The Oddity of Season Six · 7:00pm Feb 17th, 2017
Blog Number 25: "But It's Actually Got 24 Reviews" Edition
A lot has happened since the last blog post, far too much for me to feel happy cramming it all into a single follow-up. I will most likely revisit some points in later posts, so for now this is mostly going to focus on one or two big ones. Once more, the time-tested contents section is below.
New Tags! Woohoo!
NaPoWriMo Results Post
The Oddity of Season Six
The Good Side of Season Six?
The 24 Season Six Episode Evaluations
Oh, and a Faulty Laptop
New Tags! Woohoo!
After the New Character Tags blog post, readers can now hunt down characters once shunted under "Other". Most of them I don't care about, but there are enough tags there that frankly have shockingly low story counts. So when a group arose recently with the main aim of increasing the number of stories for such tags, I joined in. After all, one of the joys of fanfiction, pony fanfiction in particular, is expanding upon characters otherwise overlooked or neglected. Also, I have a soft spot for background ponies, who are after all simply yet intriguingly designed.
NaPoWriMo Results Post
Well, that was too intelligent to last; now on to something stupid I did. Like a dimwit, I waited until two days after the scheduled release of the NaPoWriMo Results Post to ask after it via email, and then immediately discovered the post in question had been released a day early. Which I would have noticed if I'd actually checked. Looks like my powers of observation and good timing remain intact.
As for the post itself, I did pretty well all things considered, being the third most productive participant out of a total set of twenty seven, and one of the number to surpass the traditional benchmark of 50,000 words. More to the point, I earned a snazzy new cover for Hive Versus Hive, courtesy of Novel-Idea. It'll be interesting to see what happens during the next contest - maybe I'll even break the 100k target I fell short of last time - but I don't want to get ahead of myself.
Good lord, why can't I be that productive all the time?
The Oddity of Season Six
Let's just say things have changed over the last five years and three months.
Normally, I wait for most or all of a pony season to come out, and then watch all the episodes online. By contrast, Season Six remains the only season with episodes unwatched.
So what did I do this time? Well, instead of looking for full episode downloads, I started looking for clips well after the season itself had concluded. I had picked up details about episodes here and there too in the form of summaries, and, after a bout of clip-watching, then I went and watched a few episodes. Namely, the ones I could muster any enthusiasm for.
I hate sounding like an old sourpuss with nostalgia goggles firmly over my eyes. After all, there are plenty of Season Six episodes I'd put on par with those of the earlier seasons. However, I did some back-of-the-envelope tallies recently, and the ratio of liked-to-disliked episodes for each season has, overall, dipped for me. There are local anomalies, of course; Season Three is much lower than its neighbours, and Seasons Four and Five are roughly equal. But the trend is still unmistakeable.
Once, I would've hunted down whole episodes and watched them back-to-back, but ever since the finale of Season Five, I've been less than keen to do so. To understand a big reason why...
Well...
I'm afraid the next four paragraphs are going to be a bit intemperate, so this is exactly where I want to make it clear this is a matter of personal taste, and not meant as some kind of insult for those who don't share my views.
A big part of it is that I was getting tired and irritated by the badly done and overdone "villains redeemed" trope. Once or twice is fine, in theory, as it allows focus on the conflicting impulses and on what made a character go one way over the temptations of the other. Even then, there are convincing and unconvincing ways to do it. A trend of the things would correspondingly need some pretty convincing performances according to my book.
However, the show seems unusually bad at pulling them off, and I find the idea at least slightly obnoxious when we already have so many normal or more relatable side characters who could do with being better integrated into the morals of the show. For example, Cheerilee and the Cakes have barely done anything since Season Two; I'd rather the show explored school issues and family responsibilities with familiar staple characters than ran another lacklustre episode on why Discord still sucks at friendship-making.
With that in mind, it certainly doesn't help that, even by those low standards, Starlight's turnaround was gallingly executed, with the half-baked psychological explanation nowhere near proportionate to her sheer terrifying competence at brainwashing and even to her petty-but-ambitious revenge scheme. Besides, she's a fantastic villain even in her second two-parter (I contend her first appearance was by far her best). I don't know what's worse: the fact that they squandered such an antagonist so tritely, or the fact that they expect us to sympathize with someone so spectacularly diabolical and hypercompetent that her mere revenge plot created dystopias and apocalypses over and over.
