Nice artwork. What happened to gore and darkness and despair? I don't know who you are anymore :P

Um... well I don't really know where to begin. I guess I could qualify as bisexual, though I'm not sure that is accurate. It implies that gender doesn't matter, and that's not the case. Basically, I define it as what can create this "spark," where *somewhere* in your mind, maybe really deeply buried but still there, there's a part of you that (for lack of a better term) would "hit that." You may completely reject the notion entirely for any number of reasons, but the spark is still there.

Lately I feel that towards (as far as humans go) the more feminine type of male, like scene hair and the whole nine yards. That's in addition to the more masculine type of female, like my current girlfriend. I've got a shitload of really weird fetishes, too. I'd like to say "nothing too weird" but... what's "too weird"? Sexuality is such a broad field of study... nowhere near black and white.

This is taking forever to write. I keep writing garbage and having to go back and redo it.

I mean, like bondage and the like just scares the hell out of me, but a lot of other things are fair game. I don't know if I could even come up with a list. It's such a weird thing to be talking about. Not that I don't want to, just... you know. There's a taboo.

In a nutshell, I guess I prefer darker skin to lighter skin. I'm dating a black girl, if that counts for anything. Definitely females over males, but the spark applies to a lot of both. I think you once said you find pretty much everything attractive, and I have a similar problem.

Also i could go off for hours on other stuff, but I'll stick to humans for now. Under 300 characters left. Your turn, unless you feel I dodged the question. I kind of did, didn't I? Apologies.

Not sure if it's a good idea to reply to keep replying to this, your profile will soon an hero from lag.

Facesitting, well, I don't really know what I think about it. I sort of fluctuate with it. I remember back in like 7th grade I specifically had a fantasy that involved a lot of facesitting. But now I'm kind of like meh. If I remember right my fascination with it may of spawned from a Rule 34 image of the Flinstones odd as fuck enough. I don't really think it's weird, I just lost interest in it about 5 years ago. So I guess, there you go. However, I'll tell you, I really hate straight porn with facesitting, and that goes for straight porn in general. I'd much rather have shemale x girl or shemale x shemale porn, or just plain lesbian porn. I think that's about as straight as things can get for the male viewer, again odd as fuck enough. But let me explain myself, I really don't like the masculine figure at all. I just really, fucking weirdly like dick and balls. On a woman with boobs, yes, on a masculine figure, no. I find it disgusting in porn whenever it's the back angle of a guy going down on a girl and you can see the taint and asshole of the guy. I have no clue why, but on a more slimmer feminine body, the taint/ball area seems more desirable, AND clean. No telling how many times in straight porn the guy had a nasty shit-stain and it turned into a boner apocalypse for me. NOPE. That also goes for a guy doing cunnilingus. Taking out the masculine figure, and replacing it with another feminine figure to me is the way to go. The only problem is their voice-box isn't always readjusted femininely. Which is another turn off for me. However, I do like "ladyboys", as long as they look absolute feminine I'm cool with it. I still don't consider myself bisexual though, with my disgust of the masculine figure.

Holy nigger shit I got off topic.

OH! I thought I forgot something. Yeah, Equestria Girls.

When I first saw the images popping up on Tumblr and Derpibooru, I puked out so much seething rage that no one was paying attention to this shit while the whole Twilicorn fiasco was going on. Which I STILL think was a complete and ludicrous waste of energy over something that was fucking NOTHING to begin with. Then the Equestria Girls image of the ponies humanized came out and it was confirmed for a real "thing". I didn't know what it was going to be, and the official info I read on it was building it up to be some sort of spin-off series that took place in a cliche as fucking-every-goddamn-motherfucking-studio-in-the-world-has-already-overdid-this -bullshit High School, with the typical stupid High School drama that every High School setted piece just shit-basques itself in. Pretty much reverting back to G2(which I have watched the whole series, wasn't as bad as I thought it would be), and a marketing scheme by Hasbro to get teh moniez by hiring new lame-ass people to work on it potentially ruining in future merit the show could ever have.

However, I breathed the biggest sigh of relief since the Cuban Nuclear Crisis when I learned that 1) DHX is animating it 2) IT'S THE FUCKING MY LITTLE PONY MOVIE, WHOO! 3) Equestria still exists, and the beginning sets place in Equestria with ponies 4) the same writers are working on it as the series. With these facts straightened out I now welcome what could possibly come of this. If there's any team of animators that can make boring as shit High School drama look good, it's these guys for sure. I put mostly my full trust in them. So my opinion is a completely optimistic and positive one.

In fact, the day it shows, me and my buddies are going to go up to the place that is showing it. Get stoned as fuck, and enjoy it in beautiful theater quality while having the time of our lives.

I'm still on the fence about Equestria Girls, although I did have pretty much the same reaction. Initially, I said "fuck no," but the trailer did just enough to throw me off base that I'll definitely give it a chance. I'm still forcing myself to remain skeptical and pessimistic about it because I'm really hoping to be proven wrong on the whole thing. I don't want to allow that optimism to run wild because then I'm likely going to get disappointed. I still have my doubts that a high school pony movie (for a show which Faust wrote adult characters for because she DIDN'T want to tackle school problems) is going to match the quality of its second regular season, but if it had to be made they've definitely gone the proper route by making it actually the real Twilight turned human. There's... some potential there. Enough to warrant going to see it.

As for sexual stuff, I really like the male form with the exception of the ass and stuff. I don't really watch human porn because I'm too into animals, but my interest in the male form usually stops at penetrative sex. I like the general body shape a lot, the musculature and structure and everything. But human males lose my interest in porn whenever they're really DOING anything. As an art piece, yes. If furry porn could somehow animate, also yes. Human on human hetero/gay sex? No. Not usually.

Oh, shit, did I ever tell you my whole self-revelation experience when I was trying to actually figure out what title (hetero, homo, bi, etc) to use for convenience? Settled on "pansexual," after reading some Wiki articles and other sources defining it.

Now, it's strange, because in person and with porn I have very discerning tastes about what I like and don't like, but I think that's some second-order attraction where it's just a physical thing; consider being in a relationship with a decent-looking female, and how critical of your actual relationship choices you are as opposed to the porn stars you'll whack off to. When the whole point of it is an idealistic fantasy to satisfy physical desires, then you're going to insist on the best. When picking a long-term relationship partner, character and personality take a more active role and you'll "settle" (and I hate the term because it's insulting, but it works) for less idealistic attraction because you like the person enough.

What I've recently figured out is that I take that to something of an extreme. I started going back and forth with someone exclusively through the internet (not you; this isn't a "my friend has a problem" story) and started developing really strong feelings for her, without having the faintest idea what she looks like or even if it's actually a female (you never know on the interwebz), and then came to the realization that if the distance gap between Ohio and Oregon didn't exist and we could actually meet up, I wouldn't really give a fuck. Hell, it could be a burn victim on the other end of those messages and I still think I'd feel sexual attraction based purely on what I've seen of her character and personality.

It goes a bit deeper than that, but... that's basically what I figured out lately that I was somewhat surprised to realize. It's a wonder how it's possible to not even fully understand yourself at times.

I ever show you this? Probably my favorite internet-based musician.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWtEFWKmRrM
God damn dat brass.

He has a new song out.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKWK7cgTi0I

And of course,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml6oLpxDro8

I squee.

Oh, so a Pansexual. Yeah, I've researched that orientation after hearing someone having it as theirs. I would almost consider myself a pansexual, but I'm slightly critical for a certain proportionate body-type in my partner, so I suppose that would mean I'm not. :/

And yeah I agree with you on the Masculine form on animals. I just hate it on humans. In animals I like the horses masculine features, they just seem so powerful.

Internet based music? Oh hell, just count my whole brony Music folder, and yes I've separated it from my regular music folder just because of how unique sounding it is.

Probably my favorite version of Eurobeat brony's song Luna:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrYHuCwfvb4

A lot of this is equivalent to Stoner music, some of this shit I wonder if they are smoking weed. This first song is so mellow that it's almost sad, very nostalgic for some reason with that filter for the clips from Boast Busters:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8QpdQd5lyM

This is just goddamn weird. I swear this chick ain't smoking Cigarettes like she shows her OC doing, it has to be weed. This is weird yet, sad toward the end. Not really sure what to make of the video and the music:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G49bLZ2nAmE

I just realized how little I type while high, and the time it took me to type that.....

Lolshit.

Okay, so welcome back to the days of weekly lapses between contact, right? Oy.

Anywhores, I spent some time working on retooling this cover art, which was a pain because my Fallout refuses to take screenshots and I had to get Frasca to do it. Still can't create exactly what I want out of it, but it's getting there. Slowly.

Also trying and failing to write, no news there.

As for stoner music, I'm not sure what really qualifies. I know the music of Nightmares on Wax has VERY potent "chill the fuck out" qualities.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgjvD9lKr4U

Yeah, I have no idea what to even make of that third video. That's just. Wat.

But the big thing lately is this:
www.fimfiction.net/?view=page&page=staff

knighty (FIMFic DJ 4DM1N) posted a blog asking for new proofreaders (peeps who review submissions and pass/fail), and at the time I was tripping balls on allergy meds because every tree in the entire state of Ohio dropped all its pollen on my face at once, I assume. So in my "why the fuck not" state, I tapped out an application, thinking that I'd never in a million years get the job.

But I did. One of four people (from 300 applicants) that he just said "sure, welcome aboard" to. Which is kinda cool because my name has a little book thing next to it now, but means I have work and shit to do. Ech.

But that's my life. Sacrifice my time so that other people can succeed. I've been doing it for so long, why stop now?

How are things on your end? Anything else to talk about? Sorry for disappearing for so long.

Ok dude, tell me when you get something of a title.

Here, I'm probably going to post some weird-ass images I've acquired through the years. They are from my legendary Wat folder.

Nice pic. I shall retaliate with quite possibly the creepiest motherfucking thing I have ever seen in my life.

Meh, the Pinkie thing is pretty stupid to debate ober, but it's not simply because it's an editing group. Most of the people in it don't actually edit anything; they're the people submitting stuff to get edited. The opinion is pretty constant across most people in the group, as far as I can tell. And it's certainly not "because I'm editing it" - I've got plenty of reasons to hate Pinkie that have nothing to do with fanfiction whatsoever. Hell, my first thought on seeing her was "shit, this is a kids show, so no point in hoping she gets eaten by zombies or something either." I want characters with depth and realism, and at least some semblance of consistency across the story. Pinkie offers none of these things in any measure whatsoever, and is treated almost humorously inappropriately by the other characters. Who see fit to argue with each other and tell each other to knock it the fuck off when they go crazy, but brush Pinkie's attention-whorey, really-bad-friend material off as "meh, whatever." But whatever. I don't want to get into all that again because it's an argument I can't win any more than I can disprove the existence of God. Your love of her character necessitates you suspend judgment on the utter absence of character traits that I find crucial; you're saying that an open-top Jeep is a perfectly acceptable day-to-day car because who needs doors anyway? I can accept and respect that mindset, though I personally demand a car to be fully enclosed and comfortable, as the rest of the mane six are.

As for the music... I kinda wish they didn't sing in it. The instrumental aspects are glorious and need no vocals to succeed. And I don't speak whatever language that is, but aren't they saying the same thing over and over? It reminds me of Radiohead, and their utterly incomprehensible decision to put nonsensical lyrics (allegedly CHOSEN FROM A GODDAMN HAT, no less) in front of Everything in its Right Place.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrpGhEVyrk0
Radiohead.

Radiohead.

You make one fucking song I can even listen to without my ears bleeding, and not only is it listen-able, it's glorious. But I can only listen to the first eight seconds of it, because then in comes the wonderful, unforgettably symbolic lyric "wngmejkfashdhgghdngegngnbs," all distorted and bullshit and getting in the way of those chords. Then we're on to the hat lyrics that just get in the goddamn way and make me want to start executing members of the band so I can hear the damn music. Thus, Radiohead has one song I like, and I don't like their version of it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_0ywyrtKOc <instrumental, like it fucking should be.

Similar thing with the songs you linked. I love big rich instrumental color pieces, but they need to be instrumental. I don't care how symbolic or artistic your lyrics are, they don't belong in a color piece. And if you're like Radiohead, and you decide "hey, you know what'd be super? Mucking up our color piece with lyrics that DELIBERATELY MEAN NOTHING!! All the misery of listening to me sing, none of the symbolism of actual fucking song lyrics!"

But this isn't about Radiohead. I just spend all day hearing how awesome they are from all my friends, while personally finding them about half as amusing as the Plague. I made a comparison and the floodgates broke open.

Good stuff, seriously. Decent implied commentary in the post-apocalypse video, although I would prefer a version without sound effects for casual listening. But that's seriously all I've got to say about it. It's good, it's soothing, and it's very pretty music. I prefer sound to have a lot more power behind it, like that jazz cover of Everything, but for skeletal color pieces they do a solid job.

I'll fire one back in your direction: I FINALLY found someone who put Maynard Ferguson's "Horn Two" up on YouTube; it's easily my favorite jazz album, and this is my favorite track from it. Turn this shit up until it's about to destroy your face. If possible, burn it to disc and stick it in your car. This was when multi-channel audio for left-right home stereos was first starting to really get used all over the place, and the producers of this album really used it to terrific effect here.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSCagAipLt4
You'll probably hate it, but it's in my top-5 favorite songs of all time.

That song doesn't repeat the same lyrics, in fact I don't think very many lines in the lyrics repeat at all, if any. Most of Sigur Ros' songs are in Icelandic, the sound effects are from the music video, the song on the album has no sound effects: (www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQn7kEgskOg)

This is actually the only spot that repeats in the song, there are more original lyrics that was cut out.

I like Jazz, and I like the song. I really wish I could hit the notes on my Trumpet that are played in the song, but that would take years and years of practice that I don't want waste my life away at. I mean really the highest note I've been able to hit was probably an E above the staff(Key of B Flat) so I guess I fit the criteria for a High School band like I'm in, and I'm not planning on taking Band in College.

Also, call me crazy, but personally I prefer the one with gibberish lyrics. A voice, especially one that is soothing can add a lot to a piece in my opinion. Besides, I don't really like instrumentals, they've always sounded really empty to me no matter how much layering was put into the music or if the lyrics were gibberish. With exceptions, take out the voice in a song that had one, and I just can't listen to it, as if the soul of music was sucked out in the process. This actually goes into some shows, sometimes I'll look up the soundtrack that was played at a certain scene, and it just....sounds off. I can only enjoy the music with the (voice)actor's voice also in the background.

To me, what defines Sigur Ros IS a lot of what the singer does, his voice is just so soothing I could listen to it all day(and have at points):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Rm05U4BnA

Let me see if I can find an exception to what I said, HA, Johann Johannsson(Who is also Icelandic), he mostly makes Alternative Orchestra music, a majority of his music has no singing:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWBfWnerbLk

No voice, just the sound of instruments telling a story.

Shit, I meant to edit that first line when I realized that the ending chorus does repeat only twice, sorry, Didn't mean to sound like a hypocrite, just ignore that first sentence, please. Hehehe.....

Well obviously I can't say much about the Radiohead beyond I disagree, since it's all subjective. Me, I feel like if you're going to put lyrics in a song then you do it to make the song singable, and/or to make some kind of poetic message. Everything (the song) fits neither of these. "Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon" is not something you want to be shouting over and over in your car on the way home from work. Nor does it mean anything whatsoever. It was literally chosen out of a hat.

There's the argument that it's just there to "add color" because the song is pretty lacking in most respects and only barely has a melody, so the presence of the voice is just there to sound like a voice and deliberately not say anything - Radiohead is something of an "experimental" group that does everything it can to avoid the standard rock format, so "color voice" is something they could conceivably do. I disagree with this because I think deliberately bullshitting people is stupid no matter what art form you're a part of, and I also hate the sound of his voice in those lines because it DOMINATES the track instead of adding color. I can't hear the chords and the instrumentals because he won't shut up repeating the same goddamn nonsense lyric over and over. Plus, apart from when he says "in its right place" and the ending "lemon" of each phrase where it shifts up to follow the chord progression, he's not singing much of anything. He's just saying it, and it sounds annoying to me. I don't like the sound of his voice at the best of times, so if he's just going to state a lyric that's deliberately pointless in order to "add color" to a beautiful instrumental track which needs no additional color and in the process dominate the track as if his nonsense lyrics actually MEAN something and need to be heard... that's bullshit.

Now, karaoke versions of R&B or Soul or Rock or anything else I listen to are absolute garbage because the vocals are so integral to the whole piece. So I totally get that and I'm not against voice in music period, it just has to belong there. To me, Everything in its Right Place is the equivalent of listening to a beautiful classical symphony but with a persistent dubstep bass wub overlay. It has no business being there, was randomly computer-generated and not composed to have any sort of musical meaning, and distracts from the brilliance beneath it so much that I'm reaching for my Colt to empty a clip into whatever is making that awful noise so I can hear the actual music that's going on.

I'm in public and without headphones, so I don't want to play music by clicking your Youtube links just yet. But I will take a look when I get home. I'll also look up the video I said was "repetitive" and see if I can point you at what I'm talking about - I honestly don't even remember what it sounded like. But I remember something getting stated over and over. I think. Maybe it just started happening at the end as they were wrapping up and it was enough to draw attention to itself, or some of their words sound similar enough to one another (being in a different language) that it sounded like repetition. I don't know.

I meant to look up more of their songs after that one, but never did. Add that to the list of things I need to do tonight. I did like it, seriously, I just remember the lyrics distracting from the music. Which always rubs me the wrong way. Tone him back some and it'd be fine.

Ok, hit me up when you do.

Dan with a Molotov Cocktail riding Nightmare Moon. I like this.

<So damn tempted to buy this. I really really really like it.

Alright, I gave the apocalypse song another listen, and I'll be damned if he doesn't literally say the exact same lyric every single time he opens his mouth. I even looked it up: Jónsi sang the lyrics of ( ) entirely in "Vonlenska" ("Hopelandic"), a made-up "language" which consists of meaningless words and syllables...The Hopelandic of ( ) consists of one eleven-syllable phrase, "You xylo. You xylo no fi lo. You so.", various permutations of which are sung over the course of the album. Listen to it again, those are the lyrics present throughout the entire song.

Now, I will retract saying that they shouldn't sing at all, but with a few exceptions. There's a couple parts where either the lead vocalist or someone else goes really high up into the stratosphere with the pitch, and it's distracting. Maybe that's the point, but I don't like it. Around the 5-minute mark is where it really gets aggravating; the thing that immediately follows the full introduction of the song is short enough that I can dismiss it, but listening to that guy wail on the high register just hurts my ears because he's not even vaguely near the right pitch. The rest of the thing's so perfectly in-tune, so layered and symphonic... and then THAT happens. Eesh.

Also, if you're going to go through the trouble of inventing a nonsense language for your song, you could at least invent more than one phrase to repeat like four or five times during the song. I know, I get it, it's the album, it's artistic, it's symbolic, it means a whole bunch of awesome abstracty hipster garbage. That's fine. But how about sliding it once or twice into every song as the chorus, not every single lyric in the entire song.

Really, it's just I take a bit of issue with their whole band presentation somewhat; they're pretty much ON the line separating "truly artistically inspired" and "trying way to goddamn hard to seem artistic." Avant garde for the sake of avant garde always annoys the fuck out of me. "Let's do the opposite of what everyone else does, and we'll be super famous for daring to think outside the box!" No thought put into it whatsoever; they spend more time thinking about what social customs they're going to break than about actually releasing goddamn music.

Which isn't how I feel about Sigur Ros, I should clarify. But they're about as far in that direction as I could ever conceivably tolerate because another little shove in the form of shoddy music quality... I would dismiss them entirely. As it stands, I can tolerate the lame songwriting ("writing") in exchange for everything else, and some of the logic behind what they say (We didn't want to put titles on the album simply because titles go on an album)(to which I retort, "but the same motherfucking article says you have informal names for each of the songs - why not use them??") makes... SOME sense, I suppose. And I suppose using the voice as an instrument and giving it syllables to say but not writing lyrics for the song is perfectly fine, although the repetition really starts to grate after minute six of the same line.

Just kinda reminds me of this at times:
youtu.be/X5AFCp-f1fU?t=17m29s

Meh, I'm being overly-critical. There's just a lot of things that rub me the wrong way, like artists intentionally being obtuse with their material so you have to say "did you listen to that one song off the album that's just parentheses, where the music video was all the kids playing in the ashes of nuclear war?" instead of "have you listened to [song title]?" - you're just being a douche at that point, really. Kind of like Prince changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol.

I say this as someone who's written a story entitled [Blank] because I was too lazy to think of anything else, sure, but at least there's a word in there you can say.

And I've listened to Johannsson before. Couple songs here and there. Clicked around a bit and some of them sound very familiar. I am indeed a fan of a lot of his stuff.

About the only thing I could really add to this without radically going in a new direction is mention Philip Glass. Seems like stuff you'd enjoy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=meGPgvLcpWk

Although I prefer the more motiony songs, myself.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLBD1yHepGw

Ah, ok we've found stable ground. I was getting worried with the Sigur Ros rampage. I suppose you are very traditional, and all these new-fangled musical textures are just incoherent to your ears.

Well, Philip Glass and Johannsson are both minimalists in music. However in some sense minimalism can be a little too minimalistic sometimes. A good number of Johannsson's songs are just low moaning drones that rattle my headset from 3/4 of the song to the end, I better might as well listen to wall-noise, if it's music it needs some more instrumentation. But other than that, sometimes the minimalism does work, one of my favorite songs Bao is pretty much just a Glockenspiel(Xylophone instrument of some sort) and a Trumpet(horn), which I like for some reason even though there's not a lot to it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6tR602Ab48

(This is all of that low rumbling I'm talking about, this is unnecessary):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_O075iPTmI

Start the second link at 8:00, sorry.

The fuck. That second one does come back and do music stuff again, but it does sit and drone for a long damn time. Very unnecessary.

And maybe I should clarify what I meant - it's not that I'm "old fashioned" or think that musical innovation is a bad thing. Quite the opposite. I'll dismiss modern artists even in the rock genre for going in directions I don't like, but I still can have some respect for attempting to build off the existing form instead of just playing the same type of song over and over. I'm a little upset that the '50s ended when they did and we didn't get more of THAT style of music, because I hate the Beatles' sound and everyone following in their footsteps kind of diminished music for me after that. But there's still plenty of good in the '60s, in its own distinctive style. Any bitching I do isn't that the '50s aren't still around, it's that rock and roll in my preferred format only lasted about six years before John Lennon made everything alter course into a direction I dislike. My ideal format would have been a 1950s that lasted all the way to the mid '60s, then have everything flow as before out of that timeframe, so the '60s straddle the '70s and the '70s straddle the '80s, which last until nearly the end of the century. Then everything after that I can pretty much write off as noise with exceptions (as I already do) and sit back in my 20th century fort.

Regardless, it's never the fact that they've changed something that I dislike. Hell, back in the day the point of an amplifier was simply to make a guitar louder, and artists always wanted the purest, least distorted, most non-overdriven sound they could squeeze out of the instrument. That changed, and some people started doing outlandish things "because why not" like plugging an organ into a guitar amp and turning up all the knobs and seeing what that sounds like. That's great stuff.

I take issue with presentation and artistic choices made simply for the sake of being different in that respect. Attention-getting things, "PAY ATTENTION TO ME BECAUSE I'M WEIRD" sort of stuff like titling your album ( ) and not titling any of the songs. Why. That's just stupid as fuck, because they admit to having their own pet names for all the songs; their entire justification is "we don't want to do it because everybody else does it." That's so hipster bullshit it makes me want to cut myself.

And I'll even point to [Blank] as a reasonable "good example" here even though the work doesn't match my definition of quality. At least in the titling and presentation aspect, I feel we did a better job by miles than Sigur Ros's ( ) album. Why? Because if anyone asks you what the story is titled, you have a pronounceable syllable to issue forth from your lips. "It's called Blank." The brackets are a stylistic bit of typography that make the thing somewhat symbolic, but they aren't THE TITLE. Now, think of a simple way of reminding me of the song you linked. "That one from the parentheses album, with the apocalypse video." Ten words.

"Just because titles are supposed to go on the album" is like saying "just because shirts are supposed to have sleeves." There's a reason for that, ya knob, and removing it to be "artistic" is like cutting off your legs. Makes a fuck of a lot of work for yourself and everyone around you, but it's okay because YOU'RE DIFFERENT!

Also, [Blank] is a fully justified in-universe and out-of-universe title. Originally it was just because I couldn't be bothered to come up with a title (Sigur Ros breaks this by having their own titles, and has no out-of-universe justification), but I can work it into the story somewhat and have it sort of vaguely reference things. My inspiration (if I was arrogant enough to use such a term in this context) would be Microsoft PowerPoint's "Click here to add title" prompts - a placeholder sort of "error" text, because the field is supposed to be filled but is not. Sweetie's flank is supposed to have a picture on it, but as of yet it is not "filled out." Hence, we get a little error message saying [Blank] - and an in-universe justification (albeit retroactively-symbolic) for the title. Sigur Ros has... zilch of that.

So yeah, I dislike their presentation and marketing aspects, and my respect for them musically does nothing to take away from that (nor does my hatred of their hipsterocity disqualify them as a band). They go into my folder of people who I want desperately to just haul off and sock in the nose... and promptly become best friends with. Don't ask me how it works, there's just some people who I could coexist perfectly well alongside, just so I got to start off the relationship by venting the little bits of pent-up anger towards them in the form of an uppercut. It may sound mean, or that I dislike them, but I actually intend it as something of a compliment.

One more example: I linked Philip Glass songs, specifically The Grid. That's off a movie soundtrack for the film "Koyaanisqatsi," which has neither a plot nor characters nor dialogue nor any of the other things films commonly have. The difference between this and ( ) is that they've cut the sleeves off their shirt so that it's better for the hot weather of the summer, whereas Sigur Ros thought the shirt just needed to be different from the norm and so they lopped off the sleeves and stitched up the holes again.

Koyaanisqatsi is all about evoking an emotional response in the viewer; some "look at the beauty of nature" mixed with decent modern commentary; there's one bit that always makes my heart skip where they show all kinds of modern life happening at rapid time-lapse, like eating fast food and milling about in a train station and driving in traffic, and start showing scenes of stuff getting made in factories. Here's cars being put together, here's televisions being assembled. Here's more people. Then they cut from hordes of people surging up an escalator in a public place to hot dogs coming off a machine on a conveyor, and it's almost a perfect match for the people on the escalator. The implied commentary here being "we're no different, really, than hot dogs being mass produced, and this notion of individuality really might not be all we chalk it up to be." This is plainly stated without any words or characters or dialogue simply by the juxtaposition of emotional, evocative music and visually striking imagery put together in a symbolic format.

In-universe justification, therefore, is that the absence of characters and the "common elements" of filmmaking actually contributes something of value to film as an idea, in that not being able to watch individual people do things means we're forced to take a more abstract approach and really pay attention to the details of a scene where we might otherwise spend the entire time staring at the lead actor's face. We're forced to think, because the hero isn't going to sum up morality for us. Personally I derive a very empowering human message from it, that as a species we are fantastic beings and are capable of doing all kinds of crazy shit. But someone else could watch the exact same film and come away thinking that mankind is a beast that's destroying nature - and both of us, for the purposes of the film, would be correct, because it's not out to persuade us into accepting the director's belief, but rather encourage us to formulate our own beliefs based on what's shown to us. The inclusion of traditional film elements would distract from that, much in the way that sleeves on a shirt make you hot in the summer, and so, even though they're traditionally included, axing them makes loads of sense artistically AND functionally, because the absence of norms and departure from convention actually enhances the overall work in some way.

Sigur Ros titled their album ( ) because albums that have titles are too mainstream.

I find that impossibly frustrating.

What the hell are you talking about? They titled one of their albums "( )" because they didn't write the song for any specific thing, it is all interpretation by the listener to make their own story of it. I was going to ignore that until you kept stating the same misconception over and over. I'd assume they "named" the tracks only to give clarification instead of just naming them "Track 1", "Track 2", besides the song names are even vague. Some of the song names have different interpretations of the names "Njósnavélin" is interpreted as "The Spy Machine" or "The Nothing Song"., the listener is meant to determine what it is about, much like the idea behind Link from Legend of Zelda, he has no emotion because the player projects it onto the character. They specifically named it "( )" because each parenthesis represents one part of the album, it is a two parter. Besides the album does have a name, it's also known as "Svigaplatan " or "The Bracketed Album".

Well, shit. there goes that.

_ In a 1982 interview, and on numerous other occasions, Cage stated that 4′33″ was, in his opinion, his most important work.[8]_

At the time, however, Cage felt that such a piece would be "incomprehensible in the Western context," and was reluctant to write it down: "I didn't wish it to appear, even to me, as something easy to do or as a joke. I wanted to mean it utterly and be able to live with it."

Fuck you John Cage. Thinking of it as a troll song was actually kinda funny. This is bullshit. "most important work." Eat my ass.

In Cage's 4′33″, the audience felt cheated by having to listen to no composed sounds from the performer. Nevertheless, in 4′33″ the audience contributed the bulk of the musical material of the piece
I'm going to go see this performed somewhere, and right in the middle shout out "John Cage was a talentless hack."

According to Cage himself, that's something he intended to be a part of his "most important work."

Fuck you. Avant-garde for the sake of being avant-garde is so annoying I want to start stabbing people in the throat with a cleaver.

Now, I agree with you on that. I believe music can really be any sound that can be auditorily perceived. Every sound has pitch, and every sound can be arranged or modified to create beautiful music. The crack of a gun can be turned into a percussion instrument, a fog horn can be modified as a tuba-like instrument, but this? This is garbage. This is not art because there is no medium at which emotion is being expressed, substance is the most import key to, well, anything. I wonder how many artists have taken a canvass, did nothing, and called it art? And what about the poor souls who spent money just to sit in silence feeling like a bunch shitheads that their money was robbed from them. I like me a little bit of "Avant-garde" every once in a while, but I don't even consider this that, this is just dead silence.

