Jeric

5 hours ago, Mesme Rize said:

Gosh, that is so sad.

Yeah, i really look up to these people as well. How can they hold up like this everyday, knowing that somebody could die again today? How can they get home, knowing that they couldn't help this little child, who had his whole life ahead of him? Just thinking about it makes me sad.

I truly don't know how they do it. When I was a kid, I used to believe that the best Doctor's developed emotional calluses over time, but my experience is that  ... most don't. You can see how each case hits them emotionally, and they each find a way to manage it. 

I know what my limits are, and I certainly couldn't do what they do. 

Quote

But what if i have a very ill patient, whose life is on the line? As a cardiologist, you face that alot, because the heart is the most important organ and deadly sick children would be even harder, because it would probably break my heart way too much and i would just feel incredibly helpless that i can't prevent it.

My time shadowing at an Orlando Children's hospital (a requirement here in the US for any serious attempt to entering a MD or DO Med School) taught me that Peds Physicians have some of the hardest emotional disciplines. There was a four year old with Tay Sachs that broke my heart, not to mention the various other patients who were terminal. 

Granted, my plan was to become a Physician Scientist focused on Neurology Research, but just connecting with those kids made me appreciate the medical staff, Physicians, and parents all the more. 

Not sure how it is in Germany, but in the US the path is usually (4 years Undergraduate, 4 years Med School, and 3-7 years Residency). That is a huge time and financial sacrifice with a million dollar opportunity cost. If I accepted my offers I would have been 48 when I was finished. 

Yeah, there are additional flaws when watching it second time. Many of these issues are super fixable it's perplexing why they glossed over some. For the bridge scene, just have the slime pit expell steam that obscures the bridge. The hope moral seemed clunky and Daring Do realizing personal responsibility is important should have also been more fluidly incorporated into the script.

A perfect segue to the moral and addressing RD and DD was practically giftwrapped. How about this? When RD realizes that the statue is important ... instead of being captured right away have her actually confront Daring about making things right. That starts a confrontation where Daring is upset because she now feels like all her fans are turning on her and runs off. RD is annoyed so Pinkie goes to talk to Daring while RD decides to investigate the cloaked figure. She hides in a basket to spy on them. She is discovered and is trapped in the basket ... as she is loaded on a cart she sticks out her head and calls for "Daring". This prompts them slamming the basket lid shut. Daring and Pinkie rush to save her but turn the corner and there's a crowd of basket carrying merchants. They start opening them ... one would actually have Pinkie Pie popping out saying, "Nope not in here!" leaving Daring with a WTF moment thanks to Pinkie Pie logic. They see the actual basket and run toward it an are blocked by a henchman swinging a sword in epic fashion. Daring sighs, grabs a muffin from Pinkie and nails him straight between his eyes. They rush to find RD but it's too late. 

Sound familiar? It's a parody of two amazingly epic scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Add the covered mist bridge and you also have a better nod to The Last Crusade than what we got. 

I admit I'm a capable story teller, but when fans can write a better scene, that means the script was phoned in. I'm just a fan and the above moment would have been a blast to watch.

Good review. 

It literally took me three separate attempts to finish this blog. I made no secret at how personal this episode felt, not just for me but for others in my life. 

It took me awhile to get through this because this review was the perfect emotional companion to the most personal and emotional episode this show has given me. This was the first review that has even moved me to tears, not for it's apt analysis, but because of the life affirming message you conveyed. 

This part especially

Quote

This is the true heart and soul of this episode, the idea that so many wonderful, beautiful, extraordinary things that you never even imagined or thought possible can stem from even the simplest love if its strength and pureness are immeasurable.

 We may not be capable of saving a magical land of talking horses with ancient, magical artifacts, but what we are all capable of is plain old love, whether it be for friends, family, or yes, even the love of your life.  And just like Bright Mac and Buttercup, we too are capable of producing wondrous, beautiful things the likes of which we may have not once thought possible if we hold in our hearts a true, pure love for those dear to us as they did for one another.

Amen. Love is the greatest of ordinary miracles. Poets, painters, film makers, and authors have often tried to convey romantic love as something extraordinary as if love like Buttercup and Bright Mac's was somehow not grand enough on its own. As if the average person out there needs to equate love with an ocean liner sinking, or asteroid destruction. Love is more intimate. So is tragedy. 

When stories like this are told, it proves that someone out there 'gets it'. And this episode touches on so much more, love, sacrifice, loss, family, grief, regret, legacy, how we are more interconnected than we realize, and most importantly ... healing. 

What you took from Grand Pear's story and how you conveyed that was brilliant. It was also the second time I had to stop reading as the tears were starting to impede vision (and my phone screen). 

