AstralTide

Just a heads up that I and one of my roommates came down with the stomach flu after and at the con respectively. The good news is that if you don't have it yet, you probably won't get it, but if you do here's a link to some of the ways to deal with it: http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/best-remedies-stomach-flu

Here's my first attempt at drawing Astral Tide (and my first attempt at pony art period ). The quality of the camera I used is suspect, but I should have a better copy up soon.

Good first con, I'll probably be back next year. The number of weirdo fans (i.e. the ones that creep out and/or the normal fans) was not insignificant, but they only made up a small percentage of the attendees. The panels were good, and I gotta give props to Nicole Oliver for her classiness in bringing all the kids up to the front. Artist's Alley felt cramped, as did the vendor room (albeit to a lesser extent). I expect this problem to be exacerbated in future years as the popularity of the convention increases. As a con overall, I'd give BABS a solid B, and as a first con it gets an A-. Suggestions for next year: Expect about triple the attendees next year and use the space to accommodate. Preparation for some of the events was lacking, wherein several which were slated to start at a specific time instead started ten to thirty minutes late. This means more volunteers, which means more volunteer perks to draw them in. While certainly not the main focus of the convention, I felt the tabletop and video game rooms were lacking in organization and content. I'd either just make it an unsupervised public space or bring on a couple more people to handle it. My suggestions are not indicative of my overall experience, as I did have quite a bit of fun at the convention and recommend it to anyone who is considering attending next year. The statements above are simply those aspects which I felt could use improvement to make next year even better. Thanks for all the effort to bring this con to fruition.

Hey all, new to the forums. I'm working on my OC (from which I derive my forum name) and wanted some feedback and advice. It's pretty barebones, but here goes: Astral Tide is either a unicorn or an alicorn (I haven't decided yet; I'd prefer alicorn but I also don't want the character to be obnoxious or cheesy) who wanders the world to study magic in all its forms. He never stays in one place for too long, always moving on before overstaying his welcome. He's never met the Mane 6, though he's certainly heard of them. Once a student in Canterlot, he chafed at the organized structure of unicorn school and instead struck out on his own. Before I decided on a name, he looked like this (via generalzoi's Pony Creator): I didn't feel the color scheme matched his name, however, so I changed the colors to this: The new colors are still a work in progress. Finally, I haven't decided on a cutie mark, though I'd like it to be an amalgamation of stars and waves or a galaxy and waves, or something along those lines. Thoughts? And thank you in advance for the feedback.

Thanks all for the welcomes. Just an FYI to anyone who cares, I won't be posting for a while after the 25th, as I will be out of the country with no internet access for two months. I don't like being that pony who joins a forum only to make one post and never be heard from again, hence the heads up.

If anyone wants a fancy, old-fashioned restaurant at which to eat, look up Iron Gate in Belmont. They're about 15-20 minutes away from the convention, and they serve French cuisine (flambé, soufflé, etc), though it can be pricey. Lunch runs around $25 per person, and dinner can be $40-$100 per person. An example of their food: Took my father there for his birthday, we ordered: pre-dinner cocktails Caesar salad (prepared tableside) Abalone almondine Chateaubriand (sautéed tableside) - this serves 2-4 people Grand Marnier soufflé coffee Tab was $200. We went there for Father's Day as well, and we had: Caesar salad Veal saltimboca Steak Diane Tab was $100.

Hi, just joined these forums. Quick background, I'm a tabletop RPG veteran of 17 years. I was sold on FiM the moment they threw a FREAKING MANTICORE in the second episode and have been an avid watcher of the series, even drawing several friends and children of friends into the fandom. I'm currently working on an OC who serves as the source of my forum name: Astral Tide. I haven't decided if he is a regular unicorn or (groans incoming, i know) an alicorn, nor have I figured out his cutie mark yet, but he's a young, wizardly type who wanders the world studying magic in all its forms. Before I named him, he had a green hide and orange mane, but those colors don't exactly fit his new name, so I have to figure something else out. If anyone can suggest a thread in which I can get feedback on my character it would be appreciated. Beyond that, hello all once again, and I look forward to the days ahead on this forum.