Sounds of 2013, nos. 14 to 11

Time to get back to Everfree Radio's Top 100 of 2013, as voted for by its listeners at the time. As ever, here are the criteria that guide my decision as to whether to include a track – although from here on up, Rule 3 would apply to everything even in the absence of any other reasons.

Rule 1: Still available in the same or (1b) similar form direct from the 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

Down to four songs this week (and indeed next time too) as the tension starts to mount! What will be number one? That will have to wait a little bit yet, but for now we have:

14: Foozogz – Make It Special (Reflection Mix)
13: Sand Josieph – Mother Changeling
12: AcoustiMandoBrony – Generosity
11: Claire Anne Carr – Magical Mystery Cure Rock!

After the break you'll find YouTube embeds of the songs in question, as well as a briefish bit of rambling from yours truly. I'll also mention higher-quality downloads if I know they're available somewhere.

Ponyfic Roundup 318

Read it Later story count: 182 (nc) 

It's time for some ponyfic. In a roundup. Because I'm really brilliant that way, you know? Anyway, three stories this week, and in their different ways all of them have something interesting to mark them out. Here they are:

A Grand Day Out by Pearple Prose
Daring Didn't by Hoopy McGee
That Isn't Me by wishcometrue

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

My Little Repeats 56: "One Bad Apple"

I remember this gag being very widely appreciated back in 2012

S3E04: "One Bad Apple"
Written by Cindy Morrow
24 Nov 2012

My original rating: N/A
IMDb score: 6.6

The one with Sweetie's first little spark of magic

Thoughts: From one of S3's most popular episodes to one of its least: "One Bad Apple" has the second lowest IMDb average of any this season. It's not hard to see why: this is pretty much a Very Special Episode about bullying, and not an especially subtle one at that. Its high point is definitely the fantastic song, which is one of the catchiest FiM ever produced. The accompanying animation was apparently deliberately given a Hanna-Barbera feel, right down to the recycled sequences. It's beautifully done, though: watch how well the Crusaders' eye-blinks are fitted to the beat. The low point? Well, Babs Seed herself doesn't have much of a motivation to be a bully (and no, "she was bullied in Manehattan" isn't good enough), but for me it's that the CMC are nowhere near their most likeable here. Sweetie partly excepted, but I mean, getting a foal to drive a float over a cliff? It's surprising, since Cindy Morrow is usually pretty sure-footed when it comes to character interactions. Not, unfortunately, this time around. There are some wonderful moments, not least the little A-Team montage when the CMC are building the golden float, but they can't disguise the episode's central weakness. Great song or no great song, this has to end up down in the two-star bracket. Watch it for its fun little touches, not its hackneyed message. Oh, and Pinkie's "veggie salad!" line is still near incomprehensible.

Choice quote: Sweetie Belle: "That must be what Rarity uses on her emergency edible boots!" [Yeah, I know SB's "ironic" quote from the tub is a classic, but I wanted to choose something else for a change!]

New rating: ★★

Next up is "Magic Duel", which I've generally been able to take or leave, though now I like Trixie more from her later appearances that may change. As always, wait and see!

Ponyfic Roundup 317

Read it Later story count: 182 (-1) 

Back down to two fics this time, though it's not for want of trying: one story had to be dropped because its author nuked their account. They'd only recently published the fic in question, too. This seems to be happening a little more these days than it used to, though I won't speculate on the reasons. Anyway, the two I can cover are:

What is Left by OnionPie
Stormriders by Penalt

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

Another little bit of rescheduling

This is happening a bit more often than I'd like, but once again I'm going to have to delay Ponyfic Roundup slightly. It's remarkable how many things can crowd in on you even when you're spending most of your time at home! Anyway, PR 317 will now be with you on Friday. I hope to return to the usual Wednesday slot for PR 318.

There. Wasn't that interesting?

Oh, all right. Have it your way.

My Little Repeats 55: "Too Many Pinkie Pies"

This extraordinary (even for Pinkie) G3 moment was sadly spoiled by a pre-season trailer, but still

S3E03: "Too Many Pinkie Pies"
Written by Dave Polsky
17 Nov 2012

My original rating: N/A
IMDb score: 8.6

The one with frog-oranges

Thoughts: "Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!" If you were anywhere near a Pony convention for about a year after this episode came out, you'll have had enough of that to last a lifetime! Anyway, this, Dave Polsky's first writing credit since S1, is an ep I've never really loved as much as a big chunk of the fandom seems to. While it is, well, fun I don't really get invested in it emotionally. Odd, considering there's an existential threat to Pinkie's very existence – Twilight is zapping pink horses with gay abandon. Somewhat worrying when the episode opens with her magic shown to be still very much imperfect. My real complaint, though, is how thick Twi is when she and Spike are trying to work out who the real Pinkie is. It's obvious the only one who actually has emotions beyond hyper-ness is the real one, yet Twilight can't see that. On a more superficial level, it is enjoyable to see so many Pinkies animated, especially given the entertaining little unique touches each one has. The Mirror Pool legend is also fairly interesting, though unfortunately we only ever encounter it once again (in S7's "Uncommon Bond"). The "convenient secret compartment" thing irritates me a bit, though. Really, the whole episode just doesn't click that much with me. As such, I'm going to break with IMDb opinion here; I really don't think this is a classic or even a near-classic. A moderate three-star rating, but no more than that. Amusingly, this entertaining ponyfic appeared some months before the episode. Pure coincidence of course, but a fun one.

Choice quote: Fluttershy: "I can promise to not do anything fun at all if that would help."

New rating: ★★★

Next up is "One Bad Apple", which I've never held in especially high regard among CMC episodes, except for its song. It also contains an apparent joke that nobody seems to understand...

Ponyfic Roundup 316

Read it Later story count: 183 (nc) 

Hey, would you look at that? I'm back up to three fics this week! Life outside the world of Pony continues much as it has done for many months now. Pretty dismal, in all honesty. Certainly lonely. However, ponyfic has been doing its usual thing of giving me at least brief moments of escape. Here are this week's three fics:

On Wings of Love by ocalhoun
Vengeance by Shaslan
Open to All by Casketbase77

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