And the idea of her sharing billing with the likes of Spike, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash? Especially in one episode that apparently revolves around her mass-brainwashing favourite characters and expecting us to find that comedic? I apologize if you personally have no problem with that setup - in the spirit of tolerance, I say good for you - but the very idea produces an instant and passionate "NO" in my head. I'm not exaggerating when I say her mere presence in Season Six was a big turn-off for me.
The Good Side of Season Six?
That aside, there was some interesting news filtering through about the sixth season, and some of the episode synopses proved very tempting. So this year, I thought I'd at least sift through the summaries and clips, and track down those online episodes that didn't seem too off-putting. I don't want this to get too long-winded, so in brief I'll list the episode, mention how far I got along that three-point investigation, and then give my general reactions to it. Especially good or noteworthy episodes will get a little happy Twilight for their efforts: 
.
The 24 Season Six Episode Evaluations
"The Crystalling"
Didn't get past the summary. Even leaving out the whole Starlight issue and everything associated with it - and for good measure, let's leave out the unappealingly designed, uncharismatic narrative wrecking ball and world-building headache that is Flurry Heart* - about the only thing that grabs my attention in any passion-inducing way is the return of the Crystal Empire... and the rest of the story seemingly doesn't care about the crystal ponies or any real world-building in that direction beyond the climactic snowstorm. Combine that with the strange redesigning of said crystal ponies that subtracts more than it adds, and I feel no guilt whatsoever in ignoring this one.
* I'll take this moment to repeat that this is MY reaction and not an attempt at stating some objective fact, as if anyone who disagreed with me was automatically wrong. Call me paranoid, but I really don't want comments misunderstanding my position, and please take it as read that this caveat is shadowing the rest of these summaries, because I really, really want to avoid that kind of misunderstanding.
"The Gift of the Maud Pie"
Watched the whole episode. It sacrifices strong plotting, but in return I get a likeable and hilarious character-driven outing that is just a simple chance to hang out with two histrionic mares and a stoic with a stone. Given how much fun I had watching Rarity hype up Maud's tranquil fury and Pinkie's desperate attempts to outclass Maud's gift, I do not begrudge it that sacrifice one bit. Special mention must go to Rarity's bizarre attempts to keep Maud from eavesdropping on her talks with Pinkie Pie.
"On Your Marks"
Watched enough clips to see virtually all of the episode. This wasn't onto a winner from the get-go, given my strong dislike of "Raiders of the Lost Mark", but all the same this was a curiously directionless episode about directionless ponies trying and failing to avoid feeling directionless, and thus it is an example of why "having X story structure match character's X experience" isn't automatically a good thing. There were some redeeming moments; Bulk Biceps had a smile-inducing cameo, the Tender Taps story was sweet enough to deserve its own full episode, and I thought the song and visuals were kind of OK. But a few good moments does not an episode make.
"Gauntlet of Fire"
Watched the whole episode. Torch ordering the dragons to feel the right emotions at the right time? Funny. Ember pretending to be too cool for friendship while being clueless about it? Good. High-stakes dragon obstacle course with ponies on the line? Dramatic. Spike and Ember's actions promising a hopeful future for dragon society? Heartwarming. And Spike carried himself very well, taking on the hero mantle and encouraging Ember's better nature. I think I have a new favourite Spike episode.
"No Second Prances"
Watched a few clips, but really an episode involving both Starlight and Trixie is not one best calculated to appeal to me. Saw bits of the end, mainly because I was wondering what the new manticore design looked like. That said, and even though I'm not a fan of Trixie, she was at least a decent antagonist and I still think she could've been better used than as "Starlight's friend". Also saw the bit where Cranky asks Celestia about her hair. It made me laugh.
"Newbie Dash"
Barely got past the summary, because joining the Wonderbolts should be a bigger deal than this. Saw the "Rainbow imitates her friends" montage. Kinda funny. But good grief, the Wonderbolts are becoming even less appealing the more seasons pass by (Season Five being a possible exception, though my memory's a bit vague there). I swear Spitfire used to be mellow in the first two seasons; I can just about give her a partial pass for Season Three because it might just have been the demands of the role. I also have mixed feelings about the whole "Rainbow Crash" thing; even if it is friendly banter, doesn't that at least rely on both sides feeling comfortable doing it? I don't get that sense of camaraderie between Dash and the 'Bolts, which just makes it seem careless at best.
