Why I Don't Participate More Often In The Fandom, Yet Still Want To Keep Writing Fanfics · 8:45pm Jun 20th, 2019
Blog Number 56: "Here I Stand" Edition
Not much to report at the moment on my side. Or rather there's a lot of stuff to report, but most of it is so idiosyncratic and esoteric that I doubt anyone but me's interested. Pony-wise, however, 'cause we can agree we all like ponies here, right...?
All right. Where am I pony-wise, you may ask?
Well, pony-wise, I'm definitely not keeping up with the new stuff. After watching Season Seven and hearing what was coming up in Season Eight, I lost interest. Nothing since then has convinced me I'm missing out. I might head towards tagging all my stories Alternate Universe at some point in the future, just to be on the safe side.
That's why I'm-a wavin' the nostalgia flag, y'all. What I likes, I likes. I'm not a completionist, and I don't see the point if it means pretending to like episodes I don't even remotely care about.
So instead? What I did recently was revisit Season Six, partly because I bought more DVDs (YEAH!), but mostly to see if the episodes hold up as well as I remember.
Regarding Season Six, my opinion hasn't changed much. I did watch more than I watched last time (see previous blog post on that subject), and though I still haven't technically finished it*, I've seen a fair amount.
*Because nothing in Hell's deepest dungeon will persuade me to watch Every Little Thing She Does; its very concept makes my skin crawl.
Still, to keep things on the positive side, a few notes of interest from my personal viewing experience:
- Gauntlet of Fire is still my favourite Spike episode. No contest. Spike's awesome, Ember's awesome, the concept is awesome, even the comedy's pretty awesome. It's just an all-around awesome episode.
- Season Six did for me what Seasons One and Three failed at: they made me like canon-Trixie. That blindsided me; not only had I avoided her particular episodes here like the plague the first time around, but as much as I've liked the concept and the fanon use of Trixie, she's previously been not much of a winner in my book. Not canonically. Maybe it's just because this time, this was the first time we got to really see what she's like outside of a big show/extraordinary circumstance, but every episode I saw her in went up in quality fast whenever she was onscreen.
- A Hearth's Warming Tail has Luna's song, and it was so good I paused, rewound, and played it over and over. The episode itself I'm not enthusiastic about, but that song was so worth it.
- Even episodes I didn't like overall, I still managed to find something enjoyable in them or see some potential for a better story. The Cart Before the Ponies has an annoying central narrative, but apart from Cheerileader (heck, more Cheerilee in general I'm happy with), it could have been pretty interesting, mixing up the sisters for new character dynamics. And as a fan of Crash Team Racing, the idea of go-carting with ponies cheered me up, despite the episode's best efforts to the contrary. That could be such a fun game...
- Meanwhile, 28 Pranks Later has an insufferable first third, but once it got past that to the bowdlerized zombie storyline, I found myself enjoying it for that alone. There's a shot partway through where a silhouette slowly walks past a window. Rainbow fails to spot it, but we the audience can see it, and maaaaan was it a delightfully creepy little moment. So memorable!
- There were glimpses into changeling hive culture here and there, most obviously in the finale. It didn't amount to much in the long run, but while it lasted, I thought it was great to see the egg chamber and the shifting hive with its anti-magic throne.
- As far as I'm concerned, when the show does small, delightful Slice-of-Life episodes, it shines. Buckball Season is one of my favourites of that type, with some pleasant four-way character back-and-forth, and a sport that's actually kinda cleverly designed. (I just praised a sports episode; trust me, that doesn't happen often!).
- Gladmane might not be considered one of the great pony villains, but I thought he was one of the more weirdly charismatic, and Viva Las Pegasus was a great episode anyway with its unconventional Fluttershy-Applejack team-up and the return of Flim and Flam. Plus, I am totally cool with an Elvis-impersonating villain who's legitimately a threat. I've seen Digimon, dammit.
- That said, Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger might be the best new characters to come out of this season overall. Top Bolt is to this season what The Mane Attraction was to the previous. (All hail the Countess!)
