Been stewing on this over the past couple of days, but I've been trying to think of why this year's /mlp/con didn't quite feel as magical as years' past. It's not due to any one person or something obviously, but I wonder if people have similar thoughts.

I think part of the whole appeal of the con (besides poni) is it being a 4chan con, where you have panels that could only be on the board, whether big and fantastical or absolute shitshows or sometimes both. However, there seemed to be a lack of zany, off-the-wall, or simply outside-the-box panels like there used to be.
>Tulpa Panel, SermonAnon, Xx_SuperPonysplosionHidingInsideOfOurHousesSu33MyBigBlackNiggaDick_xX
>/mlk/ - My Little Firearms, , Plushfags Show & Tail, first Antithology
>vul's music production mega panel, XCCHI BLASTS MARE MUSIC, Sucking Dick for Charity
>Council of the Round Bale, numget birthday party, HLVRAIMLP
>Waifu Keyboards, Analyzing Cringe: The "I'm on a Yacht" Music Video, Dinner With Anon
I didn't even mention the interview shitstorms and draw panels that are usually a riot as well, but even panels like Painting with Lyric and the Game Jams/Slam Jams seem uniquely board-centric. There were some standout panels this year as well, but perhaps people settling into a rut of making panels that could be at any other convention could be one of the reasons.

Additionally, it seems that Purp has become the board's resident funnyman, and rather than anons making their own panels/art/etc, everyone's just waiting to see what Purp comes up with. Peoples' reliance on him to do everything (create panels, recruit artists, coordinate things, etc etc) could disincentivize anons from doing things themselves and encourage complacency. Now this is not to say anything against him either, I'm glad he exists and is such a driving force behind things, but the whole production can't be all him either (not to mention I can't imagine the stress he'd be under to deliver, the con's supposed to be a fun thing to contribute to believe it or not).

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