Ponyfic Roundup 411

Read it Later story count: 92 (+3) 

A typo I made (not here) the other day sent me careering off down a track of silliness. "Spice at Your Service" was the error. I don't actually care much if at all about Dune, but given that spice is (so I'm told) a bit thing in that world, maybe there's something to be done crossover-wise with that setup. Anyway, with UK PonyCon rapidly approaching, I somehow still found the time to review my usual four fics for Ponyfic Roundup. This week, I have:

The Circle and the Cross by Chris
Dusk's Travels by Bluecatcinema
What If Twilight Sparkle Died? by Eclipsesun
Confusing in Nature by UltimatePinkiePie

★: 1 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 0 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

Make Your Mark hits Netflix today, and how I'll cover it here

It's been a long wait since the first one in May, but at last "Chapter 2" (as the first batch of eight episodes is being called) is available to watch on Netflix. I have to be honest and say that this modern way of doing things just doesn't feel as hyped-up and exciting as the 2010s FiM approach of releasing one episode a week. Okay, part of that is that so far G5 itself hasn't wowed me enough, but not all of it. Still, it's 2022 now and Netflix is how we're getting MYM, so we'd better get used to it.

As for coverage here? Well, I'm not someone who enjoys binge-watching, so I won't be burning through all eight episodes in a row. Yes, I'll inevitably get spoiled, but that's my problem. Also, with UK PonyCon now only 11 days away (10 if you count the day I travel up) I'm just not going to have a lot of spare time until that's over. As such, don't expect much in the way of G5 reviews here until mid-October. I might get the time to write about the first one, but I might not. We'll have to see.

But after that? Right now, yes, I do intend to write episode reviews for Make Your Mark. They're unlikely to be as long or detailed as the reviews I did (originally, not the rewatches) for G4 content, but they'll be more than just a couple of lines. I think there'll be enough to talk about, and you can rest assured that unless the new batch is dire, it won't just be a bunch of whinging. I do like to look for the good in Pony content, even when I do nitpick about the less impressive parts.

My Little Repeats 124: "Newbie Dash"

"And it's lucky for you they cut your impression of me, Newbie..."

S6E07: "Newbie Dash"

7 May 2016

My original rating: ★★★★
IMDb score: 6.1

The one with Rainbow's locker drawing of her friends

Thoughts: If I was surprised to find I'd originally awarded "No Second Prances" a four, I was amazed to discover I'd done the same for this episode. Granted, I've never had the "argh, take it away" reaction many fans do to "Newbie Dash", and indeed I quite like Dashie's cringy impressions of the other Manes – but was it really worthy of that high a rating? Answer: no. While I still don't think Dave Rapp's debut is a terrible ep, and indeed there's a reasonable amount to like about it (the callbacks, Scootaloo's reaction, some very nicely animated flying sequences, the ending) you can easily argue that it's a disappointment given it's the culmination of a seasons-long arc for Rainbow Dash. That said, I don't agree with those who thought she was bullied here. She went as far as endangering her team-mates, which Spitfire didn't tolerate when Lightning Dust did it and rightly didn't now either. "Rainbow Crash" becoming a badge of honour at the end is nice, too. On the downside, Pinkie is annoying much more than she is appealing, the cotton candy joke isn't very funny, the only really likeable other Wonderbolt is Soarin and it's all a bit uneven with the middle act in particular falling short. So while I still won't be as harsh as some are, I don't think it's as special as it should have been, the pre-credits sequence aside, and as such I'm knocking it down from a low four to a top-end two. That's maybe a tad harsh, but I can't quite justify a three. I don't think I got my rating right in 2016.

Choice quote: Rainbow: "Goodbye Rainbow Dash, hello Captain Awesome!"

New rating: ★★

Next time, it'll be "A Hearth's Warming Tail", which I utterly adored six years ago. I suspect I'm just going to wallow in it again. But we'll see!

Well, this isn't ideal for UK PonyCon travel...

At almost the last possible moment it could have been announced, there will be a (nearly) nationwide rail strike on Saturday 8th October. This, of course, is the Saturday of UK PonyCon weekend. It's not good news at all in that sense. Louder Yay really isn't the place to go into the political aspects of the long-running rail dispute, but it certainly is the place to talk about practicalities affecting Pony events.

It's likely that very few trains will run on that Saturday. Whether there'll be any service at all to and from Nottingham remains to be seen, but similar past strikes have seen a skeleton service on a minority of lines only, with not a lot moving anywhere after early evening. In other words, if you're commuting into UKPC on Saturday, I'm afraid you're likely to have to find a way to do it other than by train.

I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of East Midlands bus and coach services [For shame, Logan! —Ed.] and so I can't give specifics here of what alternatives there may be. National Express may be of some use, as may Megabus. Of course some attendees will be coming by car, in which case the rail strike won't affect them directly except perhaps to make some roads a bit busier on Saturday.

As far as my own weekend is concerned, fortunately I'm travelling out to Nottingham on Friday, when there should be a normal rail service. Frankly, if I'd been planning to do what I did last year and go up first thing on Saturday, I might well now be looking at not being able to attend at all. Any strike date will affect someone, of course. But from a selfish MLP perspective, it's a big blow that it's this date.

