My Little Pony LXV: Stand Back, I'm a Registered Princess!

[Deadly]

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That makes sense, but my main point is that Bonbon's actions don't synch up with what I'd expect of a character that not only has bags for every occasion at her house, but has even gone as far as leaving some with her friends just in case.There's a lot of difference between keeping a candy bag handy for all those rotten little kids that come to the candy store, and keeping at least eight saddlebags packed for any situation that might pop up. I'd see her doing something like bringing the papers that confirm Lyra was lying when Bonbon decided to confront her, or being Ponyville's emergency preparedness leader person. Maybe Pinkie's stash of eyepatches for eyepatch emergencies started with a conversation with Bonbon. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that the story portrays this as a fairly important character trait, but there wasn't enough build-up to establish it as one. If it isn't going to have any effect on the story beyond what it has currently accomplished however, it may be better to leave as is.

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It's just a character trait similar to Dash being competitive and fond of showing off, which isn't usually plot-critical in any way but comes up frequently (but not constantly) when Dash is on screen. Same here. It's meant to establish Bonbon as a bit of a geek in her own way.

I suppose I could add a quick note that she grabs something on the way to the scene of the crash, only to find that she didn't need it after all.

[meto30]

Project: Sunflower? I haven't heard of it. Mind giving me a quick synopsis?

It's basically a Human in Equestria story, with a teeny bit of Pony in Earth. Earth in the near future is subject to a mysterious extraterrestrial threat known as the Black Tide that threatens to destroy humanity in a few years. In order to facilitate a mass exodus of mankind, a top secret science project called Project Harmonics is initiated to open a portal to another world. They stumble upon Equestria, but since it is already inhabited, they decide to send a volunteer in first to scout the area and study the aboriginal ponies' society and technological levels. The catch is, they don't just send in a human. Through the marvels of science, they give the human volunteer a body that closely resembles that of a pony, so she can blend in.

The story follows the protagonist, the volunteer who got turned into a pseudo-pony, named Erin (pony name Sunflower). Her objective: study the ponies while remaining undetected. Her time limit: eight months. Humanity's time is running out - if they cannot come to a peaceful contact and agreement with the native ponies, they will move in anyways, guns blazing. On Erin's hands (hooves) rests the fate of not only mankind, but ponykind as well.

....that's the synopsis. It is already finished, by the way, and can be found in FiMFiction.net.

[MLai]

They stumble upon Equestria, but since it is already inhabited, they decide to send a volunteer in first to scout the area and study the aboriginal ponies' society and technological levels. The catch is, they don't just send in a human. Through the marvels of science, they give the human volunteer a body that closely resembles that of a pony, so she can blend in.

That's kinda... cool!
*Grabs a bucket of ice cream, readies to read.*

So it's like Reverse Eq Girls, then?

[meto30]

That's kinda... cool!
*Grabs a bucket of ice cream, readies to read.*

So it's like Reverse Eq Girls, then?

Yes, more or less. Erin (Sunflower) struggles to hide her identity as a human while studying as much as she can about ponies. The reader experiences the world from Erin's perspective (sometimes from Twilight's viewpoint).

The primary difference from other HiE stories, I think, is in the urgency of Erin's mission and the overarching regulations she has to abide by because of it. For instance (and not going into spoilers), she can't tell anyone about humanity, because mankind plans to invade Equestria if things don't go their way. They are moving in, either peacefully or by force, and Erin wishes to stop a war from happening, but she is hopelessly small in the grand scheme of things.

It's a very good read, if you ask me. I endorse it fully.

[Excession]

Are any of the other F:E stories any good?

I found Pink Eyes to be entertaining. It differs from other FoE stories I've tried in that it does something a bit different from the original story, mostly by not taking itself seriously at all. Yet it manages both heart-warming and incredibly sad at various times. I haven't actually read that many FoE stories though, at least as a percentage of what's out there.

[meto30]

Okay, this is the first page of the final Studies session, the Mane Six Ensemble.

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The flaws that I myself have identified after scanning this are the muzzles and the still shaky body proportions. I'm rather satisfied with the way AJ and Rarity are turning out, Applejack being sturdy and Rarity being rather plump. But Rainbow Dash is still a major pain, with weak limbs and other numerous problems. Fortunately, I have three more pages to go - I will sort out the last remaining problems in the process (I hope).

[MLai]

Oh I see, Twi is supposed to be scrawny like that. That makes sense then.
I don't think you need to make Twi's face skinny though. The Mane6's faces are distinct enough what with the different hair and eyes. Changing their faces drastically alters their appearances.
That said, the show's heads grafted completely on-model, onto your ponies' bodies... would probably look strange.

