My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic:: READ POST 11156/PAGE 558

[Dialga190]

Four words for you, Brony.

Welcome to the herd!

[PeanutButterDimond]

Me before watching it:

My Little Pony is good? Lolz, CWC made one out of pubic hair. *enter backlash*

Me during the first episode:

Lolz, this won't be that good...huh...

Me after the first episode:

I liked it...I really liked a post-2003 cartoon?? Better be careful not to get sucked into this...*one month later* screw it I'm watching more episodes!

Me after a few more episodes:

I very much like this show! something about it feels so right and it ain't just the colors. sort of reminds me of the cartoons I watched as a kid do but...Better! I can't say for sure but I see a great show that doesn't make me facepalm or flip the channel in boredom. More at 11.

I'm now a brony!

Don't judge a book by it's cover or, in this case, a show by it's title.

Edited July 29, 2011 by PeanutButterDimond

[Tornado]

Going to spend six hours at the zoo today (during which I will spend the entire time reading, granted, but still) strictly so I can go to Toy R' Us afterwards and see if that one thing is for sale yet.

[PeanutButterDimond]

I already loved Naughty Dog but this is awesome!

http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/07/jacob-minkoff-lead-game-designer-at.html

[Tornado]

Past Sins:

Hey! Is that fic everyone is talking about for some reason...

It's... Good, if you can deal with a Mary Sue'ish alicorn OC being the main character I say go for it!

That doesn't sound that good, but it somehow works. (or worked, because I think I will stop reading this one untill it's finished)

Okay...

TBH I have to say that instead of Nyx, what I really love about this story is how the rest of the characters act towards her, watching Twilight acting as a mother (she technically is anyways) melted my heart in many ways, and yes, I cried in chapter 6, and yes, I needed to stop reading (for the day) at chapter 10 because I was too freaking sad to go on.

And since that very same chapter 10 onwards most of the characters I like have been doing nothing but failing.

Celestia has been taking the wrong decisions from the very begining... I'm also sort of baffled at how long it took her to take actions, but being the closest thing the ponies have to a god doesn't mean that you are omniscient (they weren't reading the fic).

Twilight actions from this point are also pretty dumb, but I'm letting her go because she has been emotinally destroyed.

The rest of the elements somehow manage to get Trixie (how? I dunno) to join them and try to stop Nightmare Moon... I really doubt anyone was expecting this to work.

Luna goes like if she is going to make something heroic and gets banished offscreen. (now this one annoyed me a little)

Not really a critic against the fic though, just wanting to point that. xD

The only thing I really don't like about this fic is Nyx, I'm mostly hating the current version of Nyx, and since I reckon that the fic is about her, I think I will stop reading this one untill it's finished.

I finally sat down and read Past Sins. Cover to cover (or, well, current chapter). 6 hours of staring at a PSP screen reading a PDF. And I'm conflicted. Its really good 95% of the time, but when it isn't good, it is outright bad. The political thriller plot that it mostly is is told really well. It has some nice foreshadowing (and some rather blatant ones, but nothing too bad generally), and every little detail seems mapped out (for the most part...). Lots of nice little touches abound. It twists and turns and is generally meshes fantastically with the relationship story between Nyx and Twilight, which by itself is a beautiful tale (Nyx being a borderline Sue or not). Plus, in Chapter 10, a "The Needs of the Many Versus the Needs of the Few (or the One)" subplot, which I absolutely love when they are done properly.

That being said, I have a few criticisms of it that I will get to in a second.

I absolutely loved that Diamond Tiara's whole, terrible family are the equivalent of the Malfoys in this story, because it makes her so much easier to hate. Which, considering it is Diamond Tiara, I mean, that's saying something.

Plus, the scene where Nightmare Moon turned the entirety of Ponyville against Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon was awesome.

Also, from the last Chapter:

A-

Mare-ica, fuck yeah. Comin' again to save the motherfuckin' day, yeah!

I don't even care that it didn't work, because I never expected it to work. Point is, Trixie came back and attempted to help despite knowing what would happen if she failed and despite not really knowing how she could help. Good enough for me.

