• Member Since 26th Sep, 2011
  • offline last seen 8 hours ago

FanOfMostEverything


Forget not that I am a derp.

More Blog Posts1330

  • Sunday
    Friendship is Card Games: Mane Event

    So, as I have come to understand, the main G5 IDW line has been replaced by/subsumed into a series of mini-series and one-shots that feels like the equivalent of a network trying to kill a show by bouncing it around the schedule. Hopefully I’m being paranoid there.

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    5 comments · 150 views
  • 1 week
    Rumor Gathering

    While diminished from its peak, the Writeoff is still very much an ongoing concern. Regrettably, while I actually had an idea for the most recent prompt, my Saturdays are packed to the gills and thus I didn't have time to compose it before the submission deadline. As such, I have employed Dueling

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    2 comments · 140 views
  • 1 week
    Friendship is Card Games: Wondercolts Forever: The Diary of Celestia and Luna

    The next entry on the schedule was issues #21 and 22 of the G5 mainline, but those have failed to manifest, making me wonder if that line’s actually been ended in favor of the various mini-series currently in progress. And among them, I only have one released issue unaccounted for. As such, it’s time to turn to the next pony novel… which does not contain ponies.

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    6 comments · 168 views
  • 2 weeks
    Incident of Examination

    There's a Crystal Prep-themed Sunset shipping contest on at the moment, and one castoff idea I had got me wondering about Sunset attending CPA... and running against a logical issue. At least I got

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    0 comments · 194 views
  • 2 weeks
    Friendship is Card Games: Tell Your Tale, Season 2, Part 2

    Looks like that Leap Day hypothesis carried some weight. The long-form episodes should be interesting in their own right, but we’re not looking at one this week. Let’s see what there is to see.

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    5 comments · 184 views
Feb
4th
2018

Friendship is Card Games: A Pinkie Pie Story and Friends Forever #25 · 1:26pm Feb 4th, 2018

This week, we have one of those awkward one-shot main issues wedged between an even number of one-shots and a multi-issue storyline. Thus, we’re going half-and-half on this one and throwing in a Friends Forever as well. Let’s begin.

A Pinkie Pie Story that Pinkie Pie Kinda Sorta Remembers

I can’t help but note that this is the forty-second issue of the main series. Apparently Pinkie Pie is the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. I can’t say I’m surprised.

I kind of want to see Pinkie’s ranking list for best gift-givers of Equestria. And there’s also the question of who the top two are if Pinkie sits at bronze. I’m guessing it’s two of her sisters, with Maud being one of them.
Meanwhile, the Bearer of Generosity comes in at thirty-seventh. Of course, part of gift-giving is getting people what they want, or can at least use, and Rarity doesn’ always have the most practical sensibilities.

I can’t be too surprised by ponies having the phrase “birthday suit.” It’s not like they come out any more clothed than we do. But it’s still interesting to see the parallel.

Fascinating to get a glimpse of Rarity’s old room, from the X-Files poster to the Ponyville High flag—and doesn’t that speak volumes in and of itself—to the rather… questionable tomes in use. I can only assume Twilight gave them to Sweetie. She probably blew up a few rooms in her own time.

Heh. Do love the Breckel-brand markers. And the contrast between Rarity’s almost Sparklian arrangement of the supplies and Pinkie’s artistic frenzy.

Double heh. Rarity will not put up with this… this fan fiction.

I do have to appreciate both Pinkie’s self-awareness and medium-awareness. Great one-two punch.

Rarity. Darling. You’re asking Pinkie Pie to stay away from haphazard tangents. How long have you known this mare?

Rarity has a truly impressive art library. Not too surprising; I can easily see her seeking out inspiration anywhere. Still a nice touch.

The physically present crochet dolls are a bit disturbing. Cute, but disturbing.

Okay, the angry eyebrows tilt things more into the cute end of the spectrum.

Oh, I see how it is. When Rarity’s the one who’d look bad, then she’s okay with changing the story.

“If I can’t add robots, you can’t add a prince.” Seems fair to me.

The clay ponies also fall on the cute end of things, in their own endearingly lumpy way.

Seriously, Pinkie. If you’re representing Rarity with a banana, you’ve officially gone off the deep end. A parsnip, maybe, but not a banana.
Also, “horn chips” raise a number of rather unsettling questions…

Huh. Ponyville also has a university? I find that one a bit harder to believe, unless Twilight’s putting it together.

… Okay, out of all the stylistic homages here, I was not expecting one to Hellboy of all things. The cut-out activity page is downright mundane in comparison. (Also, nice to see the return of the Kazumi Theater. And Celestia Superstar.)

