tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post8029232901140046896..comments2024-02-09T02:19:23.915-08:00Comments on WhiteDiamonds~: Back After HiatusWhiteDiamondshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15330881754157567212noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-88904603310816941872012-12-29T00:19:31.369-08:002012-12-29T00:19:31.369-08:00Yet again I find myself commenting on one episode ...Yet again I find myself commenting on one episode mere hours before the next one debuts. I suppose it's appropriate as I don't have a whole lot to say about "Apple Family Reunion", other than I really enjoyed it. There was, in engineering parlance, a design flaw with the episode: the second (central) act of the story was about how Applejack's new-and-improved reunion plans were keeping the family from enjoying the reunion, and it's <i>really, really hard</i> to make it fun to watch people not having fun. While Studio B! couldn't quite overcome that hurdle, they at least managed to keep the second act from dragging down the rest of the episode, which was very good indeed.<br /><br />The flashbacks to previous reunions were humorous, charming, and wonderfully true-to-life, and the scenes of Applejack's friends helping her get things ready were delightful (and made me wish they could have been at the reunion as "honorary Apple family members"). For heartfelt moments, there was Apple Bloom checking in on a sleepless Applejack and, later, a heartbroken Applejack fighting tears as she looks on the wreckage of the barn and her plans. It was great to see Babs again (as well as Braeburn and Hayseed Turniptruck, albeit in non-speaking roles), and Granny Smith is almost as good as Sweetie Belle in stealing scenes. And, of course, there was the moment I'd been waiting for almost since I first became a fan of the show: Applejack's solo song; while I would have hoped for something a bit more personal to AJ (e.g., "The Art of the Dress", "The Smile Song"), "Raise This Barn" was an undeniably fun and catchy song with a great closing verse. Still, I hope she gets another song in the future; if given a chance to perform a more standard musical number as Applejack, I think Ashleigh Ball would give a masterful performance. Overall, a fine episode, though not quite among my favorites.<br /><br />@<a href="#c4235515219334524698" rel="nofollow">Harwick</a>:<br /><br />I'm of the opinion that, if the one-two punch of "The Last Roundup" and "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000" couldn't get someone to like Applejack, then they're probably never going to come around. In all honesty, if someone's reached the point of claiming the Apple family conned "half the town" to work for them in "Lesson Zero", or saying that Babs Seed stole "Apple Family Reunion" from Applejack, then I don't think there's any way to change their mind.<br /><br />@<a href="#c5702391263226973460" rel="nofollow">Obsequiosity</a>:<br /><br />Or, <a href="http://www.pogo-fan-club.org/images/Boston_Charlie.pdf" rel="nofollow">alternately</a>, "Bark us all bow-wows of folly!"<br /><br />@<a href="#c3786468516391798765" rel="nofollow">Favo</a>:<br /><br />I can't speak for everyone here, but I'm always happy to see you comment, and I hope that you'll do so more regularly whenever you do feel like it.<br /><br />@<a href="#c8097931660522347808" rel="nofollow">PonydoraPrancypants</a>:<br /><br />Thanks for sharing that seasonal poem; it made for a pleasant Christmas gift!<br /><br />@<a href="#c5303349988472424399" rel="nofollow">CaineScroll</a>:<br /><br />I agree with you in general about "Apple Family Reunion", and more specifically about Applejack's behavior during the episode. While that sort of overplanning is Twilight's specialty, given the pressure AJ was feeling I can easily see how she fell into that trap.<br /><br />@<a href="#c62670779382498008" rel="nofollow">RenaTurnip</a>:<br /><br />Thanks for such a fun, creative piece of pixel art! I admit I'm particularly impressed with the tiny little version of this very blog page over the fireplace.<br /><br />I hope it's nothing unpleasant that's causing you to consider a temporary near-silence; whatever the cause, do whatever you feel is best for you at this time.<br /><br />And it's definitely past time for me to go, as there's new pony in about 7 hours!jodyjm13https://www.blogger.com/profile/08299320190887654054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-67525461269304652712012-12-28T19:53:45.335-08:002012-12-28T19:53:45.335-08:00@RenaTurnip
colour me dead. Absolutely dead. Actua...@<a href="#c62670779382498008" rel="nofollow">RenaTurnip</a><br />colour me dead. Absolutely dead. Actually more like epic squee everywhere -glomps- I've been represented as a glue bottle, extraterrestrial status confirmed, whoo! Or at least, from the glue dimension. I do wonder though, who is that in the picture frame on the mantelpiece?zhoomcarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429521746867175989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-4067004867180299852012-12-28T18:07:31.857-08:002012-12-28T18:07:31.857-08:00@RenaTurnip