"A Hearth's Warming Tail"**
** Shouldn't that be "Tale"? Yet the majority of sources I consult spell it "Tail". I honestly do not understand why.
Saw a video of the Luna's Future song. Good grief, is this episode a case of two extremes. On the one hand, I'd rather ignore Starlight's presence whenever feasible, and the "stupid spell causes armageddon" plot is a large part of what bugged me about the Season Five finale (and, to a lesser extent, the Season Four finale). Seeing it put forwards again is immensely uncomfortable. On the other hand, I like Hearth's Warming Eve episodes, and that song is ambitious and spine-chillingly good, and I've heard so much praise about this episode that I wonder if it's really worth muscling through my reservations to watch the whole thing...
"The Saddle Row Review"
Watched the whole episode. A comedy gem, but then it does have Rarity in it. Even without the novelty of the interview format, this would be a pretty entertaining romp as the chaos grows and the grand opening looks less and less likely to happen, but the way they use the interview segments to add off-beat reactions and to draw out the lesson was delightfully apt. I had a fun time watching this one, especially such gags as Pinkie's "angel-devil" moment and Twilight's, ahem, "sweep remix"***.
*** OK, OK, technically it's not a "remix", but that gag, especially with the smug hoof-bump between AJ and RD, was still chuckle-worthy.
"Applejack's 'Day' Off"
Watched the whole episode. A stretched story that, were I in the wrong mood or had slightly different tastes, would so easily send me to sleep. Three things salvage it as at least passable for my palate: the spa, because I for some reason like the accented ponies and liked seeing the layout in more detail (as well as a glimpse into their half-hearted work ethic); Applejack, because I'm the sort of person who thought "Apple Family Reunion" was a major highlight of Season Three; and the moral about simple solutions, which if nothing spectacular is at least homey and respectable, as some MLP morals have failed to be. Otherwise, nothing special.
"Flutter Brutter"
Watched the whole episode. At first, I was a bit lukewarm towards the idea that Fluttershy's parents were even more weak-willed than her, and as much as it's nice to see her character development, I kind of relate to Fluttershy's nervous/fearful side too much to like seeing her without it. However, I increasingly like the set-up after rewatching this episode, and Fluttershy getting the best of her brother while still being kind and considerate is wonderful.
In addition, Zephyr Breeze didn't bother me nearly as much as he's bothered other commentators. Partly, this is because I thought it was obvious from the start he'd have self-esteem issues, and partly because I did at least find some of his antics funny ("turns out the animal communication thing isn't genetic"). But mainly it's because his fear of failure was so easy to sympathize with. Also, his attempts to impress an obviously unimpressed Rainbow Dash were amusing. And in any case, I will forgive this episode anything for that song.
"Spice Up Your Life"
Watched the whole episode. I've seen people say how uncomfortable they found this episode's handling of Indian characters. Maybe I'm missing something sinister, or maybe I'm just overly happy to hear different accents regardless, but honestly I think it was played respectably enough with the moral. In any case, this one's another winner for me****, with an interesting alternative look at Canterlot and how immigrants might fit in, and good character interplay between the four main ones. To my surprise, I found myself really liking Coriander Cumin for his straightforward "realistic" defeatism, considering the episode often shows he's got a point. Zesty having a semi-masochistic and slightly patronizing philosophy about superior food having less and less taste rang true for me. Also, I like the cheerful song and the way it was used to contrast Pinkie's pro-diversity attitude with Rarity's pro-conformity sensibilities.
**** The only thing I really don't like is the return of the map, the presence of which often turns innocently heartwarming friendship stories into tales of missionary work directed by an unaccountable authority. I think the episodes would improve dramatically if this element was at the very least put in the hooves of someone like Celestia, who is - if nothing else - an actual living being you can relate to and argue with. I've beaten that drum before, so I won't do so again, but I thought I'd make a note of it. Thankfully, it's not in the episode for very long anyway.
