My Little Pony XCV: I am (Finally) Become Pancakes!

[Dexam]

Spoiler: Buckball episode

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Right through the target... what variety are those apples?

Zen-master Snails is the best thing.

Fluttershy has critters living in her tail and mane, controlling the ball - clearly that is the only explanation.

Is it just me, or is Fluttershy getting a lot more variation in her expressions lately?

A pretty good episode: I just don't think about it/10

[Aotrs Commander]

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I liked this one! All the notes worked and I appreciated how Rainbow and Applejack didn't get jealous when they realized Pinkie and Fluttershy were better. They just seamlessly swallowed their pride and handed the position over, which was an enlightened move that contrasted with their later mistake.

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While I am less inclined to forgive the latter point, it was the former that elevated it from what I would have considered very mediocre or wrose to above average. Still not a fan, but it definitely had it's moments.

[DigoDragon]

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Concur. While I think the production values and character bits (e.g. Flutters blowing up on RD and AJ) elevated it very slightly above the average level of this season, it wasn't a good pony episode (but in it's defence, it was't a truly bad one, either.)

Spoiler: Buckball Denver Broncos

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Seems to be the thing with a lot of these episodes in my opinion. Production/Character is carrying the episode because the story is pretty weaksauce.

I'll even admit that is the case with Trixie's episode no Second Prances. The interactions between Twi/Trix/Star were really good, but the overall story was kind of eh. I keep watching it for how nicely Starlight and Trixie hit it off in their conversations.

Spoiler: New Episode

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I get the Earth Pony and Pegasus job, but the need for unicorns escapes me; are the extra buckets viable way to get a point? If so, why aren't they guarded?

Spoiler: Buckball Tampa Bay Buckaneers

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After watching the game part again, I do think having more players per team would make it more fun. As for unicorns, they can move the buckets far easier with their magic than if they had to hold it in their hooves.

Spoiler: New episode

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sorry about being late but managed to watch it.
It reminded me of what happens to trophy kids and bring pushed to succeed.

Spoiler: Buckball Indianapolis Colts

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I played baseball little league as a kid. Never was really pushed to succeed in it, which was probably glad for cause I wasn't that good at it.

Buckball:

Spoiler

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Fluttershy cheats using her hair extensions.

Spoiler: Buckball Buffalo Bills

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Haha, I didn't think of that. XD

Good one. Yeah seemed weird to see Flutters use her hair to wisk the ball back around like she's some martial arts master.

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Funny thing there on a rewatch - AJ says something like "Braeburn's persuaded a pegasus and a unicorn to appear on his team" like it's a massive advantage for him and almost unsporting (albeit legal). Unless it's just an obscure game the Apples know a lot about and few others do.

Spoiler: Buckball Detrot Lions

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Well it was an obscure game. No one in Ponyville knew what it was until AJ and Dash explained it to everyone. but it is odd to say Brae got a Pegasus and Unicorn and suddenly that's how it's played. Ah well, just another oddity with the story.

Spoiler: Buckball!

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+ I can understand Pinkie being a natural. Fast reflexes + Pinkie Sense + great balance. Fluttershy, on the other hoof.. Maybe her protective instinct? Or pure luck?

Spoiler: Buckball Neigh York Giants

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Flutters is good because the storyline demands it. Really only explanation I got. :3

[zimmerwald1915]

Spoiler: Buckball episode

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Right through the target... what variety are those apples?

Spoiler: Buckball Season

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Probably the same variety AJ intended to use on the dragon in Dragonshy.

My only complaint with this episode is that they could have spared a minute or so explaining why Starlight and Rarity weren't in the trials (Twilight's right out for obvious reasons). Other than that, it was perfectly serviceable, and respected the characters' development over time. This may be Skelly's first FiM credit, but she knows her business which is more than I can say for most of this season's stable of writers.

Geez, I can't wait for the movie to be over.

[Toastkart]

Spoiler: buckball season

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Taken by itself, this was a pretty good episode. The train car scene was the best, but the action montage and the game itself were pretty good too. Not a huge fan of the expressions though. They're almost so exaggerated they don't look like ponies anymore.

Spoiler: Buckball Denver Broncos

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Seems to be the thing with a lot of these episodes in my opinion. Production/Character is carrying the episode because the story is pretty weaksauce.

I'll even admit that is the case with Trixie's episode no Second Prances. The interactions between Twi/Trix/Star were really good, but the overall story was kind of eh. I keep watching it for how nicely Starlight and Trixie hit it off in their conversations.