Oh, my goodness! Forgive me for being...@<a href="#c62670779382498008" rel="nofollow">RenaTurnip</a><br /><br />Oh, my goodness! Forgive me for being so late to see and comment on this, my dear, but that is just absolutely fantastic, I love it so much! You honestly amaze me with your pixel-work, and I can only imagine that must have taken you a very long time to do... if it's incomplete as is posted I really can't wait to see what else you have planned for it! While I've honestly never thought about how one would go about representing some people, such as Anon in pixel-form before, I have to say that you really did make some very good choices, and I really must agree with CaineScroll that Harwick in particular is utterly hilarious (that tail stuffed down the chimney, I can't stop laughing...). Once again I love this so much, thank you for taking the time to make and share that with all of us!<br /><br />@<a href="#c7547171002842597792" rel="nofollow">Obsequiosity</a><br /><br />Haha! Well, if nothing else that group absolutely confirms what I said to you in my post on said comic strip, in that I realized some time ago that I had passed the point of no return and may as well just embrace my shiptastic fangirlishness for what it was, unabashedly. When the founder had invited me on to help staff several weeks after the group had initially been founded, I actually thought about it for some time before I realized it was a no-brainer and I really wasn't fooling anyone, least of all myself... if anything I imagine people would have been surprised to <i>not</i> find me there had they looked.<br /><br />So in any case yes, I really must agree with that fabulous quote you posted as well as thank you for sharing, because for better or for worse it probably does describe me to a tee, <a href="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121115201422/mlp/images/thumb/f/fd/Rarity_%27Being_polished%27_S3E2.png/640px-Rarity_%27Being_polished%27_S3E2.png" rel="nofollow">meheh~</a>! I hope you have a lovely New Year as well, and I look forward to seeing the potential polished version of that strip and/or whatever other artistic goodies you may have in store for us all!WhiteDiamondshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15330881754157567212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-32104345286038960442012-12-28T01:37:31.604-08:002012-12-28T01:37:31.604-08:00@RenaTurnip
Haha, I suppose me of all people shou...@<a href="#c7347930304644998362" rel="nofollow">RenaTurnip</a><br /><br />Haha, I suppose me of all people should know how long it takes to do pixel art (I was the only one dumb enough to re-watch three hours worth of recorded livestream, remember?) That said, it looks really impressive the way it is now, can't wait to see it done! ^_^CaineScrollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09256204657160164319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-75471710028425977922012-12-27T14:22:14.824-08:002012-12-27T14:22:14.824-08:00@WhiteDiamonds
Heh. When the idea for that goofy ...@WhiteDiamonds<br />Heh. When the idea for that goofy sketch popped into my head, the first thing that occurred to me was, "Well, if nothing else, WD will get a chuckle out of it." <br /><br />When it got added to that group, I did a little looking around and decided it was worth keeping on my list, if nothing else in case I decided to polish that sketch into something presentable. That's when I noticed who helped run the group and had to chuckle myself.<br /><br /><br /><br />By the by, a friend of mine (that I met through Transformers Geekery) passed something along from John Scalzi:<br /><br />"Many people believe geekdom is defined by a love of a thing, but I think — and my experience of geekdom bears on this thinking — that the true sign of a geek is a delight in sharing a thing. It's the major difference between a geek and a hipster, you know: When a hipster sees someone else grooving on the thing they love, their reaction is to say 'Oh, crap, now the wrong people like the thing I love.' When a geek sees someone else grooving on the thing they love, their reaction is to say 'ZOMG YOU LOVE WHAT I LOVE COME WITH ME AND LET US LOVE IT TOGETHER.'"<br /><br />Y'all are a bunch of geeks, and I thank you for that. Enjoy your holidays.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-73479303046449983622012-12-26T13:02:30.155-08:002012-12-26T13:02:30.155-08:00*wakes back up to make some additional comments*
...*wakes back up to make some additional comments*<br /><br />Although this is not set in stone, there is a chance that after this weekend's Pony episode I may take a break from social activities for a while. I'll still be findable on dA, especially if I've got art to post, but I probably won't have much to say to anyone on many things. You could just say I need to take a serious break and clear my head and other such things :x But just know that if you don't hear from me, I won't be out of arm's reach, and I'll miss talking to you all. My apologies for this if I do decide I need some time off.<br /><br />@<a href="#c8097931660522347808" rel="nofollow">PonydoraPrancypants</a><br /><br />Aww, now that was silly and totally adorable, and I was pretty much laughing from the very first line. I can just sort of imagine a brief montage as a voice narrates over, with brief images for each moment in there. Although I admit I'm not really sure how many images you could draw reflecting a group of people talking on a blog, eheh.<br /><br />@<a href="#c1002006818634909741" rel="nofollow">CaineScroll</a><br /><br />That was, in fact, a Chocobo. I suppose I'm not surprised that you made the guess, but I have to be impressed considering it's hardly distinguishable from a normal chick :P I'm glad you like it so much. I'll definitely finish the detailing on it all sometime... doing full scenes is a lot more work than just individual characters and such.RenaTurniphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17876176050188258656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-12374957833936641682012-12-26T10:56:47.679-08:002012-12-26T10:56:47.679-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Favohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13659911296132032331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-10020068186349097412012-12-26T05:51:26.137-08:002012-12-26T05:51:26.137-08:00@RenaTurnip