First time a review of anything outside Schindler's List has ever had that effect. This was definitely your best review, and that's saying a lot since you are never off your game. 

Thoughtful, cogent, and a lot to agree with. I tend to be less critical of some episodes than you, so for comparison's sake here's my top three and bottom three

Favorite Three

1. The Perfect Pear: A+
2. Parental Glideance: A+
3. A Flurry of Emotions: A

Least Favorite Three 

1. Fluttershy Leans In: C
2. Honest Apple: C- 
3. Hard to Say Anything: F

The only episode I can't stand and won't rewatch again is Hard to Say. Both Fluttershy Leans In and Honest Apple were decent concepts that could have been far better with some careful changes to dialogue. They also had a handful of good moments. 

Also of note -- Suited For Success falls off your Top Ten. 

Cuphead. That is all. 

First act AJ was good and how she set out to repair the situation was more in line with her. What bothered me the most about this was her line about fashion (in front of Rarity) no less and her willful destruction of the hat. AJ admired hard work. That was crazy and they replaced our AJ with a store brand AJ for one third of the episode. 

That said, somehow I liked the episode in spite of it's flaws. I also enjoy that the flipped the tables and gave Rarity an opportunity to show AJ where she went wrong. In the past it has been AJ trying to get through to Rarity who has a tendency to be stuck in Drama Mode. 

And as far as AJ still appreciating the emotional impact of fashion ...

It's canon that the writer conveniently ignored. 

You went easy on it.

Yes this is my second least favorite episode. Removing yourself as a fan, you can see some glaring structural issues in how this was composed. The last minute empathy push is just poor writing. This felt like a bad fanfic. A really bad fanfic. 

Tone was like one of her 7 FOP episodes (including the unfunny pop references in Fairy Idol). 

Top of my head for Perfect Pear

"Uh, beg pardon, but uh, that was plum dreadful." - Hated It
"Dear Princess Celestia, I didn't learn a thing!" - Didn't Like It
"Granny? Did you fall asleep again?" "Zzzzz" - Meh
"Made me sit up proud like a corn stalk in August." - Liked it

"Crying on the inside AND outside" - Loved it

Just added some options I'll toss up some others as I think of em for the other episodes to give you a bunch of alternatives. 

As I said before, there are episodes that tend to touch a nerve with me that is deeply personal, rendering an unbiased review impossible. Celestia's talk with Twilight, Maud and Starlight's awkward yet oddly perfect fit as friends, the Flurry Heart episode, and now this one. 

I'm blessed to have had a supportive father, a sister who is as remarkable as she is kooky, two kids who are my own my own sun and moon, and a wife who came out of nowhere and showed me what love really is. Also a handful of neices and nephews, and my own 'adopted' kid. 

Big Jim said that this season's theme is family and legacy. For me, some of these episodes are like a personal treasure, and feel completely different than most of the previous episodes. 

Your review captures everything that I adored about this episode. Like Inside/Out I viewed it through a different lens than my kids, as a parent. In the end it all comes down to the love and support a family has for one another -- even when the parents kinda go overboard. 

This is my favorite episode of the season, and it is the most powerful one. 

Raribetes is a thing, yes. 

To answer your question, I do visualize Tabby actually making that face when she was doing that Zipper scene. I also suspect she was doing her own rendition of "Love the camera" in the recording booth.

BTW, yet another rejected suitor in this episode. I think Twisty has a crush on Rares! 

Like I mentioned to you already, I almost don't even consider this episode having a conflict. I mean, the contractors put up about as much of a fight against Flutters as tissue paper would against Hulk. Fluttershy sees the BS and says,

 Get Out!

Conflict resolved in less than 10 seconds flat. She even had a plan B that was unleashed in no time at all. 

This was basically an episode on rails. No real obstacle, and some repeated dialog. Yes, it had some good moments and cute gags with a nice development in Fluttershy's life, but it was an episode that seemed ... unfinished. I originally loved it until I watched it again. It was good and harmless as you said. 

20 hours ago, Lambdadelta said:

I can see why people like this ep, they like Fluttershy character development,

This is why I enjoyed it. It is also why I enjoy Mare Do Well more than most. If there is something I can find that increases my satisfaction with a character, a redeemable trait, I tend to enjoy the episode more. There are episodes I hate, but these are usually ones that drop every ball important to me. My biggest issue was the repetitive dialog following the termination of the three contractors. Half of that scene in the cottage with Fluttershy stopping her friends from giving their suggestions repeated the prior scene, and earlier dialog. 

Rarity has referenced the scarcity of specific gems in past episodes. It may be that her talent based magic may work better with rare gems than with common ones, changing her own perception of what is rare and what isn't. 