"Stranger Than Fan Fiction"
Watched the entire episode. I am not a fan of the "A.K.Yearling is Daring Do" trope, and that does take this episode down a peg. My initial interest in this one was Patton Oswalt's guest appearance, and boy howdy was he great! Quibble Pants was way too entertainingly picky but still immensely likeable, and I'm so glad they didn't just make him an annoying killjoy but understood that his frustration came from his enthusiasm for the books. Imagine my delight, then, when this character was not the only saving grace of the episode; the relationship and antagonism between him and Rainbow was well-played, the self-aware adventure story was a good means of getting some mileage out of the "it's real" trope, and the fan-directed message was agreeably tolerant.
"The Cart Before The Ponies"
Heard a few bad reviews of this one, which put me off a bit. On the other hand, Cheerileader***** is too darn cute! And maybe it'll have some decent bits like "On Your Marks". Maybe I'll watch a clip in the future to see what all the fuss is about.
***** Darn it, but I remember when "Hearts and Hooves Day" gave me hope that Cheerilee would become a much more prominent character. The dichotomy between her inspiring teacher persona and her incompetent teacher persona needs some attention, and she plays a reasonably important role in Apple Bloom's daily life. Besides, she's a teacher. You gotta get some good stories and life lessons with her character, right?
"28 Pranks Later"
Saw bits of the "zombie" outbreak. Interesting moral, and interesting bowdlerization of a genre not otherwise suitable for a family show. Otherwise, nothing particularly remarkable. The idea of her deliberately upsetting Fluttershy at the start was a major turn-off, and hearing this one described as "The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well" but with an even more obnoxious Rainbow Dash? Discouraging.
"The Times They Are A Changeling"
Saw bits of Thorax's backstory. A story about one good changeling seeking asylum with the ponies sounds promising... until I remember the joke appearance of one at Cranky and Matilda's wedding. Seeing at least one changeling just chilling with the other citizens seems much more subtly powerful to me, joke though it undoubtedly was. In any case, I wasn't interested enough to give the rest of this episode a chance.
"Dungeons and Discords"
Watched enough clips to see virtually all of the episode. Mostly dull and esoteric, considering my interest in Dungeons and Dragons is non-existent. Discord episodes don't seem to capitalize on his unusual social position and abilities nearly as much as they should do. These are episodes about a chaos spirit learning about the subtleties of friendship, for crying out loud. Even by those standards, though, this one feels like a belaboured missed target.
"Buckball Season"
Watched the whole episode. Take out the excessive facial expressions (and maybe don't exaggerate so much the skill gap between PP-FS and AJ-RD), and this one's golden. I like the depiction of Snails as an extremely patient daydreamer with killer reflexes, and it was fun watching the two earth ponies and the two pegasi manage their own and each other's approaches to the game. And it's a good game too! I want to see Buckball come back, because it looks like a legitimately fascinating sport with simple yet sensible rules. Another delightful watch!
"The Fault in Our Cutie Marks"
Watched enough clips to see virtually all of the episode. I am really, really bothered by the idea of the Crusaders being some kind of life-meaning police, and Gabby is too perfect to be a compelling character. Even her one dramatic moment ends up being in the service of said goody-goody goodness. But who cares when you've got an adorable "archaeologist"****** and an even more adorable griffon on your hands? I don't agree with the fan theory that Gabby represents what the CMC went through - for one thing, Gabby's problem is a fundamental biological difference and a result of her being, if anything, too competent - and I'm not a fan of the "griffons are selfish grumps" trope. Still, it was a cute episode with an interesting moment or two from Scootaloo, and the compromise at the end hit just the right spot between sweet and credible.
****** Seriously, though: "archaeologist"? Are American kids really going to struggle with "palaeontologist", or plain "dinosaur expert/fan" or "fossil hunter"? Gosh-darned illiterates...
"Viva Las Pegasus"
Watched enough clips to see virtually all of the episode. Applejack and Fluttershy working together... have we actually seen that pairing before in the show? Because I really liked the unintuitive way it was done here, especially given the nature of the conflict and how it drew upon their core strengths*******. Flim and Flam make a welcome comeback, this time nearly overshadowed by a hammier and even more cunning manipulator, and the gambit at the end was worth the price of admission alone. Also, finally no redeemed villains! Only minor gripe is that I kinda wish Las Pegasus was a Los Angeles imitation rather than a Vegas one, but it worked well within the episode, so I'll happily accept this change.
