Well, that was a whole lot of fuf

The first PonyFest Online! convention was a huge success. I'd originally intended to drop in just briefly, but I ended up spending hours there. I believe they had over 4,000 attendees, which is tremendous. The personnel involved had strong links with existing cons, which really showed. I mean, I loved HAHCon, but PonyFest was definitely on another level of slickness and professionalism. Getting guests like Peter New and Big Jim Miller also demonstrated how useful contacts are.

And guess what? They're doing it all again on 25 April!

("Fuf" came out of one of the riff panels. It was one I missed, but I believe it was a typo in a fanfic. Anyway, everyone ran with it and it became the PonyFest meme.)

My Little Repeats 33: "May the Best Pet Win!"

This. This right here. This is how to make me grin like a fool!

S2E07: "May the Best Pet Win!"
Written by Charlotte Fullerton
19 Nov 2011

My original rating: N/A
IMDB score: 7.8

The one with Animation Error Duck.

Thoughts: Aha, this is the sort of episode I could do with right now! For a start, it has a duet between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and their friendship is one of my favourite things in the entire series. (As we'll see later this season...) I enjoy the song a lot, even if it is a bit wordy. I particularly love the way Rainbow's eyes widen as she gets the idea for a contest. We get one of the most famous S2 Derpy cameos, too. Dash herself is a bit on the full-of-herself side this episode, but for the most part I think it's entertaining. Things like the stage talent show for the prospective pets are hilarious, too. Actually, most of the games are at least enjoyable to watch. The one real downside? I don't like the Quarray Eels segment at all – there, Rainbow is actively risking the animals' lives. I'm amazed Fluttershy was okay with it. Anyway, when Dash gets stuck – the fandom used to think this was a 127 Hours reference – it is of course the tortoise (not turtle!) who rescues her, and so Tank enters the show, a good thing as I really like Rainbow's relationship with him. We never do find out the source of the magic powering his rotor, though. I think a high three is about right for this one.

Choice quote: Rainbow: "You would think that, Twilight. And that's why you would never qualify to be my pet."

New rating: ★★★

Next up is "The Mysterious Mare Do Well", long considered one of the least impressive episodes of the pre-ascension seasons. I've never rated it too highly either. Will I this time?

Ponyfic Roundup 288

Read it Later story count: 218 (-3)

Hey, would you look at that? Not only do I have three stories to look at this PR, but they're not stories that are barely over 1,000 words either! Admittedly the beautiful (for March) weather has helped, since despite everything I have managed to spend a bit of time in the back garden reading ponyfic as I'd hoped. The forecast is for much colder, cloudier weather by Saturday, though. Curses.

A Simpler Time by DJLowrider
Spell Check by SirNotAppearingInThisFic
Suri Polomare Plagiarizes Her Final Paper by Quillamore

★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 0 | ★★★★★: 0

Hey look, another holding post

But at least things will be better than last week (by a day) as Ponyfic Roundup will be with you tomorrow!

As you've doubtless seen, the UK has joined the lockdown party. There are various exceptions and so on, but this isn't really the place for those. For practical purposes, not being an essential on-site worker, I'm at home for many weeks to come. That does at least give me a bit less uncertainty, so I should be able to plan the Pony posts very slightly better than before!

My Little Repeats 32: "The Cutie Pox"

There's clearly not much entertainment in Ponyville, judging by all the adults watching!

S2E06: "The Cutie Pox"
Written by Amy Keating Rogers
12 Nov 2011

My original rating: N/A
IMDB score: 7.0

The one with loop-de-hooping

Thoughts: Ah yes, an episode about a worrying disease with (until the end) no known cure. How jolly. Anyway, this has a much lower IMDb rating than any previous S2 ep, and it's certainly not up to their standards – though it's not that bad. In particular, I love how truly happy Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are when (they think) their friend is the most special pony ever. Apple Bloom's tricks/skills sequences are quite fun as well, and hey, Twist even gets a speaking line! (Her last?) Much earlier on, we have one of the series' best-remembered nods to non-kids' media with the Big Lebowski bowling ponies. We'll see them again, as indeed we will the ending comment about AB's potion-making ability. It's not an amazing episode, despite a good solid role for Zecora (who, unlike ponies, can magically repair at least minor injuries). It's just too bitty, although at least it passes the time. It's hard to say my heart was really in it this time around, given the subject matter. I wonder whether I might have made this a low three a few weeks ago. Highish two now.

