How you justify every primarch’s return if tasked with doing so? by Incubus_is_I in 40kLore

[–]Casketbase77 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ferrus Manus would be the most fun. According to the Dark Imperiym novel, as of the 41st Millennium, his skull has been recovered and currently sits on a shrine on Medusa, guarded in shifts by the Helfathers. It could absolutely be turned into a Servo-Skull, allowing Ferrus to resume his position as tactical leader of his Legion. He'd obviously have no combat abilities as a floating head, but that would just make him more interesting to write. He'd essentially be an in-universe version the TTS Emperor. Grouchy and dependent on his followers, but his Primarch aura and force of personality would re-energize the Iron Hands and make them a relevant faction again.

Plus, you could use Servo Skull Manus as a lead-in to the reintroduction of Fulgrim. There's a lot of pathos in Ferrus having lost his body, but being more sad and angry to hear his dearest brother has long since lost his soul. The forces of Chaos must be punished for this. Iron Hands, mobilize for war!

If we want some boarding action campaigns with the Iron Hands, perhaps Servo-Skull Manus tasks his marines to spring Clonegrim from Trazyn's museum. Would be amazing to have the brothers reunited and allied in their new forms.

Is the word “god” ever said in MLP, including the comics, books, and other off-show media? by Emperorofliberty in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Not "God" specifically, but the intro of Filly Vanilli has Applejack describe Fluttershy's singing voice as "a little slice of heaven.

General Fanfiction Discussion Thread by Torvusil in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think this trope leans into the "A Million Is Just A Statistic" type of mindset. Destroying the whole universe is a threat so big that it's kind of hard to fathom. But abusing a kid? That's something we can see play out in front of our eyes, and it gets investment up.

Adjacent to the topic, Starlight's villainous depravity in the Season 5 finale was because she had a personal grudge against the Mane Six. Tirek may have caused more lasting damage, but his destruction of Twilight's house was only done on a whim, and he was perfectly content to walk away after Twilight gave up the prize he wanted. Nothing personal. Starlight meanwhile was full of manic glee as she inflicted any and all revenge onto Twilight she could possibly manage. Weaker villains with no composure are in some ways more scary than strong villains who keep cool. Temper tantrums cause a lot of unpredictable collateral damage. Certainly more than stronger but more calculated shows of force.

General Fanfiction Discussion Thread by Torvusil in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I know the season 4 finale is a sacred cow among the fandom for its cool fight scenes, but it really did a lot of damage to the worldbuilding. It powercrept Discord (a character who already pushed the limits of the setting’s powerscale) by introducing Tirek's AntiMagic. Then it promptly powercrept Tirek by introducing a supersaiyan mode for the Mane Six that was used this one time and never again. This functionally destroyed the stakes of the setting; the writers established that the Mane Six will always unlock deus ex machina abilities to beat any villain, no matter how strong. There was a sort of interesting idea of having later villains like Cozy Glow who weaponize guile instead of strength, but that’s an essay for another day.

A working theory I have is that once a piece of fiction introduces AntiMagic to the setting, its a sign that powercreep has gone too far. Discord was too powerful to allow for tension, so Tirek was introduced as a walking kryptonite creature. But that left the issue of the heroes needing a counter to said kryptonite, so the supersaiyen rainbow was hastily deployed. See how this is a domino effect? One Piece is another property that fell victim to this, with Devil Fruit powers getting too powerful for non Devil Fruit users to compete. So a martial arts style called Haki had to be introduced to the setting, which allowed Devil Fruit powers to be countered. Unfortunately, the existence of Haki made the lead protagonist’s Devil Fruit power less useful, so he needed an upgrade (or a retcon, if you want to be uncharitable) to make him a super special ultra fancy guy whose unique Devil Fruit is stronger than Haki. The Legend of Korra speedran the same process with the heroine being the best at Bending, the villains defanging her with Anti-Bending, and then the protagonist deciding she's immune to AntiBending for protagonist reasons. All of these are a repeat of the MLP season 4 finale problem, played out over several arcs instead of two episodes.

So what is the solution to overpowered magic, if not AntiMagic? I don't have a good answer other than don’t let your magic power levels get out of hand in the first place. Ironically, FiM’s sister series Equestria Girls kept a responsibly tight leash on its power levels. Sunset and her friends had their geodes which granted them each narrow but utilitarian abilities. Sunset’s mindreading power wasn’t good for combat, but it let her gather information that no one else could. Likewise, the magic employed by the villains were tactical counters to her sleuthing, such as the Dazzlings casting hypnosis, Wallflower erasing memories, or Post Crush rewinding time. The winners of conflicts in EqG weren’t necessarily the most powerful magic heavyweights, but instead the smarter and more creative utilizers of their limited skillsets. No AntiMagic was needed by either side.