Yeah, that's the biggest difference of you and me. We're a bit on different spectrums. You tend to go right towards where the wobbly spots are. I just like whatever is created for what it is. If something is written bad, to me, focusing on what made it bad can just ruin it even more. I like to focus on what's glaringly good, as long as the bad is not blasting me in the face, in that case I make a game of what they could of done right to just make my standards. Now that's kind of fun every once in a while, find something particularly bad, and just pick it apart. Unless, it's REALLY bad I just sit calmly, every once in a while yelling happens, but it's rare.

I misinterpret your critics simply because I'm wired different than you. From all the bad I see in what you say, and a smaller proportionate of good, I conclude that you perceived the bad out-weigh the good and ultimately you don't like whatever it is. But I'm wrong, and I don't know why I haven't gotten used to your ways yet....?

His reasoning is that the piece consists of the sounds the audience makes, the ambient noises and all that fuck. I really strongly dislike that attitude towards musicality. He was not the first to compose a song entirely out of silence - that was done before multiple times, including one that was something like "funeral march for a deaf man" or something, in which case it actually sort of makes some little bit of sense. Cage's version is nothing new. It's just a ripoff of a bad idea.

I focus on the bad in reviews because it catches my attention, and sitting there praising the good points is something I'll only do if there's no distracting bad qualities. It's also done entirely on the assumption that what I'm reviewing is a good thing, or at least something I feel strongly about one way or the other, because otherwise it wouldn't be worth my time. So "I like this" at the head should set the tone for the entire review. It's good, but it's got problems. Nothing's perfect, and letting something get away with its mistakes doesn't do anyone any good.

http://sfdebris.com/videos/startrek.asp
Guy I watch a lot, especially his Trek reviews. He rips apart everything, tears it to pieces, and very rarely throws praise in the direction of the episode unless it's something truly spectacular. Then at the end he'll say "final score is 8/10." What? You just listed 1,300 reasons it sucked, now it gets a high rating? Huh?

I do kind of the same thing. If I sit around and say "this is good, that's good, that other thing's good," then the word "good," and indeed positive praisey words in general, completely lose their meaning. If I lay into an MLP episode and point out every single mistake it makes, then the few times I say "really good handling of X," it means they really did an amazingly fantastic job. I don't believe in just glossing over mistakes because "they were trying their best." Maybe in the end, when I'm assigning a rating (which is why the fan-made episode is as high as a 5.5 or whatever I gave it) I'll throw them credit and not let those mistakes diminish the overall work. But I'm going to point at those mistakes all the same because glossing over them does nobody any favors.

I know I'm hard to figure out. I just hope you don't take every single thing I say so seriously that you think my raging over Sigur Ros's hipstery fuck ( ) retardation has any bearing on what I think of their music.

FUCK! I hit cancel instead of reply right as I was about to submit. I am anger. Oh well.

I personally don't care what artists do with their albums and what not. I don't care for the name, album art, almost anything. I just care for what the music sounds like, everything else is cosmetic to me, it just adds glitter. However if it's good enough I'll appreciate the good album art and things as such. But I don't consider it a core part of the music.

Today I found out something glorious. Since I was out of Weed, and a friend just turned 18 on Cinco de Mayo(he's the friend I can remember the birthday of because it's on Cinco de Mayo) he started smoking Cigars. It's just the cheapy ones that are $3-$4 for a pack of like 5. They are also flavored. So I get home and grab me a Rockstar energy drink(the Original flavor, whatever that even is), this stuff is like the Beer to America for my generation, so sorry I like the taste of it for some reason. I poured the drink into a glass with ice. The ice watered and cooled the flavor of the energy drink enough to where perfectly complimented the Blueberry flavor of the cigar. It was like the best thing ever. Now, I'm not going to ask you to do this because I pretty much already know your not going to like Rockstar energy drink at all assuming you haven't already, and if you did then I know that you didn't like it.

Oh, and by the way the image I posted was suppose to be a MFW to the last paragraph.

Also, sorry for that being too brief. Like I said I accidentally deleted everything I typed up by hitting cancel. A.d.m.i.n really needs to separate the 'reply' and 'cancel' buttons way away from each other, preferably put the cancel button to the left-most space on the comment window and leave reply button where it already is.

<-------From derpibooru, don't know if this .gif will work.

I agree with you. Unless it's something really extraordinarily good or bad, as is the case with Sigur Ros (or, on what I consider the opposite end of the scale, The Black Keys' album El Camino, because its against-the-grain presentation includes titles and all the necessary bits, and is just an ironic humor joke rather than wholesale plunge into the avant-garde depths of fuckery), I don't put much stock into album artwork or presentation.

Also, El Camino's artwork (including a little booklet inside which is just more pictures of beat to shit minivans) was all shot in Akron, Ohio, which is sorta kind vaguely near where I live. I've got a gay friend who goes to college there. The band is also from Akron, which is kind of cool.

Funny you should mention cigars. I just got back from my smoke shop and had a Drew Estate "Acid," which was... weird, in a really good way. It looks like your standard cigar. It smells like your standard cigar when unlit. But when you light it up, it kicks you in the face with this sugary sort of sweet flavor that I can't even describe as resembling any other type of food. There's some little stick cigars by CAO with a couple different flavors, and I like all of those. This... is just odd in ways I can't describe. Then it mellows out about midway through and becomes your standard smoke. It was pretty damn cool.

I still gotta say my favorite is the Alec Bradley Black Market. The spiciness and general YES factor of those makes me giggly inside.

Monster energy drink is okay. I have an aversion to energy drinks as a rule because they're expensive, ridiculously bad for you, and I like the taste of cheaper, relatively healthier Coke and sarsaparilla much better. But I don't totally hate it or anything. I might have to pick up a can next time I'm near the store and give it a shot, although at present the only smokes I have in my little desktop TARDIS cookie jar that I use to store my cigars because I'm too cheap to buy a proper humidor are a Black Market and a Drew Estate Mint Java, which I just realized actually is sold in larger sizes than the dumbfuck little midget stick I used to keep buying. Six bucks for something around the size of your index finger, or eight for a full corona. Frowny face at not realizing this sooner.

I definitely recommend the Mint Java, the regular Java, and Acid by Drew Estate. Bit pricy, but fuck if they aren't worth every penny.

Also, I don't recall if you ever said you'd tried a Black Market. Maybe they're not available or something, I don't remember what you said. Definitely look them up and see if you can get your hands on one. If you like spicier, heavier tobacco flavors, there is nothing better for your money (that I've had). Plus, their wrappers are cool.

Yeah, sorry. I'm only 17 right now. I can't legally purchase Tobacco right now, I can in less than a month though. I can however illegally buy it at a beat-down Tobacco World. And when I say illegal, I mean they just don't give a fuck. I mean, I have a thick goatee and mustache, so I suppose that helps, but they really just don't care about the carding law. So, by the Federal government's piece of shit definition I am purchasing an illegal substance(for my age), and they are selling it to me illegally. In 29 days however, it won't be illegal. That one night before I turn 18, something magical happens where I trans-mutate into an adult. However, even then I don't consider myself an adult because I can't legally drink. I really wish they lowered the drinking age to 18 or at least 19.

But, after getting way off topic, I haven't tried Black Markets to answer your question. I need to start looking around in our Tobacco stores for the Black Markets, the only store I know I can purchase from doesn't store them. As far as I even know they don't exist in Arkansas. I have no clue if they are even stocked around here. I might have to like order one off the internet or some shit, which would just be ridiculously silly for one Cigar, but from your merit it's worth it.

I also found out something else amazing from the Rockstar + Cigar combination. I don't know what the magic is, but the mixture had an a very good up-trodden affect. Instead of being depressed from a Weed trough, I actually had intense concentration and felt lighthearted for at least 5 hours, and I had my last Spring Concert to play at. It really got me in a game-mood, I could take anything life threw at me in that time. Even when the first chair player that sits next to me literally arrived sitting down into his seat 5 fucking minutes before the concert. I also had to share a stand with him, with two page music you had to lay across the whole stand. Fun times were had, twas a good concert

The hell? I never saw the notification for this. Okay.

<Here's a decent topic. Facesitting. Opinion? I'm an ass man without hesitation, but this always seemed kind of... weird. Me no get it. :/

Yes, I do recommend Black Market cigars, but don't go crazily out of your way to get them or anything. They're not the cure for cancer. I just like insanely spicy cigars with a really heavy flavor, and Black Market hits that to a T. Hell, I just had one today, and one of the things I love about them is their flavor always "sticks" in the back of your throat for a long time, just really subtly there... delicious smoke. But before you go having them shipped to you, ask the people running your smoke shop to recommend something similar, with that heavy sort of almost peppery taste to it, if they have anything. If they know their shit they should be able to point you in the right direction.

Also Drew Estate. Anything with that label that I've had has been beyond delicious.
And stay away from Alec Bradley's Sun Grown Blend. The wrapper is deceptively similar to their American Classic, which is one of my absolute favorites, and I bought one by mistake. It was painful. I didn't even finish the thing because it just tasted like fuck.

www.cigarsnobmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/AmericanClassicSneakPeak- 610x225.jpg
www.ashreport.com/Images/review_bands/alec%20Bradley%20American%20sun%20grown%20blend.jpg

KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. IT COULD SAVE YOUR TASTE BUDS.

Final thing to maybe spark some further discussion and make up for my absence: thoughts on the Equestria Girls movie?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3hBtBibN_M

Alright, I'll pick apart the Wiki and list specifics. If you disagree with me, then good for you, and I mean that sincerely. I am never against people finding meaning or enjoyment in things, even if I personally dislike them. And I'd rather not argue about it because I'm honestly surprised I even did as much as I already did, but what the hell.

The album's title consists of two opposing parentheses, representing either the album's two halves, or the idea that the album has no title, leaving the listener free to determine it
Alright, toss back a couple little points for the "determine your own title" thing, although I will object to that for the same reason as above. It gets in the way of actually treating the thing like a piece of art. Artistic works are supposed to have titles, because if I say "Have you heard Sigur Ros's album 'dumpster babies unleashed'?" you're going to go "dude what the fuck," but that's MY INTERPRETATION of what ( )'s title should be. I'm all for open-ended messages and meanings and things, and even cited Koyaanisqatsi. But a title is something the album needs to fucking have, because we as consumers have to have a way of referring to it that fits a standard.

Members of the band have referred to ( ) as Svigaplatan, which translates to "The Bracket Album"
How this is supposed to be a rebuttal is beyond me, because it's exactly what I said. The album has no title, and must be called by some obtuse combination of words. Maybe to English speakers, the Icelandic word gives us something to grasp onto and saying that instead of "the bracket album" means we can assign the thing a title. But in its native release, it's just words. I still find that annoying.

There are no liner notes or production credits included, although packaged with the album is a booklet of twelve blank pages, on which listeners are invited to write or draw their own interpretations of the album's music
What the Jesus.

That is so fucking stupid and pretentious. They're deliberately ASKING you to interpret their music. I HATE that attitude towards artistry. You'll recall I linked a specific point in a Nostalgia Critic review of the Cell, where you see three random girls open-mouthing the sky, put there for no other reason than to spark a bunch of people going "WHAT DOES IT MEAN?????" - Doug Walker satirically puts up a little graphic of the director dancing around shouting "ask me what it means!" over and over during all the "artsy" scenes of that film, and other films he reviewed afterwards where the pretentiousness of the director in wanting people to interpret his own work just becomes suffocating. And that was SATIRE. Sigur Ros has somehow actually taken that fully literally, mixed with some Brian Griffin's troll self-help book where he included 50 blank pages for the reader to write down things. But they're playing it completely straight and seriously. My God.

( ) consists of eight tracks divided in half by thirty-six seconds of silence which, in concept, replicates the separation of two sides of a gramophone record.[1][7] The first half of the album is "light and optimistic" musically, with a heavier emphasis on the use of keyboards than guitar, and the sampling of Jónsi's voice. The second half is more melancholic, playing with the emotions of the listener, as described by Jónsi.
All of this, I think is brilliant. Here's the musical saving grace; a disc with an A and B side and two thematic ideas being presented. ART. I knew you were in there somewhere.

None of the tracks on ( ) have titles; band guitarist and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson said of this choice, "we didn't want to put titles on the record just because there are supposed to be titles on the record."
And I would agree with this, if you truly had them so open-ended that titling them didn't make sense for some reason. I might joke about how eventually someone's going to just write four minutes and change of utter silence and call that the mother of all interpretive music.. oh, wait, that's already a thing... www.youtube.com/watch?v=HypmW4Yd7SY ... but I can respect music that doesn't just lay everything out Chuck Berry style and actually makes you think.

More on 4'33" because the YouTube comments are fantastic:

Viewer A: That's the trouble with intelligent people sometimes, they are so smart they go right back around and become stupid again. This man is sitting at a piano and not doing anything and he thinks he's being profound. You can call it a commentary on the nature of what we consider music or subverting the normative expections of sound or some shit, but in the end it's a guy sitting at a piano, not doing anything.

Viewer B: Sure if you just look at it from a very very literal view point that's what he's doing. He's just sitting at a piano. However, we're both smarter than that, we both know that no one would just sit there if there wasn't a reason. All those things that you said, commentary, subversion, etc, it's that. And sometimes people like watching people do those things, commentary, subversion, etc.

Viewer C: "However, we're both smarter than that, we both know that no one would just sit there if there wasn't a reason"
Problem with this is that you misinterpret the reason.
Here's the reason: John Cage was so full of himself that he knew idiots would love four and a half minutes of no music and inject meaning into it.
If I take a print of Mona Lisa, put a dog turd on it, and sprinkle glitter over the result, it's trash. If [famous artist] does it, it's "commentary on" blah blah blah. It's bullshit.

For once, YouTube has wisdom to it. 4'33" is pretentious bullshit and I reference it simply to make jokes about it, and if the reasoning that John Cage simply did it as a troll to the musical community without actually intending it to be artistic, then I respect it because that's hilarious. He did what most people would mention as a joke, played it straight, and actually got WOW SO ARTY as a response.

Again, this isn't a perfect parallel of Sigur Ros, but I'm pointing to the attitude of development and design choices they make. "Just because there are titles" is the same thing as "just because there are sleeves." If you've got a valid reason to cut those sleeves off, you're stupid not to. If it's late fall and rainy, you're a dumb cunt to even think about it. Which brings me to my next point:

each track has an unofficial name used by the band
And your explanation: I'd assume they "named" the tracks only to give clarification instead of just naming them "Track 1", "Track 2"
Which is my entire goddamn point. Naming the songs is so that we can tell them the fuck apart. If you can't think of anything good, then whatever things come to your mind when thinking about the thing have to do. They're what you call them, right? And if we're trying to be all artistic, isn't calling them "that one with the chimes" and "string bass #5" every bit as nonsensical as leaving them untitled? Hell, I'd actually respect that a ton because they're giving us a glimpse into the band's mindset and how they view their own music; "no titles because mainstream", on the other hand, makes you sound like a cuntbucket.

Good band. Decent music. But mother of Christ, they're douchey about how they presented this album.

Also I hope you understand that my shouting about things doesn't mean I don't like the album. You always seem to interpret my negativity towards MLP things you liked as a catch-all dislike for the show, or at least the road to get there. Which is straight-up incorrect. I'm critical of things I like because I like them enough to pay attention, and I'm not caught up in the hype enough to overlook areas where they visibly go off the rails and fuck up. I'll call anyone out for their mistakes no matter how much I like them or what they do, but that doesn't necessarily translate to dislike.

Holy. Shit. That's fantastic. There's a HUGE fanfiction idea in there... I must write something about it. Also I need to start working on my Fallout crossover, but I lost my laptop charger and am away from home for a few days. Finally got another charger. Bitchin.

Ugh this keyboard annoys the piss out of me. I need to reflect on that Sombra stuff and come up with a decent theory. That's awesome. Considering how all my criticisms were about how shallow he was.

I desperately want to revive this conversation and get it back in swing. This sounds like an awesome theory to discuss.

Really? So all this time I just had to say that and I could completely sway you to think of Sombra in a good light? I always thought of Sombra in this way, I just couldn't really say it correctly. Or at least the big beefy part of what that quote said I could never quite form correctly its main message.

That's one of my biggest down-falls, I can have a perfect idea, I just can't.....get it out...

Also, my Pony folder just took an internet binge to its storage memory. Pretty much all week I had a friend over, and I've been trying to entertain her so we don't get bored. Mostly been watching ponies, that I've already seen of course. So, I haven't had much time for my personal me time. Yesterday was the only true day of this whole week that I was able to do that, and goddamn I fukken saved a shitload of awesome images, and found a lot of new artists I never even knew existed. And from how many pony artists I browse through, that's saying a lot.

<---- Like this fine specimen.

Sorry for being away so long. WiFi at my family's place was shit and I don't like typing extended things on my laptop keyboard. Especially when there's a 1 in 20 shot that it'll actually post when I finish.

Anyway, Sombra. When you were talking about him, it sounded like you were saying that his appeal was in his lack of character simply because he acted like a shadow. This I took issue with. He's said to be a "unicorn king." Not QUEEN OF THE CHANGELINGS or DRACONEQUUS GOD OF CHAOS, but a "unicorn king." Hell, apart from the way his face/snout/muzzle shit looks, and his eyes (which could be a magical thing), there's no difference between him and a standard unicorn stallion. Well, maybe he's a bit stockier and more muscular looking, and he wears cool armor. But even though that list seems long, there really isn't much difference between him and standard unicorn. He IS a standard unicorn, just sort of like a Twilight precursor in that he was good at magic and used that power to gain political power and crown himself king, apparently. He's not even a crystal pony, so he presumably took over a new kingdom other than Equestria (presumably - he looks more like a pony than the horse-like people from Saddle Arabia) where he came from. Then he did all his awesome shadow power stuff and enslaved everyone and became a badass. THERE IS POTENTIAL in that character backstory, in a lot of ways more so than Discord or even Chrysalis. Those villains WERE what they were, and although you can make "they're not all bad" arguments for both of them (Discord's just out having fun, Chrysalis is feeding her "children" like a mother), Sombra the standard unicorn-gone-bad is an entirely different commodity because he's A REGULAR UNICORN GONE BAD. He wasn't created with a certain nature that he's trying to fulfill (as the other big villains were, save Luna/NMM - which is proof that these writers CAN write solid big-baddie season premiere/finale villains with backstories and reasons to go evil when they want to)

Shit they could have done:
-Where does he come from?
-What was his life like before he went evil?
-WHY did he go evil? (there's half a two-parter's worth of exposition, right there!)
-How did he take over the Crystal Empire, and why choose there (versus his native Equestria, or elsewhere)?
-Can he potentially tempt parts of Twilight which want power/fame/glory/recognition for her magical talents? Trixie themes reprise/S3 finale foreshadowing?
-Main characters prove to him they have the power to destroy him if he continues his attack - does he give up, or prefer death to surrender?
-Any hope of tying in the evil-catalyst with present events, and resolving on a character catharsis? (Luna coming to understand her role and realizing endless night is bad)
-The reverse - can Sombra's twisted philosophy have a line of credibility to it, and/or a lasting effect on the characters which requires introspection on their part? (Chrysalis: "I was just feeding my children! You'd have done the same!" Celestia: "I...you know...I might have..." or, most of the Joker's philosophy dialogue in the Dark Knight) - anything which proves he wasn't ALL a raving lunatic bent on world annihilation but an interesting and deep character?
-That mirror thing we saw for 30 seconds
-Seriously, THAT FUCKING MIRROR could have been a whole episode in itself!

What we got instead:
-a flat, cardboard villain who looks undeniably badass but has no speaking lines besides shit like "Nooo!" and "Crystals!" and "Rarrgh!"
-Stairs humor
-Pinkie playing an instrument
-An innane carnival story arc which could have been entirely ported to a standalone Ponyville-set mid-season episode with no love lost whatsoever.

Bullshit. That's why I was so underwhelmed by the S3 premiere. Sombra had the POTENTIAL to be the single greatest villain the show has ever seen, because he was a real, regular pony at some point and the STORY behind how he went from that version of himself to the "conquer and enslave everything" version could have been absolutely mind-blowing. But they went for "shadowy nonsense and ominous aura presence" with no character, no dialogue, no backstory... he doesn't even do anything. Replace him with a really powerful blizzard blowing in from the mountains, and replace the funshine love shield with a blizzard shield, and the episode is utterly unchanged. He's a time limit which serves as plot pressure for the characters to hurry up. That's all he fucking is, and I find that to be about seven supertankers' worth of bullshit when I, a random Midwestern college student with an amateur interest in fiction, can rattle off the top of my head a long-ass list of potential things they could have done, ALL of which are better than what we got and all of which could be entire 20-minute episodes in their own right. If MLP's professional writing team can't kick my ass six ways from Sunday at this sort of thing and make it look as easy as going for a stroll... there's a problem.

HOWEVER, thinking of Sombra in his show form as the result of having been blown up by his prior defeat... it sort of finds a way of allowing fanon stuff like what I've created (some of it, anyway) to be compatible with the useless sack of bullshit they served up to us in the show. I highly doubt it was their intention to write him as a weak villain with the knowledge that he was a good villain before - give us the good villain and we'll be a lot happier. But that theory, while completely leaving my feelings toward their handling of the S3 premiere unchanged, provides an avenue for Sombra's personal redemption in my eyes. Through the efforts and ingenuity of the fan community, we can give him a character prior to his original defeat and let that remain compatible with the finale by assuming all that win and good-villain-ness got blown away when he fell.

To be honest, I cared so little about the premiere that I don't even remember half the bullshit they said about his backstory and original defeat. I remember slavery... and that's about it. It just had so little of an impact on me that as soon as the credits rolled I forgot nearly everything I just watched. And I still stand by that premiere being pretty much the series's biggest missed opportunity and one of its lowest points yet. It wasn't a Baby Cakes or Friend in Deed where I just hated the content and/or moral "lessons" of the episode and conveniently drop it from my recollection of the show out of HATRED for the episode, but it certainly was an episode that could have taken even something as glorious as the S2 finale and gone EVEN MORE SPECTACULAR with it... and instead shit the bed.

I know, I know, you disagree, you really liked it and whatever. But my point is... that theory's nice, and if I had the time to write such a fiction I would take full advantage of it to give Sombra some decent pre-show characterization, but does it swing my opinion of him (as portrayed in the show) into a positive light? No. Does it redeem the S3 premiere? Hell no. But it is a very creative and interesting way of compensating for the incompetence of the writers and crafting something which is both show-adherent and worthy of being called proper character design. Prior to hearing that theory, I thought you'd have to pick one or the other any time you went near Sombra. But as always, I'm more than happy to be proven wrong.

Oh ok. I guess I get you now. And we still have to agree to disagree.

You know, I just found out the other day, I have a major band-aid fetish. This one came out of fuckin' nowhere. I got a paper-cut under my fingernail the other day, and from the texture of it I realized that it would be amazing on a girl's leg. It also stemmed from an image of Twilight Sparkle I saw of her in Feeling Pinkie Keen, before the anxiety of that episode hits me, I just find her in those big bandaids and safari hat... I don't know why, it implies that she goes out there and gets down dirty. Hell I had like a whole philosophical argument in my mind the other day while in the shower of why I like it.

It could be on par with my gore fetish. It's kind of like an erotic thing, let me explain. For example, some guys actually like censors in Japanese porn, and Bikinis and what not. For me, I hate that shit, I like to get straight to the chase and be able to see everything. But for these type of people it's what could be, it entrances them for more. A band-aid/bandage could be sort of like that for me. Like, "man, what's that cut like under there, gurl" Something like that, kind of odd.

Or it could be symbolic of their type of personality. A lot of times really adventurous girls are portrayed with band aids all on their legs. They get out there and aren't afraid to get dirty. Or it could be a more shy, punching-bag personality that I'm drawn to in some cases. Like, if Fluttershy was being beaten by her parents, and she was covered in band aids, that sort of thing. I would feel pity and be naturally drawn to her.

<---I have no clue why this turns me on, it's like the size of the band aids or something. And how they're all raveled around her legs and lower body.

<Not sure why I am wildly aroused by this...

That's certainly fascinating. And very interesting comparison to Japanese censor bars. I never would have made that connection. Also I have another - I dislike most video game mods that just make people naked, and I think it's a similar reason. The clothing, while obstructing your view of the "goods," is attractive in its own right and provides something of a mystery. That, and I hate lore-breaking things. Don't give me a nudey mod for Skyrim because it's cold and they would freeze to death. But even if it was in a warm province, I've always preferred skimpy clothing to full-on nudity. And, hell, a saucy enough woman can make even a winter coat look attractive.

I'm with you on the adventurous types. Can't stand girly girls. And I suppose seeing Twilight in an adventurous position which contrasts her typical studiousness is probably a factor.

I can't say I share the specific attraction to band-aids, but I've got something similar: scars. Within reason, of course (the people who look like zombies after burning alive in a car crash or whatever... no, that's still disturbing), I really really like scars. Knife slashes are best pony, but if you'll recall that comment I made about Katawa Shoujo or whatever I mentioned that I really felt attracted to the one character who's supposedly heavily burned... except I hated it since it's an anime-styled art design and "horribly burned and disfigured" translates to "we smeared some purplish brown on her cheek." No. If she's going to have burn scars, then do it properly. Don't turn her into a Fallout ghoul, but... actually, the image that comes to mind is the back of 47's right arm in Hitman: Absolution. Here's a sorta-decent pic:
www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=o8lU60C4wHV27M:&imgrefurl=www.edge-online.com/review/hitman-absolution-review/2/&docid=Dpy00vKBzGaFqM&imgurl=media.edge-online.com/wp-content/uploads/edgeonline/2012/11/Hitman-Absolution-02.jpg&w=1280&h=720&ei=NwBGUaCpJ_SEygGR7IGQAw&zoom=1&ved=0CMABEIQcMCE&ved=1t:3588,r:33,s:0,i:192&iact=rc&dur=343&page=2&tbnh=168&tbnw=287&start=15&ndsp=20&tx=58&ty=70

If you wear a disguise with short/no sleeves, you can see this big burn mark thing. And I think it looks awesome. Probably similar reasons to you, but certainly not exact. I don't get turned on by open, bleeding wounds like you do. I just like the implications that "this dude's been through the mill" and has actual disfiguring (but not distractingly so) injuries to show for it. Or Kane's whole face from Kane & Lynch.
ban-game-1.gamewise.co/kane-ampamp-lynch-dead-men_banner95-57485-full.jpeg
Io Interactive knows how to scars. That's for sure. If only they'd make a female protagonist and give her the same respect.

Oh, I know something that might excite you. In the new Tomb Raider game there's a bit where Lara jumps into this huge cavern thing where they dump all these bodies, and it's filled up with blood all the way up to her neck. And she has to swim through it.
static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/15/153488/2446979-tombraider_2013_03_05_22_24_38_600.png

I was absolutely disgusted, which is the emotion the game's trying to evoke, but DAMN is that scene incredible. Especially how afterwards she's still soaked in blood for awhile until you have her walk through a waterfall to clean up. So you're shooting at people and swinging a climbing axe around while soaked head-to-toe in blood. Even I find that attractive. something is wrong with me.

Warning, I typed a lot of shit down there. You don't have to read it if you don't want to. It is also very aimless and not revised. I kind of go all over the place with this shit, just a warning.

I first talk about the Princesses, then the Elements of Harmony are the focus. Sorry, if that throws you off. I typed a lot of this with ideas that hit me on the spot, so it's very frantic and jumbled.

Bam! I just had an epiphany! You know how we were having a discussion on the "Lesser Alicorn" theory where basically Cadence = Princess of Love / Twilight Sparkle = Princess of Friendship? Yeah, I think I figured out what Celestia and Luna represent. At first I tried to look at them separately as two. I delved into what exactly the Sun and Moon represent since there doesn't seem to be a Deity counterpart that was similar at all(that I could find that is). I ran into a bit of a problem, they are both seemingly opposite of what the Sun and Moon represent. The Sun usually represents power, strength, and energy. Only problem, we've never really seen Celestia defeat a villain by herself, we can only assume she is quite powerful by the Solar object she controls. However I then realized she might represent life, it really is the closest thing I could think of, and for a little bit I thought I was onto something, but there's another problem. If Celestia is the upholder of all life and the creator what does that leave Luna? The Sun and Moon are widely thought of as black and white(literally). So, by that logic that would also mean Luna represents Death by extension.... Well, we've only seen one funeral(as a back drop), not a dead pony though, and certainly not the death of a pony in the series, so we don't know that(and probably never will). And given Luna's personality, that just doesn't seem right anyways for some reason. I then it hit me. The two princesses are not separate representations, they are one whole representation. They are the Sun and Moon, Ying and Yang, they represent balance, or quite literally they represent Harmony as they once wielded the Elements and had power over them. They are the Princesses of Harmony, they both uphold this as Discord represents disharmony, their fold.

<----The cannon Equestrian Flag, tell me that shit isn't inspired by Ying and Yang.

(Continued)

FOIL* not fold, fuck.

Sorry, if that seemed scrambled it just hit me literally 3 minutes before I typed that.

As I was saying. For more technical evidence of my claim, remember when Celestia was defeated by Chrysalis? Well guess who wasn't there? Luna wasn't! And whenever Discord was first cast into stone, it was the combined effort of Luna and Celestia to do it. However, there's a bit of a problem with that statement, Discord was defeated by Celestia and Luna wielding the Elements of Harmony, so it wasn't just their raw power that did it.

