--Thunder Bolt--

SothisponyhandsmeabottleofGuinnessandIsipandthenIsay "Brilliant!" andhesipshisandsays "Brilliant!" andthenwe'rebothliketotally...Brilliant!

Very thought-provoking, Stellafera.  Plenty have noticed Rarity's entrepreneurship, but she really does take the concept of "self-made" pony in a thoroughgoing way.  She didn't just go, "Whelp.  I have a talent for finding gems, and my cutie mark is diamonds, so I guess I'll try and start the Equestrian deBeers cartel.  Unlike a lot of ponies for whom cutie mark = destiny, she made her own destiny.

I actually liked Snips and Snails better as diabolical and competent henchmen than the orders-of-magnitude-worse-than-Derpy-could-ever-be insults to the mentally impaired they are in Equestria.

EDIT: Dashabel's post ninja'd me, so I read it after posting this one.  ...Is it just me, or does that read like Pinkie Pie's Review of Equestria Girls?   /)*

A glorious morning...and the streets will run red with crimson blood

You see this?  THIS is the design they should have used for the Assassin's Creed character!"

Don't know enough about those series' to make any kind of call as to who would win. I'd like to see her take on Dumbledore though. His intelligence and variety trumps hers IMO, but she probably could cause some problems for him with her own overpowered magic. I think Dumbledore could take it in the end.

 

If we can talk about before the whole Alicorn thing, I'd like to see how she stacks up against Sunset Shimmer from EQG as well.

I'm not so sure about that, if Twilight knew the Achilles Heel of Harry Potter wizards:

*Telekinesis on wand, yoink!* followed by *PEWPEWPEW*, off you go to sleep with the Pinkies, Professor Dumbledore.  Or she could turn him into an orange.

First of all, what GlamourDolly said.  We could use more creative and distinctive artists in clothing design, especially for men.

In response to arguments that her acquisitive tendencies make her a poor Element of Generosity, I've thought about it and come to the opposite conclusion.  Given her name and cutie mark, she could very easily have been a treasure-hunter, all about glomming onto jewels and curling around her hoard like Smaug.¹  And older, greedier Diamond Tiara.  Instead, she took up a career only tangentially involved with crystals and gemstones, and incorporated the things she prizes most into her designs.  These she more often than not gives away.  To put it another way, Rarity has to struggle against her less salutary cravings for jewels and treasure in order to manifest the virtue of her Element.  In a sense, this makes her more generous than she'd be if she was some utterly non-materialistic Mother Teresa type who easily gave away everything that came her way and lived in voluntary poverty.  Rarity doesn't just give stuff away to be generous, she also has to practice an inner giving, the surrender of her natural acquisitive tendencies.  She's not perfect at this, of course, but that's how we know that this inner struggle goes on.

Note:

1. It's interesting in this light, that the only canon ship in the show is between Rarity and a dragon, and that Spike shares with her (on an even greater scale, pardon the pun) a need to sacrifice inclinations to acquisitiveness in order to remain joined with his friends.

I'm going to join the chorus of likes, and pretty much agree with the other reviewers here so far. A lot of what I'd say has already been said.

Plot: One thing I liked was the way they used the diversity of the HuMane 6 as a key plot point, and getting out a good message at the same time.

Animation: The show is not playing in any theater in my state, so I watched the YouTube handheld version. Spoiler: You people getting up and moving around in the middle of the show--SIT DOWN! It's a short movie! You can hold it 'till the end! /spoiler. Anyway, since that was the version I watched, I'm not going to try to talk about how good/bad the animation was because I wasn't really able to catch a lot of the nuances anyway.

Songs: As has been said already, the songs are catchy upbeat pop. They probably won't be sung around post-Apocalyptic campfires a thousand years from now, but they were entertaining and unobtrusive. I don't like musicals, particularly when song and dance numbers interrupt the story, and suddenly people in the street are dancing with perfect choreography. In EG, the songs integrate well with the plot, and the pivotal dance number was incorporated as something the characters planned and carried out for a reason.