Spoiler: buckball

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This is what I think has been plaguing this season (and even parts of last season) of the show. They're trying too hard to hang their hat on the character moments, which are generally well done, but they're trying to save time by having the plot and moral lesson be the same. And that really doesn't work out that well when the lesson is one we've seen before. Heck, sometimes the plots are ones we've seen before.

[Aotrs Commander]

Spent most of day working through Black Plague and the aftermath.

Naturaly, as soon as it ended, I got hit with more dissaes...

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It spread across basically the whole world before dying out - except, bizarrely, Africa.

I managed to squeeze in a quick blitz up through Europe, before I had to stop and rest.

I managed to get Lich killed off (with a bit of reloading) by pnumonia and medial malpractice, so at least one good thing came out of the new DLC... Going to try to avoid female rulers in future, it makes the job of setting up the next heir very difficult. (With a male, you can keep having children quite late; ideally you want to have a big long reign and then pop out a sprog in your sixties of seventies, raise 'em to adulthood and then popo you clogs. With females, fertility means you have much less time to work with).

Still, progress...

[DigoDragon]

Dang... Fimfiction has no way to format different fonts into your stories, does it?

I was using a different font to represent when characters were texting messages. Worked beautifully on my Google docs. Hmm... well maybe if I use font colors?


Daughter is over her cold at least. My paternal reflexes passed the... err, well the non-detailed version is that my daughter was swallowing too much fluid from her nose and her stomach decided to rebel. Ah, being a father.

Spoiler: Buckball Season

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Probably the same variety AJ intended to use on the dragon in Dragonshy.

My only complaint with this episode is that they could have spared a minute or so explaining why Starlight and Rarity weren't in the trials (Twilight's right out for obvious reasons).

Spoiler: Buckball Season

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Big McIntosh apples?

I remember AJ saying something to the unicorns about being the only ones interested in trying the sport?

Spoiler: buckball

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And that really doesn't work out that well when the lesson is one we've seen before. Heck, sometimes the plots are ones we've seen before.

Spoiler: Buckball Season

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Yeah there are definitely some repeats going on this season.

[otakuryoga]

Spoiler: Buckball Indianapolis Colts

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I played baseball little league as a kid. Never was really pushed to succeed in it, which was probably glad for cause I wasn't that good at it.

Spoiler: Seaddle Seahawks

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but was that before the "everybody gets a trophy" , "we dont even keep score so there wont be any 'losers' " period started?

[t209]

Spent most of day working through Black Plague and the aftermath.

Naturaly, as soon as it ended, I got hit with more dissaes...

Spoiler

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It spread across basically the whole world before dying out - except, bizarrely, Africa.

I managed to squeeze in a quick blitz up through Europe, before I had to stop and rest.

I managed to get Lich killed off (with a bit of reloading) by pnumonia and medial malpractice, so at least one good thing came out of the new DLC... Going to try to avoid female rulers in future, it makes the job of setting up the next heir very difficult. (With a male, you can keep having children quite late; ideally you want to have a big long reign and then pop out a sprog in your sixties of seventies, raise 'em to adulthood and then popo you clogs. With females, fertility means you have much less time to work with).

Still, progress...

Well, it's always hard to invade interiors of Africa, tropical disease and heat.

[Pendulous]

Spoiler: On Fluttershy in the new episode

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The reason Fluttershy did well at Buckball was due to confidence. She doesn't have any. And she probably never tries anything new because she assumes she'll be bad at it. So when she, yes, got lucky, and blocked a couple shots, she started to feel good about herself, for once in her damn life (no, I'm not equating this to real life at all, shut up!). So she built up some confidence, and actually gave it a shot. And yes, again, her hair extensions are cheat.

[Forum Explorer]

This season is like... they want to do something new and awesome, but they don't want to break status quo. So the new and awesome is more "They kind of did this before and it's just okay this time."

I kinda feel like we've got some new writers who've watched S1 and last Season but didn't have time to watch the rest, so they just read the synopsis of the episodes instead.

[DigoDragon]

Haven't hit 'Submit' yet to go live, but you can still read it here~

Shadowtrot, a fanfic about the Equestrian cyberpunk future.

I need to get a cover image done for it.

I kinda feel like we've got some new writers who've watched S1 and last Season but didn't have time to watch the rest, so they just read the synopsis of the episodes instead.

That is a good observation. With so many episodes about friendship lessons done, it's too easy to repeat stuff if you haven't watched the whole series. And even then...

Spoiler: On Fluttershy in the new episode

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The reason Fluttershy did well at Buckball was due to confidence. She doesn't have any. And she probably never tries anything new because she assumes she'll be bad at it. So when she, yes, got lucky, and blocked a couple shots, she started to feel good about herself, for once in her damn life (no, I'm not equating this to real life at all, shut up!). So she built up some confidence, and actually gave it a shot. And yes, again, her hair extensions are cheat.

