Some details regarding the Vignettes. · 5:26am Feb 3rd, 2018
I figured now is as good a time as any to elaborate a little upon why I'm writing up those Quiververse vignettes. If you're not interested, feel free to skip this post.
First off, pick an episode of MLP:FiM. Any episode of MLP:FiM. With rare exceptions, a viewer is going to look at an episode and find something wrong with it - the only episodes that I can think of that folks would have trouble picking apart are Amending Fences and The Perfect Pear, and I'm sure that there are horribly cynical individuals out there who could find one tiny, insignificant flaw in those episodes and declare them to be absolute crap on that alone. Please don't provide examples, I know they exist.
Anyway, the point is that people are going to find gripes with a particular story for one reason or another. And on more than a few occasions, those gripes will have legitimate merits behind them. With the Quiververse being an alternate universe, I can address those gripes (or at least my gripes) in a way that I'm satisfied with. That said, my storyline specifically started post-S3, and I don't feel comfortable making major changes to established events from before that cut-off point. Hence the Vignettes - tiny little scenes that change small events from one episode, but generally don't change the overall plot or storyline.
I've already released one, and no one's complained about it. I consider this good. I've written a second one, and have started on a third. I'm currently planning on putting out eight in total, though that might increase over time. Some of them will address minor issues that I had with particular episodes, though one will just be me adjusting canon events to incorporate an OC (some hints of which will be present in a future story), and one will hopefully address one of the single most controversial episodes in the show's history. I'll leave it to my readers to guess which one it was.
Anyway, as said, these are due to go out in months where I won't have anything else ready for release. I don't plan on putting one out this month (though given the events of the one that I have written and ready to go, me releasing one in time for Valentine's Day would be appropriate), as I expect to get started on releasing Scars of the Quill on the week of February 12. March is also out, as the mentioned story will have at least three chapters (maybe as many as seven), and a one-chapter-a-week release schedule just works for me. So yeah, expect another one in April.
...Would I be correct in assuming that the controversial episode rhymes with "Dame and Dis-Fortune?"
(I personally had no issue with that one. But I'll be interested to see what you do with it. And, of course, other episodes too.)
4788431
No, that one won't be covered by a vignette. That'll be part of the regular series, once I get to that point.
And in all honesty, I have mixed feelings about that one. I'm not irritated with it, but I can see why other fans would look at it and come to negative conclusions about it. Once I get to that point, it'll be a little bit more balanced. Hopefully.
As the resident ultra-cynic, I'd just like to point out that I disagree with (what I think is) the most common complaint about Amending Fences, that the one thing I do take issue with in that episode reflects poorly not on the episode itself (which I see as the best episode in the series, and the only one I'd rate a perfect 10) but on Celestia, and that my one issue with The Perfect Pear doesn't make it crap in my eyes, but merely brings it down to "not quite as good as Amending Fences, but still in the same ballpark as Pinkie Pride and Return of Harmony" levels; from a 10 to a 9.5.
As to the overall message of this blog entry, I am, as always, looking forward to seeing what you have planned.
I would weigh in on the Fame and Misfortune discussion, but nearly everything I think about that trainwreck can already be found in my blog (for some inexplicable reason I didn't gripe about Starlight Glimmer's role in the episode there).
4788454
Ah, interesting. Well again, I'll be looking forward to what you do with it then.
So then, what IS the controversial episode you'll be tackling? Most of the other ones I can think of have to do with Starlight Glimmer. But that's a fair bit of ground to cover, so... XD
4788494
For the record, I wasn't thinking of you when I wrote that. What was your issue with The Perfect Pear, if I might ask?
4788554
Well, as said, most of the vignettes will cover stuff from the first three seasons (with two planned to cover stuff from Season Four). The specific controversial episode happens to come from Season Two. And I won't be saying more than that for the time being.
4788577
Ah... I think I understand now. Say no more.
4788577
I didn't think you were. I was just voicing my opinion that, cynic or no, I still really like those two episodes.
My issue was attempting to use Pear Butter's talent to further justify taking away the CMC's established-since-Season-One talents in favor of making their talent "understanding cutie marks". It should be said, though, that I wouldn't have a problem with that being Pear Butter's talent in an alternate universe where the CMC get marks for their actual talents, rather than something that being bad at was their whole gimmick until they were completely rewritten in Season Five; it's what her talent was used for in the episode that's the issue.
4788585
Ah...yeah, I see that now.