tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post4914144046080467235..comments2024-03-04T02:09:30.979-06:00Comments on One Man's Pony Ramblings: 6-Star Reviews Part 111: Yours TrulyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-84885761964966858672012-11-15T19:43:15.187-06:002012-11-15T19:43:15.187-06:00I can only speak for myself, but with romance (shi...I can only speak for myself, but with romance (shipping or otherwise) integrated as part of a larger story, I enjoy it regardless of presentation.<br /><br />However, I am not wholly fond of nor blindly accepting of shipping. So if the story focuses on the shipping, or is in fact romance genre, I need the story to "justify" itself to me.<br /><br />When you have a drama that centers on romantic relationships, yet the casual, objective reader is given no real emotional investment in those relationships due to presentation, people like myself will be put off by the shipping and have even less interest in what the story is telling.<br /><br />You gotta make me feel the love before you can make me care about the loss.DPV111https://www.blogger.com/profile/01437920503784386649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-55552959822150550822012-11-15T19:04:54.154-06:002012-11-15T19:04:54.154-06:00It's funny; most of the people I know who are ...It's funny; most of the people I know who are into shipping, myself included, would much rather see an established relationship. Most shipfics are about relationships, if you can call them that, starting, and nothing else, after all. But this is the second time I've heard this complaint, and I find myself ever so slightly boggled by it.Present Perfecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16195959811544391904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-83807499115717832952012-11-15T18:05:48.976-06:002012-11-15T18:05:48.976-06:00"Yours Truly" is basically a series of f..."Yours Truly" is basically a series of flash fictions. It gives you a quick, broad view of what happens to the Mane 6 over time, at the expense of depth. Mostly, this worked well--the parts about Twilight moving to Hoofington are what I remember most--but all the shipping fell flat for me. It was too much trying to wring emotions out of relationships that I didn't believe in in the first place. I would much rather read a story showing how a relationship developed between two ponies (why are these so rare?!) than a story that presupposes a relationship that runs contrary to canon, and then talks about how one pony feels when the other is sick/dying/etc.Bad Horsehttp://www.fimfiction.net/user/Bad%20Horsenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-40385393709058691592012-10-24T11:15:45.367-05:002012-10-24T11:15:45.367-05:00Yeah, three bucks off if you're late.Yeah, three bucks off if you're late.InquisitorMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10209346997929773686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-83037601709714188032012-10-24T08:08:08.788-05:002012-10-24T08:08:08.788-05:00Shipping is serious business.Shipping is serious business.Thanqolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14721709531477823233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-60459080927202783452012-10-24T05:43:44.902-05:002012-10-24T05:43:44.902-05:00Wait, people in this fandom take shipping seriousl...Wait, people in this fandom take shipping seriously?Present Perfecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16195959811544391904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-21264915985287781492012-10-24T00:43:50.440-05:002012-10-24T00:43:50.440-05:00Do Not Serve These Ponies is unrepentant straight-...Do Not Serve These Ponies is unrepentant straight-up comedy, and gosh was it fun to write. It was a story that made me love writing again, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out.Thanqolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14721709531477823233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-74170555262633095082012-10-23T23:53:41.483-05:002012-10-23T23:53:41.483-05:00Well, I can only speak subjectively, of course, bu...Well, I can only speak subjectively, of course, but I'd say this sizeable quantity of 'mixed sentiments' is a good thing. We sure as hell wouldn't be talking about it so much if we didn't like it!<br /><br />On this blog, I think any shipping like likely to get this kind of reaction unless it <i>very</i> well done (rare), or bad enough to be discarded without comment (not so rare). As for comparisons, I'm afraid I haven't read any of your other works yet (although your above comment is making me consider <i>Do Not Serve These Ponies</i>).InquisitorMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10209346997929773686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-57065210056061373642012-10-23T23:51:15.484-05:002012-10-23T23:51:15.484-05:00And experienced as it is read it comes across poig...And experienced as it is read it comes across poignant and conveys more or less what you intended.<br /><br />But viewed from a different perspective, held at a distance and examined piecemeal, I stand by my critique.<br /><br />Honestly I have no issue with the story or what it's about. I only have issue with how the canon characters were used and some of the plot choices.