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Genepool

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  1. Genepool
    Indeed: I don't want to see this wonderful fandom devolve from its evolution into an argumentative group the way trekkies fight one another over who is considered "best captain." Same reason I can't stand the Star Wars fandom at times. It has a lot of great material, yet I mostly saw people complain how horrible the prequels were in comparison to the older movies, nit picking over every single little thing. Sometimes, you just need to sit back and enjoy things while you can. Though movies and film will probably last forever, we as human beings won't.
  2. Genepool
    I forget which convention it was, but yes she did say something along those lines. It mostly has to do in part to her original vision for the show. Unfortunately, that's all I really know about it. Main reason I think she can't look at the new episodes is that she still holds a bit of regret towards leaving the show. However, I do believe in what another poster said, I believe on these forums, who mentioned that Faust probably wouldn't have left the show unless she felt it was in good hands. There have been several times that i've heard Faust speak of the "Show Bible" which has ideas, sketches, notes, etc... for the show. With that bible in hand and the great talent behind the show, i'm confident in its quality. As others have mentioned, even in S1 there were episodes that didn't meet expectation. But even in made for TV shows, there is never really a 100% success rate with episodes. So far, there are only two TV shows that have come close to that. First is Samurai Jack and the other is Avatar The Last Air Bender. Samurai Jack, imho, holds a 100% success rate for episodes. Each one has a unique story element, flowing into itself until the end is reached. Avatar holds an 89% rate with a few episodes not being to my liking. Right now, MLPFIM, over the course of S1, S2 and partly into S3, there are only a handful of episodes, maybe 5 or 7 thus far, that I feel could have been done better, or weren't that great. The one thing that I do think needs to be done is having Williams team up with another writer to make an episode. She has good ideas, starting off like an awesome roller coaster ride, but really start to flatten out. Spike At Your Service is a low point, and I do feel that it would have been better if Spike wasn't clumsy, AJ thought about keeping him on, and Twilight fights to get her faithful assistant back, learning to take her studies seriously, but not to be consumed with them.
  3. Genepool
    Bingo: there are certainly expectations growing within the fandom that shouldn't be there to begin with. With Canterlot Wedding, the writers took something that could have been downright awful beyond belief, and yet they gave us a TRULY memorable episode. Right now, the only thing I will say is the show does seem to be traveling along the "predictability" route when concerning episodes. This isn't a bad thing since writers can never make 100% of their episodes unpredictable since fans will learn their styles over time. However, after saying that, I do think writers need to refocus their efforts a bit, possibly bringing in one or two new writers for S4. Corey Powell wrote a great episodes despite the complains from the fans of being given panda rings.
  4. Genepool
    There aren't too many things that I find offensive in the fandom. Only time I draw a line in the proverbial sand is pedophilia, incest of minors, and extreme violent tendencies towards characters. Example would be the fanon idea of "Scootabuse." The molestia thing is done in good taste imho, so i'm not overly concerned with it. I started viewing the tumblr a while ago, and the artist is definitely respectful when concering characters, knowing when and when not to go into certain areas. Other than that, i'm pretty much ok with certain things as long as they aren't taken too far. I personally like the character name Derpy, despite what some may think. The conotation of a word can evolve with time for either good purposes or bad. Though i'm probably wrong, I see the word "Derpy" as meaning clumsy, air headed, bubbly, a "goofy moment," etc., instead of the "R-word" that it probably carried/carries with some people. Despite what people believe, I really think our muffin loving pony, with her googly-eyes, is a pony with a kind heart, is a carring mother, and just has a run of bad luck from time to time.
  5. Genepool
    Wouldn't mind seeing some more Scootalove myself since the little filly could use it. That moment in Sleepless in Ponyville was definitely a hnng moment when RD hugged the hopeful pegasus flier with her wing.