Overall, I'd say roughly half of Season Six I'd eagerly or happily rewatch again, with few if any problems. Most of the rest of it either has good stuff buried within otherwise compromised episodes, or was technically fine but didn't do much to win me over, and the leftovers I wouldn't touch with a barge pole. That puts this season on par with Season Three for me.
But that's OK, right? I mean, I got past Season Three and found Season Four a welcome return to form in many respects.
Eventually, I did end up watching Season Seven - natch, where do you think all those Pillar fics came from? - but I never devoted a whole blog to it the same way I did for Season Six. The reason is simple:
I didn't like it.
Off the top of my head, I can only really think of six episodes I'd "eagerly or happily rewatch again": Fluttershy Leans In, Honest Apple, Discordant Harmony, The Perfect Pear, Marks and Recreation, and Once Upon A Zeppelin.
Now granted, there are a couple of episodes I haven't seen all the way through yet. Forever Filly and Parental Glideance I wouldn't mind getting around to, in the not-too-distant future. That said, overall there were a lot more in the "compromised" category and a few more in the "I don't even like the summary" category.
For the former: take A Health of Information, for example. It's a shame because Fluttershy is fantastic in this, so determined to save Zecora from a horrific disease, and (setting the continuity confusion aside) Meadowbrook's a welcome addition to the mythos. But it feels like everything else was operating half-heartedly at best; Twilight's casual and passive attitude in particular annoyed the hell out of me, like she'd read a completely different script to the one Fluttershy got. Also, I get really sick of the "it's resistant to magic!" trope that keeps popping up at random (on pony manes too, for crying out loud!), so this didn't help.
For the latter, and for the sake of a relatively non-controversial example: A Flurry of Emotions. I don't care for that baby. At all. I just don't. I'm pretty sure if it was in a fanfic, it would be derided. And I wouldn't want to read that fanfic if you paid me.
Little nuisances like that cut down the number of episodes I want to watch, and the more such "nuisances"** there are, and the more they pop up, the less I want to have to do with the show overall. I lose my appetite for new pony. Then I found out what was coming up in Season Eight, and I smelled nothing that made my mouth water.
**In quotation marks because, to be fair, your mileage may vary.
To be honest, I barely care about all the accumulated changes so far, never mind the continued accumulation of new stuff or new canon/retcons. To me, the show's basically a more expensive fanfic at this point.
Looking at the list of new episodes, I didn't find a single one that demanded I watch it, not like I used to find. A minor handful were of middling, moderate interest at best, but eh. I didn't even bother watching the movie. I'm afraid the series has lost me. More power to you if you still keep up, but it's lost me.
Thanks, I say, but if it's all the same to you, I'll stick to this end of the buffet table where my favourites are. You like that stuff over there, that's fine. More power to you. It'd be a boring world if we were all clones, et cetera et cetera. But I'm honestly not liking the smell, and I'm honestly not interested.
Don't think that'll stop me writing, of course!
When I love the show, I love the show. I mean heck, the only reason I'm not going back and running through all the good stuff in Season Five is that this blog post is long enough already. Even discounting the character tags I'm not interested in, that still leaves hundreds of characters I'd like to write stories for, expanding on their canon portrayals or teaming them up with unexpected partners/rivals or just getting into the psychology and mindset. Oh good grief, but if I only had more time... or at least organized it better...
Thankfully, the past few weeks, I've been getting back into the game with an increasing output of words. Certainly, the ideas keep coming. As long as people enjoy my work, I'll continue to publish it.*** Currently toying with the idea of reviving my old Personal Novel Writing Month scheme from November 2017 to March 2018, wherein I commit to writing at least 60,000 words per month. Although I'm wary about forcing myself to meet a high target just for the sake of it, a large sample size has the benefit of revealing broader trends that might be missed in a smaller selection.
