tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post1726175975734890203..comments2024-03-04T02:09:30.979-06:00Comments on One Man's Pony Ramblings: 6-Star Reviews Part 58: FeedbackUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-76437141059888337932012-04-22T10:45:29.936-05:002012-04-22T10:45:29.936-05:00Don't blame Chris, blame the folks on EQD who ...Don't blame Chris, blame the folks on EQD who loved it. He's just reviewing star-6 fics, and this is sadly your only one. (For what it's worth, I think that The Colour You Bleed is more than deserving of the label.) The readership has changed so much in the last year that star labels are unfortunately all but meaningless anymore, not to mention if you'd posted Feedback now, it would be down in the low to mid 3's due to shipping starbombers. :/Present Perfecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16195959811544391904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-4330997833490863762012-04-21T20:59:23.154-05:002012-04-21T20:59:23.154-05:00I, ah, have rather significant issues with this st...I, ah, have rather significant issues with this story. Mostly to do with the fact that It qualifies for your attention, while my OTHER work, which I consider significantly better, does not. That is to say that Feedback remains my most popular story and I don't believe that it deserves this. I'd much rather people read my more recent work... I also have a tendency to avoid accepting praise in most cases, because I'm funny like that.kegisakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01108106888500370276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-83298392329039526082012-04-19T14:18:45.008-05:002012-04-19T14:18:45.008-05:00Ah, I see what you meant. All right then, I'l...Ah, I see what you meant. All right then, I'll stop wondering what I typed that was "painful to read."<br /><br />As for my thoughts on Dinky Doo... well, my review goes up in ten hours, and when you take "the few seconds it takes to eyeball that star rating," I guess you'll find out if we're in agreement.<br /><br />Sorry I misinterpreted your first post!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11581572699330155065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-60816282134510347442012-04-18T15:26:28.736-05:002012-04-18T15:26:28.736-05:00Oh jeez, I'm sorry! I totally messed. I meant ...Oh jeez, I'm sorry! I totally messed. I meant that I find <i>Dinky Doo's Father Revealed</i> to be painfully bad, and I meant next time instead of next week.Derpmindhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02069973881130714355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-63135714478400761642012-04-17T18:19:00.530-05:002012-04-17T18:19:00.530-05:00I'm glad you appreciated my review, although t...I'm glad you appreciated my review, although the idea of you using it deflect praise is making my head spin. As you say yourself, many of the issues which I had with this story are things you've improved in your subsequent writings, and if there's one thing that makes me happy, it's seeing an author grow and develop their skills. Thanks for taking the time to comment!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11581572699330155065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-64956137508508254512012-04-17T17:38:58.450-05:002012-04-17T17:38:58.450-05:00This is actually one of my favorite shipping stori...This is actually one of my favorite shipping stories and it's not because of the shipping. It's about how Pokey comes to terms with himself that really makes the story interesting for me. Not a lot of stories deal with personal growth like that.Vannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10508600767798253557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-61531503817384733182012-04-16T22:06:49.799-05:002012-04-16T22:06:49.799-05:00I would say that there's a difference between ...I would say that there's a difference between "not fitting my definition of the ponyworld" and "bad." So even if, just based on that description, it strikes me as rather non pony, that doesn't mean it isn't worth doing. I've just only ever read, like, three crossover fics for Pony. Ever. Just an example: I loved Battletech in high school. I couldn't bring myself to read that Battlech/pony crossover, because its style struck me as being a sub par Battletech novel.Bobcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13481038222952995945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-62249391048239503132012-04-16T21:54:16.800-05:002012-04-16T21:54:16.800-05:00Hmm, I like that notion of retaining themes of the...Hmm, I like that notion of retaining themes of the prevalence of hope, friendship and the like, despite the change in setting. Honestly, I ask a lot of this because I have written a fic that is so inspired by Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road' that it is flirting with a crossover tag, and anyone who has read that piece will understand just how dark the tone of that book is. So when I set out to plan and then write my fic, I struggled long and hard to incorporate those themes despite the horrendous setting. To me, the exploration and inclusion of those central ideas, even though I was essentially deconstructing pony society to see what would be revealed if I stripped back the 'utopian' nature, was incredibly important. The characters were the lens of old pony society, and it showed how they responded to a world that had changed around them.<br /><br />But, despite my attempts, I still wonder if the gross abandonment of the show's setting made it 'not pony'? I am not sure, but I sure as heck like to get other people's opinions on the topic in a broader sense, especially as it hits so close to home.Mystichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814377439751758620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-39136941595934346882012-04-16T19:02:01.934-05:002012-04-16T19:02:01.934-05:00Can I just take a moment to say oh man Colour You ...Can I just take a moment to say <i>oh man Colour You Bleed is amazing</i>. Thank you.Present Perfecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16195959811544391904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-8740159733743924182012-04-16T18:40:01.662-05:002012-04-16T18:40:01.662-05:00It's sort of like that one supreme court justi...It's sort of like that one supreme court justice's definition of pornography: I know it when I see it.Bobcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13481038222952995945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-74688850320898747472012-04-16T15:31:38.491-05:002012-04-16T15:31:38.491-05:00Yeah... there's a reason I look back on these ...Yeah... there's a reason I look back on these less than favorably...