Episode review: S5E18: "Crusaders of the Lost Mark"

The cutie marks we wondered if we would ever see

Apologies for the lateness of this review, but trying to post about an episode from my phone in the middle of a convention would not have been a great idea. Especially this episode. It was an excellent con anyway, but this was the icing on the cake. I know there are those (including a significant number in the fanfic community) who were underwhelmed. Well, sorry, guys, but I'm not going to join you for this one. I'll go with my fellow con-goers, who were overwhelmingly thrilled. An emotional rather than a rational response? Absolutely, and proud of it!

As you will have realised by now, this review isn't quite following the usual pattern. There seems no point in avoiding spoilers four days on, hence my choice of opening screenshot. Still, I'd better use a break anyway to keep things reasonably tidy – so follow me past it to see me gush embarrassingly about how much I loved this, Amy Keating Rogers' penultimate My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episode – which went out five years to the day after the very first ep of FiM did.

Back from UK PonyCon!

I loved it, too. Absolutely loved it. This is my fourth MLP convention (two BUCKs and two of these) and this, I think, was my favourite of the lot. I'll do a report post here in due course, but I'm too tired at the moment. There'll also be an episode review, of course – unsurprisingly, it was quite a topic of conversation on the Sunday of the con! Comic reviews will have to wait their turn, but they'll be here eventually. However, there will not be a Ponyfic Roundup this Wednesday, as I've had very little spare time to read. PR will return on the 21st, all being well.

And I'm off to UK PonyCon!

Later this morning, I'll be setting off for the wilds of Leicestershire. I have to leave early because the 40 miles from Birmingham to Leicester will take me nearly an hour, which is ridiculous. What is this, CrossCountry Trains, 1850? The other legs will be much faster, but I also need to stop off at Birmingham New Street to have something to eat. As you can tell, my con break is getting off to a truly fascinating start. :D

And yes, I have a Travel Fluttershy with me. (Okay, it's a blind bag figure, but that sounds less interesting.)

Ponyfic Roundup 77: Pre-Convention Edition

As those who are bored enough to read my Fimfiction blog may already know, We Who with Songs Beguile was reviewed by Titanium Dragon yesterday. He wasn't desperately impressed, and since he was reading it from the Royal Guard queue, that's one other thing I no longer need worry about. A rather more public rejection than last time, I suppose. Still, I'm well aware of how prestigious the "Not Recommended by Titanium Dragon Club" is, so I shall revel in my new-found membership thereof! :P

Anyway, with UK PonyCon bearing down on me like a beary-downy thing, I'm not sure whether there'll even be a Ponyfic Roundup next Wednesday. However, there certainly is one this Wednesday, so here goes.

Silence by Eskerata
To Be A Mule by archonix
The Beginning of Scootaloo by Stasiarose
Home by RBDash47
Pink Royal Blood by Ponyess

UK PonyCon tickets are SOLD OUT

For what the organisers say is the first time in the convention's 12-year existence, UK PonyCon has completely sold out. Usually, they sell tickets on the door – but not this year. Unfortunately, if you don't have a ticket already, you won't be able to attend. If you're in the area, by all means drop into The Last Plantagenet (the Wetherspoons pub just down the road) and say hello anyway, as it'll be full of pony people at lunchtime, but I do understand that it won't be at all the same.

I don't know what the venue's capacity is, but we (just about) fitted 350+ people in last year, and I know that there's more space available this time. I'd guess that a sell-out means at least 500 people, therefore. That would make this by far the largest UK PonyCon ever, and (because of the BUCK hiatus) also the biggest MLP event in Britain during 2015. If you are going, I'll see you next weekend!

Episode review: S5E17: "Brotherhooves Social"

"Do you know the way to Amareillo?"

It looks as though a fourth Equestria Girls film is on its way. Hardly surprising, since we know the pony movie is scheduled for 2017, meaning there's a film-shaped gap in 2016. Well, there was. Personally, I thought the third film was weaker than Rainbow Rocks, so I hope this one can pick up the pace again.

Anyway, back to the main series. This week we have "Brotherhooves Social", an episode written by Dave Polsky, who last graced the Pony screens with the distinctly moderate "Appleoosa's Most Wanted". After the break, we'll see how he did.

Con-related slowdown approaching

It's now only just over a week until UK PonyCon 2015. I'll be away from Friday morning to Monday teatime, and will only have internet access via my phone for the duration, so this blog probably won't be updated during the convention. The review of that Saturday's episode will therefore be delayed a few days. As I need to get things ready, I won't be doing much between now and then, either – although there will be a Ponyfic Roundup of some sort on Wednesday. Naturally, after I've got home, I'll do a con report, though probably not straight away.