<br /><br />The longer I spend in the fandom the less I can take shipping seriously.DPV111https://www.blogger.com/profile/01437920503784386649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-66542509787979228252012-10-23T23:06:12.768-05:002012-10-23T23:06:12.768-05:00There was, it was called Easy as Lying. It was fai...There was, it was called Easy as Lying. It was fairly terrible and it can only be found through a link hidden somewhere in my DeviantArt. I'll link it to you here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NT08GX8aLCp9Tl_Ry3F7SqmxDlkkNTWDV4_QApyokBY/edit<br /><br />It was actually a success for what it was; I wanted to write a nightmare, a story containing rage and confusion and disgust and leave the reader feeling worse for having read it. From that perspective, it was an enormous success, and the response I got from it proved to me I'd perfectly communicated that horrible feeling. It was equally painful and enraging to write and left me feeling furious until I started Do Not Serve These Ponies instead.<br /><br />I didn't release it to the community at large; I thought it was better marked as an experimental piece which I could learn from and move beyond.Thanqolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14721709531477823233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-76164013217216995752012-10-23T22:29:46.177-05:002012-10-23T22:29:46.177-05:00(I've noticed that people tend to gork with th...(I've noticed that people tend to gork with their noun adjuncts a lot more often whenever they have to work with an irregular or Greek/Latin-based pluralization. <br /><br />My theory is that it's acuz a native speaker who reads unicorns guards, donkeys guards or pegasuses guards would intuitively see it as bad grammar, but something with a less-common pluralization wouldn't be so immediately obvious.<br /><br />So really, I'm not so peeved that people are doing it so much that they don't <i>realise</i> that they're doing it.)Sessaliskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16825618257183827711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-20075361560887029922012-10-23T22:23:05.543-05:002012-10-23T22:23:05.543-05:00"I had a long distance relationship and this ..."I had a long distance relationship and this story was my good-bye letter to that tangled, complicated and beautiful period of my life. It was a reflection on myself and the people I love and the barriers of the internet and language."<br /><br />Well in that context, your story is beautiful and transcendent. If you want more criticism, though, I'll be happy to complain some more. :PDerpmindhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02069973881130714355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-33298608031545302082012-10-23T21:59:38.907-05:002012-10-23T21:59:38.907-05:00"Consider for a second what does a noun adjun..."Consider for a second what does a noun adjunct actually do and you shall the pluralization of them isn't all that far-fetched,"<br /><br />I believe there's a word missing here, and that means I could be interpreting this incorrectly and shit, but if what you're trying to say here is something along the lines of:<br /><br />If you consider the purpose of a noun adjunct, then pluralizing them is not far-fetched.<br /><br />I would like for <i>you</i> to take your own advice and to consider what a noun adjunct actually does. A noun adjunct functions as an adjective, and adjectives do <i>not</i> have plural forms. (Inversely, you can pluralize all the adjectival nouns that you like — that is, adjectives that function as nouns.)<br /><br />You cannot have reds hair or uglys clothes. You have red hair and ugly clothes. Take that, Anne of Green Gables! You can take your non-poofed sleeves straight to Idlewild and grow horns or something!<br /><br />I am well aware that people do it anyway, and that language is an evolving thing, and blah blah blah, if I get all anal about this I'll become one of those people who gets all up in your shit for splitting infinitives or ending sentences in prepositions blah blah blah, but codwoggle it! THIS IS MY PET PEEVE. <br /><br />(So basically, the whole point of this reply was to say "no u". So there.)Sessaliskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16825618257183827711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-70835576315574719532012-10-23T21:16:05.270-05:002012-10-23T21:16:05.270-05:00This was rather unexpected. Every other forum, com...This was rather unexpected. Every other forum, comment or discussion thread of my works I've seen in my relentless egosearching has strongly implied that Yours Truly is by far my strongest and most popular work. I certainly wasn't expecting the mixed sentiments from this review.<br /><br />But that's okay; it's a story I wrote for me. Anyone who liked it was collateral happiness.<br /><br />It's perhaps an unsatisfying explanation to parts of the story you didn't like, but I intended it to be that way; moments that didn't fit, things that didn't work, sequences inspired by my own memories and nostalgia. Some things weren't perfect and some things were. Some spur of the moment decisions left people feeling dissatisfied and angry. Some stories were only touched on in the vaguest of ways, and then lost.