  6. Genepool
    There's really no episode that I truly hate/dislike. However, there are episodes that I do feel could have been done better. Wonderbolt Academy is one that could have been TRULY great. It absolutely floored me when Meghan McCarthy released the alternate script idea to WA, and it was along the same idea line that I theorized about. The episode would have been 100% perfect if the had Dash turn into lead with Lightning Dust staying on. Even the episode's ending would have been great having Dash return to Ponyville with an honorary medal, indicating she was on the watch list of prospective Wonderbolts. As for my "favorite" episode, I have to go with Sleepless in Ponyville. Though people keep saying "Panda Rings", fan pandering, I don't really believe them. The thing that makes me truly disbelieve them is the information we received about Magic Duel and how it was submitted as a story back in 2011. With Sleepless in Ponyville, it's something had needed to happen. And it happened, which was great. The wing hug + flying sequence at the end just added the cherry on top for me. I truly like the introduction of Princess Luna, and her resumed duties as Guardian of The Night. Though I did read some comments about people having issues with this, stating Luna wouldn't have been lonely then turning into Nightmare moon, that's just nitpicking to me. Only episode that I wasn't too happy with was Spike at Your Service. It would have been better to see Spike in the "super helper" capacity, making it so Applejack actually considered keeping the little guy. For an assistant, he seems rather underqualified. From what we've seen in past episodes, Spike would seem like a rather capable individual to assist another in their daily duties. *shrug* Here's hoping for some awesome new episodes to come down the pipe.
  7. Genepool
    There's always more to something than meets the eye. My worst fear is the MLPFIM crew tieing up loose ends to get ready for a series finale with MLPFIM being too troublesome to continue.
  8. Genepool
    One thing I find interesting is how there were loads of fanfics about Trixie's return to Ponyville and then we had Magic Duel. I think it was M.A. Larson who tweeted that the idea for the Trixie episode was submitted back in 2011. I'm quite curious of when the script was submitted for this episode. Starting to think it's the otherway around where we fans have ESP because we are predicting some dang good episodes. With ponies being pushed to breaking points, as mentioned above, I really want to see how Fluttershy evolves. We saw only a tiny bit of this during Putting Your Hoof Down where our pegasus pony learned to assert herself more. Definitely expecting a moment where Fluttershy just rolls her eyes as Discord starts turning her into different forms. *Edit* Only thing that will make me like this episode 100% more than anything is if the animators screw with Bronys by having discord turn into Derpy.
  9. Genepool
    This will be quite interesting, and I can't wait to see this particular episode. With each pony in successive episodes being pushed to their breaking points, I expect something to happen to our kind, animal loving pony.
  10. Genepool
    I definitely want to see her in the waldo figure once more. Sadly, even that may not happen. Our mail mare has been noticeably absent as of late.
  11. Genepool
    Indeed. One thing that infuriates me is the ease with which people can be manipulated by others who get a bug up their butt. If you don't like something for some reason, fine, but don't drag things down because you dislike it. I've seen how some of these parents treat their special needs kids. They believe the kids need to be sheltered away from the world like some fragile glass rose that'll break if a person so much as breaths on them. During HS for my community service hours for a scholarship, I worked with some special needs kids at a local middle school. While there are some that potentially talk like Derpy, the ones I worked with didn't. In all honesty, what these kids need is the same respect you would give another person. The special needs teachers told me point blank just to be kind to them and understanding which I had no problem complying with. If a person does a good job you compliment them and if they screw up you help them understand how to better themselves. Unlike a normal person, the special needs kids/people may not 100% understand how they screwed up, but they will learn how to do better next time if given the chance. Another problem with Derpy maybe the varying levels of her mentality. Not sure if it was MLPWikia, but I believe there are currently 4 levels. There were originally two levels, however, two more were added down the road. She mostly conforms to the first two levels with people rarely assuming she's the third or fourth level. The first level being articulate, but a bit of a clutz while the fourth level is down right dumb as a box of rocks as the TF2 engineer would put it. Personally, I think Derpy is probably the first/second tier where she's no Einstein, but has a good grasp on reality. Only thing that happens is she has a bit of bad luck at times. In the end though, she's a kind pony and a caring mother to Dinky.