******* This is another reason why I'd like to wipe that map out of the series; the way they pieced together what was going on and incorporated the Flim Flam brothers into it was fitting, but it's a lot more interesting and relatable when they muddle through it than when they seem to be divinely set up and played like pawns by an all-seeing mystic plot device.
"Every Little Thing She Does"
Saw five seconds of the infamous brainwashing clip. Single-handedly shut down any chance of my liking the Starlight arc at all. What I've heard about the episode since then has only reinforced my distaste for it. Incidentally, I regard "Lesson Zero" as arguably the lowest point of Season Two, so this really wasn't one I was going to countenance even if it hadn't involved Starlight to begin with.
"P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)"
Watched more than half of the episode in clips, but not all of it. Had some amusing bits, such as the exaggerated depictions of Rarity and the strange but oddly fitting depiction of sea captain Applejack. Sadly, the idea of such a strongly held spat occurring among these three good friends - especially Pinkie, the most innocent of the bunch - rubs me the wrong way. Also, A-Bunyip-Did-It is arguably one of the most unsatisfying resolutions to a mystery I've ever seen in the show. Even "MMMystery on the Friendship Express", which included Pinkie revealing clues after accusing the perpetrators, more aptly incorporated its out-of-nowhere explanation into the moral and theme of the episode.
"Where the Apple Lies"
Watched more than half of the episode in clips, but not all of it. There are interesting ideas here, such as showing Filthy Rich's business relationship with the Apple family, Big Mac being a know-it-all chatterbox, and Applejack once having fewer scruples about lying. But those things demand a less tired backstory, and I couldn't make much of the whole "escalating white lie" routine. This is an episode which has Applejack lying, Filthy Rich being a decent pony, and Big Mac talking his mouth off, for crying out loud. It should be a lot more interesting than it is.
"Top Bolt"
Watched the whole episode. On my first viewing, I thought Twilight and Rainbow Dash were caricatured, at least a bit. On subsequent views, however, they're much more entertaining, similar to how Rarity and Pinkie clashed over how to save The Tasty Treat. Still, this episode works firstly, lastly, and almost entirely because of Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail. Both of them come off as understandable and likeable characters with their own flaws and strengths, and their relationship is both sweet enough to make me care about them, but rocky enough to show they have flaws and can generate interesting drama and dilemmas. A good episode.
"To Where and Back Again"
Saw four clips. One was Starlight and Trixie visiting... what's it called again? "Our Town"? They go there, they get swamped by startlingly forgiving former victims, Starlight goes into trauma mode, and Trixie gives a hammy speech before poofing them both out of dodge.
Watching this clip made me realize something. The main characters were saved in "The Cutie Map" by four bystander ponies: Night Glider, Double Diamond, Party Favor, and Sugar Belle. They, while taken in by Starlight's equalist philosophy, nevertheless were still ordinary characters whose understandable desires conflicted with their initial public image. After some tense moments, all four of them are soon disillusioned, and repay the main characters by rescuing their cutie marks. For a brief, beautiful, glorious moment, the show (largely) eschews all that "overpowered characters driven by destiny/magic/map/whatever" stuff and shows ordinary Joe becoming the heroes, even if only for a limited time.
A show that subsequently let them join the main cast is a show I would have been hugely enthusiastic for. Heroic bystanders! Victims who stand up to bullies! Relatable yet quirky characters trying to make sense of relationship philosophy! And there's no guarantee, just because they've thrown off one set of shackles, that they won't fall prey to another set. Think of what stories could have been told with these guys. Indeed, had you suggested someone from that double-parter was going to come back in a big way, they would have been my first pick.
Anyway, digression aside...
Next up was Discord getting angry about Fluttershy being captured. Nothing amazing there, except that he apparently doesn't rate Twilight very highly. Odd, considering she's the pony who basically made his redemption stick and opened his eyes in Season Four.
Third was Discord falling into the multi-Fluttershy trap. In brief, that clip packed a pretty dark punch that was a true "I wish I could surgically remove this scene" moment. In a good way, I mean.
