It's stats time again! All the numbers this time relate to reviews published in Ponyfic Roundup from the beginning through no. 146, a total of 753 stories. I'm doing this purely for fun, using the stats I have in Calibre. Still, I thought, why not share this fun with my readers? On second thoughts, please don't answer that question.
Most reviewed authors
10: Blueshift
9: Cold in Gardez
8: PresentPerfect
7: The Descendant
6: shortskirtsandexplosions, xjuggernaughtx
5: Akumokagetsu, Chris, FanOfMostEverything, Skywriter, Twinkletail
I stopped at this point since there are any number of authors who've had four reviews. Most of the list isn't very surprising. Akumokagetsu makes it in because I read all the Evil Belle stories in quick succession. I'm not sure why Twinkletail is there; it's ages since I've read one of their fics. There are a few major omissions, but that's in part because I've always tried to give an airing to less popular writers.
Most popular character tags
223: Twilight
187: OC
142: Rainbow Dash
135: Celestia
115: Mane Six
113: Fluttershy
104: Other
102: Luna
75: Spike
74: Pinkie Pie
69: Applejack
65: Rarity
51: Scootaloo
The big finding here is that last week's Fluttershy special was not only necessary but should be repeated as soon as possible. :P I was initially a little surprised that Celestia was quite so high up the list, but it turns out that she has more tagged stories on Fimfiction than anyone else – slightly ahead even of Twilight.
Most popular genre tags
400: Slice of Life
252: Comedy
153: Sad
128: Romance
119: Dark
109: Random
106: Adventure
56: Alternate Universe
50: Tragedy
I like my Slice of Life stories, so that result is no shock. Romance is a little higher up the table than I would have predicted, given that I'm really not much of a shipper. (I've reviewed one Braeburn-tagged story!) None of the newer genre tags get anywhere near this list; topping those so far is Horror, on a mighty seven reviews.
Tuesday, 28 February 2017
Monday, 27 February 2017
Comic mini-review: Friends Forever #37: Rarity and Trixie
Here's the penultimate Friends Forever issue, and it's an interesting team-up – especially when you consider that Sapphire Shores is also involved. Actually, Sapphire is my favourite character here, if you don't count a fun cameo by Babs Seed. (Let's face it, comic cameos are all she'll ever get now.) The Whitley/Garbowska/Breckel team does its usual solid-but-not-amazing job. Continuity is a problem, though: the level of antagonism Rarity has for Trixie seems to be several years out of date, especially given 2014's Gem Thief arc, and it grates badly. Frustrating, because I think this plotline had four-star potential. As it is, an uninspiring three. ★★★
Friday, 24 February 2017
Pony Music Library 39: "Beyond Her Garden"
What with everything that's been happening lately, it's been almost a month since I've added to the PML. That's too long! Today, a real Golden (Harvest) Oldie:
What? "Beyond Her Garden"
Who? WoodenToaster/Glaze
Which? Original song
When? October 2011
Why? Nostalgia has a lot to do with this one, as "Beyond Her Garden" was one of the first brony songs I ever heard, back in spring 2012 – and it wasn't new even then! This sort of somewhat glitchy electronic... stuff (you can see my technical knowledge is coming on apace) has rarely been my favourite genre, but I like a surprising amount of such songs in this fandom. Why this one in particular, then? I don't know. But it's still the best Carrot Top song around, more than five years after it arrived.
( Text link )
What? "Beyond Her Garden"
Who? WoodenToaster/Glaze
Which? Original song
When? October 2011
Why? Nostalgia has a lot to do with this one, as "Beyond Her Garden" was one of the first brony songs I ever heard, back in spring 2012 – and it wasn't new even then! This sort of somewhat glitchy electronic... stuff (you can see my technical knowledge is coming on apace) has rarely been my favourite genre, but I like a surprising amount of such songs in this fandom. Why this one in particular, then? I don't know. But it's still the best Carrot Top song around, more than five years after it arrived.
