The Thread About Ponies, Logistics and General Weirdness (And Gilda)TV

[CoffeeGrunt]

*Looks up Kubelwagen.*

 

[Tornado]

Almost, but what I wanted to point out is that the UST was more obvious and potentially canon, and while there is some true about the UST in the fandoom regardless of the gender, I do believe that is really uncomfortable for the writers to create an episode around the premise of Boast Busters.

How obvious the UST in the episode is is already completely open to interpretation, though. Its just that many tend to think it was there. Not just for Boast Busters, either. Several people, myself included if I'm being completely honest, think Fall Weather Friends is basically "AppleDash: The Episode."



Also keep in mind that Boast Busters was an early episode of the show, before the show exploded on the internet, so I doubt UST was a worry to avoid by the writers because at the time they still thought only little girls and their parents would be watching it anyways; and therefore it had no effect on Trixie's gender. That isn't to say that I think they will do anything to worry about it with Season 2, but it definitely wasn't an issue with Season 1.

No, actually the problem I found is some of the events like the "showing off" vs the "main cast"(AJ, RD and Rarity), which wouldn't have work as well, the same can be said about Twilight and Trixie's UST, which would probably had different dynamics.

You are talking in terms of gender dynamics. In comparison to AJ and Dash, I really don't think it would make any difference for the reasoning that they are both tomboys anyways.





Keep in mind that each encounter on stage represented a character flaw held by each character when compared to someone who had those same flaws. Applejack put her stubborn pride against Trixie's. Dash but her boastfulness against Trixie's (and even literally said as much). Rarity put her vanity up against Trixie's. Twilight ultimately "defeated" Trixie because she lacked any of those three things.

Rarity is more interesting, because Rarity is probably the most "stereotypically" female member of the cast. However, the point of the episode was show the problems with haughtiness. I've said I don't think it did a good job, partially because that's a huge portion of Dash's personality and the cast usually just ignores when Dash does it, but mostly because the episode's events weren't structured in a way that supports that message very well.

And along those lines Rarity is important because of another double standard in gender roles, and in that regard making Trixie a male would have actually helped with the episode's message rather than hurt it: Vanity is (generally) considered a socially acceptable feminine trait, but not a socially acceptable male trait (and this is actually basically what they did with Prince Douche). So, in that regard, making Trixie a male and making him/her be more vain than Rarity would have painted Trixie more thoroughly as being an antagonist.

I should have mention this before, but imagine the situation between Prince Blueblood and Rarity, and then compare with a similar situation with Twilight and Trixie, the episode and the context of it could have produced the accidental shipping I was mentioning previously.
(Well that was all in my mind)

I don't think the two situations can be compared.


The problem is that Douche and Trixie aren't the same characters, and (even moreso) Twilight and Rarity aren't the same characters. Rarity hated Douche so much that she had already gone into "I'll put up with him because it may benefit me" mode before the midway commercial break. Twilight never hated Trixie, and the strongest emotion she felt around/about Trixie before the Ursa showed up was sheepishness.

While this crossed through my mind, I don't think that Twilight has the character to actually do this, at the end she didn't do anything, it was AJ/RD/Rarity the ones that were really against Trixie. They could probably have played that role, but not as good for reasons I mentioned previously.

Again, I'm not sure what you are saying.

Twilight doesn't have the character to show up Trixie intentionally, no. But she still did it anyways when trying to get the Ursa out of town. And it is the fact that she still didn't set out to do it that doesn't make her out to be the bad person, and I don't think the "Pride/Haughtiness is okay for men to have" double standard would have applied if Trixie was a dude because Twilight still wasn't trying to show Trixie up.


I will say that it might have weakened the episode anyways, because it is possible that the writer's were using that double standard against the viewer to portray Trixie as a bitch, but I don't think so because I still don't think they did a very good job doing that in the first place.

Not that I hate Trixie, she is a really easy character to write from and the canon leaves enough basis to make stories about her. However I do believe that OC ponies and other secondary characters deserves more attention than Trixie, Gilda is an interesting one for example, and she doesn't get as much love because of the episode premise, Nick Nack showed me that a good story can potentially depart from her, as well from an OC pony.

I already explained the problem with trying to write OCs. By default, people hate them if the story centers around them interacting with the Mane Cast rather than the Mane Cast interacting around them. This isn't just the case in this fandom, but it certainly is a stronger sentiment here than it usually is. unit-one just (albeit unintentionally) explained in a single sentences why OCs aren't more frequently utilized:

That's why I scrapped the original plot for Dreams and Nightmares, but the last scenes of the new story still makes me nervous.