I've only drawn a few ponies so far. If I had to draw more, and had to tackle this problem... I'd probably try making the eyes slightly smaller and the snouts slightly longer, while keeping everything else show-faithful, and see what happens. No guarantee that'd work, though.

Reading Project Sunflower. Very fun so far. Reminds me of Stargate. My only problem is I keep seeing the main character as Donkey from Shrek. Probably because I'm trying to imagine a live-action movie, and Donkey is the first CGI equine my brain visualizes.

[DigoDragon]

My daughter is playing with her ponies and I just saw her pretending that Fluttershy is Mojo Jojo. Yeah, PowerPuff Ponies.

Apple Sisters~

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Trixie loves Nachos~

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I use a mechanical pencil, so cleaning it would be a bit troublesome

Doesn't have to be. Start with light pressure and as you erase extra lines you go back and increase pressure on the lines you want to put the dedication to.

if the show did an honest-to-goodness body swapping episode in Season 4, rather than just a cutie mark swap, what combinations would you want to see?

I'd like to see some child-adult swapping. Like Sweetie Belle and Rarity swapped and given the full comedic effect of trying to do each other's projects (Rarity getting all dirty in the CMC schemes while Sweetie tries to sew?) and some pony swap with Celestia (Perhaps someone who has little in the way of obvious magic like AJ or Scootaloo).

Florida Man strikes again!

There are days I really, REALLY dislike my state...

Okay, I want you to know that I am saving every single one of these. This is excellent.

I was trying to put them in a kind of story board order. Like, they each picked a pony to punk and it backfired.

The Handsome And Mildly Deranged Adventures of Comet Kicker continue!

Dang, Comet has to have some real nerves of steel to be murderin' that many ponies in such a short time. Granted, as you said, we're talking slavers and raiders, but still takes some strong willpower to not break under that pressure. :) Very fun adventure!!

[Thanqol]

Dang, Comet has to have some real nerves of steel to be murderin' that many ponies in such a short time. Granted, as you said, we're talking slavers and raiders, but still takes some strong willpower to not break under that pressure. :) Very fun adventure!!

As I said to my GM regarding Comet's sanity, "It's not that the water has stopped rising, it's that Comet Kicker has started pretending that she's on a beach."

She didn't cope well with seeing up close and personal melee combat in Alcoltraz. Unarmed fighting in a hole is as far away from Comet's experience as it can be. So when she got back to the surface and picked up her long range grenade launcher which she could link with her high speed pegasus combat training she took refuge in that. Alcoltraz was so terrible that killing raiders and Steel Rangers from long range under a clear sky felt utterly normal in comparison.

It's not normal, of course, and what's actually happening in Comet Kicker's brain is that she's using regular murder as therapy for worse murder. There's a breakdown in the works and all it needs is one good, hard kick.

[One Tin Soldier]

Pay, my Internet ate my quoted posts.

That Discord & Sombra image dump was a thing of beauty. They will be saved as soon as I get back to my actual computer.

Meto, I continue to approve of your drawings. I find it interesting to notice that they're interacting much more with their surroundings, and there's a bit of a story to this whole thing now. Keep up the good work!

Oh, and I think I will look into Project Sunflower. It sounds very interesting.

[Beacon of Chaos]

So that this post is valuable to every member of the community: if the show did an honest-to-goodness body swapping episode in Season 4, rather than just a cutie mark swap, what combinations would you want to see? Would Rarity be a worse fit in Applejack's body or in Pinkie Pie's ("Oh, goodness, Pinkie, this metabolism!")?

Pinkie Pie and Discord. Suddenly: Candyland. Or Pinkie Pie and Twilight, or Celestia, or Luna. Just Pinkie Pie with powers beyond her toon abilities is bound to cause some fun.

Also, Spike and Twilight. Partially because I think it would do Twilight some good to see things from Spike's perspective, and partially because the idea of Spike in Twi's body hitting on Rarity is amusing.

why

because


"I don't even..." say experts.

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[Deadly]

I'd pay good money to watch this movie!

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Pinkie kicking mega tail in polka-dotted panties with the rest of the Mane 6? Equestria Girls, don't disappoint me!

[meto30]

Here's the second page of the Mane Six Ensemble Studies.

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Note the thick limbs of AJ, compared to the lanky ones of Twilight and plump (and rather short) ones of Rarity. Although they aren't working as intended at the moment, they showcase my idea of having different bodies for each pony.

