UK PonycOnline, Merch Haul

It was a bit of a trial taking this outside on a windy day!

I have firmed up my opinion on UK PonycOnline. It is now, without a doubt, my  favourite online convention so far, just shading the also excellent PonyFest 2.0. I'm sure part of that is because of my happy history with the in-person UK PonyCons over the years. But it was also the event which I think felt most like a con – and part of the reason for that was that I came away with an, admittedly small, merch haul! Here's a key to the numbers on the pic:

1a to 1f: A6 postcard prints of the Mane Six and Spike, by Pearly Pie
2: Unexpected sketch of Spike, also by Pearly Pie, on the packing slip!
3: A6 marker pen original of Seapony Rainbow Dash, by StormBlaze
4: Print-it-yourself con badge of Britannia, by Sparkler
5: Official con T-shirt, via Redbubble, by Sparkler
6: Con mug (same design as the shirt), by Sparkler

For the sake of complete honesty, I bought the StormBlaze piece from her Etsy a few days later, but I did so because of UKPCO and so I consider it a con purchase. Not the biggest merch haul I've ever had, but for various reasons funds ended up being very tight at exactly the wrong moment. Given that, I'm pretty pleased – and, as I said above, even this little haul helped to contribute to that "actually a convention" feel that UKPCO managed to achieve. :)

My Little Reviews 45: "Putting Your Hoof Down"

It's often forgotten now that this short scene caused quite a stir back in 2012

S2E19: "Putting Your Hoof Down"
Written by Charlotte Fullerton
3 Mar 2012

My original rating: N/A
IMDB score: 7.0

The one with goats.

Thoughts: One of the odder Fluttershy episodes here, and one that's elicited very mixed responses from the fandom. One reason for this is Angel, who behaves worse here than in almost any other episode, to the point of actually hitting Fluttershy. Obviously this is beyond the pale, though I'm irritated by those fans who ever since have simplified Angel's character as though he was always like that. We'll see later this very season that he isn't. Anyway, another oddity is the market scene – this is one weird market, with all sorts of unPonyvillish features. The Equestrian economy still makes absolutely no sense, but at least we get a "Duck Season/Rabbit Season" gag. Rarity and Pinkie try to get Flutters to stand up for herself, with... mixed results. And then it's off to the Hedge Maze to meet Iron Will, to my mind one of the more likeable antagonists the series has had. Most of the "New Fluttershy" stuff is a bit tiresome if you ask me, and the infamous "flying feather" euphemism stands out. (It was noticeably never used again.) However, the ep becomes much more likeable after Flutters realises that she is becoming a monster. We even get an Easter egg: her sad walk back to her cottage is modelled on the Hulk's "Lonely Man", piano theme and all. The final section, in which Iron Will comes to collect his fee and 'Shy stands up to him, is great fun – Pinkie's cartoonishness helps, including the episode's second "Duck Season/Rabbit Season" nod, but Fluttershy herself is the star. A very mixed bag of an episode, sometimes a rather strange one, but I think one with more to like than to dislike.

Choice quote: Bon Bon: "Try one of your jokes out on me. I laugh at everything."

New rating: ★★★

Next up is "It's About Time", another episode I haven't watched for a long time. I recall its being in the "like, not love" category last time around.

Mini-reviews: Pony Life episodes 1 and 2

A good cross-section of the faces many viewers were probably making

Well, here we go. I don't intend to write full-length reviews for Pony Life episodes – what do you think this is, Friendship is Magic? – but I will try to get mini-reviews done. Unless I get unbearably bored/annoyed with the series, of course. After two episodes, I'm not there yet. I will put these behind a spoiler cut, though that may be being overly cautious.

Pony Life Art Director Q&A (via EqD)

It's been far too hot here for the last couple of days for me to go writing reviews, even short ones, so instead you get this. Equestria Daily recently highlighted that Pony Life Art Director Alex Vetter had been answering some questions on Twitter. Worth a read, though. A few nuggets: yes it's G4.5, yes it's an AU, no TTG! wasn't an influence, no Vetter can't say how many episodes there'll be. (Which suggests the 12 we know about will not be all we get.)

Ponyfic Roundup 300: Back to the roots

Read it Later story count: 203 (-4)

And now, a special edition! I considered a few options for this PR, but in the end I went with an idea suggested by several people over the years. I am reviewing one story for each of the Mane Six – plus Spike – with a little extra twist. Each of these fics tags only that character. Nopony else whatsoever. Seven fics in a single PR is a rare luxury these days, so here we go.

Mood Wings by Tchernobog [Twilight]
30,000 Feet by The Grey Pegasus [Rainbow]
The Life You're Given by neutralmilk [Applejack]
Fluttershy vs. Shower by Lise [Fluttershy]
Chess with Pinkie Pie by The Engineer Pony [Pinkie]
As Horns and Halos Surround You by Norm de Plume [Rarity]
Spike's Hoard by Shotoman [Spike]

★: 0 | ★★: 1 | ★★★: 4 | ★★★★: 2 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I find average scores two stars.

Sounds of 2013: Nos. 59 to 55

Quite a long gap since the last one of these, owing to UK PonycOnline and a few things unrelated to this blog. Still, let's get back into the swing of things now. Here are the four rules I use as my criteria for whether a song gets included here:

Rule 1: Still available in the same or (1b) similar form direct from the artist
Rule 2: Available from a third party, with reason to believe the artist is fine with this
Rule 3: So famous that it would be plain silly to leave it out
Rule 4: Being unlisted is not, on its own, grounds for exclusion

Now for this edition's list. I'm afraid I've had to skip two tracks this time, but at least three songs do remain. Here they are:

59: skipped
58: Silva Hound ft. Rina-chan – Hooves Up High (Assertive Fluttershy remix)
57: RainbowCrash88 – MLP Fighting is Magic - Fluttershy Stage Theme
56: BlackGryph0n and Baasik – RUN
55: skipped

As usual, you'll find embedded YouTube songs and a bit of waffle about each one after the page break.

What is the future for conventions?

I've seen Pony Life. I'll talk about it in a few days.

This is a subject I keep meaning to do a full musing/essay post on, but I never seem to have the time and the motivation simultaneously. I'll get there eventually, I'm sure! But for now, I'll just post the subject as an open question. When it's possible to have conventions in person again, whenever that may be, what will they be like? What might have to remain different in the longer term, and how might the online con experience feed through to physical events?