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Season 4, this group and other things. Lets discuss.
12 years ago
General
Gooooooooood day everypony. Or everyone for those who cringe at that whole everypony shtick. Did I spell that right? Whatever. Its been a long time, hasn't it? 7 months ago since the last journal. I guess I am really the only one of us who posts these, even if rarely. However, slowly but surely we are crawling towards November. And of course we had a tweet from one of the writers, for those who saw it. Or was it a composer? Either way, I'm psyched.
So, as per usual, lets open the floor a bit. First of all, how is everyone managing the draught so far? I myself go to many brony meets, usually in the weekend. I still read a lot of pony fanfiction. I admit I haven't been re-watching episodes as much as I used to, although I did today. Still check EQD at least once a day though. I've been to one convention, Galacon, and it was a lot of fun. Even though the social aspect is part of what keeps me active (fanfiction is another large part), I am still looking forward to new episodes very much indeed. How is it for you lot? I assume if you are reading this you are still interested in some way(s), but has the love for ponies diminished a bit? Is it still the same? Has it maybe increased even? And what have you been doing pony-wise since the last journal?
We already discussed what people are looking forward too for season four, and that has probably not changed. We also discussed Alicorn Twilight. I had a realization today. I have seen her so much in the past months in fanfiction, art, comics etc... I seem to already be used to her. I did watch the season 3 finale again just now, and she still looks silly with them to me in that first shot. It seems to be less weird-looking when she is wearing her regalia for some reason. So I am curious, am I alone in this? Are some of you out there feeling different about this then 7 months ago?
Finally, let's talk about the group again. Obviously, we aren't very active. I had notes in my inbox that hadn't been opened in six months (sorry note writers). There are four of us, and still this happened. I see at least some art was added by one of us, so that's good. But I am wondering what to do here. I am going to try and check the group weekly (did I promise that before already? I hope not) so that at least I can reply to people in a somewhat timely fashion. And if I can come up with things to talk about, I'll make a new journal. I was thinking, maybe some people would like to share their opinions on pony stuff? If you write something and note me I could maybe make a journal about it.
I had some other ideas, but to be honest, I doubt I have the time to actually come through with them. Maybe at a later time, when life isn't so hectic. In the meantime, as always, pony on and before you know it we will be discussing what happened in season four.
So, as per usual, lets open the floor a bit. First of all, how is everyone managing the draught so far? I myself go to many brony meets, usually in the weekend. I still read a lot of pony fanfiction. I admit I haven't been re-watching episodes as much as I used to, although I did today. Still check EQD at least once a day though. I've been to one convention, Galacon, and it was a lot of fun. Even though the social aspect is part of what keeps me active (fanfiction is another large part), I am still looking forward to new episodes very much indeed. How is it for you lot? I assume if you are reading this you are still interested in some way(s), but has the love for ponies diminished a bit? Is it still the same? Has it maybe increased even? And what have you been doing pony-wise since the last journal?
We already discussed what people are looking forward too for season four, and that has probably not changed. We also discussed Alicorn Twilight. I had a realization today. I have seen her so much in the past months in fanfiction, art, comics etc... I seem to already be used to her. I did watch the season 3 finale again just now, and she still looks silly with them to me in that first shot. It seems to be less weird-looking when she is wearing her regalia for some reason. So I am curious, am I alone in this? Are some of you out there feeling different about this then 7 months ago?
Finally, let's talk about the group again. Obviously, we aren't very active. I had notes in my inbox that hadn't been opened in six months (sorry note writers). There are four of us, and still this happened. I see at least some art was added by one of us, so that's good. But I am wondering what to do here. I am going to try and check the group weekly (did I promise that before already? I hope not) so that at least I can reply to people in a somewhat timely fashion. And if I can come up with things to talk about, I'll make a new journal. I was thinking, maybe some people would like to share their opinions on pony stuff? If you write something and note me I could maybe make a journal about it.
I had some other ideas, but to be honest, I doubt I have the time to actually come through with them. Maybe at a later time, when life isn't so hectic. In the meantime, as always, pony on and before you know it we will be discussing what happened in season four.
I've been buying lots of stuff, my pony collection is slowly taking over. Got all the comics to date, they help fill the time waiting for S4.
I'm also getting a pony fursuit in a month or so! It's a really interesting character that has only been seen once. I'm -really- hoping she makes a return in some way in this upcoming season.