[DigoDragon]

Any pony here ever owned a Radio Flyer?

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Sadly, they don't actually fly...

As I said to my GM regarding Comet's sanity, "It's not that the water has stopped rising, it's that Comet Kicker has started pretending that she's on a beach."

That's a brilliant quote. Coin it.

I understand characters deal with murder-death-kill a lot better with these RPGs, but that's why they are the heroes. Keep updating us with the adventures. I know I enjoy them.

I'd pay good money to watch this movie!

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Human Mane 6 with ripped clothes off to destroy their opponent?
Yes, take my money.

Note the thick limbs of AJ, compared to the lanky ones of Twilight and plump (and rather short) ones of Rarity.

I approve of the idea.

[MLai]

@ Project Sunflower plot question:

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Twi talked about "Earth Pony Magic"... that was her reason for first suspecting Sunflower. WTH is she talking about, "earth pony magic"??? When did earth ponies ever have magic? BTW I do not count cartoon physics as magic.

@ Meto's ponies:

(1) LMAO at Rarity. I'm not actually laughing at the sofa per se, since that's just repeating a joke from the show. I'm laughing at the way she says it, "It's my sofa dahling; I hope you didn't think I'd leave it here for you?"
(2) That is such a good RD. I like the uncommon but authentic pose; it looks great but is natural, nothing posey about it.
That's something I noticed about posing the ponies... They lend themselves very well to dog references. Sure you still use horse refs, but dogs simply adopt many more nuanced and emotive postures than horses.

[meto30]

@ Project Sunflower plot question:

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Twi talked about "Earth Pony Magic"... that was her reason for first suspecting Sunflower. WTH is she talking about, "earth pony magic"??? When did earth ponies ever have magic? BTW I do not count cartoon physics as magic.

@ Meto's ponies:

(1) LMAO at Rarity. I'm not actually laughing at the sofa per se, since that's just repeating a joke from the show. I'm laughing at the way she says it, "It's my sofa dahling; I hope you didn't think I'd leave it here for you?"
(2) That is such a good RD. I like the uncommon but authentic pose; it looks great but is natural, nothing posey about it.
That's something I noticed about posing the ponies... They lend themselves very well to dog references. Sure you still use horse refs, but dogs simply adopt many more nuanced and emotive postures than horses.

On the plot question,

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It is the common assumption on the FiMFiction.net that all three ponies have magic. Pegasi have weather control, Earth ponies have agricultural and physical powers. All authors have their own interpretations of Earth pony magic. You'll see Project Sunflower's version later on in the story.

On the ponies:

Good to know that my RD is finally working out. That pose is the result of a whole hour of drawing and erasing, and I wasn't sure it'd work out until the very last moment.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

"I don't even..." say experts.

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Now that's so cool. Somehow, it feels very in-character.

[Deadly]

Last night I discovered a random note I scribbled a while ago and promptly forgot all about, and so I thought to myself: Eh, I could write that. Why not?

And so I did wrote it.

I regret nothing.

Twilight Eats a Book!

Why are so many of my stories about ponies eating stuff? I don't even know ...

[Lix Lorn]

Yes, but I doubt it'll be long before Lixie tackles him or something. And I'll have to leave it in her hands anyway, since I gots to go back to my wargamin' shortly anyway.

(predictable razglompsnuggle)

Through the marvels of science, they give the human volunteer a body that closely resembles that of a pony, so she can blend in.

....that's the synopsis. It is already finished, by the way, and can be found in FiMFiction.net.

...
So
It's James Cameron's Ponytar.

It's not normal, of course, and what's actually happening in Comet Kicker's brain is that she's using regular murder as therapy for worse murder. There's a breakdown in the works and all it needs is one good, hard kick.

This is beautiful. May I sig it?

[DigoDragon]

Hey Sky Strike, wanna make a little sister for Dashie tonight?

I regret nothing.
Twilight Eats a Book!

I think this reaction sums my opinion up perfectly.

[Tvtyrant]

Twilight Eats a Book!

Why are so many of my stories about ponies eating stuff? I don't even know ...

You have a wonderful mind, never change.

"What would Celestia not think" is a little strange as a statement.

[Gamerlord]

Last night I discovered a random note I scribbled a while ago and promptly forgot all about, and so I thought to myself: Eh, I could write that. Why not?

And so I did wrote it.

I regret nothing.

Twilight Eats a Book!

Why are so many of my stories about ponies eating stuff? I don't even know ...

0_0
That is all.

"I don't even..." say experts.