The stylistic flurry is equal parts amazing and bizarre.

Normal is relative, Rarity.

The sky in Pinkie’s world is pink. Obviously.

Ooh, fold-in. Though it doesn’t quite capture the multilayered joke of the originals.

I can’t say I was surprised by learning who the gift was for, but this was still an incredibly enjoyable issue. You can tell Andy Price was having tremendous fun with this one, and who can blame him?

Friends Forever #25: Rainbow Dash & Twilight Sparkle

Rainbow Dash Maximal action? I thought Apple Bloom was the Transformer!

Yeah, this has to be one of Dash’s biggest nightmares. All the more so after Discord. Though it’s interesting to note that while she doesn’t have her wings, she does still have her magic. After all, she’s not falling through the cloud.

A bit odd to have Twilight and Spike sleeping in the same bed, but I can roll with it.

Double whammy of awesome-looking magic between the window phasing and the traumalocation spell.

“Snickety-snick”? They used a vorpal sword?

Also, while Goldcap is a perfectly acceptable pony name and Zappityhoof is tolerable, I have to think that Decepticolt changed his from something less stupid.

“They wouldn’t really be true alicorns, because their wings wouldn’t be gifted to them.” Interesting way of putting it. Also there’d be the matter of, you know, the earth pony magic. Seriously, I don’t see those wings ending well for these three.

Now this is a promising Friends Forever premise. Each star has to adopt the other’s tactics, or at least try to.

Huh. We’ve gone full Triptych here. Ponies see that ascension is possible and want the power for themselves, by any means necessary.

And then we turn it around and show that teamwork is the answer. This issue is everything a Twidash Friends Forever issue should be.

I have to admit, Zappityhoof’s princess dance is pretty darn cute.

It’s a good thing that Twilight does, in fact, have a spell available that can link minds. Also, she could’ve teleported out of that net at any time… though it was most tactically advantageous to do so while the pseudocorns were distracted.

Ooh. Sonic Twiboom.

There we go. The key word for what Twilight did: She earned her wings.

:twilightoops: Holy crap, Twilight can at least temporarily seal unicorn magic. That’s more than a little terrifying. A shame this spell doesn’t seem to exist in the main canon; it’d make Starlight’s early lessons a lot easier.

Seriously, you three. By all rights, you should be in prison. Stop provoking the actual alicorn.

Heh. Nice touch with Dash having a lasting impact on Twilight’s flight habits… though you’d think Dash would’ve been giving Twilight lessons from day one.

In any case, there are a few contrivances here and there, but all told, this issue was an enjoyable little adventure... though I have to wonder what, if anything, is stopping other unicorn cabals from trying this with pegasi who aren't close, personal friends of true alicorns...

Good to work from a pair of high notes this week. Let's see what I can compose from them:

Fleeting Ascension W
Instant
Until end of turn, target creature gets +2/+2 and becomes a Pony Pegasus Unicorn in addition to its other types.
Hope and masking tape can stand in for wisdom if the need is great enough.

Ethereal Net 1WW
Enchantment
Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for 1 or one mana of that creature's color.)
When Ethereal Net enters the battlefield, exile target creature until Ethereal Net leaves the battlefield.

Witless Royal 2W
Creature — Advisor
Alicorn (This card is a Pony Pegasus Unicorn.)
Hoofcraft — Witless Royal can’t attack unless you control three or more Ponies, Pegasi, and/or Unicorns.
Nopony dares to remind her she has wings. They all still remember the craters.
3/3

Twilight’s Seal 2WW
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
Vanishing 3 (This Aura enters the battlefield with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter from it. When the last is removed, sacrifice it.)
Enchanted player can’t cast noncreature spells.

Distorted Physique 1U
Instant — Arcane
Target creature has base power and toughness 1/1 until end of turn.
Splice onto Arcane 2U (As you cast an Arcane spell, you may reveal this card from your hand and pay its splice cost. If you do, add this card’s effects to that spell.)

Stylistic Melange 1U
Enchantment
Nonland permanents you control have art by all artists.
”It’s pre-post-pseudo-primito-modernism with a side of hay fries!”
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter

Somepony Else’s Problem 1UU
Enchantment
Untapped creatures you control have hexproof.
The spell works as long as you don’t draw attention to yourself. Rainbow Dash broke it after a few minutes.

Alar Essence 2U
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Champion a creature with flying (When this enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you exile a creature with flying you control. When this leaves the battlefield, that card returns to the battlefield.)
Enchanted creature gets +4/+4 and has flying.