I don't care what anyone says, th...@<a href="#c62670779382498008" rel="nofollow">RenaTurnip</a><br /><br />I don't care what anyone says, this has got to be one of the best pictures you've made so far. And not just because Scrolls has a chick/chocobo/thing on his head. I particularly love Harwick going all Godzilla on everyone else...as well as Gluey Zhooms. Gotta love that bloke. xD<br /><br />I've said it for the umpteenth time now, but happy holidays to you too, Turnips. ^_^CaineScrollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09256204657160164319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-626707793824980082012-12-26T03:44:45.454-08:002012-12-26T03:44:45.454-08:00Sorry for the somewhat late well wishes. I really ...Sorry for the somewhat late well wishes. I really hope that the season has treated everyone as best it can. You all deserve it so much.<br /><br />I was really hoping to have this done yesterday, but by this point I just need to relax and take some time off, so forgive me for not being done... and here, <a href="http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/3484/blogwip.png" rel="nofollow">have something nice</a>, everyone. You'll have to forgive a few of the slightly more obscure representations of faces. I asked the ever-helpful Harwick for his advice as far as that went and we agreed that familiar avatars was probably the best way to go, for the most part.<br /><br />It's late and I'm tired, and I promise that sometime I'll get this finished and shiny and amazing, but for now, this is what I've got.<br /><br />Happy holidays, everybody~ Here's to a good season and the best 2013 can be, too. I hope everyone has a great year.RenaTurniphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17876176050188258656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-87948519790677602862012-12-26T01:25:28.479-08:002012-12-26T01:25:28.479-08:00@jodyjm13
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to y...@<a href="#c8059669274140555860" rel="nofollow">jodyjm13</a><br /><br />Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you as well Jody-dear, and thank you very much for stopping by to spread a little seasonal cheer even though you doubtless have been busy, as well! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the recent Applejack episode too, more or less, and as for "Wonderbolt Academy" it's not that I feel bad for sharing my thoughts persay, but that I can't help but feel somewhat guilty if I'm ever overly-pessimistic or negative about anything, and certainly if it's for any reason as silly as my over-analyzing a cute benign cartoon about ponies. Whatever the case may be though I do appreciate it, thank you.<br /><br />If I don't talk to you beforehand, I hope you have a very fabulous New Year!<br /><br />@<a href="#c5702391263226973460" rel="nofollow">Obsequiosity</a><br /><br />Hahaha indeed, Granny Smith was quite entertaining throughout this episode and as I mentioned before I also enjoyed many of the little touches present throughout... in fact I'd probably go so far as to say they really did make this episode for me. Knowing you're an Applejack fan I'm glad to hear you weren't disappointed my friend, and ALSO (though this is completely unrelated to any discussion here and perhaps you'd actually hoped I wouldn't even notice) I really must thank you for joining my little group on deviantART... other than yourself DicePony is the only person here who has ever really shared that particular interest with me and I have to say it was a happy little surprise to welcome you aboard. ^_~<br /><br />@<a href="#c3786468516391798765" rel="nofollow">Favo</a><br /><br />Merry Christmas to you as well dear, though you know, I must say I can't recall anyone here ever giving you <i>any</i> reason to believe that you might be unwelcome here (quite the contrary actually) so I'm really not sure why you would say something like that? Whatever the case may be though, I hope you had a very nice holiday~!<br /><br />@<a href="#c5303349988472424399" rel="nofollow">CaineScroll</a><br /><br />Regarding torrents of blog comments, now you know how *I* feel dear, hah (and these torrents typically result in my posting my own ridiculously-lengthy posts as well to catch up with everyone, for which I honestly must apologize). But at any rate thank you for sharing your thoughts on the episodes as well as for the holiday wishes... I hope you had an excellent Christmas yourself!<br /><br />@<a href="#c239404838142055908" rel="nofollow">Anon</a><br /><br />Yes, I agree, the quality of art on that blog really is extraordinary and once again I thank you for bringing it to my attention. It's times like this that I find myself almost wishing, yet again that I could someday manage to start up some sort of pony-related Tumblr of my own, but seeing as how I find it nearly impossible to keep up with my internet activities and artworks as it is I know there is essentially zero chance of this ever happening. Ah well though, perhaps someday!<br /><br />Hm, you know, considering the fact that Harwick and I seem to be able to carry on various food-themed conversations for far longer than most people would probably ever venture to guess, it really wouldn't surprise me if I ever learned he actually <i>was</i> some sort of <i>Master Chef</i>-calibre gourmet... not at all in fact...WhiteDiamondshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15330881754157567212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-70078405490206194272012-12-26T01:19:55.089-08:002012-12-26T01:19:55.089-08:00@Harwick