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Batman Beyond's version of Bruce was awesome, he doesn't deserve to be compared to fools,sociopaths, and lego figurines.

[Deadly]

You have a wonderful mind, never change.

Thanks

"What would Celestia not think" is a little strange as a statement.

Seems fine to me (as a question). Not sure what's wrong with it

[HamHam]

Earth Pony magic is a pretty widely held assumption. The actual nature of it tends to range from magically enhanced strength to feeling nature or some such to anime plant based attack powers.

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RE: Project Sunflower

There is a collection of side stories that is currently updating, and there is a planned sequel.

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I found Pink Eyes to be entertaining. It differs from other FoE stories I've tried in that it does something a bit different from the original story, mostly by not taking itself seriously at all. Yet it manages both heart-warming and incredibly sad at various times. I haven't actually read that many FoE stories though, at least as a percentage of what's out there.

I started reading Pink Eyes, and really it gets the black comedy tone at the heart of Fallout better even than the original story.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Seems fine to me (as a question). Not sure what's wrong with it

It should be "What would Celestia think?"

"What would Celestia not think?" doesn't really make sense. She could not be thinking about a lot of things.

[Deadly]

It should be "What would Celestia think?"

"What would Celestia not think?" doesn't really make sense. She could not be thinking about a lot of things.

Well, I know it is a perfectly normal construction in Danish. And a Google search found me precedent in English too. P. G. Wodehouse, a respectable English writer, wrote the following sentence in The Girl on the Boat:

"What would she not think of a man who, reckless of his own safety, dived in and went boldly to the rescue?"

So there!

[Tvtyrant]

Well, I know it is a perfectly normal construction in Danish. And a Google search found me precedent in English too. P. G. Wodehouse, a respectable English writer, wrote the following sentence in The Girl on the Boat:

"What would she not think of a man who, reckless of his own safety, dived in and went boldly to the rescue?"

So there!

But the connotation of "not think" is different from "think" in English. "What would she not think" implies that she would think positive thoughts about the person. "What would she think of a man who" is a negative connotation, as in what negative things would she think of a man who did such a thing. The look the same, but they are not :P

[Deadly]

But the connotation of "not think" is different from "think" in English. "What would she not think" implies that she would think positive thoughts about the person.

It most certainly does not to me, depending on context. "What would she not think?" or "What must she not think?" when standing on their own, has a very strong sense to me of "What the hell, man! This is so totally wrong! Holy crap!"

Whereas "What would she think?" or "What must she think?" are a little bit milder, and could possibly be mostly or entirely positive depending on context. Like, I don't know, maybe

Person A : "How about this? What would she think?"

Person B : "She'll love it! It's perfect."

A little tried, perhaps, likely not what anyone would say in natural conversation, but I'm sure with effort I could find a better example. Or compare :

"What would she think of a man who waved a trout in her face?" (Meh, maybe she's got a strange fondness for fish)

"What would she not think of a man who waved a trout in her face?" (Now we're getting negative)

Or possibly stronger yet

"What must she not think of the man who waves a trout in her face."

Or

"What must she not be thinking of the man who waves a trout in her face."

[Selrahc]

Well, I know it is a perfectly normal construction in Danish. And a Google search found me precedent in English too. P. G. Wodehouse, a respectable English writer, wrote the following sentence in The Girl on the Boat:

"What would she not think of a man who, reckless of his own safety, dived in and went boldly to the rescue?"

P.G. Wodehouse spent his literary career essentially messing around with the English language, and that went double for his dialogue. I wouldn't use him as a benchmark for proper usage. The intentional peculiarity of his phrasing is a large part of his charm.

[Deadly]

Or look at Wodehouse's sentence again.

"What would she not think of a man who, reckless of his own safety, dived in and went boldly to the rescue?"

Looking closer at the context of the story, it does seem to suggest she would think positively of him. But just on its own, removed from the context of his particular story, it could just as easily mean she'll think poorly of him. As in, she'll think what a fool for wasting his life just to impress her.

The added "not" slants it slightly towards the negative, as if the narrator is talking about a woman who wouldn't be impressed by such a display. That's how I initially read it when I read it out of context.

P.G. Wodehouse spent his literary career essentially messing around with the English language, and that went double for his dialogue. I wouldn't use him as a benchmark for proper usage. The intentional peculiarity of his phrasing is a large part of his charm.

Possibly. Still, a quick google search turned up a few other examples, his was just the most authoritative at a glance. It may not be a very common construction, but I'm certain it's not entirely unused either.