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Global Rules
A blog by SCS
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Dark Qiviut's Columns
A blog by Dark Qiviut
Latest Entry
Two days ago, Sega released Sonic Mania digitally for the Switch, PS4, and XBox1. (The PC version's delayed till 8/29). But the manual's already posted.
The focus is on Page 3 below:
Focus on the Motobug at the far right underneath Heavy Rider.
The Sonic Mania Team (consisted of The Taxman, Stealth, and many others, many of them former Sonic fangame hackers from Sonic Retro) named him Jimmy and gave him identical move sets in honor of Polygon Jim, a Sonic fangame hacker who passed away in 2013. Jimmy was most known for creating a fan-hack of Motobug in Sonic 1.
It might be my all-time favorite Easter Egg in any Sonic game. Excellent tribute, guys! ^^
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My art
A blog by Rebellious
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Bloggy Blog Blog!
A blog by Celestial Flight
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Alright, so I've been thinking about this for a while, but there really is only one reason I came back on here, and that was to roleplay. but the number of members on here has dwindled drastically since I was on here last (late 2013/early 2014) and a lot of my roleplay ads get ignored. Not just that, but the roleplays I am/have been in, usually end up not lasting very long or just going stale. I'm also starting to feel not very welcome here, so I am thinking it may be for the best that I kind of take a lurker status hiatus, where I am simply on here to respond to pms with people who can only contact me on here and possibly respond to a game or two, but other than that, I won't be doing much. Besides, it's not like anyone here would really miss my presence anyway...
Sincerely,
A. Freak
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Widder's Wider Wanderings
A blog by Widdershins
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So, on my excursion out of the house today, I felt some shopping was necessitated to ease recent stress. So, I went out to buy some new Yugioh cards, and good thing I did because it gave me some... just beautiful comedic material for you lovelies! Firstly I feel its important to post the whole card so that you all know, even those of you even less in the know of this Trading Card Game then I (and yes... I am pouring an awful lot of money into a game I don't understand how to play, Hey, I'm a shopaholic, so sue me!), that these are indeed... actual, genuine products & ideas somebody came up with and put on a physical item. Especially this first one here! Starting off strong I am!
Yes, yes this is pretty much the Ditzy-Doo of this franchise. Note, if you will, the three faces behind him of just...equally just, bags of garbage "evil" scientists that have preceded him in the world of these cards. His expression just sells it all the better! "C'mon! What do ya want from meh? Ah'm doin' the best I can with only one arm!" *Tooooooot!* That's going to be my headcannon for him. Those head whistles just go off randomly, like in the middle of an important presentation or while he's sleeping & he's just gotten so used to them that he won't know what your talking about if you point them out.
And, if you're not aware by now, the Yugioh company does love its puns.
PUPPY!!!
I know its probably computor made, but that is still gorgeous art! Super adorable & super intimidating at the same time! I'm surprised this isn't more of a thing! And speaking of taurs on cards, go look up the Leotaur while we're at it! Just a beautiful plume of a golden mane on him! (I got me a picture limit here, I can't throw 'em all up at once!) ...and speaking of beautiful fellows...
OH, MAH, COD, BECKY! Look! At those ears! They're. Just. So big n' bouncy!
It's enough to make even me jealous, and I'm sure you all know how my ear-preening I do on my own time! Crimeinitly! I could get lost on those ears for days!
And if there's another thing about me you haven't caught onto yet, Yeah, I am quite the furry too!
Animals are important to me, you know? That's one of the reasons I was in there in the first place, to find me some good cards to build me a Beast deck, and I did succeed after all.
I can just see him now. You ask him an incredibly important question, like the meaning or life, or if he wants din-din.
He pauses... contemplates sagely for a full minute's pause while tapping his chin... "Hmmmm... .... WARF!?"
I did also manage to find two of the seemingly famous Rescue Cat that is also super adorable along with its hardhatted comrades-in-fluffy-paws, the Rescue Rabbit & Rescue Hamster. Though, really, I don't know about that team's effectiveness. I would think that most cat owners would reluctantly agree that bounding to you in times of strife isn't exactly what their chosen pets are known for. But, well, a good team knows how to pick their battles and be the most efficient they can be! And so... please... gird yourselfs. For super-adorablitity... Seriously, you might hemorrhage a few organs out here... I warned you...
I'd kill for that ferret.
But, onto a different kind of cute! I'm sure some of you in the franchise likely know her by her fan art (No! Not "Dark Magician Girl!" Sheesh! Who prefers blonds anyway?) Here is!:
I shall name her "Josie, the Pussycat!"
There's just something about her that gives me this mental image of her saying: "After this super awesome drum solo, I'm gonna do this cute little dance where I stick out my tushie!!! BFFS!"
...maybe I watch too much anime too, but... Huh, a redhead that doesn't almost completely terrify me & cause me deep concern for the well-being of anyone around her. Why do all the redheads have to be Tsunderes, am I right?
But! Another thing I was in there was to find some way of playing the water attribute without playing a bunch of scary fishies. Fish are more food than friends in my honest opinion, and I'd prefer my chosen diet to not be seen consistently with three-foot teeth & head-mounted lazer cannons. Do think I reached a good compromise though! While I don't have enough yet, the Ice Barrier tribe seem to be truly formidible up in my own style!
And so too to go with it, think I found me an amazingly good mechanical companion to go with him! Because Imma Icy Bugger!
I don't know if you can tell...
But there seems to be a very small gremlin of some sort behind the control panel... one who's cheeky grin seems to match the output of snowmen. As I've learned from a certain Doctor Who episode, if I was to have my own endless army of minions I would certainly pick snowmen!