Well, if I would have come to share my t...@<a href="#c4242339379166249757" rel="nofollow">Harwick</a><br /><br />Well, if I would have come to share my thoughts on the episode as soon as I had gotten through watching it, my post probably would have read quite a bit like yours dear, because it seems that as is usual with this show and these characters our thoughts and feelings tend to echo one another pretty closely. However, once again I'm happy to say that for me personally, the whole thing really was redeemed quite a bit once I had a chance to reflect back on it and realize that for me the "good" in this case far made up for whatever initial disappointment/discontent that I may have felt. Since I'm sure that for me most if not all of that is due to how much I love Applejack and generally enjoy watching her do even the most simple/uneventful things on the show, I can understand that some people who do not share my same bias may not have gotten the same level of enjoyment out of it that I did. Still though I am sorry to hear that you were disappointed enough that you would consider the episode to be your least-favorite of the season thus far... that really is too bad.<br /><br />But, anyhow! Moving on to other things I really must say that your Christmas Eve post made me laugh, not only because I honestly do like the idea of a WhiteDiamonds Christmas Special very much (and the castle does/will look fabulous this time of year I can assure you... I'm already planning out the decor and festive spread and so forth in my mind's eye) but also because, like you I was <i>still</i> clamouring quite a bit to get everything done last night. In the end it worked out for me though, and I hope the same was also true for you!<br /><br />@<a href="#c2978295481827615645" rel="nofollow">PonydoraPrancypants</a><br /><br />Oh dear, I really am so very sorry to hear about your post, my friend! I sincerely do hate it when that happens. Blogger used to do the exact same thing to me all the time, back when I was still in the habit of posting regularly on Equestria Daily, and so back then I got into the habit of typing up all on my longer comments in Wordpad or Notepad or somesuch and then copying and pasting them to spare myself potential headaches. Anyway I am sorry about that, and also the fact that my silly blog lacks any sort of edit function entirely (I'm sure you've all found plenty of typos, awkward sentences and grammatical errors in my posts before, and though I technically could just delete them and repost corrected versions I'm afraid lack of time usually means I don't bother, ah well~).<br /><br />Anyhow though, getting back to the new episode. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, really! Even though in the past, I've been inclined to agree with Harwick in that "vignette" episodes (as you say) tend not to rank amongst my favorites, there are exceptions to this and honestly, you raise a very valid point since thinking back I realize that I really have enjoyed seeing the characters be fleshed out a bit more and getting more of a glimpse into their more private everyday lives, even if I don't always enjoy the larger stories in episodes that do this. So yes, I suppose it just depends on how an episode or pony is handled, and whatever the case may be it's just nice to hear you found this latest installment enjoyable!<br /><br />Lastly, haha, thank you so very much for that little poem... you really are far too good at what you do and I know that it brightened my evening considerably when I read that last night, so the effort was sincerely appreciated. I hope you had a wonderful holiday!WhiteDiamondshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15330881754157567212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-11169550600038034082012-12-26T01:14:43.525-08:002012-12-26T01:14:43.525-08:00@zhoomcar
Ah, there you are dear! Thank you very ...@<a href="#c6861516792835209943" rel="nofollow">zhoomcar</a><br /><br />Ah, there you are dear! Thank you very much for coming back to fill me in (and for the holiday wishes as well!), since I really was beginning to wonder about you. While I'm sorry to hear that your scores weren't exactly where you'd hoped they would be, they were at least quite close and as you said, hopefully enough to get you where you would like to be all the same. And psychology/criminology/forensics, really? I had no idea, but color me impressed.<br /><br />And yes, I saw that the episode was leaked a little bit early again, but at least not days in advance this time! I'm not sure if this trend has been shown to have any sort of significant impact on The Hub's ratings/viewership at all, but if so I can only hope that they'll manage to keep things under tighter wraps in the future.