Actually, the Elements of Harmony probably was what turned the two into Alicorns. Assuming that Discord was defeated before Luna was banished, they both had control of over the Elements, just a note, but it seems the Elements act on their own accord. It's as if they pick who their master is, and if they deem an old master "impure" or "unfit" they shut off power to that pony, much like Night Mare Moon whenever she used to have control as Luna. It just seemed that Celestia and Luna lost complete power over them. Perhaps they act to bring balance to the world. Sort of like a chemical reaction, it is always looking for a way to balance its instability by giving, receiving, or sharing electrons. Whenever the Elements feel an inharmonious presence in the world they react in the way that will restore balance again by choosing the most compatible pony as their master. And since times change, certain attributes are needed for certain changes. Maybe attributes that Celestia held weren't appropriate for defeating Night Mare Moon the second time as it's been a 1000 years since she last defeated her, and note she defeated her by banishing her(not really fixing the problem), so something did definitely change the second defeat. Maybe the Elements did that because they were use to Luna also wielding the elements, so maybe power was lost, and it did the next best thing. Pack it away for a later time until a better master exists.

(Continued)

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Sombra was in fact defeated by Luna and Celestia. We never quite saw the full extent of Sombra's power, but he was defeated without mention of the Elements so it does show that Celestia and Luna at least are as powerful together as the Chrystal Heart, a presumably powerful relic. At least we have some sort of reference to their power, even if it's vague.

<---Also, Celestia was originally going to have cloven hooves. I actually really like it, I kind of wish they kept it, or maybe she does, but her royal hoofwear covers it. I hope they reveal what's under her shoes(?) and it turns out she was cloven all along. I think that'd be pretty badass.

FUCK, I meant to post this to express my first point about Celestia and Luna defeating Discord. This is glass in Canterlot Castle(durhur, sorry). Notice how the same Ying-Yang-like position of the princesses are used defeating Discord as they encircle in perfect juxtaposed positions. There is no doubt in my mind that they both represent Harmony.

I think there a few good reasons that Discord wasn't healed of his behavior and instead turned into stone, as if not trying to fix the problem. For one, Nightmare Moon herself was vaporized leaving Luna. The reason she was not turned to stone is because Luna is the pure essence of herself, and she was poisoned by jealousy and anger, the Elements simply washed away the impurities in her person. I'm pretty sure that you already know that, sorry if I insulted your intelligence in any of that, I'm not trying to, I just want to fully explain myself. Getting back, now why didn't the Elements "cleanse" Discord of his disharmony both times that he was attacked by them? Well, one explanation could be, "like throwing boiling hot water on a frosted windshield in the Winter, the bitch shatters". Think, Discord is literally disharmony and the Elments are literally harmony, two polar opposites colliding. Since he is pure disharmony, the Elements didn't want to poison themselves or were not powerful enough to destroy pure disharmony by trying to eviscerate him into nothing, so they did the next best thing, by locking him up. Now that's kind of weak, I have a little bit of a better explanation. It all goes similarly with the "Ying-Yang" philosophy of balance. Just think, the Elements are polar of Discord. If Discord was completely destroyed, there would be no polar balance. It's like if the ying-yang symbol only had white on it, quite lopsided of a symbol. So, for the Elements to keep balance in the world Discord has to exist by default to keep the scales straight.

Also to note. Discord was reformed. It's as if the Elements could see into his soul and realize that he could change for good purpose instead of evil, so they spared him for the good in him. Especially since Twilight is the head of the Elements of Harmony(being what will be the "Princess of Friendship" we deemed) it was ultimately Friendship that changed Discord.

(Continued)

I'm so sorry I've written so many responses ;_; I apologize for making you read all of this.

Continuing on my last note. Maybe Discord was altered by the Elements of Harmony, but no one knew? Perhaps he was so powerful the Elements couldn't directly change him into a different person like the flip of a switch. Maybe those two times he was hit by the harmonious beams, it chipped away at him, or nudged him so to speak. They perhaps subtly changing his tendency of thinking, like helped him realize exactly how lonely he's been his whole life considering he's never had any friends, or that could of just been Fluttershy all the same.

I also forgot to mention one thing. Why didn't they just change his person around? Perhaps they could. If they did, just think of the implications. Discord is the physical representation of Disharmony, for them to change him otherwise would ultimately be changing his pure self into something it's not. He is purely disharmony, changing that would in fact be adding an impurity to his person, shrouding who he really is. Kind of a fate worst than death if you think of it.

Goddamn I think too much... I thought of another thing. Discord is a spirit, so technically he is already dead, or not really alive. He's just sort of an essence in reality that exists and will always exist. Basically he has his own part in the natural order(ironically) of Equestria's world. Destroying him would be like if temperatures suddenly rose to 150 degrees Fahrenheit in all bodies of water in our world. The food chain would be interupted completely, fish would die and a chain reaction would occur up the food chain. And since he's a spirt, that probably also means it quite literally impossible to destroy him because like I said, he's not really an absolute physical entity of flesh and blood. But hey who knows I'm probably just spurtin' bullshit.

Again I apologize for all of the text. This doesn't normally happen, however it seems after I've smoked weed for a long chunk of time, then I quit and re-stabilize. The world just seems so clear, and my body seems to function at its peak of performance. Just about everything seems enhanced, it starts to wear away after a little bit though. It's kind of like a burst. Like seriously, even my hand-eye-coordination has increased in areas I don't normally even do. Like trashball, it seems like I go from a 4/10 miss ratio to like a 8/10 miss ratio. It's quite peculiar, I wonder if this thing happens with other people?

Also, Joints are fucking amazing, holy shit. Even the shitty joint that I bought for like 5 bucks I couldn't finish due to the fact that before it was even halfway done I was in the 420th dimension of the planet Cannardaron. Jesus-fuck.

Holy mother of shit, I'm really sorry I haven't said a word to you this whole time. I was on spring break this whole time stoned off my ass. And man was it relaxing, it really helped me clear my head and body of the 3 weeks of stress and pain prior. And man do I feel optimistic right now that the depression trough that comes with binging has equaled itself out.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but I also kind of like band aids used as a sort of Chasity belt on girls. Putting it over their vagina basically. I've seen this all over the internet, and only now do I realize that I think it's arousing, weird how shit like that works.

<----Also forgot to mention this image, this is around the time if not the time I got the epiphany of how attractive I found bandages. The Fluttershy example spawned from this. I just loved how fine her legs were, they were smooth and delicate, only until the bandages and scars. And the way she is positioned showcases her personality. 10/10 would marry.

My turn to ignore you for a week! Apologies. Saw your comments, read them, but didn't have time to pen a reply. Then I forgot all about you. Whoops.

Uh... before I forget. I just tried my hand at game reviewing, if you want something to read.
www.fimfiction.net/blog/147408/overlyextensive-bioshock-infinite-review

Also I'm going to create a religion based around this chick because she's awesome.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff8UwvPK0G4

And I've started work on my Fallout crossover story with Queen Chrysalis. As of this writing, I've only got one scene done, but... I'm working on getting more rolled out. Could use some honest, harsh criticisms if you want to read my awful writing.
docs.google.com/document/d/1DCXf9iYFytdFj5X-V_SCwYQkVC4SwHQ8iNqyPIGruog/edit

Anyway, relating to what you said. Most of what you said sounds at least somewhat plausible to me, especially the treatment of both princesses as a singular entity. It's the same idea as the "modern" elements being the six ponies; friendship is the new measure of harmony, where the old measure was simply night and day and the natural world. Maybe the elements and magic in general is evolving, who the hell knows. Not really sure how all that works. I've never given it much thought.

My theory's always been that the Elements are more or less sentient and capable of doing things on their own; they'll obey any commands given, but since they're so powerful they can't be fully controlled. They always like to add on little side-effects, and I usually make the comparison to a "nerfed monkey's paw" - the end result is good, but there may or may not be other things added which may or may not be giant Achilles heels.

Hence, when Celestia uses them on Nightmare Moon to banish her, the Elements add "for 1000 years" in the fine print.

I wish I could provide something more valuable to this conversation than that, but I genuinely can't make sense of some of the stuff you say about Discord and the other parts... well... I don't know what to say about it. Sorry.

Interesting thing about marijuana - I just discovered that it's been decriminalized here in Ohio for quite a long time; it's a misdemeanor all the way up to 100 grams possession. Below... I forget... 20 grams? It'll get you a ticket. Go 40 in a 25, or have 20 grams of weed. Same penalty.

So that's kinda neat. If only I knew someone who could hook me up; I'm completely clueless and have no idea where I'd even go.

Good thing I can still legally get tobacco. If I want a buzz, I'll pick up an Alec Bradley Black Market. Things are so damn spicy and strong it nearly knocks me on my ass. Tobacco crane kick to the face. Muy delicioso.

Now where should the conversation go... one of these tracks (elements/princesses/discord/tobacco/marijuana)? One of the things I introduced at the top of the comment?

Oh, there's also this:
www.fimfiction.net/blog/146636/finally-complete-nsfw

Let me try to explain a little better in shorter terms. Basically the idea is Discord is part of Equestria's natural existence. He literally represents the state of disharmony, erasing him would erase the balance of Equestria's natural state, as Princess Luna and Celestia represent his opposite. For them to exist, he needs to exist. Sorry if that's confusing, it's basically ying-yang with harmony and disharmony, if that helps at all.

Looking at that image. Holy mother of god you got a commision from FoxInShadow, that's awesome!

Nice artwork. Military ponies are best ponies.

It's an interesting theory, I suppose. Certainly something that could make the basis for a piece of fiction somewhere, although I certainly have no idea where you'd even begin to go with it. It sorta makes sense, I guess. Begs the question of what the princesses were doing while Discord was running around, and why they're depicted as yin-yang when your argument is that they form one side of it with Discord on the other. But meh, it makes about as much sense as any other historical theory. Except the ones that state that Chrysalis willed herself into being one Saturday afternoon and the rest of the universe formed as a direct result of her pure sexiness being powerful enough to create matter. Those theories are objective fact.

Like I said, as much as I'd like to take that multi-comment ramble and run away with it down a new line of discussion, I just don't really know what to say in response to whenever someone gives me their Equestrian origin theory. Sorry... I'm pretty useless when it comes to this sort of thing.

FIMFic is blowing up with people making terrible "I'm quitting the site" April Fools jokes. It's fucking painful.

Glad you like the commission. I didn't pay for it, the guy shoving his prick up Shadowflash's bumhole had the honor of hosing money at the internet. He hired a whole slew of artists, and we're still waiting on the others. Only ones that have come back yet are this one and the ones he hired to just draw his OC by himself.

It does mark the first time in my life (that I'm aware of, anyway) that someone has actually used something of my own design/creation in another work. The purple gangster pegasus OC, and specifically my cutie mark, is something I designed myself... and the idea that another author's pen followed my lines somehow makes me feel like I've accomplished something. Even though the only reason it happened was because someone else paid him to. I dunno, I'm weird and put undue value on events with no real significance.

That's... about all I got. I'm sorry. I'm so useless at discussing anything with anyone anymore. Have a picture of seductive Fleur.

It's cool, it was just a spur of the moment thing.

I've also heard theories that the Chrystal Ponies were the possible creators of the Elements of Harmony as well.

Yeah, I've found some really cool images.

You watch the fan-made Double Rainboom episode yet? It's... pretty decent. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.

Frankly I really enjoyed it. Especially being a fan of Lauren Faust's/Craig McCracken's old shows it really gave me a sense of nostalgia. I thought it was interesting that the Double Sonic Rainboom was a lot like a Nuclear Bomb. I'm guessing your going to be more harsh than I. I don't understand why everyone was slamming down all the hate for it.

<----Something I made.

My opinion is a resounding "meh."

For a fan-made episode, something put together by art students in free time and without profit... it's pretty solid. Animation was good and true to each of the shows they incorporated. Voice acting was some of the best I've seen from non-original voice cast productions. There were a couple times where it fell into the annoying valley between "close enough to fool you into thinking it's the real actor" and "far enough away that it's obviously someone else and therefore creates a distinct new character." Also, the dialogue was... pretty rough. In places.

Writing wise, the idea of making it a crossover sort of story and going into the other universe was glorious. Plenty of good old nostalgia and a very good handling of PPG's feel and theme, as well as characters. BUT, all personal hatred of Pinkie aside, having her just deus ex the plot resolution was straight-up bullshit, and the PPGs themselves essentially having one emotion, "get Rainbow Dash," got old, quick.

What could have been better - spent less time fucking around with the potion and establishing what it is/does. That conversation dragged like hell and really exposed the writer(s)'s pretty amateur approach to dialogue writing. Had the same problems of a lot of the rest of the episode, where it draws too much attention to jokes that, at best, kinda-sorta work. Spent way too much time on the damn potion. "It's a talent enhancer." All followup is unnecessary; it was fun to watch the S2 finale chibi versions do stuff, but there was a better use of that time - having Dash do something in Townsville besides run away from the PPGs.

They didn't take the time to world-build. They didn't take the time to really explore the familiar setting they brought us back to. A good percentage of the fun in any crossover story is just watching the crossed-over character(s) go "wut" at all the things that are different about the new world. Basically none of that happened. Monster! Fight! Run from PPGs! Pinkie Pie! Done.

Plus, I hate Deus Ex plot resolutions like that, be it Pinkie behind it or not. 4th wall jokes are great, but... they're JOKES, not major plot points. Little treats for the fans watching/reading/playing, not how the story actually directs itself.

So... conceptually? It was an absolutely brilliant idea which gave us an excuse to do all sorts of fun things. Which we of course proceeded to not do, because we've got to make Pinkie jokes. Gotta admit, the creators found a way of recreating the theme of MLP - right down to its faults.

Piss-poor execution by professional standards; a tolerable "you tried your best" considering it's fan-made. Decent story with a brilliantly clever setting mucked up by poor writing, improperly placed time focus, and outright laziness on occasion. Something I'm glad I saw once, but something I'll probably never watch again. I don't see why people would hate on it, but I also don't see it as even coming anywhere vaguely near the hype that was going around before the actual release.

Final verdict: a 5.5/10.

But, as always, that's just my opinion.

Ah, man. I really liked it. I guess my opinion is more extreme than yours as I like Pinkie Pie and thought the "Deus Ex" plot resolution was necessary as it expanded her natural perception of the 4th wall. Oddly to me it makes sense, but that's just me. I don't really like giving ratings, but if I had to guess more like a 8.1/10, I liked it.

Then again my opinion probably isn't so credible as I was high when I watched it, and I'm high right now as I type this, sorry about that.

<Something I've always found strangely attractive, six-limbed anthros with dual sets of pecs. This is one of the only tame pics I have that does it justice.

There's plenty of reasons to enjoy the episode, and I certainly wouldn't say I disliked it. If it was just some YouTube video they threw up, I'd be writhing around on the floor with glee. But it was hyped up as being this glorious thing a year in the making that took so much time and effort and was striving to be virtually indistinguishable from the show, and it completely missed the mark for me in all areas except the actual animation and the plot premise.

Having Pinkie come in would have been fine, if there would have been some sort of a plot to it. My hatred of her comes down to how most of her plots center around something happening, and then Pinkie solving it while experiencing practically no difficulty and undergoing no measurable character development. Everything the mane six does to try and solve the parasprite problem? The attention whore knew what to do all along and never told anyone because that would have ruined her "show up right as everyone else is about to give up and wow them with my awesomeness" plans. Donkey doesn't want to be friends? Annoy him until he reconsiders. And every other fucking character just brushes her off as "just being Pinkie Pie" when... there's seriously good character development going on with all of them, and they call each other out on their bullshit, and they aren't afraid to shake each other and say "stop it, you're being an idiot."

Not that Double Rainboom should have gone that route; it was a Dash episode and having a Pinkie character plot dominate would have pissed me off even more than the deus ex, even though it's something I've been wanting the actual show to do since the end of season 1. But have her enter the world somehow, and then have her and Dash work together to get out. Take Dash on a tour of a bunch of other multiverse realities because she's too scatterbrained to figure out what world she's jumping into ahead of time. Do SOMETHING with the "I can break the fourth wall" character trait beyond having her jump in and fix everything at the last second, because no matter how you dress that up, it's still cheap writing.

It's somewhat softened by Twilight saying "I don't know what'll happen to Pinkie," kind of giving a little bit of foreshadowing that we'll eventually find out by the end, but if that's the case... then how did she get the idea to make another potion and give it to Pinkie?

But oh well. I don't want to argue about it. There's plenty of good things the episode does, and I've managed to find more than its fair share of glaring problems that I can't suspend disbelief on. I'm really glad I didn't outright hate the episode, not only because I want all pony to be good pony but also because it means I just plain don't give enough of a fuck about the episode to get involved in any fights over it. Love it? Hate it? I agree with both camps in one way or another. And I take comfort in the fact that all its problems are missed opportunities, things that could have been a lot better than they were. There wasn't very much in it where I felt they were actually going in the wrong direction. Even the Pinkie-centric ending could have been saved if they'd done something other than a bullshit deus ex. I just feel like it was a mediocre performance that could have been something truly mind-blowing, and my prevailing emotion is not one of hatred but one of disappointment.

On the subject of reviewing things, I found No Country for Old Men on sale at Walmart, on BLURAY, for $5.00. And I bought the shit out of it. It's a fantastic movie. and I think you'd enjoy it quite a bit. I'd say it was my favorite Coen Brothers film if not for the Big Lebowski, and I'd say it was my favorite film noir style story if not for Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon. You should watch it sometime. It's glorious. 9.75/10.

Exactly a week ago when you made this comment, fuck, sorry. We keep doing this dodgy week reply thing.

Good lord so much hate for Pinkie... The only defense for your critique would be that it was suppose to have "studio quality ANIMATION" not writing or that's what I heard. Not even sure if it's a solid argument and I don't feel like looking it up to see if that was the actual wording.

To me, something being created by the fans will put obvious fan-quirks into itself. I don't really see how a lot of people missed that point and thought it was pandering(I really don't even see how that's a bad thing in the first place), but the fact of the matter is they made this for the fans by the fans. And they can only shove so many background ponies and inside jokes into one 30 minute thing. Pinkie is an instant favorite to just about every brony, as she is the comedic relief after all. She encompassed the majority, so her quirk of seeing past the 4th wall was what was going to be used.

Also, moving onto something completely different. Ever heard of the show Dan Vs.? Most likely you have since I know you watch MLP on the Hub. Up with MLP it's one of the highest rated shows on their line-up. I'm not really sure how to describe it myself, something along the lines as how show's of this generation should be written. It's a very intelligent "kid's show", it's made allusions to several classical English litterateurs(I have no clue if that's how you type or not). Also it's got a lot of violence. I mean shit, talk about violence. In one of the episodes Dan was going to shoot a Ballista loaded with a flaming log across at his neighbors' apartment. In one episode he took actual explosives and blew up a car lot! Jesus, I'm surprised this is rated PG, in one episode a guy actually died in plain sight by being stabbed in the chest by a pair of scissors!

Check it out if you're ever bored.

"It's not supposed to have studio-quality writing" is pretty much the cheapest excuse for scriptwriting failure I've ever heard of, honestly. I'm certainly willing to forgive them for making mistakes because it's a fan group, but deus ex plot resolutions are just cheap as fuck. Bring Pinkie in, have her DO STUFF. Go somewhere with the whole thing instead of just having her pop into the story at the last 30 seconds and solve everything. It was just very cheaply written and doesn't take the time to do much of anything with the clever idea of multiverse crossover that they've given us. Seriously, what's the plot? Dash fights a monster thing, then runs away from PPGs who make pop culture references until Pinkie saves the day. That's cheap writing. Period.

"Pinkie is an instant favorite to just about every brony, as she is the comedic relief after all. She encompassed the majority, so her quirk of seeing past the 4th wall was what was going to be used."

Strangely enough, I know more people who absolutely loathe her than people who like her. Like, a whole lot more. I did a "character bias" poll for my editing group and asked the editors if there were any characters they really really wanted to edit or really disliked editing; if you give me a story where Pinkie is the central character, my boundless rage and hate is going to cloud my objectivity and that's bad for the author. Similarly, if you give me a story about Chrysalis, I'm so all over that shit that I'm more likely to get invested and provide a proper review. A majority of people put Pinkie in the "character dislikes" field. Almost as much as Diamond Dogs and, strangely enough, Spike. All very curious.

And once again, I wasn't necessarily saying that any episode in which Pinkie breaks the fourth wall to advance the plot is a bad thing. I had a feeling that's where they were going the minute Dash showed up in Townsville. Where I take issue is with Pinkie being the miraculous savior who pops up in the end to fix everything when everyone else was just stumbling around like Hellen Keller in the dark. That really fucking pisses me off, how overpowered she is in half their stories. It seems like they can't be bothered to write a proper ending, and they get themselves stuck in a corner... "oh shit, how do we get them out of this one?" "Uh... Pinkie?" "BRILLIANT."

Bring her in, have her be a part of the episode. I'm actually asking for MORE of Pinkie in the episode; so long as she didn't dominate and become the central character (another thing that annoys the absolute fuck out of me, when she takes over episodes meant for other characters), I would have liked to see more PLOT to the episode. Animation can be the prettiest thing in the world, but if there's no substance to the story then it's just a waste. Which... unfortunately... that's about how I feel about the fan episode. Plenty of animation and voice and other great talent squandered on a shamefully subpar script which only really had one big party piece going for it.

I've heard of that other show, but never seen it. I don't really watch much TV. I will give it a look, eventually.

Have some creepy shit:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_Pass_incident

>Sweetie Belle Blood Mage

Magic, Blood, and Sweetie Belle all in one thing, drawn decently, what else could I ask for?

Also, that was for your editing group. Across brony boards I seldom see negativity towards Pinkie Pie unless it's jokingly, and every friend that I slowly turned into a brony started a liking of Pinkie Pie, the newest one that I introduced, she was instantly his favorite character, a few weeks ago in fact. I could see how editing something to match her behavior would be rather difficult for someone who doesn't write the show, and how that would inspire hate towards editing her behavior, the character herself they could possibly like. Meh, weak argument I suppose.

Damn, this Pinkie argument thing is like a Communist and a Republican trying to debate each other.

Ok, what shall we talk about now? Kind of dragged this thing down for a week.

Want to have a musical discussion? I've definitely been wanting to show you some songs.

This has to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen and heard: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqJ8hFgYwVg

Remember that discussion where I said that I didn't like overly happy music? Well, I'm not sure if this would count, it has to be the happiest song I like apart from Smile, Smile, Smile:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqjWBvgPlzs (It's just a little clip I made, excuse the shitty editing).

<Look at this horse. It is probably the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my entire goddamn life. I would sell my kidneys to have sex with that animal. Holy shit.

I thought I heard something about the episode stretching over into next season. Interesting... gonna be interesting to see where they take the show from here. I think there's plenty of potential in Twilicorn, and the way they did the transformation is such that even a status-quo "ignore their existence" type of thing won't be excessively detrimental. Not to my eyes, anyway.

Jesus, I've discussed the finale with so many people the past few days... we need a new line of discussion.

Unshorn fetlocks is like a fetish of mine, shit yeah!

Yeah, we probably do. What do you have in mind?

I also wonder when you're profile will start lagging from how many comments are on it, mine used to do that.

<Guy took a pic of a rusty fire hydrant and Photoshopped it into a planet. That's... immensely badass.

Lately all I've been dealing with is editors group stuff. Made a piece of progress on this shitty sad fic, and lol'd at the irony that I've been working on a story which is currently something like 3500 words for more than a month. It's pathetic. But considering I've put a grand total of like 2 hours work into the thing... meh. I'm almost done with it, so all I gotta do is find another half hour where I'm not way too happy to write sadness, and it'll probably be done. Weee.

One of our people is writing a story where the Cakes run a porno business, and they get Milky Way (the enormous-breasted OC mare - I'm sure you're familiar with her) and Mrs. Cake to play with each others' tits. He also threw around the idea that Mr. Cake would get involved and tit-fuck both of them at the same time. Either way it's gotta be one of the hottest fanfiction premises I've ever heard of. But I have enormous amounts of lust for Milky Way so maybe I'm just biased.

Can't stop fucking staring at that horse... the coloring, and the musculature, and the mane, and the fetlocks, and the eyes, and the subtle pink of the nose, and, and, and... I wanna put my weiner in that!!! I really don't think I've ever seen any other real-life being I find more sexually appealing than that horse.

Milky Way, yes! I love Milky Way so much! I don't know what it is about her, but she's adorable and hot at the same time. I remember when her first conceptions were being introduced, good times.

Also, Radical Larry is best villain.

What the fuck is this image I have never felt such conflicting emotions of WHAAT and SWEET JESUS THAT'S HOT and WAITAMINUTE, WHY?

On the subject of wtf imagery, there's your image. I am so confused.

www.fimfiction.net/story/85970/just-add-milk
No sex yet, but I figured you might want to know that it's actually underway. I actually haven't even edited the story yet, so it might be rough.

Milky Way excites me in ways I cannot even begin to describe. Obviously you're aware of my fascination with horses, and that certainly includes a mare's breasts. You've seen pictures of the real thing, I imagine? Nipples that look 10000% more inviting than any human I've ever seen.

Bestiality aside, the fact that someone had the guts to make anatomically-correct pony crotch tits... that's hot. And as a result Milky Way is just so goddamn sexy it almost hurts to look at her.

I know what we can talk about! My Fallout crossover idea! I'll give a brief summary here, because I don't know if you've played Fallout (specifically 3 - that's what I'm crossing over) but I've got a fair amount of details regarding the premise worked out. What I don't have is anything even remotely relating to plot structure.

This is NOT a Fallout: Equestria spinoff story, set in Kkat's FOE universe. I tried reading it once and couldn't get into it. From what I hear, it's nothing I'd want to read and some of the things it does piss me off a whole lot. But that's beside the point. This is a new take on a popular vein, where a mane-six pony goes to DC or New Vegas or some other Fallout setting, and is taken in by the protagonist. In this case, the Lone Wanderer from FO3. Because the genre gets done to death so much, I wrote it off my list of things I'd like to do until Shadowflash wrote Thanatos' Creed, in which the Wanderer is evil, not the morally-perfect goodie-two-shoes you commonly see in these types of stories. To my knowledge, Thanatos is the first story focusing on a mane-six pony and an evil wanderer, and it inspired me to try and spin the genre somewhere even more unheard of.

First of all, I'm not using a mane-six pony. I'm using Queen Chrysalis. Second, she's not getting found by the Wanderer. She's getting captured and experimented on by the Enclave. Then, at the end of the main game's storyline right where it makes the transition to Broken Steel, the morally-perfect Wanderer (a caricature and somewhat mockery of other stories that star this character) spares Colonel Autumn's life and he leaves the Enclave and is betrayed by his own troops and nearly executed. Something's going to happen, and as he flees the Enclave to go off on his own (if you notice, even leaving Autumn alive doesn't make him have an appearance in Broken Steel - my theory is he comes to realize that the Enclave's being too harsh, and decides to go his own way) and takes Chrysalis along with him.

Why's she in the Wasteland in the first place? Her entire army gets captured after the S2 finale by aliens - we see them in the Mothership Zeta DLC, so this isn't much of a stretch. She escapes, but her army's still imprisoned on the mothership, and her primary motivation in all this is to save them. Her reasons are more motherly than anything else - this is going to be written where changelings operate as a sort of hive mind, where the individual changelings are able to just barely function on their own but require Chrysalis to direct their higher thought processes. She loves them like her children and cares for them, and is thus a sympathetic character. "Conquer the wasteland" isn't even crossing her mind when she says "I want to get my army back." She genuinely just wants to keep them happy and content.

Oh, I'm also using the idea that changelings eat food and shit just like ponies and humans, and the whole "love energy" thing is what powers their hive mind connection and magical abilities. The hungrier they get for love, the weaker the bond between them - add in thousands of miles of distance between them and their queen, and there's no longer any direct connection whatsoever. But there's no danger of the entire army starving and dying on the ship, since the aliens keep them fed with food.

I'll be honest, the theory was largely created as a way of justifying a picture I saw of Chrysalis's delicious ass, where she actually had an asshole - that doesn't make any sense if all they eat is love. So I assumed they had to eat regular food, and then love energy is something else they need for other things, like magical power and the hivemind connection.

But anyway, the idea is you'd have Chrysalis and Col. Autumn together for a lot of the story, after a few chapters of her being experimented on and kind of skimming through the major events of the base game. As the Wanderer advances the Broken Steel plot arc in the background, they're off doing their own thing, trying to get Chrysalis's army back (Autumn, of course, is not motivated by selflessness but greed in taking over the wasteland). I'm also toying with the idea of having the alien mothership get taken over by President Eden - since he's a computer program, and all. Even if you don't blow up Raven Rock, the Brotherhood does it for you. So I'm thinking of having Eden somehow like "beam up" to the mothership and take over all its systems; then I can put him as the story's primary antagonist with morally-perfect Wanderer, the LEAD HUMAN CHARACTER of every other story in this vein, as a minor secondary antagonist. That alone makes me immensely happy.

Also, I don't know how to end it. I don't want to do a bullshit "and now we can send you home to Equestria" ending, both because it's cliche as fuck and because there's nothing there for Chrysalis. I think it'd be cooler if she just lives in America with her army, somehow hiding them in the background and discreetly feeding off raiders and other people. However, I also threw around the possibility of spinning this out into a trilogy, where the middle story follows them as they leave DC and journey west, and the finale taking place in New Vegas sometime before the events of the actual game - FO3 takes place in 2277 and FNV is in 2281, so there's a several year gap.

Any ideas you have are welcome. I'm curious to hear what you think of it.

Haha, my image I think shows some kids that were inbred or something, and the text under it is just making them into telepaths/villains or something much like a comic book description. Immoral? Yeah. But it did come from /b/, so no surprise there.

Not trying to ignore what you asked me or anything, but time for me to go into bitch-mode:

Ok, this minecraft server me and my friends play on, we're trying to create an empire. I'm head General of the Military, the other two are mostly head of the building. Well, there's this mod that's just been pissing us off. Like, "You can't use the XP farm someone built, because then people will abuse it" fuck you, the server owner built it so people CAN abuse it. Things like that. He tried to blockade it, but ender pearls baby, just float right over that shit. Use it anyway. Well getting onto the story, this one guy decided to build right by our railway, I put signs in front of his shack/house(I'm not sure what it is, all it said was fishing shack) 3 days ago warning him to get his shit off our territory or it will be demolished, we would of let him build had he asked, but nope, go right on ahead and build on it when you clearly see the railway. I come back today and it's still there, well, even if he didn't see the signs I was planning on putting a sign to tell why we tore it down. So, I start destroying it and burn the stuff that it was built with since firespread was turned off, and that I AM the General of the Military, had I been a construction worker, I would of just place it in a chest or something, so my job is to be destructive. Mod decided to take all my shit and burn it and ban me. I fucking hate his piece of shit logic, it was on our property, I warned him, so I destroyed it, simple as that. I don't see how that's griefing, we would of even let him build there had he asked. Fucking hate that piece of shit. God I want to kill something so bad right now.