The last was basically the climax. That was all Chrysalis, because good grief! This is why I like delightfully twisted and sadistic villains in the first place. Everything from the creepy entrance to the constant air of menace to the excessive and horror-inspired design all combined to make an arrestingly dark performance.
The rest of the climax did its darnedest to make me think worse of her, but I'm happy to report it failed. It tried, though, with the speeches made by protagonist characters I didn't care about (a good villain needs a worthy opponent, after all), the uninteresting and unearned love-magic on display, the frankly astounding scene with the attempted reformation, and the even more frankly astounding lameness of Chrysalis exiting stage-left.********* But honestly, she's still a great villain who stole the spotlight with ease, so I've seen all I wanted to here.
********* Seriously, I burst out laughing at that final part of the clip.
Overall, ten good-to-great episodes out of twenty-six is not an impressive tally - I have a similar ratio for Season Three, though with a lot of caveats. I'm actually kind of alarmed, as Seasons Four and Five seemed to be doing so well that I figured Season Three's hit-and-miss nature was a one-off. This is the first time I've felt downright reluctant to watch an entire season (Season Three I at least followed to the end). Still plenty worth salvaging, though.
Here's hoping Season Seven rises higher.
Oh, and a Faulty Laptop
For a brief period in January, my laptop packed up on me and refused to load any web pages, despite the connection and all other applications working perfectly fine. It took twenty-four hours of trying this, that, and the other to get it working again, and then I had no clue what actually worked. To this day, I still have no idea what happened, and it does cut off occasionally. So in case you're wondering the next time I have an unusual gap, that's probably why.
Until next time, folks! Impossible Numbers, out!
Statistics
NEW: List of Fics Accepted by Equestria Daily
Funny thing is that Work and Play got accepted by Equestria Daily, but it didn't have the author label attached to it, so it didn't come up when I tried searching the first time. I didn't even know it had been posted until I got a conspicuous upsurge of views and pieced it together. Since I'm scatterbrained enough to forget this kind of detail, and since it could act as additional information to add to the statistics, I'll include a list of accepted fics here:
All of a Fluttershy
Cutie Mark Espionage Agency
Through the Eyes of the Hurricane
Rise of the Solar Wind
The King and the Changeling
Lapidify: To See and Die
Work and Play
I suspect standards have tightened over the years, because I get the impression the first two wouldn't make it past the pre-readers today. Still, I'm taking what I can get.
Sadly, Villainy Abroad isn't set to join the ranks. I got a response a few days ago, and it turns out my half-joking "laundry list of problems" crack wasn't half-joking. More specifically, the pre-reader said the story was likeable but had too many rough spots, an overuse of the passive voice, and some confusing POV switches. I mean, had it been the more usual list of spelling errors, minor confusions, or even "rewrite this section: needs punch", that'd be one thing, but a "lot of rough spots"? I'm not sure it can be improved without a major overhaul. And I was really looking forward to this one too...
I think it'll be a while before I submit something to them based on how much I like it. Heck, I think it'll be a while before I submit something, full stop. I must have become way too complacent about this, but it's still a shame to see your pride and joy get declined.
New Stories?: Four. I'll probably go into more depth about them in a future blog, but right now I'm not in the required mood.
Friends of the Ponies
Her Song of Jubilation
Petalback
White Lightning and the Elite Pony
New Updates: Petalback received a new chapter recently. Can't tell when the next one will be ready, unfortunately.
Story Count: 42
My Total Story View Count: 36,764
Age: 1,893 days, or 270 weeks and 3 days
My Follower Count: 102. Boy howdy, did this one jump!
My Followed Count: 75
That was a really enjoyable read; thank you for it! Especially the comments on S6 episodes. Fascinating reading, even (actually, especially) when I was throwing things* at the screen in response. I'll out myself as someone who does like "Lesson Zero", so take what I say here with several bushels of salt. But of the episodes you haven't really watched, I really do think "A Hearth's Warming Tail" stands out. It even has a gimmick that means it should be worth watching even for non-Starlight people. As for that title? Just a terrible pun, I think. There's no particular in-episode reason for the spelling.
* Soft things. When Fluttershy is your favourite pony, there are standards.
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* What a great name that is, especially when Luna's belting it out accusingly in the middle of her song. And what a song! I also personally want to give a medal to whomever cast Luna as the "Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come". That was a stroke of genius.