I don't like that the author played off the thing as being comic relief, because it really wasn't and it really hurts the scene, but I'll get to that in a second as well.

Now for the "hate."

First, as planned out and detailed as this story obviously was from the start, it spends an inordinate amount of time on subplots that don't end up going anywhere.

Pinkie subconciously recognizing Nyx immediately, for example, has an awful lot of time dedicated to it, and then nothing ever happens (this one I could let slide, because it is open to interpretation what it originally meant in the first place).

Or Nyx revealing her power during the tug of war and all of the commotion that Twilight knew would come... which never came (and it never bothers to explain why it didn't come, even though there is no reason that it shouldn't have).

Or, in Chapter 12, the huge fight between Celestia and Luna (which I knew was coming but still carried really strongly because of how well it was done), which ultimately ended up with Luna getting a bridge dropped on her off-screen. It seems pointless to put so much detail into these subplots when they aren't resolved or brought up again.

Second, some grammar problems throughout. Not major ones, but occasionally really distracting ones.

Third, similar to the thing with Trixie above, the author sometimes doesn't seem to know the best way to play the scene. When he does, it works. Heart skips a beat, blood turns to ice level stuff. The scene during the play was a really good one. The script for the play was another one. And he does it right the overwhelming majority of the time. But sometimes, it just doesn't play out right, usually injecting comedy into a scene where it really doesn't belong.

I'll probably be flayed alive for it (and with nearly 1400 comments, I'm not going to bother checking to see if someone has sad similar things before), but I posted the majority of my criticisms on the story itself.

Also, while shit does indeed get real during Chapter 10 so I am giving everypony a bit of leeway on their actions (Twilight in particular for obvious reasons), and I can completely understand Celestia's actions in Chapter 10, once Chapter 10 is over things start to go off the rails. It is intense to be sure, but there are times where it seems intense for the wrong reasons because of the story driving the characters rather than the characters driving the story.

Celestia has basically been making stupid decisions since the start of the story, full stop. Most of them being realistic, but some of them not. Far too trusting of basically everyone but the ponies she should trust, and it almost seemed like the author was giving a knowing wink at the reader when Luna called Celestia on it. In particular:

Celestia should have known that someone in her senior staff was involved, if not Nexus specifically, because of what was supposed to be done with Nightmare Moon's armor after her first defeat and what ended up being done with it.

None of the Mane Six should have been that oblivious at all towards Nyx's identity. It doesn't matter how good Rarity and Twilight covered it up. Logically, at least Applejack should have been suspicious from the start, and after the events that lead to FlutterTree and the tug of war, all six of them should have outright known the score. And after the ultimate reveal, the fact that any of the Mane Six let Twilight out of her sight is silly.

And, again, regarding the Trixie bit:

The "outpouring of all of our hopes and dreams" bit by the remaining Mane Six basically to nopony was hammy and forced, to be honest.

They knew that from the start. There was no reason for that scene to play out that way other than for the benefit of the readers (who also already know all of that), so it is quite unfortunate that it did happen that way. Its good, don't get me wrong. But I don't think it deserves to be a Star-6 until that stuff is cleaned up.

Edited July 29, 2011 by Tornado

[Snatcher2047]

Something I've been wondering about for a while and I know I'm going to feel stupid when someone tells me, but is there some sort of significance to this pose Applejack does?:

She does it all the time. Just curious.

[Speederino]

Maybe her front-left leg is always itchy?

[Tornado]

I've always taken it as the Pony equivalent of a Southern Belle curtsey.

[Old dead account]

Many lulz are had here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSrBbsSu4XI&feature=grec_index

[Blue Wisp]

...

I almost had a heart attack with that video.

I laughed for like ten minutes xD

[PeanutButterDimond]

COMMUNIST PARTY!!!

IMPORTANT EDIT!!!:

ATTENTION: A bunch of people are trying to get ponies on Colbert by using the recent "What I stand for" poll. The pol is being used to determine what Colbert's PAC should stand for. We would like some assistance.