Background Characters: I'm not quite brony enough to do the whole, "Oh, hey, look, over there in the left hand corner behind Dr. Whooves, Derpy, and Lyra, you can see Muffin Glitter! That's her left front hoof, right there, can you see it? OMG, that's so awesome!" thing. The theatergoers were enjoying the Easter eggs and references though.

The Mane Flaw: The one big flaw of Equestria Girls in my opinion is that it's missing about a half-hour that it really could have used. Kids watch full-length motion pictures (e.g. the whole Pixar filmography) all the time, so I don't see why they had to make EG so short. With a little more time, they could have fulfilled a lot of the film's lost potential, and probably have made it a film on a par with those of the Disney/Pixar juggernaut.

The Villain: Sunset Shimmer had some good potential as a villain, but the film's brevity kept them from really developing her character and her schemes as much as they deserved. She's something of a kit-bash of Diamond Tiara and Trixie in personality, though she has more grand-scale malevolent intentions than they do. She's a calculating villain who does a good job with using her familiarity with Not Quite Earth (and Twilight's unfamiliarity with it) to her advantage. But, due to the brevity, the film gallops past the results, so to speak, and there isn't time for Twilight to really suffer the humiliation Sunset arranged for her.

It's implied that Sunset had a conflict with Trixie prior to Twilight's arrival:

The Ending: There have been some comments that Sunset Shimmer acts out of character at the end. Not necessarily...

FlashLight: Here's another area where full length could really have helped. There's no time at all in the movie to develop Flash Sentry as a character, or build any real rapport or chemistry between him and Twilight. He's just a Generic Cool Dude, at least in part because his actual screen time/interaction with Twilight is measured in seconds. With time, they could have had scenes where he sees Twilight doing silly things because she's still figuring out Being Human (picking things up with her mouth, saying "anypony," walking on all fours, etc.), and cut his friends off from laughing at her because he accepts, even likes, her quirkiness. Maybe he could have had some quirks of his own, which Twilight mistakenly takes as normal and imitates "so she can act like a human," to comedic effect. He could have had an intellectual interest that would resonate with hers. And so forth. Reasons for them to like each other beyond *bump* "Oh...hello attractive person!"

More time could also have allowed another intriguing possibility: Twilight is starting to like Flash (Ah-aaaaah!). But she knows that in a very short time she's going to be going back through a portal to another world. Would it be fair to him for her to say 'Yes' to him asking her to the dance, let a relationship start to blossom, then *poof*, she's gone forever? She could have had at least a minute to pace back and forth worrying about it, building the problem up in her adorkable way, and maybe even a scene where she tries to explain to him that she won't be staying, without sounding like a moonbat, and perhaps failing hilariously. Missed. Opportunities.

In Flash's defense, he does get in one funny line that made me laugh. Which is saying something, because he has about three lines in the whole movie.

The Howling Plot-Hole:

All in all, it's a likeable little movie, but it could have been brilliant.

"Why yes, I am the poster child for megalomania.  What makes you ask?"

I would like to see Dr. Whooves, especially if there's actual time travel involved.  Like, say, in a weird, Fortean Pinkie Pie episode (she licks a frog and it makes her Pinkie Sense and/or reality-breaking powers go haywire or something).  The good Doctor's appearances and dialogue are helpful, but don't make any sense...until you watch the episode a second time and realize that his appearance were out of sequence for the other characters, but in a sequence of his own (e.g. something he says relates to stuff he says/does later in the episode), or he could have a line in the foreground while also being visible in the background, then later there's a scene from that perspective where the other version is in the background.  Oh, and he should probably say something about "timey-wimey stuff."

TBH, the design does work pretty well for Rarity, because the whole "glam girl" thing is her idiom.  Plus the face on that particular doll doesn't look creepifying, and the bow hides the pony ears, muting the Uncanny Valley effect.  But still, the pony miniature at her feet looks so cute there, and kinda steals the show.