By now, I feel certain you may have come to yet another conclusion about me. One I'm beginning to pick up on myself. See, if I'm to have my minions charging into my duels for me and repeatedly dying for my cause, even if its only theoretically metaphorically, I want them to be redeemable. Not some super-trumped up, misshapen, wormy demon or fiend that clearly is enjoying being used to hurt others. Sure, you know I have several dragon decks, a real good stone golem deck built for defense, but I like putting on the indomitable front to put off a siege. No, I like my army to know its all in good fun. Be it the Ghostricks who run on teasing your opponent into playing by your/their rules & aggravating them into a long game or the style & graceful elegance of the Melodius Divas & Performapals who are just simply there to put on a good performance & dazzling display whether or not the audience is willing to cut them any slack and let us win, its about having fun regardless the outcome! I want them to vicious in ability and fully capable of dishing out the hurt if it comes to it, but still more than capable of being both my & your friends! I want 'em cute!
...then again, nagas & hydras and giant venomous snakes also slip into my consideration of "cute", so, didn't say I was completely infallible in that category!
And don't get me wrong. I understand dabbling in the dark arts and weilding souleaters but... I like how the Amorphages theme but... just knowing those pictures exist is going to give me some vicious nightmares some day... I'd much rather not have my cards seek revenge on me & eat me alive in the off-chance that ever does happen!
...Wait... is having a catgirl eat you alive any less terrifying than the giant tentacle demons doing it?
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Latest Entry
[Spoilers]
Hello and welcome to Edgelord Academy™ where we talk about condiluted backstories, overly emotional ideals, psychotic behaviors, and sibling rivalries. Today's topic: self-inflicting injuries. If you're reading this, it probably means you've been accepted into Edgelord Academy™ by means of mistake or tampering. We only have one rule on our establishment: To type in blood red to express our innermost emotion. Without further ado, strap on your headphones and prepare to blare TDG or anything Linkin Park for maximum p l e a s u r e.
As I mentioned above, today we're talking about the Queen of ALL EDGE. The one, the only, Tempest Caramel Chip Cherry Pie Shadow. Y'know, that one mare with the broken horn. Because bones don't regrow on your face, apparently.
I have a bone (ha) to pick with the people who write these backstories. While I don't really know what to expect from a well-developed backstory, something about Tempest's and Starlight's backstories prove to be really underwhelming motivation. Cutie marks take Starlight's friends, ok? What did you do for the rest of your life? Tempest breaks her face and her dreams of going to be a princess are spoiled, ok? While that's certainly a more realistic motivation when compared to Starlight Glimmer's evil plot, someone would figure she'd get over the fact her face is broken.
For those who haven't read the book and don't mind spoilers for something that won't be explained in the movie (at least, I doubt in detail), let me explain why Tempest has temper.
A long time ago, Tempest Shadow fell and broke her face while fighting a bear.
Simple enough? The book explains they live somewhere in a village within the plains beneath Canterlot (so, around Ponyville), but my question is, didn't they have a hospital or someone who was proficient in medicine at the time? Couldn't Tempest have collected her broken horn AFTER it fell off and brought it to someone who could've fixed it? IT'S BONE; BONE GROWS BACK. While full regeneration isn't possible, I'm certain they could've bandaged it back together and let it heal after a good few months. Of course, that'd defeat the purpose of a villain, so she's gotta go venture to the desert for some odd reason and strike deals with the Storm King who, in the trailer, does not look very menacing.
I managed to blow through the book in a good 40 minutes or so. It's an interesting story and it's nice to get a more complete version of a character we have yet to be introduced to. (I wish I could've read the comics instead. . .) However, the book itself seemed a bit incomplete. If you plan on reading the MLP Movie Prequel novel, read it an hour before you go to see the movie. At least then it'd make more sense and feel like a sound timeline. Seriously, the book ends the second the movie begins. It was an enjoyable read, but it seemed very empathetic and monotone throughout. It was nice to see Tempest explore some of the lower regions of Equestria and the book even introduced some new cities and towns never seen before. Other than that, I read it merely because Barnes and Nobles had it and I was interested in seeing more from the movie. I doubt the book is necessary to understand the villain. If it is, I'll let you know whenever the movie comes around.
Short story even shorter, Tempest Shadow wants to be Celestia's student and become an alicorn but breaks her face and is forced to travel Equestria because she doesn't want to be embarrassed about her disability. She's also got some kind of PTSD? But it's more of an allergy to whenever somepony asks about her face (which only happens twice in the book). All you have to say is, "It broke in an accident", and no one would bother you again. Jeez, gotta make everything so dramatic, Tempest.
If you want to read this book, try reading the comics instead (assuming they tell the same story).
-Rebus
I'm streaming a marathon of Ponies the Anthology on my rabb.it room on AUGUST 18th, 2017 at 6PM Cent, 7PM East. It's a Friday evening, so try to make it! As all Anthology movies, there's a bit of profanity that won't be censored; don't go if you're offended by f-bombs or whatever Anthology Team presents.
https://www.rabb.it/Visualboy011
Either way, thanks for reading and I'll be back with more eekwestreea grills tomorrow or the following afternoon.
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Dowlphin's Blog
A blog by Dowlphin
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First, the theme of the episode seemed excessive in the execution. But it's not exactly rare that the writers do that and go all the way, like here with what amounts to mass insanity, making one wonder why the mane 6's popularity never seemed to have been received like this before the book publishing.
Second, the episode obviously conveys the point that if you adress the masses, better not let them know you too well and let you not know them too well. It's not desirable and not good, but sometimes the world can be tough as nails. But these situations are exactly where one has to decide to make an effort, to not just swim with the current, because the water stinks. Identify what is your sphere of responsibility and what is others and then avoid overextending. Going out of your way is commendable, but responses to that should be taken as indicators of whether it is appreciated.
Which leads me to the third point: This episode could almost be seen as a critique of the MLP fandom (but also of society and fandoms in general). And it is also how I feel about it sometimes. People have all kinds of reasons for liking the show, but the probably most valuable and most-needed part is often not really taken to heart. Or mind, if you will. Actually making an effort to make the spirit of Equestria come to life not just in easy but especially also in testing times, through honing character, I often felt that missing, including after my observations and experiences at conventions. In spiritual lingo one would say "bliss junkies".
