Blog Title Loophole Abuse. Also, How I Learned to Stop Picking-'n'-Mixing and Just Watch "Equestria Girls" Already · 2:16pm Oct 1st, 2019
Blog Number 60: Um, Uh, Ah, Er Edition
I could say something smart-alec about the last post being titled the "Penultimate" Post and marvel at how clever I am at loopholing around it, but frankly I'm not that smart and I can't be bothered. Last post was retroactively wrong. That's all there is to it.
Anyway, on to the status report:
Good grief, I haven't resorted to a contents page in a while. As usual, skip to whatever you're interested in.
Personal Position Re: Writing
My Very Recent Introduction to Equestria Girls: The Lead-Up to Watching It
My Very Recent Introduction to Equestria Girls: The Movies
My Very Recent Introduction to Equestria Girls: The Specials
All Hail the New "Imposing Sovereigns" Writing Challenge: Do You Accept the Call to Arms?
Personal Position Re: Writing
To get this briefly out of the way: I'm still figuring stuff out, so I don't rule out a hiatus in the not-too-distant future, at least. I probably won't be publishing as much as I have done during recent years (29 fics last year!? Hell no!). But I think I have the makings of a strategy or set of strategies which doesn't require me to sign off, at least not permanently. So... I'm sort of still around. Ish. For the time being.
Basic points re: strategy:
- Writing, yes. Publishing, less often. After such insights as were provided by bookplayer and fluttercheer, I think the main thing is to keep the habit of writing going, but don't regard publishing as an inevitable endpoint or what-have-you. That was a mental trap I fell into, and I'm not keen to fall into it twice.
- While I'm still interested in constructive feedback for future improvement and refinement, a significant portion of this is going to be classified under "for the fun of it". There's no point pretending I'm thick-skinned when I'm not, but it's important for a writer to at least keep their eye on the ball occasionally.
- I can't guarantee I'll respond to every comment. It'll feel pressurizing if I try. But I just want to reassure people I do read the comments, and I'm grateful for them, I really am.
- Odds are it'll mostly be short stuff for a while. Novels are too big a challenge to just tackle like that, though they still remain my long-term goal.
- I intend to only publish finished stories from this point on. Unfinished ones make me cringe, and I'm still wondering if I should unpublish all prior incomplete works to wipe the slate clean in that regard. Still undecided there.
My Very Recent Introduction to Equestria Girls: The Lead-Up to Watching It
In other news, you may or may not have noticed a couple of "Equestria Girls" fics suddenly arriving on my list of published works. Well OK, maybe you didn't because I've written one already. It was April last year, and it met with... erm... mixed results, let's say mixed results. Not forgetting the quartet of Sunset Shimmer fics I have under my belt as a result of the Sunset Shipping Contest.
So, now's as good an opportunity as any to discuss my history - or lack of it - with the spin-off franchise that is Equestria Girls. Strap yourselves in, folks, it's gonna be a long one...
2013
Initially, and for the longest time, I was apathetic at best. The first one came out around the same time as Season Three was underway, during 2013, and that pony season was one I considered a bad sign of where the show was going (credit where it's due, I really liked some of its episodes, and Season Four later won my interest back with ease). At the time, Equestria Girls seemed like it confirmed my worst predictions.
2015
Nothing much to comment on for several years after that, though obviously bits and pieces filtered through my awareness. At some point in 2015, curiosity and good word about the first sequel built up enough; they led me to glance at a few clips online to see what all the fuss was about. It still wasn't much, but I did take quite quickly to the Dazzlings from Rainbow Rocks, which led to me checking their entries on the wikia.
2016
Eventually, around January 2016, I felt like getting into some serious writing and penned a short horror and character piece featuring those three. Basically just a writing exercise.
Then for a year or so, nothing else came of it. The story was buried and, for a while, forgotten.