"For all of your erotic needs, the Invisible Pink Unicorn has you covered!

Just look at two of our satisfied customers!

The final scare-shot of Paranormal Activity 6

"If I eat some of Dashie's hair...will I poop rainbow sherbert?"

OT: Sorry everyone if you all hate to see my kinda tough-to-caption avatar popping up, but this thread is so fun, lol

"Zooo, vhat do you see in zis inkblot?  A man's face, you say?  Oh dear.  Zhat iss...very trrroublink.  I am afraid ve vill have to keep you here for treatment...indefinitely."

Join the Venetian Sith.  Our masks are cooler.  Daaaahling.

1361734419082.png

Wow, these are just terrible.  Obviously they were going to be made because that was the whole point of the movie, but my god.  These are like Bratz dolls with an MLP logo slapped on them.  They're like one step away from including makeup and shit in them.  I think Lauren Faust said it best: https://twitter.com/Fyre_flye/status/339175908558639104

Actually, I think Alex de Campi (one of the commentators on the Twitter feed) said it better:

Alex de Campi ?@alexdecampi 27 May

@Fyre_flye Ever melted a plastic doll with a blowtorch and filmed it on a slo-mo camera? It's at once gory and tragic and very satisfying.

I don't like them. 

1) Ohai, welcome to Earth.  So how's the weather in Uncanny Valley these days? 

2) They look like they were designed by somebody who never saw a single episode of the show, but was given color schemes and told to "Make something that looks like catgirl Bratz dolls, and do them in these colors."  Why, Hasbro?!  How long would it take to sit your doll designers down in front of a TV, have them watch the pilot two-part'er, then say, "Make human versions of the main characters"?  Lemme guess: about 44 minutes.  Wouldn't it be worth an hour of their pay to get dolls that actually have something to do with the characters they represent, beyond just the color palette? 

3) I can see the point of those who grumble that they look like hookers.  Because...well...they look like hookers.  Not that there's anything wrong with being a hooker, if you're of age and are doing it consensually.  But, I don't like the idea of little girls being targeted with Cosmopolitan magazine-style hyper-sexualization as something to model.  If they want to spackle on the makeup with a putty knife when they get older, fine.  Buy a makeup subsidiary and market that look to them when they're a more mature target demo.    

4) Yes, Hasbro, I know that for you, FiM and EG are commercials for your toy line.  But, you see, it's really not a good idea to have commercials that are superior to your product by orders of magnitude.  That causes disappointment, and lower sales.  Oh, and don't take this as an argument for making your commercials horrible, too (I'm looking at you, previous MLP generations).  Instead, you should do what I suggested in #3 above, and actually design your toys to be like the characters.  The characters are awesome, which means the toys will be awesome, which means you will sell more of them.  Ask George Lucas how well that works.  If he can hear you while he's swimming in the actual billions of dollars he's made.

Aside: At least now I can see why the EG characters were designed with those ridiculous boots: so the dolls would stand up.

Aside #2: *Little girl pulls her EG doll out of its boots for the first time, sees the footless legs*  "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"  That's some Grade-A Nightmare Fuel right there.

"Tryin' out your new night-vision goggles?  Too bad this is the last thing you'll ever see."

I've seen this sort of thing directed at bronies a lot, but why just bronies?  If someone is a fan of Bugs Bunny, does that mean (in the "mind" of this sort of bottom-feeder) that they want to have sex with rabbits?  Considering how many times Buggs would defeat his foes by cross-dressing as a woman and seducing them, I can only imagine what sort of R34 and yaoi fics there must be about him (shipping with Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote, etc., natch) out there.

My current working hypothesis is misogyny.  FiM is "for little girls."  Which means you might get those icky, icky girl-cooties from watching it, and if da boyz let you in the treehouse after that, they might get infested too.  Because, anything that's "for little girls" must be horrible, because little girls are horrible.  And big girls too, for that matter.  Except when they're being used for sex.  Unless they're fat, which means they're so horrible that they might want to have sex with a brony.  And of course "faggotry" is the ultimate horror, because it involves a man being in some sense "like a woman," which is, like, totally worse than being a zombie because, girl-cooties.

