't a huge surprise either. I'm not entirely thrilled that it will once again (almost certainly) clash with the Goose Fair, since that period makes roads and transport very busy and hotels significantly more expensive than they might be at other times. Still, it's understandable: the venue is a university building that hosts many events, and I'd guess this is simply a case of the dates being available.

As is the case pretty much every year, I can't say whether I personally will be there. Until fairly recently I'd been determined to make it given it's the 20th anniversary of UKPC, but the last few months have not been good to me and so it's up in the air again. I still hope I can manage it in some form, though as prices (for everything) rise every year it's "wait and see" for now.

Still, whether I'm part of it in person or not, I hope that everyone who can will support UK PonyCon 2024. It's a very fine convention, run very well, that raises a very substantial amount of money for charity each year. (I'm not sure whether it's been confirmed that the RDA will again be the beneficiary, but I hope so.) And with today's announcement, it feels that much closer now!

Ponyfic Roundup 474

Read it Later story count: 97 (+3)

Words read this week: 34,033

I don't have a great deal to say up here today. [As if that was anything new —Ed.] I could ramble on about the stories I've picked, but that's what the reviews themselves are for. I could mention the theme that unites them all, but there isn't one. I could start singing a comic opera of my own devising, but I do not in fact hate you all enough to make you sit through that. Plus I haven't actually devised one. So here we go:

Observations by Tolerance
The Rose of Florentina by Sledge115
A Posey Day by Quoterific
On moving and standing still by Avellana
Far From The Tree by Aquaman

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

My Little Repeats 154: "Not Asking for Trouble"

"It was one of Sugar Belle's rejected suggestions..."

S7E11: "Not Asking for Trouble"

17 Jun 2017

My original rating: ★★
IMDb score: 6.7

The one with Gummy eating snow

Thoughts: I didn't dole out two-star reviews all that often back in 2017, but "NAfT" managed it, and I can't say I'm more appreciative of the first of May Chan's two FiM episodes today. I'm hardly the first to say this, but it's just not very interesting. Because, at least until Yona gets here next season, the yaks aren't very interesting, even when we see some of their own culture. Prince Rutherford's attitude is more tedious than amusing, frankly. True, Pinkie has quite a decent episode – certainly compared with one or two of her own future efforts – and she definitely tries hard; but while that does help a bit, I don't think it helps enough. Also, the latter part of the ep is another example of "We are ponies, we'd better go and civilise these poor non-pony barbarians". (Okay, not quite, but there's a little hint of it.) Still a two-star episode, I'm afraid. It's just not interesting enough to get more.

Choice quote: Prince Rutherford: "Pink pony ask too many questions."

New rating: ★★

We've reached the S7 mid-season hiatus. If we ignore Australian TV's decision to push ahead with the season, it would be two months before the next episode went out. This was the generally quite well received (including by me) "Discordant Harmony". A Fluttershy story, you say? Don't mind if I do!

Ponyfic Roundup 473

Read it Later story count: 94 (-2)

Words read this week: 27,378

Happy New Year, everyone! I am personally very glad to see the back of at least the second half of 2023, since it's not been my favourite six months despite some bright spots. I won't ramble on about that sort of thing here (maybe in a Fimfiction blog post at some point soonish) and so instead I'll get to the main point. The stories! Not a huge word count this week, but it's the usual selection of five fics, and they are:

The 200 Words Contest by DeathToPonies
Ghost in the Strings by Koregazz
The Past Saw The Future by CoffeeBean
Three Nights by Bradel
Family Reunion by AnonymousPegasus

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

My Little Repeats 153: "A Royal Problem"

"Doesn't Starlight get her own evil mirror?"

S7E10: "A Royal Problem"

10 Jun 2017

My original rating: ★★★★★
IMDb score: 9.1

The one with Luna biting the pineapple

Thoughts: A hugely popular episode, not with everyone but certainly with the majority of fans. The S6 finale notwithstanding, this may have been the point at which most finally made their peace with reformed Starlight being a major cast member. She was sympathetically written and did a good job of helping Celestia and Luna settle their differences, all the more so with Twilight in (perhaps slightly excessive) neurotic mode. I am definitely a fan of Daybreaker as a villain, too: a great design and worth waiting for. That mirror scene with Luna was legitimately creepy. Some funny moments, such as Luna's frown – though having it cost a field trip stretched belief slightly. Celestia sounding surprised at how easy it was to raise the Moon was also odd, considering she did it for a thousand years! Not quite a perfect episode, and in truth on the four/five boundary. But I still loved rewatching it, so I'm going to be perhaps slightly kind and let it keep its five. Undoubtedly one of my very favourites from the later part of the series.

Choice quote: Starlight: "Gee, thanks for believing in me, Twilight."

New rating: ★★★★★

Next up is "Not Asking for Trouble", which felt like a bit of a comedown at the time! It was the final episode before S7's two-month mid-season hiatus, and it didn't really impress the fandom, or indeed me. I'm not that optimistic it will suddenly leap up in my affections, but we'll see.