Cunning Weaver 2U
Creature — Unicorn Artificer
When Cunning Weaver enters the battlefield, you may return target artifact or enchantment to its owner’s hand.
”Destruction is easy. Creation is somewhat harder. Reverting creation to its base materials? That is a challenge worthy of my talents.”
2/2

Mind Rider 4U
Creature — Pegasus Warrior
Soulbond (You may pair this creature with another unpaired creature when either enters the battlefield. They remain paired for as long as you control both of them.)
As long as Mind Rider is paired with a creature, both creatures have horsemanship. (A creature with horsemanship can’t be blocked except by creatures with horsemanship.)
3/3

Traumalocation 2B
Sorcery
Draw two cards. Put two -1/-1 counters on target creature you control.
”Tell me where it hurts.”

Phantom of the Corral 3B
Creature — Pony Band
Finale — Whenever you sacrifice a Song, each opponent loses 2 life.
Every angel of music needs a devil, or so he insists.
2/4

Pseudocorn Aspirants 4B
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Exploit (When this creature enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature.)
When Pseudocorn Aspirants exploits a creature, put two +1/+1 counters on Pseudocorn Aspirants and it gains flying.
3/3

Misapplied Knowledge R
Instant
As an additional cost to cast Misapplied Knowledge, discard a card.
Misapplied Knowledge deals damage equal to the discarded card’s converted mana cost to target creature.
”Oops.”
—Sweetie Belle

Draconic Ace 2RR
Creature — Dragon Pilot
R: Draconic Ace gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Whenever Draconic Ace crews a Vehicle, until end of turn, that Vehicle gains “R: This Vehicle gets +1/+0 until end of turn.”
Some dragons find constructive uses for their hoards.
2/2

Joyborn Muse 2RR
Creature — Pony Spirit
At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top card of your library. You may play that card until end of turn.
”Her voice is happiness, wild and free.”
—Cheese Sandwich
3/3

Vorpal Slice 3R
Instant
Vorpal Slice can’t be countered by spells or abilities.
Vorpal Slice deals 4 damage to target creature. The damage can’t be prevented.
Even stories of ancient artifacts are enough to inspire modern mages.

Clay to Clay 1GG
Sorcery
Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library. Create a green 2/2 Pony creature token.
Earth ponies named themselves that for a reason.

Googly Eyes 2
Artifact
2, Sacrifice Googly Eyes: Target noncreature, non-Aura permanent becomes a creature with base power and toughness 4/4 until end of turn in addition to its other types.
”I don’t think that’s what’s meant by ‘the hills have eyes.’”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity

Tome of Chaos 3
Artifact
2, T: Draw two cards, then discard two cards at random.
”A gripping read from start to finish, and not just because of the tentacles. Seven qurblarks out of five, shoe-in for Novel of the Year.”
—Discord

Arcane Rainboom 3UR
Instant
Converge — Scry X, where X is the number of colors of mana spent to cast Arcane Rainboom, then reveal the top card of your library. Arcane Rainboom deals damage to each creature equal to that card’s converted mana cost.

Herald of the End 4BR
Creature — Demon
Trample
2BR, Sacrifice Herald of the End: Destroy all creatures. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
He fights the darkness for now, but the Right Hoof of Doom will see his destiny fulfilled.
5/5

Comments ( 6 )

Holy crap, Twilight can at least temporarily seal unicorn magic. That’s more than a little terrifying. A shame this spell doesn’t seem to exist in the main canon; it’d make Starlight’s early lessons a lot easier.

Well, there was the gateway that suppressed unicorn magic in the Crystal Games, but that may require more than one pony to assemble. I doubt a simple spell could set it up.

Somepony Else’s Problem 1UU
Enchantment
Untapped creatures you control have hexproof.

become pink and have hexproof, surely :raritywink:

Also, that's another Rainboom for the collection!

4789152
And she does seal all of those earth ponies' magic in the Mccolts episode. If you assume that earth ponies' magic is primarily physical.

Vorpal blades go snicker-snack. It's easily confused with jackknives (snickety-snick) and adamantium blades (snikt).

And I believe that's the last we'll be seeing of Katie Cook for the rest of your comic reviews/recaps. It was a shame to see her go from the series. For all her faults, and for all her bad stories, I always considered her one of the better writers at IDW, and the series is all the lesser for having lost her.

Holy crap, Twilight can at least temporarily seal unicorn magic. That’s more than a little terrifying. A shame this spell doesn’t seem to exist in the main canon; it’d make Starlight’s early lessons a lot easier.

I had completely forgotten about this spell, and am now incredibly disappointed that Starlight's reformation arc didn't go exactly like you suggest.

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