<br /><br />I had a long distance relationship and this story was my good-bye letter to that tangled, complicated and beautiful period of my life. It was a reflection on myself and the people I love and the barriers of the internet and language. <br /><br />Was it perfect? No. Was it honest? Yes.Thanqolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14721709531477823233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-85208485527999556932012-10-23T18:55:47.080-05:002012-10-23T18:55:47.080-05:00Ahh, yes, fair point. Within a closed group of 7, ...Ahh, yes, fair point. Within a closed group of 7, 2 couplings is extraordinary, 3 is just silly.InquisitorMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10209346997929773686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-13243235409465643532012-10-23T18:30:58.634-05:002012-10-23T18:30:58.634-05:00I know, but to argue semantics, lesbianism isn'...I know, but to argue semantics, lesbianism isn't really an appropriate definition.<br /><br />""even assuming every single pony in Equestria is bisexual, you still need a reason for 2 of them to get together""<br /><br />It doesn't matter if the entire mane 6 are gay, it matters why they are gay for each other.<br />I'm a straight male, that doesn't mean I automatically want a romantic relationship with my female friends. In fact, I would probably entire avoid that due to the possibility of ruining the friendship unless I was completely in love with them.DPV111https://www.blogger.com/profile/01437920503784386649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-32002708929575444072012-10-23T18:10:53.706-05:002012-10-23T18:10:53.706-05:00Yeah, I touched on that in my post above: "Th...Yeah, I touched on that in my post above: "There's a massive difference between an unexpected romantic engagement, and a sudden explosion of rampant lesbianism." -<i>Me</i>.<br /><br />You just don't get to write 'rampant lesbianism' enough these days.InquisitorMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10209346997929773686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-68982891271777268922012-10-23T17:22:30.883-05:002012-10-23T17:22:30.883-05:00The other problem is, even assuming every single p...The other problem is, even assuming every single pony in Equestria is bisexual, you still need a reason for 2 of them to get together.<br />Just because Mane 6 shipping is so common, does not mean everyone's gonna accept it as rote.<br />Even if FlutterDash's relationship rings true in the middle, having a story that denies us any insight into the start and simply presents it as status quo is very very jarring.<br />There is NO indication of why they are together.DPV111https://www.blogger.com/profile/01437920503784386649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-14346517426911727972012-10-23T17:07:47.267-05:002012-10-23T17:07:47.267-05:00Yes, I agree with what you said above, but I do gi...Yes, I agree with what you said above, but I do give it a little leeway because the style of the fic doesn't allow for much elaboration on exactly what is transpiring to cause the issue at all.<br /><br />That said, I'm now going to swing the other way (not like that, Chris). The author has to account for the format and content of his work. If the explanation cannot be reached in the format, then either something has to change, or the criticism accepted as valid. I still hold that the emotion of that relationship actually came through very acutely for me, but I really didn't examine it that deeply at the time. <br /><br />As I mentioned earlier, I can happily see the possibilities in terms of how it <i>might</i> work, and use my imagination to fill in the blanks. It's just a matter of how much onus you are willing to risk putting on reader interpretation.InquisitorMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10209346997929773686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-69940500348493627362012-10-23T16:47:45.035-05:002012-10-23T16:47:45.035-05:00Personally, I see the Wonderbolts as a childhood d...Personally, I see the Wonderbolts as a childhood dream/fantasy and a source validation for her.<br />Realistically, if she found something she needed more and that mattered more to her, she would prioritize that.<br /><br />I think that if she had to choose between friendship and love over the Wonderbolts, she would. As long as it was a true and unselfish need.<br /><br />I just don't see why she should have to.<br />It's like saying a soldier should desert because their spouse is lonely.<br />It's idiotic.DPV111https://www.blogger.com/profile/01437920503784386649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-21867449676293588932012-10-23T16:15:13.782-05:002012-10-23T16:15:13.782-05:00Yeah, but by the same token, if you take Dash'...Yeah, but by the same token, if you take Dash's character as-is, there's no chance she'd even get into the Wonderbolts either. She's far too flaky and self-centred. In fact, I'd say as a character she absolutely <i>would</i> skip out on training for Fluttershy, because the idea that she might let her closest friend down would terrify her in ways she would be unable to cope with.