  12. Genepool
    I'm not sure about the Scootaloo thing myself. They may still keep her grounded even though Rainbow Dash has taken the little hopeful flier under her wing. It seems the show's creators are faithfully following Faust's original designs, but adding in their own ideas. Sleepless In Ponyville maybe the episode that has the creators interjecting their own thoughts on things. As for the mare having the "most lovely eyes," I really have to question if they will do that. With Derpy being put into the spotlight, having people complain, and then push her towards the back, only to put her into the spotlight again at the end... I just don't think it would work. Not going to say it's impossible mind you, but after the all too predictable ending for Magic Duel, I get the impression they'll have Discord woo some mare then "Derp" her eyes. They could reintroduce the pony from the mental hospital in the straightjacket and have her eyes darting about. With her being insane, it seems more like Discord's type. One thing that irritates me is people pointing fingers at Derpy as if she was specifically made to make fun of handicapped people. However, imho, if the show didn't have her, it would be way too perfect. Even with your obligatory disasters, villains, bullies, and the like, the ponies would be too perfect where nothing is wrong with them. Derpy adds in that element of "yes there are clutzy ponies/potentially mentally handicapped equines in Equestria," but the community accepts them for who they are and doesn't hate on them. It's an ill-conceived defense, but I say if you hate on Derpy and demand she be removed, then you best have the fortitude to complain to Disney about Goofy's shenanigans and his name. I say a nearly similar thing should apply towards Patrick Star in Spongebob since the pink starfish has been shown countless times to be pretty dang stupid. I personally hope that if they do show Derpy at the end of S3 that it's not the end of our lovable googly-eyed mail mare, tossing her away into nothingness. As said, my solace comes from the fact she's in the comics, so she hasn't completely gone away.
  13. Genepool
    Hope to use one of these snowy sequences in a shot, but I'm not sure if the fluid motion is being captured or not. If anyone can offer up some advice, it would be appreciated. Video Link
  14. Genepool
    True, but we must play devil's advocate here. We know that Discord and Q share traits that are common of one another beyond the voice of the illustrious John De Lancie. Another thing is how writers and animators like to pick and choose lines/ideas from others movies to reference them. Most notable was the cherry picking scene which referenced I Love Lucy. In the Magic Duel episode it was said the ending referenced a movie which turned out to be The Three Amigos. I don't find it "illogical" that the writers would reference Star Trek by putting in a line such as that, however, to contradict myself, I do agree that without a solid piece of confirmed evidence, this really has to be put into the not possible/extremely unlikely pile. Only thing we even have to go on is John De Lancie returned as a voice for MLPFIM. It doesn't confirm or deny the possibility of him reprising the role of Discord. Heck, for all we know, Mr. Lancie could be voicing a king for Saddle Arabia where the season finale takes place, and the mane6 fight against some evil spirit/genie.
  15. Genepool
    Saw this rumor and part of me believes it due to the prior post about the appearance of Discord. The only thing that concerns me is a unicorn becoming so powerful that it rivals Princess Celestia's power. While this seems good in theory, it just smacks of Mary Sue/Gary Stu. However, if the MLPFIM crew handles this issue well, then I won't have any problems to gripe about. Want to make sure it's not some arbitrary/cliche "O Star Swirl and Twilight are related, having a similar/the same ancestor who was a powerful alicorn... blah blah blah." What would be rather "unique" imho is if the creature Discord is a separate entity from Star Swirl like a Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde personae. Or perhaps Discord being a whole nother creature completely and Star Swirl took the creature over through some mental manipulation. An unintended consequence is Star Swirl's mind being corrupted by the creature's chaotic nature. However, we may have to take it at face value where Star Swirl = Discord, and he was slowly driven insane by his own research. Mostly led to that conclusion since the line talks about letting go of rational thought when dealing with the Omniomorphic spell. The character even goes as far to compliment Pinkie, saying she "understands" it. *shivers* Can't imagine the devastation that exuberant pink pony would cause if she got a hold of Discord's powers.
