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Monday, February 3, 2014

Mini-Reviews Round 28

This week's episode, Pinkie Pride, was a real mixed bag to me.  On the one hand, Weird Al did a great job with the part, he was used well, the polka was hilarious and appropriate, and there were a lot of laughs to be had.  On the other, the other songs ranged from "very enjoyable" to "everything that was wrong with the Equestria Girls soundtrack," I thought that the "real-life" clips were a mind-blowingly immersion-breaking addition (it's not even like they were a dream sequence or something), and the grossly unsettling faces which I loath, but which so many fans seem to love, were unusually prevalent today.  All in all I enjoyed the episode, and it had some great moments, but if you made a graph of "Chris's enjoyment x time," it would have some pretty massive spikes and troughs.

Oh, also there was some sort of football game last night.  Anyway, click down below the break for a few thoughts on a few stories which I've recently been reading.





Long Story Short, Things Went Down, by Aragon

Zero-ish spoiler summary:  Carrot Top is going to murder her cheating fiancee, and probably get herself thrown in prison, unless her "friends" help her out.  To bad her "friends" are a bunch of morally suspect psychopaths themselves.

A few thoughts:  Given that large segments of this story revolve around the meaning and varied uses of an uncensored statue of a dolphin and a pony in mid-coitus, I think it's safe to apply the term "refuge in audacity" to this fic.  And to its credit, it doesn't skirt around what it is; Things Went Down is vulgar, aggressive, and foul-mouthed to the hilt.  In addition to all that, it's unrelentingly funny.  A lot of that humor comes from juxtaposing ponies and violence| (drugs, cursing, etc.), but what Argon does that a lot of "shock fics" don't manage is to not just create settings and characters which are deliberate poor fits for Equestria, but which actually parody its mores and morals.  This is, ultimately, a story about friendship; it just happens to be the kind of friendship "that make[s] you pee on the other when you see she's on fire--you're being as mean as possible, but you still try to fight the fire," as the fic puts it.  Combine that with the author's almost palpable glee in violating the constraints of logic for the sake of a good one-liner or a stupid gag, and this is a story that made me laugh, made me shake my head, and occasionally made me wonder what on earth I was reading--but which never once bored me.

Recommendation:  In terms of editing, the story's not terribly well-written; although it's never difficult to parse, there are a number of problems I associate with authors for whom English isn't their first language (incorrect irregular verbs (e.g. slayed for slain), tense slips, etc.).  Readers sensitive to that sort of thing will want to give this a pass, and those looking for anything remotely faithful to the show, its tone, or its characters should likewise steer clear.  But anyone seeking an over-the-top, dark (but never grim) comic parody will definitely want to give it a look.



An Average Delivery, by TheBrianJ

Zero-ish spoiler summary:  Derpy's given a particularly dull courier job, but she doesn't mind.  After all, she's very good at keeping herself entertained.

A few thoughts:  This is a story about letting you imagination run wild, and what I liked most about it was that it was grounded enough that it was easy to relate to without being boring--who hasn't grabbed a fallen tree branch and acted out their ninja-fighting (or whatever) fantasies, after all?  And if some of us (i.e. people other than me) stop doing that once they turn twelve, I don't think that makes Derpy's fantasies any less relatable.  This story doesn't exactly plow any new ground, but nevertheless it's a well-paced example of Slice-of-Life done right.

Recommendation:  Although it's not deep, epic, or any of those other adjectives we (I) like to toss around, this is an ideal fic for readers looking for a short, pleasant, and not too challenging bit of day-in-the-lifeing should check this out.



The Riddle, by Golden Vision

Zero-ish spoiler summary:  When she was very young, Celestia posed a riddle to Twilight--one which would take a lifetime to answer.

A few thoughts:  Much of the first half of this story is told in epistolary form, comprising a series of letters between Twi and Celestia.  These sections were well-written, but too often felt less like letters than like plot devices, containing needed information rather than that which would likely appear in such a letter (e.g. Twi using letters to answer simple questions when she and Celestia have met at least once in person since the question was posed).  Plus, the riddle itself is disappointingly shallow--I wasn't expecting anything mind-blowing, but it still felt like a bit of a letdown.