By the way, I don't suppose anyone here knows any artists who accept pony vector commissions with styles similar to that of the show? I'm asking, because I need some character art for my mod.
So far: started in November of 2011, just short of 24k words. Should top out between 25 and 30k words when finished. First draft is about 90%+ complete.
Time is always my big limiter, there's never enough to go around.
I remain cautiously optimistic about S4, though nothing yet has touched the awesome of S1.
Rochndil, who's been a fan since G1. -:)
HOWEVER.
Alicorn Twilight COULD be the single best thing that ever happened to this show. Her new status and her passion for learning and adventure could turn the show from the mostly slice of life oriented that it had been before into a more roaming, adventurous thing, something akin to Avatar. I can picture it, Celestia calling Twi and her friends to her throne room, the whole of Canterlot seemingly preparing for an attack. Twilight asks whats going on, Celestia informs her that the Gryphon King has declared that the peace between Pony and Gryphon kind is over, and is preparing an attack. Twilight is sent as a last ditch envoy to try and talk him down. They encounter Gilda along the way, repentant for her ways having seen how vicious her own kind can be, having spent a long time in the pony lands.
Twi and co settle the situation, and learn that ponies are not popular among the animals of the land, and embark on an epic quest to form new friendships with kin other than ponies, unlocking hidden elemental powers in the other 5 ponies as they go.
Honestly, the absolute WORST thing the show could do would be to remain the same. Exactly the same as it was before, only now, one of the 6 main characters is a God-esque mary sue. That would ruin it for me, honestly.
1. Builds up great atmosphere but can't follow up to it. EG Magic Duel, a S3 favorite of mine has dark gritty setups with a dark stormy night, a mysterious amulet and a cloaked figure but MA Larson can't follow it up when the duel is just a slew of call-backs with humour on the level of the booby traps from Home Alone. Another is with the big anticlimax of Spike At Your Service on the giant timberwolf. Merriweather Williams once again has to learn an anticlimax is a major turnoff when you build up something as big as a giant magical creature made of wood. Dave Polsky I think was guilty here too as the 2nd episode writer with churning out too much slapstick.
2. Rushed pacing. Before anyone thinks I'll talk about Magical Mystery Cure, it's not yet as I need to bring up another episode that did it. That one is Keep Calm And Flutter On. Discord's reformation is way too quickly since transitions weren't used and I'll explain why with two other examples. In Mysterious Mare Do-Well, we aren't given closure on how long Dash has been saving lives which led to her boasting and in Feeling Pinkie Keen, Twilight only hooks Pinkie up to a machine for 15 seconds. In KCAFO, since transitions aren't used, we think that Fluttershy got Discord to become good in the span of one day. The same day that the statue was dropped off and broken in.
Onto Magical Mystery cure, it needed a 2nd episode. It was a nice plot but feels like 2 plots squished into one episode. The cutie mark swap seems to be the 1st plot but we don't get to be invested in it long enough when Twilight discovers the solution after singing a song that isn't even 1 minute long. The 2nd plot seems to be Alicorn Twilight and her role as a princess now. That should have been the 2nd half.
3. Lack of Rarity. Rarity had a few moments that were funny but she isn't even in her own episode. Spike At Your Service I hear was suppose to have her in a starring role but the writers changed it to applejack because they thought she would be too mean to Spike. Um writers, you do know that The Mysterious Mare Do-Well and Putting Your Hoof Down are 2 of the biggest mean spirited episodes of the series so far? Unless your ideas would be worse than Pinkie and Rarity crying when Fluttershy yells at them or Dash having an identity crisis when Mare Do-Well draws attention away from her, you should have done the original idea.
I make and promote and enjoy and perpetuate only the best and only what I want to be about in pony, and I make my home in it, but... it's hard to enjoy when there's savage fights online. *nod*
Admittedly, season 3 was quite disappointing to me. The overall quality of the stories just seems lacking in comparison to the previous two seasons. However, I'm still hopeful for season 4. I predicted Twilicorn early in season 1, but figured it would be a series ender, not a mid-run shift. Hopefully they can make this work, and possibly get even better stories out of it. I think the potential is there.
Before all that though, what I'm really looking forward to is seeing Andrea Libman and Tabitha St. Germain at the Edmonton Expo later this month!
(check out Tabitha's profile on the site, it's pretty awesome: http://edmontonexpo.com/guests/voice-guests/ )
Season 3 seemed to get too carried away with gags in certain episodes, doesn't advance certain character arcs or even follow up on it's big buildup.