<br /><br />It's probably fairly easy to tell, but these were the first things I'd ever written for the fandom - the first things I'd ever written at ALL, really. I made a LOT of mistakes with them, most of which you hit pretty spot-on. The meandering plot, the vague characters in the first part, the editing - I'm a notoriously horrid proofreader, I generally have to proofread it, and THEN send it through another proofreader. The mistakes get worse the longer the story, too, which is why they were worse in the second part - I tend to skim through it more and catch less subtle errors.<br /><br />Anyways, I'm by no means trying to defend myself here. I actually really appreciate the harshness of the review. Most of the mistakes are things I've since rectified in my writing(Though the 'not pony enough' remains an issue - Clothes Hangers has traces of it, and The Colour You Bleed is pretty much as far removed from Equestria as you can get without being an original novel), but at the very least I can now point people who tell me how great a story it was towards this review as a point of argument. So, thank you very much for the review! Hopefully someday I'll write something a bit better that'll hit six stars. Well, given my choice of subject mater it's unlikely, but hope springs eternal, right?kegisakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01108106888500370276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-12308113352517876262012-04-16T13:02:22.637-05:002012-04-16T13:02:22.637-05:00I can't stand seeing TV in otherwise-normal Eq...I can't stand seeing TV in otherwise-normal Equestria. That just kills a fic for me.<br /><br />I think there's a certain degree of "ponyness" that a story has to retain for it to work as ponyfic, but I'm not really sure what that "certain degree" is. I know I've seen some ridiculous cases where an author will write "MLP fanfiction" about OCs in the far future long after the Princess' deaths, and will go on to include rape and swearing and all kinds of things that don't gel with ponies for me... but Fallout: Equestria does all of those things and I enjoyed that and definitely thought it was pony enough – the dark was justified, and it was a story of friendship and optimism in a bleak situation.<br /><br />I think the thing is (like Chris said above) just to <i>justify</i> where any darkness or blatantly not-pony stuff is coming from. <i>Fallout: Equestria</i> does that and I love it. <i>Rainbow Factory</i> doesn't do that and I hate it.<br /><br />And beyond justification of the darkness, I feel like there's some essential essence of the show's outlook that you need to retain – belief in the magic of friendship? Relentless, sincere optimism that doesn't cross over into sappiness? Something like that. Generally I'll be okay with it if your story doesn't come off as an emo teen's attempt to be edgy and subversive/controversial.Eznhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14787505849093141067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-20010466132908358062012-04-16T12:27:52.135-05:002012-04-16T12:27:52.135-05:00It may be idiosyncratic of me, but my acceptance o...It may be idiosyncratic of me, but my acceptance of the "tone" of a story depends almost entirely on the actions/reactions of the characters. I'm willing to accept an Equestrian anachronism as long as the characters treat it as such. I can enjoy stories with war, cursing, and alcohol without any trouble but one of the established ponies acting out-of-character totally wrecks it for me. And, for that matter, so does any background/OC pony acting in a way that is far from the established norm for ponies in the show.<br /><br />I find that almost all stories about BG ponies like Vinyl Scratch are just blank slates for the author's self-created Rorschach Test, rather than an exploration of solid characters in a believable and consistent Equestria.<br /><br />I keep hoping one of your reviews will convince me otherwise or point me to an exception to the rule but warning me away from yet another example of personal quirks shoe-horned into ponies is a valuable service, too.iisawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07580003128341580915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-38711296941341193482012-04-16T11:32:42.886-05:002012-04-16T11:32:42.886-05:00Hmm. Sorry you feel that way. If you're will...Hmm. Sorry you feel that way. If you're willing to tell me what I'm doing wrong, I'd love to hear it. I try to make my reviews both useful and interesting to read in their own right, and if you think I'm failing, then I'd like to know how I can improve.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11581572699330155065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-28357754672152643032012-04-16T11:29:37.910-05:002012-04-16T11:29:37.910-05:00To your question, Mystic: I have read neither Fo:E...To your question, Mystic: I have read neither Fo:E or Ponies Make War, so I can't comment on either of them specifically. But I have read plenty of stories that were anything but episodic in tone, yet were able to justify those discrepancies. The Color You Bleed, another story by Kegisak, comes to mind as one example. The story mostly takes place in a nation bordering on Equestria, where slavery is commonplace and casual violence is an accepted part of life. Obviously, this abandons the "feel" of the show almost entirely, but in that story I found there to be ample explanation for the dramatic departures from what we see in the show.