Past those complaints, though, I definitely enjoyed this story.  The story shows Twi at a variety of ages, and Golden Vision does a nice job of differentiating her locution while still making her sound like Twilight.  Plus, I'm a sucker for a good "getting old and dying" story, and this one doesn't wallow in unearned misery like too many do.  Heck, it even has some main-six shipping which didn't bother me too much, probably because the shipping itself was ancillary to the fic and was treated as such (though not the emotional relevance, which is given full credence).

Recommendation:  This doesn't deliver any big emotional hits, as might be expected from the premise, but if you're looking for a rest-of-life story which has a strong POV but doesn't overdo the drama, this one is worth a look.


Harvest Festival, by Admiral Biscuit

Zero-ish spoiler summary:  Twilight is determined to participate in Ponyville's annual traditions, and that includes submitting some produce at the fall fair... even though crop-growing is the near-exclusive purview of earth ponies, and she doesn't know what she's doing.

A few thoughts:  I figured this story was going to go the "Twilight is horrifically incompetent" route, and was rather pleasantly surprised that she's instead presented as a perfectly rational, scientifically-minded character who just happens to be at a tremendous disadvantage--it felt like a more natural fit to me, and had the advantage of not turning Twi into a caricature.  Plus, there's a lot of good comedy, both in the narration and the dialogue (AJ: "Yer proud of them eggplants ya grew, but there's gonna be other ponies that've got cucumbers the size of watermelons an' watermelons the size a... um, bigger watermelons.  Shoot, I ain't good with superlatives.").  That said, the story felt rather disjointed, skipping as it does from scene to scene with little to tie them together save the overarching concept of "Twilight trying to grow eggplants."  This persisted to the very end: the last line was definitely funny, but it didn't really tie the story together, or even connect directly to the rest of the fic.

Recommendation:  This won't appeal to fans of tightly-plotted stories, or to those looking for straight comedy (the story's tagged comedy/SoL, and it really is 50-50 between the two), but readers interested in a short fic which has some nice bits of humor but doesn't ever lose touch with or abuse the intelligence of its characters might find this to their liking.



...Wow, four stories, and I didn't dislike any of them!  Guess I'm on a roll.

Also, I've never liked that second i in "biscuit," and I feel like "melon" should have a second l (probably my Tolkien speaking).  Just throwing that out there, in case the Prescriptivist Cabal is reading and would like some suggestions for how to enforce the English language.

31 comments:

  1. I really liked the episode, including all the songs and the live action segments. And that's all I'll say at this point.

    Also, that game was a disgrace. I don't even follow pro football (and just watch the Super Bowl for the commercials), and even I thought it was awful.

    ...I guess that's my way of saying I haven't read any of these stories.

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    1. I quit watching during the third quarter (of the game, that is). I'm sure that was fun for Seattle fans, but for the rest of us? Not so much.

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  2. >locution

    I learned a new word today. I don't often learn new words ever since my grandma practically read me the whole dictionary when I was little, but I did today. Thank you, Chris. I will cherish this word forever.

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    1. I don't know why I find your comment so adorable

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  3. The Prescriptivist Cabal has noted your suggestions. The Etymology Division expresses its regrets that -cut is not an accepted derivative of the Latin "coctus" (having been cooked) for which the biscuit is named, though "cott" has some internal support. The Division finds your preference for "mellon" interesting. Though the word's origin in the Greek "mēlon" (apple) is uncontested, it is agreed that cantaloupes are among the friendlier fruit, which may justify a spelling update and nod to that celebrated linguist. A proposal has been drafted, and you may be called upon to argue the point.

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    1. This is the greatest comment ever. Y'all can pack up and go home; Whooves wins everything.

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    2. :D ... D: ... :D ... D:

      ... O_O.