Choice quote: Applejack: "My sister's speakin' in Fancy!"

New rating: ★★

Next up is "May the Best Pet Win!", which is one I tend to like more than the fandom average. You may be able to guess why...

Ponyfic Roundup 287

Read it Later story count: 221 (nc)

Once again, I don't have much to say here. I'm deliberately avoiding you-know-what subject, and my life otherwise has been pretty uneventful of late. Maybe I should fill up the gaps by reading more ponyfic! Nah, that's a ridiculous idea, isn't it? Just the pair of stories this time around:

Operation Firework by Crowley
A Friend In Me by TheNewYorkBrony

★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 0 | ★★★★: 0 | ★★★★★: 0

A few changes this week

Ponyfic Roundup will be here on Friday this time. I'm not sure whether I'll post anything tomorrow. I'm expecting quarantine regulations to kick in any day now, so I'm having to spend a lot more time than usual away from the computer to make sure I'm up to date. Also, if any of you follow me on Twitter and haven't already noticed, I'm greatly reducing my use of that platform. It's an increasingly miserable place to be for a whole host of reasons. Fimfiction and UK of Equestria are the best Pony places to find me, other than on here.

My Little Repeats 31: "Sisterhooves Social!

"Look, Sweetie! You're the big sister now!"

S2E05: "Sisterhooves Social"
Written by Cindy Morrow
5 Nov 2011

My original rating: N/A
IMDB score: 8.7

The one with liquid toast.

Thoughts: Ah, Rarity's parents. It's a shame in a way that we saw so little of them after this, as the show gradually shifted to the (unspoken) assumption that Sweetie was with her sister a great deal. Anyway, Rarity at this point still has some cold, sharp edges and Sweetie Belle helps to smooth them off a bit. The tension between them is well done, as you'd expect from character-writing specialist Cindy Morrow, and Sweetie "adopting" Applejack is a clever idea. (Apple Bloom's proprietorial attitude towards her sister is amusing, too.) The Sisterhooves Social itself also feels like the kind of event that Ponyville would love, so no complaints there! I'm slightly less impressed with the final race, as it's surely obvious even to a kid that "Applejack's" eyes are the wrong colour. Oh, we get talking sheep. One, anyway. The nature of the relationship between ponies and their livestock gets more disturbing every time you think about it! This is an episode that I used not to like all that much, but which has really grown on me in the last few years. A notch below classic status, but still very good.

Choice quote: Sweetie Belle: "Rarity never high-hoofs me."

New rating: ★★★★

Next up is "The Cutie Pox", which is generally (including by me) seen as a significant step down from the first five episodes of S2. But we'll find out!

In which Logan gets a little too real

All right. Let's do this.

Anyone who still thinks this is "just the flu bro" is a fool, and you shouldn't give them the time of day. Flu itself can be very dangerous, and Covid-19 is a great deal worse for a variety of reasons, including its considerably higher mortality rate and the lack of any vaccine. Countries do not generally shut down vast swathes of their economies for flu epidemics, not within your or my lifetime in any case. And the situation will get worse before it gets better. So with that cheery opening out of the way, what about Louder Yay?

As of right now, I do intend to continue with this blog. I am in a vulnerable group as someone with diabetes, so it is possible that I may be asked (or even required) to stay home 24/7 within weeks. Possibly for several months without a break. Yes, really. But whether that happens or not, I cannot possibly spend my entire waking hours haunted by real-world tales of death and misery. I've always said that My Little Pony has in large part been an escapist fantasy for me, and that really applies now.