<br /><br />@<a href="#c4941784489690068920" rel="nofollow">Dice Pony</a><br /><br />Every time I see you, my dearest darling, I am reminded of how it has been FAR too long since we had a proper conversation with one another, something which is almost exclusively my fault at this point I'm so sorry to say. It really <a href="http://dashie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1756-1320567753.gif" rel="nofollow">is so terrible!</a> <i>However</i> I am seriously hoping that once the hectic holiday season is over (as much as I love it I have been scrambling all over the place these past couple of weeks like my scaredy-cat Grace with ribbon-tape stuck to her tail) we shall be able to get all caught up once again... I simply refuse to rest until we do in fact!<br /><br />Anyhow though, all that having been said I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed our latest Applejack episode... seeing as how she is your most-favorite pony of course I really had been hoping you would love it! I myself didn't make the shooting star connection until I saw it being mentioned by some other people on deviantART (and interpreted in various artworks), and since then I understand Sibsy has indeed confirmed it was supposed to be a very subtle nod to Applejack's deceased parents by the writers/crew. While it isn't the same thing as any of the characters actually <i>discussing</i> or referencing the fact on the show, of course, at this point it seems almost certain that we will never actually see Applejack's living parents on the show, so like you (and even though it's been my headcanon from the beginning anyway) my heart is just full of "feels" for poor darling Applejack. She really is just such a wonderful pony, isn't she?<br /><br />@<a href="#c1869580842207111028" rel="nofollow">RenaTurnip</a><br /><br />Another person who enjoyed the episode I see, that definitely is a nice thing to hear! And especially in your case since I understand the season didn't start out so well for you, dear. Anyhow I have already shared my general impressions of the episode of course, but when it comes down to more of the specifics I will say that I enjoyed many of the same things you did (those elderly mares really were quite cute weren't they? And it was nice to see a little bit more of Applejack's extended family in action, even though I understand some people were disappointed we didn't get a little more out of some of them). Even though, like you and some of the others I was a bit disappointed that Applejack was singlehandedly the cause of the "conflict" this time around and that she didn't demonstrate as much of her good, practical Applejack-sense as we've come to expect from her, as I said in my review I understand that it was all out of a desire to please others and create something special in the end, and so it didn't bother me as much as it certainly would have otherwise. Overall I thought it was quite solid, and definitely full of some very cute moments as you said.WhiteDiamondshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15330881754157567212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-9624676500768571032012-12-26T01:10:19.725-08:002012-12-26T01:10:19.725-08:00For those of you who observe it (and I sincerely w...For those of you who observe it (and I sincerely wish we did here in the United States, believe me), Happy Boxing Day my friends! I'm back, having had a very quiet and laid-back sort of Christmas this year which was nevertheless pleasant, and I hope all of you likewise had a lovely holiday. While I really rather hate this let-down feeling that typically follows the holidays, the good thing as I mentioned yesterday is that hopefully it also means I'll have far more time to be finishing artworks and other such fun, frivolous activities in the coming weeks... that is the plan if all goes well, anyhow, and I know I at least am looking forward to having a little more free time again!<br /><br /><br />But anyhow yes, I do believe I am the last person to post about the subject at this point, so how about that new Applejack episode everyone? You know, even though I watched it as soon as it aired, and probably did have time to come and post my thoughts about it then if I had pushed myself it's probably better that I waited, because my <i>initial</i> reaction was that I actually was somewhat disappointed in the whole thing. Now that I've had a bit more time to reflect back on it though, I realized that it really wasn't so bad and that I actually did enjoy it quite a lot! I think, for me in this instance it was a rare case of my getting my hopes up prematurely for something, which I generally make a point <i>never</i> to do for this very reason, and so while I actually didn't think the episode was bad at all it still wasn't everything I had thought it might or should be, and naturally I was feeling a little let-down afterwards as a result. Reflecting back on it now though I do feel it was a pretty solid episode, because if nothing else I am always happy to get more Applejack, and the fact that she was the "problem" in this episode was not so much of a problem for me seeing that her heart was very obviously in the right place the entire time... she was just trying to make this event something truly special for her family, and all for their benefit not hers. While I always hope that we will be given a little more of a look into the minds and emotional states of these characters, and see a little more of what 'makes them tick' as a result not every episode is going to go that way I realize, but at least it was very enjoyable for me to get a bit more of a glimpse into Applejack's/the Apple family's typical home life/dynamic (Granny's line