  16. Genepool
    I think the Alicorn Twilight thing is the biggest thing in the unlikely pile. To just arbitrarily turn her into one would be a pain in the flank beyond belief. Hasbro has made bad moves in the past such as the Transmetal thing for Beastwars, and I do believe they learned from it. Only thing I can potentially see is some Sailor Moon type powerup where she turns into one, then quickly loses the power afterwards. As for Derpy being axed, i'm going to have to believe it to be partly true since we're seeing less and less of our mail mare. After we saw her in the stands for Episode 2 and in the stands during Episode 5, I think she maybe gone for good which is disheartening. It would be great to see our dutiful pony return once more, but she will never get a speaking role again. Even if they were to give her a more feminine voice. With our muffin loving mare, I think she's relegated to the very, VERY far back beyond a background pony. I'm just glad that she appears in the comics instead of being completely done away with.
  17. Genepool
    I think the 3 Ts apply of Timing, Target, and Tact/Technique. Jokes have their own ebb and flow that come nature while some will always seem forced. The mail box gag did get overused, and I think the first scene between her and AJ felt like it could have been left out with something being added in towards the end with RD returning to Ponyville.
  18. Genepool
    What are your thoughts on our fandom at the moment? Are we still growing by leaps and bounds? Or are we suffering a shrinkage with S2 over and done with, half-way into S3? The main reason I ask this question is due to the few blogs/posts that I see pop up of people saying they are stopping their work cause they feel MLPFIM influences it too much. Most recent example was Mr. Poninator saying he was not going to do anymore fan made flash animation due to it taking over his life. As for my opinion, I am unsure of what to think. There's no way i'm leaving the fandom since it's really helped to drive me. Started back in March/April where some people on another forum challenged me to watch the show, *insert obligatory challenge accepted image*. I watched the first season's episodes, and then eagerly awaited Season 2. It was during S2 that I tried my hand at art, slowly becoming better and better at it. Just recently started uploading fan fiction to FimFiction to gain skills with my first story being well received which has made me happy. With S3 proceeding on a rocky path, in my opinion due to S3E1&2 not being too well received, it does dishearten me to see a sort of peak/plateau potentially being reached. Not going to go chicken little here and cry "the sky is falling," but I do want to face potential reality if the fandom has stopped its initial growth. However, to contradict myself, it does please me that news articles view us in a positive light and send people our way. Not to mention Derpy being the fourth most searched toy according to Google Zeitgeist. Anyways, as the top says, what are your thoughts on the current status of the fandom?
  19. Genepool
    *insert first scene of S3 with Celestia doing Paperwork* I do agree that it is a rather... ill-advised move to just arbitrarily turn Twilight into a Princess/Alicorn. Only thing that would be acceptable is if it is temporary to help augment the story. That way Hasbro gets their product line and the fans of the show get what they want. Between all of us here and what we've watched, i'm doubtful that one person here can't say they haven't seen a character in a show get "powered up" to face a threat, then have that power dissipate. One thing that I would be extremely ok with is Twilight gaining just wings because she advanced her studies, perfecting the wing spell from the Sonic Rainboom episode. Give her a reason to work with that spell again and show our fears are unfounded. Example might be exploring an area outside Equestria where it's virtually bottomless and only a "city in the clouds" can exist, referencing Star Wars for some fan related humor. Think the big problem with Twilight turning into an Alicorn is the information surrounding that species/pony which approaches a near godlike state. They even might be considered demi-gods in Equestria, so who's to say really. I will laugh my flank off if it turns out that image from Europe was fake and in the S3 two parter finale they have a grand scene with Derpy in it.
