Hi, everypony, and welcome to another episode of Twilight Tries!
In today’s episode, I’m going to try…creating a comic strip!
Oooh I’m just so excited for today’s episode because I’ve always wanted to try creating my very own comic strip!
*SQUEE*
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Hehe.
Sorry about that overzealous introduction, everypony. It’s just…for as long as I can remember I’ve loved reading the comics in the Sunday paper every week and had a desire to try my hoof at creating one of those comics myself. And now I’m actually doing it!
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Oh I was not obsessed with reading the Sunday comics, Spike. I just really liked reading them is all.
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Yes I know I was reading comics during that incident with you and the hornet’s nest when you were younger, but that was just a coincidence. I mean, I’m sure if I’d been reading anything I still wouldn’t have heard you screaming.
Wait, that came out wrong.
Look, the point I’m trying to make here is that I’m not obsessed with reading comic strips, okay? Now can we please move on?
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Thank you.
So anywhoo, everypony, if you’ll follow me over here you’ll see the workstation I’ve set up for this episode.
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See? I’ve got my parchment, graphite pencils, magic eraser, and tortillons all ready to go.
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Oh, tortillons are cylindrical drawing tools made of rolled paper, Spike. They’re used to smudge or blend marks and are sometimes referred to as blender stamps, but I like calling them tortillons because I think it’s a fun word to say.
Tortillons.
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Tooortillons.
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Tooortilllons.
Such a fun word.
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Why is the eraser magic?
Well obviously the eraser needs to be magic, Spike. Have you ever tried to erase something using a regular eraser? It never works well enough and no matter how hard you try you can always still see some of what you were trying to erase. That’s why I took the liberty of using my magic to make this eraser much more effective.
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Well, no, I haven’t tried it out yet. But come on, Spike, it’s just an eraser. It’s not like an eraser can do much harm to anypony, even if it is magic.
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Oh for –
Fine, Spike. If you want to stand all the way over there then be my guest. Just give me the camera, will you?
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So sorry about that, everypony. Spike’s just been a little on edge around magical items ever since that proton accelerator irradiated the castle a little while back.
Even though the proton accelerator wasn’t a magical item.
Anyways, since we’ve got everything we need to create our comic, let’s get to it!
*SQUEE*
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I have no idea what to do.
S-So, um…it appears that in my eagerness to create a comic strip I neglected to actually come up with an idea for what the comic strip should be about.
But you know what, everypony, this is fine. In fact, this is better than fine. This is great! Now we can explore more of the creative process together!
That should be fun, right?
Now then, to start off I think we should consider the setting of the comic. So where should this comic take place?
Hmm.
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You think a medieval setting would be fun, Spike?
Well I would agree with that, but I don’t think I could come up with very many comics if I went with a medieval setting. I’m not that big on medieval time periods.
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Oh, hi, Starlight. We’re just trying to think of a good setting for a comic strip I’m looking to create.
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You think an office setting would be good because a lot of ponies work in an office? Ooh, that’s a good idea!
Wait, no, that wouldn’t work either. An office setting would imply white-collar humor, and since I’ve never worked in an office before I don’t know the first thing about that.
Huh. I think I just gave myself an idea for a future vlog episode.
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Moondancer?! What are you doing here?
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O-Oh. That was today?
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Um, s-sorry, Moondancer. I must have written down the wrong date in my planner for our philosophical study of metaphysics together. The only thing I had in there for today was this vlog episode I’m doing right now where I try and create a comic strip.
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Oh, well you see this is a little embarrassing to admit, but I got ahead of myself and didn’t think of an idea for the comic strip before beginning the episode. So right now I’m trying to think of one, starting with where the comic should take place.
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You think it should take place in a home setting?
Ooh, that’s a good idea! Some of my favorite comic strips take place in a home setting, and it’s one that allows for a multitude of humorous situations!
Thanks, Moondancer!
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Okay, that doesn’t look too bad.
I admit I’m no Poncasso, but for a comic strip it looks good enough.
Now to figure out the characters and the theme.
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You think I should make the comic about your cat, Moondancer?
Yeeeeah, I don’t know. I’m pretty sure there’s already a well-known and beloved comic strip about a cat.
Plus when did you get a cat?
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You think it should be about a teenager who deals with the challenges of growing up in a surrealist manner, Starlight?
Yeah, again, I’m pretty sure that’s already been done.
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A comic about a boy and his plush toy has already been done too, Spike.
And even if it hadn’t, I’d be hesitant to do a comic based off you and your Rarity plushie anyways.
*SIGH*
This is quickly becoming much harder than I’d originally thought. I just assumed that because I loved comic strips so much that I’d be able to create one of my very own, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. It seems like all the good ideas have already been done, probably due to the fact that comic strips have existed for such a long time.
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I should just do a comic strip about what I know?
Huh. That’s…actually a really good suggestion. Thanks, Pinkie!
Wait.
Pinkie?! When did you get here?!
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You’ve been here this whole time?!
That’s…unsettling.
Okay, well, I think I’m just going to try and write a comic strip based on what I know now.
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Um, can everypony please give me a little bit of space? It’s hard to draw when I can feel three ponies and a dragon breathing on me.
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Thank you.
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All right, I think I’m done.
Well, what do you all think?
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What do you mean what is it about, Starlight? It’s about friendship, obviously.
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How could you possibly interpret this as being anti-friendship?! It’s clearly presenting the benefits of harmony through a combination of meta-humor and social commentary!
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Thank you, Spike!
At least somepony here gets it.
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Um, thanks, Pinkie. I’m glad you really like the lamp I drew in the background.
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Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right, Moondancer. There’s a random mark protruding from the horn of the unicorn I drew. I better erase it.
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There we – what?! How come I can still see some of the mark?!
Guess I didn’t erase it hard enough.
*GRUNT*
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Ugh! Why isn’t my magic eraser erasing this mark completely?!
Maybe…maybe I just didn’t add enough magic to it? Yeah, that’s gotta be it! I just need more magic!
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I know what I’m doing, Moondancer! Now let me power-up my eraser!
*MAGIC INTENSIFYING*
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There!
Now, you annoying little mark, you’re getting erased once and for all!
*HEAVY GRUNTING*
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Oh…oh my.
Um, so it…it would appear that I’ve successfully erased that random mark, but it would also appear I’ve inadvertently erased part of my parchment in the process. And…part of my desk too. And part of…I dunno, the fabric of space?
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Well how else do you explain the eerie white void that appeared where I was just erasing, Starlight? I don’t know how this is possible but somehow my magic eraser has erased part of space itself, leaving behind this…this pure nothingness.
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Spike, if you finish that sentence with the words ‘I told you so’ I swear I’m going confiscate all your comic books!
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Oh please, Moondancer. If anything this would’ve been worse if I’d made the comic about your cat.
I’m terrible at drawing cats. They always come out looking like raccoons.
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*SIGH*
Yes, Pinkie, the nothingness is very pretty.
Now can we all please focus on how we’re going to fix this?!
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Oh, yeah. Good point, Starlight.
Well, everypony, I think we’ve reached the end of this episode since I seem to have accidentally broken a facet of reality as we know it. So as always, thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time on Twilight Tries!
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No, Pinkie! Don’t touch the hole in the fabric of space!