Pinkie was way over the top at times, but since that is how I interpret the character in general (even after all these years) it didn't bother me as much. 500,000° C may be much higher a temp than 10,000° C, but at that level it stops making much of a difference. 

Right now, only Pinkie and Rarity have a stronger show canon connection to Maud. Considering the moral of her first appearance in season four, it makes sense that she never developed a bond with the other characters. 

So why does Starlight make a connection where the others didn't? Well, based on the awkward reactions, it was not natural chemistry from go. Starlight has shown a specific knack for understanding characters others may struggle with. Trixie is the obvious example, but she even chuckled more naturally at Discord than some of the Mane Six do at times, and was a reaction contrasted  with Twilight -- perhaps showcasing a seemingly innate skill to 'imagine ponies complexly' beyond first impressions (something that the Mane Six still struggle with). 

In the end, just sharing a personal philosophy (a little different than sharing feelings) may have done the trick. Also, luck. It's often a crapshoot when it comes to how and why two people bond. 

As far as kites, that was a glorious piece of symbolism. I suspect that someone was a fan of classic Disney and older media from the early 20th century when kites were often used as a depiction of childishness, laziness, or immaturity. Think of why that scene exists in Marry Poppins and you'll better understand why someone like Starlight Glimmer may be embarrassed to partake in that hobby. The fact they seeded a prior episode with this hobby makes it even more clever. 

For me, if not for Pinkie being a little much (my Pinkie inoculation only carries me so far so I understand why some are annoyed with her), this would be my favorite episode of the season thus far and probably in my top ten overall. 

"Tell nopony" and growling at Lyra was funny though.

Yes. Her Ponybucks piece is my favorite Rarity piece, and has been for years now. Heck, it's probably my favorite fandom art piece in general. Definitely an artist I am constantly impressed with. 

I know that there were licensing issues that kept some like Crash out of the game(thanks Activision!), bit if there were no licensing issues that list of extra characters is solid. While Tomb Raider and KH are multi-platform now, we both know they owe their popularity to the PS brand. It would be a nice touch to see them included. 

7 hours ago, Feld0 said:

This sounds like the rest of us missed out on a lot of potential fun.  How did joining staff get in the way of it happening?

That is actually a really good question.  I actually had to think about what the underlying truth was.

I think it comes down to a mix of assumptions, personal history, and applying IRL philosophy when it may not be needed.

Even though I come across as whimsical, goofy, flighty some times, I have some old school tendencies. I believe that when you are in a business or organization, your bosses set the tone that you should try and emulate. During this specific era, the Adminstration Team was extremely professional with how they interacted with the team (and with me in particular). The effect was that I cut down a little on the silliness since that was the tone I felt they expected. 

Come to find out later that two of the Adminstrators at the time were intimidated by my age and IRL experience so they were putting their best foot forward. It effectively created a behaviour loop for a long while. 

Then the MCM III happened and the event went a long way toward breaking that circle of severity. From that point on shenanigans and having fun around the forum as a staffer were more natural again. 

@Lightwing I do remember Jill! It was hard seeing her vanish. And yes Postponing Entropy was my original member title. 

Yeah I have more of these planned. Including one that focused on a specific ship origin.

EDIT 

Quote

I don't recall ever doing a 'forumversary' blog here, and I suspect that the reason why was simple; outside of some form of self-congratulatory pat on the back it seemed rather pointless for me. Basically, I didn't think I had much to say other than, 'I have been here x years'. This year though, I have words

> Looks at blog history. 

> blames old age for poor memory. 

7 minutes ago, Miles said:

> Forgotten names...

Oh, I remember Ghostie. Yep. Sure do. 

Check the tags for a fun inside joke

Twas fun debating with you

As a pit bull owner, I agree that the breed can be sweet as honey. My Bella thinks she is a lap dog. D=

Clever!

Data is still being ported over. It takes a while ... so don't panic yet. 

First, I want to thank you all for your touching words. I really didn't know how this was going to come out when I started, but I'm glad I did. I didn't have a theme exactly, though I noticed comments that had this general take on one important belief that both Jessica and I have. 

her memory definitely lives on in you and those who knew her though

Nobody really dies, Jeric. To whatever you believe

*Lamiahugs* The legend of your wife will live on with you and your kids and i am sure she will watch over you.

Your wife was something to you, beyond what I think any of us could put into words alone, because of all those beautiful moments you shared together. Those moments may at first appear ephemeral to us, but their impact can leave a lasting mark forever. That's what it means to be remembered, and why no one, even in death, ever truly leaves us.   She lives on. Through you, through your children, through everyone she has ever met and touched in a way that left an impact on their lives.

First, I actually remember that conversation DH. I don't always remember every convo or piece of advice I give, but that one I do. 