The eventual song number took me a minute to thaw to because it was so bluntly thrown against the problem, and I could predict the (non)reaction to it (At one point I cynically thought that after it the rabble would probably ask for free concert tickets.), but it was a really nice, uplifting piece whose lyrics at times also felt to me like adressing the fandom. Felt a bit like a celebratory review to a last season actually, like a looking back at a long journey. Which made it even more touching. They also contained some headscratchers though. Do they really like what's flawed about people or do they have an easy time overlooking it when willingness to work on oneself is there? And Dashie's cocky confidence gives her the courage to fail? I thought she always had that and it was to not-quite cover up her fear of failure. (Little gem from me here: Failure is that which is at war with failure.)
Very nice conclusion: Just accept that you cannot adress the masses with high virtue material and expect it to be integrated. Unsurprisingly then it was foals who were still open to it, and those who are are the ones deserving to receive your attention and energy.
The episode is also art in that it offers people an empathic experience regarding the type of fans aimed at. Watching that mass insanity is painful, and you might go: "What warranted this suddenly?". That's how it makes the writers feel. When the mane 6 sing their beautifully uplifting song and then right after it - BAM - NOTHING received, that moment really sucked, right? You go: "This is becoming horribly cynical if not even an episode's highlight can solve the problem anymore". That is how it makes the writers feel. Over 20 minutes you are having their experience, so that you hopefully understand them and recognize the value of what's important about the show.
And the end was conveying the lesson of how to avoid overextending. Did you notice Applejack was first in mentioning they need to deal with the problem at hand, and Twilight said she should stay in the friendship moment? Applejack sang in the song that she has a tendency of wanting to please everypony. The mane 6 there had to focus on their close friendship to recharge their spiritual batteries for a bit in the face of overwhelming hostility.
I myself certainly had and still have to learn in a painful way that it is alright to give up hope on some people or to lose respect. It is a bow of appreciation to the good things in you that said people do not appreciate. They can eventually pick up the bread crumbs if they're lucky. They would just choke on more than that. Going all missionary on them would only feed the insatiable and signal that they have power over you, which is what the whole madness is based on. Sometimes it is wiser to let people stew in their own juice.
P.S.: At this point I thought: Oh yeah, Dashie, REALLY skillful attempt at a disguise, especially for you.
P.P.S. (Pinkie Pie scriptum):
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MethODDical Monologue
A blog by Tech Reel
Latest Entry
Time to watch a cartoon talk about books instead of actually reading a book! XD
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*ahem* well this is a developer episode isn't it:
Mane 6 = creators and developers of the show
Fan ponies = the Brony fandom
2 fillies = those that learned and the intended 7 year old audience.
Hints that led to this discovery:
Exhibit A- a pony yells, "are Pinkie Pie and AppleJack related or what"
Exhibit B- Twilight says "I didn't realize our friendship lessons could lead to anti-friendship"
Exhibit C- two fillies are young and learned something plus no fangasms.
Anyways here is some explanations,
So to begin I do not think this is a way to tell the fandom that the creators are annoyed or want to go back to their intended audience or anything, but it is a lesson for us all. The mane 6 try to make themselves more public with their lessons and it backfires completely...how so, fans form for the characters themselves and not the lesson kind of the way we do with our Mane 6 Fanclubs. There are even the haters of certain mane 6 characters and well the creators are tired of hearing complaining about certain things and then when they try to fix it to the fandom's wants we want them to go back because it failed miserably. If there is something that needs to be learned its that we ask for too much and want to surpass tv-y guidelines when the show can't. Then came the song (or explanation in this case) that once over the fan ponies were still arguing not caring about what the mane 6 (creators) are saying. We see the mane 6 (creators) get extremely stressed out and Twilight (the big boss) is the one to blame. Alright enough with this review...I'm just going to say this...
WE NEED TO CHILL OUT, THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING THEIR HARDEST TO PLEASE US AND WE GET PISSED OFF BECAUSE ITS NOT WHAT WE WANTED, WELL GUESS WHAT, IT'S THERE SHOW THAT WAS ORIGINALLY MEANT FOR 7 YEAR OLDS AND WE TOOK THEM FOR GRANTED, ONLY CARING FOR THE CHARACTERS AND THE STORY OTHER THAN THE LESSONS THE SHOW IS TRYING TO TEACH...LESSONS THAT WE THROW AWAY TO ARGUE ABOUT HOW MUCH THIS EPISODE SUCKED BECAUSE THIS CHARACTER WAS IN IT AND THE PLOT WAS TRASH AND THE CHARACTERS NEED TO CHANGE AND BLAH BLAH BLAH...WE ARE ADULTS AND WE ARE ARGUING ABOUT A CHILDREN'S SHOW LITERALLY A CHILDREN ORIENTED SHOW. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WATCH THE SHOW AND LEARN THE SHOW WOULD'VE ENDED BY NOW AND GEN 4 WOULD BE GONE...THERE WOULD BE NO MOVIE THERE WOULD BE NO MORE MANE 6...
*ahem* *fixes tie and red face goes back to its normal color*
Okay now that I'm done ranting I am going to finish this on a high note,
We need to let the creators do what they do and appreciate what they do for us, we need to stop complaining about Twilight's wings and Starlight and Sunset only there for money purposes...we take everyone for granted and don't appreciate its creation and continuation...I learned a lot from this episode literally a lot...it sucks knowing that the fandom is always at war with itself over the simplest and the dumbest things...we bully each other and lose focus of what we have...I actually enjoyed this episode a lot more than half of the episodes in the show because it was the developers way of telling us to chill out and let them do their job like we do ours as a fandom and keep the show going and making the developers happy to do the show. A lot of shows cancelled themselves and youtubers have quit because they lost the enjoyment of their job...do you really want the show to cancel itself and we never see the likes of MLP ever again...(stretching it)....but come on we all used to love each other and now, now we are in a civil war over every little thing...I loved this episode and hope to see more like it, keep up the good work MLP FIM the I have learned so much from you and appreciate you as a whole, from the creators to the show itself...I guess I should sign off but for once I'm just going to say...see ya next time.