I loved the concept for unit-one's original story draft. I still do, even though it is still present as a partial framing device for Dreams and Nightmares. The idea that the Rainboom caused somepony to lead a miserable life was a really original one.

And yet, I can't blame him for abandoning it as the central plot, because I can see how people would have torn him a new one for daring to write an OC story where one of the Mane Six caused problems for him.






Now, speaking specifically about Gilda: Gilda stories are hard. You have to keep her in character, and there isn't much to her character to use outside of situations as seen in the episode. Oh, sure, you can play the jealousy card to expand upon things, but you can't write much of a new story on that alone. And if you want to write a story that doesn't revolve around Rainbow Dash, you're basically screwed in that case. Which leaves creating a backstory and expanding upon that and canon, but working damn hard to keep the story from acting like either your backstory or your character expansions are supposed to excuse Gilda's actions. Even Nick Nack had problems with that, which is why certain chapters of Heart of Gold (namely, Chapter 4 and Chapter 5) were rewritten twice since he first wrote them.

There are only two Gilda-centric stories that I would say are actually good, by which I mean they don't just revolve around Rainbow Dash and they don't just revolve around painting Gilda as a tragic figure. Junior Speedsters Forever and Heart of Gold, Feathers of Steel (and I'm counting the sequel as being part of Heart of Gold). That isn't to say that there weren't others that I enjoyed reading, but being good isn't the same thing as being enjoyable.

The same can be said about Saddlesoap's and Ditzy doo(or Derpy) story, which was really well executed for an OC ponies, I could go on by mentioning potential stories involving Roseluck and Philomena that didn't made it to ED because of the Trixie ships, but this require some reading about them, maybe they will make it to ED eventually(not mine of course).

But that's the rub: Those aren't OCs. They are, in that the entire characterization for them the fanbase follow are complete fanwank; but they aren't, because the fanbase likes to pretend they aren't. Hence the hypocrisy.


And you run into another problem different from that of "true" OCs: The fandom expects certain things from those characters.



For sure, there are several interpretations for those characters. Derpy is sometimes retarded. Sometimes she is as smart as Twilight, but cannot talk properly. Sometimes she is normal but incredibly clumsy. Sometimes she can't even talk, and has to use sign language. Sometimes she was smart, but had an accident that left her brain damaged. Sometimes she is just faking her actions to put people off-guard.

But you need to write inside one of those interpretations, or you might as well be writing an OC according to the fandom and your story is torn apart all the same. And not everyone can write a Pony Psychology and make a huge backstory that ultimately comes together to slot into one of those interpretations. I actually got into an extensive debate with NinesTempest over one of the stories he wrote because he portrayed Spitfire in a way that I disagreed with, and part of the problem we initially had in the discussion is because he thought I was basing my argument on how the fandom views Spitfire when I was actually basing it on something that I didn't think made logical sense.



And thus, they turn to Trixie, because as you said above there is enough ambiguity in Boast Busters that they can write to their heart's content purely based off of canon material and most people would at least give them the benefit of the doubt. The same cannot be said for Douche, because he could theoretically be a very interesting character but he is loathed by everyone and there isn't that much that you can flex your writing muscles doing with a character that everyone hates without exception.

 

[Wiegert]

*Looks up Kubelwagen.*

The Warthog isn't exactly the kind of vehicle that you would expect to see in a game such as Forza 4 (although I've known about its inclusion for a while now). The same thing could be said about the Kubelwagen and Schwimmwagen being included in GT5, not to mention the inclusion of the Daimler Motor Carriage and the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in GT4.


On topic:

 

[Apok]

I'd say the Warthog is more like the X2010 because it's not a real vehicle.

Funny since they're nothing like each other excluding that.

 

[Minty]

Well you cant drive the Warthog unfortunately.

Its nice to have, but its more of a "stare at it and drool" kind of thing.

I never had expectations of being able to drive it either. They still haven't managed to make a system that accurately models suspension movement.

[/off topic]

 

[Apok]

Going back to writers blocks which were mentioned a bit earlier, I just experienced something similar with photomode. I have a replay and wanted to take pictures, but they were all terrible. Came back a few hours later and suddenly my pictures were half decent.

Not good if you have a schedule. Not Implying I have one though

 

[Tornado]

Is it just me seeing this:




Or...

 

[Wiegert]

No, I'm seeing it too. A number of users on ED seem to acknowledge the fact that it's showing up like that for them as well judging by the comments.

 

[Akira GT]

and that's why I don't use Picasa...