about Applejack having the appetite of a grown stallion in particular was highly amusing to me), and interesting to receive further confirmation that Applejack's greatest fear is that she will somehow fail in her responsibilities/efforts and let down her family/friends as a result. This was still the strongest message that I took from this episode in the end, sans the moral itself of course (and was this the first time this season that we've actually seen any of the ponies write to Celestia? Because I can't recall any others at the moment) and one that really I could never be disappointed with, since it only confirms what a wonderful character Applejack really is. Good stuff and I am looking forward to the next installment, then!WhiteDiamondshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15330881754157567212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-2394048381420559082012-12-25T22:39:42.322-08:002012-12-25T22:39:42.322-08:00@WhiteDiamonds
It appears that most of us have se...@<a href="#c5767233587187354939" rel="nofollow">WhiteDiamonds</a><br /><br />It appears that most of us have seen it already, but I am glad to hear you at least enjoyed it as much as I did. The art quality of "Captain Luna" is unparalleled, its adventurous airship theme is popular among the people of our group, and it is well applied wwith the blog's voyage journal style. The ship's name, "Corona Borealis", was reminiscent of Harwick's "Mare Nubium". Now that I think of it, the steampunk pony genre seems to fit this blog and its members precisely. We may not be the toughest seafarers, but I have faith that, with you as our captain, we could best any storm.<br /><br />@<a href="#c4242339379166249757" rel="nofollow">Harwick</a><br /><br />It is ironic how an episode where the protagonist is so focused on making the events of the story memorable has turned out to be anything but that. The main problem, as you described well already, was that the viewer could plainly see the error of Applejack's ways. It distances the audience from the protagonist and leaves us waiting for her to catch up to us. The story could have been told more fluently if it followed Granny Smith and Apple Bloom a bit more closely, but of course, it would mean taking an episode away from a character who so desperately needed her own.<br /><br />While I could see the benefit of throwing back to "Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000" by including AJ's honorary family members, I'm sure I would complain that the episode shoehorned the other main characters into the story as I did after the previous one.<br /><br />Her song was a nice surprise, but I sort of wish it was a bit more substancial. I look forward to whatever remixes the musician community will come up with, at least.<br /><br />I should probably add a bit more tomorrow, but it's getting quite late. Still, it was a solid episode, and a clear improvement from the last.<br /><br />"As for AJ's parentes,"<br /><br /><a href="http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa391/Arioka275/artofthedressing_zps9aa6a111.png" rel="nofollow">...and then Harwick was Italian.</a>Anonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10754436942706509679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-53033499884724243992012-12-25T01:47:00.103-08:002012-12-25T01:47:00.103-08:00I leave for one day and this is the torrent of com...I leave for one day and this is the torrent of comments I see when I get back? Simply outrageous!*<br /><br />Anyway, I suppose I should voice my (supremely late) opinions on the last two episodes...there's nothing wrong about <i>Wonderbolts' Academy</i>, but I have to admit that most of the characters were sadly out of character, Spitfire being the most prominent example in my opinion. Her drill sergeant attitude left me wondering what the Wonderbolts <i>really</i> were: a troupe of flight performers, or a military division? Evidence from Season 2's <i>Secret of my Excess</i> shows that they're more of the latter, but that also poses another question...what are all those other (less talented) pegasi doing at the Academy if the Wonderbolts only selected the best of the best? Seems like another example of throwing existing elements out of the window just to make room for storytelling purposes (Anyone notice that RD's reputation as the only pegasus who could pull off a Sonic Rainboom was not even mentioned once?). Oh, and I'm sure someone out there must have been counting the number of times when Rarity plummets to her doom. Overall, not a very satisfying episode. =(<br /><br />I kinda liked <i>Apple Family Reunion</i> (thankfully), as I think it mostly stays true to the flair of the series. AJ's eagerness to plan the "perfect reunion" seems to be more of a Twilight thing, but when you take into account that she's all flustered up about it for the sake of her family, it kind of makes sense. She was just too focused on organizing all those events to remember that reunions are all about mingling and catching up with each other. Oh, and baby AJ in that flashback was heart-wrenchingly adorable. =P<br /><br />It was also pretty fun to see some recurring Apples: Braeburn was a particularly nice surprise in my case. It was also good to see Babs again (with a 180-degree attitude spin, no less), though I haven't really familiarized myself with her probably due to her very recent debut. I also found it rather surprising that there weren't as many Apples in the final photo as I expected, given that they arrived on wagons and airships. It also means a high invitation to Apple ratio when you take into account the number of envelopes that appeared at the start of the episode.