Dark Qiviut

Note: For the collection of other "Pick a Flaw" episode threads, head over to the "Pick a Flaw" blog portal (which'll be updated periodically) or check the list at the bottom of the OP. This is the other half of the "Pick a Flaw" series, which covers Issues #7-10 (in order: Cutie Mark Crusaders, Princess Celestia, Spike, Princess Luna) along with a poll picking a flaw of the Micro-Series in general. If you want to "pick a flaw" for the first six issues (the Mane Six Micros), head over here. Following the Rainbow Falls PaF thread, Pick a Flaw expanded into The Micro-Series (Part 1 already published on the Forums), one met with an overall mixed reception. The best received are Luna, Rarity, Pinkie, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The worst received are Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and (especially parts of the analysis community) Fluttershy. To quote from "PaF: Micro-Seires, Part 1": Along with the first four polls, there's another below asking you to choose A flaw of the Micro-Series in general. The choices are self-explanatory. "Other" follows the same structure, and if you feel you don't have strong conviction in your feedback, you can hit "other" as your choice. If you haven't read the first six Micro comics, they're available through these links: Twilight Sparkle Rainbow Dash Rarity Fluttershy Pinkie Pie Applejack And because this thread is about the last four, here are the rest: Cutie Mark Crusaders Princess Celestia Spike Princess Luna Two things to know and remember: "Other" does NOT stand for "this comic is (mostly) flawless." These threads don't mean this person dislikes the story. But as "Pick a Flaw" is NOT a rant-free zone, don't be surprised if you're going to see people rant about a certain issue or two. Cutie Mark Crusaders: This is tied with Pinkie's as my most favorite Micro comic because of its great choice of art and mostly well-done approach to the conflict, moral, and resolution. I'd rather read this over almost every CMC-centric episode in the show. But if I have to choose, it's the exposition. It's a little too heavy-handed and bogged down the pace early. It didn't start picking up until after Imp's identity was revealed. Princess Celestia: I mentioned this in my blog, and I'll show it to you: In the two pictures above is a filly name Honey Sweet, a satire of Honey Boo Boo, a child celebrity from various reality TV. The dialogue, action, and overall reference was made partially to mock her (evident by her frightened state), and it spoiled the mood. There's a fine line to referencing current pop culture. The HBB bashing crossed it more blatantly than the jokes in the Twilight comic and brony pandering in the Dash comic. Spike: Twilight, Fluttershy, Angel, and Spike are in character. Spike's desire to find a new pet is rather convincing. The karmic humor he suffered was deserving, yet not so blunt to make it mean-spirited. The art is pretty good. And the moral itself is decent. There are two obvious problems: Spike's character growth doesn't approach new boundaries and resets, and the moral's execution is lazy. On a personal level, I went with the moral, because although he used the advice to his advantage, he never figured it out himself. Luna: I don't know about you, but I hated Luna's portrayal. Rather than the cordial relationship with her sister presented in the main series, Luna was far too bubbly and annoying, relying on incompetence and flanderization of her "playful" side to drive the story. She was mostly one-dimensional here. As for the Micro-Series altogether, it's the quality of the characterization followed by the pop culture references. In most of them, the characterization is very hit or miss. Dash's had the worst dialogue of them all, and she behaved really off. While Rarity was very in character, Flax Seed in Rarity's comic got old halfway. Praiser Pan is shallow and helped hammer in an egotistical moral. The Pinkie and CMC comics' characterizations are extremely solid. You get the drill by now. Season 1: Friendship Is Magic, Parts 1 & 2 The Ticket Master Applebuck Season Griffon the Brush Off Boast Busters Dragonshy Look Before You Sleep Bridle Gossip Owl's Well that Ends Well Season 2: The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 Putting Your Hoof Down Dragon Quest Season 4: Rainbow Falls Simple Ways Filli Vanilli Twilight Time It Ain't Easy Bein' Breezies Somepony to Watch Over Me Maud Pie For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils Leap of Faith Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 Trade Ya! Inspiration Manifestation Equestria Games Twilight's Kingdom Other: The Micro-Series, Part 1 - Mane Six The Micro-Series, Part 2 - The Other Cast & Overall Series

