I find I'm avoiding the real-world news more and more these days and taking refuge in colourful, magical escapism, so maybe that will give me a bit more time to read ponyfic. That's the ideal, at any rate, though something is bound to turn up to ruin it. Still, we'll see how things go.
Read it Later story count: 279 (+1)
Four stories again this week. If I can just get my count up to five a week and keep it there, I'll be very satisfied. They're all short fics again, though I do have a couple of longer tales I'd like to review before too much longer. We'll see how that goes, too, but for now here's what's on offer:
Big Jim's tweet today, debunking a bunch of "Season 9" pictures as fakes, made me wonder once again of how long it may be before we get some real news on S9. There are two things to watch out for: the date of the season premiere and confirmation or otherwise of whether S9 will be the final year of FiM. It's possible we could get both those pieces of news at the same time, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised if that wasn't the case.
As to when Hasbro might actually say something... the New York Toy Fair is in February, and Hasbro is bound to have a presence there. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that S9 will begin in April. I'd have thought a NYTF statement would fit quite well with that, in terms of having time for trailers and hype and all the rest of it. In all honesty, I'd like to know – especially about S9 being the end – as soon as possible. It'll take away one source of pointless arguments!
Definitely time I got back to these things! I was reminded by a couple of anniversaries that occurred this week, although they're from 2012: both "Loyalty" and The Living Tombstone's remix of "Discord" turned seven in the last few days. I don't quite remember those coming out, but it still makes me feel old! Anyway, back to 2011 now...
Impressive how Omnipony (now OMNI) got Dashie to record so many samples for this, isn't it? ;) Although he hasn't made MLP music for years, Omnipony is still fairly well known in the fandom, and this isn't the least of his early efforts. A Spike song inspired by "Secret of My Excess", which may mean you're surprised by the Rainbow Dash chops from "Winter Wrap Up". I was – if I'm honest, I'm not sure what relation the song has to its title. I'm told this is melodic dubstep (maybe; I don't know!) and that means you get a drop about halfway through. I can't find an HQ version sadly; the Bandcamp link in the video description leads nowhere.
This is the very first Pony song on WoodenToaster's account – it was uploaded on 28 May 2011, making it one of the earliest enduring brony tracks I know of. (Not quite the earliest, as we'll see in a later edition.) As you might expect from such an old song, this isn't the most complex of pieces, consisting mostly of those trademark distorted synths and a repeated snatch of lyrics from the "Laughter Song" from the S1 premiere. It's catchy, but not the most memorable of experiences. Again, I haven't been able to find a link for this track in HQ. Sorry!
No. 31 is another track being skipped for not meeting the criteria.
Makkon is a musician that those who were around the fandom in its early days tend to wax lyrical about. As with Omnipony, he hasn't been active for many years, but at least he left us tracks like this. A largely orchestral piece with just a high vocal accompaniment, this is in a different league to a lot of 2011 brony music. My touchstone for orchestral fandom music is Evening Star, and I'd suggest that if you like ES you'll probably enjoy Makkon's piece, which has a similar epic, filmic quality. Want an HQ listen? There's a working Mediafire link to a 256kbps MP3 in the video description.
Next time, the songs I feature will include one of the most famous show song remixes ever made.
Tenuously seguing from one of last week's fics, I watched a quite entertaining BBC documentary about Fleetwood Mac the other day. It was an hour long, so only had time for about 1% of the FM story, but what was unusual was that it played several full songs (from live performances) rather than the usual 30-second clips. Admittedly some of the talking heads were, er, talking over bits, but it was still refreshing.
Read it Later story count: 278 (-7)
This week, I have the following four fics for you to enjoy. Or not enjoy. Or not read at all. Or completely ignore and go out to buy some courgettes or something. Look, you make your own mind up. I'm not your mother. No puns in my reviews as terrible glorious as last week's, I'm afraid.
The Awfully Repetitive Vengeance of Ahuizotl the Terrible-ish by thesecret1 Hay Loft by Inky Swirl My Friend by KnightMysterio Them Bones by A Hoof-ful of Dust
★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0 Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I find average scores two stars.
Yes, I know I forgot the ruler for scale. Silly me
These reviews get ever more thrilling, don't they? What? Oh, please yourself. Anyway, just a quickie this time around. I picked up these sheets of licensed My Little Pony wrapping paper quite some while back in The Entertainer in Birmingham, where they were on sale for £1.50 per pack. I'm not sure what the RRP is, since I only ever buy them when they're reduced! Toys R Us used to sell them too, but of course that's no longer an option.