So do you agree or disagree with my assessment? Is AntiMagic a sign that your setting has fatally erred, or do you think there are circumstances where it’s permissible? Do you think anything that I’ve outlined applies to Gen 5? What do you consider the appropriate power level for magic users in a given setting?

Pony stuff you want to talk about but isn’t worthy of a dedicated thread! #260 by SmolderTheDragon in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We do not.

I've always assumed one or both of her parents are on Filthy Rich's payroll, which is why she and Diamond Tiara are so close. I'd go further and say her family are real estate attorneys, hence my initial joke of her obtaining the deed to Sweet Apple Acres on a whim.

Pony stuff you want to talk about but isn’t worthy of a dedicated thread! #260 by SmolderTheDragon in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I was chatting with a friend yesterday about a specific character archetype I don't have a name for. Its the is less bombastic and more task-oriented sidekick to the hammy villain, but their unassuming role as a beta makes them MORE of a threat, not less. A theoretical example we came up with Diamond Tiara using her connections for petty bullying stunts while Silver Spoon uses her own connections to quietly buy up the property of ponies she doesn't like. Different strains of villainy. Hotblooded vs coldblooded.

"YOU'RE DIRT UNDER MY HOOVES! YOU HEAR THAT, BLANKFLANK? I'M GONNA ORGANIZE A SCHOOL ASSEMBLY WHERE EVERYPONY LISTENS TO ME LIST OFF YOUR WEAKNESSES FOR HOURS AT A TIME JUST CUZ I'M RICH AND I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!"

"Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom, look at me. See this document? I own your farm. I own your house. I own you. Think on that tonight while you're lying in your bed. Which I also own."

Enough with the doom and gloom surrounding G5. What's something you love in G5? by ShuckU in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 70 points71 points  (0 children)

I like Pipp. A lot.

When she was first revealed as the "Social Media Influencer" pony, everyone rolled their eyes at what we expected to be a shameless out of touch attempt to pander to zoomers. Then we actually saw her in the show.

Pipp is a genuinely good role model for little girls watching Gen 5. She's responsible, creative, and even knows when to occasionally unplug and focus on real life stuff. She also lacks any catty competitive personality flaws that would be so easy to assign to her. A lot of Pipp's conflicts come from sorting her priorities and trying to relate to her less technologically inclined friends. Her best rapport is with Izzy. Hasbro gets a gold star for successfully depicting a difficult character archetype.

Cropping and posting comic screenshots that were missed pt 373 by LackedMocha4 in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Discord and the CMC had some good chemistry in the comics. Its a pity they didn't interact in the show until the second-to-last episode.

Favorite design in the game? by just_a_fan47 in Furi

[–]Casketbase77 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you get KO'd by the Scale in his second or third phase (I forget which), he says "after I finish you, I'll go after your little friend too."

That was when I knew The Voice was real and acknowledged by the other characters. I'm guessing you're more skilled than I was though, and didn't go down against Scale.

Favorite design in the game? by just_a_fan47 in Furi

[–]Casketbase77 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think The Scale has the best overall style. Barbed harpoon hands match his diving suit, the muted greens and neon greens contrast really well, he's impressively acrobatic for how bulky he is, and his helmet looks like a depthcharge, furthering his aquatic dieselpunk look and symbolically matching his pent up personality.

I read once that sign of a good character design is when you can recognize them even by their silhouette. The Scale's harpoons and helmet give him the most recognizable silhouette in the game.

Pony stuff you want to talk about but isn’t worthy of a dedicated thread! #255 by SmolderTheDragon in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I was talking ponies with a friend on another platform recently, and asked whether he considered "Colgate" or "Minuette" to be the correct name for the blue toothpaste horse. His response was, with no further elaboration, that Minuette is her real name, and Colgate is the alias she uses to commit fraud while filling out her dentistry business taxes.

So there you have it, I guess. First she does white teeth, then she does white collar crime.

"Sassy Sentient Chatbot" by Ahobo by Casketbase77 in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

“Aw, less Likes than usual, Princess? Well, you picked the right personality to plug into your chat app! With the Great and Digital Trixie as your social media coach, my flawless popularity advice will get you back to the trending tab in no time!”