Thursday, 23 February 2017
Some thoughts on the recent announcements from Hasbro
The Toy Fair announcements have been coming thick and fast, but most of them have involved actual products. Not all, however, and today I'm going to give some brief thoughts on a couple of really interesting things we now know. Major spoilers for Season Seven and the movie after the break! Don't come any further if you don't want to see them!
Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Ponyfic Roundup 146: Love is Like a Fluttershy
According to Singularity Dream's Big Master Review List (one of the great unsung achievements of our fandom), around 8,300 ponyfics have been reviewed. Considering that there are over 106,000 stories on Fimfiction, plus many more scattered around other sites, this means the great majority of fics have never featured in a review at all. Food for thought.
Read it Later story count: 482 (-2)
No, today's post title doesn't mean this will be a shipfest. I just couldn't resist the reference. As you will know if you read my endnote last week, today is a Fluttershy special. There are actually fewer than 5,000 completed stories on Fimfiction with the "Fluttershy" tag; given this disgraceful situation, I very much feel the need toactually write the one I keep thinking about give some of the Flutterfics that are there some publicity. So here goes:
It's an Easy Feat by TailsIsNotAlone
We Live in a Kind World by shortskirtsandexplosions
Wingmares by CouchCrusader
Fluttershy's Sick Day by Everyday
If I Fell by A Hoof-ful of Dust
Dead Nuthatch by PresentPerfect
The Proper Care and Feeding of Monsters by Cold in Gardez
★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 3 | ★★★★★: 0
Read it Later story count: 482 (-2)
No, today's post title doesn't mean this will be a shipfest. I just couldn't resist the reference. As you will know if you read my endnote last week, today is a Fluttershy special. There are actually fewer than 5,000 completed stories on Fimfiction with the "Fluttershy" tag; given this disgraceful situation, I very much feel the need to
It's an Easy Feat by TailsIsNotAlone
We Live in a Kind World by shortskirtsandexplosions
Wingmares by CouchCrusader
Fluttershy's Sick Day by Everyday
If I Fell by A Hoof-ful of Dust
Dead Nuthatch by PresentPerfect
The Proper Care and Feeding of Monsters by Cold in Gardez
★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 3 | ★★★★★: 0
Monday, 20 February 2017
UK PonyCon 2017 theme revealed!
We've known for ages that UK PonyCon would definitely be returning for 2017, but I must admit I wasn't expecting any further news for a few weeks yet. However, there is some! According to DaisyD, Communications person on the con committee, the theme for this year will be Wild West and Rodeo! The reaction to the announcement has been very positive, and personally I think it's a great idea. I'm sure it's Applejack Approved, too! :P
The other big announcements before we can all start planning will be when the con is, plus host town/city, specific venue and ticket details. I don't expect any of those for a bit longer yet, but I'm looking forward to it already!
The other big announcements before we can all start planning will be when the con is, plus host town/city, specific venue and ticket details. I don't expect any of those for a bit longer yet, but I'm looking forward to it already!
Sunday, 19 February 2017
Non, je ne regrette rien...
I know the Hasbro News Splurge Machine has revealed/spoiled about 837 things in the last two days, and we've also had the first significant piece of UK PonyCon 2017 news beyond the fact that it's actually happening, but my thoughts on those things can wait a day or two longer. I've had to delay today's post long enough as it is.
The headline today isn't actually entirely true, but what the hay. And there isn't really a single-word antonym for "regret" (as a noun), is there? Oh well. Here is the promised companion piece to last week's post. This time round, I'll talk about aspects of three of my fics that I do feel happy with. To avoid going over too much old ground, I'm deliberately not choosing either It Doesn't Matter Now or We Who with Songs Beguile, although I do certainly still like both of those.