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  4. The critical part of my brain completely shut down during the episode. It was just pure fun, and it'll probably stay that way for some time. I kinda need it that way

    That said, I was reminded of EqG and Magical Mystery Cure during some of the music, which was a major turn off. Ingram should stick to Broadway tributes. He could even restrict himself to only Sondheim's works :D

    You aren't making things easy for me, Chris. The only fic I'm sure about adding is An Average Delivery. Maybe I'll just keep an eye on the comments for other opinions

    Oh, and I will fight to the death to preserve "biscuit". It's the only logical spelling

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    1. I support any plan that involves more random Sondheim tributes. Or even random tributes to other things, like with the music man one. Mostly Sondheim though. For example, just tossing this out there, Rarity doing something involving Ladies who Lunch. That would be amazing. Maybe some sort of ensemble cast tribute to Someone in a Tree, which would be possibly more amazing. I think the songs in this episode were at least reasonable though. Probably above average for the season.

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    2. It was when Pinkie got all mopey that the music took a dive in quality. The hyper-fun parts were great! Maybe not in the same sense Art of the Dress was great, but they didn't have to be. I still find myself replaying 'em quite a bit, especially Pinkie's rendition of the Piñata Song

      I'm cool with tributes to other musicals (The Producers?), so long as they never do anything related to that hack Andrew Lloyd Webber. Well, they can do Memories, I guess, but that's it!

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    3. The sad song was definitely a slowdown in the pacing, but given that that song ends with Pinkie talking herself out of her funk, I can't really be too hard on it. That was a great character moment.

      I've never had a problem with the poppier songs, so long as we don't get them too many to an episode (one of my many issues with EQG). Love Is in Bloom was great in season 2, Babs Seed was great in season 3, this song was great here.

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  5. See, I adored the live-action bits in this episode. But then I'm a big fan of things like Spongebob Squarepants, which revel in the live-action gags. This episode was just pure goofy fun for me, and probably the most fun I've had watching a MLP episode since "The Last Roundup".

    The only song I wasn't crazy about was the very last one; it had that Equestria Girls pop quality I'm not a fan of. But every other song I enjoyed tremendously, and the final bit of "Pinkie's Lament" (namely the verse "I've got to get back down there, show them that I tried, for there's only great party pony and that is Pinkie Pie!") was one of the catchiest things I've heard in an MLP episode. The visuals, singing, and tune just seemed to come together beautifully in that moment.

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    1. I completely forgot about that birthday song within five minutes. So yeah, definitely like every song in Equestria Girls. That bit you mentioned from Pinkie's Lament reminded me alot of What My Cutie Mark Is Telling Me, something I'd like to hear more of in the show. I really need to find some sheet music to see what I love so much about that song! Curse my lack of aural training

      I liked the live-action bits too, though I don't think they should be anywhere near as prevalent as they are in SpongeBob. As a one-time gag in this episode, that worked fine, but they probably shouldn't use it again. I'd rather they mess around with the animation in other ways, like that felt scene from A Friend in Deed or what they did in A Canterlot Wedding

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    2. Huh; I would put Spongebob up as my Exhibit A of what's wrong with modern cartoons, from (what I consider the) visual ugliness to the breaking of style for asinine reasons to the lowbrow, gross-out humor.

      And yet, here you and me are, both fans of MLP. Strange how that works out, isn't it?

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    3. I thought the first couple seasons were good, but it really went to crap by the time the movie came out. My "Exhibit A" would have to be Family Guy, though (another show I liked the first couple seasons of)

      It is funny how people with such diverse tastes in cartoons can all love the same show. What's so magical about talking horses?

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    4. See, for me Spongebob was able to utilize the lowbrow, gross-out humor far more effectively than any other cartoon I've ever seen. Those guys really knew how to milk a visual gag and the comedic pacing was always really solid in the early seasons (I still laugh hysterically at that one episode which ends with them singing "Sweet Victory" in the football stadium). There were a bunch of cartoons afterwards that tried to be Spongebob, but none of them quite got the formula right (and as Oats already mentioned, Spongebob itself lost some of its charm after the first few seasons).