Most of you commented about keeping a person alive through memory. Obviously I agree, and we start sowing the seeds of that when we are still here. Whether our lives are short, or we are blessed with longevity, we each are given countless moments to impact others, even if it is a simple smile, joke, hug, act of kindness, or shared moment. Even the smallest gesture we show to a person, even those that appear insignificant to us, can have a lasting impact on the person who experiences the act. It tethers us together beyond life, and has the power to make us survive through the minds and influenced actions of others you impact. Basically ... I cannot agree more. People talk about a carbon footprint as a measure of your impact on the world, but I like to think we have a personal footprint with a greater legacy. 

being dyslexic is one thing.. but all the tears really didn't make reading that any easier.

And my piss poor grammar and crap sentence construction probably did not do you any favors either. @_@

i am doubtful these words of mine will amount to much

They did though. I didn't always respond to people when they reached out offering their sympathy, but I sure felt it nonetheless. Thank you. 

My mother went through her own devastating loss with the death of her adult daughter, and while she deals with it admirably, it's still visible that the pain is real, and like this is a pain that won't go away

I didn't know this Path. I can tell you that there is a special sort of anguish at having to say goodbye to your child. If you mother is holding strong in any fashion, it is a effort that should be admired no doubt. 

Love yah; Jeric. As a brother, as a friend, whatever is best to describe it.

Jess must've had a way with people which can only be described as special.

Aye. I've seen people casually (and far too liberally for my taste) suggest the same about me. When I hear that, I always thought ... "You should meet my wife!" Both of us shared the philosophy that each encounter and personal interaction is an opportunity to have a positive impact on someone. I tend to think she was the better practitioner.

While you may claim not to be a diamond (and I dispute being one myself!)

If I take Jess's metaphor to mean that a diamond is impervious to both life's challenges and the emotional impact (both good and bad) ... then no you are not a diamond.  If you take it to mean you are tall, yellow, have pointed hair, and hate being called a clod ... sorry you are guilty as charged.

you're definitely a real gem.

By Odin's beard, do you have any idea how many waves of onion cutting ninja's I had to fight though just to finish reading this? 

This may be an odd think to say, but the way you put that make me laugh, and I sincerely thank you for that.  Humor is someone that I appreciate a lot more these days. Something else that you said bears repeating. 

I may complain about how my work day sucks, and that I'm only just trying to get by

You weren't going there with this, instead focusing on how much your feel blessed in spite of your own challenges, but it works as a segue for something I have seen in the last few months. I've seen people almost feel guilty around me, or even apologize for complaining about what they deem as 'little things' when they seem to think that 'OMG Joe just lost his wife, but here I am moaning about my minor stuff'.

While I'll grant you that losing a love one is definitely a category five hurricane of suck, other people's issues should never be seen as minimal. I have never been and will never be the type of person who says, "Get over it, try dealing with what I have had to deal with."  You have a splitting headache? Horrible day at school or work? Depressed at any number of things? It is no less important to you than what I'm dealing with. Looking over the people who have commented, I know some have felt their own worlds collapse around them, and I have no less empathy for them now that Jessica has passed away. If I did, I learned nothing from her. D&V, you have a great perspective on still feeling blessed, and thank you for what you said. I know that what I said sounds counter intuitive ... but its what I believe and have always believed. I'm apparently not the only one, as I evidenced by something Troblems said.

BTW

I'll leave you with parting words form my favorite movie. 

Great taste in movies.   

I last spoke to Jess 3 days before she passed, and yet she was comforting me. Some of the shit that came out of her mouth left me laughing for days.

Yeah, I already told you this privately, but when I read this ... it may have been the exact thing I needed to hear at the time. When you are around someone who is dying, or even with those who have lost a loved one, there is this tendency to see them differently. Jess felt that, and one of the more heartbreaking parts of this was that she did feel less human and alive because of it. That conversation would have meant the world to her. 

Jess didn't want to be treated with kid gloves. Neither do I. I am glad that I have friends that didn't do that. 

If you all are up for it, we'd like to visit at some point, maybe make a trip to Disney World.

Of course! 

How could you find strength to overcome griefs?

My wife thought it was just who I was, part environment and part of my personal makeup to be able to deal with just about anything. I am not so sure I believe that, but after all this ... I'm still me. Still the same Jeric I was before she passed. I keep asking the same question you did.  I don't think I will ever have an answer. 

if there is anything I can ever do

Electrical stickers! 

Joking aside, our conversation recently did me as much good as I like to think it did for you. Thank you. 

Just... *hugs*

Randi, you deserve the biggest hug here. Things will get better! I have faith they will.  

Anyway, thank you to everyone who read this and commented. I genuinely means a lot. 

Since we don't know the resolution or moral, I am still optimistic. I can see how they can play this off masterfully, and I hope they do!