Spoiler: Buckshy Flutterball

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Even then, confidence doesn't make one do that well at a sport you never heard of until that day. So it is obvious that those extensions give her mad cheating Buckball skills. :3

Spoiler: Seaddle Seahawks

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but was that before the "everybody gets a trophy" , "we dont even keep score so there wont be any 'losers' " period started?

Spoiler: In the Old Days...

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It was! While everyone got a little baseball pin to wear for participating (and a slice of pizza), only the top three teams got full on medals for their victory. Scores were kept and posted, and everyone was told about good sportsmanship when losing. Honestly, I didn't care that my team was second to last, I got pizza.

[Pilum]

Spoiler: Buckshy Flutterball

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Even then, confidence doesn't make one do that well at a sport you never heard of until that day. So it is obvious that those extensions give her mad cheating Buckball skills. :3

Spoiler: Princess' Park Rangers

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... No. Not just the extensions. It's the unnaturally prehensile tail from her flutterbat heritage. She's the pony Caster Semenya of buckball

[Manga Shoggoth]

Haven't hit 'Submit' yet to go live, but you can still read it here~

Shadowtrot, a fanfic about the Equestrian cyberpunk future.

I need to get a cover image done for it.

Looks good so far - how long do you expect it to be?

[SKarious]

Spoiler: Princess' Park Rangers

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... No. Not just the extensions. It's the unnaturally prehensile tail from her flutterbat heritage. She's the pony Caster Semenya of buckball

Spoiler: Flutterbuck

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Y'know? This could work. You have a point there
Her vampire fruitbat genes could make it easier for her to identify and home in on falling round red objects.

[DigoDragon]

Spoiler: Princess' Park Rangers

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... No. Not just the extensions. It's the unnaturally prehensile tail from her flutterbat heritage. She's the pony Caster Semenya of buckball

Spoiler: Flutterbuck

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Y'know? This could work. You have a point there
Her vampire fruitbat genes could make it easier for her to identify and home in on falling round red objects.

Spoiler: Buckball Canon Power

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Haha, well you two sold me on this. XD

I'm envisioning an undefeated batpony team too. AJ decides to break out the secret weapon...

Looks good so far - how long do you expect it to be?

Quite long. It's loosely based off a campaign I ran, and I have the outline set up to make it an epic tale. Like one of those big long-runner stories.

...did not intend the pun, but intended the pun.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Haven't hit 'Submit' yet to go live, but you can still read it here~

Shadowtrot, a fanfic about the Equestrian cyberpunk future.

I need to get a cover image done for it.

Grinning from ear to ear at the return of a certain pirate. Looking forward to more.

[Pilum]

Spoiler: Buckball Canon Power

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I'm envisioning an undefeated batpony team too. AJ decides to break out the secret weapon...

Spoiler: Trotmere Rovers

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Gasp! Not... The brown balls????

[McNum]

Haven't hit 'Submit' yet to go live, but you can still read it here~

Shadowtrot, a fanfic about the Equestrian cyberpunk future.

I need to get a cover image done for it.

I almost feel sorry for Switchblade now. Is her introduction always having cracked her horn?

Also, for some reason, the word "trotters" sounds dirty to me, but I can't figure out why.

[DigoDragon]

Grinning from ear to ear at the return of a certain pirate. Looking forward to more.

Yay! I definitly look forward to every time I get to sit down and write this story. This one is loads of fun to work on.

Spoiler: Trotmere Rovers

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Gasp! Not... The brown balls????

Spoiler: Buckball... colored... um...

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Wait, brown? Why would... that... the thing is... but...

I almost feel sorry for Switchblade now. Is her introduction always having cracked her horn?

Also, for some reason, the word "trotters" sounds dirty to me, but I can't figure out why.

It does seem like a terrible running gag, doesn't it?

Um... I have no idea why it sounds that way to you. For once in my life I seem not to be in the gutter. ^^;

[gomipile]

Spoiler: Buckball... colored... um...

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Wait, brown? Why would... that... the thing is... but...

Spoiler

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<points at one opposing team member> "This pony's got the right idea. He brought the brown buckballs."

[McNum]

It does seem like a terrible running gag, doesn't it?