Oh dear, what have I done this time?
Just so long as you weren't too... peeved, pardon my French.
Yes, our standards have increased over the years. This was necessary as the volume of submitted stories increased, and they've waned since, though we're not going to relax standards again, since that would be unfair to the people who got rejected while they were high. Several of my early stories wouldn't make it in today, either.
Eh. it's a shame that you let a single character ruin so many episodes for you. Personally, I have no problem with Starlight Glimmer, and I've enjoyed having her around. I've seen lots of bellyaching about season 6, but it seems to be a small contingent getting louder season after season more so than a larger percentage of the fandom joining that sentiment. I have to think that if seasons 2-5 didn't exist and these episodes aired back in 2011, people would be just as enthused about them. For me, there is some loss of luster that comes with familiarity, but at least I recognize it as such.
If you want that oversight about the author tag corrected, just send an email to the main box, submit@equestriadaily.com, and tell them what the problem is. Include a link to the story's EqD page so they can find it quickly.
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You had a different opinion from me about something. You've surely been in the fandom long enough to know that this is entirely unacceptable.
I'm just being silly, of course. Nothing actually important.
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Absolutely understandable. Plus, it makes it a lot more prestigious if someone does clear that particular high jump.
This sounds needlessly accusatory. I didn't let her do so, any more than I let my tongue dislike sour cream or mustard. There are aspects to her reformed character that I find problematic and distressing, but it's not like I set out ahead of time to sabotage my own enjoyment (besides, where would the sense be in that?).
At the risk of sounding brusque, I calls it as I sees it, or in this case tastes it. And then, since I'm not setting out to be a masochist, I simply skip over that section of the buffet table so I can get at the cake platters I do enjoy, like "The Gift of the Maud Pie" and "Flutter Brutter". If other people prefer the other stuff, I won't stop them. I just won't be joining them.
Maybe so, but I think I have specific reasons for enjoying some episodes more than others, even if those reasons trace back to "I just happen to like that kind of thing". Within Season Six alone, never mind across all the seasons. I certainly see a lot of lustre in "Gauntlet of Fire" and "Spice Up Your Life", among others.
That said, I actually don't know if I'm wearing nostalgia goggles, though. I mean, Season One does genuinely seem special to me, even having rewatched some of its episodes recently, but then those goggles could just be really tight. And I know too much about cognitive psychology to simply trust my own first impressions anymore, compelling though they may be.
Done!
Wow, that was simple.
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I plead guilty and accept my sentence: death by flaming. May God have mercy on my soul.
I kid. No worries.
This is part of the site's spam filter, if you use too many emoticons (I think it's 20~25) it will erase them.
Counter points to your Season Six Episode Evaluations
- The Crystalling -
Watch this for Spike, it's one of his best outings as a supporting character (supporting Starlight not Twilight).
- Newbie Dash -
That is the point of the episode... Dash cannot (and does not) automatically "click" with the other Wonderbolts, she has to actually get use to them, as they get use to her, to fit in and bond so that they can from that camaraderie.
- A Hearth's Warming Tail -
If you don't know, it's a ponified take on A Christmas Carol; so Twilight is reading from a book and it's not actually Starlight, or even happening. (At least watch Pinkie's song)
- 28 Pranks Later -
The hate for this episode is wildly overstated (I've always liked The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well), as most fans seem to have some kind of tunnel vision about Rainbow's prank on Fluttershy (which only takes up about twenty seconds at the beginning of the episode) and then ignore everything else while hating Rainbow for "hurting Fluttershy".
As for Rainbow Dash's prank the reasoning is actually pretty justifiable; (as you noted) Fluttershy has had a lot of personal growth over the last year and half of her life (using the show's timeline) and especially since this is well after Scare-Master, Rainbow could assume that Fluttershy would be able to take a prank like what she pulled, and there was nobody around to "hold her back" like Pinkie did in Griffon The Brush-Off; as for the escalation of the pranks, she was directly challenged by her friends (mostly Applejack) but I do think some of the "pranks" went way too far and can't even be called jokes, they were just cruel.
Overall though, the episode is a really fun watch, and it has some of the other side/background character moments that you seem to want.
