Well then

You Really Bug Me, which I gave 8.5/10 in PR 18, has been rejected by Twilight's Library. Their decision, I guess, but I think BronyDad has got a really rough deal here. I don't care that the fic has a 98-0 thumbscore – I've disliked super-popular stories before – but I do think that this tale felt really pretty show-like. Yes, I'm unashamedly biased towards cute Fluttershy/Rainbow friendshipping stories, but I still feel this one's worth the time it takes you to read just under 2,000 words.

BUCK report: Friday

(L) Manchester Central by night; (R) The SSC in full swing

All right then, here we go with my report for BUCK 2014, which sadly seems almost certain to be the con's last iteration thanks to spiralling costs. I travelled up on the Friday morning, and the journey was uneventful. Didn't see any other bronies on the way, which was a slight disappointment. As I couldn't check into my hotel until after 3pm, I had to lug my rucksack around for a while, but I'd been careful not to overpack it, so it wasn't too bad an experience.

First task (after eating) was to get to Manchester Central to pre-register for the Summer Sun Celebration. This didn't go all that smoothly at first, as I was told (politely but firmly, and against what had been advertised) that only those who had premium tickets for the con proper could pre-register. I was too tired to argue, so walked away grumbling under my breath. Then I had a stroke of luck: bumping into Hurricane, Nekky and Coastie purely by chance in the city centre. They told me that Standard ticket-holders were now being allowed to pre-register.

So, I trekked back to Manchester Central and this time got my SSC wristband. Then it was off to the nearby Central Library's café for the inaugural meeting of the Fluttershy Club. With an attendance of about 40, twice as many as expected, it was a little bit unwieldy and we didn't get far beyond saying hellos, but at least it was there. I had to leave early to get the train to Bolton to check into my luxurious five-star Travelodge. (Actually it was fine, though the surrounding area was a little on the grim side.)

(L) Alliminaro's fine OC plush; (R) Pinkie Pie and Party Cannon

After a bite to eat, it was back to Manchester Central for the Summer Sun Celebration! The nearest thing to a rave I'm ever likely to go to, and a rather surreal experience. Most of the con vendors were in operation in the lobby, so there was a good deal of merch-buying going on. I snagged a Fluttershy cushion for £15, which was something you're not going to find in your local Tesco Extra. (More's the pity.) It was actually very useful when I was feeling a bit chilly sitting at a metal table in the huge main hall!

The opening act was Prince Whateverer: not bad at all and pretty enthusiastic, if a bit metal for my tastes. I was mostly there for the next guys: Acoustic Brony. Only the second time (and the first in Europe) that they'd belied their name by being backed by a full rock band, and my word it was good! We got several show songs ("Babs Seed" and "Helping Twilight Win the Crown" among them), we got my favourite "I'll Fly Higher"... and yes, we got "Loyalty".

After that, it was Mic the Microphone. Starting to get a bit heavy for my tastes now, though I really enjoyed "Nightmare Night". I stayed on through his set and General Mumble's, but by the time we got to Icky things were just sounding like noise to me, so I went back to the hotel. I was a bit sorry not to stick it out for the others (Lavender Harmony, Addictia, The Living Tombstone and HMage) but if I had done, I'd have missed the last train to Bolton by about two hours!

(L) Programme for the SSC; (R) Manchester Central's main hall

All in all, I had a pretty good time, and it wasn't nearly as intimidating as I'd feared. We are, after all, pony fans, so we don't do "intimidating" very well on the whole! Acoustic Brony was easily my favourite act, but until it all merged into noise I enjoyed the others as well. I was pretty tired by the time I got back to the hotel (no thanks to Northern Rail's inability to provide enough trains) but I was looking forward to what Saturday might bring.

Ponyfic Roundup Awards Two (PRs 11-20)

It's awards time again! I'll stick to the same format that I used for the first awards post: one gold, one silver and three bronzes. It was quite hard picking out the best stories this time round, though I really didn't have much doubt about my one-two. The period was one of thinnish pickings at first: all five of my prize-winners come from the second half.

Ponyfic Roundup Gold Award

In the Place the Wild Horses Sleep by Lucky Dreams (PR 20)
OCs, Luna and Mane Six
Adventure/Human; 3K words; Jul 2014; Everyone
This just blew me away. A genuinely excellent children's story. Please, please don't pass on it because it has a Human tag attached. It's one of those tales that, once read, you will never forget. I love it fiercely, and that's why it gets the Gold Award this time.

Ponyfic Roundup Silver Award

So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish by Blueshift (PR 19)
Lyra and Bon Bon
Slice of Life; 6K words; Jun 2014; Everyone
Blueshift's fic is really unlucky not to get the Gold. It's a fabulous story of LyraBon friendshipping, which pulled my emotions this way and that without ever feeling overly manipulative. Blueshift's stories are generally very good: this one is good even by his standards.

Ponyfic Roundup Bronze Awards

And We Are Not Yet Saved by Grey Heather (PR 18)
Chrysalis and Changelings
Slice of Life; 1K words; May 2014; Teen
There are far too many mediocre changeling fics about. This is not one of them: despite its extreme shortness, it tells the well-worn story of Chrysalis after the S2 finale without feeling like yet another re-tread.

I Wish I Had Met You Yesterday by 8686 (PR 20)
Daring Do, Twilight and OCs
Sad; 22K words; Feb 2014; Everyone
I've never been one to treat "Show, don't tell" as an inviolable rule, and stories like this are why. It's a very talky story in places, but that works. Read this if you're interested in seeing another side to the Daring Do mythos.