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Straight From The Batcave!!!
A blog by Batbrony
Latest Entry
Afternoon everypony! After a far too long of a hiatus, I am happy to announce that the latest chapter of Batmare Begins, "Flint Meets Steel," is now officially up! If you're a first time reader of it, you can click here to get to the fic itself. A huge thank you to my long time followers for your patience and understanding, and I hope you very much enjoy the chapter! To any new readers, likes, favorites, and follows are always appreciated, and to all of you, as always feel free to leave comments below, especially if you yourselves have any questions, critiques, or suggestions!
Lord willing, the next update will take far less time to put together, but I guess I can't say for certain seeing as real life business tends to always get in the way in some way or another. For now, I hope you enjoy this latest update, and thank you again for your continued interest in my story and characters, it's a huge part of what makes writing this all worth it to begin with. Have a good day everypony, until next time, this is Batbrony signing off! I'm off!!! *cue dramatic exit*
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Geometry Dash
A blog by gamecubeguy214
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I question myself for the voice change too lol, xd
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Thrond Media Pony Corner
A blog by AlexanderThrond
Latest Entry
Alright, we've got one of those meta episodes here, and this one is directly criticizing the fandom, so I'm gonna need to take a step back and try not to take it personally. The show has never gone this far in addressing its viewers before, and while I know there's a lot of people who get overly aggressive with regards to this show, I don't think all of the criticisms presented here are entirely fair. If you're gonna criticize the people who support your product, you should really proceed gently so as not to alienate them, and "careful" doesn't really describe My Little Pony anymore. Instead, we get a strained metaphor which seems vaguely contemptuous of the adult fanbase in general, and doesn't supply a whole lot of sympathy for or even understanding of what it presents as the "other side."
But that's all subtext. The real reason why "Fame and Misfortune" doesn't work is that, like so many other episodes this season, it relies entirely on characters being creepy or irritating for humour, and even though it has the benefit of not making a recurring character unsympathetic, it's just not weird or creative enough for these obnoxious, unpleasant ponies to be anything other than obnoxious and unpleasant. However I might choose to interpret the subtext, I just don't enjoy this sort of humour, and that holds back the episode for me.
When Twilight helps some kids work through a disagreement, she's reminded of her old friendship journal, and decides it might be worthwhile to release it to the masses. The book becomes a hit, and while her friends are initially delighted, they soon find that much of the new attention given to them is less than desirable. Deeply bothered by this development, Twilight frets over how to solve their problem.
There's not much of an arc to "Fame and Misfortune." Once we're confronted with the initial problem - people who read the friendship journal being creepy and aggressive - there's not much story left to tell, and fair portion of the running time is dedicated to just seeing the various ways in which these ponies are being obnoxious. We see them harassing Fluttershy. We see them crowding Rainbow Dash. We see them laughing inappropriately at Pinkie Pie. In the final third of the episode, Twilight starts to wonder if she made a mistake by publishing the journal, but she doesn't really act on that until the very end, when the mane six counters the townsponies' complaints by singing about how they have flaws, like everybody else.
And, to be fair, they have a point. If I compare season 7 to season 5, I find I much prefer the former season's attempt to give the mane six meaningful flaws to the latter's efforts to scrub those flaws away. As someone who's often argued in favour of their flaws in season 6, I should have some appreciation for this moral, but it's just a bit too didactic for me. The way the episode spends most of its time detailing different types of unpleasant fans feels, like many other episodes this season, just a bit too on-the-nose, and as a result I don't have a lot of fun with it.
The thing is, I think I would have had more fun with the episode if it hadn't dedicated so much time to ridiculing this behaviour. I rather enjoyed the early parts, where humour was primarily derived from the personalities of the characters, and any scene where Pinkie Pie just goofs around is as fun as it's always been, but any of those scenes where the mane six are being stalked, or are frustrated that their morals are being criticized, or are otherwise simply reacting to someone else being unpleasant are much less enjoyable, because there the focus is on behaviour which is already clearly meant to come across as unpleasant, so there's not much levity to latch on to.
Initially, I was fairly aggravated by how the episode seemed to regard criticism, but I think that was an overreaction. Taking a step back and applying a bit of context, it becomes clear that scenes such as the one where Fluttershy is being tormented for "learning the same lesson over and over again" have just as much to do with harassment of writers as with general criticism. I know that's something which happens, so I can't blame the crew for wanting to bite back at it. That's also what was probably intended with later scenes where the townsponies crowd Twilight's castle, as is made clear from just one look at how aggressive these ponies are with their complaints, not to mention the fact that they've decided to shout them at the source rather than keep them to themselves and their friends.
But I think the episode focuses too much on specific criticisms. Returning to that Fluttershy scene, for instance, it attempts to argue with a common point that Fluttershy episodes tend to revolve around the same ideas, making it seem like she never develops. It attempts to refute this claim by saying that people won't always be able to internalize a lesson after only learning it once, and while that's fair, it's still true that most of Fluttershy's stories up until season 6 revolved around her being scared, and that the variations between them were often very subtle. Even if the writers don't agree with these criticisms, it's not like they're invalid, and attacking your critics isn't a good look.
What bewilders me more about this scene is that it's an issue which the show has actually made steps to fix, and Fluttershy's characterization in this very episode would not be possible if the show hadn't taken those criticisms to heart. It's Fluttershy who talks back to these harassers, and aside from initially curling up into a ball when we first see her being harassed, she doesn't display the cowardice or shyness which made her episodes feel repetitive in the show's middle seasons. The episode is refuting a criticism which is no longer relevant, and I'd be quite confused to learn that people still make that claim after season 6.
