POOOOOLLLLSSSSKKKKKYYYYY!!!!!!! · 8:57pm Dec 7th, 2013
(Spoilers ahead for S4 Episode 4!)
So I was prepared to hate this episode. You wanna know why?
When I read the earliest synopsis of the episode and remembered this little bit from the comics (thanks again to Sketchy Unicorn for pointing it out to me by the way) I was thrilled! Because I thought we would get a genuine Twilight Velvet episode this season. Most of you can probably guess that Velvet has a bit of a special place in my heart, being the protagonist of my first and so far most succesful pony fic. It all fit. Twilight having all of her mother's books and recommending them to her friends makes total sense.
Then a few weeks ago I found the full synopsis online and my heart dropped. I learned that Velvet was in fact not the author they were going to help. (Which also created a continuity gap, I might add. Meghan McCarthy has been on record saying that the comics are canon!) A. K. Yearling. A name so blatantly a reference to J. K. Rowling and what I thought would be a totally one-dimensional character. So I was expecting a mediocre Slice of Life story (which wouldn't have been so bad, if not for my dashed hopes of seeing Velvet in a speaking role.) Not to meantion Dave Polsky has a bit of a mixed record as an MLP writer.
So I was prepared to hate this episode going into it and the first five minutes did nothing to alleviate my fears.
And then ... 
I absolutely loved it! My first hope was for a Velvet story, my second hope was for a SOL story that I could connect to as an author. What we got was nothing like I expected and I enjoyed every second of it.
I love Indiana Jones and the episode was full of references in all their cheesy glory. The reveal that Yearling actually IS Daring Do blew me away to the point that I don't even care how non sequitur it is. The nerd fight between Twilight and Rainbow was just hilarious. The only thing I found a little bit lacking was Daring Do's characterization. I would have probably spun it a little more in the direction of an aging hero who doesn't want to accept they need a little help and you can interpret it that way. But it comes off more as plain stubbornness here. But that's the restriction of the 22 minute format, I suppose. Even so this is a better story than the fourth Indy film, that's for sure.
And how cute was Fluttershy teaching baby birds how to fly?
In case you haven't figured it out by now, this is so far my favourite episode of the season and the best Dave Polsky has ever delivered. He might have had some bad moments in the past (most notably Spike at Your Service) but damn, this one was epic! Well done, Dave, well done.
Just one thing. What's with the hate for postal workers?
okay... if they really said the comic is cannon then they really fucked up majorly with the episode
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Well, since I like the episode so much, I am willing to let it slide. Knowing how the production works, the episode was written long before the issue of the comic, which only had that reference in the background.
For my personal headcanon I'm gonna say that Velvet is an accomplished writer in her on right and is also the editor for the Daring Do books. (Which also would explain why Twilight can get so much information on Yearling so quickly. She has a source close to home.) Daring Do is first and foremost an adventurer, so she only writes the first draft and then Velvet gives it the final polish and that's why she got the award for the series as an editor.
That makes sense, right?
i1.ytimg.com/vi/8vC76GetQ98/maxresdefault.jpg
Every episode of this season has given me fangasms.
A Random Anon On Tumblr said that Andy Price, one of the comic artists, said that "the Daring Do award in the comics was a general writing award, not necessarily something specifically for the Daring Do series". It was on the Internet so it must be true, right?
I really did like the fan theory though. At least I can still pretend that Twilight Velvet writes BDSM erotica.
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Sounds plausible.
At the very least I would say the "Daring Do" award and the "Author of the Year" award are two different achievements according to the picture. So Velvet must be a writer herself.
I also present exhibit B:
strawberryreef.com/images/backcards/G4/22-TwilightVelvet-Front.png
It's the card that comes with Velvet's figurines in the Blind Bag series of Hasbro's toys. (It's also what gave me the idea for Twilight Velvet's Creative Spark in the first place.)
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Sorry, Twi, but you know it's true. Yeah, she writes "adventures" alright. 
Yup, seen that. Also, her name is "Twilight Velvet". There is no way she is not a dominatrix.
1582435 it does^^ actually, that was what i thought too^^ That Do tells her adventures to velvet who ten turns them into an epic story^^
Yeah, seriously! Post Haste finally gets more screen time, and he just keeps getting doors slammed in his face! Maybe that's what happened to Derpy, and she's on medical leave now?