Old Friends by RBDash47 (PR 16)
Other
Sad/Slice of Life; 2K words; Mar 2014; Everyone
I'm a big fan of "restrained emotion" done well, and that's exactly what this is. It's too short even to qualify for EqD submission, but who cares? There's really no reason not to spare a few minutes of your time for this.

Oh, and about the comic...

...yes, there will be a review of the Applejack/Rarity Friends Forever. I have no idea when, but it'll certainly be before the next comic comes out. For now, suffice it to say that I really enjoyed it.

Well, there's some nice news to come back to!

I had a wonderful time at this year's BUCK, and there will naturally be more to come on that in the nearish future. But I returned to find something that rather took me by (pleasant) surprise: my entry for the Equestria Daily Outside Insight contest, the songbird fic I called "We Who with Songs Beguile", has made the final! I really didn't expect that: 23 stories did out of the 109 that were entered, and mine was one of them. I'm still processing this.

Also, I got a review from InquisitorM, which I understand is something feared throughout the land. And... it wasn't all that bad, really. A 6/10 and an "it's just so bloody readable" from this guy is quite hard won, as I understand it. (He knocked off some marks because he "generally like[s] more meat on the bones", which is fair enough.) This may never happen again, so I'm going to revel in it. *revels in it* You see? :P

Ponyfic Roundup 20

Well, whaddaya know? This is my 300th post for Louder Yay. A huge thank you to everyone who's read, commented, suggested, complained and otherwise contributed. You're pretty awesome.

Another plug before I get going, to another blog that mentioned this one. That's One Man's Pony Ramblings, written by the mononymic Chris – the author of "To Make a Spark" (recommended in PR 3). Chris has been terrifyingly prolific in his reviews: writing detailed comments on every six-star fic from EqD's old days is just a fraction of his total output. Anyway, back to my much shorter reviews, and I'm happy to say there's another absolute star this week.

Pick of the fics

In the Place the Wild Horses Sleep by Lucky Dreams
OCs, Luna and Mane Six
Adventure/Human; 3K words; Jul 2014; Everyone
Written for the "Most Dangerous Game" contest, in which authors had to take a horribly overused fandom trope – Human in Equestria, for example – and make it work. Lucky Dreams nailed it with a wonderful (and indeed wondrous) children's story, something this fandom really ought to have more of. This is not a flawless fic – the coloured text annoyed me and the middle section isn't quite as tight as the start and end – so why I am I giving it full marks? Quite simply, because I just plain loved it. It has atmosphere, warmth and heart to spare. I grew up with Puffin books of short stories; it's the highest compliment I can think of to say that this story reads as though it came from one of those. Never mind the MDG contest, this stands on its own merits as a modern ponyfic classic. 10/10

Other stories

I Wish I Had Met You Yesterday by 8686 [sic]
Daring Do, Twilight and OCs
Sad; 22K words; Feb 2014; Everyone
In some weeks, this would have walked Pick. It's a fascinating and touching tale about the pony who makes Daring Do's public appearances. ("Daring Don't" appeared while the fic was being written, but 8686 doesn't stutter in that regard.) It should probably have a Rainbow Dash character tag, too. The Sad tag is fair enough, but don't be afraid of this: it's not unremittingly bleak by any means. There is a bit of shipping (between OCs) if that bothers you. A good example of how tell-y stories can work. 9/10

Seashell by Winston (known as 'wdeleon' at time of review)
OCs, Rainbow Dash and Twilight
Romance/Slice of Life; 22K words; May 2014; Teen
Extracts from the diary of a military stallion from the nearish future, who (at first) is posted to a distant spot. Sounds dull? It's not. Some fantastic worldbuilding is allied to a nicely restrained storytelling style. A devastating war haunts the past of most characters, though we don't find out what happened to some of them. Some interesting symbolism as well. Would have benefited from more proofreading in the last few chapters, though. 8.5/10

View by ThunderChaserCreate
Mane Six and Spike
Sad/Dark; 2K words; Feb 2014; Everyone
The description for this short is simply "A creature watches the daily goings on of Ponyville from a small hole far above." The mystery, of course, is who or what it is. Since I can't give that away, I'll simply say that the story has a rather odd atmosphere and that it's probably not a tale you'll read again once you've worked out the mystery. That said, what is there is quite original. Feature-recced by Twilight's Library; I didn't like it that much, but it was still quite solid. 7/10

Winter of our Hatred by Joural
OCs
Dark; 1K words; Jan 2013; Everyone
More or less, the creation myth of the Windigos. (Or are they Windigoes? Argh.) This is simultaneously fascinating and frustrating: it would make a wonderful prologue to a really beefy Windigo-focused story, but as it stands, it feels a little lacking. The prose shades to purple at times, but that's not a huge problem with mythology. I still have mixed feelings about "foalishness", though. 6.5/10

Book review: Rarity and the Curious Case of Charity (G. M. Berrow)

"This woman's writing is like a pony's walking on her hind legs: awesome"

It's been much too long since I've reviewed one of G. M. Berrow's My Little Pony chapter books – and as she's a VIP at BUCK this year, it's about time I did something about that. So, here we go with the fourth in the series, starring everyone's favourite drama queen and fashionista extraordinaire, Rarity. The cover design is pretty much in the mould of the others in the series: rainbow, stock vector, metallic bit, blah blah blah. Let's see what's inside!