The first sign that the journal might not be received exactly as Twilight intended is when she meets collectors who bought the book simply to preserve it and resell it later when its value increases, and these are the funniest of the episode's collection of weirdos simply because one, they have the most organic dialogue, and two, they're the most unexpected of the lot. You can see why Twilight might be less than pleased with that, but the next ponies she meets are simply criticizing Rarity among themselves because they think she took too much credit for an event, and I think the mane six ought to have expected that. If you're gonna put something even that autobiographical out to the public, it shouldn't be surprising when people make judgments about you from it.
Furthermore, these ponies aren't bothering the mane six with their opinions, so I don't see how that fits the subtext about fans being too aggressive with their responses to the show. Of the surprisingly wide variety of morals offered here, I think this best fits the implied thread that people will always criticize your work and you just need to deal with it, but I don't think the episode puts much emphasis on how the mane six should deal with criticism, and that makes scenes like this feel unbalanced. Similarly, if the episode at large is supposed to be a metaphor for My Little Pony fandom, then I think featuring a few adults who are actually respectful to the mane six would make it feel a bit more fair. The episode initially made me defensive, and while I no longer think that was entirely reasonable, I still think this episode could have done more to feel less mean-spirited towards its own audience.
Another issue is that I don't think the friendship journal works very well as a 1:1 parallel for the show. For one thing, the way the dialogue is written sounds like criticism of a story, whereas the lessons given in that journal are all based on what are (in-universe) real events. When characters are shouting at Fluttershy or Twilight, they don't really sound like they're talking about something presented as an advice book with context from real events, and aside from being rather distracting, that lack of subtlety just isn't very sophisticated. Applejack's issue, which is that ponies have begun trying to join her family, is less conspicuous in this regard, but it's still more disturbing than particularly funny.
Thankfully that song at the end is delightful, and although the musical number relies a bit too much on imagery of the ponies standing in a line in front of a simple background, parts also have a lovely pop-up book motif which makes up for the more dull shots, and the song itself elevates the entire sequence, with a catchy hook and solid, reasonably insightful lyrics about how one needs to take a person't flaws with their virtues. I might need a little more distance from my initial overreaction to really listen to it on its own, but unlike many other songs from the past few seasons, I can easily imagine myself doing that.
When I first started reviewing My Little Pony episodes, I did so because it was something I found fun. I liked looking at this innocent cartoon and analyzing its hidden depths, and this is still something I get a kick out of when there's an episode I really like. But it's not as much fun when I don't find the broader strokes of the episode very entertaining, and while "Fame and Misfortune" has a lot going on, I didn't enjoy watching it a whole lot, and that's not something I'm happy about. I've been very critical of season 7, and it's often just been because I'm not having much fun. The subtext that I used to enjoy picking out is usually pretty explicit nowadays, and that can be fun to critique and analyze in its own way, but it also makes picking through a tedious episode less rewarding. I've tried to be fair to "Fame and Misfortune," but even interpreted in the most charitable light, I just don't find this kind of story especially fun.
Maybe it has a point, though. I've been awfully grumpy about the show lately, and I'm not having as much fun writing about it as I used to.
Maybe I should take a break.
Score:
Entertainment: 3/10
Characters: 6/10
Themes: 5/10
Story: 4/10
Overall: 45/100
That's way higher than I was expecting. See, I keep telling you that overanalyzing this show makes me like it more.You can find more episode reviews at my offsite blog. -
Jonny Music's Blog
A blog by Jonny Music
Latest Entry
The 4th Organ Cover of 6 for Super Mario Galaxy, Gusty Garden Galaxy is here!
I hope you enjoy it!
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Woohoo's Blog
A blog by Woohoo
The night I've been waiting for all year. The night I finally see Metallica live!
This is me. My hair's already messy from Avenged Sevenfold
The band performing the song "Atlas Rise!" from their latest album, Hardwired to Self Destruct. The stage is massive with a giant stylized M and A at each end.
"The Memory Remains", this concert will be a great memory.
Before performing "Moth into Flame," James Hetfield has to make sure his microphone is working, referring to what happened with Lady Gaga at the Grammys.
Light show during "Wherever I May Roam"
Rob Trujillo performing "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" while footage of the late Cliff Burton play in the background.
Spectacular laser lights during "One."
Pyro during "Battery" illuminating the stadium.
James showing his #MetinSeattle guitar pick just before the last song.
Fireworks going off during "Enter Sandman."
Thank you, Metallica!
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Justin_Case001's Stop & Talk
A blog by Justin_Case001
- 21
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comments - 8526
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I have been avoiding all movie spoilers with a meticulous level of dedication. As soon as the first teaser was released, I began avoiding most pony content. I stayed away from the forums for the most part, and I avoided watching anything pony related on youtube except for older things. I was determined to be completely surprised. I didn't want to know anything about the movie. Absolutely nothing. I wanted to walk into the theater completely blind and just be totally surprised. But earlier today, I accidentally saw a thumbnail for a trailer. That was to be expected, since I'm not going to completely avoid the internet. (I mean, without youtube, what would I do all day?) Upon seeing the picture, I was immediately and greatly disturbed. I wouldn't have been bothered by it, because you can't tell anything about the plot from a thumbnail, but it was the animation style that upset me. I had no idea that they were changing the appearance of the characters. I mean, I had heard something about a new animation studio being used, but I just figured that it would improve the quality, not alter the actual character models. I needed to know if this was really how they look in the movie, or if the thumbnail was misleading, so I clicked the trailer, left the sound off, paused it, scrubbed through a bit, and just click a few still frames so I could see what they look like without spoiling the plot. Honestly, I am devastated by this new style. I am shocked and horrified that they would actually change them like this. They don't look right. Not at all. These aren't the characters I know and love. I expected the movie to be upgraded and look fancier. In fact, I wanted that, but I didn't want the basic shapes and models to be altered! I just wanted some fancier lighting and depth. Characters shouldn't be altered this way. Take the Simpsons, for instance. Now, completely disregarding the drop of quality of the content, the show never changed the way the characters looked, not even for the movie, and that was the right call. The movie stepped up the game for lighting and made it look fancier, but the characters were still the same. When you watched the movie, you felt like, "Oh, yeah, this is the Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie that I've always known." But the ponies in this movie trailer look all wrong. I expect franchises to evolve, JUST LIKE MLP DID, but not mid-generation like this. You can't (rather, shouldn't) alter characters that we've come to know and love. These just aren't the same ponies anymore. They're fan art interpretations.