***(You have been warned!)
At the moment, though, I'm focusing on smaller projects than that novel I tackled last year, as it's become clear to me I'm not yet at the right stage to make that sort of ambitious project a regular deal (and I so want to; I think up more novel-sized ideas than short stories). Until then, genre experimentation is the name of the game; I really need to stop going back to "Slice of Life" and "Drama" so much.
Unfortunately, that does mean the overall system is a tad random, so there's no sustained, overarching scheme or philosophy or movement I can talk about with any confidence. Most of that's locked away in inaccessible concepts for novels, and I want to walk before I run.
Otherwise, I'm in fine health and not yet officially mentally unbalanced. Will release a progress report later on, maybe after June's passed and I can look back on the first half of 2019. So many things to do, so little time.
Impossible Numbers, out.
Statistics
List of Reviews
A couple I missed last year, and one that's more recent. And surprising to boot, considering it reviews (favourably) one of my biggest flops. BTW, not for the first time, I wish people would at least sometimes explain what's wrong with a fic. I'm open to constructive criticism, but I can't do bugger-all with a meaningless downvote.
- Fic recommendations (Rockhoof's Dilemma) (Mistmane and the Torii of Time)
- Ponyfic Roundup 248 (Jailhouse Rock)
Fics Accepted By Equestria Daily
Beautiful Lives. More surprisingly, Flitter's Night managed to get in. That thing's so far back, it's basically juvenilia. I just chucked it in on the off-chance, but my hopes weren't high.
New Stories
- Impossible Numbers' Flashfic Anthology, Volume Three. As long as Loganberry's havin' 'em, I'll keep competin' in 'em.
- The Scootaloo Switcheroo, a.k.a. Don't Do The Writeoff Again.
- Romancing the Sun, achieving the typically Impossible Numbers-esque feat of being a romance fic without being a romance fic.
- Tavern Tactics, which so far is the only Time Action Glory Challenge fic produced this year. I gotta step up my game.
- Goldilocks and the Three Months Spent in Young Offender's Prison. It legitimately saddens me that you don't see many Dinky-Derpy fics these days, much less Dinky-Derpy-Sparkler/Amethyst. Has it just run its course?
- In a Hole in the Ground... I might remove that "Sad" tag. It has melancholy moments and a lightly sad undertone, but it seems to me a tad dilute for a genre that's supposed to make you outright miserable.
New Updates
Nope. Huh, I wish.
Story Count: 99.
6 in 2019.
29 in 2018.
26 in 2017.
16 in 2016.
2 in 2015.
0 in 2014.
8 in 2013.
9 in 2012.
3 in 2011.
My Total Story View Count: Rendered obsolete due to new site changes.
Age: 2,746 days, or 392 weeks and 2 days.
Working: 19 days in December 2011, 2x366 days for 2012 and 2016 leap years, 5x365 days for 2013 and 2014 and 2015 and 2017 and 2018, and 170 days for 2019 so far combined.
My Follower Count: 244.
My Followed Count: 247.
The madman returns!
I know I’ve said it before, but 8 had some good stuff, including some things that snuck up on me. I wasn’t at all thrilled about the Student Six, but they grew on me, darnit. I basically wanted to dislike them, yet I was won over in the end.
Tell you what... you bring back your pony writing month and I’ll go toe to toe with you for fun. Can you outwrite me, hot shot?
(Answer is yes you almost certainly can, but it might be a fun communal challenge)
There are a lot of sub-par episodes in season 8, but a handful of gems. For example, if you liked Gladmane's episode and Las Pegasus, you'll probably like Grannies Gone Wild.
If you liked Fluttershy Leans In, you'll probably love Fake it 'til you Make It.
If you like Trixie and Starlight as a comedy duo, you'll probably like The Road to Friendship.
Season nine's actually been pretty decent, all things considered, but if you looked at the concept for S8 and just noped out, it's not worth suffering through to get to this. S8 was bad.
While Season 8 does have a couple of my all-time least favorite episodes, it also has quite a few of my all-time favorites.
Reading episode summaries is a mistake. At the time, it ruined season three for me. Haven't looked at a summary since, and I've enjoyed the show a lot more. I've also enjoyed season three a lot more as well (it's still the weakest season).