1. Ever Let the Fancy Roam
This is not one of my best known stories, but it is one I very much like – ending perhaps apart, as it's not the strongest. What gets it into this list is the interaction between Fancy Pants and his butler Silver Cloud: I got a pretty brutal review first up in the comments, but I don't regret writing the dialogue as I did. Actually, that's why this story is here: because I'm very satisfied with the voices I gave both of them. I keep meaning to go back to these two, but apart from one passing mention of SC in Starlight Repeatedly Teleports into Custard, it hasn't happened yet.
2. The Unbearable Lightness of Bucking
For a start, I doubt there's another story on Fimfiction with the (unintentional) prompt "existentialist fruit story". More to the point, though, a wide enough variety of readers have liked this for me to be reasonably confident that it works decently enough as a simple character piece. However, if you know even a little philosophy, you'll quickly realise that I'm not just inventing Neightzsche's thoughts on apple pies or Haydigger's Ruminations on Ontological Discourse. The central mystery is a tad forced, but it couldn't really be otherwise – and it's a story I still like to read for fun. It also made me enjoy writing Applejack more than I used to.
3. Where They Understand You
This is far from being a perfect fic – indeed, I mentioned it briefly at the end of last week's post – and substantial parts of it have been overtaken by canon, especially since "Flutter Brutter" went out. Nevertheless, the basic plot of this story remains my favourite headcanon about how the young Rainbow ended up living in Ponyville, and to show her deepening friendship with the young Fluttershy, as well as 'Shy's commitment to her calling. I like Rainbow explaining why flying down is a bigger thing than flying up. It also has my favourite final line of any fic I've written.
Bubbling under: Silver Buck's tale in To Be the Candle, the premise (if not the writing) of Clouded Minds, the sheer cute cheesiness of The Light that Ignites in the Dark. Also, custard. As before, yell at me if you think I should have chosen something else!
The headline today isn't actually entirely true, but what the hay. And there isn't really a single-word antonym for "regret" (as a noun), is there? Oh well. Here is the promised companion piece to last week's post. This time round, I'll talk about aspects of three of my fics that I do feel happy with. To avoid going over too much old ground, I'm deliberately not choosing either It Doesn't Matter Now or We Who with Songs Beguile, although I do certainly still like both of those.
1. Ever Let the Fancy Roam
This is not one of my best known stories, but it is one I very much like – ending perhaps apart, as it's not the strongest. What gets it into this list is the interaction between Fancy Pants and his butler Silver Cloud: I got a pretty brutal review first up in the comments, but I don't regret writing the dialogue as I did. Actually, that's why this story is here: because I'm very satisfied with the voices I gave both of them. I keep meaning to go back to these two, but apart from one passing mention of SC in Starlight Repeatedly Teleports into Custard, it hasn't happened yet.
2. The Unbearable Lightness of Bucking
For a start, I doubt there's another story on Fimfiction with the (unintentional) prompt "existentialist fruit story". More to the point, though, a wide enough variety of readers have liked this for me to be reasonably confident that it works decently enough as a simple character piece. However, if you know even a little philosophy, you'll quickly realise that I'm not just inventing Neightzsche's thoughts on apple pies or Haydigger's Ruminations on Ontological Discourse. The central mystery is a tad forced, but it couldn't really be otherwise – and it's a story I still like to read for fun. It also made me enjoy writing Applejack more than I used to.
3. Where They Understand You
This is far from being a perfect fic – indeed, I mentioned it briefly at the end of last week's post – and substantial parts of it have been overtaken by canon, especially since "Flutter Brutter" went out. Nevertheless, the basic plot of this story remains my favourite headcanon about how the young Rainbow ended up living in Ponyville, and to show her deepening friendship with the young Fluttershy, as well as 'Shy's commitment to her calling. I like Rainbow explaining why flying down is a bigger thing than flying up. It also has my favourite final line of any fic I've written.
Bubbling under: Silver Buck's tale in To Be the Candle, the premise (if not the writing) of Clouded Minds, the sheer cute cheesiness of The Light that Ignites in the Dark. Also, custard. As before, yell at me if you think I should have chosen something else!
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