I plan on very soon continuing with my rewatch of the series, continuing next with "Sisterhooves Social". I plan on finally getting around to "Sounds of 2013", which I've kept nearly starting. I plan on reading more than two or three ponyfics a week! I do not plan on reporting every postponement or cancellation of a convention, since there will be a lot of those and that will be more effectively covered elsewhere. I do intend to give a mention to any updates announced for UK events, though.

But please note "plan" and "intend". I may well not be able to keep up the regular schedules I've (mostly) managed up until now. Things in the real world are changing by the day at the moment, and I couldn't possibly commit to doing something this time next week. For example, I want to put up Ponyfic Roundup 287 on Wednesday and 288 the Wednesday after that, but you should not be especially surprised if that schedule slips a bit or even skips a week from time to time.

Hopefully my next post will be a bit lighter! I wish all my readers, and their families and friends, good health.

More on BABSCon

I do actually have considerable sympathy for the convention. They're in an impossible position currently. If they unilaterally cancel, they risk the future of the event and may end up in financial or even legal trouble. But if they go ahead against official advice and someone gets ill or worse, the event's reputation will be ruined anyway. I have no evidence for this, but I wouldn't be surprised if, deep down within the bowels of BABSCon, there might be some considerable relief if (when?) the official advisory becomes a mandatory requirement.

There's a wider issue here, and it's not confined to this fandom. It is unconscionable that an event that does (what I think in this case is) the morally correct thing and announces changes before it absolutely has to risks its very existence by doing so. The coronavirus situation is such that "business as usual" for large events is not merely unreasonable but ridiculous. I'm not familiar with Californian law and practice on such things, but I would suggest that events should urgently be given legal protection if they postpone or cancel on public health grounds.

Ponyfic Roundup 286

Read it Later story count: 221 (-1)

I don't have a great deal to say today, so rather than fill this space up with some pointless complaining about tutti frutti ice cream having become more or less extinct, I'll get straight on to reviewing fics. Three today:

Plural Possessive by Aquaman
The Last Windigo by Doctor Disco
Balance by Original Username

★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 0 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0

My Little Repeats 30: "Luna Eclipsed"

Fluttershy's face here is almost preminiscent [sic] of the late seasons!

S2E04: "Luna Eclipsed"
Written by M. A. Larson
22 Oct 2011

My original rating: N/A
IMDB score: 8.7

The one with Paper Bag Derpy.

Thoughts: For the first time, we see the Princess Luna design we all got used to. Here, unsurprisingly, she's a bit uneven – but that fits with her personality, so it works. The ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE gets a bit tiring with so much use, but her "Huzzah!" stuff is fun and the scene with Fluttershy is amusing. It's nice that Luna is properly rehabilitated by the end. I'd forgotten how much Zecora there was in this episode; it's one of her most prominent roles. I enjoyed Spike cosplaying as a dragon, and of course we first hear the name Starswirl the Bearded. Pipsqueak and his Amazing Changing Accent has long been the cause of much mirth in the UK fandom. What I don't like so much about this episode is Pinkie's rather stupid behaviour; even allowing for her knowing she was being stupid, she made Luna miserable and almost caused total disaster. She's not a fool and should have realised earlier. Rainbow Dash didn't help, either, beginning her often poor record during early-mid S2, though her Shadowbolt costume was nice. Many fans put this ep near the top of their S2 lists. I don't, for the reasons just stated – but overall it's a good one and it's right at the top of the three-star band.

Choice quote: Luna: "What is this 'fun' thou speakest of?"

New rating: ★★★

Next up is "Sisterhooves Social", which I've never quite adored as so much of the fandom does. Mind you, I've warmed up to it in recent years, so it could do quite well.

Nice little minimeet

All being well, "Luna Eclipsed" will be reviewed tomorrow!

I organised an unofficial Worcester Shires minimeet at about 36 hours' notice at the weekend. There were various reasons for the last-minute arrangements, but it worked out all right. We had five attendees in total, though never more than four at once – and including one person making their debut! (I've actually known this person for something like 17 years and they've been to UK PonyCon a few times, but not to a Worcester meetup. Until now!)