As someone who is watching season 9, you are most definitely not missing out. It just gets worse and worse and it's at a point where I don't even care that the show is ending. Even the kind of slice of life episodes I'd be into are so soulless and boring, not to mention all the focus on the clumsily done lore and the completely forgettable additions to the cast. And the season 9 opener was a pure garbage fire. It's at a point where I'm skipping episodes and not even regretting it one bit.
I'm doing something similar to you. I ignore everything that happened after season 6, save for a few things, and make up my own continuity.
The only new episode I'd recommend risking is #200, because all the voice actresses brainstormed its story together. For whatever reason, they seem much more in touch with what makes the show & characters fun, than any of the current official writers.
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Hm, the way you've put it, that's exactly my opinion of Season Seven. "The Perfect Pear" stands out as an undisputed diamond in that season, and there were still some episodes I enjoyed.
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If I did get around to watching it, I'm skipping the school ones unless someone's insanely persuasive. The concept of a Friendship School... the heck would that curriculum look like? Although Maurice LaMarche would be a cool new cast member, it'd probably be easier to dig up Pinkie and the Brain or Futurama or something if I want to hear him be funny.
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Interesting: I generally find summaries quite reliable, especially if I also get an idea of how episodes fare from the occasional review, (good and bad). Although if anything, I went into several Season Seven episodes excited by the premises (e.g. Daring Done? and To Change a Changeling), and came out pretty disappointed by the execution. Still, I like the ideas in the premises, mind, just not how they played out.
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Honestly, I'm just glad I haven't seen the one with Scootaloo's parents. From what I know about the set-up, it's astonishingly clumsy for something that, for years, was ripe and interesting fanfiction fuel. That's one reason why I plan to go AU hard if ever I fancy a turn at the old topic; sometimes, canon just can't compete with what this fandom's created.
I hear the christmas special's pretty good, so who knows? I might give that a look.
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Ah, that'll be "Sparkle's Seven"? That one does sound kind of interesting, and I've always wondered what Episode 200 would be like after Episode 100 caught me by surprise.
Food for thought, indeed...
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Maurice LaMarche is the best part of the five or so episodes he's in. :D
Mostly because they were hot garbage otherwise. <.< Want some recommendations for S8?
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I make no promises, mind, but sure, why not? I've already got some pointers from howard035 up there, as well.
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Take this all with a grain of salt; I was never on board with season 8's premise, and I'm honestly still not. S9 has been far better overall. I'll just give you opinions on the episodes that don't really focus on the School.
The Maud Couple- Super-crap as they give Maud a boyfriend who's even more insufferable than she is. If you're a Maud fan, you'll probably like it; also it sets up an amazing S9 episode.
Fake It 'Til You Make It- I agree with howard above. If you're really hung up on Fluttershy's characterization, this may feel like a betrayal, but after eight seasons I had pretty much thrown in the towel on that, so I found it entertaining.
Grannies Gone Wild- Pretty funny, maybe a little cringey, but I enjoy watching Rainbow Dash suffer. :D
Horse Play- If you are like the show runners and think that Celestia is a giant imbecile, this will prove that opinion correct!
The Parent Map- A must-see, especially if you like Starlight and/or care about her relationship with Sunburst. If you don't like Sunburst, this might change your mind.
The Break Up Break Down- If you're really into Big Mac's relationship with Sugar Belle, this is considerably better than the episode which introduced it, but I wasn't a fan. Discord's a giant ass, as usual.
Molt Down- Not one I liked, but it changes status quo for a major character.
The Mean 6- A must-see, especially if you like Chrysalis. :D
Yakity-Sax- Hot garbage. Avoid unless you're bizarrely interested in Pinkie Pie's yak fixation.
Road to Friendship- Hands-down the best episode of the season. Fantastic peek into Starlight and Trixie's relationship. :D
The Washouts- I wasn't a huge fan, but Lightning Dust is back? Worth it if you want to see some tension added to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo's relationship.
