My Little Pony XIV: Boots on Hooves / Bikinis on Top

[Kyouhen]

Been there, done that, my friend. That's just the nature of the pony thread. There's been times when I've gone to bed and woke up the next morning with 5+ pages to push through, or had to go do something and come back with a huge amount to go through.

It's just...one of those things you have to deal with about this. You just have to go with the flow and dive in where you can.

I'm going to go through it this week. I've been booked for 3 days of work, which is going to be awesome (Total Recall! Glee) but I'm not likely to be able to look at the pony thread in that time. When my job's done I expect to be coming back to a whole new thread.

[the_druid_droid]

Gonna post this because I like the original song so much:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKD-UI0hbac

Sabaton is great for when you want to listen to self-conciously over-the-top battle themed music

Shameless self-quote to say that the song in that PMV is what I'm imagining as background music to the whole airship thing from now on...

[SiuiS]

I hate you all. All of you. 18 pages?! every time i go to a party... 9 pages. 2 parties ~18 pages. Stay at home, 3-4 pages MAX. 0.0

Im just kidding i actually love you all. But it stinks that i always miss all the fun! D=

hahaha! Oh, sure, Kipling. Beg for the chance to fin'ly thwart me! Bu Ye'll ne'er get a clean shot at me, 'specially not since I made sure ye'd be preoccupied in th' Zebrican Ruins when I made me move!

And the odds of ye bein' a secret guest on somepony else's ship, why, statistically it cannae happen! Nae, ye'r stuck on terra firma whilst me schemin' comes to fruition!

-

I've been doin' some searchin'. I am at a loss. Could somepony find fer me the final NATG entry, wi' the master list o' themes? The mobile version is harder te navigate than the straits of Hedgehog-fandom!

[Kyouhen]

Shameless self-quote to say that the song in that PMV is what I'm imagining as background music to the whole airship thing from now on...

Which reminds me, what's this airship thing anyway?

Also! Before I forget (again). I still haven't been able to figure out a name for pony Kyouhen. Anyone have any suggestions? His special talent is that he's stupidly good at all things stealth and he enjoys being a prankster, Pinkie Pie style. (His jokes are all in good fun and he won't do anything that can't easily be undone and won't be taken as him being mean)

[the_druid_droid]

Which reminds me, what's this airship thing anyway?

The summary is basically that MCerberus and ScionoftheVoid were both shipped in the shipnote with Monocle Luna and started a duel for her affections. This degenerated into airship combat and SiuiS swooped in to rescue the princess from being lost in the battle. Along the way he picked up Midnight and Shimmer, and others have joined in as well, including Grif!Lyra, The Amish Pirate, and myself. Basically, choose a side and jump in to swashbuckling adventure on the edges of the Nightmare Vortices (where we happen to be traveling of late)!

[Kyouhen]

I've been doin' some searchin'. I am at a loss. Could somepony find fer me the final NATG entry, wi' the master list o' themes? The mobile version is harder te navigate than the straits of Hedgehog-fandom!

Here's the master list.

[DeadManSleeping]

Also, this tickled my funny bone for some reason.

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Have you ever tried...

to PUNCH a BIRD?

[mikeejimbo]

Bah, EDH is already not Magic.

I dunno why, I just never liked the idea of that format.

[Raz_Fox]

So, It's A Dangerous Journey finished. I just got done reading the ending.

OHMANOHMANOHMAN

THAT WAS THE GREATEST FIC I'VE EVER READ IN MY LIFE[/chester]

If you haven't read it, go read it. Now.

[color="darkgreen"]ScionoftheVoid, Amish pirate, Druid Droid, Raz_Fox, SSJ4Vegeta, Kairaven, KrisStrife, Alterform, Irbis, Trixie, Crown of Thorns, and Jakhaivah are beyond my Ken.

I am Talespinner, a charming young colt whose stories are almost as well known as his high-strung artistic nature and his tendency to embellish the truth. Like if Fflewddur Fflam was a pony.

Overtly ambitious project: Complete! Have some fanart, pony thread.

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Oh, gosh, I still can't find that Citizen Kane clapping picture. Darnit. Imagine I'm doing it, instead.

I liked SiuiS' idea that deer are elusive like elves.