Um... I have no idea why it sounds that way to you. For once in my life I seem not to be in the gutter. ^^;

Hmm, I think... wasn't there an episode where Flim and Flam tried to sell a miracle tonic that would cure anything, and one of those was "the trots" which I can only imagine being the pony equivalent of the runs... as in diarrhea. Of course that does seem equially horrible to be a runner or a trotter in that case, but it makes shadowrunning sound more like trying to find the bathroom in the dark because you don't have time to look for the light switch at night.

I think I'll stop before that train of thought goes anywhere even more horrible and/or disgusting. And, um... sorry if you can't see the word "Shadowrun" as something not related to a toilet joke anymore.

[Aotrs Commander]

So, watching Pokémopn Diamond and Pearl, I can't quite figure out whether Dawn is as hard as freakin' nails tanking round in the snow in her short skirt or... Why else a ten-year old girl should be depicted as tanking around in weather inappropriate gear. (Well, bad places only result from that.)

Bloody solid Pokémon series, otherwise, though. Even most of the fillers with Team Rocket being the sole problem are usually pretty well executed and don't feel all that much like filler.

[DigoDragon]

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<points at one opposing team member> "This pony's got the right idea. He brought the brown buckballs."

Hmm, maybe I'm... oh wait, I think I get it now. Okay. ^^;

Deadpool reference, right?

Hmm, I think... wasn't there an episode where Flim and Flam tried to sell a miracle tonic that would cure anything, and one of those was "the trots" which I can only imagine being the pony equivalent of the runs... as in diarrhea.

That was also an actual slang term for the condition in the old American frontier.

I think I'll stop before that train of thought goes anywhere even more horrible and/or disgusting. And, um... sorry if you can't see the word "Shadowrun" as something not related to a toilet joke anymore.

Well, my brain is forever ruined.

I can't quite figure out whether Dawn is as hard as freakin' nails tanking round in the snow in her short skirt or... Why else a ten-year old girl should be depicted as tanking around in weather inappropriate gear.

Maybe she's from Michigan? Everyone I know from there seems to have Cold Resist 20.

[Topaz]

Digo, how about "Shadowcanter"? Kind of trips off the tongue.

[zimmerwald1915]

Digo, how about "Shadowcanter"? Kind of trips off the tongue.

Cute

But in all seriousness, I think Digo's original choice is fine. And if the gait used is to be changed at all, it should remain one syllable to maintain the parallel to Shadowrun. A point of interest: it seems "lope" is another name for canter.

[Pilum]

Spoiler: Buckball... colored... um...

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Wait, brown? Why would... that... the thing is... but...

Spoiler: rainjoke crash

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yeah... I'll have to admit I put logic in the way of the joke there. I was going with "red balls=apples so brown = rotten apples and the bats avoid them". Was never really happy with it and I should have just gone with something like "gasp! Not..? But..? You fiend!" But we're all geniuses with hindsight (or by getting the edit in before anyone notices!). Ho hum.

[DigoDragon]

Digo, how about "Shadowcanter"? Kind of trips off the tongue.

Cute

Hee hee. It sounds nice, but then what is a member of the profession called?

Shadowrun --> Runner
Shadowtrot --> Trotter
Shadowcanter --> ?

A point of interest: it seems "lope" is another name for canter.

Hmm, I had forgotten that one. Neat!

Spoiler: rainjoke crash

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yeah... I'll have to admit I put logic in the way of the joke there. I was going with "red balls=apples so brown = rotten apples and the bats avoid them". Was never really happy with it and I should have just gone with something like "gasp! Not..? But..? You fiend!" But we're all geniuses with hindsight (or by getting the edit in before anyone notices!). Ho hum.

Spoiler: The Joke

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The logic is there, I can see that now. Wasn't what I came to the conclusion of. ^^;

[Balmas]

Welp, it's Tuesday! And somehow, despite having internet for most of that time, I just never got around to watching New Pony until a few hours ago.

I will say that while the plot is so so, the lesson is pretty good. And the faces... Oh, sweet everything that is good, the faces and the animation are fantastic.

Spoiler: New Faces, now in Gif Form

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I also liked that when it came down to expressing the problem, it was Fluttershy who opened up with the rant.

Call it a B. Might have been lower, but I was having fun throughout.

EDIT: I would also like to declare that dancing Pinkie with pompom hair is approximately 3000% the best thing.


Also, now that I look back, I just realized that we got a shot in-show of Fluttershy raising her tail. The fandom's going to have fun with that...

EDIT EDIT:
That is all.

[meto30]

Busy now that the school is back on, but I managed to finish a third Minecraft Megaproject dedicated to Ponies. This one is for Princess Cadance, and is named Basilica Amorosa Sanctae Cadentiae.

Spoiler: Basilica Amorosa Sanctae Cadentiae

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