Is this cool?
Yes.
And this?
Again, absolutely.
How about this?
Heh, gotcha! It's Ghostie! (For all you old timers on the forums.)
But seriously, again, it's awesome. But I wouldn't want the actual show to look like any of these, because these are NOT THE ACTUAL CHARACTERS. These are fan art interpretations. And that's what this movie is. Just a big fan-made youtube video. And don't get me wrong, I love fan-made youtube videos. But it's not the real characters.
I am actually very sick over this. Upset enough, in fact, that I don't know if I even want to go anymore. And today I was planning on working on my skirt to finish my EG Rainbow cosplay that I was planning on wearing to the movie. Now I don't even know if I want to see it. This animation style change feels like a complete betrayal, a travesty of MLP. Now, I'm still sane enough and rational enough to admit that the only reason I feel this way is because I'm a sick, sick person. And I don't mean sick as in twisted. I mean sick as in ill. I'm autistic and clinically depressed. (Heh, there you go, anti-bronies. Have some ammo. A fucked up person who couldn't fit into real life was drawn to ponies. Surprise, surprise, huh?) Now, I'm not telling you this to try to get attention, or to brag in some sick way about how screwed up I am. I'm simply stating the facts. I realize that I'm such a sick, sick person who is so miserable that I've placed an extremely unhealthy level of importance on this franchise. I've used FIM as a crutch, sometimes to the point of being the only thing to keep me alive. I built walls of ponies around myself to try to shield myself from the pain of my own existence. When one has no self-worth and no confidence, it becomes horrifying easy to let fictional franchises become a tether that you attach your life to, even when you actively try to prevent that from happening. If you let yourself become dangerously attached as I have, then it can come crumbling down at the drop of hat. Escapism is a house of cards.
I am pathetic, and this is my own pathetic problem. I'm sure that my opinion is an incredibly unpopular one. I just wanted to express it. I am probably the only person who is bothered by this at all. I just have to deal with this, and I don't know how.
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Non-Brony Reviews
A blog by The Second Opinion
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Steve Piranha's Blog
A blog by Steve Piranha
- 40
entries - 56
comments - 2727
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- 40
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Miles' Blog
A blog by Miles
Yesterday, my father and I went to see the Western Illinois Threshers Inc. 50th Annual Show in Hamilton, IL. There were many old tractors, a couple oil pull threshers, some garden tractors, some automobiles, and a few Mack trucks. This website describes it more in depth: http://www.westernillinoisthreshers.org/
Here is an Oil Pull thresher/tractor (being used to turn the belt for a sawmill that is outside of the picture).
CORRECTION: This is an Advance Rumely steam tractor/thresher (being used to turn the belt for a sawmill).* I had been looking at the actual Oil Pulls in the rest of my photos and accidentally typed the incorrect information for this particular tractor in this photo. Anyway, I may as well also add that "thresher" is a name given to tractors that can be used to "thresh" wheat from the hay - "thresh: to separate the grain or seeds from (a cereal plant or the like) by some mechanical means, as by beating with a flail or by the action of a threshing machine."*I have to give thanks to Linctex over on BobIsTheOilGuyForums for pointing out my mistake, as I had posted this same thing over there for my fellow gearhead buddies to see:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4480332#Post4480314
If you want to look at a plethora of pictures of old tractors, download this .zip file I uploaded here:
Threshers_at_Hamilton_IL_8-4-17.zip
Backup link on Dropbox just in case:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uywtb77pdpzzwjw/Threshers at Hamilton IL 8-4-17.zipNote: Both my father and I took photos with our own cameras. I wound up taking more photos, but didn't realize until after the fact that my camera lens was causing some minor distortion (blurriness) on the left 10% of the photo (due to deterioration of the polarized film or something on the lens's glass), but it's barely noticeable and doesn't ruin the photos at all, as the photos are 90% pristine and everything that's needs to be in focus is totally fine. Just a little bit of stuff on the very left of the pictures might be a bit blurry is all. My father's camera didn't have this problem, so his photos are all 100% fine, though he did take less than I did. Anyway, it's not a big deal.
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Pony Think Tank
A blog by Malcontent
Latest Entry
Greetings, this is a general update on the state of Equestrian City!
Episode 2 and 3 are available on both dA and Fimfiction at the moment. ED I haven't heard a thing from yet.
The main Table of Contents for the comic has been updated on the main site and at dA in our supergroup! All links are below!
- Main Table of Contents for the Comic
- Equestrian City Supergroup on DeviantArt
- Equestrian City Episode 2
- Equestrian City Episode 3
- Equestrian City on FimFiction
Thanks for reading!
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Virin's hardest fight
A blog by Dawn Darkness
- 3
entries - 0
comments - 101
views
Recent Entries
Yet another poll. Won't be the last, no. More will come at a later date.
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Vertigo_95's Blog
A blog by Vertigo_95
- 50
entries - 80
comments - 9017
views
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Latest Entry
Well today marks my fourth year here. The first two years were exciting, the last two, not so much. Not only have I become busy from school and other endeavors, I just grew bored of this place mainly because it feels like I get ignored here, which I already get enough of that from my family at home. It's not that I no longer love the show (I still do), but when your sense of escape no longer works, what are you supposed to do? I mean, I've been inactive for awhile already, so maybe I'll keep it that way.