I can't find an image to display my anger :/

Jesus. I quit Minecraft for similar reasons. Well, no, that's not entirely fair. I ran my own server because I didn't want to deal with that kind of bullshit, and only let really close friends join. I was thinking about shutting it down because people were being idiots about it, and then some technical stuff fucked up and forced my hand. Decided to just not re-launch the server after that.

I could share many thousands of stories, believe me. There are truly no limits to the depths of human stupidity.

Like, we named the server after a character I created a long time ago, and I built a pony version of said character behind the server spawn building, a pretty decent size beast of a thing I built by-hand without World Edit or mods back when Minecraft was on 1.7.3 beta. Loved that thing, my proudest accomplishment ever. Anyway, the pony. This stupid fuck built a giant dick on it, and had it pissing and shitting on itself. Frasca built a pixel art of Princess Celestia, and he put a dick on her, too. You don't fuck with pixel art - that shit is hard to do and takes concentration and planning.

He also spammed "ponies are for faggots" signs all around the Nexus area. Which forced me to go get a WorldGuard plugin to prevent future behavior.

No, then there was this other guy who built a house and ripped apart some of a bridge that Frasca made in order to make room for it. We didn't ban him right away because it was minor damage and easily fixable, and his house was pretty cool, but we warned him not to do it again. Next day... more blocks taken out of the bridge. Why? It's not even in your way, you assfuck! And it had been there for six months before you even JOINED THE SERVER, let alone started building that shitpile of a house you've got there.

God damn it sometimes. Being head server items was nice in that I got to decide who got banhammered, but for the most part... I don't know if it'd be more annoying to be abused by an authority figure or act as the items when your entire community seems like it's out to destroy you. And whenever stuff went wrong with the server? Oh Cthulhu did I hate that. "ALLY WHY IS THERE LAG?" "ALLY WHY IS I CAN'T USE WORLD EDIT?" "ALLY WHY ARE THERE SEVENTEEN DILDOS IN MY ASS?"

-_-

I don't miss it. I mean, I do miss the server, but I sure as fuck don't miss the hell that accompanied it. I hope your troubles subside and things get happy for you. It was a fun game, once, before idiots ruined it for me.

Yeah, I still don't get his logic. I argued with him over skype for like 15 minutes. The bases of it was "he can build wherever he wants", even though there was clearly something being built in the vascinity and we gave the guy ample warning to move his shit, and I took it down. BIG SURPRISE

Jesus, enough about me.

I've only played a little bit of Fallout 3, I have it pirated, but I haven't gotten the interest to play the rest of it. So, any thing I say probably wouldn't be very helpful, sorry about that.

It's alright. Not a whole lot of my friends know much about FO3 so I can't use any of them for inspiration. It's fine. I'll figure it all out on my own eventually. Been playing the game little by little and going to find all the quests I want to do with the characters, and where I want to send them.

Now... what shall we discuss?

I suppose terrible MSpaint drawings people post to DeviantART calling it "art".

<---Like, this shit is drawn being serious. Now, I can't draw worth shit, but I'm sorry, what the fuck is this shit? There was a whole thread on /b/ with these types of things, I just couldn't stop laughing.

Damn, now it's me who's forgetting you exist. Apologies.

That artwork is terrible.

I actually played Runescape for the first time in probably four or five years yesterday. A lot of my stuff is gone, including a shitload of money. But they left me with 300,000 gold, which... why? If you're going to rob my account, take everything I've got. I dun get it.

I used to play with my cousin, who was shit at it, and I was better. At least, I was better at acquiring money, which was literally all I ever bothered to do. Fighting and actually doing shit just seemed boring. And it was. So I acquired mass sums of wealth running a little empire of minions who would do my bidding because I was nice to them and paid them money when they were at low level. Then I realized I was wasting my life and quit. Now so much has changed... I don't know if I can (or want to) get back into playing it on anything resembling a regular basis.

Interdesting.

A buddy of mine used to play Runescape. I never liked the concept of over-head RPG-ish games, so I never got involved in it. Also I mean in the general(and I do mean general as fuck) genre of games like Pokemon, World of Warcraft, and the older Final Fantasy games where you have to scroll through a menu and pick an attack that does the same exact fucking animation over and over again, I never understood the appeal. It all seemed very monotonous to me. It just doesn't feel right whenever you can't distinguish an attack and a miss on the enemy you're attacking who just stands still and takes it, all the damage is is a number value, to me whenever I slash something with a giant ass sword, I want to see the enemy at least get a cut on him if not slicing him completely in twain. Also hit and miss with damage is calculated with a random greater than/less than figure. Kind of like hitting a button and you subtract a number with monotonous animations, it just gets dull after the 10th time for me. I like games that I can have a big range in the way the character moves, and if someone attacks me with a sword, I may be able to block it with my shield before the attack hits. I like games like the Elder Scroll series where you're in first person with a big world to explore, it just feels like you're in the character's shoes more than the latter, like you immerse yourself into the world. Sorry for the rant, but I just never got why people liked those types of games. Compared to games like Skyrim they just seem kind of lazy, then again Skyrim is pretty big so I don't know if that's fair comparison. I also like the Zelda series for similar reasons, except this one is in 3rd person, either I'm a hypocrite or they did it right in my eyes.

Also, I've seen some shit, but what exactly the hell kind of fetish is this? This is very new to me.... O.o

Shoot, I keep checking this site when I'm not home and don't have time to respond to you, and then when I DO have time I forget all about it. Sorry.

Yeah, the only reason I ever played Runescape was because my cousin did. He was like OMFG ALLY YOU HAVE TO PLAY THIS JESUS GODDAMN IT IS SO GOOD and since it was free I took him up on it, and followed him around doing a couple quests. Not two hours into the game, I was so painfully bored of it I quit doing fighting stuff and just used the game as a chatroom for my cousin and a couple other friends I'd made IRL and through the game, and while they went off and did their thing I just acquired and hoarded gold like a pro. There's a grand exchange which tells you the going rate for a lot of goods, and will set up sales for you and junk, and that puts a damper on my ability to rebuild my empire, but when I was playing the game frequently the best way to sell stuff was to stand around in a bank and shout "selling coal for 200 gold" over and over until someone came up to you.

What I'd do is buy little newbies a decent pickaxe and give it to them for free if they agreed to help me out. Then I'd pay them various rates for different metals, and take whole inventories at a time. Meanwhile I was always mining my own loads of stuff with my rune pick, and stashing everything in a bank. Because the newbies were little kids, and because I was nice to them and bought them stuff, they didn't realize how hilariously I was exploiting them - I'd pay 500 gold for every inventory load of coal they gave me, and bill it as "just two inventories full, like twenty minutes of work, and you're 1,000 gold richer!" and they all eagerly fell in line. I had like 12 or 15 people working for me at one point.

Of course, an inventory holds something like 30 items, or 6,000 total gold if you sell it all, and my fee was 500 per each. So For about a month and a half when I played the game religiously, my cousin was out wandering the wilderness killing people and trying to be a mage (which has to buy insanely expensive runes as ammunition, whereas warrior types just use a sword) and coming home with a net profit of about 1-5k gold per day. Meanwhile I was putting in the equivalent of 12,000 gold every half hour, with (because usually around 1/3 to 1/2 of my workforce would be on and working for me at any given time) ~55,000 more rolling in without me even having to work for it.

The best example of the disparity between the two of us was when he went into the magic shop on one of my first times playing the game, and I jokingly said "buy me something" - I'm a fucking swordsman, what use do I have for a magic staff? But he bought one anyway and when I said I was joking he got mad because "I wasted like 6k on that staff, Ally! 6k! That's a lot of money!" I said I'd pay him back when I could afford it, and he said not to worry about it and generally tried to be as dickish as possible about his generosity.

A month later I went up to him, opened the trade window, said "here," and offered him 6,500 gold. Explained it was for the staff, and he's like "keep your money dude I've made like 20k this past week" and so I dumped my one-day coal-mining empire earnings for that day - 300,000 coins - into the trade window so he could see that I didn't need the money. And it was a slow day that day, too. He shit himself. I lol'd.

The only reason I ever bothered with combat at all was to be able to use the one mine where there's lots of monsters. If you're a high enough level they'll just ignore you. That was literally the only reason I ever trained those skills. My passion was mining and managing my little empire and just hoarding gold like a pro.

No idea what that fetish is. I've heard of it, though. I mean... cigarettes can be sexy in the right hands (Cox the fox, Gideon's most awesome creation and one-fox Ally's-pants-destroying army) but the ashes are certainly not. Me no get it. :/

Yeah, and to note, I'm kinda grounded right now so I'm not going to be on for a while. And yeah, I was trying to do something like that on Minecraft, it's really hard though because of Mods being shitheads and people being retarded.

Also, I'm surprised you didn't mention anything about my critique on RPGs.

About that Sweetie Belle image I actually cropped it. In the rest of the image it like shows a zoomed in part of Sweetie Belle's vagina and shows disposed Cigarettes and ash in it. I've seen some shit, but that's just weird.

Take all the time you need. I'll be here. What happened, more marijuana stuff?

My bit about Runescape was kind of in agreement to what you said. RPGs like Runescape bore me to tears from a combat perspective and all the quests are just painfully dull and uninteresting. The only reason I played it was for money-making. Otherwise I infinitely prefer RPGs like the Elder Scrolls series and Fallout. No question. I'm... not exactly sure what you want me to say about it beyond that, though. Runescape was fun for the simple fact that I was a moneymaking mastermind and manipulated and exploited little idiots to get cash which I hoarded in a bank. Beyond that I really don't like it much at all, and I only played it two or three times since that time I made that comment mentioning it, and I probably won't go back. It's pretty dull and the Grand Exchange has made it easier for everybody to sell shit, which puts a damper on my empire plans because they rely on newbies not knowing what coal is worth.

Do you have a link to that Sweetie pic full-size? I am the curious.

Lol, yeah I got caught again with Weed. My dad found it this time. I'm grounded from the computer unless my dad isn't home, my mom is more lenient. And my dad get's off of work at about 5:00 PM, so I have a good 2 or 3 hours everyday, unless he works from home.

And, yes, I'll give you a link, just need to tell my friend to look away for a second:

derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTMvMDEvMjgvMjBfMTBfMDhfNTM5XzIyNjQ5N19fVU5PUFRfX2V4cGxpY2l0X3N3ZWV0aWVfYmVsbGVfZm9hbGNvbl9jaWdhcmV0dGVfYXJ0aXN0X29ob2hva2FwaS5qcGcuanBnIl1d/226497__explicit_sweetie-belle_foalcon_cigarette_downvotes-galore_why_artist-ohohokapi_public-use_why-period-jpg.jpg.jpg

That... is the most disturbing thing I think I've ever seen. Gonna bring out Supermodel Horse to tip the scales back where they belong.

Sorry 'bout your weed habit getting you into trouble. 'Tis most unfortunate, sir.

We need a new topic of discussion besides MMORPGs and ashtray porn.

Lol, ashtray porn.

How about this food for thought, I wonder if this might give you another perspective of Sombra. This is a quote from someone named EQUINEexcite on Derpibooru:

_Remember when we realized Sombra was Spanish for "Shadow?" Guess what, he was a giant looming enigma, who, after getting decimated once by the princesses, was quite literally a former shadow of himself. None of the eloquent plans or ideologies that former villains were fighting for, just a single-minded force brute-forcing his way back into power. It’s a much more different approach than the other three, and a couple folks are unable to understand how how that counts as a villain.

Ignoring the typos, I kinda think he brings up a good point.

<this gif makes me laugh too goddamn hard.

I was thinking of titling it something based on this:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvXROes0ar8
Moondog all up in this bitch.

Actually, that's kind of brilliant. It's not outright sad and depressing, because that's not what I feel (now, anyway) and it's not what I want Dash to feel. It's just sort of a melancholy, "what could have been." Which is kind of the theme of the piece.

Christ, I'm trying to be artistic with a story I got inspired to write because I got depressed, and decided to actually write because I want to make fun of the FIMFiction community. I'll probably call it "Jimbo's Wild Ride" or something.

Title's not really important. I know most of what I want to say now, so all I gotta do is work myself back into that sort of melancholy mood and then sit down and type shit.

Listen to that song I linked you while watching the gif I attached to this comment. It will literally change your life.

Ok, here's another regurgitated attempt. It sucks right? Tell me what you think.

Also, I'm really sorry I haven't spoken a word for 3 days. It's kind of a shitty weekend for me, no ponies, and everyone in my fucking town was dry on Weed, I got none.

Yeah, this whole week I did this sort of personal experiment just for shits and giggles. I smoked 2 relatively small bowls of Marijuana everyday for the whole week, one in the afternoon, and one before I go to bed. This is a first for me, as I'm paranoid about getting caught by my parents, but this also helped me work up my pokerface, like literally, I would have conversations with my parents while high, and man did that week help me practice control while intoxicated on a substance. Never suspected a thing.

The good:
The whole week I felt a sense of lack of stress completely, during school I didn't sweat the small stuff, and I wasn't high, bad idea going to school high, but the fact that I knew I had something at the end of the day as a sort of treat, it really helped me power through the day. Overall the whole week I felt good, kind of like a butterflies in your stomach sort of feeling, but not a nervous feeling. Just overall happy to be alive and loving everything. Even though though this week it went from being summer weather, to raining all day and night, to freezing weather that makes one freeze their nips off. The dreary days didn't keep me down. Also, even when I was sober I felt really worldly, I could connect things together way, way easier, make realizations I've never thought about, and I'm better and solving problems.

The bad:
I was definitely very lethargic in answering on the spot questions though, so that's one thing, I also had some bad memory loss it seems. I usually have the memory of an elephant, but not through that week. I kept forgetting shit. So over all I was just slower, however in that slow time I could examine things really well.

Not sure what to conclude.....

What I can say is that I'm probably not going to do that again, it's too much of a strain on my supply, and I have a bigger chance of being caught, I also build up a resistance against THC, so that becomes wasteful on the supply as well.

Interestingly I found I guess you could say some sort of "withdrawal symptoms", I wouldn't place them as that though. I liked to think of them more like a hangover than withdrawal. Last night I didn't have any weed and I was pissed off because a friend that was going to share some of his Resin(the black shit that builds up in the pipe from the burnt plant matter, or tar essentially, it absorbs the most THC, it's comparable to Hash), however fucking AT&T decided that it was going to fuck me over and not connect our calls or texts at all, so I ended up getting nothing as this was in the middle of a Pep Band game that I'm not in, then I had to go to Wal-Mart after the game at like 9:00PM to get some stuff for our new Puppy that my Mother forgot to get(essential stuff like training pads and formula). By that time I was in a pissed off mood and could fucking kill everyone that I saw, like literally, that was one of those "if I were an Atheist ever mother fucking human being in plain sight would be murdered violently with their bodies being raped afterwards" moments I used to have, so aggression seems to be something, coupled with mind splitting headaches, and tiredness. Also, my body ached too. When I got home I played a little Minecraft for like 3 hours, then went to bed at around 12:00PM. That night I had trouble getting to sleep, and when I did, I had night terrors. And I almost vividly remember the dreams, it had a lot to do with shooting people with a Minni-14 ranch rifle, something like that. I woke up drenched in cold sweat this morning with my calf cramping like it's never done before, it made me yell out in pain it was so bad.

So yeah, kind of like a really bad hangover. I feel fine now. Never going to do that again

Just to add info in I couldn't type in.

I'm not in Pep Band, but I had to pick up a friend and bring her home, her lazy as fuck deadbeat mom and stepdad won't do.

I called my friend like 6 times and sent him text messages asking when and where, and he called and sent messages, but they were dropped. Didn't even show up as missed calls, and we didn't receive each others messages. I assumed we were smoking at the end of the game, as it was the most convenient for me. But he ended up smoking it with one of my other friends during 3rd quarter, he called me at the end of the game and said "Hey dude it's all gone", that pissed me the fuck off. Especially the fact that the calls decided at THAT time to fucking connect, like what the fucking shit is up with that shit? Goddamn that pissed me off so much.

Sorry, enough of my ranting, before I talk your ear off.

<----This is probably close to what I felt like doing last night at Wal-Mart.

Fuck, the picture failed to upload. And I'm too lazy to go back into my furry porn folder so have this instead. One of the best comments I've ever seen on FIMFiction, on a really really terrible story.

Speaking of which, check out this guy who joined our editors group:
www.fimfiction.net/user/Unholy_rarity
and his story:
www.fimfiction.net/story/79159/lovely-corruption

NOW try to not shoot up a plaza with a ranch rifle. It'll probably be pretty hard.

Re: artwork, I think it's pretty cool, however there is something about this fic I wanted to bring up. I had pretty much the whole thing written, but after yesterday I decided to basically scrap everything and try again. This thing has gone through phases, from "I'm sad and I have an idea, plus it'll be funny to see if this gets fame" to "this is a really stupid idea and I should probably just not bother" to "what the hell, I've got an hour to kill, I'll write it out and see what happens" to "actually, I'm going to somewhat care about this thing."

I had another bit of an emotional state yesterday which was the catalyst for the change of heart. It's getting rather ridiculous. I was a solid rock for all of high school and the past two months or so have really wrecked me. I started realizing that I'm losing all my friends, either because they're moving away or because we're just growing apart. Not too long ago, a list of my 10 closest friends would have all been people I've known for years and grown up alongside, with you and maybe one other person I don't know personally somewhere on the list. Now, it's down to two of my IRL friends, you, Shadowflash, JForte, DualThrone, Parallel Black, and Kazigami. All those people are from FIMFiction, and I met all of them within the past two months except maybe Shadowflash, but he wasn't much before that. And those two IRL friends are on their way down the list. Oh, my recently-ex-girlfriend is on the list, too. Because she's one of, like, two or three people I trust with my darkest secrets.

So the whole idea that everything we had and all I did for years and years has essentially amounted to a lot of memories but nothing with permanence going forward... it's hit me rather hard, and I once again fell into weepy teary bullshit mode. So I decided that since bottling everything up and just toughing it out like I always did isn't going to work anymore, and since even talking out my problems with those pathetically few people I care about enough to share such things with didn't work... I'm going to try and write about it and put at least a bit of care into how I tell this. It's just going to be Dash on a cloud watching the Wonderbolts perform (possibly a symbol for me watching stories hit the featured box on FIMFiction while I sit in the shadows having no idea what to do) reflecting on a pessimistic account of what's going to happen to the mane six in the future. Sort of how I feel right now. Scootaloo will also be involved for some light comedic relief. The only things I don't know right now (I should have had people read what I had before I scrapped it, but I was angerpony and just deleted everything out of frustration) are how to really get into the story from the present-day sitting on a cloud without it sounding forced. I have Vietnam-style flashbacks to when I was forced to read A Prayer for Owen Meany in English class, probably the worst offender of misplaced sounding-off I've ever heard, to the point where I'm not exaggerating too much when I say there's a scene that pretty much goes "Hey, Owen, would you like some ice cream?" "THE CATHOLICS ARE DESTROYING OUR WAY OF LIFE AND MISINTERPRETING THE WILL OF GOD THEY ARE SATAN AND WE SHOULD BURN THE VATICAN AND RAPE THE POPE UP THE BUMHOLE AND SET HIS GENITALS AFLAME WITH THE HOLY FIRE OF PROTESTANTISM." "Wow, you're such a fucking visionary, Owen. Can I have your babies?"

But anyway. I also need to figure out what the point of all this is supposed to be - I like coming up with a final sentence, or at least the last little bit I'm going to leave the readers with, but I got nothing. Because I'm so confused about how I feel, I don't really know how to end it. Maybe I can save that for after Dash's period of reflection, so it's kind of like we're both working through our troubles at the same time. Jesus Christ I am artistic-ing at LUDICROUS SPEED!

So I don't know if any of that interests you in any way, but it kind of helped me out to type it. I really want to bury this thing so I can start work on my Fallout crossover, or get back into US (again). Not sure what I want to do. I want to get a bit more of a name out there... but I'm so strapped for creativity it pains me. Any ideas for short things that can be told in under a few thousand words? I'd of course credit you for anything you pitched to me. Unless I just threw everything I had at US and the fallout story and then called in one of my many favors from Shadowflash to get him to whore me out for publicity in a blog post so people actually give a fuck what I do. But that feels like cheating.

This comment should not be all about me and my pointless emo bullshit that keeps cropping up lately. But... I really don't know how to respond to your drug experiment. That... sounds like a really interesting thing to do, but having less than no experience with it myself I don't really know what to say. Seems like you already drew all the conclusions you wanted to from it. I do miss pep band... that shit was fun. And dropped phone calls are like hell. A couple days ago my phone decided that all outgoing texts didn't exist. at least, multiple-page ones. It would only send the first page. Then my keyboard screwed up so all the keys look like barcodes instead of letters, and they're jumbled together in the middle of the screen... I had to download new keyboard interface and SMS service to make it work again, but on the upside I prefer the Hancent SMS I got to the device's default, so take that for what it's worth I suppose. Stupid phones. Great when they work, could never live without them, but when they decide that we should experience life as it appeared in 1960... people very nearly get murdered. I'm glad I'm reading a comment from you instead of a newspaper article about how you shot up a plaza with ranch rifle.

To me, perhaps you should just let it be something of a jumbled mess as you are keeping it up to be. Do what artists do and let your situation flow through you to the typing interface(wow that sounds weird), if what you are feeling is a clumped cluster fuck, then let it be a mirror to what Dashie is experiencing. So many rushing thoughts of what "could of happened" hit her like a brick wall all at once, it might actually turn out better than you think. Stuff like that has happened to me a lot of times when doing some of my art. Of course it has to be understandable, but maybe that would be good effect to try and produce?

Yeah, I have no idea what was up with that dream. It must of been a visualization of the metamorphosis my body was going through during the night. I must of been tensing up because I have no idea why I got such a bad charlie horse, it was so bad that my calf still hurts from it now as I type this, it's sore as hell. I actually fell halfway off my bed writhing in pain while I was upside down, an interesting site I might add. The dreams definite theme was paranoia. I think I saw to many videos of Syrian FSA rebels killing shit with stockless AK-47s or something, and I think I've bonded just a little too much to my fictional characters as that's the weapon one of them use, except the one portrayed in the dream had a skeleton stock folded over like an AK-74. I always had something behind me, at times firing at me, I fired back but I didn't know if I was killing whatever it was or not. Very odd dream.

<--- Essentially this gun

So is that artwork useable I posted up above, or do you want a re-hash?

If you want to remake the art, you can. This is technically happening in Cloudsdale, after she and Scoot move away. I have a story set up where I explain that Twilight goes back to Canterlot to study magic, Rarity makes her break into fashion and moves somewhere (Canterlot, too, maybe, or another city. Doesn't really matter) and then Pinkie just leaves town, too, but Dash doesn't remember where she went. Mostly that's because I wanted to really remove all of Dash's closest friends from the occasion, and since she and Pinkie seem somewhat close I needed her gone, couldn't think of a way to do so logically, so I took advantage of that Pinkie-plot-hole dynamic I hate so much and just said "bye."

Then that leaves Shy and Apples, but since Shy's pretty much the opposite of Dash they kind of naturally give each other space, which leads to them growing apart. Applejack I explain as having Granny Smith die (old age, we all know it's coming) and then they have some tough times on the farm with a lousy harvest and stuff. Now AJ realizes that Mac is the family elder, and if they're going to continue the family line she needs to find a stallion (this ties into, but doesn't directly reference, the Mac-is-a-gelding theory I came up with which makes some sense even though I don't consider it headcanon. FUCK I just got another awesome idea for a short fanfic - explaining that theory in narrative format. Jeebus. Add that to my to-do list!

Anyway since AJ is busier than ever on the farm, she doesn't have time to do stuff with Rainbow, and sort of starts looking on her as a child whenever she complains about Wonderbolt stuff. Kind of like a rich teenager complaining about not being able to get concert tickets over summer vacation, when talking to his poorer friend who's working full-time the whole summer. So that kind of distances them somewhat, and even Dash's offers of help don't go anywhere. So she trains Scoot to fly and then moves off to Cloudsdale with her and then some stuff happens. This story is maybe a year or two later than that, when Scoot is a teenager and Dash is sitting on a cloud near the Wonderbolt arena watching them practice and wishing she could join in. If that inspires anything about your artwork... great. If not, I love what you've created already. This isn't exactly going to be a five-star work. I wrote some more today and it's... meh.

Shit, I gotta go. I'll respond to the rest of your comment later tonight or tomorrow. I'm sorry.

Ok, thanks for the summary, now I know what I'm making the work about. I'll use this as a reference if I make a new cover.

The only complaint with the summary I heard is your going to have to make the Pinkie part a little more believable, her and Pinkie are really close, I doubt Rainbow is going to forget her leaving very easily, and I doubt Pinkie won't make it obvious as fuck where she is going. She would pretty much try to write her every second, as shown in the Wonderbolts Academy episode. Something would have to be occupying Pinkie Pie pretty intently for her not to worry about writing to Rainbow Dash, might I suggest her being an over-worked party and wedding planner in Manehattan(or some other really populated city), something along those lines. Other than that it all sounds good to me.

Hey, I wrote some stuff.
docs.google.com/file/d/0BxDZYO3AC75RYVVTZWY5ZzBBUk0/edit?usp=sharing

It's not done. Just what I accomplished today and yesterday when I was supposed to be paying attention in class.

Give me an honest opinion - if it sucks balls and isn't interesting, I WANT TO KNOW. I can pull the plug and put my time elsewhere. I think I've actually resolved all my emotional stuff by this point, and writing the rest of this has become something of a formality.

Good point about Pinkie. I put it in.

Not to focus on the Pinkie thing, but I didn't see it when I read what you sent.

Whatever, done with the nitpicking, I personally thought it was really good so far. It's as if I'm getting inside Dash's mind. Also a minor question, does she write the forms they do, or is she an "unimportant side performer" compared to Spitfire and Soarin'. I couldn't quite get a straight answer, however I know we've(or you at least) been discussing this intensively so shame on me.

Thoughts on the new episode? To start on my end, I thought it was kind of ironic you were just talking about them hardly mentioning anything that happened in the Chrystal Empire during the last episode, now this episode is the other half of the perspective. I personally love when programs do things like this, it's like a two-parter without it actually being a two-parter. Kind of like the mission in Black Ops where Mason kills Steiner, there's a parallel set of events happening with two different perspectives. I also loved Ms. Peachbottom dat deep southern accent. A minor complaint, Mustangia? Really, that's what the earlier generations did when they didn't have a good name for a place, like in G1 I think there was a place literally called Unicornia. No, shit doesn't work that way. You can't create a place just by adding -ia to it. If I add -ia to desk, a realm where wild Desks run wild does not magically appear. But that's just nitpicking. A bigger question would be why is she wearing clothes and sexy ass Rarity glasses if she comes from a land of wild mustangs? Whatever, I suppose I can be critical when I need to be :D (but not of the right thing....) I still love her though.

What'd you think?

Happy day after Hearts and Hooves Day!

Parallel Black made me a valentine in response to a 60-second heart I drew in Paint.
Figured I'd share.

You still alive, bro?

<Found this, stared at it for a good 5 minutes straight. I find it captivating.

I'm glad you like it. It's not something I was particularly proud of until I got positive feedback from you and someone else I gave it to. Probably because it's written in first person (I didn't see any other way of doing it) and "technically" it's present tense (which I hate, but I'd rather cap the ends with present tense than write the whole middle bit in past perfect, and I'd rather do THAT than leave the whole thing past because the middle part's sort of a flashback but not really, she's just speaking her mind and history to the audience.

Huh. Yeah, this doc still has my bullshit "I dunno" Pinkie excuse. That's odd. I wonder if Google Docs just fucked up and didn't take my last changes. As soon as I find another half hour or so to write the ending (despite the rather long time frame it's taking to write this, I haven't actually put much care or effort into it. Most of it was actually done in a math class I can't be bothered to pay attention to) I'll go back and make sure all the details are set. But even if I'd missed that, I'm only going to mention Pinkie once. Partly out of my own dislike, and partly because, well, I just don't think it's an interesting story. She moved away, and that's that. Same with Twilight and Rarity. I go into a little bit deeper detail about Applejack because she ISN'T moving away and yet I still had to isolate her - it's the same way I feel towards some of my friends. Most skipped town and have scattered, and I can't really contact them anymore. Those that are left are just... drifting away, no matter what I do to try and stop it. And it's rapidly approaching the point where I don't even really care to stop it.

Dash is Spitfire's personal assistant who actually comes up with a lot of her moves because she's too busy to write her own. I know I said this at least once, but again... that might be Docs derping up. I didn't want to go into super extreme detail right away, because a) suspense - the audience asks "why?" b) I'm going to explain the whole process of it happening right here at the end, and it seems more natural to not go into detail early on when this is the case. Remember - this is a parallel of my own feelings a couple weeks ago (I'm more or less over all that drama now) when I was helping out big-name authors but lacking any semblance of recognition except from the people I edit for. Which is nice, don't get me wrong, but my primary focus was supposed to be on WRITING, not EDITING, and I can't get those fucking awful words, "those who can't do, teach," out of my head. So, since misery loves company, I dragged my favorite pony down with me.