<br /><br />I also enjoyed the song as well; nothing like a good hoedown song to finish up a country-flaired episode. I can't see how raising a barn would make them any less busy than they were during the events, but I guess that little technicality pales next to the fact that we finally have an AJ-centred song.<br /><br />Episode-reviewing aside, Merry Christmas to everyone here on the blog, and here's to another year of commenting and sharing. My New Year's resolution would probably be: <i>Post more often.</i> But we still have six days until that day, so I'll settle with the festive greetings for the time being. Hope everyone here's enjoying their holidays so far! =D<br /><br />*Just kidding. ;)CaineScrollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09256204657160164319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-81940155769355152262012-12-25T00:28:23.300-08:002012-12-25T00:28:23.300-08:00Hahahaha! You all thought that I wouldn't make...Hahahaha! You all thought that I wouldn't make it to the blog in time for Christmas, perhaps, and yet last-minute as I frequently am these days (may we call it fashionably late?) I have indeed! Merry Christmas to all of you my dear dear friends, some early and some probably right on time, or at least I hope I've managed to wish those of you on the other side of the planet a fabulous happy holiday while it's still applicable! I'm afraid that I won't be able to get back to all of my blog replies/thoughts tonight (I do still need to share my impressions on the latest episode after all <3) since it's so late here now, but certainly I shall try my best to do so tomorrow, and also let it be said that I am essentially dead-set on getting that newest artwork of mine up as soon as the big holiday rush is over (since I wasn't able to make my weekend schedule as I'd wanted to do, and my most sincere apologies to you especially, Harwick-dear... I really don't mean to always be such a terrible tease! ^_^;;;). In any case though I just wanted to say, as I hope you all already know, that I feel very lucky that I have come to know all of you and that we are celebrating another Christmas together once again, and I hope that you all are/will be enjoying the day to the fullest with your own respective families and friends. Warmest holiday wishes to you all, you know that I just adore you! <3WhiteDiamondshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15330881754157567212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-80979316605223478082012-12-24T23:06:38.396-08:002012-12-24T23:06:38.396-08:00'Twas the night 'ere Hearth's Warming,...'Twas the night 'ere Hearth's Warming, some hours before dawn, and not a poster was posting, not even Anon;<br /><br />The commenters had gone, their thoughts already recorded, the status of wrapping having been reported;<br /><br />Our dear host herself has - I hope - hunkered down, with a cup of hot tea, far from the bustling town;<br /><br />So here all by my lonesome I'm left to reflect, on a lady and her friends whom I greatly respect;<br /><br />Dear Diamonds I assure you I make no mistake, when I assert you shine more brightly than your brilliant namesake;<br /><br />Thank you for blogging now well more than a year, and for hosting so many insightful comements posted here;<br /><br />Harwick, Jody, Anon - Dice Pony, Rena and Zhoom - how much fun would it be to all be in one room?<br /><br />Favo, Coconut, Obsequiosity - and I suppose I may as well also count me;<br /><br />I've posted many thoughts - some deep, some quite shallow; most involving a pony some liken to marshmallow;<br /><br />On Hearth's Warming Eve, though, I've not much to say, save to wish you all wonderful, happy holidays;<br /><br />So I've one last remark before I turn off the lights, "Happy Hearth's Warming to all, have a fabulous night!"PonydoraPrancypantshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08824984665648805856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-37864685163917987652012-12-24T21:17:38.533-08:002012-12-24T21:17:38.533-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Favohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13659911296132032331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-60190319965376891642012-12-24T20:54:06.383-08:002012-12-24T20:54:06.383-08:00It's creeping towards midnight here, and I sti...It's creeping towards midnight here, and I still have gifts to wrap, presents to assemble and rooms to clean in preparation for the huge influx of family coming for the holidays (we'll need to sleep 9 for the coming week, 2 couples and 5 singles, so it's going to be a full house.) But for now, George Bailey has found ZuZu's petals and all seems right with this Eve, so I thought I'd check in and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays of all kinds!