If anyone wants to keep in touch with me, as if anyone actually would, here are some contact information
Twitter: @Vertigo_95
Discord: Vertigo
PSN: Jamthenice1
NNID( WiiU): JRex95
3DS: 0748-3682-3144
Switch: SW-3028-4629-7889
I really convinced myself to stay, but why should I continue if it's not working?
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Rising Shine's Blog
A blog by Deae Rising Shine~
Latest Entry
Content Count: 2296 Posts made, that counted.(+11)
Day's Won: 7 Days having the most brohoofed content.(--)
Last day having most brohoofed content: 30th December 2014
Ammount of Brohoofs: 15.624 Brohoofs received(+97)
Followers: 335 Users following me.(+1)
Forum Rank: Pony
Profile Views: 265.592 times User watched my profile.(+11.808)
Last 6 Visitors:
@tartle-turtle
@Lex Destrosio
@Zachary
@Johnny1226
@Count Werdowp
@BasementSparkle
Ammount of Blogs: 5(+0)
Ammount of Entries in my Blogs: 149 Entries(+4)
Ammount of Comments in my Blogs: 194 Comments(+0)
Ammount of Views in my Blogs: 23.320 Views(+295)
Ammount of Content: 2764 Pages(+5)
Ammount of Status Updates: 246 Pages(+4)
Ammount of Status Replies: 444 Pages(+1)
Topics Posted by Me: 32 Topics(+0)
Posts in "Count to a million" = 58.426(--)
Days Won Counter:
3rd on 7th November 2015 with 34 Brohoofs
2nd on 21st June 2015 with 85 Brohoofs
2nd on 14th June 2015 with 194 Brohoofs
3rd on 31st May 2015 with 67 Brohoofs
2nd on 27th May 2015 with 106 Brohoofs
2nd on 22nd March 2015 with 154 Brohoofs
3rd on 1st February 2015 with 57 Brohoofs
3rd on 31st January 2015 with 68 Brohoofs
3rd on 26th January 2015 with 71 Brohoofs
1st on 30th December 2014 with 128 Brohoofs
3rd on 13th December 2014 with 37 Brohoofs
3rd on 7th December 2014 with 47 Brohoofs
2nd on 6th December 2014 with 35 Brohoofs
2nd on 23rd November 2014 with 48 Brohoofs
1st on 12th October 2014 with 158 Brohoofs
2nd on 4th October 2014 with 78 Brohoofs
2nd on 1st June 2014 with 76 Brohoofs
3rd on 18th May 2014 with 60 Brohoofs
1st on 26th April 2014 with 152 Brohoofs
3rd on 25th April 2014 with 80 Brohoofs
2nd on 21st April 2014 with 94 Brohoofs
2nd on 15th April 2014 with 118 Brohoofs
2nd on 12th April 2014 with 75 Brohoofs
3rd on 9th April 2014 with 75 Brohoofs
3rd on 8th April 2014 with 131 Brohoofs
2nd on 1st April 2014 with 77 Brohoofs
2nd on 31st March 2014 with 114 Brohoofs
2nd on 30th March 2014 with 90 Brohoofs
1st on 29th March 2014 with 96 Brohoofs
1st on 27th March 2014 with 73 Brohoofs
1st on 26th March 2014 with 78 Brohoofs
2nd on 18th March 2014 with 29 Brohoofs
3rd on 17th March 2014 with 28 Brohoofs
1st on 9th March 2014 with 78 Brohoofs
3rd on 28th February 2014 with 27 Brohoofs
3rd on 24th February 2014 with 25 Brohoofs
Ranking most Brohoofs received: 13th(+0)
Fics: 4 completed(+0), 0 uncompleted(-0), 0 Unsubmitted(+0)
PlayStation Trophies: 2.660 Trophies(+13) 23 Platinum(--) 106 Gold(--) 424 Silver(+2) 2.107 Bronze(+11)
Rarest Platinum: War Hero(Killzone 2)(--) 2.43%(-0.02%)
Unrarest Platinum: Valedictorian(Bully)(--) 27.60%(-0.21%)Rarest Gold: Great Dane(Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty HD PS Vita)(--) 2.68%(+0.01%)
Unrarest Gold: Collateral Damage(The Order 1886)(--) 82.10%(-0.13%)Rarest Silver: Shadows Cannot Be Killed(Killzone Shadow Fall)(--) 3.49%(-0.03%)
Unrarest Silver: Bare-knuckle Slugger(Uncharted 2 Among Thieves)(--) 85.69%(-0.03%)Rarest Bronze: St. Bernand(Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty HD PS Vita)(--) 3.29%(-0.00%)
Unrarest Bronze: A Rite of Passage(Table Top Racing: World Tour)(--) 98.56%(+0.03%)Games Played: 75 Games(+1)
Completed Games(100% Trophies): 16 Games(--)
Completion: 58.07%(-0.53%)
Unearned Trophies: 1.718 Trophies(+45)
Trophies per Day: 0.98(-0.01%)
World Rank: 154.508(+2625)
Country Rank(Germany): 12.785(+123)
Hope you enjoyed those useless stats, see ya next month n.n
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Decided to make a blog where I will be posting pictures of my, my little pony collection now my collection is not 100% complete when it comes to some sets, but once I am able to purchase the others I will add them to the blog.
Now the first pictures are off my twinkle eyes which the set is not complete, but working on getting the rest now from left to right they are Gingerbread, Speedy, Mimic, Galaxy, Locket and Whizzer.
Spoiler
Here is 2 more ponies from my collection the first one is the bride pony now there is a small light glare on the bride ponies cutie mark it just would not go away so just posted it with it still looks nice light glare or not and the second one is my one and only sparkle body pony Sky Rocket she is the non mail order.