Ew.  I really shouldn't try to get in the headspace of a trog like that without a hazmat suit.

Attempting a more charitable explanation that might work in some cases, though not for this guy, because he can explode a misogyny detector at a range of a hundred miles:

I tried to watch an episode of an earlier-generation MLP.  It was a Holiday episode, "The Twinklestar Adventure" or something like that.  It was really, really horrible saccharine glurge.  "Pinkie Pie" and "Rainbow Dash" were in it, along with some other ponies I've never heard of, but they had no real character differentiation that I could see, and I doubt I could have told them apart or identified which was which with my eyes closed.  Super-treacly, Speaker-to-Toddlers voices, pulling out every stop to insult the intelligence of anyone old enough to read...  It really made me appreciate how much better FiM is than its predecessors.  It wasn't very long before I was going, "AHHHH!  I can't take any more!  Click away!  Click awaaaayyyyyyy!"

So, if somebody thinks that FiM is like that, I can understand if they think that any adult of any gender or sexual orientation would have to be bugnutty to like it, much less be part of an enthusiastic fandom.  It also makes me appreciate how much better FiM treats its core audience of "little girls," by giving them characters and stories worth watching.  When I was a little boy, I hated "kids shows" that talked down to me with sing-song voices and all that, so I can only imagine the white-hot incandescent disgust I would have had for pre-FiM MLP shows if I had ever been a member of their target demographic.  It makes me a little angry now, as I think about it.  "Cartoons for kids in general (i.e., if there's boys in the audience) have to be fairly good, like Loony Toons, or at least on Hanna Barbara's level.  But we're making a show about ponies for little girls, so as long as it's brightly-colored, frilly, and drowning in saccharine, they'll gobble up whatever we shovel at them.  Amirite, gentlemen of the Board?"

Thank you, Lauren Faust, for creating FiM to not be like that, for treating "little girls" as an audience worthy of respect, great writing, and multidimensional characterization.

/rant

I just posted in the main thread.  @@twilight24, I hope you will stick around and RP.   If you prefer not to, I hope you don't mind if I control your character long enough to get through the interaction--assuming the other players want to continue. 

First day.  New school.  The usual population of super-competitive rich kids climbing to power and status over the backs of their rivals, because that's how you learn to scramble for position in the 1% when you grow up.  In short: Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here.  That's what it feels like for me anyway.  They seem to like it. 

"Oooh, look Brainac got a Nook, Should we dunk it in the toilet?

 

"No, no no!!"

Especially when they find someone they can hurt.  I ran toward the voices, and turned the corner in time to see the bullies break and run.  They must have thought I was a teacher or something when they heard my footsteps.  I felt a sudden jolt of fear.  Because, for some reason, it was only then that I realized that they could see me, and hurt me, too.  I...I don't know why I'd think they couldn't see me...and that frightens me.

But I push that thought out of my mind.  There's a boy lying on the ground surrounded by fallen books, fumbling to catch a Nook one of them pitched at him as they fled.  I skid to a stop.  He can see me too.  "Uh...are...are you alright?" I sputter, and crouch down to start gathering up his books.  What if he hates me for seeing him like this, and decides he wants a chance to hurt somebody, too?  So he can feel better.  My hands are trembling as I fumble with his books and it's everything I can do not to just run.  But it's the only thing I can do to help, and if I can't help, even a little...then I might as well not even exist at all. 