The fic I'm currently torturously outlining involves an elf-like take on deer, but one that's not overly Tolkienized, which is amusing, because I love Tolkien to bits. No, I'm taking some cues from one of my favorite mythologies...

[Mystic Muse]

Oh, gosh, I still can't find that Citizen Kane clapping picture. Darnit. Imagine I'm doing it, instead.

There you go.

[tonberrian]

I just want to say that I, tonberrian, am not dead. My week was hectic and I'm trying to catch up with the thread.

This is difficolt because the thread is growing faster than I can read it. After reading like ten pages, I now have 30 to go rather than 20. Still, after I catch up on other fast moving threads, this one should be easier.

Though I may be a full thread behind at that point.

Or two.

[Thanqol]

I just started sketching out the 'relationship chart' on paper so I can start getting an idea on what it's going to look like. Uh....it's kinda...going to be massive. And quite interconnected.

...

Does anyone know a good freeware chartmaking program? That might make my job a lot easier here...

You know, the whole thing with Metal Mask's secret identity was at least partially designed to muddy the waters for that particular project. Bwuahahahaha!

So I was poking around Equestria Daily.

It's Always Sunny in Fillydelphia has 31 fanfiction reviews, 71 Equestria Daily comments, 198 stars and an average rating of 5.

That may be more stars than my other fanfics combined, excluding Fair Feather.

I am absolutely blown away. Apparently despite resisting it so long, shipfics are the way to go.

I was going to wait for it to tick up to 200 (if it ever will, who knows), but I had to share my glee the only way I know how: Simpsons references.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av8NTy5WkFc

Thanks once again to everyone who helped me with that one. This is a testament to people knowing when I'm being stupid and calling me out on it.

Hey, always welcome man I read and review less fanfics than I'd like, so the ones I do go through I try to make it my business to provide comprehensive commentary.

Congratulations on the success level!

Kind of how Australia is supposed to be some hellish desert populated with animals taken straight from a madman's nightmare that hunt the population in their sleep.

That's why we don't sleep, man.

All references to farms in Australia are bloody lies!

"Farms" just means "Places where the wildlife is slightly less likely to kill you"

Oh, my turn, my turn! For me, Out In The Cold recently rolled over 200 votes (currently at 205 votes and 176 comments), although it's lower than your average at 4.8.

But, here's the thing: Moonlight Over Midnight is currently at 153 votes, at 4.9. (64 Comments)

Out In The Cold took four parts and three months to get 205 votes.

Moonlight Over Midnight has taken a week and a half and one part to make it to three-quarters of the votes that Out In The Cold did.

Which says that, in my case, while shipping is the way to go, apparently the better way is to write about the offspring of that shipping!

(So, yes, like darthbobcat, this is also sort of a thank you to everyone who helped me too.)

Part of that is because the fic reading population of EqDaily has expanded massively; back in THE DAY 30 ratings was a lot.

The way I figure this whole rating/star thing is that I got one 6-star under my belt and that means I'm done as far as trying to impress people goes. I've proved to myself I can write the kind of thing that the masses will like, which means that I no longer need to drive myself in that direction. Now I can write something more casual, artsy, and stuffed with self reference and OCs like the Old Stories series. Speaking of, I should totally finish that.

Now I feel all self-conscious with all the 6-stars you guys are getting. /jelly



I swear, I will get one someday. (Most probably never.)

But seriously, if you want 6 stars, write a Luna fic. Take a stroll down the archives - there's like 3 Rarity 6stars and 20 Luna 6stars. I suspect, just a little, that the fandom might be manipulatable.

Um... Hi again! Thread and posters.

Could I trouble you all for some general thoughts about running a game which is centered around ponies? My Little Pony style ponies, but not the actual characters, is more what I'm looking for. Any thoughts about cute, nice, happy, and sweet things ( romance not accepted (!) ) that could be put in a play-by-post game related to Ponytars and the Epic Power of Cute?


And, yes, I've been watching the thread. It does speed by sometimes.




EDIT:
Grif, that is an hilarious image!