2017
It wasn't until about mid-2017 when I finally started showing some broader interest, namely in Sunset's character. To this day, I'm not sure why she became so fascinating; maybe I was getting a bit tired of canon-Twilight and was looking around for a similar unicorn character? Maybe the cumulative effect of all the titbits and hearsay brought her full character arc to my attention? Maybe I just flat-out wanted something, anything, to write about? By the time August 2017 came around, I was in such a wretched funk that, when I looked for contests - anything to get me going again - and found the Sunset Shimmer Shipping Contest, I just leapt on it.
Two fics came out of it. Two completed, reasonably well-received fics.
Well, that was something, and no mistake.
As time wore on and my interest in Friendship is Magic wavered... I still didn't care much for Equestria Girls, so no displacement occurred around this point, if that's what you think I'm leaning towards.
2018
April 2018, I ended up digging up the old Dazzlings fic, giving it an ending, then publishing it. Honesty insisted that I write a disclaimer to the effect that most of what I knew about the franchise was second-hand or fragmentary. And that was how Jailhouse Rock was made.
To put it politely, it didn't go down a storm.
Frankly, for all that some of the concepts intrigued me, none of it was enough to make me watch a single one of the movies. It - despite Sunset Shimmer and the Sirens - was all a distant curiosity for roughly another year and a half. I went back to the Sunset Shipping Contests each year and toyed with a few concepts, but that was as far as I got.
2019
In the meantime, I'd spent most of 2019 either expanding my pony DVD collection or catching up on episodes. Seasons Three, Four, Five, Six, and (at the moment) Seven, to be exact, from January 2019 onwards. Revisiting some old favourites. 
In August 2019, I took part in the last Sunset Shipping Contest. Just waiting to see how that goes now.
Which finally brings us to...
September 2019
All this year, there's definitely been a bit of a cloud hanging over things. The End. The End of the show. The End of the contest. The End of my non-novel-writing days after the debut novel I wrote. The End of my possible involvement with the site (obviously, not now, but that was on my mind for a while). The End of a lot of things, all over the pony scene, including - or so I understand it - Equestria Girls.
It was probably just the persistent, deceptive gravitational pull of curiosity, as a result of hovering on the margins of the franchise. Over time, I had also detected a much warmer and even - in some respects - a more enthusiastic fan response to Equestria Girls. Still absorbed a few bits and pieces here and there, too; when you work on the Time Action Glory Challenge and keep track of character tag statistics, you notice names like "Vignette Valencia" and "Wallflower Blush" when they pop up (and in the latter's case, shoot up).
And that was how, eventually, I just watched the damn movies already.
My Very Recent Introduction to Equestria Girls: The Movies
Equestria Girls
The first one I did not like.
The reviews had not been kind before I watched it. That is sort of why I avoided this thing for so long, hence I wasn't much surprised.
It had some good bits in it here and there: the Trixie scene made me laugh, Sunset Demon was a welcome bit of spectacle, Fluttershy was as loveable as ever, and Sunset the thief is forever ingrained into my head.
It had some seriously bad bits: Spike as a goddamn dog will never stop annoying the hell out of me, and don't get me started on how the whole body-transformation and otherworld thing was so perfunctorily handled in favour of high school shenanigans (which, to be fair, were mostly OK to watchable on their own terms).
Overall, it's not one I'd rewatch if I could avoid it, but it's (mostly) harmless.
Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks
Now, the second one. Oh wow, the second one. Welcome to the show indeed.
See, I'd heard that this was where the series improved dramatically, and they were right. Stronger villains, fun songs, storyline that worked with itself more often than against itself, and with Twilight's otherworldly origins mostly just setup, it felt much more like it was standing on its own two feet.
What surprised me was how much it did feel like MLP:FiM at its core; goofy, cheerful, not afraid to get dark or dramatic on occasion, but still optimistic and feel-good. Also, I hadn't realized how much I liked the inclusion of more modern technology and trappings, and an urban fantasy kind of deal works for me. Plus, what's this? A My Little Pony redemption arc I actually found credible? What sorcery is this?
Needless to say, instant convert.