If there are any major developments, I'll try to keep people here posted. But the main takeaway right now is pretty simple: if you were planning on travelling to UK PonyCon by train on Saturday 8th, you may need to make substantial changes to those plans. I hope you can find an alternative that works for you.

UK PonyCon music lineup published

Official UKPC tweet here. As I type, the actual running order hasn't yet been made available, which is going to be an issue for some given the possibility of clashes (*cough* Pub Quiz *cough*) but the actual list of artists has. There are five this year, as follows:

• BassPon3
• Blackened Blue
• General Mumble
  
• Koa
• PrinceWhateverer

Two of these musicians have played UKPC before, BassPon3 and the near-omnipresent PrinceWhateverer, so we already know that they can do their thing on a Nottingham stage. General Mumble hasn't performed at this con before, but he's been a fixture for years: I saw him at BUCK 2014, and he wasn't new to the horse music game even then. Since he's married to Koa, it's maybe not surprising that the latter is on the list, but this is nevertheless probably the announcement that's created the biggest stir. Koa is after all a very popular artist. Finally, Blackened Blue, who shades into territory that's a little heavy for my liking but is undoubtedly very good.

From a general point of view, this looks like a great line-up for a Saturday night party. From a personal perspective it's (probably with the exception of Koa, depending on what we get from her) a bit louder and heavier than my own preferences. But hay, we got EileMonty in 2018 and Re:Make in 2019, so I can't be too fussy! Anyway, we now all wait to see what the running order will be, for that is when we can start to agonise properly over any schedule clashes... :P

Ponyfic Roundup 410

Read it Later story count: 89 (-3) 

It's been a strange week or so here in the Living Museum of Ceremonial Weirdness, or the UK as we sometimes like to nickname it. However, things are getting back to normal now and that means I need another form of escapism. Fortunately, ponyfic does the job admirably well. As is the norm nowadays, there are four stories under the microscope today. They are:

A Hint of Key Lime by Metool Bard
Heart to Heart by Crosis
Morsel of Truth by Pen Stroke
The Reality I Choose by The Hat Man

★: 0 | ★★: 0 | ★★★: 3 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

UK PonyCon schedule released!

Go right here for the official site's schedule page. To start with just the "Saturday – Mane Event Rooms" timetable is visible. Click the little pictures under the schedule to see the "Saturday  Additional Rooms" chart and the equivalents for Sunday. They're a little fiddly, but they work.

I've so far only had a chance to have a brief skim down the schedules, so please take this as more of an "instant reaction" post than anything resembling more detailed thoughts. What I will say, though, is that you look at this schedule and think, "Yep, this is UKPC". I mean that as a compliment!

This is the first UK PonyCon to have show guests, so I'm pleased to see three signing sessions for the VIPs. As is only reasonable, Gold and Silver ticket holders will get faster access to these, so it's important that us Bronze and Standard plebs get a fair chance as well. I think this setup should do that.

Acknowledging that scheduling is a really tough job and that no possible timetable is going to satisfy absolutely everyone, I think the committee have done very well for the most part. Inevitably there's a place or two where there are potentially annoying clashes, but I doubt that can be avoided.

It's great to see the return of the Saturday night concert! As I type this we still don't know who any of the musicians are going to be, which I'll confess surprises me a little. I checked back, and in 2019 all artists were known quite a lot earlier. Hopefully details are just being finalised and will be published soon.

I'm not keen on the timing of the evening Pub Quiz (always a highlight). Extending it to 90 minutes is fine, but 11pm is a really late finish. Too late, I think. Up until 2019 it generally finished at 10pm, which I would much have preferred this time too. Anyone attending this and not staying over the road is going to have a very late night and possible transport difficulties.

That's my one real whinge. There are plenty of nicer things, though! Not least the fact that we're finally going to get one of those VA script readings that American con-goers are forever going on about. With a Q&A afterwards, though at only an hour for both combined that's likely to be relatively brief.

Lots of old favourites return. Pinch the Parcel has been a UKPC staple since about 1487, and Rainbow Dash Attack is nearly as venerable! Dr Pony is back to talk about the Gothic, there's bingo, you can paint a blind bag – and of course there's singing! Karaoke and also I'm delighted to see, the pre-opening ceremony singalong. Yay!

So, it's all falling into place nicely. Only three weeks to go now until I'm off to my eighth UK PonyCon. Not an academy record, but not bad! I shall of course bore everyone here to tears with my convention reports when all is said and done, so do make sure you have an escape plan. :D

Ponyfic Roundup 409

Read it Later story count: 92 (+4) 

Autumn is definitely in the air around Logan Towers. Although the afternoons can still be very pleasantly warm, there's starting to be a chill in the air and it's definitely no longer nice to sit outside in the evenings. Especially as it's getting dark by seven o'clock now. So, time to snuggle up with a nice My Little Pony story, eh? We're back to the regular format of four short fics today. They are as follows:

Down the Laundry Chute by Tethered-Angel
One Last Goodbye by Note Sketch
There is Nothing at the End of the Lane by Charles Rocketboy
LOOK AT THAT GUY!!! by Inkblotter