Both tags had Twilight designs, at least in my pack
There's not a lot to say, really. The design appears to be a rather early one, given the old pink MLP logo and the vector of unicorn Twilight. Those vectors aren't great, but they are at least different from the ones most of us have seen a thousand times. All six Mane mares make it on, which is nice, and Applejack has her hat, which is also nice. Oh, and the paper is pink. The quality is acceptable and it does its job well. At £1.50, this is a three-star product.
A few days ago, this article in Canada's National Post newspaper was published. It's a fairly in-depth look at how our fandom is faring as the FiM era draws to a close. Maura Forrest's piece seems a decently researched article on the whole – for example, she acknowledges 4chan's place at the very beginning of the fandom's story. She also makes the fair point that, eight years in, it's hard for many/most fans to sustain the initial rush of excitement that being a brony brought.
It's nice that Forrest's article doesn't take the easy route of either assuming every brony is the stereotypical unemployed "neckbeard" or overplaying it the other way and making out we're all the CEOs of FTSE 100 companies. There's due regard paid to our tendency to buy custom merch (eg plushies) in preference to Hasbro's, too. There are a few little slips, such as the implication that there was a consensus among fans to hate Twilight's ascension, which wasn't true even in 2013. Not many, though.
Forrest touches on some of the modern grumbles, such as the ever-growing cast meaning less of a focus on the Mane Six, the quality of today's episode writing and those leaks from late 2017. There's also the fair comment that a fandom based around a single TV show, which was always going to end sometime, does have something of an "expiry date" built in. On the positive side, there's a bit about VanHoover being built in the wake of BronyCAN's expiry in 2017.
The subject of conventions is one that could fill articles by itself, and here in the UK the situation is somewhat complicated by the fact that our largest Pony con isn't just about one show but rather about the My Little Pony franchise as a whole. But I think that point I mentioned in my first paragraph plays a large role: it's been eight years and the shine was always going to wear off a bit for many people. Whatever your thoughts, I do recommend the National Post article to every fan with a reasonably open mind.
If you need an introduction to this one, then you're either new to the fandom or someone with very odd musical tastes! Although later eclipsed in popularity by The Living Tombstone's remix, it's the artist now known as Odyssey Eurobeat who brought us "Discord" in early October 2011. When this song appeared, "The Return of Harmony" was the most recent show episode, so it's impressive that the artist got such a catchy and memorable tune together so quickly. It's slightly slower-paced than that remix, but perhaps actually more coherent as a result. It certainly deserves its proper place rather than being overshadowed by you-know-what. If you fancy owning an HQ copy, head for the artist's Bandcamp and name your price!
Ah, Friendship is Witchcraft. Its star has perhaps faded a little in recent years, but I stubbornly continue to love it. And even those less enamoured of this abridged series than I am tend to appreciate two things: one is Sweetie Bot, who originated in FiW. The other is its original music. This one by Sherclop Pones (Griffin Lewis and Jenny Nicholson) was the series' first fully original song, and it's fantastic. Pinkie's singing is deceptively cheery and light-hearted in tone. But listen to the words and you'll realise it's a tale of gypsy magic and heartbreak. Sadly, the Dropbox download links provided are now dead. Just like Pinkie's parents.
37: MIU – WANT IT NEED IT
Yes, all caps. This track by MIU, only a small portion of whose music is Pony, is a very creepy one. That's not surprising, as it's inspired by Twilight's descent into madness in "Lesson Zero". This is actually a remix of Jeffthestrider's original, which is a bit harder-edged. The style of MIU's remix is apparently inspired by When They Cry visual novels, about which I know nothing. Still, I like the song anyway; unsurprising, as I like the episode and have a soft spot for piano-heavy tracks. You can pick up an HQ version on a name-your-price basis on MIU's Bandcamp.
"Flutterwonder" is the track most people will name when they think of "So Many Wonders" remixes, but Jackle App produced this nice alternative. It was made in just four hours, which says a fair bit about the guy's abilities. The song sounds very suitable for Fluttershy, with a relaxing feel that speaks of nature and the calmness of the quiet countryside. Don't be fooled by the "HQ Download" Mediafire link – it's just a 128k MP3. That's a shame, as Jackle App's Bandcamp doesn't stock this song either, so you'll be stuck with YouTube quality. Still worth it, though.