(A mere five years after this film was released, yeah, but better late than never, right?)
Equestria Girls: Friendship Games
The third movie didn't hit the same peak for me despite having some killer concepts in it. Most obviously, the Shadowbolts were seriously underdeveloped, to the point I still have no idea what, say, Sunny Flare's deal actually is from the movie alone.
That said, I found myself enjoying it more than I'd expected, especially since it seemed to be doing away with the otherworld angle in favour of expanding on this world a bit more. Sci-Twi (it is Sci-Twi, right? I'm not misunderstanding something, am I?) I found quite endearing from the get-go, a sort of reimagining of Twilight without feeling like an exact copy. And her and Sunset felt like they were drawing the movies to at least a very satisfying "come full circle" conclusion.
True, it was a bit uneven in how it distributed its plotlines and character focus, though the Main Five finally felt a bit more individual than they mostly had before (Applejack's "honesty" scene with Twilight at the archery struck me as a sweet surprise). On balance, I'd say it was a pretty entertaining film.
To conclude, that's why Equestria Girls is now on my radar. Also, of course, why two new fics of mine are tagged as such; I got inspired after watching the original trilogy of movies back-to-back. The writing just came to me. What a sweet bonus! 
My Very Recent Introduction to Equestria Girls: The Specials
After that, I fished around a bit and checked other people's reviews to glean what else I might like. I skipped the fourth movie - hadn't heard anything terribly exciting about that one - and watched a couple of specials, one of which had gotten good reviews.
The other was "Rollercoaster of Friendship". It was... OK. Entertaining. Not great, a bit draggy in places, and by god is it borderline romance. Still, I don't regret watching it. The side stories and details were fun, my favourite being Sunset and Twilight versus the Flim Flam brothers. You can't rig physics, apparently. 
The "good reviews" one you've probably guessed: "Forgotten Friendship". And yeah, it's up there with "Rainbow Rocks". Not a fan of the redemption at the end - screwing around with intimate memories is goddamn evil, especially for such a spiteful motive - but at least it's not the weak last-minute thing Vignette's was. Wallflower had an understandable backstory and, ironically, some actual screen presence, which mitigates things a bit.
Besides, a lot clicked for me in this outing: this is probably the best Trixie I've seen yet; the Celestia reunion did a very satisfying job of tying up a loose end; the drama poor Sunset had to go through facing that amnesia horror; even a bit of pony lore! (Although sorry, "Forgotten Friendship": you're too late if you want to tell me Clover wasn't a female. Nice try, though).
Not sure if I want to see more - I get the impression I've hit all the high points in that particular franchise - but I'm open to persuasion.
All Hail the New "Imposing Sovereigns" Writing Challenge: Do You Accept the Call to Arms?
Oh, and by the way, I'm throwing my hat into the ring for FanOfMostEverything's
Seriously, this is an awesome contest! Fans from across the site gather to test their mettle in the royal creative arena, for the prizes, for the challenge, and for the amusement of a thousand-strong virtual audience. You game?
Contestants must pick one character to be princess (can include any kind of leader, in practice, even in an Alternate Universe if you want to pick someone out of the box) and then select from a plethora of conflicts any dedicated ruler must face: gaining the throne, losing the throne, preparing for war, suing for peace, contesting tradition, confronting innovation, or struggling with their own inner demons. (Further details provided in the link).
Me, I'm taking part just to get the old writing machine up and running. My only goal is to do better than I did last time, which given the rather chaotic mishmash I coughed up, shouldn't be hard. I'm not even playing to win (fat chance anyway, given the competition); I like having a framework to focus on, and last time the collective effort was something to behold, I can tell you!
So, on the off-chance you haven't heard about this from those whose reach is far and wide, and on the even more remote off-chance I hit someone who otherwise wouldn't notice, well, here's your wake-up. Who wants to jump in and write some princessy goodness? If you answered yes, just follow the link two paragraphs above and check the post for further details.