There is a MLP freeform on GiantITP over here. Romance is kind of accepted though My experiences with the game, and my general philosophy, suggest:

- Always have a noncombat resolution to a problem available. Never start a fight that can't be ended without KO'ing the other guy.
- Characters and their interactions are important for this. Rather than designing an endless series of outside antagonists, talk over at the start of the session 'today I think we should explore the rivalry between darthbobcat and Thanqol'. As a GM/ST you provide the context and background events.
- This means knowing your characters really well
- Make sure the world warps in order to make seemingly nonviable skills solutions to problems. In the real world, fashion is a fairly useless talent as far as adventuring is concerned, but in Ponyheim, the dragon is totally camp and into the moustache fashion scene.

[darthbobcat]

http://ganton3.deviantart.com/#/d3lncr2 And they improved on perfection!

[Rebelhero]

hahaha! Oh, sure, Kipling. Beg for the chance to fin'ly thwart me! Bu Ye'll ne'er get a clean shot at me, 'specially not since I made sure ye'd be preoccupied in th' Zebrican Ruins when I made me move!

And the odds of ye bein' a secret guest on somepony else's ship, why, statistically it cannae happen! Nae, ye'r stuck on terra firma whilst me schemin' comes to fruition!

*blinks looking around* Errrr.....one minute im digging in some ancient ruins and the next I'm bondage style in a... Is this a pirate ship?! ARE THOSE CUPCAKES?! This is why ma and pop told me not to take Adventuring as a profession. -sigh-

[the_druid_droid]

http://ganton3.deviantart.com/#/d3lncr2 And they improved on perfection!

Congratulations. It's official. The buttons pushed me over the edge. I now love Derpy.

Attention thread: Derpy is best pony!

[darthbobcat]

*blinks looking around* Errrr.....one minute im digging in some ancient ruins and the next I'm bondage style in a... Is this a pirate ship?! ARE THOSE CUPCAKES?! This is why ma and pop told me not to take Adventuring as a profession. -sigh-

Don't look at me. I've had three executive summaries and I still have no idea what this is, how to participate or even whether to participate.

[MCerberus]

Pony Fortress 2 update: It seems some mysterious stranger decided to assist me in taunting snipers

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[Kyouhen]

Don't look at me. I've had three executive summaries and I still have no idea what this is, how to participate or even whether to participate.

All in favour of starting a neutral 4th party?

[EsperDerek]

You know, the whole thing with Metal Mask's secret identity was at least partially designed to muddy the waters for that particular project. Bwuahahahaha

...

I-I have to go curl up and weep in a corner somewhere now.

Part of that is because the fic reading population of EqDaily has expanded massively; back in THE DAY 30 ratings was a lot.

The way I figure this whole rating/star thing is that I got one 6-star under my belt and that means I'm done as far as trying to impress people goes. I've proved to myself I can write the kind of thing that the masses will like, which means that I no longer need to drive myself in that direction. Now I can write something more casual, artsy, and stuffed with self reference and OCs like the Old Stories series. Speaking of, I should totally finish that.

Oh, no, you're right on both accounts. It's something I've already deduced, I was more pointing that out for a teasing statement than anything.

But seriously, if you want 6 stars, write a Luna fic. Take a stroll down the archives - there's like 3 Rarity 6stars and 20 Luna 6stars. I suspect, just a little, that the fandom might be manipulatable.

Oh, the fandom is incredibly manipulatable. Here's what you need to do to get six stars:

Note: This advice is a little mean.

a) Your Genre: Comedy or Sad. Either aim for "funny", or aim to make Grave of the Fireflies look funny. "Epic Adventures" are good, too, but they take actual effort to make look not bad. Much easier to either make bad jokes or pile on the tragedy.

b) Your Character: Luna, Luna, Luna. Always take Luna as your first choice. Hell, even if you're not using her, be sure to include her in your blurb anyways.

c) Your Length: Short, but many chapters! Six chapters of five pages is better than one chapter of thirty pages. Why? Because you get more cracks at the top of the blog, of course!

There's more, I'm sure, but you're getting the picture and I don't want to be too mean here.

[Rebelhero]

All in favour of starting a neutral 4th party?

Abandon all hope, all ye who enter. But i say screw it! Jump in. Madness means never having to say you're sorry.

[darthbobcat]

All in favour of starting a neutral 4th party?