★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 0 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

My Little Repeats 123: "No Second Prances"

Glimmy gets points from me for this one

S6E06: "No Second Prances"

30 Apr 2016

My original rating: ★★★★
IMDb score: 7.8

The one with great and powerful cutlery

Thoughts: This is an odd one, in that I was surprised to discover I'd rated this four stars in 2016. It's had a rather mixed reputation since then, and I'd got it into my head that I felt like that first time round. Turns out I didn't – but in many ways, I do now! Trixie is back for the first time since S3, while this is also the episode that created the "Starlight tries to do everything with magic" meme. The two bond quickly, and it's fun to see the seeds of the partnership they'd have built by the time of "Road to Friendship" two seasons later. The scenes with these two are the ep's best. Unfortunately Twilight is frankly a pain until near the end. She lets her past antagonism with Trixie get the better of her to the extent of trying to undermine Starlight's friend-making – not very becoming of the Princess of Friendship. Celestia's presence at the awkward dinner party is somewhat pointless too, though maybe worth it for Cranky's closing question. But despite being a fun episode with an exciting if morally pretty iffy stage stunt to end up with, this has a few too many flaws for me to let it keep its four, so it's going down a notch this time. It's a highish three still, though.

Choice quote: Starlight: "Great. Thanks for asking in a completely not creepy way."

New rating: ★★★

Next time, it'll be "Newbie Dash", an episode which has a somewhat poor reputation, but which (again) I gave four stars to in 2016. Was I being too generous? We'll soon see!

The Queen

A rare non-Pony post, so I'll keep it short. Suffice to say the Queen's death is a very big deal for many of us in the UK, even for those who aren't ardent monarchists. There are going to be quite a few distractions over the next couple of weeks. I'll try to keep things here on an even keel, but please don't be surprised if schedules do slip a little bit.

One small note: although the plan for how this event would be dealt with is generally referred to as Operation London Bridge, because the Queen died in Scotland it was a specific part known as Operation Unicorn that was put into effect.

That's all. You'll have visit my Dreamwidth if you want more of my thoughts on this.

Ponyfic Roundup 408: Spotlight on Verse Averse: Tales of the Versebreakers

Read it Later story count: 88 (-4) 

Verse Averse: Tales of the Versebreakers by horizon et al
OCs, Sweetie Belle, Lyra, Vinyl Scratch and Other
G4; Anthology; 25k words; Apr 2015; Teen

I don't usually review anthologies, but Verse Averse pestered me until I relented. This is a collection of short stories based on the premise that sometimes Equestria needs ponies to stop all that singing. Each author takes this prompt in a different direction, as you'd expect. Most of the fics are very short, some just a few hundred words, though the final one is over 9,000. I'm not sure I'm that keen on ending like that – especially as that last fic, while it grew on me considerably after an unpromising start, feels almost like a standalone side story rather than an integral part of this anthology. The other problem is that the setup is really fun, but in every story after the first you know what it is. Now, there are still some interesting twists (Harmony being too good for ponies is a nice one...) but the mood whiplash between chapters can be quite something at times. One has inline musical links, which always mildly irritate me since I like to read offline. All in all, the Versebreakers thing is a really interesting idea, but possibly ten variations on that theme in one go... yeah, perhaps a few too many for me. Top-end three therefore overall, though it could be a four for some. ★★★

Beyond the break, some more and spoilery thoughts about this anthology, and about each of the individual stories therein.

My Little Repeats 122: "Gauntlet of Fire"

Walls have ears, rocks have eyes

S6E05: "Gauntlet of Fire"

16 Apr 2016

My original rating: ★★★★
IMDb score: 8.0

The one with talking seaweed

Thoughts: For a long time, "Spike episode" wasn't something fans said with much enthusiasm. Okay, the likes of "Dragon Quest" had their fans, but they weren't that numerous. This was the episode that changed that. The received wisdom is that it was the first really good Spike-isode. For the most part, I agree with that. For a start, it teams Rarity with Twilight. They were together (with Rainbow) in "Dragon Quest", but they haven't been a common partnership since. We of course meet Ember for the first time, and her constant changes from cheerful and friendly to grumpy and, well, dragonish are amusing. (I know some people use the word "tsundere" here, but I'm not an anime guy, so I won't.) Dragon Lord Torch, voiced with a fun Aussie accent by the apparently almost unknown Matt Cowlrick, does well in support. I still don't like Garble, but I find his nastiness less boring here than in "Dragon Quest", at least. The actual adventure part of the episode is generally great, even if we never do find out how the ponies got through that cave. Add in a whole load of world-building (some of which was actually used again) and Spike's decision at the end to give up the Bloodstone Sceptre to Ember, and this is an ep I'd happily watch again for fun. I thought quite hard about whether it was still deserving of a four. Maybe not by much, but I really do think it is.

Choice quote: Ember: "Please don't make me talk about my feelings."

New rating: ★★★★

Next time, it'll be "No Second Prances", which doesn't have an unmixed reputation but which it turns out I really rather liked on first appearance. So we shall see!