Note: For the collection of other "Pick a Flaw" episode threads, head over to the "Pick a Flaw" blog portal (which'll be updated periodically) or check the list at the bottom of the OP. If you want to "pick a flaw" for the last four Micro comics (and also the Micro-Series altogether), head over to Part 2 here. The "Pick a Flaw" series has had great expansion through seasons one, two, and four, the latest being the Rainbow Falls thread. Now it's time to head to another professional medium: The Micro-Series. This spinoff is often met with mixed fanfare. You have comics like Rarity's, Luna's, Pinkie Pie's, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders's received very well, while others are met with venomous scorn like Applejack's, Rainbow Dash's, and Fluttershy's. Because there are ten Micro comics altogether, and I plan on creating eleven polls, these thread will be split into two: part 1 for the Mane Six, part 2 for the others (along with a "Pick a Flaw" option for the Micro-Series in general). For those who know about these threads, you know how they work. But to those coming to one of these threads for the first time, pick ONE of the possible flaws above and explain why it bothers you the most. If it's not any of the options above, if you can't choose just one, or if you find (nearly) every flaw above equally bothersome, click "other" and explain why. Also, since filling out the poll altogether is mandatory, each has an "I haven't read the comic" option available at the bottom to those who haven't read at least one of the six issues. If you haven't read them, here are links to the first six Micro comics: Twilight Sparkle Rainbow Dash Rarity Fluttershy Pinkie Pie Applejack Two things to know and remember: "Other" does NOT stand for "this comic is (mostly) flawless." These threads don't mean this person dislikes the story. IDW's Micro-Series doesn't have a fantastic record, and that's evident by the bronies who are very selective of them. This includes me. Of the ten issues, at least four are genuinely awful: Twilight, Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack. Spike's Micro is at most decent, but nowhere near the awful levels of Owl's Well, Dragon Quest, Spike at Your Service, and Equestria Games; but that's another thread. So, the flaws that stick out for the first six? Personally, they're easy. Twilight: The art style is horrendous! In trying to copy the style from the animation, there are numerous problems with the anatomy, coloring, lining, and composition. Even if you fix the other issues, the art is so unrefined, your reader will likely want to call IDW and demand a refund. Rainbow Dash: The dialogue is easily the worst in the series. It make Rainbow Dash out of character by that alone. It's very clumsy in structure and humor. When reading it, the lines are absolutely painful and corny, nowhere near the intelligence offered in plenty of the episodes that aired. Hell, even the Twilight issue doesn't reduce the dialogue to such idiocy. Rarity: Two words: Flax Seed. After getting accustomed to him initially, his gag overstayed its welcome; instead of being inherently funny, it was annoying and reduced him to a caricature. Fluttershy: I could choose the whole art gallery scene because without it, Fluttershy's Micro issue would've been merely below-average. But the elements in it really dropped the comic to the worst overall, especially one component that made me not want to read any of the writer's issues again: the moral of ignoring all kinds of criticism. If Fluttershy's knitting sculpture was poorly crafted, the plot would fall apart, and she would never get better. Critiquing is an art in itself, and telling people to ignore ALL criticism offends the art of expressing yourself in both writing and craft. Pinkie Pie: This one's a little more difficult. For one, it's my most favorite comic beside the CMC. Two, it's the most refined comic of the first six. So for here, I chose the quality of the compositions. In the Western world, most people read from left to right, top to bottom. Sometimes, the pages make you want to start at other areas of the page, making you lose your place in the story at times. Applejack: I could choose how this story rips off Applebuck Season, but that's being too kind. The "song" is awkwardly written and does nothing but rush the plot and waste page space. Season 1: Friendship Is Magic, Parts 1 & 2 The Ticket Master Applebuck Season Griffon the Brush Off Boast Busters Dragonshy Look Before You Sleep Bridle Gossip Owl's Well that Ends Well Season 2: The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 Putting Your Hoof Down Dragon Quest Season 4: Rainbow Falls Simple Ways Filli Vanilli Twilight Time It Ain't Easy Bein' Breezies Somepony to Watch Over Me Maud Pie For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils Leap of Faith Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 Trade Ya! Inspiration Manifestation Equestria Games Twilight's Kingdom Other: The Micro-Series, Part 1 - Mane Six The Micro-Series, Part 2 - The Other Cast & Overall Series