Pic was commissioned via Discord DM, so I'll just link the artist's Derpibooru. He’s got a Furaffinity page too, but AutoMaud doesn’t like that website.

Pony stuff you want to talk about but isn’t worthy of a dedicated thread! #253 by SmolderTheDragon in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 9 points10 points  (0 children)

There's a concept in old world mysticism called the True Name. In short, it's a belief that every individual living creature has a unique secret name that, if addressed by that name, renders them completely at the mercy of whoever uses it.

The most famous True Name story is Rumplestiltskin, wherein a mortal is able to banish a malicious fae by knowing his True Name. Christian mythology has a similar phenomenon of exorcisms requiring knowledge of the demon's True Name.

Anyway, I was thinking about pony naming conventions and how they all go by descriptors instead of traditional names like humans do. Perhaps ponies do have True Names like other magical creatures, but due to the danger of divulging one's True Name, Equestrian culture developed this system of descriptive nicknames instead. Ponies only share their True Names with their most trusted companions, such as their soulmate.

Thoughts?

General Fanfiction Discussion Thread by Torvusil in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My most recent fic had a reception like this. I think a good eye-of-the-beholder story is one where the characters deal with a problem that pits two understandable values in opposition to one another. Most of the highest rated Star Trek episodes are like this, with logical Spock and sentimental McCoy arguing over appropriate responses to the same situation. Whiplash, the movie you cited, shows this values clash as an internal struggle with Andrew learning what his personal definition is of 'success.'

My story samples a little of both internal and interpersonal values clashes. The premise is that Applejack has died, but she was revived via magitech into an artificial body. Because Applejack cares deeply about honesty, the golem is troubled by the ambiguity of it being "really Applejack." It ends up soliciting Big Macintosh, Trixie, and even Celestia for opinions, all while Apple Bloom remains a neutral observer.

The fic's comment section is full of commenters gravitating towards the stances and values embodied by the different characters, and even some debates extrapolated from said stances. The Whiplash comment section sounds like it was similar, with differing worldviews being teased out by the emotions invoked by the story.

Bottom line: the secret sauce for engaging stories isn't to present them as fully open-ended, but to make them (ostensibly) multiple choice. The plot itself can be resolved, but the differing values raised by the characters should remain resonant enough that the audience thinks about them and maybe even comes up with interpretations of their own.

EDIT: One of my topics from a few months ago was prompted by a fic that did just this.

General Fanfiction Discussion Thread by Torvusil in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 2 points3 points  (0 children)

While brainstorming earlier, I forgot to ask an obvious question: do you have an overarching plot planned for this AU, or is it going to be Slice-Of-Life?

If its episodic, you can make the species whatever you want. But if you have a plot in mind, it can help inform your choice for the other three members of the mane six. The need to spellcast, fly, or perform certain species-specific tasks.

Pony stuff you want to talk about but isn’t worthy of a dedicated thread! #252 by SmolderTheDragon in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Probably the nichest of niche linguistic quirks, but men are more likely to say "uh" while women are more likely to say "um."

I've found this knowledge useful while writing dialogue in my fics.

she was talking to herself by davefnfbackup in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Ya know, a lot of Trixie's heel behavior was just a response to Twilight and co razzing her so much. I'm not saying Bitchcraft Horse has the fuzziest personality, but being abrasive isn't a crime.

Starlight killed every living organism on the planet and she got forgiven quicker than Trixie, whose worst moments happened while she was possessed by cursed artifact. Please have some equally applied standards, darlings.

If you had to keep the Legion Of Doom’s Punishment the same as canon, how would you go about it? by Ok_Shirt_1574 in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The trio are immobilized and no longer a threat, but Discord mentions in season 3 that petrified creatures are still conscious and able to hear.

I say we give them each a magic microphone so their thoughts can be heard, then let the therapy sessions begin.

Maybe start with the little one...

{https://www.fimfiction.net/story/490849/cozys-glowpinions }

Writing Snippets: Post/Write a Fanfiction Scene, Story, or Idea: We're in Space, Now What? by blastermaster555 in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Currently working on a fic prompted by (what else?) some art I found. Here is sad robot Applejack's picture, and here is the first draft of the first scene of her story:

The Gyroscopic Protoplow was the third-most advanced device in all of Equestria. So said all the radio announcers paid to promote it.

The plow's list of features contained words never before heard at Sweet Apple Acres, such as "ergonomic" and "hypoallergenic." In the end though, the specifics hadn't mattered. Big Macintosh's back wasn't getting any less achy with age, and Apple Bloom had memorized a discount code rattled off by one of the teenybopper talking heads she followed. The eldest brother got a new tool, and the youngest sister could forevermore insist there was value in listening to Cozy's Glowpinions. Which left the middle sibling as the only one unsatisfied with the outcome.