Spoiler
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Missklang's blog of random stuff
A blog by Missklang
Latest Entry
So, lately, I wasn't much on the forums. A lot actually, but I had been active (well, somewhat) on Deviantart! So I will share some of my artworks I made so far on here ^w^
(criticism is welcomed)
Here is my Deviantart http://missklang.deviantart.com/
So, here we go:
This is a little adopt I made of the Glass Bottle ponies species I bought the rights to draw for x3
Also, first to have the grunge background and my new signature on it ^^
This was a gift for my friend Miolop-moon. A nice reference for an adopt she bought that you can see in the bottom right corner.
Ireeealy like the feather tail x3
¨Persona, the OC of one of my closest friend Neon Beats (Changeling Neon) that she commissioned back a while.
A nice chess piece idea that appeared halfway through the drawing process x3
Starlight. It was a drawing for a contest-winning person on Deviantart
I am really proud of this as I drew it entirely without help of guides.
The last pic is a fanart of mine for an amazing artist GoodAmmi09 (go follow her!) of her OC Phoebe Broken in her new Cat style that she created.
It was too cute to pass the occasion to draw something x3 -
The Wind Chaser
A blog by Wind Chaser
- 41
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comments - 27315
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75 hours
100% of the schedule on Monday
80% of the schedule this week
10 current shows not airing this week
It's no secret that Teen Titans Go! is Cartoon Network's highest rated show. It's also no secret that OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes! is one of their most anticipated new shows. CN has set the premiere of its new series up in the same week as a TTG four-part event, "Night Begins to Shine". However, it's clear that CN is picking winners and losers ahead of time and may be falling into the same managerial traps that consumed Nickelodeon for a few years, despite having a stronger roster of successful animated shows than their rivals. What is the potential damage here?
1. Limiting your entire schedule to one show limits promotional opportunities
OK K.O. comes from a storyboard artist on Steven Universe. Much of the potential fanbase of the show comes from Steven Universe, which skews older than TTG. Placement on the schedule with good lead-in and lead-out programs is almost as important as the timing of the show itself, as seen with examples in American television such as Super Bowl lead-outs.
Google Trends indicates that search interest for Steven Universe is on the whole higher than for Teen Titans Go!. If Cartoon Network is, in any way, concerned with their standing on social media, they would care to look at data such as search interest, social media impressions, etc.
2. Seeing one show dominate the schedule limits interest
Simple logic here. If I see nothing but buildings, I'd probably be safe in assuming there aren't too many trees. Even for those with cable guides, still seeing one show dominate an entire schedule is a good way to defeat interest from people who aren't interested in the one show that's being forced on them.
3. Cartoon Network executives should be in no place to pick winners and losers
The Internet simultaneously competes with traditional TV and facilitates it by hosting discussion and providing promotional opportunities. Audience feedback should be valued over raw numbers: it indicates interest and a willingness to commit, continue watching, and paying into a show over time.
QuoteAudience scores:
Teen Titans Go!: 4.8/10 IMDb, 3.7/10 TV.com, 53% Google
Steven Universe: 4.4/5 Hulu, 8.4/10 IMDb, 8.7/10 TV.com
The Amazing World of Gumball: 8.1/10 IMDb, 4/5 Hulu, 7.8/10 TV.com
Source: Google
Kids' channels are fighting off ratings declines across the board. Appealing to wider demographic reaches is proving to be an increasingly popular tactic to stave off these inevitable declines as seen with Nickelodeon's recent orders of revival movies of classic Nicktoon properties, as Disney XD has in reviving DuckTales as a new series. Likewise, sister channel Adult Swim did the same with Samurai Jack's final season, and on the other end, preschool properties continue to thrive from a merchandising standpoint.
In addition, television networks face far more competition from the Internet by way of not only amateur content on YouTube and other such social media sites, but new digital-native, more nimble outfits like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu (in which parent company Time Warner owns a stake and both CN and AS have a programming deal). The former two use proprietary data mining from users of their explosively popular services to analyze shows to the core, looking for the parts that make up a potential hit, and even to develop different marketing campaigns for the same show to cater to different interests. In these cases, audience quality ratings like those above matter just as much as viewership numbers.
The counterarguments
Animated TV shows are made at a loss, this much most people know. Budgets typically range in the high six-figures per episode with millions of dollars put towards a show per season. Using Teen Titans Go! to fill up the schedule solves this problem twofold: 1) most of the episodes are reruns, and 2) Teen Titans Go! is technically an acquisition from corporate sibling Warner Bros. Animation, technically not a CN original, thus is easier on the budget than Cartoon Network's in-house productions. Merchandise sales numbers are hard to come by if you're not inside the company, so it's hard to speculate on how good or bad such a decision is on that side of things.
Another typical counterargument states that much of the potential audience for OK K.O. will probably watch it online anyway, especially since they've already released the first 6 episodes early. In that case, we have no numbers to prove how much better or worse a show does online than on cable since those numbers are proprietary data. It's also safe to assume that many people are not even aware of episodes' availability online, and limits of their availability to in-house platforms like cartoonnetwork.com may hinder them more than had they been on wider platforms such as YouTube (more so by their cable provider restriction). Hulu, likewise, does not have first-run rights to most Cartoon Network shows; most of the time Hulu viewers have to wait until an indeterminate date long after the season has ended to be able to watch their show online. To avoid going through the trouble, most people pirate or give in to cable anyway.
The conclusion
Cartoon Network continues to be a 20th century business operating in a 21st century world. OK K.O., hyped and anticipated as it is, may be lost in the shuffle. As digital technology rises, incidences such as these highlight the reason why having balanced schedules and good on-air promotion is still essential, as the cable channel continues to be the core of Cartoon Network's business. However, it also exposes weak spots that natively digital companies can use to outmaneuver the corporate behemoths lingering from past industry booms.
When the ball was in CN's court, they dropped it. Now it's on the viewers to make sure K.O. gets some respect. Time will tell if CN will make the right decisions for the long term.
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