You can. Just click "other" for that option.

Note: For the collection of other "Pick a Flaw" episode threads, head over to the "Pick a Flaw" blog portal (which'll be updated periodically) or check the list at the bottom of the OP. I also rearranged the poll a bit to add in another flaw: shoehorning of the Wonderbolts. After posting a bunch of Pick a Flaw threads for season one, it's time to post another for season four, starting with Rainbow Falls. In an episode that initially received great reception, its age became extremely evident quickly. Today, it's an episode loudly panned it for its extremely contrived conflict and constantly lazy writing choices. Those who know about these threads, you know how they work. To those coming to one of these threads for the first time, pick ONE of the possible flaws above and explain why it bothers you the most (even if it's just a smidgen). If it's not any of the options above, if you can't choose just one, or if you find (nearly) every flaw above equally bothersome, click "other" and explain why. Be warned: "Other" does NOT stand for "this episode is (mostly) flawless." These threads don't mean this person dislikes the story. If there's one episode that's met with such a loud, negative voice, it's this one, and I'm one them. Of all the episodes in season four, Rainbow Falls is objectively the worst of them all, and perhaps the most broken episode in the entire show. Friendship Is Magic has ninety-one episodes; this is the one I HATE the most. If you want to know how bad it is and how much I loathe it, head over to my long review here. So many of the flaws listed above have equal weight, so I can't be unbiased here. But unlike my choice for Bridle Gossip, I'll only choose one: the Mane Six and Bulk Biceps being out of character. Pinkie Pie, AJ, and Rarity are pointless, flanderized, and out of character. Fluttershy developed far too quickly and was shoehorned to force the conflict. Bulk Biceps (a character who was selected to train at the academy and was able to fly well) was dumb and couldn't fly at all. Rainbow Dash was unbelievably stupid. Twilight…ugh! Even worse and unfortunate was how the horrendous characterization was going to be latched onto other episodes such as Equestria Games and — in passing — Twilight's Kingdom, Part 1. Season 1: Friendship Is Magic, Parts 1 & 2 The Ticket Master Applebuck Season Griffon the Brush Off Boast Busters Dragonshy Look Before You Sleep Bridle Gossip Owl's Well that Ends Well Season 2: The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 Putting Your Hoof Down Dragon Quest Season 4: Rainbow Falls Simple Ways Filli Vanilli Twilight Time It Ain't Easy Bein' Breezies Somepony to Watch Over Me Maud Pie For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils Leap of Faith Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 Trade Ya! Inspiration Manifestation Equestria Games Twilight's Kingdom Other: The Micro-Series, Part 1: Mane Six The Micro-Series, Part 2 - The Other Cast & Overall Series

