Achievement Unlocked: "Sweet Sixty" · 4:34pm Aug 10th, 2023
Blog Number 229: Go Like Sixty Edition
As of Dinky and the Sisterhooves, I have now submitted 60 of my fics to Equestria Daily! 
(Just realized I haven't published a new fic in AGES! 
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With the submission of Dinky and the Sisterhooves plus Adventure Belongs in a Book (the last of the pre-2020 fics I will even remotely consider for this gig), it's now full steam ahead for the remaining works of the 2020s!
Which is a little bit awkward, as I've only got 13 candidates left.
OK, "only" is overstating the case. At one submission a month (regardless of success or failure), that's enough to last till September 2024. Merely being in a position to have 13 fics submitted, much less as an addition on top of prior ones, is extremely rare.
On the other hand, it's obvious my output has ground to a halt since last year, and the fresh supply of complete and ready fics shows no sign of coming back to me just yet. Vexing: if anything, I've been seeking to raise my game for all that time whilst keeping up the pace. But you know me and big projects. 
Worth noting that not every work of the 2020s is going to be submitted. Some, like the flashfic anthologies, aren't really what I had in mind. Some I simply don't think are my best work. And one falls afoul of definite submission guidelines: although I'd like to submit Haiku Sensei as a work I'm quite proud of, it's simply way too short for their requirements, so sadly that's a necessary no-go.
At least I've still got time. Honestly, I'm hoping my current work will have long since paid off by the time I get around to the 70th milestone. We've a few months yet before 2023 expires. So long as I can do better than 2022... 🤞
Well, that's all for now! Impossible Numbers, out! 
Also, for the record: the 30th was Flitter's Night, the 20th was Jailhouse Rock, and the 10th was Hive Versus Hive. So all in all, that's:
60th - Diamond
50th - Gold
40th - Ruby
30th - Pearl
20th - Porcelain
10th - Tin
N.B. This anniversary system is based on the "traditional anniversary" ranking according to Wikipedia, which is by no means the definitive list: I've seen it switched around on other sites. On that system, 70th would be Platinum, 80th would be Oak, and 90th would be Granite.
There isn't one listed for 100th (for obvious reasons), so I guess I'll have to invent one. Hm... how about "Element of Harmony"? That's kinda like a gemstone, right? 
Prior Equestria Daily Milestone Post (50th):
I find it so very impressive how you’re able to create as many stories as you do while not sacrificing the quality of them. I both admire, and am envious of, your work ethic.
As always, looking forward to seeing what comes next.
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Hey hey, haven't seen you in a while, Guy_Incognito! 👍 Nice to see you're still around the site.
I could disillusion you on the work ethic front, believe you me. 2023 is still waiting for me to complete something. 🙁 As usual, it's a work in progress...
Can't set any firm dates yet, but I'm hoping to get at least one project out before the end of the year. Last year, I got going at the end of August with a burst of output, so I'm hoping I get a similar second wind this time.
Thanks for the vote of confidence! It's good to receive such encouraging signs. I guess I'll have to do what I can to keep delivering now!
They're lucky to have you.
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What I find hard to get used to is that I'm, like, one of three people who submits anything anymore. Whenever I look at the fanfic category on the EqD site, these days it's almost all scouted stuff.
Congratulations on that milestone!
I'm glad you're doing so well with getting stories featured on Equestria Daily, considering their absurd and unpredictable quality standards for ponyfic features, it's a relief to see that they acknowledge your tremendous talent and skill.
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What, platinum, oak and granite are considered more valuable than diamonds?
What weird system is that?
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How about glowstone? After all, Sweetie Belle made Button Mash fall into lava once to get it, in a certain universe. And it seems to be a pretty valuable kind of
rockblock, seeing how Sweetie Belle wanted to have it so much.Also, speaking about Sweetie Belle and Button Mash, what are your thoughts on writing a story with Button Mash? I'm almost certain you wrote one at some point, but I don't exactly remember and I heard there should be more deep stories for Button Mash.
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“Scouted”?
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Thank you very much.
And long may I keep jumping the hurdles!
Platinum's a rare mineral, at least. Can't account for the other two. Maybe they were like: "Well, no one's going to live that long... Wait, they did? Oh dang it, quick, grab something, anything! Look in the backyard, I dunno!"
Eh, I want it strictly canonical for the reference, and I don't think glowstone actually appears in the show or other official materials.
Glowpaz could be a good candidate, though. That's Somnambula's symbol of hope, which fits quite nicely.
Barely any thought, to be honest. I dunno: the whole arcade game theme never caught my eye (nor Minecraft: never played it), and there was an animation team way back who sorta defined him already. Plus the Sweetie Belle connection feels out of nowhere to me personally. 🤷 I dunno. He just never clicked with me.
Instead, I find Rumble, Tender Taps, Snails (perhaps partnered with Snips), and Pipsqueak potentially more interesting. The parallels between Rumble-Thunderlane and Scootaloo-Rainbow are an open invitation for a compare-and-contrast. I thought Tender Taps had an interesting introduction that never really went anywhere, and that he got on well with Apple Bloom's social anxieties and purpose-seeking. Snails rocketed in interest after "Buckball Season" showed his more Zen side. And Pipsqueak strikes the right balance between on-show prominence and mysterious cipher for a fanficker like me (plus it'd be an excuse to depict Trottingham).
And there's the whole question of whether Spike counts as an honorary "colt" or belongs in his own category as a special case.
As far as commitments go, I can't pin anything down yet. I got a long enough wish list as it is.
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That's what they put in the fanfic post titles now, in parentheses. I guess it means they literally scout for ones that look interesting. No idea what the criteria are, but I suppose it's an inevitable result of fewer direct submissions post-S9.
5741891 I’d be more interested to know if they thought to ask writers if it’s okay to host their stuff.
5741890
Or they were "Minecraft" players. This game is all about building, so of course oak wood and granite are more valuable there than gold or diamonds.
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And more original than the Elements of Harmony. They have been overused by the fandom at this point. Just like Mane Six stories.....You write a lot for background ponies, so you could use an underrated and overlooked gemstone, as well, that would fit your style quite nicely.
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Fair enough. Maybe a lot of people feel that way and that's why almost no one writes for Button Mash.
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I have hardly written anything for these colts, so it's difficult to see where I would be going with them in stories. Pipsqueak has a tiny role in one of my stories and I believe I have given Rumble one, too, in the same story. But I never wrote anything for Tender Taps (I don't feel so good about writing for him, even though that's not his fault, because his appearance put the last nail in the coffin of shipping Applebloom and Scootaloo) or Snails. I could see myself write for Snails, though. I even got a (cheap) plushie of him after "2, 4, 6, Greaaat" aired.
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Spike's interesting, too, and it would be especially nice to write about him to tidy up all the "Spike is a child" misrepresentations from people who still don't understand dragon biology (and ponies' lack of understanding thereof).