So yes, in brief, you find me alive and well, and if not thriving then at least with better prospects of increasing my thrivelihood.
That is all.
For now. 
Impossible Numbers, out.
Statistics - Whoa, I haven't done this in a while. Not since June, anyway.
List of Reviews
http://louderyay.blogspot.com/2019/07/ponyfic-roundup-257.html (Fire Burns Both Ways)
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/870071/fic-recs-september-4th (Before the Rot Sets In)
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/872206/tuesday-tales-2 (Plugged In)
Fics Accepted By Equestria Daily
When Space Met Time, which would be a fine one to go out on. Between the rather underwhelming responses lately to such postings, and my more general funk still not budging fully, I don't think I'll be submitting any more fics anytime soon. I don't feel particularly motivated to do so.
New Stories
Plugged In
Zesty, But With Style (the first of the Equestria Girls fics)
Impossible Numbers' Flashfic Anthology, Volume Four (contains the second)
A Wrong-Sized Tail
While I'm at it, I'd like to thank those of you who gave the last one a second wind; even by my standards, its initial lack of response was discouraging. It's just nice to see a few people at least enjoy and appreciate what I manage to get out there. So thank you again, and keep being awesome!
New Updates
N/A
Story Count: 104.
11 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.
Age: 2,849 days, or 407 weeks.
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 273 days for 2019 so far combined.
My Follower Count: 244.
My Followed Count: 255.
Don't worry. No one else does either. Popular headcanon (by which I mean the one I like) has her as a drama kid.
In any case, that's a fair assessment of the spin-off as a whole. Legend of Everfree is admittedly pretty mediocre. It has some highs, yes, but there are certainly lows as well. The Magic Trilogy of 22-minute quasiepisodes (Dance Magic, Movie Magic, and Mirror Magic) are pretty fun, at least slightly fleshing out the Shadowbolts and giving pony Starlight some time in the human world. And Spring Breakdown has some good ideas but doesn't make the most of them, which can actually be a boon for writing variations on the theme.
That said, I highly recommend Sunset's Backstage Pass. Great Sunset-Pinkie dynamic with some quality snark from both Purplesmarts in Sunset's life, definitely an ending highlight.
Also, thanks for the boost for the contest. Best of luck therein!
Definitely go check out Backstage Pass if you haven't. I liked that one quite a lot. :D
5130975
Ooh, I like that drama idea for Sunny. I may have to steal it. You're very welcome regarding the publicity boost; it really was great fun the last time, and I'm sure there's still enough life in the fandom to make this one just as grand.
Also, ta for the recommendations, to both you and 5130976. Sunset's Backstage Pass sounds like the pick of the moment.
5131003
There's also the one about the cruise ship, whose title escapes me. That one I recommend less highly; I wasn't too impressed by it, but it's a must-see if you enjoy watching Sunset go back to Equestria, like she did in Friendship Forgotten.
I'll just say, since I agree with pretty much all of your assessments of the other ones, that I liked Legend of Everfree better than Friendship Games. It wasn't as good as Rainbow Rocks or Forgotten Friendship, but the story was more interesting than Original Recipe and more cohesive than Friendship Games.
(Of course, that may be because Legend of Everfree has some of my favorite songs. I'm partial to the more folksy style of the title song and the end credits song (Hope Springs Eternal,) and I like the broadway style of the other songs.)
5131201
I think that's Spring Breakdown, isn't it?
And that Equestria trip was a highlight of Forgotten Friendship, especially the way Celestia and Sunset were reunited. Plus Twilight going ape over the secret library, naturally.
5131206
Hm, I did notice that opinions on both Friendship Games and Legend of Everfree tended to be all over the map. Loganberry, for instance, put them on roughly the same middling footing.
Judging beforehand, I thought Friendship Games sounded more promising (Shadowbolts! Another Twilight! Magical theft! Motorcycle races!), though I'm hard-pressed to say much about its songs beyond "Unleash the Magic was OK". Give or take some strained lyrics.