- Dungeons and Discords -
Uh... judging by what you said, I'm wondering if you did watch enough clips... the Dungeons and Dragons part is only about four minutes of the whole episode, the entire rest of the time is spent on Discord's "unusual social position and abilities".
- P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View) -
- overall thoughts on season six -
I agree with you about Starlight Glimmer, I feel like her inclusion as a main character has ranged from pointless to detrimental. Sometimes her role could have easily been filled by someone else, and sometimes she actually hurt the storyline and portrayal of other characters.
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As for Villainy Abroad, I really liked that story. I would suggest you try to "re-package" it, change the cover art and tags, just label it as an adventure story and get a picture of an island, also submit it to more groups about adventure/expansion of Equestria like these:
http://www.fimfiction.net/group/211828/new-horizons
http://www.fimfiction.net/group/197119/world-building-alliance
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Ah, I see. Thanks! I went back and removed a fair number of them, and it looks like it worked. I'll remove those edits too.
As for your counters, I admit some of them are intriguing and I don't disagree with them. One or two, however, I'm less sure about. I hope I don't come across as abrasive or mean-spirited, but I do have some strong disagreements here or there, and I apologize in advance if I make some mistakes.
When the main point of the episode is to get him to expand his social circle, it's not even coming close. He's not merely some grumpy curmudgeon who needs to get out more. Discord's practically gift-wrapped as an alien perspective on friendship, but it's hardly alien to feel your time is wasted listening to D and D shop talk when you could easily do better things. And it's not his lack of friends that makes him so compelling, but his inexperience with friendship itself to begin with. That's what I mean when I say it was a missed target.
For instance, here he could've simply misinterpreted pretend play as a desire for the real thing, and, in an attempt at being friendly, conjured it up, bad consequences and all until he learns the whole point is to have a safe "adventure" with friends. A bonding experience, not a hankering for risk-taking. Basic social rules that we easily understand but which he trips over.
Yet the closest he does to this is the part where he terrifies Spike and Big Mac, and he's clearly only doing that for no deeper reason than petty malice. Again, "missed target". And I add "belaboured" because, well, the D and D stuff (and, frankly, all the sitting around talking) felt like it went on and on and on.
The two of them are supposed to be long-time friends, and presumably this is long after Pinkie teaches her not to include Fluttershy as a prank target. The speculation on Dash's "ah, she can handle it" approach seems to be making one too many assumptions on the episode's behalf, though, especially when the whole point of "The Scare Master" was that Fluttershy still couldn't, in fact, handle such an operation, and especially especially when this episode confirms Dash's going too far. And while I concede Dash is not exactly the most empathic of the main characters, a plot point that requires her to be a more extreme and blunt prankster than her season one incarnation doesn't sound encouraging.
But OK, fair enough, maybe it's worth watching for the side elements. I'll watch a few more clips to better gauge the degree of the execution. I still have problems with the premise, though.
But she's already met and worked with the Wonderbolts repeatedly; she was even a substitute during "Rainbow Falls" and "Rarity Investigates!" Plus, it's a decidedly bizarre and narrow element to focus on, given that joining the Wonderbolts is basically her biggest dream. Lastly, an episode directed at kids that teaches them bantery nicknames are OK, and which demonstrates that point by having the recipient overreact to it, is... not particularly encouraging, especially when this one happens to be a bullying slur too. It has some uncomfortable implications.
Cover art might be tricky, as I usually prefer screenshots from the show and the tropical island might be hard to find. But I suppose I should have a little more creativity than that, so I'll see what I can do.
I'm less sure about removing the other tags, though. Granted, the "comedy" one was stretching it, as it's more "adventure fic with some jokes" than "comedy fic with adventure in it", but I think the others can be justified (especially the "drama" and "thriller" tags, given the escalating threat levels and the emotions Vanilla goes through in particular). But do you think I would benefit from removing them? I'm not saying no; I'm just not entirely confident.
Hey, thanks for the links! Although the WBA focus on non-pony elements, the other one looks interesting. Joined and added.
Lastly, thank you for the thoughtful and courteous response, and I apologize in advance if my arguments do something annoyingly stupid. They seem to make sense to me, and I try not to be rude or - given my tendencies to wordiness - meandering, but I never know.