 

[Akira AC]

It is happening to everyone, but it acts for different images in different computers, which is weird.

Also massive post coming up shortly.

 

[unit-one]

News from johnjoseco

Okay 2 more days til the 1 Pony Per Brony Pt 3/ Original Character Ponies/ Non-Pony Requests! Remember to read the rules!

link


EDIT: Yeah, I'm totally clicking that link.

 

[CoffeeGrunt]

Picasa has initiated the Ponyocalypse!

Also, I really wanna write a continuation to I Won't See You Tonight, but I'm worried it might be akin to exhuming a dead body.

 

[Tornado]

Also, I really wanna write a continuation to I Won't See You Tonight

A.K.A. The story I've been waiting for.

 

[Wiegert]

Picasa has initiated the Ponyocalypse!

Or not, the images are working fine now.

Also, some more animation from Season 2 (albeit very short).

 

[CoffeeGrunt]

A.K.A. The story I've been waiting for.

Have you been keeping that link on ice until I brought it up?

Honestly, I've been holding this idea ever since I released A Little Piece of Heaven, but I wasn't sure it'd be as liked, seeing as it doesn't involve Cassandra and co, and basically evolves into a full-on Trinkie Pie fic. XD

 

[Apok]

The anime thread also had autoplaying videos just now.

I wonder where they got that idea from.

 

[Akira AC]

Or not, the images are working fine now.

Also, some more animation from Season 2 (albeit very short).

You internet don't give me a chance, now I have to deal with this on the other site, and something massive somewhere else.

The proper reply will take a while.


And this might work:

Somehow.

 

[CoffeeGrunt]

Okay now I am very, very...loving and tolerant with Crysis 2.

I'm at an on-rails segment where I can't escape the vehicle. The vehicles main weapon is a tank that shoots bucking polystyrene cups or something. There's a part where I drive by a War of the Worlds inspired tripod tank, and it uses its EMP blast to roll a truck at me, killing me instantly.

I have died five times in the exact same way here.

I can't escape the vehicle to avoid trucky crushy death. I fire nonstop at the tripod, but as I'm merely pinging marshmallows off its hull, it doesn't die. I even fired at the little device that appears to emit the EMP...nothing.

Shame, I was having a bloody good time 'til that happened. I suppose I better go write something then. My DA has received a small tidal wave in the last day or two.

 

[Tornado]

Have you been keeping that link on ice until I brought it up?

Would it have been less roundabout to say "Hey CoffeeGrunt. Write more I Won't See You Tonight?" Yes. And yet, it made more sense to let it slide.





My mind works in ways that you cannot possibly understand.





I would know, because I don't understand either.



P.S.: That means that Gravekeeper was technically right.

 

[Minty]

Sometimes she can't even talk, and has to use sign language.

What is this I dont even........




Anyway, there goes my lunch break...

 

[CoffeeGrunt]

@Toro

Considering your aversion to my Trinkie Pie pic, I thought you were minorly traumatised by the fic. XD

I'll get round to writing it now that Crysis 2's pulled a dick move on me. Genuinely having to resist the urge to play some ODST though.

 

[Tornado]

@Toro

Considering your aversion to my Trinkie Pie pic, I thought you were minorly traumatised by the fic. XD

I enjoyed A Little Piece of Heaven. It is just the picture that haunts my nightmare.

 

[CoffeeGrunt]

Good to hear on both accounts.

Also, I didn't realise the tank on Crysis 2 had a secondary attack that fires salvos of super-duper buck everything up missiles. So I'm rolling on through that again.

Warmness on the Soul can wait a little longer...

/Edit/

Oh God, the Equestria Daily banner...Dash has the most disturbing face I've ever seen...plus wingboner.

/Edit2/

I was gunna fuse the words Colditz and Colt, then realised what it would spell...that joke has been scrapped now.

 

[Racedude]

Hey guys, I just fixed some wallpapers from McDonald's (Removed logos), most where easy, but Pinkie's was a pain in the flank with that gradient background.

Originals here. (Hope you know Portuguese)

 

[Akira GT]

Herpy-Derpy Applejack!!

 

[Brando-K]

Looks like I'll get my wish of seeing families in season 2.

 

[Tornado]

Looks like I'll get my wish of seeing families in season 2.

 

[CoffeeGrunt]

I wanna see Scootaloo's family, i.e., Dash and Elizibeak.

Oh lawds, ElizaDash. XD

 

[Apok]

Families. Check

Luna?

 

[Jim Prower]

and, for the record, I like OCs and OC ponies. If well done. :3

Question is, how does Link hold the sword and shield?