I was really pleased with all this, since the short notice meant I wasn't sure the minimeet would get off the ground at all. We usually consider four to be our quorum, though we were prepared to stretch a point and go with three this time – happily that wasn't relevant in the end. It is fair to say that we did have the question of how much longer travel to meets like this might be possible on our minds a bit, but most of the time we were just having our normal silly ponyishness going on. I was very pleased. :)

My Little Repeats 29: "Lesson Zero"

I love how Rainbow gets more and more annoyed during the picnic scenes

S2E03: "Lesson Zero"
Written by Meghan McCarthy
15 Oct 2011

My original rating: N/A
IMDB score: 9.0

The one with Princess Erroria.

Thoughts: We really are in Season 2 now, aren't we? An updated intro, Twilight's new magic colour and – at the end – friendship letters spreading beyond just Twi. Anyway, this is a hugely entertaining episode, probably one of the funniest in the entire show's run. Whether it's Twilight's Gollum act, Rarity's "Worst Possible Thing" sequence or little touches like Pinkie's balloon basket, I was grinning throughout. On the downside, it's not that believable at times. Rainbow Dash being employed by Applejack to smash up an old barn doesn't make a whole lot of sense, Fluttershy's memorable massage moment isn't something we've had any clue she could do, and Tardy Twi herself freaks out beyond even some of her late-series performances. There's also a slightly disturbing line – "works every time!" – regarding the Want it, Need it spell. Still, the town riot over Smarty Pants is great fun, and I love Big Mac grabbing the doll afterwards. For me, this episode has aged a bit – but it's merely gone from spectacular to very good. I would probably once have given this five stars. No longer – but it still cruises to a very easy four.

Choice quote: Rarity: "Ugh, what a drama queen! ... relatively speaking."

New rating: ★★★★

Next up is "Luna Eclipsed", an episode adored by vast swathes of the fandom but which I've only ever liked, not loved. Let's see if I change my tune this time around.

Ponyfic Roundup 285

Read it Later story count: 222 (nc)

It's been a long week, and at one point three major roads into my town were closed at the same time, owing to a combination of flooding and police activity. (I don't know what, but the road in question is now open again.) At one point also, I wasn't sure I'd get a PR post up this week either. I've just about managed it in the end, albeit a pretty minimal one with just the two stories to look at. Here they are:

Conference by Dave Bryant
Hope Blooms by Bookish Delight

★: 0 | ★★: 0 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 0 | ★★★★★: 0

Fan of iisaw's stories?

Well, of course you are. Me too. But if so, you may want to check out his recentish Fimfiction post in which he mentions his intention to delete several stories in the next few days. No, The Celestia Code and its sequels are not among them, thankfully. But the last line of the Fimf post says that the non-listed stories will stay up "for now" – so you may want to download those as well to be on the safe side. As things stand, iisaw has 17 published fics, so it shouldn't take a ridiculous amount of time. It's worth reading the comments below the post, too. Some interesting stuff in there.

On a more general note, it's pretty unusual for an author to give notice of their intention to pull stuff from Fimfiction. I do remember that HoofBitingActionOverload gave similar notice in 2016, but in his case that was going to be all his stories and was connected to his original fiction career. (He didn't actually go through with the unpublishing in the end.) Several other authors have simply nuked their accounts with no warning. So iisaw's decision to give due warning is a nice gesture. I download and keep every story I read in any case. It's not as if they take up much space on modern storage systems.

There is one small way in which this will have a direct bearing on my blog: as a matter of policy, Ponyfic Roundup does not feature stories that are not publicly available directly from the author on Fimfiction (or, very occasionally, another fanfic site) at the time I write the review. Going on from that, I don't think it would be fair either to review a story whose author has indicated a desire to remove it from the site. Therefore, none of the fics listed in iisaw's blog post will be reviewed in PR.