Note: For the collection of other "Pick a Flaw" episode threads, head over to the "Pick a Flaw" blog portal (which'll be updated periodically) or check the list at the bottom of the OP. In a supposedly innocent canon, Friendship Is Magic tackled some very serious issues. Although season four is the most mature morally, the first tackled them head on very early: racism in Bridle Gossip. Just like Look Before You Sleep, this is one you'll either love or hate most of the time. Personally, I don't like it (and I used to like it), but there's plenty to rant into in a minute. To quote from the Dragonshy PaF thread: I won't cut corners. This episode is FACTUALLY terrible!! Without a shadow of a doubt, it's the WORST episode in season one and second-worst in the series behind One Bad Apple. Worst than Boast Busters, Show Stoppers, Boast Busters, and Owl's Well. It's bottom-tier terrible that the karmic humor doesn't save it. Most of the reasons why it's godawful are listed in the poll above. But if there's one I had to choose, it's "other" for a combination of both lazy writing of the premise and the premise used as a backdrop for the moral. (For this, I can't just use one.) Each scene heavily relied on the typical "misunderstanding" cliché with little to deviate from and poor characterization to resolve it. If you watch this discussion between Dr. Wolf and Cloud Cookoo Country (the starting point's given), this episode creates a poorly written gimmick in its execution not just in the episode itself, but its resolution, too. One thing's for sure: If you're going to address racism, don't screw up. Tackle it directly without using offensive clichés, and don't use it as a lazy gimmick. Do it otherwise, your episode's gonna suck, and the subtext will really offend a lot of people. Season 1: Friendship Is Magic, Parts 1 & 2 The Ticket Master Applebuck Season Griffon the Brush Off Boast Busters Dragonshy Look Before You Sleep Bridle Gossip Owl's Well that Ends Well Season 2: The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 Putting Your Hoof Down Dragon Quest Season 4: Simple Ways Filli Vanilli Twilight Time It Ain't Easy Bein' Breezies Somepony to Watch Over Me Maud Pie For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils Leap of Faith Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 Trade Ya! Inspiration Manifestation Equestria Games Twilight's Kingdom

Too obvious: the Spikabuse rears its ugly head here. OWtEW actively punishes Spike for being rightfully jealous of Owlowiscious. You have an owl stop by and stay out of nowhere. He has no idea who he, what he's for, and what he does. Initially, I accused Spike of being out of character; although I stand by it because he trusts her enough, his reaction is nonetheless justified. FIM is not a series where mean-spirited humor is encouraged because it can be very cheap to produce. The mean-spirited "humor" he suffered here is not only extremely excessive, but also undeserving. This episode all but ruined the potential for Spike-centered episodes, and the lazy "humor" he suffered from here is one gigantic reason why.

No, and that's a question so over the top, you'll get plenty of people in and out of fandom riled up. Instead of having someone high up C&D someone, it should be your responsibility as a parent to monitor what your kids are watching. Also, kids that young should NOT be on any corner of the Internet beyond just a few places.

Note: For the collection of other "Pick a Flaw" episode threads, head over to the "Pick a Flaw" blog portal (which'll be updated periodically) or check the list at the bottom of the OP. If you're familiar with bottleneck episodes, Look Before You Sleep (Charlotte Fullerton's first episode) is a fantastic example. Most of the time, the plot takes place in Twilight's library with varying steps on accomplishing a successful sleepover. Unfortunately, Rarity and Applejack refuse to cooperate, and their personalities clash with one another. This is an episode where you're either going to love it or hate it. There are plenty who love it because Rarity and Applejack are funny, and Twilight's adorkable side makes her debut here. On the other hand, Rarity and AJ act way too immaturely along with a contrived reason to head to Twilight's house and climax to solve the conflict. To quote from the Dragonshy PaF thread: Like Dragonshy, this is one of those season-one episodes that hasn't aged so gracefully, except Dragonshy ages mildly better. Initially, LBYS was a simply hilarious episode with Twilight, Rarity, and Appljack playing off each other. In a way, it's one of the most "innocent" episodes early on. However, upon further viewings, the issues appear, but since this is Pick a Flaw and not List the Flaws, I'll choose the biggest. Rarity and Applejack behave extremely terribly throughout, portraying themselves as spoiled children with the schoolyard pettiness and arguing. How much you laughed depends on you, but the bantering becomes very cringeworthy and therefore distracting. Overall, this is an episode that's mediocre at best, and the childish arguing between Rarity and AJ is the most obvious and biggest issue. Season 1: Friendship Is Magic, Parts 1 & 2 The Ticket Master Applebuck Season Griffon the Brush Off Boast Busters Dragonshy Look Before You Sleep Bridle Gossip (coming soon) Owl's Well that Ends Well Season 2: The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 Putting Your Hoof Down Dragon Quest Season 4: Simple Ways Filli Vanilli Twilight Time It Ain't Easy Bein' Breezies Somepony to Watch Over Me Maud Pie For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils Leap of Faith Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 Trade Ya! Inspiration Manifestation Equestria Games Twilight's Kingdom