<br /><br />My year has been improved by coming to know all of you in even such a limited way, and I'm looking forward to continuing to hash out issues with candy colored horses well into the future. <br /><br />Hopefully next year we can put together the White Diamonds Christmas Special, where we all gather in her wonderfully decorated castle (available for events and retreats) and enjoy her hosting skills as we learn a lesson about the spirit of the holidays. And a special guest musical star would lead us all in a song. There might be some muppets involved too... we can work out all of the details next year. <br /><br />In any event, have a wonderful holiday season everyone!AJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17855976959286840085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-57023912632269734602012-12-24T14:54:23.627-08:002012-12-24T14:54:23.627-08:00It was the little things in this episode that I ad...It was the little things in this episode that I adored: the previously mentioned shooting stars, Granny's temporary facelift, "seven-legged" races, baby Applejack, Hayseed Turniptruck being canon Apple kinfolk, fruit bats, pull-start sewing machines, another fiddle playing pony and a new fiddle tune, finding out that ponies use relatively short (probably Stanley #5 length) metal-bodied jointer planes with indescribably sharp irons that Babs and Apple Bloom are able to just shuttle along a beam with ease, both with and against the grain (sorry, woodworking geek off his medication)...<br /><br />Plotwise, it's a little weak, but I enjoyed it thoroughly nonetheless. The only thing that can buy me off more cheaply than Pinkie Pie antics is Granny Smith antics.<br /><br />@jodyjm13 Deck Us All with Boston Charlie!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-39216817107367968092012-12-24T06:17:05.806-08:002012-12-24T06:17:05.806-08:00Wishing Di and everyone else here on the blog a me...Wishing Di and everyone else here on the blog a merry Christmas.zhoomcarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429521746867175989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-80596692741405558602012-12-23T23:57:32.518-08:002012-12-23T23:57:32.518-08:00I don't know if I'll have time to post my ...I don't know if I'll have time to post my thoughts on "Apple Family Reunion" and reply to some comments here before Friday, but I did want to at least say that I enjoyed the episode and thought it was solid, though not extraordinary. (Also, to Di: This is your blog, so you should never feel sorry over sharing your views with us here. In particular, nothing you (or anyone else) have said about "Wonderbolt Academy" upset me.)<br /><br />And the main reason I'm commenting now is to wish everyone Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas, and I can't think of a better way to do so than by sharing <a href="http://dr-hermes.livejournal.com/pics/catalog/422/438223" rel="nofollow">this classic <i>Pogo</i> comic strip</a>. I hope y'all have a great holiday season!jodyjm13https://www.blogger.com/profile/08299320190887654054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-33631747410775793522012-12-22T13:09:37.371-08:002012-12-22T13:09:37.371-08:00Also, Spike as a BIC lighter was the first time I&...Also, Spike as a BIC lighter was the first time I've laughed out loud this season. This one gave me plenty of warm fuzzies. :)PonydoraPrancypantshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08824984665648805856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-29782954818276156452012-12-22T13:07:05.737-08:002012-12-22T13:07:05.737-08:00Wow - my whole long comment that I was writing jus...Wow - my whole long comment that I was writing just got deleted. I just don't know what went wrong!<br /><br />I'll try this again. First of all, Harwick, I feel your pain about the edit function. As a writer, I am constantly embarrassed at being the worst offender in terms of typos and mistakes. Also, apparently "undo" doesn't work on this site either, so that would be a nice addition. <br /><br />I liked this episode quite a bit, in spite of what are very legitimate criticisms raised above. It was sweet and good-hearted and, I felt, true to the characters and the show. Enough to get rid of the sour taste in my mouth left by last week's episode, even.<br /><br />Personally, I am a big fan of "vignette" episodes that focus on single characters or their lives, including their families, and show us more than we might see in an ensemble episode, and also showcase some special aspects of life in Equestria. Cindy Morrow, who also penned "Sisterhooves Social," "Hurricane Fluttershy," and "Winter Wrap-up" (which all involve some special event as the plot centerpiece), is great at this. I was delighted when all the Apples started arriving via conastoga wagon, carriage, taxicab, and airship, and got down to the business of family fun. It was good to see Hayseed Turniptruck has found himself a lovely Apple gal, and good to see Babs and sun-loving Apple Cobbler again, in addition to many other previously-spotted and brand-new Apples. <br /><br />I liked Applejack's square-dance barn-raising song. Who knows how dancing and barn-raising gave everypony the time to catch up that the other activities did not, but it was still a fun song and it was nice to hear Ashleigh sing in her own natural key. <br /><br />This one was just what I needed to get back on the wagon, so to speak. Also, I caught the shooting stars (the second time they appeared). Nice touch.PonydoraPrancypantshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08824984665648805856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815265967021708537.post-32814791302493792332012-12-22T09:47:29.329-08:002012-12-22T09:47:29.329-08:00Ugh... "Least" and a slew of extra keyst...Ugh... "Least" and a slew of extra keystrokes and misspellings. I'd kill for an edit function, so that I'm only exposed as an idiot temporarily.AJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17855976959286840085noreply@blogger.com