The only question left is the ending. I want to get the very last couple sentences down, the thing I'm going to leave this with. In my opinion that's probably the most important part, because it's what they take away. I've got a couple options. First, I bring Dash up through how she starts working for the Wonderbolts (as well as training prospects on the side) but then finds it dominates all her time and she could never actually join the team anymore. Once we reach this point, effectively arriving in the present where she's moping on a cloud, Scoot returns with ice cream and I might have Dash ask a question like "do you like this life?" or something else. In this story, Scoot is Frasca - the guy I got into writing in the first place, who (and this isn't arrogance, it's fact) would have never even "gotten off the ground," so to speak, when writing fiction. She's like, a lower-circuit aerial acrobat with a bit of talent, and even though she doesn't have any association with the Wonderbolts she's actually MORE famous than Dash. Again, not Wonderbolts, but mediocre fame compared to Dash's none whatsoever. Scoot's obviously content, looks up to Dash, still relies on her for a lot of stuff like training and whatnot. "Yeah, it's a good life. I'm happy." Then:
-An ending where Dash sort of realizes that even though she's not achieved her dreams, this life is where she belongs. It's cliche, you see it coming a mile away, but I do kind of agree with it.
-An ending where Dash decides she has screwed up, that Wonderbolts were what she should have done instead. Shouldn't have offered to help Spitfire. Shouldn't have seen prospective members outside the gate and offered them help. Should have just gone in and done her thing, got on the team, and got the fame she always wanted. This, I also kind of agree with, but it kind of sounds like she's being a douche.
-Mash the two together so it can be taken either way. Should have chased dreams, Should have gone for fame, but not going to mope about what could have been when she does at least have the silver medal.
-Leave it completely open-ended. Say some bullshit philosophy, close on "I'm not really sure what to think," and basically flip off the audience. This is how I felt for sure, completely confused and with no idea what to do. But ending a story like that just feels... wrong.

Or if there's anything you can think of... at this point it's moved back out of "personal journey told through Dash to help me deal with my own emotions" and into "thing I've invested about 120 minutes of my life into and asked a guy to make artwork for - I guess I should probably finish it."

Also, it needs a title. Sadfic.docx isn't gonna cut it.

Re: new episode, I looked up the plot online because I heard some REALLY messed up speculation like next week was the series finale (it's not - S4 is back to 26 episodes, bitches!) and some of the mane six were going to get killed off, and other really stupid bullshit that sounded just vaguely plausible enough (given some of the other stuff they've done this season) that I wanted to bunk them for certain. "This is the parallel story to last week's episode!" Welp, too bad I didn't read that two hours earlier. My trunsako review would have been way more positive.

Yeah, I love how the two mesh. And at this point I'm so tired of hearing myself say it that it's practically just muscle memory - there was too much slapstick for me. It started off good, and I wasn't sure if the miscommunication was multi-layered, like the southern pony was the real inspector all along and the snooty bitch was there as a decoy or something. I wasn't fully serious, but I had my doubts. Also this episode made me develop a rather massive bro-crush on Shining Armor, and I have no idea why.

But excepting the rather standard slapstick shit I didn't like, basically from where she freaks out in the arena onward (at that point the claustrophobia bit was done to death for me; too many jokes in too little time, and it just lost its comedic value), I thought it was solid stuff. Take the last two episodes as a package deal because it essentially WAS a two-parter, and I'm comfortable handing out a 9.

I will close this comment with a sentence you probably never thought I'd ever say - I'm thinking of writing a story about Pinkie Pie. Because, after debating her with DualThrone and hearing some good points about what could be done to make her a good (sidebar: I liked the Pinkie humor in this episode. Didn't find hardly any of it the least bit funny, but I liked how they just introduced a plot point, had her react, and moved on. No holes, no "I'm Pinkie I do what I want," no... none of the stuff that usually ruins her for me. Way to mesh the worlds, writers!) character in our eyes, I'm actually thinking of doing a sort of tongue-in-cheek Clockwork Orange crossover. In that it'd be written from 1st person (trends are developing! NOOO!) from Pinkie's POV as she speaks in her own type of argot and does some sort of parody of the Clockwork Orange plot (same structure, different events and theme). Maybe instead of violence and rape she just steals cakes and eats them, and gets brainwashed by health food nuts. I don't know. It's just an idea I had about two hours ago. Thoughts?

Aw, shit! I'm so sorry I didn't respond sooner, I feel like a dick now! I didn't know you went to the trouble of sending me a Happy Valentines Day ;____; Happy (late)Hearts and Hooves day to you too!

(Spoiler Warning)

Today is a great day. I watched the Season Finale, and apart from the obvious pacing issue and abrupt as fuck ending(to be fair they were given one standard episode and I don't see how they would work the plot into a two parter), it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. It was time for every different mechanic that makes this show amazing to show off what they have. The most amazing part is this was a musical, the music was wrote as I expected it to be. The chords were just so rich and well layered, it was amazing. A few of the moment in the episode brought a legitimate tear to my eye. I also think they made a good reason with the pacing issue, they made it into a musical, in a sense it sort of did a pseudo-fix since the plot aspects are being represented in song, it doesn't act out like normal dialogue. And since I'm not used to Musicals I have no clue if the pacing is fine for what was presented. Oh well, I think the ending was solid, and one hell of a cliff hanger for Season 4, almost a dick move on their part. I can't wait for such a huge change to show forth and see what they do with Princess Twilight. Whatever you say about the episode I will still in my mind keep it high. Now let's see what you thought?

Also, PINKAMENA! YES YES YESY EYS YSEYSEYFSIOEFJOIFJ. THANK CELESTIA THEY PUT HER INTO THE EPISODE!!! Sorry, I just couldn't help myself.

<Go home, FIMFiction, you're drunk.
(likes/dislikes are easy enough to understand, I'd hope, but the bar graph shows how many views per day the story has attracted, and the "33" next to the eye is how many total views the story has had. Take a look at all those numbers for a minute. Wat.)

I figured the finale would bring you back. Don't feel bad, I go days without coming here myself.

This is the first episode I've seen in awhile where "too much slapstick" isn't the first thing I have to say about it. There was very little in the way of humor in the whole thing; it was an entirely different style of episode, altogether. ("It was an entirely different style of episode" ... uh, no more movie references in this comment, I promise) I... I agree with you on the music; THIS is what MLP songs should be about. It's just plot plus music, not like the Babs Seed song, which will forever be my go-to "bad example" because it was the first time I really noticed how far off the wagon this season's taste in music had fallen. That, and it was actually GOOD music. That destiny song was fantastic and had many different layers to it. Twilight's one following that, the sort of pop-ish one, was iffy for me. But even that wasn't BAD. Regardless, they all nailed the important bit of matching song to the plot.

Pacing was rushed as fuck, probably one of the worst offenders yet. Again, I understand it was shortened, but... nah, I can't even take another jab at them for the rushed pacing. There was no other way to cram this stuff into 20 minutes except trimming the Celestia-Twilight conversation, which needed to be sufficiently lengthy to get the point across. Side note: excellent handling of making her an alicorn. I was scared as fuck that they'd just have her poof everything back to normal, and then "whoopsie! I've also got wings now!" - I'd flip a shit if they did that. It's been painfully obvious from s1ep1 that Celestia's had grand plans for Twilight, and they needed to actually lay those down.

In response to "I don't see how they could make a two-parter," I've got an idea. First part, spend more time developing the ponies in their new roles. Twilight: "don't you remember [previous event from show]?" Then, for added win, do a short version of that scene with the pony in her new role. "Applejack, don't you remember that time you won the award for saving the town from the stampede?" "No, that was Pinkie Pie, and she doesn't know a thing about herding cattle." (Scene of her getting bucked from the cow as they storm into Ponyville and wreck shit). Don't have to do that for all six, but... something. More than one gag per each, and then show how it actually has an effect. It's obvious why AJ is boarding up the boutique, because she's shit and can't stay open for business. But take any successful business and slap an incompetent leader in, and it'll still last more than a day before going bankrupt to the point of boarding up the windows. Have Twilight run more than one attempt to fix things, which fail, and then save her quick emotional shift to "oh no, I ruined everything" for the end of the first episode, and close on that. Like, "is this the end of our friendship?" TO BE CONTINUED. Considering we're dealing with a season finale here, it's entirely possible that they DON'T get back together.

Second episode, you pretty much do the rest of what you did in this episode, just flesh it out a little more to fill up the time slot again.

That's what I'd do, but I really can't fault them for what they did. It was masterfully written apart for the rushed pacing, and once again I'm left impressed with something a lot of people thought was going to blow. Do you remember the rage over the S2 finale? "ANOTHER ALICORN NOOOOO" - but Cadance is a pretty awesome character. Same thing happened here. "ALICORN TWILIGHT NOOOOOO" but... it actually came across okay. I think there is potential in what they've done - they even hinted at it with Rainbow's line "a new flying buddy." Considering there were a lot of times in S3 where I was like "this show is dangerously close to jumping the shark," I was pretty skeptical of this finale being able to cap the season off in a way that'd actually give me hope for the franchise and the series. But, as always, I'm much more than happy to be proven wrong.

Final verdict: 11/10. I think, simply for the fact that it WAS a two-parter, and it had one of my favorite villains not just in this show but of all time, and it was just so fantasmorgasmically epic in every conceivable way, the S2 finale still is the crowning achievement of the series so far in my eyes. But if it were shrunken down into a single episode, or if this S3 finale were expanded, then it'd be a pretty close call between the two.

Now, I've got to go tweak a couple lines in this stupid sadfic to reflect the fact that Twilight is indeed an alicorn now, and it wasn't a temporary thing or something that was just speculation all along. Speaking of which, I kind of wrote a pretty big comment about it, and another one of my ideas. When you get a chance, I'd like to hear your input on those points. No rush, though.

Also, cover art, if you were planning on remaking it. But, again, no rush (and the one you've got is fine, if you'd rather not bother). I keep opening the document, poking a couple of keys, and closing it. I really can't figure out how to end the stupid thing without sounding like a douchebag. I really want to get it done with so I can move on to the other ideas I've had recently, but I need to sit down and plan those out in greater detail first anyway so it really doesn't matter. Not like I've ever been remotely productive in my life, anyway.

I watched it 2 times sober and two times high, yesterday, and it was even more amazing each time. I can't wait for Season 4, they must have a lot of explanation of an alicorn truly is.

Also, I've got a friend who said that he'd stop watching the show if Twilight became a better flier than Rainbow Dash. Do you think that will happen? I personally doubt it.

And interestingly what you said about the new episode was exactly what I thought about the episode. I agree with you %100

Hey, I'm gonna dump some stuff on you I found on FIMFiction. Pretty awesome stuff. None of it's my words.

Guy I've never heard of before, who makes possibly the most mind-blowing statements I've ever heard of:

I'm not even going to try to address the issue of Twilight being a princess/alicorn - but is there no room to rationalize the old interpretation of alicorn-ness to mesh with what we learned today? Hear me out:
-Prior to the Season 2 finale, we knew that the Sisters were long-lived and powerful authority figures connected to their respective cosmic elements. This resulted in the commonly held belief that alicorns were immortal elemental deities, and many fanfics have featured alicorns of the past that represented the seasons or the earth/sea and so forth. Obviously some people have held contrary beliefs, but with only that much information, there were many possibilities.
-The arrival of Cadence throws a wrench into this, as she does not appear to fit the framework of "immortal elemental deity" or at least not as well as our two princessly precedents. Her thing is love, which is rather abstract and decidedly less elemental, and she appears to age normally which seems at odds with the eternal cosmic goddess thing.
-Twilight's ascension shows that mortals can join the ranks of these powerful creatures if they too are powerful enough. She apparently invented/discovered some new form of magic - not just magic-magic, like what comes out of a unicorn's horn or powers the wings of a pegasus, but something entirely new and fundamental. Presumably this new magic is friendship or friendship related, as indicated by, you know, the title. Hence we have the princess of love and the princess of friendship, which can be taken to be counterparts in the same way as the sun and moon or something thereabouts.
Now, we're left with a contradiction between the two old/original alicorns and the two new ones created/presented during the course of the series. The two new ones are clearly unlike the old ones, and my explanation for this is that Cadence and Twilight are mortal/lesser alicorns. They're certainly powerful, and the term "lesser" doesn't imply inferiority, it just signifies that they aren't quite deities. It would make sense, then, that the elder goddesses, who are connected inextricably with their elemental bodies (sun/moon, day/night, light/dark) are a bit more powerful and afforded things like immortality. Take note also of Cadence and Twilight's powers and relationships - Cadence is married, and Twilight has her extremely close group of friends, and their powers are abstract elements, compared to the concrete elements of the aforementioned. Unless their immortality extends to those they hold closest, these two princesses would eventually lose part of the thing that makes them so powerful if they stayed alive forever.
By separating alicornhood into different varieties, we can still sort of maintain the old structure of reasoning, albeit with necessarily large modifications.

And DualThrone, my good buddy from the Pinkiebashing:

The reason I want the reset button smashed in Season Four is that this murders the status quo by gangrenous amputation instead of amputating and affixing a cybernetic limb of awesome. Clearly, you need to shake things up and disrupt the humdrum but you don't hunt rabbits with Atomic Annie (well, maybe you could but there wouldn't be any rabbit to speak of). Besides the episode being a dull, silly, mess that gives Twilight a few new levels in badass by hacking the game instead of going totally L33T, it disregards its own canon and holds out all sorts of terribly implications for the future of this universe.
- After ascending via the magic of friendship, it's time to break the friendship up as if the other Mane Six were just tools to make Twilight better and then to be discarded when they're no longer useful.
-You have a six-pony crew that does great good for Equestria... and one of them is going to spend most of her long life without the friends through whom she got that long life in the first place.
- You've smashed the entire point of Twilight's character by moving her from a unicorn of exceptional intellect and talent who, with the limits of mortality and whatever limits there are on unicorn magic potential, can actually resolve problems that would challenge much more experienced and powerful alicorns, to just another alicorn where her exceptional qualities are no longer meaningful.
- You've also smashed the subtle relationship between Twilight and the two princesses where Twilight was a subordinate who, through her own merit, is esteemed as a peer and friend and elevates her to an equal in which the meritorious qualities that cause her to be treated as an equal, although she isn't quite, to no longer matter (which is very similar to my last point).
- You took a very high-strung character, dropped an anvil on her, and she had no freak-out reaction. The essence of Twilight's character is that she's a very able, intelligent, rational, and good-hearted character who suffers from doubt and reacts poorly to being blindsided. She's blindsided with "you're turning into an alicorn and will now be crowed as a princess" and reacts with great acceptance and pretty much no drama at all; this is not the way Twilight reacts to things.
- You do a serious fuck-up of how magical spells work. Whereas every time Twilight casts a spell before, she has to put intense effort into it, she casts a spell that was the magnum opus of one of the strongest unicorn magicians in history by reading words on a page. She's practically unaware of having cast it. And to fix it, all she has to do is write a few words in the book? Seriously? It just adds insult to all the other injuries dealt.
- Finally, you've put Twilight in the place of the two main Princesses in relation to her friends and that just blows the magic of friendship completely to shit because these ponies are supposed to be her equals in fact as well as rhetorically, which is why a friendship circle that includes a unicorn of Twilight's overwhelming power and knowledge even works out.
I love the concept of Twilight as an alicorn very, very much. But the way this is done and the results thereof serve to destroy much of what makes her best pony. It damages the entirety of the storyline and canon. I like Twilicorn way much but where so many fanfics have Twilight ascend while making the entire process trademark Twilight Sparkle, this doesn't.

I think both make some damn good points. I can rebut a lot of DualThrone's (as usual; we seem to work pretty well as an arguing pair) or at least explain why they are the way they are and how it could be solved moving forward. But... just figured you might like some reading material. :)

Ok, DualThrone's explanation is mostly baseless to me. Let's start:

First of all, the interpretation on what the episode was like is an opinion, and even if it is an opinion. It's not DULL, it was a musical, has that been done in MLP? Not to the extent that it was shown, I can't see how any of the episode was dull when, quite frankly hyper and out of control would be a more accurate bash that I could swallow. Silly? How? DIVINE ASCENSION IS A SILLY CONCEPT ISN'T IT? A mess, yes, I could agree with it being considered a mess, however I personally disagree on the terms of I thought it was personally well executed.

-the mane 6 were just tools.... and were discarded excuse me, but WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN? The episode cut off near the end of the coronation, if he means the thank you speech Twilight gave to the Mane 6, then that's a vague crock of shit. Nothing in that thank you speech pointed towards her cutting them off and taking all of the power.

-.....where her qualities are no longer meaningful" What? Why should it matter if she's a fucking alicorn? Remember that time Celestia got her ass handed to her by Chrysalis, or what about when Cadence was trying to hold up that shield in the crystal empire? She could of obviously handled Sombra on her own. I mean, she's an alicorn right? All powerful and everything.

-smashed the relationship between princesses..." Where is this guy getting his evidence? Sweet Jesus. They didn't smash the relationship, however they did elevate it to a new height giving a new angle, character development, it happens, now cry about it.

-"no freak out reaciton" That's a complete lie. She did freakout, and yes I know, she calmed down quickly, however this isn't a regular pony talking to her, it's the most important figure in her life telling her to calm down.

Goddammit, now I'm just pissed and I'm out of room. I've been dealing with the same stupid fuck arguements for weeks now, Jesus people.

I already wrote my own reply making a lot of the same points. It's too long to post here, but she's (found out for sure that DT is a she, like I'd felt all along, so now I can stop using the internet-default masculine pronouns!) kind of weird about a lot of episodes and why she dislikes them. Even said in her response that the episode would have been better without music. I mean, if the songs had been Babs Seed songs, I'd absolutely agree. But these were the perfect, flawless return to S1-2 musical glory I've been hoping for and sorely disappointed by every episode of S3 so far. I think she's unable to step down from her long-windedness; I'd prefer a longer episode and more detailed treatment of the plot (part of the reason I still prefer the S2 finale to this one), but if they HAVE to tell the story in 20 minutes than this was surely the way to go.

Meh, can't win them all.

HAH! I KNEW IT! That Finale ended extremely way too abrupt! I was thinking the other day, "Now, in the first song Twilight kept repeating 'I know everything is going to be just fine' in the situational irony of 'Everything is not fucking fine' and that got me thinking. "Why would she say that at the very end of the finale?" And I came up with the idea that it was a bridge into the Season 4 premiere! And you know what, I was pretty much right on the money! The finale is considered by McCarthy a "three parter", so in other words, that wasn't the end of the episode, they're going to continue the plot into Season 4. From what I understand, a lot of good shows have this sort of end season/beginning next season bridge, except this one was quite subtle in implications.

<-------The season 4 premier will continue the plot of the S3 premiere!

I totally agree with you. I too would of also prefered a longer episode, I mean, they were really grinding on the edge with that time limit. It smashes you in the face with one hell of a Good Morning song BEFORE the intro, and the end of the episode, I can't tell, but I think the Coronation is still happening as Twilight flies into the screen. I mean Jesus, I can totally understand why people would be kind of flustered with the pacing, good lord of how many emotional changes happen during 6 minutes in that episode, like a damn roller coaster. But, hey, it was an emotional episode as Twilight finally rises to something Celestia has always wanted her, I think the musical was necessary especially of how beautiful it was. Call me a bitch, but the 4 times I watched the episode that day, I was leaking liquid pride near the end every time, it's the music that really gave me the effect I'm really sure.

Fuck me, here I am going headlong into machine guns again because I'm mad. I'm sorry, but if people don't like Twicorn then they just need to leave the fandom or some shit, I don't know what to do about it other than that. If the creators of the show wanted to make her character ascend, then damn well do it. I mean, she's been the main character out of the bunch anyways with ties to a supposed "God" as people like to sling around like it's derogatory or something. To me, it makes complete logical sense for the main character of a show to grow as a character. Especially if that character has ties to the most powerful being in the Nation(I'd say world but at the moment, we have no clue the power of Celestia other than she had to use the Elements of Harmony to defeat certain evils). For her favorite mentor to be ascended, I mean. I serisously don't see how you can deny that. What the hell were we expected to think? She just waltzed into this test room and wanted Twilight, a young filly to be her private mentor, a God(of course she saw Godzilla Spike, but still), what else would end of this without her becoming something magnificent in the end? From the end of Season 1 I expected Twilight to transform into an Alicorn, like, it was literally going to happen, to me this is just a petty fact that's been blown completely out of proportion. I remember back in Season 1 people who would kill to see Twilight become like Celestia, now here a bunch of ungrateful fucks can't sit down and enjoy a damn show for how the creators feel it should go.

Oh and by the way that's from like weeks of pent up rage, ignore that. I'm a very angry person.

Uh, let me get to you about what I thought with the Alicorn stuff you put forward. Outta room here.

I can't seem to find an image that expresses in full the amount of rage I feel, so have some gorefuck pony shit since this is a special occasion. I don't even.

<What the metric fuck, FIMFiction? Do you even wordcount?
Side note: I both edited this story and designed its cover art. Felt proud when it got featured. Good ol' Shadowflash, being a hardcore sexy stud as always.

Regarding Twi/Rainbow, I've actually got a good idea on how they could make that work. There's a fanfic I read which is equal measures blatant, hilarious satire of the infamously popular "self-insert alicorn" genre and a strong, well-crafted narrative in its own right. It starts out with a new alicorn, inexplicably dropped into Ponyville for no reason (she's just sort of THERE) with a black coat and red mane. This might not make you react the same way it does me, so I'll explain: New authors do this shit all the time. When they're not making horrible self-insert Human-in-Equestria stories where a miserable teen goes to ponyland and bangs the author's favorite pony or otherwise saves the day, they write stories where some awesome and overpowered Mary Sue character (I trust you know what Mary Sue means? If not, Wiki it. Pretty funny article) shows up, usually an alicorn with "cool" coloring like red-on-black or stripes.

This story takes the most stereotypical Mary Sue alicorn you could possibly have, and then even NAMES HER Mary Sue. She goes around Ponyville asking the mane six if they'll come to her birthday party that day, but they all make excuses. She takes the opportunity to use her godly abilities to "help" them out; she's so unbelievably strong that she can kick the ground and make every tree in Sweet Apple Acres shed its fruit. She's so magically powerful that she can conjure up wing spells like that S1 episode for hundreds of ponies at once; Twilight could only manage to do Rarity before getting tired. She's so good at flying that she makes Rainbow Dash look like Fluttershy, and clears up a sky in seconds when Rainbow said it would take hours. You get the idea. In the process, everypony gets pissed off and angry because they're being horribly upstaged at their own game, and the pony doing it is modestly shrugging it off because it's like breathing to her. Oh, another favorite - she hastily designs a dress in under five minutes ("just something I threw together") and they become the absolute pinnacle of fashion and nearly drive Rarity out of business.

So she goes around clearing up everypony's schedule and doing favors for them and saving them truckloads of work, but when her party rolls around... not a single pony shows up. And she sits there, all alone, and cries.

I think there's potential in that story, because it made me desperately want to go be a friend and comfort this character who, upon first looks, is terrible. Then the story goes on and does a bunch of other stuff, but that first chapter is the part that really had an impact on me more than anything else.

I think an episode where Twilight upstages her friends might be a good thing, because there are certain times where we as humans find we're better at something than a friend of ours who likes it, too. It's kind of a douche move to rub that in their face, especially if you don't really enjoy it much yourself. I don't imagine Twilight as being a "fuck yeah flying" person, but Dash is. Twi discovering she's better at it than Rainbow could be a nice wrench in the works to give us a solid friendship lesson. It's kind of a different spin on the Trixie and Mare-Do-Well themes of "don't boast about your abilities and be all show-offy."

There's shitloads of other places to take alicorn Twilight, too. I'm optimistic. I think these writers are more talented and more able to spin a "bad idea" into something successful than people in the community give them credit for. Obvious examples are the past two season finales. Both got a shitload of hatred from a lot of people for doing things that were messing with the world. Both were absolutely amazing. I'm confident S4 isn't going to have as many problems as people might predict. And even if it does have a bum episode, I can do with it like I already do with Baby Cakes. Just ignore it, pretend it doesn't exist, and disregard everything pertaining to it. Easy enough. Fanfiction authors bitching about this ruining future ideas are idiots. Just set your story during seasons 1-3, or say in the description "this ignores the events of the S3 finale and alicorn Twilight." If it's a good story, people will still read it. Fuck, I'm sick of seeing all this S3-finale-ramifications bitching on FIMFiction.

Lel, that does sound like a good read, I need to put it into my sadly, cobwebbed(holy shit that's an actual adjective, English language keep doing what you do) "Fan Fiction" bookmark folder. Like, I think I might have something from the beginning of Season 2 in there I haven't even touched, it's sad. I feel like a criminal or something for saying this in front of you, but I was never crazy on reading books when I was a kid. I didn't hate reading(I still don't), I just found that TV entertained me at a higher level. So, it's not my natural reflex to pick up a book compared to motion media, this also goes into fanfics. I know they aren't even like 10 or 15 pages(compared to a published book), but I just can't seem to find the intuitiveness to sit down and read all of something. Unless it was something like ButterscotchSundae's work I actually had trouble starting, I'm just a weirdo. I've also noticed that I'll get overwhelmed. "All of these fanfics looks so good, but I'll never be able to read them all!" and then I end up reading none of them trying to decide because I lose interest in my own self-bickering.

And HOORAH to the last lines you said. Finally some one who has a similar view that I do on this sort of issue.

Sweetie Belle because I'm happy again.

dear god

I love how quickly I found my username in that

Considering the popularity of the brony board on this site, I'm sure you love your notification box. :D

yay attention :3

Well, fuck. I SUPPOSE we could do a Monarcho-Capitalistic society against a radical Authoritarianistic Dictatorship. The other side could use the fact the Celestia is the main ruler and could throw accusations of Tyranny thus trying to turn the common pony against each other and the government. Something along those lines....

I've never tried weed myself, but I do plan on doing so if (when) it becomes legal here. I'm too paranoid to risk throwing my entire career away (pretty sure a drug possession bust could ruin my chances of becoming a lawyer) just for a smoke, but I do plan on trying it eventually. Also I don't want to get hooked on the stuff; I know it isn't all that addictive chemically, but if I ever used it it would be incredibly sparingly. Same thing with alcohol for me. A little bit here and there, sure, but I've got personal reservations against getting hammered out of my mind. Once, just to say I did it, but never on a regular basis. Just my personal dislike of having my mind altered drastically. I like being in control of my actions.

I share your views on gun control, but this is one of those rare times I don't want to actually get into a rant mode about it. maybe later. I just took your advice and smoked my emergency cigar (little vanilla flavored one, because even though they're girly I want to try a lot of different flavors just to say I did) and I am absolutely zen right now. Really needed that. Stressful day in a long line of stressful days, and I just remembered that the little TARDIS cookie jar on my desk had a smoke, cutter, and matches inside. The smoke was...like a candle, almost. I hate the smell of cigarette smoke, but cigar smoke is usually pretty mellow. This actually smelled good, and I was genuinely sad when I fired up zee Buick to cover it up with exhaust before it got stale. I HATE the smell of stale tobacco smoke...one of my top-5 least favorite sensations in the universe. I always change clothes immediately after a smoke and throw them in the wash as soon as possible, and if I'm at home in my garage I run the Antienvironmentalistmobile for a couple minutes so that the garage smells like delicious petroleum instead of death cancer.

I am so out of it right now... that was a good smoke. Go get a vanilla flavored one if they sell them near you.

Also I made a tommy gun a couple days ago. I was going to try and incorporate it into my OC pony because the rest of his outfit looks like a gangster pony, but ended up just letting it sit in my folder.

Now I must edit stuff. But at least I'm not in (as much) danger of having another emotional breakdown. Thanks, tobacco!

I've always wanted to shoot a Tommy Gun, even it is semi-automatic. Just something about them just screams awesome, I don't know if it's their design, high fire rate, or destructive power at close range, but it just makes me orgasm.

Not sure if this is true, but I heard that in WWII whenever the Allies would shoot the Nazis with their Thompsons, upon inspection of the dead bodies, the Germans thought that the Allies were using explosive bullets because of how devastating the .45 caliber was. To put it into perspective the bullet sits at about an average of 550 Foot-Pounds, basically, if you get hit in the chest, that's enough energy to move 550 pounds one foot, and that same amount of energy is hitting you in the chest, and that same amount of energy is hitting you 750 times in a minute. Some models even had an RPM of 1200, Jesus-fuck. It's crazy to think about things like that.

I'm glad the Cigar helped you relax.

I relaxed so much I made this. I think I'm addicted to vector art?

Yeah .45's are pretty large bastards. Nice little trivia with WWII - I hadn't heard that before. Wouldn't surprise me if it was true, at least when they first started encountering Thompsons.

I... really don't have much else to say. What artwork is that? Looks cool.

The guy's artist username is quizzicalkisses, he makes some amazingly orgasmic art. I think I posted this like 3 times already, but he also made this.

semi-automatic model* sorry.

Oh, I've seen that piece with twilight and Spike. Same artist? That's pretty cool. Indeed it is quite amazing. I will have to look him up sometime, because that makes me happy.

Man, I'm really feeling down a lot lately. This totally isn't normal. It's not just stress, I genuinely feel somewhat depressed the past couple days. With the odd total emotional breakdown in between making things even worse. It's stupid, too, because it all started after a complex and annoying series of events in my personal life led me to the conclusion that I'll probably live alone for the rest of my life, which somehow really upsets me. It shouldn't, because... ah, fuck it. It's a long story and I'm sure you're not interested in the details. Short version: my life got slightly worse and it's turned me into the type of emotional mess that I hate. People who really feel awful and down and depressed because they can't focus on the positive aspects of their life enough and get fixated on those one or two slight negatives. Maybe I've got slightly more room to talk than the people who cut themselves because they broke their iPod, but... I really hate this feeling. I feel awful and hate myself for feeling awful and that just makes me feel worse about the whole thing. It really needs to go away soon.

Sorry for not being a very interesting conversation partner lately.

Oh no, it's not you, it's all me. I've just not been feeling like conversating at all, not sure if it's the mood or what, but sometimes it feels kind of like work trying to make conversation, which is shouldn't, it should flow naturally like a stream. When I'm on good days I can talk someone's head off.

