My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

[Edmond Dantes]

Lately I was in the mood for a good Mahjong game and wondered if there was a Pony one. There are, in fact, two (that I've found). And one of them is an official Hub game

Neither of these are Mahjong. They are solitaire Mahjong.

This is actual Mahjong. It's a lot better. It makes Poker look like a gambling game for pussies, combining strategy and luck with a serious bluffing element. Japanese-style Mahjong particularly is serious business.

Yeah, I learned about this during my search...

Wish there was some downloadable freeware version of Real Mahjong I could play to learn the game.

[drunkninja24]

Someone on Digitpress claimed there was a storyline where Chrysalis kidnaps the CMC and kills a kitten.

That... sounds like something that belongs more in a Frank Miller graphic novel than in MLP, honestly.

And when you see them in stores and the cover shows Doctor Whooves and the TARDIS... well, I get the feeling the comic is gonna be just a bunch of fan-pandering.

Well, yeah, that's in there, but it's not graphic in any way, it's just something heavily implied, and it's limited to one panel. And while there are some nods to the fandom, it's mostly limited to some small bits in the illustrations and the variant cover designs. I'll admit I picked up the doctor whooves variant for issue 2 because of it, but that has no bearing on the story inside.

If you're apprehensive, it should be easy to find it online. It's well worth checking out. The artwork is amazing and the overall story is great.

[Stormwatch]

A part of the fandom seems to have this divergence with the comic when it comes to Chrysalis: they like her morally ambiguous. Dangerous and predatory, yes, but aiming at keeping her subjects fed. The comic makes her a regular sadistic, selfish, moustache-twirling villain.

[drunkninja24]

I personally think it's nice to have a villain that's just....well....villanous. Even if its a bit cliche, I enjoy it more that way sometimes.

[Edmond Dantes]

Straight-up villains are good, but not at the price of ruining a character who had so much more potential.

Then again, "ruining potential" should almost be the name of the franchise at this point.

[Specineff]

It's still April 1st here, so might as well share this. (WARNING. NOT SAFE FOR NON-BRONIES)

The adventure begins:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GzaoQtBBYM

Splash from the past:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kISXLKpwgI

My frequency is 140.85:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQxCkqlxobY

[Edmond Dantes]

Just watched Double Rainboom.

I share the general consensus... if this were an episode of the show. it would be godawful, worse than Mare-do-Well and Twilicorn combined. As a fan production... I'm tempted to go easy on it, but still, it seems like just fanwank.

And the Powerpuff Girls crossover at the end... was just stupid. I don't like PPG. I don't want to watch PPG. I did not enjoy seeing the PPG in what was supposed to be a Pony fanvid.

Just ugh all around. Why are creator-driven cartoons always about references and fanwank? Why aren't they ever about telling interesting stories?

[drunkninja24]

So......who is hype? I AM SO FUCKING....



....not hype at all

[trap15]

OH GOD CANONICAL FURRIES

[trap15]

OH GOD I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE IT'S COMING OUT ON MY BIRTHDAY FUCK EVERYTHING

[drunkninja24]

OH GOD I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE IT'S COMING OUT ON MY BIRTHDAY FUCK EVERYTHING

Happy birthday trap

[Cuilan]

So, MLP is one step closer to getting the inevitable Powerpuff Girls Z treatment, eh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powerpuff_Girls_Z

[O. Van Bruce]

So......who is hype? I AM SO FUCKING....



....not hype at all

It was bound to happen... now you can't stop it

[Stormwatch]

[drunkninja24]

So, I watched Equestria Girls (thank you Youtube cam rims lol)....

and...

it actually wasn't bad, I was shocked. Went in fully expecting to hate it, but couldn't really bring myself to do so.

Not that it's a masterpiece of cinema or anything, but it was a legitimately enjoyable watch.

[Edmond Dantes]

Eh, I've given up on MLP:FIM to be honest.

I've recently uploaded videos on the two worst episodes of Season 3, Magical Mystery Cure and One Bad Apple. Thinking of also doing a general overview about how the show jumped the shark, but at the moment I have other interests.

[KennyMan666]

What are you talking about? Apart from the episode that didn't happen, Spike at your Service was obviously the worst episode of season 3.

You're reminding me I should finish writing part two of my analysis some time.

I did upload a part of it but the rest of it is in limbo.

I also caught up on the comics and they really keep being great. And they seem to take place in a wonderful gap of unspecified length between Games Ponies Play and the episode that didn't happen. The Micro series comics are a bit weaker, except for Rarity's which is awesome. Featuring a pony who is constantly (but, of course, unspokenly) high as a kite. Wait, this is shmups forum. Let me rephrase that. Constantly high as the rank in a Yagawa game.

[Edmond Dantes]

What are you talking about? Apart from the episode that didn't happen, Spike at your Service was obviously the worst episode of season 3.