Info here:

http://www.ponychan.net/chan/pony/res/35724230.html

Click "What I stand for" and type about Friendship is Magic here. By the way, you don't need to use your real Email. No varification necessary.

http://colbertsuperpac.com/

Oh and if you do come by this... post. Please. So more people will look in the tread and see this. Thanks. <3

Edited July 30, 2011 by PeanutButterDimond

[Speederino]

Alright, I watched them. Every. Single. Episode. I love the show waaaaay more than I originally thought I would, but then again who was ever expecting to like it right off the bat? Now I'm depressed because we actually have to wait to see new episodes.

Also, this:

[Mick]

This is such a popular show and so many people you wouldn't expect are into it. It's amazing... I found out that former President Bill Clinton is a brony. And I have yet to watch this show... I was going to, but I didn't get the channel. I'm at my Jersey Shore house and for some reason, I don't get the channel it's on. I'll watch it when I go back home. Ah and here's the article about Clinton as a fan. http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/27/guess-whos-a-fan-former-president-bill-clinton-is-a-brony/

[Robogaman]

You'd be suprised. I used to hate the ponies. I cringed at the mere mention of this show. Then I start watching it and here I am putting the episodes on my Zune.

[Heliumdere]

You'd be suprised. I used to hate the ponies. I cringed at the mere mention of this show. Then I start watching it and here I am putting the episodes on my Zune.

I'm not alone?! Other people have Zunes!? :,D

Zune HD 32gig here. :3

[Dialga190]

This is such a popular show and so many people you wouldn't expect are into it. It's amazing...

Hello Captain Obvious.

I'd put the episodes on my iPod but 1. it's too small and 2. it's a first generation iPod Touch so it's incompatible with anything that isn't an audio file.

[Flame Reaver]

IMPORTANT EDIT!!!:

ATTENTION: A bunch of people are trying to get ponies on Colbert by using the recent "What I stand for" poll. The pol is being used to determine what Colbert's PAC should stand for. We would like some assistance.

Click "What I stand for" and type about Friendship is Magic here. By the way, you don't need to use your real Email. No varification necessary.

http://colbertsuperpac.com/

Oh and if you do come by this... post. Please. So more people will look in the tread and see this. Thanks. <3

[SuperStingray]

This is such a popular show and so many people you wouldn't expect are into it. It's amazing... I found out that former President Bill Clinton is a brony. And I have yet to watch this show... I was going to, but I didn't get the channel. I'm at my Jersey Shore house and for some reason, I don't get the channel it's on. I'll watch it when I go back home. Ah and here's the article about Clinton as a fan. http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/27/guess-whos-a-fan-former-president-bill-clinton-is-a-brony/

[Speederino]

I don't think he's a brony- they just gave him really obvious questions. I could have guessed those answers even if I never saw an episode.

Edited July 31, 2011 by Speederino

[Tornado]

It has just occurred to me that I have spent fifteen minutes trying to disprove that a former President watches My Little Pony. What the hell is happening?

Edited July 31, 2011 by Tornado

[null]

And now for a similarly important discussion:

Cello, or Double Bass? I just read The Sound of Sunlight, and I have to know. It looks like a cello, but it is sized like a double bass.

[Speederino]

Oh god. Urge...to change avatar into ponies...it's rising. IT'S RISING! Nonononononono I must not give in!!!

Edited July 31, 2011 by Speederino

[LimeTH]

Welp. Before I wanted to avoid this show, now I love it. The animation, writing and characters are just too awesome for something with it's source material's girly reputation.

I even made a Pony Marvin for my avatar!

[Speederino]

If I had the skill, I would totally keep this avatar but just replace Sonic with Rainbow Dash. Err, a Rainbow Dash who technically has one ginormous eyeball in order to keep the effect, anyways.

[Snatcher2047]

OH GOD YES.

RD: "That was close. You're lucky I was here to save your mane."

TS: "Who are you?"

RD: "ME? Rainbow Dash... WONDERBOLT!"