You don't need to give up and run off so quickly.  Why not take this as an opportunity to learn RP'ing?    We all start out somewhere.  I think this can be a good RP.  We could start out not knowing each other.  Each of us is a human starting the school year at the Academy, and each of us has a secret: weird "pony" dreams, of living in a different world, as ponies, with wings, magic, etc.  Sometimes, we feel as if...that's who we really are and where we really belong.  Then, as the characters meet and get to know each other, somebody mentions a pony dream, or says, "Would anypony like to go to... *realizes* ...uh...the skate park after school?"  But instead of getting weird looks, they get shocked stares, because for some reason, "anypony" sounds familiar, and right.  The characters take turns spilling out their "pony dreams" and weird experiences.  Then they have to try to solve the mystery...and find their way home.

If you like, I would be willing to help you GM, spawn plot ideas, etc.

Hello, I am starting my rp about middle school through high school life about ponies that turn human. Its not Equestria Girls!! These ponies all come from another dimension parrelele of Equestria.

From the way you wrote the starting post in the RP, it seems like you mean that we take our pony characters and assume they've been human the whole time, rather than being yoinked out of Equestria and finding themselves in human bodies?  For one thing, if the Academy is an exclusive, expensive private school, the characters would have to have parents who enrolled and more importantly, bankrolled them, in order for them to get in.  If they're just trotting through a meadow one moment, then "AAAAAAAAAAH!  What AM I?!?!" the next, it would seem difficult to figure out how to get them into the school.

Maybe they could all be humans with memories of human lives, but all have "weird" dreams of being ponies, sometimes briefly see their ponyselves in the mirror, etc., and later in the RP discover that they're really ponies? 

Also, one suggestion: in the original post you portray Violet Sky (is that Cece Sky's character, or another character of yours?) entwine wings with your character.  You might want to edit that out, because a) if Violet Sky is someone else's character, they might not want her becoming your character's girlfriend, and b ) it constrains your options; in roleplay, it might turn out that your character hits it off better with someone else!

Edit: *rereads RP post*  OK, it looks like Violet Sky and Cece Sky are not the same.  Sorry I got them mixed up because they both have "Sky" as their last name, and Cece's OC is pretty close to violet on the color wheel.  

There's a line in your RP post where you say "I had my 'friends' get in to" [sic].  Does this mean that we all already know each other and that somehow your character paid for all of ours with his scholarship?  I think it would be more fun for RP purposes if we start out not knowing each other, so we get to roleplay meeting. 

OK.  Do you have a link to the RP thread? 

Edit: Found it.  Link is here: http://mlpforums.com/topic/64469-acerwoods-academy/#entry1586704

Also, can the ability to control another player's OC be limited to fairly obvious/unimportant actions, and not include the ability to make decisions for that character?  I.e., "I opened the door for her, and she walked through" but not "I asked her to be my girlfriend, and she said 'Yes, I'd love to!'"  I'd really rather not have anyone else write dialogue lines for Sunyatay, make decisions for her, etc., and I don't want to do that for other people's characters.  My idea of what's "in character" for them might not match their player's idea of what's "in character."  I don't have a Pinkie Sense for that.

If Celestia wanted to eliminate Twilight as a potential competitor, she could have done it easily: 

Season 1, Episode 1:

"Dearest Twilight,

Your theory about the possible return of Nightmare Moon concerns me greatly.  I am going to send an assistant, Mr. Fancy Pants, with you to Ponyville.  He will take care of all preparations for the celebration.  I need you to go to the Ponyville Library and research spells so that you can be prepared to defend Ponyville against Nightmare Moon in the event that your theory turns out to be correct.  The Royal Guards who pull your sky-chariot will escort you to the Library and guard the door to insure that you are not disturbed in your studies, which are now more crucial than ever before.  I cannot overstate the importance of this mission, Twilight.  All of Equestria is counting on you to be able to hold Nightmare Moon back until I can arrive with reinforcements.

Your Teacher,

Princess Celestia"

Without friends or the Elements of Harmony, Twilight gets stomped into the ground by Luna, then Evil!Celestia shows up with the Elements and boots her dear sister back into the Moon for another thousand years.  Twilight is eliminated, Celestia maintains sole rule of Equestria, and nopony suspects a thing.