Welcome to Honest Bobcat's Arms Depot! We sell to both sides!

Ropes? Bombs? WMDs? You want it? It's yours my friend, as long as you've got the bits.

...


I'm sorry, Siuis, but I can't give credit. Come back when you're a little MMMM richer.

Also, Esper, one of seriously needs to write that sellout fic I devised.

Derpy falls in love with Luna. This makes Dinky sad. Rainbow Dash makes out with everypony. Doctor Whooves saves the day.

[Grif]

Abandon all hope, all ye who enter. But i say screw it! Jump in. Madness means never having to say you're sorry.

That's the spirit lad!

Lyra, why the hay are we on this airship again?
No idea.

[darthbobcat]

That's the spirit lad!

Lyra, why the hay are we on this airship again?
No idea.

Grif, you're starting to worry me...

[Kyouhen]

Welcome to Honest Bobcat's Arms Depot! We sell to both sides!

Ropes? Bombs? WMDs? You want it? It's yours my friend, as long as you've got the bits.

...


I'm sorry, Siuis, but I can't give credit. Come back when you're a little MMMM richer.

And I'm his partner, Completely Trustworthy Kyouhen! Make sure to buy insurance on all your purchases, you never know when an accident can happen on the battlefield!

*Steals a wing from the nearest aircraft*

Good news folks, due to a mistake in the orders, we seem to have more wings than needed! All wings are on sale!

[the_druid_droid]

And I'm his partner, Completely Trustworthy Kyouhen! Make sure to buy insurance on all your purchases, you never know when an accident can happen on the battlefield!

*Steals a wing from the nearest aircraft*

Good news folks, due to a mistake in the orders, we seem to have more wings than needed! All wings are on sale!

Oh, convenient! I'll take three; you never know when hastily-modified wings will keep you from becoming cog salad!

[EsperDerek]

That's the spirit lad!

Lyra, why the hay are we on this airship again?
No idea.

Midnight: You came crashing in thinking I was my Mom, remember?!

[Rebelhero]

That's the spirit lad!

Lyra, why the hay are we on this airship again?
No idea.

Hey! minty one! W-with a shot gun... S-standing on 2 legs? Little help. please?

(trying out colors.... SlateGrey? or Deepskyblue? )

[Betropper]

Welcome to Honest Bobcat's Arms Depot! We sell to both sides!

Ropes? Bombs? WMDs? You want it? It's yours my friend, as long as you've got the bits.

...


I'm sorry, Siuis, but I can't give credit. Come back when you're a little MMMM richer.

I approve of this

[the_druid_droid]

Hey! minty one! W-with a shot gun... S-standing on 2 legs? Little help. please?

(trying out colors.... SlateGrey? or Deepskyblue? )

I vote blue; it's a bit easier to read.

[Thanqol]

Oh, gosh, I still can't find that Citizen Kane clapping picture. Darnit. Imagine I'm doing it, instead.

I tried drawing Talespinner without a tie. I just couldnae do it. The tie is fundamental to my perception of you.

...

I-I have to go curl up and weep in a corner somewhere now.

The corner booth of despair is available, ma'am, may we take your order?

Oh, the fandom is incredibly manipulatable. Here's what you need to do to get six stars:

Note: This advice is a little mean.

a) Your Genre: Comedy or Sad. Either aim for "funny", or aim to make Grave of the Fireflies look funny. "Epic Adventures" are good, too, but they take actual effort to make look not bad. Much easier to either make bad jokes or pile on the tragedy.

b) Your Character: Luna, Luna, Luna. Always take Luna as your first choice. Hell, even if you're not using her, be sure to include her in your blurb anyways.

c) Your Length: Short, but many chapters! Six chapters of five pages is better than one chapter of thirty pages. Why? Because you get more cracks at the top of the blog, of course!

There's more, I'm sure, but you're getting the picture and I don't want to be too mean here.

Make a system and ponies'll game it. Laws of the universe.

Also, Esper, one of seriously needs to write that sellout fic I devised.

Derpy falls in love with Luna. This makes Dinky sad. Rainbow Dash makes out with everypony. Doctor Whooves saves the day.

I think somepony has to do this before somepony does it straight. Before it's too late!