  20. Genepool
    Thanks Cloudfyre and Violetlinked. Any help is truly appreciated since this is a story i've really put 120% effort into, working on it for a year as mentioned. I'll see if I can password protect the story on FimFic so I can link it without publishing it. The story is rather challenging for me to write since it deals with an all OC cast of characters, except for one who the main character meets later on. It's an adventure piece that centers around a unicorn stallion as the protagonist. Set 200 years after Celestia defeated Nightmare moon, the pony, Steadfast, travels to Canterlot, seeking the royal library to "quell his voracious hunger for knowledge." The protagonist's main downside is his obsession for knowledge, which he had since childhood. It basically caused him to ignore all the ponies in his village of Gallopia. However, when he first begins his travels, Steadfast gains a traveling companion. All of this happens in the first chapter to get a lot of things out of the way. Chose to use the first chapter since it felt lengthy to do in a prologue. Diary of the Banished has a travel to Canterlot arc consisting of 8 chapters with 5 of the wanted 8 chapters for the Canterlot arc. There's about 4 chapters in the arc after Canterlot, and four to five chapters in the arc after that. Drew from many aspects when writing the stories so I could incorporate philosophical elements to hopefully make the reader think. Used ideas I saw in Full Metal Alchemist and FMA: Brotherhood such as experimentation on animals, ethics, etc... . Won't be mature rated since I don't want to devolve the story into a gore fest; however, I do want it to contain adult themes with violence and mention of blood. The first chapter received a lot of love. I was lucky enough to get a portion of the prologue looked over by two people on another forum. Below you will find the prologue in its entirety which "hopefully" sets the somber tone to the story. Hopefully that will give you the best idea I can give about the story without spoiling what happens in it. Again, thanks for taking a look at this and seeing if it's alright to work on. *edit* Here's a link to the story up on FimFiction for those who want to read it and give some feedback. I'm looking to see if the story maintains a good flow, capturing the readers attention. If there's a part that needs to be axed then like a good parent you have to know when something you don't want to do needs to be done. Diary of the Banished
  21. Genepool
    I'm looking for one or two people to give some input on the story i've been writing for a little over a year now. Have my ideas down and rough drafts for each of the chapters. After a rather long extended break, I hope to get this think up on FIMFiction so I can submit it and have it be accepted by Equestria Daily. All appropriate credit will be given to those who have assited me and those who assist me. Both the prologue and chapter 1 are completed, cemented in stone, etc..., and I need them looked over. Had a great amount of help from a forum goer here to check the material over for grammar. Now I need to have it looked over to make sure it sounds right, tells a story, and builds up to chapter two. Chapter 2 has the rough draft done and i'm on the third to fourth revision to make it sound. Same goes for Chapter 3, but chapter 4 is in the rought draft stage at 2 revisions. There will be 4 arcs with 8 chapters between each arc, hopefully. I will need serious, dedicated help to make this story the best it can be since my dream, right now, is to get this story onto Equestria Daily. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
  22. Genepool
    I think that reddit post is playing off the plausibility that Derpy is being phased out of the show, interjecting the notion that Twilight might become a princess/alicorn. Had several theories as to things that would make me "ok" with Twilight turning into an alicorn. The one I would primarily accept would be something along these lines: Have an episode with Twilight attending a costume party. She has a sort of "obsessed," fan crazy worship of Celestia. It would break down similarly to episode 3 of Season 2, except with the slight difference of the costume party going on. Using her magic, Twilight recreates the Omniomorphic spell and transforms herself into Celestia. However, borrowing something from a fanfic idea I have, the studious unicorn "pushes a spell beyond its limitations," which causes a problem. If she doesn't turn back into her original self she will be permanently stuck in a Celestia copy form which would slowly drain her magic away because it takes a significant amount of power to maintain the Omniomorphic spell. At the end of the episode, Twilight learns about idols and why they aren't bad to have. But you shouldn't let idolizing consume your thoughts. The costume party goes off without a hitch and Twilight turns into an alicorn version of herself for the like 2 remaining minutes with the 1 minute ending showing her going back to normal. However, the only thing I would do for subsequent episodes after this one is a "gag" comedy thing. When Twilight gets spooked at certain points her horn lights up and those wings from the party unfurl, then quickly dissipate like a reflex reaction. If they just make her into an alicorn/princess for the heck of it, have the show switch focus to just her, and Twilight thinking she's a "pretty pretty princess" and the like... i'm not sure if I could like the adorkable, studious little pony. Probably could, but it would be tough since she would be pushed into Mary Sue territory big time.