<br /><br />So no, I don't think such stories which depart from the tone and conventions of a typical MLP episode are inherently inferior. But I do think that such departures need to be justified in-story, or at least that the tone of the show should never be casually abandoned.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11581572699330155065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-20380172686979855552012-04-16T09:04:53.326-05:002012-04-16T09:04:53.326-05:00I was going to get a little flustered at your appr...I was going to get a little flustered at your appraisal of this fic, until I realized that I read this way, way long ago. I really enjoyed it then, but I also demanded less from my ponyfic beyond "must contain ponies". I still enjoyed the second part when it came out, but that's because there was more to it, editing errors aside. This still holds a warm place in my heart, of course.<br /><br />Going back through these reviews, on the stories I've read anyway, is such a blast from the past. It's really amazing to see how far I've come and how far the fandom has come.Present Perfecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16195959811544391904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-86648385457155632952012-04-16T08:21:14.459-05:002012-04-16T08:21:14.459-05:00Honestly, back when I was reading ponyfic (I'v...Honestly, back when I was reading ponyfic (I've given up on it), there were so many hours in my pony day, so I didn't read a lot of fics that looked to be wildly diverging. A lot of fics that DIDN'T have wars in Equestria and such couldn't capture the feeling. <br /><br />When you're reading about technicolor diminutive horses, consistency of the world is so important.Bobcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13481038222952995945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-65715187428968264942012-04-16T08:15:51.423-05:002012-04-16T08:15:51.423-05:00Hm?Hm?Bobcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13481038222952995945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-28899821813324916242012-04-16T07:39:04.144-05:002012-04-16T07:39:04.144-05:00Gah, next week I'm not going to spend more tha...Gah, next week I'm not going to spend more than the few seconds it takes to eyeball that star rating. It's so bad that it is literally painful to read. :(Derpmindhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02069973881130714355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-72411419133294331352012-04-16T06:48:40.423-05:002012-04-16T06:48:40.423-05:00Of course, this is going to be incredibly subjecti...Of course, this is going to be incredibly subjective by its very nature. What triggers that 'feeling' will invariably be very different from person to person, which is definitely the reason, as Chris mentioned, that it is such a hotly debated topic. Does that make anyone wrong then? Does that mean that if the feeling is there for someone, but not someone else, that the fic is inherently bad? I would hope not.<br /><br />Ok then, so following on from that, what about if the characters are 'in-character', but yet the 'tone' feels completely different to the show? How do people feel about that? I ask this is a point of discussion; it's always fascinating to hear other people's opinions.Mystichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814377439751758620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-86420045157957437982012-04-16T06:15:33.889-05:002012-04-16T06:15:33.889-05:00It's entirely possible to get that "feeli...It's entirely possible to get that "feeling" Bobcat's talking about while completely diverging from the tone of the show. FO:E, though admittedly flawed in some places, is probably the best example I've seen yet of a fic that shouldn't in any way resemble MLP, yet contains enough skillful worldbuilding to not only make Kkat's version of Equestria believable, but also one of the most interesting parts of the story. Equestria, in my opinion, is not defined by actions, but by attitude; if you go about things with the same overall themes of friendship and magic, and a baseline of the world once being a kind and gentle place before or during the story's events, it's very much possible to create a horribly violent and depraved Equestria that still "feels" like Equestria.Aquaman52https://www.blogger.com/profile/03175143452061642006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-53247287139572052712012-04-16T05:06:51.373-05:002012-04-16T05:06:51.373-05:00Hmm. I have to admit that I am curious; does this ...Hmm. I have to admit that I am curious; does this mean that, in your opinion, stories like Fo:E and Ponies Make War (as two random examples from the top of my head) are 'inferior' (if you will forgive to crude wording) because they lose, or quite frankly flat out abandon, that 'feeling'? Or are they, or stories like them, exceptions for other reasons? Again, in your opinion.Mystichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814377439751758620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-11301591359527918532012-04-16T03:08:06.824-05:002012-04-16T03:08:06.824-05:00One of those, I mean.One of those, I mean.Bobcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13481038222952995945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-31504574044690329812012-04-16T01:12:42.698-05:002012-04-16T01:12:42.698-05:00"My point is, I wasn't always convinced t..."My point is, I wasn't always convinced that the Equestria Kegisak was writing about was the same as the one from the show. And when that connection to the source material is lost, it's never a good thing."<br /><br />This feeling is SO important in a ponyfic. Your wording nailed it on the head.<br /><br />Y'know, now that I think about it, I don't think I ever read a single fic about Vinyl. Certain background characters appeal to me and beg to be fleshed out (see: Photo Finish). Others... I'm satisfied to leave them completely in the background. Vinyl's one of this. <br /><br />Also, if this is the same fic I'm thinking of coming next time... well, I personally wasn't a fan, due to major logic issues. But, I'll see what you think about it before gabbing about it.Bobcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13481038222952995945noreply@blogger.com