I hate to say, but you might want to go check this out with your Doctor whenever you have the chance. There's a chance you may be developing depression, which for adults in this day of age it is completely normal. Even it isn't depression, it might form into an even worse Psychological problem if you're not careful. This could really damage your College career and way of life.

And if you've been feeling lonely, try to get out and hang with friends, or something of the sort. It really helps with that terrible tension to laugh and joke with people you trust. It's helped me many times.

You could try and tell me about it, I wouldn't mind, or if you're not comfortable, or feel it will make your condition worse, you don't have to.

Also, I'm going to have a friend on, and I'm probably not going to be on tomorrow(or today whenever you get this), sorry.

<The highlight layer for the chair in my last cover art. It looks cool by itself, like...ghostly.

So I think I'm alright now, feeling better about things. I'm inclined to say that I think I'm getting over it for good, although the lingering sense of skepticism reminds me that I said the same thing a few weeks ago when I first had a breakdown.

I'll type the whole story out if you want, but whether or not you read it matters little to me.

I started dating a girl in 2008, and we had a lot of fun together for a long time. Did the whole high school lovey-dovey thing for awhile when we were still convinced of our heterosexuality. Some stuff went on which complicated our relationship, and it was a pretty difficult struggle the whole way along. Her family's pretty poor and I was trying to help her out with that by encouraging her to actually better herself rather than slipping into what she'd been doing before. Habitual smoking (cigarettes)(cancer risk, AND she didn't have the money to support a habit), some other drug use, weird conflicting attitudes where she would sleep with multiple people and then claim some weird religious moral bullshit, I didn't get it. Also cut herself some, and still has some serious scars on her legs. Can't wear short skirts anymore or they show, and you can see them plain as day from across a dimly-lit room. It's probably lucky she's still alive right now.

We had arguments and "broke up" a couple times, like when I went through an embarrassing (in hindsight) anti-religious phase and tried to talk her out of belief in God on several occasions. Not something I'm proud of, and that nearly ended us. Then she got the idea that I was sacrificing a lot of myself for her benefit (true) and that I'd be better off leaving her behind. Standard depression bit, right? That was some rough times, too.

It really only resembled a happy relationship at three or four distinct points along the line. Right when we first got together I was awkward as hell and took things really slowly, but then we both went somewhere secluded after a school dance, I think, and after that it really picked up. For a couple months before one of the many big fuck-ups ruined it for awhile. Remember that moral shit I mentioned? Apparently what we were doing was "wrong" - she wasn't a virgin by even the vaguest definitions of the term, and pretty much initiated everything we ever did, but God didn't like sex so we stopped entirely and things froze over between us to the point where we weren't even really friends anymore. In retrospect that's probably why I took the religious stance I did afterwards, after things actually improved again.

There were other setbacks, like a car accident that fucked up her back, her going to college for a semester in West Virginia, and more. In between those we'd make up and get back together and actually feel like a couple. Seemed like we had a future, that once she got free of her family (a bunch of people who sit on welfare and disability checks and use the taxpayer money they get to buy cigarettes and mountain dew... and no, I'm not exaggerating. Neither of her parents has a job) and I got my life the way I wanted and moved out to Arizona then we'd be decent together. I know it sounds like typical high school dramatic relationships, "oh, we're in love..." when in reality you've exchanged six text messages, three of which were "<3 xoxo." But... no. She'd battled with depression, poverty, suicide attempts, and honestly isn't the most attractive person in the world by conventional standards. She did happen to be really freakishly strong, though, like she could bench three times my weight (not even exaggerating), and since I've got a pretty intense fetish for things stronger than me (which isn't all that hard) I got a kick out of that. Plus my tastes in women are pretty unconventional anyway, and... I'm rambling.

Bottom line, yeah, I loved her. I got put through hell and put myself through hell on a regular basis and barely got to see her in private once or twice a month at best. Sometime after West Virginia is when we became sexually active (somewhat) for the first time in three years, and that set the ball rolling towards where we are today.

I kind of figured out that I wasn't into it, that oral sex was pretty much where I'd draw the line. "Real" sex just... no. Not scared of pregnancy (condom + doctors saying she's got very low odds of conception), not scared of STD's (tested), just... no thanks. That's when I sort of noticed that all my favorite furry artists were gay and drew really obnoxious gay porn, and THAT was the stuff I found really attractive. I knew I leaned slightly towards bisexuality because I had a pretty massive crush on one of my friends, but couldn't picture myself doing it with guys, either. Eventually I arrived at horses and that's where I'm still at now.

Girlfriend moves into apartment with her (female) roommate from WV, getting away from awful parents (yay!). Doesn't take me long to figure out, however, that they're fucking. I explained my recent revelations about myself, and we came to the conclusion that I had no sexual interest in humans (I look at a Playboy for hours and feel nothing, but walk into a barn and see a big draft stallion, hear him breathing, pet him and feel the muscle under his coat... I'm head-over-heels in love in thirty seconds and ready to put a ring on him and take him home). She's basically a lesbian, but still enjoys a good penis now and then. Apparently I'm quite well endowed and she also happened to like me as a person, so hooray for both of us, but then after I explained that I'd be just fine with an arrangement where we stick together and keep lovers on the side... she leaves.

Seriously, I basically created a scenario which acknowledges that neither of us want our sexually-preferred partner to be the socially-dominant one, the one we advertise, but still treat that partner as our "true" love and life partner (not just sex, either - I genuinely fall in love with horses and want to be with them and treat them like a human being). We stay together partly out of social conformity, and mostly because we still care about each other and want to stay friends. Not good enough, apparently. But the logic used to justify it is what kills me:

She kept me out of her life for so long, never letting me try to help with a lot of her problems which were more severe than the ones I did help with. When she says "it's got to end," she says "[roommate]'s been there for me and helped me with all my problems." So, basically, "because I was a douche to you and strung you along for four years while I cheated on you with women behind your back while you stayed faithful, we have to part ways."

That kind of hurt The prospect that I'd be living alone for the rest of my life because I know that had I been aware of my horse obsession and human-sex aversion in 2008 I would never have asked her out. I don't think I can ever really date anyone again. That's what caused my bout of near-depression.

Writing about it definitely helps, and I've already shared the story with another guy who helped me out a lot. I appreciate your concern. It sounds so weird and pointless now that I think about it, not something "worth" getting depressed over, but it hurt like hell at the time. I repressed it only to be blown back to tears when Illustrator screwed up. This is a pretty big weight of my back.

I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm happy with my life again and might even go on a date with a guy in the near future just to see what that's like. It won't go anywhere or turn into a long relationship because I don't want to deal with that right now, but... who knows. I'll try anything once. Even homosexuality.

Long story short: I live a relatively happy life, and when something fucks it up I fall to pieces like a child. I'm hoping I can manage it better in the future.

Thanks for being a friend. I'm really glad I met you.

I'm glad I met you too, it has helped me grow as a person.

Oh, no problem, dude. I feel like a dick for seeing this so late and not responding sooner, sorry about that.

I gotta admit, your situation is about 9 times more complicated than my love situation, however similar in some ways. I can almost relate into the feeling that you are describing. Hanging with friends, assuring myself religiously, and chilling with weed has really helped a lot of my social anxiety and depression issues. The other day I woke up rested in the afternoon and smoked a small little bowl, it wasn't enough to get me high, but it sure made me feel really good the whole day. I've become way more socially acceptable, and a little more outgoing. I could hold down a conversation with a lot of people, impossible about a year ago.

I just hope you get to feeling better, if only I were there, it would help.

Aw. You're too kind.

Yeah I don't know what the hell I'm going to do, but I suppose that's life. I really went to pieces over the whole situation initially, but I've actually started to warm up to the idea of living alone. When you put just about everything you have into building a relationship over four and a half years, and it all falls to pieces because of something that wasn't even your fault (and yet you get blamed for it anyway) - fuck that hurts.

Typing it out helped, talking with it with a friend on FIMFiction helped, and in general I think I'm back to the way I used to be. I certainly hope so, anyway.

You know, if there's ever anything you're dealing with and you want to talk, I'll hear you out and try to help you, too. It means a lot, hearing that I've actually had an impact on someone's life. You've certainly had an impact on mine.

Now to get back on track. How did you like the new episode? I'll hold my tongue if it's one of those episodes you rant on.

What, did you think this was one I'd dislike? I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

I don't know really what I can say about it, beyond I love Discord and was really excited to see him return. I think the ending could have been a bit more developed; it seemed kind of rushed and forced, sort of out of nowhere. I'll return to my old standby, "they spent too much time on the jokes." Also, I think in this episode, Discord was...too well written. He spent so much time playing with emotions that when his own emotions changed for real I wasn't sure if he was being serious.

Minor things, really. Just one more scene where he actually says "I really care about you" or we see something else to firmly establish his care for Fluttershy... that's all it needed. I would have gladly sacrificed a couple of the less-funny jokes to get that one scene, and then the episode would have been pretty much flawless.

I'm going to probably watch it again just to be sure, because I did catch this one live after getting very little sleep the previous night. Same thing that happens all the time, really. But I feel comfortable with giving this an 8.5 or 9/10.

Probably the shortest review I've ever done. Maybe it's because I'm tired as fuck. Today was a long day and I spent most of it typing, so continuing to do so is kinda unappealing right now. Sorry. What about your thoughts?

Well, after what you wrote about the about the Season 3 premier which I thought it was amazing as fuck and it blew my mind, it kind of shot me in the heart a little whenever you went on a rage train rant about it. It was a shock to say the least, so I knew Discord was one pretty much your favorite character aside from Chrystalis, which made this really touchy, like cracking a tard joke in front of an autistic kid's mom on accident, that sort of thing. Since we have two vastly different philosophies on how we perceive forms of entertainment, I honestly have no clue if you like or hate something. I like to think that it's almost pointless trying to point out little nit pick flaws as the good extremely overshadows the bad, like a behemoth to a piss-ant, and whenever I try to be over-critical on something I like, I can't, it's just miserable for me and destroys what I'm trying to enjoy, then I have this psychological tick that I associate the(let's say episode just for reference) episode with whatever I was doing while I was watching it, or any sort of discussion that was being said about it. For example, the "Feeling Pinkie Keen" episode still gives me anxiety because I remember the countless, pointless, and absolutely fucking STUPID bickering on the episode having a fucking blaring backmasked soviet propaganda message that says to follow blind faith, the more I think about it the more I just want to fucking slice someone. And that was about 2 years ago, the episode is still ruined for me, it used to be one of my favorite episodes. But a bunch of ignorant conspiracy proned shit-head atheists decided the episode had an offensive meaning, whenever it didn't and never intended too, even said by the creators. But sorry, I'm rambling. Jesus, where was I?

But all aside, I thought the new episode was the best episode of Season 3 so far if I had to make a choice. It's not like some shows with lazy writing that resorts to reuse the same villain over and over again.

You try this "Katawa Shoujo" thing everyone's raving about? I downloaded it and tried it out because why the hell not.

I'm surprised you did, as I know you don't like anime, especially its style. I doubt you'll be playing for long, it's a visual novel.

I've never had an interest in visual novels, so I never tried it, I suppose I'll make an exception to see what all the hype is about.

That prediction hit on the money. I got about half an hour in before I wanted to kill myself. Jesus Christ is it boring. And I don't even mean anything to do with the fact that it's a visual novel; I can live with that. The lead character just rubs me completely the wrong way and makes me want to punch him in the face, and I don't give a shit about his troubles. It just goes from pointless scene where they talk about nothing to pointless scene where they talk about nothing... over and fucking over again.

The pink-haired character needs to have her head taken off by a fire axe.
The deaf character gets absolutely no emotional reaction from me
the chick who's whole face is burned off is the single, SOLE character I even remotely wanted to get to know... and she looks like shit because it's anime.

Like, seriously, take a step back and think about this. The game advertises that it's about internal struggles, and how on the surface these people have disabilities but true beauty is on the inside, blah blah fucking blah the same message you've heard a billion times. Coming to grips with the idea of having a heart condition. Forming a romance with someone who's got this big, glaring disability that would turn most people off. So then why the metric fuck do they still draw them like fucking goddamn anime hot-chick schoolgirls? Forget how much I absolutely HATE that fetish as it is, why are you going to argue that true beauty is on the inside and actually try to write characters with these disabilities they have to come to terms with and overcome... and then make them sexy?

Seriously, burn that chicks face off. All the way. Don't grab a 65% opacity angular brush and swipe some brownish purple over a cut-and-paste anime schoolgirl face.

I don't know all the other characters you can fuck because I literally played for 30-45 minutes and gave up, but in the beginning he mentions someone with a missing hand? If she's on the table for romance, SHOW THE MISSING HAND. Make it obvious, front and goddamn center the entire time. Prosthetic leg? SHOW IT. Burnt-off face? Make her fucking two-face from the Dark Knight, and earn some extra bonus points by making her only have one fucking eye.

The overly-blatant sexuality in anime has always been one of its biggest turn-offs for me (a theme I see recurring throughout Japanese culture), but this game's one of the worst offenders I've ever seen. I don't think I can get emotionally invested in a character who supposedly has this horrible disability when they look perfectly fine to me. Quit moping, you've still got perfect skin, a perfect body, the obligatory anime non-conventional hairstyle and inhuman eyes, and all you're missing is cat ears. Shut the fuck up about your slightly-muddy face and quit saying you're disfigured.

But then there's the part of me that wants to give it another chance because it sees the hilarious irony in what I just said - in my eyes, the biggest disability these characters have is the fact that they're in an anime.

When I have time to do so, I'll probably play it all the way through down one of the paths. Or at least until actual character development occurs and I can be self-justified in saying they're still shitty characters and I hate every one of them.

Interesting you've gotten thus far, I'm still surprised you even gave it a chance. Oh well, do whatever you want.

I'm just going to sit here in calmness enjoying life listening to a friend get drunk off wine on Skype.

I really think the only problems I had with this episode was the rushing. It felt like it was moving at hyperspeed the whole way through because they had so much plot they wanted to tell in 22 minutes, which just... didn't work as well as I would have liked. I would have liked a bit slower pace, spread out over a two-parter. Especially when the ending just kind of boils down to Discord abruptly shifting emotions like that. It... I don't know. I just kind of wished there was more. Especially for such a fantastic character, who I'd have done a two-parter with just to get him on the screen for longer, even if it meant making the plot drag. Not my favorite of the new season, I don't think, but not too far behind. It could have been a lot worse.

I hated Pinkie Keen too, because I got the same message they did. Maybe not some kind of conspiracy, but it basically comes to a point where Twilight's trying to figure stuff out with science (and it's not like she's breaking down a romantic relationship into data points or something charmingly neurotic like that, she's actually trying to conduct a perfectly valid study of an extraordinary case - Pinkie's mysterious abilities) and is told "Twilight, sometimes you just have to believe in stuff, even if you can't explain it. La la la la la..." That statement is pretty much the polar opposite of my entire philosophy and everything I stand for, and was one of the reasons I wanted to punt Pinkie off a bridge throughout most of S1.

Maybe it wasn't the creators' intention to imply that, but that's what I got out of it. As with everything else Pinkie did that I hated, I just kind of let it go by and consoled myself with the knowledge that at least the writers would never think of letting it carry over into future episodes because that'd be consistent.

But, I don't want to antagonize you any further. It's sometimes hard for me to not just start arguing whenever I see stuff I disagree with. I apologize for that.

Discord's return was definitely one of the highlights of this season. I was really worried they'd fuck it all up terribly, but they did not. Now I just hope they don't shove him under the rug and never even address his existence again, like they've sort of done with Luna.

And is it just me or does the line "I have use of Discord's magic" sound impossibly dirty? I'm pretty sure Celestia and Discord are going to fuck.

Ahahahahahaha, that last line made me laugh. That's exactly what I thought too.

We just have different philosophies, things of which we need to agree to disagree on.

I haven't watch the new episode yet, but I will in a little bit.

I liked the new episode. I'm kind of in a hurry right now so I won't do a full review, but I will say I enjoyed it. Points for CMC's, callback jokes, Zecora (that was great), and most of the other humor. Points for Spike practically ejaculating over Rarity, points for... a lot of things. I subtract points for mentioning the Crystal Empire and getting my hopes up twice (mane 6 is going there/spike is going there) and then not even showing any of it. Ponyville's a fine setting and I don't mean to bitch about being bored with it, but... if you're going to introduce a Crystal Empire plot thread, why not have Spike be caring for all the animals out of a hotel, or room in the castle there? It's just a personal thing and I imagine you're going to disagree, but I subtract points when Pinkie-style humor gets in the way of my enjoyment of the plot, so I've got no problem subtracting points for teasing me with interesting scenery. Could have had a Cadance callback joke! Shining Armor! Grr.

Also points off for all the Spike attention, because while I do like him as a character it seems like he just had an episode yesterday. We did finally get our Scootaloo episode this season, but it came at the cost of any other CMC-centric episode besides... well, Babs (which was excellent), but... I dunno, I just think that Spike was a weird choice to go for. Still they handled it well and the teasing of his greed still being part of him but not as dominating as the last episode (which I actually disliked)... Meh. Again, personal thing. Not a big issue, nothing that ruined the episode, but... I gotta judge based on what I like and don't like.

All in all it was solid. Every bit of 7/10, maybe 7.5. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts!

Also that was effectively a full review. Fuck brevity.

But the real reason I came back was to ask you something - you want to make artwork for me? I had another rather enormous emotional breakdown (the fuck is wrong with me) and while working my way out of it I had the idea for a story. The community seems to go for sappy one-shot sad fics which seem to be written in half an hour, and I always see them elevated to the status of gods when I personally find them copiously boring as fuck. So, partially because misery loves company and I want to make Rainbow Dash cry with me, and partly because I just want to write one of these for the fuck of it because either outcome is good in my book (if it gets really popular, I'll laugh my goddamn ass off and it might give me some more of a name around the 'net and encourage me to write more, and if it fails miserably, my faith in humanity and its ability to judge good fic will be restored), I'm going to sit down and just start typing a sad story about Dash. She's really good at what she does, and where she comes from she has a lot of ponies who love her, respect her, and look up to her as a celebrity. Then she goes back to Cloudsdale to pursue her dream and finds herself overshadowed by the awesomeness of those pegasi. Kind of tries to get a foot in the door working as an assistant, offers some advice, gets some respect, but when others look to her she can't really impress them herself. Eventually starts working as a trainer/coach for some of the other aerial acrobatics teams of far lesser prestige, ponies who can barely freaking fly straight, and they all sort of flock to her and look up to her and she gets some fame there.

The story will basically be Dash lamenting about her past and all the wasted time - she's caught between teaching the newbies how to fly and chasing her dream of breaking through that fame barrier and into stardom where she knows her talents belong since she's a personal assistant to Spitfire for crying out loud, and half of Spitfire's routines wouldn't be half as good as they are without Dash's help. Just a couple thousand words telling her story, probably in first-person perspective even though I'm shit at it (more lol-factor if it succeeds), which might help me deal with this bullshit I feel. If it succeeds, it might literally do that.

Because my characterization of Dash and where I currently find myself are basically in parallel. We're both good at what we do, we work alongside established celebrities and allow them to reach even higher into the stars, and then turn around and edit for people who (in my case) can't even construct a goddamn sentence properly without having their hands held. We try to make something for ourselves, but find ourselves utterly unable. We're both haunted, traumatized, and suffocated by the words "those who can't do, teach," and it's driven both of us to tears.

I'm fine, seriously. It kinda comes and goes. Feels like everything I've done is just so utterly insignificant; the sum total of what I consider my worth as a human being (everything I've written) is, compared to some people who've been writing for six months, about as significant as a handful of dust scattered to the winds. It hurts like you wouldn't believe, and it's probably the first time in my life where I've ever said "I absolutely regret my decisions up unto this point."

Anyway my feelings are insignificant. If you're not doing anything and want to make artwork, I feel that this sort of thing is up your alley. Pic attached for inspiration, but don't feel like you have to use it or anything. It's not supposed to be this pits-of-despair, I-want-to-cut-my-wrists depression, but just sort of a melancholy at the realization that she's fucked up royally in terms of realizing her dreams, and simultaneously loves and fucking despises the situation she's in.

Also I could use help with developing this:
www.fimfiction.net/group/197236/overlyextensive-editors/thread/10143/moira-brown-is-best-pony-i-dont-have-a-title-yet
if you've got any ideas. If you don't want to make an FIM account, then pitch me any ideas you have here. If you'd rather not help or can't think of anything, no worries. I'm capable of doing it on my own.

Yeah, if you couldn't tell, I'm trying to kind of branch out and get a bit more recognition around this site. I'm sick of squatting in the dark. I'm going to fold up and pack away most of my other hobbies and just shove all my effort into writing, which is where it should probably be. It's what I enjoy most, anyway, and it's what I'd like best to be known for.

I look forward to your response; I know I've kind of thrown a lot your way. Making up for that lull we just came out of, no? Take your time getting back to me; I'll be here.

Estimating, what kind of time-span do I have to make this? I just need a time frame.

I wish I could legitimately say that I know how you feel, but I've never been in such a situation you speak, however I can say that I can relate in a lot of instances of what you are talking about. I'll do my best to whip up some concept art.

Want some feels? Listen to this, this always manages to get tears out of me for some odd reason whenever I listen to this with the music video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4kH_C96vjk

If you're interested, I'll wait on you. It's already after 11pm and I feel tired as fuck right now. I think I'm going to either slap some of this down now or edit one of the two things awaiting my attention. Most likely I won't finish it by the end of the week, and if you need longer... fuck if I care. I'll wait to submit until you've got art together, if you're actually interested in making it. Don't stress yourself out or overwork yourself like I do. I'm honestly not expecting this to do very well at all.

Curse you for making me tear up. That touched my heart.

This always gets me:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbg7YoXiKn0

Great goddamn movie. Great goddamn song. Put them together = "cry like a bitch" effect.

I'm such a girl.

I feel kind of like a dick for whipping this up so quick, but if you don't like it tell me to redo it, and I will. I didn't spend very much time or effort on this, sorry, how do you like it?

I think I might make something different. This might be thought of as an opening concept, or a warm up. If you like it and want to use it, go ahead and use it.

Gross, I just got a look at the thumbnail, eeyup, I redoing this thing, jesus fuck, it's terrible, why did I think this was anything close to being done. Oh well. scrap and redo.


And yes, I really love stand by me, it's such a good song and movie.

Oh, that was the little burst of humor I needed to cheer me up. :D

Yeah, that's... not what I had in mind. Way too light in color and, for lack of a better way of stating this, looks like some kid finger-painted over a JPEG.

Take your time, man. I don't even have a title yet, or one single word written towards the idea.

Don't get me wrong, he was definitely a decent leader. When he retreated, he did it logically and made it a tactically advantageous maneuver. I don't know of any time when he really just cut everything loose and ran like hell away from what was shooting at him. There was always a strategic purpose behind his retreats which worked well in the end.

There's just a lot of places where things could have gone horribly awry and miraculously didn't. He wasn't a military leader so much as a politician, much like Eisenhower centuries later. He still got the job done, absolutely, and it's perhaps even more inspiring that he should manage it despite having such a drastic disadvantage. He managed to win a war against a far superior power, and that can be taken for what it's worth. His political views, speaking against parties, are also very sensible.

The religion thing - I don't know for certain what's meant by any of that. I don't know anything of his religious beliefs, but there are a few different ways that could be interpreted. Either "I disapprove of us not founding a religious government," or "people need to adhere to Bible-taught morality in order to succeed." Jefferson famously took a razor blade to a Bible and cut it to ribbons, removing anything which attributed any sort of divine power or godliness to Jesus Christ. Resurrection? Gone. Genesis? Gone. Divine conception? Gone. My ability to order these things chronologically? Also gone. But any time Jesus was speaking to someone else and talking about his moral view, without blathering on about God the Father, that stayed intact. He was a deist and cited the argument from design (he was a creationist, though I imagine had Darwin done his stuff a century earlier Jefferson would have been an atheist), but rejected the notion that any human institution could correctly assume to know the nature of God. He just respected Jesus's teachings and said "this is pretty good stuff, we should listen to this guy. All that shit about virgin birth and divine powers, though... that's a steaming load of horse shit."

Perhaps Washington was the same way:

We need to acknowledge the existence of a higher power which governs the universe, which we'll term "God" because that's the word that already exists. We're not referring to the alleged holy father of Jesus Christ, we're talking about "some form of mystical being on a higher plane of existence," and shortening the name to "God" because it fits in the mouth better. We also need the moral teachings of Jesus Christ because they were pretty sound and make a lot of sense and I agree with them. The whole concept of "live and let live" is sort of the founding principle of America, that you shouldn't shove your nose in other people's business because they have the same rights as you. Since most of these teachings are compiled in the Bible, I recommend you all go read it sometime and try to take something out of it. However, it should be known that we are not founded on Christian authority; the United States does not answer to the Pope and does not officially acknowledge any tenets of Christian (or any other) religion. We just feel that our citizens should try to act in the spirit of Jesus's moral values.

That's what I get out of it, anyway. Maybe he was just a hypocrite. He did a lot of other morally-ambiguous things in his day, like burning whole villages of natives to stop them from even getting the idea of attacking in retaliation for all the Europeans kicking them off their land. Did it so many times that there's a dispute over where and when he earned the derogatory nickname they gave him for his scorched-earth tactics; he didn't just do it once.

Still a national hero. Few, if any others alive back then could have managed the politics and strategy of war like he did with the resources he had. Good man, just not flawless. But then again nobody is. Patton slapped shell-shocked troops in the face and got himself kicked off the D-Day invasion because he was such an uncouth asshole, and Grant was a drunk. We all gots our demons.

He's definitely one to be looked up to, that's for sure. He set an example to a point that a lot of presidents tried to follow in his footsteps. I mean, for a while they didn't even have a 'legal' number of terms a president could serve, but he stepped down after his second term. After that, a large number of presidents did that exact thing and followed in his footsteps. His impact on the country is quite amazing.

You've got to admit though that in some battles he had some ingenious tactics, especially considering the time period considered standing in an open field shooting at each other like a bunch of dumbfucks was "the gentleman's way" of fighting a war. I can't offhand remember the battle, but at one point a chunk of Washington's troops distracted the British by acting like they were directly about to attack them from that direction, they were shelling the British position, while the rest flanked onto a ridge over-looking the harbor in the dead of night. As the British were being shelled they were expecting a direct attack from the chunk that broke off, the distraction, however, in one night the rest of Washington's troops built a fort with guns pointing at the British ships, at this point he had pretty much total control of the harbor, and if I remember so I believe it caused the British to retreat.

I mean just think you were in Howe's shoes. A bunch of peasant farmers and their cowardice general shooting you intensely from one direction, then the sun comes up, and there's a fucking fort that appeared out of nowhere that intends to pummel your ass with artillery rounds until you cry home to mommy Britannia. Just think of how dumbfounded they must of been, especially considering how high and mighty a lot of the British high ranks thought themselves to be.

Cool, you can delete comments and leave no trace of their existence. I kind of had a bit of an emo moment there but I'm over it now. Rather not get you involved in my stupid problems.

I spent many hours making this the other day (colors in the background were randomly chosen, I don't like them either but I'm too burned out to experiment with others). New version of me trying to ponify myself. Last version was done exclusively in the pony creator and while I liked it enough for back then I always wanted to do a better version. Especially once Flim and Flam came along and showed off their unbelievably sexy facial structures. So I made this, and it's probably one of my proudest pieces of artwork if not the single best. Still a couple things I want to tweak later, but for the most part I'm really happy with it.

It's Flim's face, traced from youtu.be/Ssl1RxwMWNA?t=1m12s and recolored to the purple I wanted. I had to surgically remove the horn and paint over that, and then scale and attach the whole head to a posed body I got from the creator. Hid the rather obvious seams by moving some parts of the creator's hair around, and then slapped a classy gangster hat on him. Also replaced the forward-facing green eye with the blue one from the creator, but made it fit the original eyebrow/cheek thing because I liked the expression. Then I drew clothing and a cigar.

Cigar was freaking easy, as if God himself came down, put his hand over mine on the mouse and said "hang on, lemme show you how to do it." Every thing I tried worked better than I'd hoped on the very first try. All I did was make a long ellipse, cut it in half, and stick a rectangle the same width into it. Then painted roughly over the end with grey for ash and added detail with 50% opaque black stripes. For the glow, I just kind of guessed a color of orange and scribbled an oval and then erased half of it with 50% eraser. Added texture to the wrapper by drawing C-shapes along the whole thing with the color burn tool. It just kind of darkened it for the most part, but whenever I inevitably crossed strokes it got a whole lot darker and made it actually look like a cigar wrapper instead of a barbershop pole like I'd feared. Seriously, I was done in five minutes and it's still my favorite part of the whole thing. Including the time spent adjusting his teeth to make them grip the cigar properly, it was faster to do all of that than the hair.

I'm going to do some stuff with this artwork, make a couple pictures I can use for profile pics and the like, and then try and make a couple different poses. All I have to do is trace Flim's head and make a pose in the creator. It's an appropriate balance of technically demanding because there is still a lot of vector art that needs done where I can't "cheat," but all the really heavy lifting of getting show-perfect vectors is pretty much already done. For someone who can't draw for shit, I'm pretty happy with being able to produce stuff like this.

Plus I actually own a white zoot suit and semi-regularly smoke cigars, so it is feasible that this could actually be me. Of course, I probably wouldn't look quite as classy while doing it, but being a horse is pretty much the ultimate fantasy for me anyway, so why not indulge in a teensy bit of hyperbole with the details.

I also want to do one using the face around the 20-second mark where Flam is talking, or perhaps with the puckered lips when he kisses Apple Bloom. Sort of leaning back, relaxed, contemplative instead of "look at me I'm a fucking boss." So many options! So few hours in the day to spend photoshopping ponies.

Note my convenient use of pants to hide my flanks. I still haven't decided what my cutie mark should be.

Enough self-indulgence. How are you? Been a couple days since you said anything.