      Of course, I'm the kind of guy who can find enjoyment in Superjail, which is the pinnacle of visual ugliness.

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    5. I could never get into Superjail, unfortunately. It had some moments ("Cancer"), but it was more the kind of show I might watch only once in awhile with a friend, rather than something I'd actually follow

      Sweet Victory's great, but my favorite SpongeBob moment's still when Gary catches him watching porn XD

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    6. >Superjail, which is the pinnacle of visual ugliness.
      >not Edd, Ed and Eddy
      >not Home Movies

      Cartoons in the early 00's have a lot to answer for.

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    7. I agree with John Perry.
      Spongebob was great and used its brand of humor to great effect. I can still go back and watch some of those episodes with a great big smile on my face (from more than just nostalgia). I loved the movie too. I watched it on DVD like seven times in three days. But then, the series did a definite, sudden, and very noticeable shark jump. I remember the episode in which it happened too: Mr. Krabs was put on trial for his questionable business practices. I don't know exactly what changed, but something changed for the worse and never got better.

      Family Guy was quite great when it started (and re-started) too. But then at some point, they started repeating jokes, and got desperate for current events to parody. Things went downhill from there.

      Man I sure hope stuff like that doesn't happen to MLP, though I'm sure there are many who would argue that it already has. It's only a matter of time I suppose.

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  6. I agree with your assessment of Pinkie Pride, Chris. Except for the live-action bits which I thought were an excellent fit. But I agree with Oats and hope they don't make it a regular thing.

    Also, I'm in a reading mood, and I've got some free time, so I Think I'll read all of these and get back to you in a bit.

    Also also, RAAAARRGH! What's with all you guys encroaching upon my Word of the Day business!? You win this round, DannyJ, but not the war!

    Word of the Day: Locution.

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    1. Welp, I'mma back from reading. Well, except that first one. It's longer than I expected. I don't usually see stories of such length in these mini-reviews. It was Carrot Top that attracted you wasn't it? Don't deny.

      As for the rest, well...
      I find I don't have anything to add that you haven't said already.

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  7. Wait, the second "i" in "biscuit" is what irks you? Why would you pronounce "biscut" with two "i" sounds? If anything, the "u" is superfluous.

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  8. Cheese Sandwich for best pony. That's all I'm saying.

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    1. I'll second that nomination, with the caveat that "pony" here excludes Pinkie Pie, who's still (obviously) Best Pony

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    2. Pipe down, sparky.

      Best pony is best pony. One episode and he has more character than the main six have managed all season. I could say that he got more character in the intro alone than Cadance ever will, but I think I'm preaching to the choir on that one.

      Besides, I'm not even sure Pinkie is best pink pony, let alone best pony overall :P

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    3. Blasphemy! Pinkie's been Best Pony since episode five, wherein she savagely wrested that title from Knowit All's tyrannical hooves. Sure, she's had her lows, but my girl always comes back

      Long live The Pink One!

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    4. Amen, brother!
      ¡Viva la Poni Rosa!

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  9. Pish, as if she was ever best pony either. She may be popular, but then so many people have a nasty habit of being wrong!

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    1. For the first few episodes she was, by virtue of being the main character. The others were just the supporting cast

      I will admit to being wrong, though. My initial view of Pinkie was completely off

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    2. Being main character doesn't make one 'best pony'. Twilight was my second least favourite out of the gates due to her rampant Sue-isms. The only reason she wasn't last is because Rainbow Dash will always be worst.

      (Good lord. Exactly how bored do I need to be to still be doing this? Oh, right. Avoiding writing. That'll be it.)

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    3. True, but early on the others felt little more than foils. Twilight was the only one who seemed like an actual protagonist to me, so she just sorta won by default (plus she had that whole Tara Strong thing, as well as being an outsider to their world, which made her more identifiable). I didn't get the whole "best pony" thing until I got to see the other characters outside of their relationship with Twilight

      Pinkie was actually my least favorite at first. Funny how things change, eh?

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