  23. Genepool
    With any medium, it is truly an ever evolving world. Anyone can take a look at various aspects of life and apply an almost dynamic trait of growth. Cooking is one example where I believe it was predominantly male driven for guys to become chefs. Though that is still a given where people may think "guy/male" when you use the term chef, it is changing. There have been several challengers for the Iron Chef competition, in the United States, that were female. Despite none of them making it, that gives a small hint the field of culinary arts is changing from a generally perceived stereotype of being male oriented. Nursing is another field where it was solely driven by women. In today’s age, you won’t find it uncommon to see a male nurse. Though I’m betting there are more female than male nurses, the gender barrier is really being broken down and only helps to solidify the idea that our world is changing. Probably for the best I might add since we can learn so much more if we work together instead of isolating ourselves. It’s thanks to Lauren Faust and others like her that shows once considered girly can really shine, providing entertainment to us viewers. Still remember watching the first episode of Power Puff Girls, thinking this was pretty interesting. Same went for shows like Sailor Moon where it was girl stuff, yet had that touch, that "interesting" touch, for male viewers. I truly hope to see MLPFIM continue on such a great path, paved by writers willing to take the time and effort to make something they love. In all honesty, I want to see this show reach even more magnificent heights than it has now. Though it might not happen, I would love to see this show reach 8 wonderful seasons, spanning across 10 years before the show eventually reaches a series finale.
  24. Genepool
    Thanks for the kind words all, i'm still trying to decipher things to make the story the best it can possibly be since I want to make it onto EQD's board with this one. Really want to make sure the story isn't some bull crap piece, appearing as though it's a poorly designed story for an OC self-insert. Biggest thing I struggled with was defining the character's weaknesses and even then i'm not sure if they are enough to move him out of Gary Stu territory. The original premise for him was following in Twilight's hoofsteps with the protagonist seeing the summer sun celebration, wants to becomes strong in magic, etc... . I severly changed the design so the protagonist is a flip side of the coin of Twilight. He can replicate any spell he reads about--or is taught--on his first try. The downside comes from the fact the character doesn't have the true power to actually do certain things normal unicorns can do. Example that I based this off of was watching Rarity during the Sister Hoooves Social episode where she easily levitates several items, twice in the episode I believe, through telekensis. I think she lifts a total of six items without showing any signs of strain on her body. The OC I created can only lift 3 items at once, cast three spells at the same time, and "merge 3 spells" to craft his own with other unicorns in the village he comes from easily doing more than that. Hopefully I can get out of this depressed state and continue the story.
  25. Genepool
    I'll approach this from a sort of "logic" standpoint and say the reason Twilight was having difficulty was due to her use of control. We saw the so-called "yoda scene" where she's levitating the three orbs of water around her, slowly, while standing on top of the pond. Think many of us remember the Empire Strikes Back scene with Luke carefully and cautiously putting the rock down onto the next to maintain flow. In my opinion, the reason Twilight struggled was due to the fact she had to use a very "precise" amount of control. It's only after her training with Zecora that she doesn't seem to be sweating. To give a better idea of what i'm thinking, visualize an EXTREMELY powerful robotic arm that you want to be dexterous. You want to pick up a fragile crystal rose and put it into a container without breaking it. Twilight is the robotic arm where she's levitating the animals around. Books, apples, and such are easy to levitate since you can use a normal amount of force. But having to control how much magic you use when levitating woodland creatures is another. Only thing I do find strange though is her struggling to catch the apple cart, barrels and apples when she levitated an entire orchard during the AppleBuck Season episode. However, I will play devils advocate saying the potential reason she struggled was due to the forward inertia + mass of the cart and barrels. Levitating an object that is at rest probably doesn't take a huge toll on a user, but stopping a cart that weighs 100 to 200lb+ and the objects that were in said cart probably takes a good amount of magic. Final speculation i'll make is who's to say Princess Celestia didn't ask Twilight to perform a specific spell. All we hear is that Celestia entrusted Twilight with the entertainment for the festivities. There's a good bit of theory to be had behind things. Perhaps the delegates from Saddle Arabia don't like overly fancy/opulent displays, prefering elegant, smooth flowing shows. Anyways, just my two thoughts about the whole thing.
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