Sounds of Silence- I hated this episode, but fandom busted a collective nut for it, so you should probably watch it. :B
Father Knows Beast- Ehh, I thought this was okay. How much do you want Spike to have a dad? Because this won't give you one.
There are two more worth mentioning. What Lies Beneath is the best portrayal of the new characters to date. If you want to see what they're all about, to gauge whether or not you might want to tolerate or even get in line for the whole School of Friendship thing, this is where you should start. A Rockhoof and a Hard Place is very School-centric, but it's an excellent episode and the much-needed Pillars followup from Shadow Play. Of course, there's also Friendship University, which features Star Swirl, but I wasn't a big fan of that one. Flim-Flam songs have gotten steadily worse over the years. :B
And if you do get into the School at all, skip Non-Compete Clause, which I think was everyone's least-favorite episode of the season, and A Matter of Principals, which is only worth watching if you want to see Starlight Glimmer give Discord the magical face-blasting he deserves.
That's my thoughts! :B
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I'll just jump in and agree more-or-less with a lot of your assessment here, even though I think we're coming at S8 from different perspectives. I could see one's enjoyment of S8 hinging on one's willingness to go with some of the character developments on offer, because (IMO) to its credit, MLP does try to let the characters develop a bit beyond the perpetual status quo.
I will go to the wall for this one, but then I absolutely love Maud and her development, and I buy the ship. But then, this is basically the super-distilled version of the entire Sheldon/Amy thing from Big Bang Theory, and I bought the ship there, too.
I am indeed bizarrely interested in Pinkie Pie's yak fixation, and I therefore loved it.
I bought the yaks from their first appearance, I've enjoyed all subsequent ones, and it scans with me 100% that Pinkie might find it easy to build ties with a foreign culture that most ponies find bizarre and alarming. (And don't tell me there's no Pinkie X Rutherford chemistry; I will not suffer these LIES)
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You need a personality to have chemistry.
I'm pleased to see my assessments of who would like things I don't like holds, however. :)
It sounds like your opinion on seasons 5 and 6 isn't too far off mine, so I feel vaguely qualified to make recommendations, for you to listen to ignore however you choose:
Fake It 'Til You Make It was great fun. Its overall premise made little sense, but Fluttershy acting out different characters was enormously funny.
Horse Play was also a really good one, with some fun Celestia bits.
The Washouts was a great return for an old character that didn't disappoint, though some of the stuff with Scootaloo went even further than normal into Rainbow Dash fangirl territory.
I could not disagree more with PresentPerfect's assessment of The Mean Six, it was an abomination and needs to die by fire.
However, all of season 8 could be ignored, if you so chose, and you'd be fine. Except for one episode:
Sounds of Silence
This one, I think, stands a good chance of being the best episode ever. And it's mostly isolated from the rest of the season, so it feels like it could have fit into any time from season 5 onwards. This is the only episode of the season I think you'd be really missing out on by not seeing.
The Christmas special, Best Gift Ever, is really good too. But the general assessment of season 8 being the weakest yet is definitely valid, in my opinion. The first 8 or so episodes of season 9, however, have been exceptional, and really shouldn't be missed.
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Huh, I thought Season Six was considered the weakest, but then again I don't have access to a wide range of fandom perspectives, so my sample might be somewhat biased.
Thanks for the heads-up re: episodes. Again, no promises, but if I do get around to watching Season Eight (if), then I'll definitely bear these recommendations in mind.
5079949 I can't speak for the rest of the fandom, but I always thought the biggest weakness of season 6 was that it wasn't season 5, which was by far the show's high point. So at the time it felt disappointing, but when I take a step back I have to admire how many brilliant episodes there are there.
Gauntlet of Fire, No Second Prances, Newbie Dash and A Hearth's Warming Tail, all in a row... that's not a bad run! A Hearth's Warming Tail, in particular; I think it's the best musical episode the show's ever done.
I think season 7 was better overall, and in particular handled Starlight a lot better.