• Member Since 28th Oct, 2012
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Pineta


Particle Physics and Pony Fiction Experimentalist

More Blog Posts440

  • 6 weeks
    End of the Universe

    I am working to finish Infinite Imponability Drive as soon as I can. Unfortunately the last two weeks have been so crazy that it’s been hard to set aside more than a few hours to do any writing…

    Read More

    6 comments · 143 views
  • 9 weeks
    Imponable Update

    Work on Infinite Imponability Drive continues. I aim to get another chapter up by next weekend. Thank you to everyone who left comments. Sorry I have not been very responsive. I got sidetracked for the last two weeks preparing a talk for the ATOM society on Particle Detectors for the LHC and Beyond, which took rather more of my time than I

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    1 comments · 130 views
  • 10 weeks
    Imponable Interlude

    Everything is beautiful now that we have our first rainbow of the season.

    What is life? Is it nothing more than the endless search for a cutie mark? And what is a cutie mark but a constant reminder that we're all only one bugbear attack away from oblivion?

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    3 comments · 188 views
  • 12 weeks
    Quantum Decoherence

    Happy end-of-2023 everyone.

    I just posted a new story.

    EInfinite Imponability Drive
    In an infinitely improbable set of events, Twilight Sparkle, Sunny Starscout, and other ponies of all generations meet at the Restaurant at the end of the Universe.
    Pineta · 12k words  ·  48  0 · 820 views

    This is one of the craziest things that I have ever tried to write and is a consequence of me having rather more unstructured free time than usual for the last week.

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    2 comments · 136 views
  • 15 weeks
    Secrets of Auroras

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    3 comments · 148 views
Mar
27th
2016

Crystals and Ducks · 11:24pm Mar 27th, 2016

An exciting weekend. Season 6 has arrived. Crystal ponies are in this season! Along with further exciting things.

Some random thoughts on The Crystalling:

We sometimes forget that in addition to bronies and young children, there is a third audience for the show: the parents of young children. But Hasbro is not quite so forgetful, as this group do a lot of buying pony toys. This episode’s depiction of sleep-deprived new parents dealing with a hyperactive new foal, destroying items of immeasurable value, seems to be one for this group.

Ever noticed how when people have a baby they suddenly grow up and become all adult and serious? Or sometimes that’s just what makes you notice how much they have grown up when you weren’t looking. With this episode, we see a much more adult side to Twilight and friends, as they are interacting with Cadance, Shining, Celestia and Luna as equals. At one time Equestria Girls was the more mature teenage version of MLP. But the girls at Canterlot High now look rather silly and childish compared to what goes on in Equestria.

Are Sunburst and Starlight significantly older than Twilight? It rather looks that way, which means Twilight is taking on a student older than herself. That adds an interesting dimension to their relationship.

I like the wordplay of crystalling. It also really fits that Sunburst is appointed as a crystaller – he seems like a sort of minister of religion – with his nerdy obsession with scripture, liking for fancy clothes and ceremony, and it seems, a real affection for others, held back by a certain social anxiety.

I love the way Spike used an antique amphora in his explanation of the crystalling ceremony. It was a lovely artistic detail the way it copied the black/red figure style of ancient Greek pottery (just in different colours). But who are the alicorns depicted on the vase? Were they real? Or just figures from pony mythology?


This was not the only bit of excitement I had this weekend. Today was one of most thrilling sporting events in my calendar – the annual duck race at Calbourne on the Isle of Wight. Especially tense this year as recent heavy rain ensured a fast flow in the middle of the stream. Some ducks pushed ahead at the start, only to get stuck in the weeds near the end.

I took a punt on number 627, but unfortunately that one was not a winner.

Happy Easter.

Report Pineta · 767 views · #crystalling #duck race
Comments ( 10 )

Well, I'll be skunked. I didn't catch the alicorns on the jar. Interesting.

I hadn't noticed the alicorns on the urn. Given the vaguely understood history of the Empire, it really could go either way.

Also, my D&D aspect finds the idea of a wizard as a minister of religion rather peculiar.

I like how the urn had 3 times more images on it than it had sides to display them.

Going by the mane styles it looks like Twilight and Cadance. The mares on the last 3 panels seem to be the rest of the mane 6.
Looks like some pony artist made this in advance to celebrate the upcoming crystalling rather than one in the past. (And maybe make some bits by selling them at the ceremony)

I like the wordplay of crystalling. It also really fits that Sunburst is appointed as a crystaller – he seems like a sort of minister of religion – with his nerdy obsession with scripture, liking for fancy clothes and ceremony, and it seems, a real affection for others, held back by a certain social anxiety.

Oh wow, I hadn't noticed that before but... If that wasn't the intent, then I can certainly headcanon it. Brings to mind the way for a long time monks were also scholars who were incredibly important at preserving history.

3831753
This was pretty much exactly what I was going to say. They certainly look like crystal versions of the mane 6 to me.
3831799
And here I thought that was being really blatant myself. I was making christening jokes from the second I heard them use it.

3831753
That's a good point. I assumed it was a historical depiction from the way they're dressed. But also possible this was a modern work copying an older style. Maybe the artist sent a copy to Twilight hoping to get royal approval for a line of tacky crystalling souvenirs.

3832408 That's what I thought as well. Until I got a closer look, thanks to the screenshots you posted here.

I think you're right about Starlight and Sunburst being older, maybe significantly. I'd guess early 40s, in fact. Starlight had to go learn incredibly detailed magic on her own, then actually found and build a town where she was mayor from scratch. Her voice is certainly older, and its not like she looks any younger than Twilight Velvet.



3832410 Had the exact same realization looking at the images as well.

Many fans were angry about the baby. But the episode was good because it gave more development to Starlight , which is a good character .
P.S. I lost 2 dollars in that race .
Salu2.

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