A small update

While I still do not have a properly working PC setup and do not expect to do so for a while yet, things have improved somewhat from where they were a few days ago. I've unearthed a very old but largely useable computer.¹ I had to find a VGA cable as its graphics setup is ancient and doesn't support HDMI etc, but that's now done and it boots to desktop.

¹ It's a Core 2 Duo E6750 with a mighty two gigs of memory and an 8600GT card...

It's running an old version of Linux Mint (17) and given both that and the ludicrous resource hoggery of modern browsers it's going to have to be an offline machine. However,  this means I have access to a proper keyboard, mouse and word processor. Yay! This in turn means I can start typing up my UK PonyCon report.

The plan is to write on this PC, then transfer the finished document to the phone via USB and upload from there to here. The reports will necessarily be a tad basic in appearance this year, and I'm not sure how well I'll be able to integrate photos, but it's something. I hope to have the first post up in a few days.

Ponyfic Roundup posts and other text-centric stuff should also be reasonably straightforward. More multimedia-y things like My Little Repeats may have to wait slightly longer, especially as the old PC's DVD drive doesn't seem to be functioning properly. But still, it's something!

Ponyfic Roundup 510

Read it Later story count: 95 (+1)

Words read this week: 6,000

It's a very light week this week, since UK PonyCon intervened. I had a superb time there, about which you will be able to read at probably rather tedious length in due course.¹ Today, though, it's the next edition of the Thousand Words Contest III winners review pile, featuring the Comedy and Experimental stories that won Pewter Medals. There are six of these, listed below.

¹ My PC has suddenly died on me, so it may be a slightly longer wait this year, but I'll get there!

Cult of Personality by Cold in Gardez
Shoot for the Stars by SnowShine
The Thing About Chess by Odd_Sarge
Luna Luna Luna Luna by Botched Lobotomy
Cloaked Fate by Lunaria
Hierarchy of Needs by AugieDog

★: 0 | ★★: 2 | ★★★: 3 | ★★★★: 1 | ★★★★★: 0
Note: I use a skewed rating system. A fic I enjoy an average amount scores two stars.

Ponyfic Roundup 509

Read it Later story count: 94 (-1)

Words read this week: 27,684

As you read this, I'll be just about to set out to UK PonyCon. It's the convention's 20th birthday, and I'm hoping it'll be great this year! Naturally, I will report back afterwards. But let's get to the fics. It's back to non-contest fics for this week, and there are the usual five stories. Four of them had been on my RiL list for a while, whereas one (The Additional Alicorn Affair) was picked at random – within the bounds of a couple of parameters, such as being complete and not too long – from Fimfiction's search results. Here are the five:

One Sprout, Many Buds by Whinifree
"For I Am A Jelly God" by Posh
The Additional Alicorn Affair by PonyFate
Butter Up by GaPJaxie
The Darkest Day by Summer Knight

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

UK PonyCon: It's a sell-out! (Actually!)

A day or two ago I noted that Adult Weekend tickets for UK PonyCon had sold out. Well, now the single-day Saturday and Sunday tickets are gone as well! That means the convention is a complete sell-out. What a fantastic achievement. The biggest UKPC in history and demand has been so high that there are literally no tickets left. The longest running MLP con in the world is marking its 20th birthday in style!

Ponyfic Roundup delayed until Friday morning

Nothing too terrible going on, just a case of my convention preparations taking up a little more time than I'd guessed they would. Since I don't want to rush getting the reviews finished, I think it's fairer to all concerned (and to me :P ) if I move PR back a couple of days. PR 509 will appear on Friday 4th October. Since the following week is a very light one anyway, I'll keep that scheduled for Wednesday 9th.

UK PonyCon: It's a sell-out! (Well, nearly)

In spite of the venue for UK PonyCon having an increased capacity this year, weekend and sponsor tickets have completely sold out! There are still some one-day passes left, so you could still attend the whole thing by buying a Saturday ticket and a Sunday one, but that's more expensive than a weekend badge.

Despite what you may read elsewhere, this is not the first time UKPC has sold out, not even in its current Nottingham home. The convention sold out entirely in 2018 – the first year it took place in the city – and thanks to archive.org you can see the proof on UKPC's own website from September of that year.

That said, I think that the greater ticket availability this year means that selling out in 2024 is a bigger achievement than it was in 2018. All the more so since we're now a full five years from the ending of Friendship is Magic, the show that brought such expansion to the My Little Pony fandom. Congratulations to all concerned!

Maybe Nottingham isn't cursed after all!

The tram strike has been called off! Apparently an agreement was reached. I don't know the details and won't be commenting on the politics on a blog like this anyway. But it's a major relief.

I'm still not entirely enthralled by the thought of attending next year if the con is in Nottingham at Goose Fair time again, but for this year things are very definitely looking up. :)