Happy New Year! I thought I'd begin it by looking back at the one just gone. Here is an unashamedly personal view of the ups and downs in the show and the fandom alike over the past 12 months. If you can think of any other categories I could have included, feel free to suggest them in the comments section!
Best show event: "Best Gift Ever". This was the first ever proper FiM special, and the show team did an excellent job. It doesn't quite match "A Hearth's Warming Tail" for me, but it's not far off, with a warm-hearted feel that's entirely appropriate for the time of year it represents.
Biggest show disappointment: "Non-Compete Clause". No further explanation needed.
Biggest show surprise: The Student Six. It's a long time since characters have gone from nothing to firm favourites so quickly. I'd happily watch a spin-off.
Happiest moment: Being there as EileMonty sang "I am Octavia" at UK PonyCon, more than five years after missing her doing the same at BUCK 2013 and long after imagining I'd lost my chance for all time.
Saddest moment: Discovering just a couple of weeks ago that Ceffyl Dwr had nuked his Fimfiction account. I didn't get to read anything like as many of your fics as I'd have liked, but the ones I did read gave me a lot of enjoyment. Wherever you are now, I wish you the best and hope you're doing all right.
"I'll Never Get to Do This Again": Buying a VIP ticket for UK PonyCon. Given they sold out in 26 minutes (!) I don't think I'm going to push myself in future. It was a fun experience, though.
Personal success: Helping to keep the Worcester meetups on the road, and seeing them attract new members and some old friends return after longish absences.
Personal failure: Writing so little ponyfic. In particular, starting The Danger Within specifically as a fic I could write quickly and have fun with, and ending up sticking it on hiatus after many months un-updated.
Best YouTube discovery: The Feral Brony's G1 reactions. They're great. Give them a try! (No, I wasn't paid a vast sum, or indeed any sum, for saying this. Curses!)
Most irritating part of 2018: The interminable arguments about whether S9 of FiM will be the last. Even if (as I assume) it is, I'll be relieved when Hasbro finally makes it public and lays that silly argument to rest.
Funnest new blog feature to write: Now I've got my guidelines sorted out, "Sounds of 2011" has fascinated me and introduced me to people like Chain Algorithm I'd barely heard of before.
S9 being the last season is still up for debate? <.< Do people not ravenously absorb every stray bit of news coughed up by EQD these days or what?
ReplyDeleteIt's not really up for debate with me, but there's a small minority of fans who are absolutely convinced that everything is a dastardly plot by... well, someone or other and that S10 is coming, just you wait and see. You get the idea.
DeletePeople will believe anything they put their minds to.
DeleteHappy New Year to you too. :)
ReplyDeleteAn interesting list of things, all of them sound quite understandable.
Nothing too startling, I admit. Still, 2018 has been a fairly solid and straightforward year for me as far as this fandom has gone, and I'm happy with that. :)
DeleteSounds like fun. How about... Favourite new show element of 2018? Can be anything from a world-building concept (e.g. kilin) to a particular introduced character (say, one of the Student Six).
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question! One thing I found very interesting was the enhanced role given to the Tree of Harmony, especially in "What Lies Beneath" and then the season finale. I think, if they want, the writers could do plenty more with that concept in S9.
DeleteA little bird told me I had appeared on a mentions list here, so I came on over to check it out. Sorry that it had to be in relation to something as downbeat as a 'saddest moment' though. Meh.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I probably could have departed in a less savage and permanent way, and I'm sorry to anyone who lost a story they enjoyed. But the site and community as a whole had just become too... Look, I'll just say that I wasn't enjoying being a part of it anymore and leave it at that. I had took a break before that in hindsight should have been permanent, and nuking my account seemed the best way of avoiding that mistake again. Hopefully in time I'll stop seeing it as three years of poorly invested time, but at the moment... Yeah.
I did enjoy the Flashfic contests though, so thank you very much for all of those. Thank you also for the well wishes. I hope you're doing well and the new year brings you joy and the meeting of goals.
Ceffyl.
It's very kind of you to take the time to write that. Unnecessary, but kind nevertheless. Not enjoying a community seems to me the best possible reason for deciding to leave it. If this decision plays even a tiny part in making you happier, it will have been worth it a hundred times over.
DeleteI believe there are people working on a replacement for the book club group (since you started that, it also got nuked) and I'm sorry I was never able to get the time to take part in yours while it was around. Anyway, thanks for the kind words about the Flashfic contest, and I'll stop rambling now. Take care and take my good wishes for your future with you, wherever life takes you from here.
I'm glad that the group is going to be reborn anew; I did float the idea a few times for someone to take over but nobody had offered by the time my account closed. People seemed to enjoy it so long may that continue. :)
DeleteYes I'm doing much better, thank you. Entering a few competitions and aiming to target a completed novel by the end of the year.
Don't be a stranger, and stay well!
Ceffyl.