Oh, I'm really sorry about that. Last Friday me and my buddy got together and smoked some bud, fun times were had. Me and him had some mid-quality stuff, that interestingly we both got free, the guy I got it from he traded it for what gas money cost in turn I take him to pay his electrical bill, my friend, some 7th grader literally said, "Hey, I don't want this Weed, you want it?" and who can turn down free Weed, so yeah.

We mixed them together, and we were higher than fucking Jupiter. We ate a shitload of Root Beer Floats that tasted like sex. It was fun time. Also, I think I toked so hard that I gave myself a head and chest cold all weekend. Right now I'm sick from School, I need to remember to be a little more careful.....

Also, emo moment? What happened?

In the meantime I've actually made two pieces as well. I made an abstract piece that looks more traditionally than my usual, then I finished a Twilight Sparkle wallpaper that I've been sitting on for about a year or something, the lineart was originally by FoxInShadow, and considering the lineart wasn't from a vector, it was a bitch trying to make it not look rasterized and pixelated and for it to fit its background. I didn't feel like vectoring because its so damn time consuming.

Both very nice. I've seen that Twilight pic before, and it's pretty good and creepy. I hate trying to do that sort of thing, hollowing out stuff to leave the basic outline after it's already been rasterized? All those stupid little bits of white or whatever color get left behind and it's so hard to get rid of them without going pixel-by-motherfucking-pixel or sweeping with the eraser and accidentally thinning the shit out of your lines. THat's what always happens to me. Also stupid me traced Flim's head in the wrong color and didn't save my vector-tracing. Frustrating as hell. There's still some color derps in that self-portrait thing I need to go back and fix. Eventually.

I think my next project will be adding clothing and accessories to this, the OC pony Frasca made. I want to put the both of us on the banner I made for our FIMFiction editing group that's still under construction www.fimfiction.net/group/197236/overlyextensive-editors and having one character painstakingly stitched together over the course of several hours and one character who literally walked out of the pony creator... it just looks odd. So I think I'm going to embrace the sort of art deco/film noir aesthetic that happened while I wasn't looking and give him some kind of '40s stylish awesome apparel to match mine.

Emo moment was no big deal, really. Some stuff in my personal life went south pretty hard and I spent a day moping like a bitch and struggling to come to grips with what it all means for the future. In a nutshell, I find myself faced with the prospect of never actually being in any sort of meaningful relationship and effectively living alone because I'm scared to bits of dating. Every day I find human beings less and less attractive, and I can't imagine getting involved with anyone because at some point the elephant in the room of "why don't you want to have sex with me?" will get addressed and then the relationship will probably end pretty damn quickly when I explain that I'd rather shack up with a muscular draft stallion than a Playboy model.

For some reason I felt compelled to talk about it even though it's not your problem and doesn't involve you in any way. Maybe because misery loves company. So I typed out an enormous comment about it and felt better. Realized how stupid it was and deleted it fortunately before you came back. It's really not a big issue and I was just having a rare weak moment where I let shit get to me. No worries now.

Photoshop time. Somepony needs a new set of clothes.

And this.

You alive? You're not normally this quiet, even when we've got nothing to discuss. Admittedly I've been rather busy with this group stuff, so I haven't had a whole bunch of time to come here.

Also www.fimfiction.net/blog/111739/art-rating-teen - I edit for this guy and now he's asking for artwork, and I think I can do something clever. I'll try, and when it inevitably crashes into a billion pieces I'll look back, realize I wasted shitloads of time, and cry myself to sleep.

Also I have spent something like six hours today editing. Holy hell. I really hope this group thing calms down a bit and shifts back to general commentary for awhile. I can't handle this kind of volume...

I'm alive. And I'm high. This is probably the reason coupled with school fatigue and lack of something to talk about has leaded me to procrastinate on our discussion. I can't even. I feel the world. I'm high, lol.

Sorry, for the inebriated responses, and prostration, I do apologize.

An unfinished work I made.

You should totally try and design artwork for Shadowflash's cover. I tried, and I failed pretty badly. I can't get the lighting effects to work the way I want and the only thing I know that would work is non-vector artwork. I was trying to design something like 1940s war propaganda but I can't merge that style with what he wants successfully. It's just not working. I'll try again tomorrow.

Oh shit, it's 4:44. Well that's annoying. I should probably go to bed.

I made myself a cutie mark! Finally! It's a golden fountain pen tip, which sort of stands for two things. One, it's writing/editing, and two, it's the pen tool from Illustrator/Photoshop. Quills are for people who are unoriginal. Fountain pen all the way. Also I added the spirally thing to make it look sort of sci-fi-ish, because science fiction is what I write when I'm not writing pony.

I think I'm high too except I'm high on not going to sleep. And eating a fuckton of nutella. If that can make someone high. Poniponiponiponiponi I'm going to bed.

Also take a look at this. I created a small version of our group logo to use in comments as sort of an official seal (when asking if people want to join the group) and it looked like the Heinz logo in Illustrator after I finished it so I wanted to test it. I created this thread with every intention of deleting it before anyone even noticed it existed, but... I don't know if I can delete it now because it was so hilarious.
www.fimfiction.net/group/197236/overlyextensive-editors/thread/9043/logo-sprite-testing-thead-will-be-deleted-very-soon

So, what is it about, and what would he prefer?

I think I'm going downhill pretty badly as far as emotions go. Had a bit of another emotional breakdown yesterday. Over this, my eventual success at creating Shadowflash's cover art. I don't know why. It wasn't working the way I wanted, Illustrator crashed and then stopped working properly, and I felt terrible because I'd made a promise to make artwork and didn't think I was going to be able to uphold it. I really felt like shit.

I really don't want to start slipping into depression. I REALLY don't.

I am really happy with how this thing turned out, though. One of my favorite things I've ever made. It's got a decent amount of detail, but in order to see any of it you have to pretty much set it as your desktop and turn off all the lights in the room. Otherwise it's just a cigarette burning in a darkened room.

Also I started my human sexuality class today. Methinks it's going to be awesome. Going off the first day's stuff, I think there's going to be at least one chapter about fetishes and paraphilias. Which I find awesome. Maybe it'll help me figure out what the hell is wrong with my own sexuality. I'll be sure to share all the good information with you, like I did with philosophy and psychology last semester. I hope it'll provide for some good discussion material. I really miss talking with you.

Ah shit. I could of done something for Frasca, but I didn't feel like talking for a while, so I didn't even remember his request. Yeah, really sorry about not talking to you, like I said I just had a big spell of not feeling like having discussion, and when I did I was high, really sorry.

At one point you really need to take a break and have a "do nothing" party, relax, smoke a Cigar and chill. It seems like stress is getting to you, that happens especially with College and all these projects you write and help people with. I suggest a day or week when you don't have to worry about College take a break and vent the stress.

Damn, way better than I could do with concrete shapes, even if it is a little minimalistic, it looks professional.

Here's that same image above, except I was high when I added color to it. I have no clue why the colors are so well done, I suck at color schemes sober.

It's alright. It seemed like a bunch of other people were going to make art for him, but then they all dropped out or something. I assured him I'd get it done, and I have a thing about making promises to other people. When I failed (in my eyes) it really hit me hard.

Here's the guy from the chair - I know he looks like hell, but it's because he was never intended to be seen in detail. He gave me this idea for something I want to see happen in the future, when technology is actually capable of pulling it off.

It's basically a reboot of Clippy from Microsoft Word, except actually helpful. It'd be this guy, a hastily-vectored person with weird amounts of detail - you'd see suit lapels like here, but no face or shirt or tie, JUST the lapels to the suit. He'd sit there off to the side of your screen, but get up and do stuff to help. The only thing I thought of specifically is like if you want to make a background in Illustrator, just a couple colored boxes or something. He'd get up, walk over to the toolbar, pick up the tools he needs, and then go draw what you want like he's standing in front of a big canvas.

It's eons ahead of our current tech, especially since it'd pretty much have to be able to understand human speech to the point of being conversational. Voice recognition synched to an animation wouldn't be too hard right now, but you'd have to say "draw a rectangle 146 pixels wide by 273 pixels tall at X=463 Y=147." And it would have to understand you flawlessly. But if they could find a way of you being able to say "draw a rectangle" and it'd do it for you, that'd be freaking awesome. Little unfinished vector man sitting in the corner of the room having a smoke, dispensing wisdom about the workings of the universe. It'd be so cool.

Haha, yeah, now that you mention that, I could totally see the dude doing stuff like that. It'd be pretty neat to see fully functional speech recognizing technology, YouTube captions are a step, but some of those things are just sad.... I swear some dude types these random words and sets them to happen at random times or something, because some of the shit is weird that it displays. Artificial Intelligence is also a curiosity starting to mold into something distinguishable. At least things like Cleverbot can hold down a semi-decent conversation, so I think it's further ahead than speech recognition. When we can combine the 2 and make them perfect, that's when shit will get really interesting. Wonder if I'll live to see the day? I mean technology is increasing at an exponential rate, so who knows?

<----And if you've never heard of YouTube captions, this.

Also, I just realized I used Rastafarian colors in that image. Goddammit, I didn't mean to do that! Oh well, I suppose weed has that subconscious effect on it or some shit I didn't plan that at all. Or I may of but just forgot..... Oh well one or the other, I'm pretty sure that was unintentional, probably a mix of both somehow. Yeah I got nothing.

And here's another favorite of mine with YouTube captions.

This one I found myself watching the episode.

I don't feel like looking for a relevant picture, so have a lamp.

I like that art you made. It's pretty cool-looking. Rastafarian colors... indeed! Didn't catch that either. But some pretty awesome art has been made in the psychadelic genre, so drugs are obviously good when it comes to art. Makes you more creative apparently. I wonder if tobacco has at least some vaguely similar effect; I could really use some of that now.

Jesus, YouTube captions. Some of those are hilarious, but I can't remember any specifics off the top of my head. I've seen dozens. That's how the big sea serpent from the first episode got named Steven Magnet by the fans.

vector lamp master race

Yeah, Steven Magnet. I forgot to mention him, haha.

Yeah, I've heard that drugs make you more creative as well, and I can definitely confirm that Weed helps with Creativity, it's just the after effects I'm worried about. Particularly using a lighter, I'm kind of worried that the Gas is poisonous, I really need to get my hands on a more healthy way of smoking Weed. Probably Joints would do as I only light it once, and that can be done with a match, once. They're also concealable which is of most importance to me. While Weed may not kill brain cells(trust me that bullshit lies from an experiment that wasn't done properly), it can have an effect on brain activity functionality-wise, of which, especially math is effected from what I understand. However I have been noticing my grasp of foreign languages have been just a little better, may be a coincidence, but who knows. I derp up more in typing English, however that could just be me not making long paragraphs in about a week's time.

Other than that Weed can be used as an advantage, instead of it being a disadvantage. Yes, it may make you feel lazy and make you gain weight, however you can use it as a reward with various things. Don't want to do your homework? Promise yourself a bowl after finishing it, and you'll get it done in no time. Or you can use it as a reward to get you through the week. I really don't see any other argument that could make it as bad as Meth and Heroin. I mean seriously? Why in the living fuck is it listed as a Schedule 1 drug? It's not even a fucking drug, it's a plant, THC is the drug, and that can't even kill you, how the hell does one make a natural growing plant illegal anyways? It alludes me on why Weed hasn't been legalized fully yet, and why ignorant shitstains still say it's bad. I've heard just about every argument against it, and every single one at least has a major or minor flaw.

Sorry I went into rant mode there for a little bit. Oh well.

I'm with you completely. I'm hoping we'll see some more nice liberal social policies this presidential term, and the economic stuff will stay away from socialism. Weed being legal would really make my day. The first thing I'd do is get high and watch the Duran Duran music videos. Seriously they make no sense whatsoever, but I imagine if one got high as fuck beforehand he could learn some serious shit about how the universe works by watching those videos.

youtu.be/n6p5Q6_JBes - try to make it five seconds without shouting "WHAT?!"
youtu.be/oOg5VxrRTi0 - the amount of '80s-ness in this video is at near-lethal levels. Also I have a massive crush on Simon LeBon.
youtu.be/e-dxAxfkmvk - show this to children and give them nightmares.
youtu.be/MK1g5dMYR3s - I have no words.

Damn good music though. I need to get high (+creativity) listen to them (after 2009, I associate their music with writing, and find it puts me in the mood), and get. Shit. DONE.

vector plant master race

Out of curiosity have you ever tried Weed? I mean not to like peer pressure you into trying something illegal, but I'm just curious. I'm guessing you haven't for the sole reason it being illegal, which is totally respectable.

(rant-mode initiated)

Also, it seems we may have something of a little if not fuck-huge Civil War over the horizon. I can't imagine gun-lovers liking their right to own guns taken away from them more and more. I can almost see the blood flowing, there's so much bloody political tension right now, the economy has been better(however it's been worst compared to the great depression in the '30s), crime rate is going up due to the high unemployment due to the bad economy, and the need for a gun for protection is increasing, however it's being taken away by the very root of the problem, making it even worst. When police come to my door knocking to take away my arms I purchased legally, I'm going to shoot the fuckers. This is the exact reason the amendment was made, to keep the government in line, and hell do they ever need a beating stick to get them in line. Fuckers can shoot me if they want, I'd just be a martyr to the on-coming fuckstorm.

Sorry, if you disagree with my very staunch conservative views on gun control. But that's just my opinion.

<CM for Frasca, who plays saxophone in addition to writing.

It's probably too late by now. He said he wanted it by "next week" which I assume means tomorrow. The comment with our group banner has a link to the blog post in which he lays out exactly what he wants.

It was just a half-serious suggestion. I tried to vector it out in Illustrator but I couldn't get it to come together the way I imagined and then my program crapped out and I lost about four hours of work. So I decided to give up. It still looked terrible anyway, since actually creating a scene with depth and dimensions and stuff really isn't something I do... ever... and I couldn't figure out how to arrange the objects in the frame the way he wanted - how do you put a lamp on the left side of the screen and have it light up the right side, without also lighting up the guy sitting in the middle? I tried a couple different layouts, nothing was working, and when Illustrator decided it didn't want to work anymore either I took it as a sign to just stop wasting my time. He's got other people working on it, people with more art experience than me. He'll be okay even if you don't give it a shot, but I figured if you were bored and wanted to do something... it'd be a decent weekend project.

I think a lot of that high-and-mighty attitude is what caused the British defeat. Same thing that made Napoleon fuck up his Russian invasion and so many other campaigns throughout history which I can't think of at the moment because finding Crow porn has rekindled the fires of MST3K nostalgia within my cult-TV-obsessed soul and so I just spent 90 minutes letting it sap my intelligence like a hose.

Washington's a fantastic figure, that's for sure. Not many else could have done what he did with so little in the way of resources.

Got anything else to talk about? I recently slashed down US from its 29,000+ word incarnation to 13,807. Some of the scenes I nuked are going to come back pretty much verbatim. Ch 3 is going to start off the same way because the description of the train station was the first thing I ever wrote for this all the way back when it was humanized, and it's undergone extensive tweaking and ponification but has remained the same thing in spirit. Now, though, I think I figured out how to stop the deliberate cheesiness from contaminating the rest of the story like it did last time; I make that scenario a fantasy, because the character is supposed to have a really romanticized view of the world. Also there's some other things I want to keep, and most of it's been rewritten already. I just need another few hours free to bang out a decent action scene that doesn't spank ass cheeks like last time, and it'll be back in business. Woohoo. Then this thing can begin in earnest and I might be able to keep to my planned chapter-a-week update schedule. I'd also like to get another project running alongside this, but I'm not sure yet. Cold War fic maybe.

Still gotta work the details of that out. Or, if there's anything else you want to talk about...

I'm pretty dry of discussion.

Hey, sorry I haven't said anything back in awhile. Haven't had much to talk about and I've been trying to not use the internet and take the December-2009 approach which got 192 full-size pages written in about one month: no games/interwebz unless for research purposes, and loop Duran Duran's "Greatest" ad infinitum while subsisting on a diet almost exclusively consisting of Toblerones and Coke. It worked last time, and this time... well, if I wasn't such an incompetent retard it would be working again. Attempt number 4 to completely rewrite chapter 3 is going well. It occurs to me, however, that the only two sacred cows I'd rather not get rid of if at all possible (the first two scenes with Magnum Opus) are the most likely causes of this fic's failure. They're just not coming together properly, and since they're relics from when the thing was a human story back when I was still somewhat of an idiot about what made stories good (this was months even before [Blank] planning began if my perception of time suits me correctly - hell, I don't think we'd even met when I planned these scenes) they're pretty much cursed. So i come back to saying what I always say: "this is a temporary roadblock, once I get over this it'll all be smooth sailing... yadda yadda blah blah."

But that's unimportant "me" problems. What I came here for is advice.

See, a lot of fics I see are written with spaces in between paragraphs, whereas I've always written without them. I like the way it looks a lot better, especially since the actual Word doc is written in en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futura_(typeface) and formatted so I like it, not necessarily so anyone else does (because they'll probably never see it.) But... I don't know, it seems like a lot of people prefer putting spaces.

Now, before you say "do whatever you think looks best," I should say that I do like both when on the internet. In Word documents, spacing like that looks like hell. But on FIM's interface, it actually sort of works. So it really doesn't make any difference to me - which is why I come to my (hilariously few) fans for advice.

Here's a fic I edited for which uses spaces:
www.fimfiction.net/story/70616/2/the-love-of-a-symphony/octavias-overture

And here's one that doesn't:
www.fimfiction.net/story/30371/1/rough-and-tumble/school-daze

I like Cosmonaut's writing style a lot better than Shadowflash's, and it so happens that he formats the way I do. Also Shadowflash refers to me as a girl rather extensively in a little disclaimer before that story (because it's got problems out the ass). But then again so did Cosmo. And 90% of the human race. Sorry. I refuse to go by "Al" because I am not named Albert. Fuck you, people with the name Albert. I am not one of you. However, neither am I Allison. And most people including myself are too lazy to use four syllables.

Russians.

Pointless ramblings aside, which formatting do you prefer? If you think one would work better than the other when applied to my writing style, I value your input. I'm going to ask a few other people the same question, and see what gets decided. Since I'm already gutting this thing and rebuilding it, I might as well take a look at chapter formatting.

www.fimfiction.net/story/13435/1/an-unlikely-story/1--end-of-days
www.fimfiction.net/story/8172/1/blank/chapter-1
^try to imagine those with spaces between paragraphs. Yes? No? Applesauce? Seductive picture of the sexiest fox in the world wearing a transparent dress thing? If it'll make the thing more readable for the masses, then I want to know. If it'll just get in the way and be awkward (how I feel about it in Word) then I will leave it as-is.

Hehehe.... I'm exactly like you it seems. I did a skim over both of the fics seeing if the spacing is good on the eyes, both of them checked out fine, to me the general scope of the fics have perfect spacing to whatever standard. I have some sensitive eyes, so I suppose you could say that's something, it's the same technique I use to check if one of my creations are mixed in contrast and color perfectly, so yeah. After that I read down about 12 paragraphs on both giving a smaller scale check, and on both instances they seem fine. There has to be a tie breaker, and I do have that for you. Whenever I'm reading something, especially on a computer monitor, if I get up and get a drink or something I want to be able to distinguish what 'block' I was on last, so with spacing it becomes easier to snap back to where I was and continue on reading. Pieces with less spacing, it seems are harder for me to find my place exactly which I'm sort of OCD about, so all in all, if I were to choose formatting, I personally think the formatting in "Octavia's Overture" is better, which is the one that uses spaces.

So, how was your Christmas? I had a good Christmas other than a dog my mom has been looking after had to be put down due to a lung collapsing. Me and my dad had to dig a grave on Christmas Eve, pretty depressing if you ask me, however it's Christmas, times are never always down, she seems to be over it now, so it's all cool. I got this kick ass Computer desk that I don't have to worry about my cats shitting and puking all over my computer tower and sub-woofer, little fuck heads. Now it's closed up like Fort Knox and no nigga can get in and vomit all over my shit.

Is it odd that this is considered mellow music to me? I mean I've been listening to it for a while and I'm content as fuck. Odd I even ran out of Ganja.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5EAoQ0XfT4

Yeah, both of the others I talked to preferred the spaces, so I think I'l going to use them. Thanks for the input. I think for Cosmonaut's writing style it works better without spaces because he writes in a lot shorter paragraphs than I do, and I think if he spaced out his stuff it'd look weird. But for longer paragraphs and less of an emphasis on short dialogue (when my characters speak, they like to not shut up for 2-3 lines) I do agree that having spaces can make it look better. Nuff said. Thanks again for helping out.

Christmas was pretty fun. Grandmother's cooking and all the various Russian foods and desserts were quite delicious as always. Not sure if it's just because it's half my heritage or what, but I like it. Home-cooked meals are always nice. My biggest gift was my dad just paying for a bunch of computer parts I bought. Not sure if I mentioned that. Got a new video card, bunch more RAM, and a new hard drive on which I installed a brand new copy of Windows to kill off these annoying spyware traces that even my systemcare couldn't get rid of. Runs beautifully again, like the hardcore gaming machine I built it to be. Also I got the Starcraft edition of Risk (board game) which me and a couple friends played from 7pm to 3am last night. That was fun.

Honestly, that music's pretty good. The only major turn-off for me is the vocals; I just really can't stand that growling barbaric tone that those types of bands always use. If they made an instrumental version or sang normally, I'd listen to it. While I wouldn't call it "mellow," I can see what you're talking about. It's got a certain strange calmness to it despite the otherwise aggressive instrumentation, and I do actually like that somewhat. The vocals are seriously the only thing that kills it for me, which is a lot more than I can say for most of the harder metal bands.

Heritage? So you have Russian heritage? I don't have much past Scottish/Irish/British. Quite the pure southerner almost, if it weren't for a smidget of Native American blood running through these veins.

All of our food is just whatever now-a-days. We use to have deep southern heritage with fatty buttery foods that were awesome, and a giant family get together back when my grandparents lived out in the country-side, those were some nice times.

Yeah, my whole mother's side of the family is Russian/various other east european. Came over in the really early 1900s with my great-grandparents, but I don't know exactly when. I know my grandmother was born in 1927 and that definitely happened in the US. Funny thing is their attitude towards culture. Some aspects, like cooking and insisting a child be named "Alyosha," they swing really hard towards being proud of where they come from and wanting to keep the traditions running. Fair enough. But it kind of gets funny when you consider how the original immigrants coming from Eastern Europe (it's mostly Russian, but there's at least one or two Slovaks further back on the tree, or something. I don't know, whether it has to do with all the territory shifting during the World Wars and Cold War and Soviet Union breakup that happened in between or... whatever else, but nobody knows for sure where a lot of these people come from) didn't speak a lick of English when they came here to work the steel mills. But less than a hundred years later, nobody in my family speaks a lick of Russian. I can read better Cyrillic than my grandmother, the first child in the family born in the states, and that's because about a year ago I spent a couple hours plugging shit into Google Translate and listening to it pronounce the words. The language aspect of our culture didn't last very long, but apparently when my parents got together and "Cartwright" was now booting out "Romanov" (can you even get more Russian than that?) as the family surname, there was a whole big "OH SHIT NIGGER WHAT ARE YOU DOING" and they couldn't NOT name their kid a hilariously Russian name without sparking a family civil war because TRADITION!!!!!!!!!

Weird. "Alyosha" can be traced back to meaning "defender of man" or some shit like that, though, if memory suits me correctly. So that's neat. Beats the hell out of "John."

Any interesting tales from your own family line?

Well, I don't know of any particularly specific stories. However from what my Grandpa traced, my family is deeply rooted in American culture. According to him, our bloodline fought in the American Revolutionary war in George Washington's army, however I've never confirmed it myself, if it goes back that far in the Americas, it wouldn't be a surprise if that happened how the politics were.

I don't know if I've ever told you my full name, but it's Tyler Rogers. Rogers literally means "Skilled with a Spear" from Anglo-Saxon origin, so apparently I hail from warriors. The earliest person with the surname Rogers settled in Boston in 1636, and if that's true Boston was one of the biggest trouble-making Cities to the British during the years of the Revolution, so that doesn't seem so out of scope. Maybe what my Grandpa said is more plausible than I thought.

Damn, I'm just about American as apple-pie.

Damn. I found two really cool Sovietfur art pieces in my still-disassembled folder structure yesterday and now I can't find the other one I'd set aside for this comment. T-34 tank it is.

I gotta say I'm glad my ancestors came over when they did, although I do somewhat envy having roots that predate the Revolution. Had they not left when they did, then I'd have probably grown up in the post-Soviet days, if the Germans didn't kill us off in WWII first. That wouldn't have been fun. Actually, come to think of it, they probably left BECAUSE of the revolution. Dearest grandmother's long-ago birthdate of 1927 is still a full ten years after Lenin got his start, and I'm not sure how long they were in the country before starting a family. Couldn't have been more than a few years. Huh. New topic to bring up at family gathering: were we fleeing Communism? Pretty badass if that's the case.

Wait, shit. Romanov was the surname of Czar Nicholas II. No way in HELL there's a connection there, but... wow, now I'm actually looking forward to the next big family gathering because I gotta know this shit. From what I understand my ancestors were basically peasants. The first thing my great-grandfather did here was work in a steel mill. Next generation was in the auto industry. It's very charmingly blue-collar, and I can imagine them stepping off a boat in New York after abandoning their country because of Lenin... kind of sad, but at the same time kind of optimistic. Coming from a country so poor off that it's going through a communist rebellion and now here you are pulling into New York Harbor in the middle of the Roaring Twenties. Damn, wish I could have been on the boat with them.

I'd also have been unable to resist laughing at the irony when the stock market crashed. "Congratulations, long-ago Romanovs - you postponed the inevitable."

"Cartwright" means "dude who makes carts and shit." Not very glamorous. Romanov on the other hand actually has history, even if it does just mean "son of Roman" from an etymological sense. I can sorta understand the whole family controversy now over marrying a Cartwright, but, still, none of you assholes can even speak or read Russian anymore. You've got a dusty cookbook and a surname. You don't get to whine about losing culture.

But what the hell. Ally Cartwright has a better ring to it than Johnny Romanov. The valiant defender of man!...who runs a cartmaking business on the side.

Double irony, since I'm not in any shape to fight a war and I'm shit at carpentry.

Very interesting they were fleeing from Lenin at the time. The 1917 Revolutionary War must of sucked ass, interesting they survived through WWI, the Revolution, THEN Communism bit down after the Monarchy was overthrown. Russia just sucked to be a peasant in that time period, pretty much most of the 20th century. No wonder they moved somewhere else far away from there.

Yeah, it's kind of odd how there is a giant sub-culture within Anime and Furry. There's Soviet and Nazi inspired art all over the place in those two fandoms, it's becoming even more prevalent in the brony fandom. It's probably how bad ass they were.

Found it, bitches! I know I've got more somewhere, but I never had separate folders for sovietfurs or nazifurs before this huge restructuring process, so it's doubly hard to find decent stuff in specific veins like this. I imagine that since both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany were very distinctive, very powerful world orders in their respective time periods which put fear into the hearts of the Western world, they're going to get remembered. The history in WWII and the Cold War is such interesting history that it's a time period we'll never forget. I've got a t-shirt with "CCCP" and the big Soviet seal on it, because why the hell not. I certainly respect the Soviet Union for its idealism, even if I fundamentally disagree with just about everything they stood for. Nicholas II was a pretty large-sized faggot, and in a world swinging more and more away from monarchies he was becoming rapidly obsolete. The vigor with which the early Soviets chased their ideals is pretty astounding, and when you consider all the shit that was going on in the country at the time it began, I think it's almost an even more impressive story than Hitler's rise to power in Germany.

Seriously, you've got a country dropping out of a war midway through after getting seven shades of shit kicked out of it for years and racking up the biggest body count of the war, and then going into a communist rebellion. Few decades later, they get the shit kicked out of them again because Hitler. Even so, they walk away from 1945 as a very prevalent threat in our minds, and we all knew even before we were done fighting the Germans that the Soviets would be next. That's pretty damned impressive stuff, definitely on par with the Nazi background in my opinion.

Don't know why the ancestors left for sure, or even when. It could have been as late as summer 1926, assuming the very first thing they did upon getting off the boat was fuck. But they didn't come over together, or even know each other on the trip. I remember a story where my great-grandmother sold a potato to my great-grandfather or vice-versa on the boat. Then they parted, or at least didn't do anything really friendshippish or get married until they were in the states. So I'm banking on it being pretty much something like them getting scared for their lives and somehow surviving WWI (which hadn't even occurred to me until you mentioned it; from my understanding, they were from west of Moscow, so... the fuck did they live through) and then seeing Lenin show up and then go "fuck it, I'm out." I bet a lot of people did the same thing. Not like the government was in any position to stop them. Flee into the rest of eastern europe and somehow find a boat bound for New York.

Funny how this all started because I mentioned Russian cooking. Now you've made me deeply envious of having roots here that go back that far, and also deeply interested into figuring out what the hell my own family did back in the day. I know there's a helluva story in there somewhere. Maybe not potentially actually participating in the American Revolution exciting, but... something. Poor Russian peasant farmers running away from Lenin after somehow not getting their asses shot off in WWI earns the Romanovs some coolness points in my book.

Hell do I agree with that last statement. Have you ever read about some of the conditions Russian soldiers had to go through? I mean I don't know if any of your family served in the Russian military at that time, but just think if they did. The Russians were even less supplied than they were in WWII, I mean, industrial factories? What the fuck are those, they literally almost had NO factories whatsoever, and they had a massive Military to supply arms to. A lot of soldier didn't even get a rifle, in some cases I wouldn't even be surprised if they didn't even get any ammo. And considering WWI was probably one of the reasons it sparked the Communist Revolution, that was even a bigger pile of shit to dig through.

This is humanized Derpy holding a Winchester 1897 Trench Gun with a sword bayonet, whilst chewing on a Cigar. All of my boners.