To be honest, I can't see Spike At Your Service even RANKING with those other two. It was neither as insensitively offensive and downright WRONG as "One Bad Apple," nor was it the complete assault on all things sanity that "Magical Mystery Cure" was. I'm even tempted to give it some points because I like it any time Applejack gets a focus (she's one of my favorite ponies and dramatically underused). But even disregarding that, Spike At Your Service was just "average" at worst, its only huge problems being a "dragon code" that was pulled out of nowhere and a Timberwolf encounter that ended anti-climactically. That's fine--that's FAR better than saying "those kids who committed suicide due to bullying? They should've just told a teacher. Simple."

EDIT: Enjoyed the second part of your rant just as much as the first, by the way.

[njiska]

Eh, I've given up on MLP:FIM to be honest.

I've recently uploaded videos on the two worst episodes of Season 3, Magical Mystery Cure and One Bad Apple. Thinking of also doing a general overview about how the show jumped the shark, but at the moment I have other interests.

See this is the problem with season 3. Nearly everyone seems to think it's crap, but no two people can agree on what's good and what's shite. I personally loved One Bad Apple. It's probably on of my favourites of the season. Mean while everything after Twilight fought Trixie is just sort of crappy. They ruined Discord.

I won't say I've given up on it, but I'm taking a serious break from Pony at the moment. I'll try giving it a watch when the series resumes this fall, but if it starts off bad , then I'm probably done. Was a real nice thing we had going here, while it lasted.

[Edmond Dantes]

I personally can't even see why people like Season 2.

Season One was great. Two was where all the problems started. Whatever problems Three had, they started with Two.

[KennyMan666]

Season three didn't really introduce any new problems before the finale, but it only had three actual good episodes. The opening two-parter was okay too. The rest of the season just felt much weaker than season 2 did.

[Specineff]

My personal take on each episode of S3:

Crystal Empire 1 and 2: Forced by Hasbro, without a doubt, to promote the new toys. Badly executed. (No Nick Cage sarcasm faces, pls)

Too Many Pinkies: Generic idea, started off weak, ended strongly. Liked it.

One Bad Apple: It was okay, great song. Can't really hate it.

Magic Duel: It was missing something, but still good. Clever resolution.

Sleepless in Ponyville: My favorite. Well-written, realistic (fantasy universe considered), fun and funny.

Wonderbolts Academy: Didn't hate it, didn't dislike it. Standard episode. Only thing I didn't like was the disavowing of past events (RD saving the lives of the Wonderbolts in the past)

Just for sidekicks: Standard, but surprisingly good. Unintentional Katamari Damacy reference for the win.

Apple Family Reunion: Another standard episode, but also good if only for the history behind the family. No complaints.

Spike at your service: Felt like something lifted out of the countless Hanna Barbera cartoons from the early 80's. As simple as that.

Keep Calm and Flutter On: Discord needs to be a troll. That doesn't mean I disliked the episode, as it opens more possibilities for the character in the future. (Temptation vs Integrity)

Games Ponies Play: Generic. Could have been much more. They could have concentrated in the actual competitions and history of the Crystal Empire, and the ball was dropped. Big time.

Magical Mystery Cure: I reject your reality, and substitute with my own. There is no jumping the shark as a result of Hasbro. There is no destiny. There is no spoon. I am not listening. La la la la la la la...

[EllertMichael]

I never thought I would have anything to say in this thread, but I just saw the My Little Pony Convention 2013 Highlights video, and it's just way too good not to post

[BIL]

That is... something!

[Specineff]

Da fudge did I just watch?

[Lord Satori]

Wtf are they on, and can I have some?

Anyway, I think the saddest thing about that vid is how hard they're rocking out to that shitty dubstep song.

[Ruldra]

I love how the guy falling off the stage in the beginning was included as a highlight

[Skykid]

Anyway, I think the saddest thing about that vid is how hard they're rocking out to that shitty dubstep song.

Almost QFT, but it's really difficult to define the saddest thing about that video.

[Edmond Dantes]

I also caught up on the comics and they really keep being great.

I keep hearing they're good, but I have a friend who reads them (I won't touch them myself since I hate north american comics) and... well, nothing about them sounds pleasing. Specific things I've heard that were major red flags:

-There's an issue where Chrysalis kills a kitten.
-The covers all have illustrations of background ponies, and there are a lot of meme-references in the comics themselves[1]
-Nightmare Moon was caused by a space miasma.
-Said miasma tries to infect Pinkie with nightmares, and she defeats it easily, because the writers thought that would be funny.
-The artstyle just looks... weird to me.

[1] I should explain here that part of my problem with ALL modern North American media is that there's an increasing amount of introversion and nerdishness about it, and making geek references has more-or-less replaced "good writing." So naturally, I tend to just write off anything that shows signs of having this crippling disease. It doesn't help that comics are THE medium where the disease first spawned.

.... At this moment, considering whether or not I should also do another Pony episode review. No other episode made me want to kill someone quite as much as the Worst Two of Season 3 did, but there are plenty that need a good tongue-lashing.

[Stormwatch]

Muh headcanon: Nightmare Moon never "existed", she was just a persona made up by Luna when she was loca.