Note: For the collection of other "Pick a Flaw" episode threads, head over to the "Pick a Flaw" blog portal (which'll be updated periodically) or check the list at the bottom of the OP. Dragonshy marks the first Fluttershy-centric (and self-contained adventure) episode in the series, and it's heralded as one of the earliest favorites in the entire series fr Fluttershy's development, the action, and strong moral being shown in the story. Moreover, this is Meghan McCarthy's first published episode of the series. Of course, no episode is perfect, and I compiled a list of complaints that I read when reviewing Dragonshy. Those who know about these threads, you know how they work. To those coming to one of these threads for the first time, pick ONE of the possible flaws above and explain why it bothers you the most (even if it's just a smidgen). If it's not any of the options, click "other" and explain why. Be warned: "Other" does NOT stand for "this episode is (mostly) flawless." These threads don't mean this person dislikes the story. Season 1: Friendship Is Magic, Parts 1 & 2 The Ticket Master Applebuck Season Griffon the Brush Off Boast Busters Dragonshy Look Before You Sleep Bridle Gossip (coming soon) Owl's Well that Ends Well Season 2: The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 Putting Your Hoof Down Dragon Quest Season 4: Simple Ways Filli Vanilli Twilight Time It Ain't Easy Bein' Breezies Somepony to Watch Over Me Maud Pie For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils Leap of Faith Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 Trade Ya! Inspiration Manifestation Equestria Games Twilight's Kingdom

My favorite is mostly out of past feeling now: Dragon Quest (a.k.a., the worst season-two episode). I like it most because you could really feel sorry for Spike being mocked and marginalized by the teenage dragons in Act 2 and the Mane Six in the middle of Act 1. He had an admirable goal, but it was marred by some really terrible writing. So I like it in spite of how bad it is. The best one, on the other hand: Secret of My Excess. It plays off Spike's greed very well and came off naturally. Despite not really giving any answers to possible questions to Spike's greed totally, it was very well written and portrayed him in a sympathetic light. @, @, I hate Just for Sidekicks because Spike himself was written very terribly. You can check out why here.

I could look at the flaws objectively, but this time, I'll make an exception. I chose "Other" for the two reasons: The Rainbow Power are heinous! It's my most hated part of T'sK. To quote from a past thread: Twilight's castle isn't as bad as the Rainbow Power, but it has no feel of home into it. It borrows the jagged edges from the Tree of Harmony and has the colors, shading, and angles at the Crystal Empire rather than the old-town, community atmosphere of the Golden Oaks Library. Inside, it looks very incomplete and very cold with the jagged edges and dark colors.

In order (so far): Magic Duel Sleepless in Ponyville Pinkie Pride Party of One Return of Harmony, Part 2 Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 Winter Wrap Up The Best Night Ever Pinkie Apple Pie Suited for Success Luna Eclipsed Wonderbolts Academy Putting Your Hoof Down Lesson Zero Sisterhooves Social The Last Roundup (uncensored) For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils Apple Family Reunion Rarity Takes Manehattan A Canterlot Wedding (both parts) The Crystal Empire, Part 1 Twilight Time Dragon Quest Hurricane Fluttershy Keep Calm and Flutter On