<br /><br />No, I think the ship made sense in principle, it just didn't need to be more than a very close friend-ship.InquisitorMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10209346997929773686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-57945900775539841872012-10-23T15:53:12.486-05:002012-10-23T15:53:12.486-05:00The FlutterDash relationship in this never made se...The FlutterDash relationship in this never made sense to me, and I suspect that this and other parts of the story were written, as DPV111 speculates, first and foremost to manipulate the reader's emotions. But what's more upsetting to me is that this is yet another example of people misunderstanding Rainbow Dash's character on a fundamental level. I seriously doubt that even love would make RD so obsessive as to skip out of Wonderbolts training. There's probably hundreds of stories where RD has to deal with conflicting loyalties, but what most don't get is that loyalty is not obedience. Rainbow Dash isn't the element of loyalty because she's glued to the hip to her friends, in fact RD is very self-centered. Dash's loyalty is that, contrary to her instinctive drive towards awesomeness, she believes that true friends look out for each other. When her friends need help with something important, RD will be there.Derpmindhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02069973881130714355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-82024623269728133292012-10-23T15:50:52.300-05:002012-10-23T15:50:52.300-05:00This is patently weird. I could have sworn that th...This is patently weird. I could have sworn that there is a sequel out there somewhere that continues this particular story thread, but I can't find it anywhere - not on EqD, not on FIMfiction.Osperonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-59450118074411207052012-10-23T12:30:40.257-05:002012-10-23T12:30:40.257-05:00Personally, moving a close platonic friendship to ...Personally, moving a close platonic friendship to romantic intimacy only really irritates me when it seems to happen automatically, by default. Just because their friendship is so close they automatically become lovers.<br />That is not how it pretty much EVER happens in real life. Either such feelings need to preexist under the surface and then be brought forth or something must inspire those feelings.<br /><br />This story breaks that rule with it's FlutterDash.<br />The Sparity is believable, the TwiJack being inspired by the FlutterDash is arguable.<br />But the FlutterDash itself is just assumed. And without FLutterDash, no TwiJack.<br />And the only reasonable ship gets "put to bed" and never seen again.<br /><br />I agree that romantic love does NOTHING to enhance the power of the love and attachments between those 4 ponies and only serves to deepen pathos.<br /><br />Off the topic of shipping, I also dislike this story for it's unnecessary play on pathos via angst.<br /><br />First, the dragon sleep thing... STOP IT ALREADY!<br />There is NOTHING AT ALL in canon that supports Dragons hibernating by necessity for hundreds of years.<br />The dragon on the mountain was TAKING A NAP. It was intended to show the difference in relative perspective of time between a super-long-lived creature and short lived ones. In case no one noticed, they woke the dragon up multiple times and even had it move during it's nap time. This idiotic "Ooh, Spike's gonna go to sleep and everypony is gonna be dead when he wakes up!" bullshit gets on my nerves.<br /><br />As for FlutterDash, LOL. 99% of the angst in that one was so forced. There is no reason they couldn't make it work. Don;t any of the other Wonderbolts have families? Why couldn't their mutual love and maturation have drawn them back together instead of angst and internal conflict.<br /><br />And AJ's death. Yes, friends die. And distance makes a whole different slew of emotional reactions than closeness. I don't mind the exploration of this concept.<br />My problem is twofold: 1: It makes it seem like they were only shipped to make it hurt more; 2: This is the single greatest and most important plot point in the entire fic. Why the hell is it at the end? I mean if it was in the middle, it would have been such an incredible source of character development and exploration of the story's themes. It in fact could have catalyzed many of the other story's events, such as Pinkie's crazy venture, Rarity not wanting to leave Spike alone (generosity AND motivation for actions? Oh,no, can;t have that...)and FlutterDash realizing their priorities.<br />But instead it's at the end.<br /><br />I can't help but feel it's for the same reason as them being shipped in the first place as well as them being the sole arc at that point. Impact.<br /><br />Complain about Shy manipulating Dash?<br />I don't lie being manipulated by an author with a story that places effect on reader above the story itself.<br />I prefer integrity.DPV111https://www.blogger.com/profile/01437920503784386649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8184562969471581744.post-18738934956349315852012-10-23T11:54:57.371-05:002012-10-23T11:54:57.371-05:00On another note:
"...because screw it, it...On another note:<br /><br />"...because screw it, it's been three thousand years and it looks like Latin anyway?"<br /><br />This make me shuckle for how wrong and how right it is. Wrong, because this is just terrible reasoning, but right because this is exactly what was involved. This sort of thing is what makes me dismiss any rigid construction of language, or anyone who cannot explain why a rule works the way it does.<br /><br />And now, back to my shadows.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com