I don't think anyone served in the first World War, but I do know my grandfather was in the US Army during WWII. He was definitely Army, but either got shipped over on a submarine or somehow came to serve on a submarine for some period of time, because he mentioned it a couple of times and was scared of elevators every day for the rest of his life. I don't think his parents were military, and anything before that I don't even have any idea. It's probably all nobody peasant farmers back through all the Czars. Good thing, though, probably - sending troops into battle with just a stick and the instructions to "pick up a rifle from a dead comrade" had to be a hellish way of fighting a war against the German army. Yikes. I don't envy them for living through all the different varieties of hell they probably went through. On top of the history, there's also the fact that it's goddamn Russia, and every winter it freezes over and snow comes down by the megaton. In a world with no central heating.

Is it odd that the first thing that comes to mind is, like, American Frontier stuff? Covered wagons going out west into utterly uncharted territory? Except this was within their own home country, the same place their ancestors probably lived, and you're still living down in the dirt like that. That's just... wrong, on so many levels.

Nice artwork. Old Winchester shotguns are best shotguns. Period.

I just got back from talking to my Grandpa conveniently as you and I were discussing Family history I asked him about our history. This is my mother's side, not my father's Rogers side. The earliest confirmed person in his family was born in 1797 in the United States(I believe that was the year), and was enlisted in the Military during the War of 1812. Damn that's badass, I mean it's not confirmed if he was in battle, but just the fact I'm related to someone that was a big part in American development gives me pride. He doesn't know if this person's father was born in the United States or not, however, so who knows how far back that goes, his father could of possibly fought in the Revolution.

He was also talking about how the family tracked their history back to the second ship that landed on Plymouth, just after the Mayflower he believes. However I don't think this was as solid as the other person he said, or it could of been another side of his family he was talking about. Apparently that side of my family is very keen on researching their ancestors. They went through all sorts of census records, and even property records before the official census of the U.S. was even taken. That's what he told me though, I've never done research myself, so all I can do is believe him right now.

<<Whaaaat the fuuuuuuuuuuck? Rule 34 BDSM Crow T. Robot from Mystery Science Theater 3000? What ELSE is lurking in my disassembled folder structure, waiting to give me nightmares? I don't remember downloading this!

Seriously what the fuck.

Now returning to normality, I think I should go check out Ancestry.com or something sometime. Damn, it'd be cool to have ancestors going back that far. Pre-Civil War impresses me enough as-is, but pre-Revolution is pretty awesome. I kinda wish I could claim to have been a part of this country for that long.

My grandfather on the Romanov side died when I was pretty young, which is a pity because I remember him telling me a couple of stories about WWII and some other stuff before that. He even knew a bunch of stuff about the Kuznetsov side (grandmother's maiden name; sounds somewhat badass but it's just the Russian version of "Smith") that I've never heard since from anyone else. I wish like hell I could talk to him again now that I've got this renewed interest in where the hell we came from. When he was alive I didn't know who Lenin was or where Russia was on a globe, probably, so all I got were funny little stories for humor, not anything concrete. One about his sergeant in the Army which I've completely forgotten the specifics of. Damn. I want to know when the hell they left, exactly, and if there was anything else at work beyond "steel mills > peasant farming."

If you do find out about ancestors as far back as the Revolution, then that's pretty freakin' cool. Talk about an interesting time in history I wish I could visit. Going up against the British Empire as simple farmers, that's some heavy shit. And if they were from Boston, where all the really REALLY crazy shit went down, then that's even more awesome. Had to be pretty scary times to live in, I imagine. It'd be pretty cool if they actually participated in any of the big events, or were around when they were going on.

I still can't get over the fact that I found Rule 34 Crow. There is literally no reason for this to exist.

HAHAHAH, Oh god what? Lel. The weird shit you can find on the internet. Some things I've forgotten I downloaded to, it's odd to find shit like that you don't even remember. Maybe you got it in some sort of torrent?

Yeah, I'd love to set up an account at ancestry.com but it cost money that I don't want to pay for, or the fact that I'm still a minor, I really need to get a paypal account and set up my own mailing address when I'm 18, it'd be really useful.

Yeah the British really underestimated the American Colonists, and George Washington had to be one of the most, if not the most, brilliant person in history that existed. He was extremely agile with what little resources he had and made use of them to the very marrow. Actually a lot of the founding fathers were ingenious in themselves, a very interesting group of people.

It's harder to find furry porn torrents with the kind of stuff I like than is worth my while, so I rarely bother. I did a couple of them before, but they're the reason my folders are in the tens of gigabytes right now, and I'm deleting quite a bit of what I have because it's just shit. Maybe somebody put Crow in one of those... I suppose it's the only logical explanation. He is one sexy bastard and my favorite character on the show, I'll give him that, but I think I'd remember if I actually went looking for porn of him before.

I did torrent the entire series once (because I am indeed that big of a geek for this show), which holds the record for largest torrent I've ever done at 135GB, but I don't think that included porn of the characters. Also, somebody made a pony fic in the spirit of MST3K, and subsequently got the entire genre banned from FIMFiction because it has the potential to be abused so terribly and flood the site with garbage. His is still up because the magical fairy princesss don't do retroactive bans, and he still updates it semiregularly. It is glorious. You need to read it. Like, yesterday. www.fimfiction.net/story/6510/mystery-pinkie-pie-theater-3000

Washington is certainly a national hero, but what I love is how close he still came to failure. There were several times during the war where it could have been lost, over and done with beyond any hope of salvation, but he got friggin lucky as hell. One of the most un-inspirational quotes ever is by him: "I do not think myself equal to the command I have been given." All the boners in the room just went flat.

But, I suppose what matters is in the end he was victorious. Nobody's perfect, and he was a brilliant politician for managing to keep everyone together and what have you. Certainly the person who should have been in charge, even if his grasp of military tactics wasn't as good as other American heroes, like US Grant or Patton.

Interesting you say that. He spawned from failure apparently, or so the British thought of him that is. When he was younger, he commanded forces in the French and Indian war on the British side, in a lot of cases he would retreat. The British thought of him poorly because of that. To me, if your literally not going to win the battle, what's the point of getting your ass killed when you can just come back another day and potentially dominate the enemy with new found information on their tactics? Also talking about quotes, a lot of his quotes are very inspirational, and in a lot of cases should be used as reference of how America *should be.

One of my favorites for example: "Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution itself. They are the peoples' liberty's teeth"

These two are kind of contradictory though, I are confuse: “The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion”

“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”

So, does he separate the conception of governing with God and the Bible from the Christian Religion? I know a lot of the founding fathers weren't Christian, but in fact theists, so they did believe in a God. But the Bible is considered a Christian scripture, do you mind explaining this to me? I mean, I know the context is probably really important as these quotes literally have none, but you gotta admit they contradict each other. Odd.

I've got several super ponybeat songs somewhere in my music folder. Haven't gone looking for more since the beginning of Season 2. Some of the songs I really liked, like Fluttershy's Lullaby and... another one that was really good. I just didn't like how it seemed like he wrote his own melodies to them, and the actual melody got buried underneath the bass. Maybe that's how eurobeat works, but I definitely don't like it. And I remember Art of the Dress, which was my favorite song from the show at the time, he sped up just a tiny little bit. If you're going to speed something up, speed it the fuck up. Make it obvious. Don't just ramp it up 2bpm, because it just sounds like it's rushing. Yeah, never REALLY loved that stuff, but at the time I first discovered other people watched the show that was about all you could find online, so it's got a certain amount of enjoyability based purely on the fact that it's nostalgic for me.

Clarinet Polka is the one from Charlie the Unicorn, yes. I've actually heard it played live by a real clarinet ensemble and it sounds pretty cool. Klaus, being Klaus, just makes it twenty times happier. Which is part of why I love his music so much; he looks like he should be composing classical music or something. He's an old bearded German guy. Then he sits behind a Moog and plays electric organ covers of awesome popular and classical songs.

Arguably my favorite:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnp1Dz8DmQw
What a classy guy. He plays medleys, too, and those are also awesome:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do3HGayT09E

Yeah I imagine his music doesn't do much for you. Same for most people. It's weird, and I'm the first to admit it.

I've seen people chopping off their dicks, too. Somehow that's a fetish. But... what the hell. I really can't even say anything else but What. The. Hell. I'm not one for self-mutilation of any sort, regardless of the risks, but... at least people who just cut themselves a little aren't doing permanent damage beyond possibly a scar. That sort of stuff just... why?

Or this thing:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armin_Meiwes

I'm going to back away slowly and come back when there's less weird shit. Klaus, play something happy. I need a distraction.

Buried by the bass? I can hear the melody fine in the songs, the bass levels are relatively moderate for House oriented songs, and that's coming from the guy with Bass Headphones, but I just don't like the songs for how the chord structures are set up, and the constant hi-hat/clap rhythm, it's too generic and such a straight division of notes.

Ooo, Armin Meiwes he was the one talked about in Mein Teil by Rammstein one of my favorite Metal bands, and the exact reason I have an interest in learning German. Mein Teil literally "my part":

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ3kVtd2CCA

Like I said, it wasn't every song. And if that's just a genre thing then, well, I dislike that about the entire genre. But this www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0ZyTzgoLGA pissed me the fuck off, because it doesn't sound like Winter Wrap Up whatsoever. They give the melody to a tiny synth playing 1/3 the volume of everything else, and the quick note changes that differentiate the melody from just a basic chord progression are covered up by hi-hat shit. Then they've got what SHOULD be a chord progression in the bass played triple the volume of the actual melody in a higher octave. Which means it sounds inverted, so that the melody is no longer the (well, this is going to be interesting, trying to type out a melody) "low-low mid low mid-mid high mid" that we're familiar with, but "low, low, mid, mid, hiiiiiiiiigh... bunch of other pitches" which is ENTIRELY different from the original song. I mean, if I went to a party and it was playing and it was its own free-standing song unrelated to MLP, I'd enjoy it. But considering that THAT is what he made out of one of my favorite songs from the show, where I have to listen intently just to hear the melody? This is house dance music; the melody should be the easiest thing in the world to hear. When I go to watch the Cleveland Orchestra play classical music, THEN I want to be told to sit, pay attention, and actually listen to all the hidden inner parts. Shouldn't have to dig to find the music when it's simple dance music like this.

Again, maybe that's just how the genre works, in which case my problem is with the entire genre. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised, considering how I had no interest in eurobeat or house music or any of that shit before I heard the pony versions of it. And while I'm grateful for having my musical horizons broadened in the sense that I now listen to MCR and other modern rock bands, there are other songs and genres which I still keep well outside of arm's length. In this case, there's a few songs I really like and a few songs I really hate. I haven't listened to everything because once season 2 started I stopped bothering looking up new music by him. The time issue on Art of the Dress and the utter lack of the melody I want to listen to in Winter Wrap Up really set me off and made me not want to come back despite the other successes.

And what you said about repetitive chord structure and general generic feel. It's just...bland... and there's only a few songs I really like.

Yeah, I agree with you on Winter Wrap, that didn't sound anything like it. Of course I don't really like house in general, I like complex drum rhythms to which I prefer Breakcore and Drum n' Bass when it comes to Electronica. Of course you don't like Electronica in general, let's not get into that discussion.

I've never really experimented with electronica. Well, probably not. I don't really know what constitutes electronica and what's considered good or bad. I remember there was a radio station on GTA 4 that billed itself as electronica, and I listened to that occasionally whenever one of the three or four songs on Liberty Rock Radio I didn't absolutely love came on. That's about as close as I've ever bothered to get.

House is just really repetitive and bass-heavy. And I play the euphonium and trombone. I LIVE for the bass. Did I ever give you this? www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKNvKEw9780 We played it one year in my band and JESUS was that a rush. The euph part to that is incredible, and one of my buddies who plays trombone in concert settings got to do the really impossibly loud hit at 1:36 and the epic gliss coming out of the softer middle bit. Sounded like sex.

Still, there's such a thing as too much, especially when all the bass does is blast the same note out of a synth over and over. I'm with you on favoring more complex things. House just bores me, when it's the same crappy melody over the same crappy chord progression on the same crappy synths. No thanks.

Now where to go with the discussion?

No, FJ, the comma is not part of the link you cockhound.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwHEqx_3BYE

Fuck if i know. I just discovered an "I Hate Equestria Daily" group on FIMFiction and joined the shit out of it. That was the most productive thing I did today.

Now I'm considering whether I should attempt more of my US partial rewrite or stall for more time by working on my little pet music project: I want to compose a jazz arrangement of www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwHEqx_3BY, which already has a jazz component. What I want to do is essentially "invert" the song. The basic model is a concert band which plays the melody through in a concert style, then slightly jazzes it up a little. Then there's the middle bit of light and fluffy concertness and novelty whip sounds, followed by an ungodly fuckton of awesome jazz. Then it goes right back into light fluffiness and ends that way after another chorus. I want to have it be arranged for a jazz ensemble rather than full concert band. My version would start out like slow lounge jazz, build up into more energetic stuff for the second pass, have a jazz breakdown middle, and then for that "power" third chorus it'll inexplicably turn light and fluffy like the original song before putting balls to the fucking wall and blowing the walls down to the end.

Gonna try, anyway. Which, when me and music composition are involved, means "gonna open Finale, pick the instruments I want, and build exactly 0.75 chords before giving up and crying under my bed."

I usually just get on a drum machine and slap a bunch of rhythms together hoping they resemble anything close to breakcore since if I could produce any sort of music, that would be it.

Let's have a discussion on the fact of how it's so hard to find something to have a discussion on so we can discuss.

Also you could go reply to those many comments I made long ago when I had a mental breakdown while you had friends over. That could create discussion again.

Or we could plan Cold War fic.

वह धीरे धीरे राजकुमारी उसके सिर को हिलाकर रख दिया. "मैं नहीं कर सकता. चाँद कि हम से कहा हम अपने छोटे से खेल पता विजेता सिर्फ उस पर बैठ सकता है, और यह सिर्फ तरीका यह है," गोधूलि पर एक नज़र वापस करने के लिए चर्चा करते हुए. "यह वास्तव में कोई फर्क नहीं करता है और हम यहाँ हैं लहर पर चर्चा, और कुर्सी Celestia में कैसे बनाने के लिए एक स्पष्टीकरण नहीं पढ़ें?"
"दो बार. 1 का पता लगाने की भावना डाली गेंडा उनके जीवन की कल्पना के बाद यह जादू की शक्ति बढ़ाने के लिए अपनी ताकत artifact लेती जोर से और अंत में नूबिया बोलो धूल पन्ना कास्टिंग जादू का एक चक्र में सभी runes क्रश गिरोह रूबी सर्कल के होते हैं. किताब में डिजाइन. देख सकता है. "गोधूलि और उसके दिमाग की लहर में स्पष्ट रूप से अभ्यास किया.
"मैं उपकरण और वर्तनी के नाम का उल्लेख किया है क्या आप कोई भी इस बात का अब तक पता है?" वह लय में एक प्रश्न के जवाब में गोधूलि के समय उसके सिर को हिलाकर रख दिया. कि मैं इस किताब में इस्तेमाल किया जा सवालों के दोनों ओर इशारा किया. "आप कुछ बिंदु पर परिवर्तन होना चाहिए ... कि" छिपकली लिंग बिल्लियों भी.
"वहाँ एक समस्या है, और ताल है?"
"नहीं, नहीं, लेकिन यह सिर्फ मतलब है कि मैं और अधिक करने के लिए आपको सिखा इससे पहले कि हम जारी रख सकते हैं जादू का पिछला तत्व सभी पहिया ड्राइव, और मुझे यकीन है कि आप अनुमान लगा सकते हैं कि क्या यह प्रभाव है?"
गोधूलि के आंखों में फिर से लाइट, और मैं यह जानता था. "वे जादू इस्तेमाल किया है?"

I'm sorry, but I can't read Sanskrit ಠಠ

What does that even say?

This is a line from some sort of Pony Fanfic.... but... google translate is a terrible translator.

I'm so confused ;; What's going on!?

Tweaked this a bit. The old one had a few things that bugged me, like how the only decent vector art of NMM I could find from the angle I wanted had her smiling happily at the camera instead of looking badass. Also how the middle character (doctor) looked... it bugged me, so I recreated him. And, of course, how the lower-left character was entirely naked because I didn't trust myself trying to vector clothing.

It still seems...missing something. I don't know what, exactly. I know what you're going to say, "those came from the pony generator!!!" and I agree that it's a cheap way of doing it, but I refuse to draw my own so it's going to have to do. Any ideas?

Also, new episode? I thought it was rather disappointing. One of the better morals they've taught, though. Most of the others have been general "share stuff" "don't be a douche" "[insert generic moral here]" and that's fine, but I wasn't expecting something about how getting obsessed with planning can ruin fun. In my experience, the most memorable events are the ones that go horribly sideways right from the beginning and then continue getting worse. Like how we planned on getting a group together of like 20 people and going bowling, and it ended up being me and two others standing in front of a bowling alley which was closed. Then we went to Perkins. So, decent moral. Gotta praise them for that.

However, was it just me or was the humor in it dangerously unfunny? I remember laughing at Apple Bloom's "seriously?" and that was about it. Maybe there was more and I just forget. Either way they really rammed it in your face what the moral was ahead of time, and while the show's always had a bit of predictability to it because it's geared for kids, I thought it was rather unnecessary to just show stuff going wrong over and over. Again, 20-minute time limit, I understand how that burns away really fast when you're trying to shove at least a few different things in there because just one activity going wrong wouldn't get the message across.

On the other hand, spending that time showing things derail meant less time to do stuff with Babs, and that's bordering on criminal. I'm still glad she made it into an episode, sure, but I definitely wanted to see more. And the song... you'd be hard-pressed to find a song more repetitive and generic than that. That was really a let-down. Probably one of my least favorite songs in the series. It just doesn't do ANYTHING. I want a return to the narrative song structure of S1 and S2, where the songs were just plot plus music, and removing the song would absolutely destroy the episode's narrative flow. The past few have been entirely superfluous and unnecessary, and boring to boot. I am angerpony.

7/10. Considering how good past Apple family episodes have been, I was really let down by this one. Flim/Flam and Granny Smith history lesson episodes are both in my top-5 favorite single episodes, and I was hoping for another out-of-the-park success with this one but was not impressed. Points for Babs making an appearance, extensive character focus on my 2nd mane-six favorite without distractions for Rarity whining about dirt/Pinkie being random/other things. Actually, extra points for making this an entirely self-contained story that only had Applejack in it and nobody else (of mane six). Points for the moral, and points for Granny Smith and the general Apple Family awesome atmosphere. But still not enough to compensate for the shortcomings, especially the song.

Personally, I thought the song was alright. It was a tad generic, but I think the visuals of it made up for it. I also thought all the cute made up for the rest of the shortcomings, showing Applejack as an infant for example.

I'm guessing Vlad the Implier wrote a part of the episode. Notice the two shooting stars that happen twice nopony says a word about? I bet those have a very significant meaning. Ever notice how they never show Big Mac's and Applejack's parents in the show? I heard someone talking about how those shooting stars might represent their dead parents. Very interdesting implications.

Oh and this is sort of how I imagine the build of the Dragons for that Cold War pony fic we've been talking about.

Visuals were nice, but the show has never made us choose between lyrical/musical quality and on-screen events before. Except with the Babs song. I don't know, it just seems like they're getting into an "oh, right, this show has songs in it - put one here!" mood. If the episode doesn't warrant a song going into it, and it feels deliberate rather than completely organic like they just stopped talking and started singing, then just don't put a damn song there. I'd rather have that than waste screentime on generic bullshit.

Maybe I'm too harsh. But I hold Apple family episodes to a higher standard anyway since they've always been fantastic and that family has more depth than any other area of the show, and I want to see it taken advantage of. But I still didn't dislike the episode, I just think it was a step in the wrong direction after the last few were so good. Regardless, I wonder if they'll ever explore their parents, but I assume "no." Also, if they are dead, it had to happen recently since Apple Bloom is pretty young. Which leads me to one of my favorite theories, that she's the incestual love-child of Big Mac and Applejack. And of course nobody is ever going to talk about it because it's so taboo. And nobody's going to say "yeah our parents died 10 years ago" because then the obvious response is "but Apple Bloom's only 8 years old."

It's funny because not only does it work as a redneck incest joke, but it also kinda makes sense.

Fun theories.

It's not a theory. It was confirmed by the staff.

Well that's interesting. Doesn't mention if they're dead or not, or what happened to them. I honestly hope the show never goes there, because it's more fun letting the fan community fill in the gaps our way. Notice how we know nothing about Fluttershy's parents or Rainbow Dash's parents and yet nobody gives a shit. The Rarity thing, in my opinion, was better off without getting her parents involved and having Sweetie live with Rarity full-time like most of the fans thought was the case. I remember that episode complicating the hell out of [Blank] and I basically just said "fuck it, her parents are gone." I don't know, I think it was better that way. But I would concede that having TWO missing parents characters who raise a younger sister...that's a bit much. And I do like Rarity's family, how hilariously Minnesotan and unfashionable they are in contrast. I just hope they don't pull the Apple parents out of a magic hat and say "they were off on vacation for 10 years! During that time, nobody in the entire city breathed a word of their existence or even acknowledged the fact that they exist! Now, they are returning and shit's gonna go down!" That would ruin shit.

Although, considering they missed a family reunion and got a tribute in the form of celestial objects, I think it's safe betting they're dead and the show's just not going to go there because it doesn't want to fuck with children's minds and introduce a "parents are dead" thread.

Haha, how evil does it sound, what I'm saying? "I hope they're dead. It would just ruin everything if they were alive. Apple Bloom doesn't get any parents." Hahaha.

Now, Scootaloo...

Lol I'm so high right now. Goddamn that was hilarious. "Those pieces of shit better be dead" Lel.

Lol yeah, hope they don't go that way. They sort of already did, in the Perfect Stallion episode there was a Funeral that Sweetie Belle kind of ruined, "This one's too old".

Goddamn that's right. Where the hell are Scootaloo's parents?

Why the hell do I have a picture of this.

Scootaloo is most definitely an orphan or something. That's what I'm going for. I read a fanfic where she was Celestia's daughter and since she wanted a normal life for her rather than one pressured by royalty and shit, she sent her to Ponyville. Sort of like Twilight.

Moar Scootaloo! She finally had an episode, but I want MOAR!

Yeah, I know right?

Don't care if I already posted this, I still think it's bad-ass.

I just went on FIM and copy/pasted part of the first featured story into Translate. I honestly don't even know what it says. I didn't read it. Just sort of found it funny how we had nothing to say to each other so I grabbed the fugliest looking car I have a picture of and slapped some unintelligible whatthefuckery onto it.

Also, would have replied sooner but I had people over for an apocalypse party. It was the lulz.

Bro, go smoke a cigar. I seem to have upset you, entirely unintentionally and over a minor detail, and I'm fighting to restrain myself from making fun of you. I really didn't mean to upset you with any of this, and it makes me feel really bad that you feel so strongly about my poorly-chosen wording of a comment about artwork.

Plato doesn't have to be in there, dude. I've got a way of slipping it into 2035 whenever I find time to write it again, and I plan on doing so. But since I'm also interested in doing some political soapboxing from this story if you are up for it, I suggested Plato's Republic as an opportunity for inspiration. It's a really foreign-sounding concept to us, kind of like Orwell's 1984, and for that reason I liked it. I thought it would be cool to give it to the gryphons as their system of government, and then oppose it with something centered around Celestia and the Equestria we're familiar with. But if you don't like that idea, or for any reason disagree with it, then I retract the very mention of it in this conversation. Just like [Blank], I want to have a hand in shaping this story but don't want to dominate. You need to do the bulk of the planning, while I throw ideas at you from afar. Take what you like, tell the rest to gtfo. Please don't mistake my "this is awesome and I'd like to write about it" for "this is going in the fic whether you like it or not." Nothing could be further from the truth.

Huh? I wasn't even upset when I wrote that. I was just trying to contribute to what you asked of me. I suppose the way I worded it made it look like I was mad :-/

Try to read what I typed in a more happy/excited tone because that was what I was aiming at, obviously failing however.

Sorry, I can have an odd type of Bi-Polar personality sometimes if you haven't obviously already noticed. Interestingly Bi-Polarity does run in my family and I have the depressive side, I just gotta wait for that Manic part.

I think the wording of the comment itself, your previous comments, and the pic of Mac all combined to make me think you were upset. And I caught myself giggling at it because it was so stupid of a thing to fight over. I'm sort of the same way, where minor things can set me off on a really angry rant and I can go for days where all i want to do is start slaughtering people, so I understand.

Since the Plato idea requires that the leadership rank be incorruptible white knights, I though it'd be reasonable for Celestia to be set up in that sort of regard, where she makes some unpopular decisions or something and that leads to the citizens somehow capturing the Elements and saying "govern properly or you're out," sort of like the Plato model. However, there's too many problems with it for it to really work properly, and the whole point was to watch the system collapse from the top down. So, yeah, have a constitutional monarchy led by Celestia opposed by the Gryphon side which follows Plato's model. Show some actual oppression by Celestia because she fears the gryphons, and gryphon critics come out of the woodwork saying that's bad because their system ensures civic responsibility.

It'd be cool but not necessary to watch the government actually fall. I'm doing it in 2035, but we don't have to. We still do need a plot, though...

Yeah, we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there. Good ideas you have going on there though.

Oh yeah, and the reason I chose the Big Mac image was because I wanted something Soviet themed, and it has to be one of my most recently favorite images, so yeah.

Yes.

Ok.

Wait, shit. THESE PEOPLE exist. And god damn, they're awesome. I got so caught up in the awesomeness of the rest of that magic duel episode that I totally forgot about these classy motherfuckers.

THEY ARE GOING IN THE PLOT SOMEWHERE. Maybe... hmm, as it is right now it's literally just ponies against the combined forces of zebras and gryphons. I liked that because it weirdly reminded me of StarCraft - the two sides aren't just the same set of basic units with different names, but they actually play differently. Ponies have strong earth ponies, magical unicorns, and flying pegasi, and the opposing side has the same three basic skills but split into two races instead of three. I imagine gryphons as being infinitely stronger than ponies, but also cumbersome and much less agile since they're enormous. Likewise, zebra hexes and trickery won't do squat in a standing fight with unicorns, and if they get attacked in close quarters by earth ponies they're physically inferior, but they do bridge the gap between races and as such are more versatile; your unicorns get ambushed in close quarters by zebras and they're finished, and if you take too long sending earth reinforcements then they'll be able to counter from range with explosive powder grenades and various other absurd fantasy plant-based weapons.

I don't know where to put these guys. They could enter on the side of the ponies, being bigger, beefier earth ponies essentially. It makes sense, since they're clearly allies in the show. But, then again, they look more tribal and backwards, sticking to the really over-the-top royal decorative clothing because it's "traditional." Reminds me of, like, imagine an Arab ambassador showing up in full robes and a turban to a UN meeting. You'd think of him as coming from a more tribal and uncivilized land because the "civilized world" wears suits and ties.

So maybe they can become the third race, so that both sides have whole races dedicated to flying, fighting, and magic. But, again, there's a problem.

These guys are huge compared to ponies, even Big Macintosh. They're nearly the size of Celestia. They'd be better fighters than earth ponies. Gryphons are way more menacing flyers than pegasi. So, their only obvious weakpoint is magic, and it's not like they're completely magically inept; Zecora can do some crazy shit even without a horn. It's all tribal hocus pocus and voodoo. OOH, note to self - look up voodoo shit and let the zebras use it in combat.

So where put Arabian horses?

Perhaps they stay neutral. Then I could make awesome foreshadowing like, they're innocent and minding their own business and enjoying their life, and the main characters can make reference to the fact that as soon as the zebras and gryphons fold, the Empire will be coming after Saddle Arabia next.

Thar's potential in them thar hills!

Fuck. I hate having options. Help?

Wait a minute, holy shit! I think I have just solved my own problem rather gloriously.

Notice the names of the cities and where they are arranged. On the east coast, you've got Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Baltimare. That's pretty much the US Eastern Seaboard minus a few other big landmarks. Neighagara falls is right around where Niagara is in the real world. There's mountains and forests in the northwest, across a bay from "Vanhoover." Los Pegasus, which has been compared to Vegas and Angeles and appears on the map aside an "Applewood" sign, is on the extreme southwestern end. Next to an enormous desert.

Equestria is basically the Continental US.

So thinking of the way the world might work, you could imagine that a south american continent would exist beneath the one we see. Not sure if that would be a more suitable place for the zebras, or if I should actually imagine them a continent akin to Africa. Zecora says her homeland is far away. So, Griffons have Europe and zebras have Africa.

I don't know, though, since I wanted them to be separated by huge expanses of land. So it might make more sense to sort of copy-paste Africa over South America, and have their geography match. Those deserts and badlands eventually turn into a savanna, so that the border separating the two is terrain rather than water. Then, in the south of their lands, there's another sort of temperate zone which could have some of the scenes I need to happen in temperate areas outside Equestria. Or, I could move those scenes. There's volumes of potential!

So, I'm pretty much chucking out my old map at this point. I can modify what the show gave us to suit my needs. Any ideas you can add? I think remember you mentioning this sort of thing, timeline and world planning, interested you, and I certainly value your opinion.

Haha. That came from the Passage cover art I showed you. He wanted the main character (Colgate) to get onto the cover somewhere, and our original idea of having her standing on the very tip of the minute hand of a disintegrating clock face (she gets trapped in a clock along with Twilight during the story) and fighting monsters... well, as we started putting things down, it gradually morphed into the art deco poster we finally went with. However, putting a blue pony onto that color scheme looked like hell, so we experimented with other options. Like just sticking a horn in from one side of the frame. So I made that prop in ten minutes by tracing an image of Rarity (because her hair doesn't get in the way). But that still looked terrible, and we abandoned it in favor of just using the falling number motif. So I was left with a useless horn prop, which I proceeded to send to everybody who follows me on FIMFiction and a bunch of my friends' email accounts. Anyone who responded with confusion got the reply "unicorn horn master race."

But for serious. I need some advice.

Here's a piece of the map I used for my setting, one I got from dA. I just colored in the borders of the two big pow