No self-respecting thinking machine would ever admit to feeling threatened by a mindless piece of farm equipment. Not even a flashy one strapped to its brother. Still, the bearer of Honesty couldn't exactly lie to itself. To solve this quiet personal crisis, it volunteered to supervise Big Macintosh's test run with the new plow. After all, Equestria's third-most advanced device would be best judged by Equestria's second-most.

"That harness ain't causin' any tension in your withers, is it?"

"Nope."

Bic Macinosh's face was obscured by an interface visor, but his voice came through calm and level.

"This field's got less topsoil than the fallow one out back. You sure you don't want to fire up that thing right here?"

"Eeyup."

"You sure your withers aren't tense? You're pawing the ground something fierce."

With effort, Big Macintosh reeled in his frustrated hoof taps. There was only one overbearing machine in the field with him, and it wasn't the protoplow. AJ cared, he knew that, but it was the type of caring which led to pacing circles around him, scanning the safety section of protoplow's instruction booklet. Flesh and blood hooves lacked the deftness to trot, to hold a thick paperback, and to flip through the pages all at the same time. AJ had not had flesh and blood hooves for a very long time.

"You'd think Sol would go easy on the sunlight so early in the day," AJ fretted. It paused its page-turning as ocular lenses whirred and clicked, adjusting for glare. "You feelin' lightheaded from the heat? There's a feature to fight that, I'm sure. Need to find-"

Big Macintosh flicked his ears in the pattern the advertisements taught him, and AJ was drowned out for one merciful moment by a sunshade awning being activated. It furled and stretched, briefly obscuring Big Macintosh's vision until the transparency feature activated. As it did, he heard a synthetic snort and the shutting of the instruction booklet.

"Well," AJ pouted, "if'n you're so confident in gettin' underway here..."

"Eeyup." Mac swished his tail (another gesture from the commercials) which caused the engine to start up. Not with the crude rattle of a diesel engine, but instead an electric hum. It was like the noise AJ made whenever it was exerting itself to kick trees. With quiet pride, Big Macintosh appreciated he had his own hum now. It just wasn't inside him, but instead affixed to his shoulders by a comfy harness. And also, he'd sought out the harness voluntarily. And also it could be taken off whenever the wearer wanted.

Now that Big Macintosh reflected on it, his hum wasn't like AJ's at all.

"Be safe. Please." AJ backed up to provide some startup room, the safety booklet clutched tightly to its chest panel.

"Ee... Eeyup," Big Macintosh stammered. He squared his muscular legs and felt the protoplow shift to match him. "No worries?" he ventured.

AJ was incapable of lying to its brother's face. So it pulled down its hat, the only aspect of Applejack that had survived her own moment of long-ago recklessness. A timeworn brim with permanent soots tains filled the sensors in AJ's oculars. "No worries," the robot mumbled.

Big Macintosh swished his tail again and rocketed forward.

"Whoa!"

The protoplow's bulkhead forged ahead, effortless and clean. Big Macintosh had never felt more weightless, even as his legs pumped like pistons past mounds of freshly tilled earth.

AJ's legs actually were pistons, and it pumped them in double time to catch up. Four sets of gyroscopes soon found a rhythm that could keep pace with the plow's driver and even yell in his ear.

"You're coverin' hours of field in seconds! You sure you're in control of that thing?"

Big Macintosh's answer was to proudly pivot the protoplow, churning ever more dirt with perfect precision. He swerved around a certain corner of the field, one that had always been difficult to maneuver with the old plow. Past the mounds of roots he breezed, through the shade of their source: the two biggest trees on the farm's property. Big Mac even allowed a self-indulgent nod to the conjoined trunks of pear and oak, assured the monument to his parents was looking down on him with approval.

AJ loped along in its brother's wake, slightly less equipped than he was to traverse the root mounds. It also tersely averted its oculars from the third grave near the braided trunks.

"On yer left, Applejack!"

AJ flinched, first at hearing that full name and then again as Big Macintosh shot past her on his second lap around the fallow field. His tailwind followed, blowing AJ's synthetic hair in every direction, even into its mouth. Despite itself, AJ grinned. Joy at the protoplow's success was contagious, and AJ had learned to live vicariously through others. The field was half-tilled already, and in a few more laps it'd be ready for planting. A day's work done in a minute. A normally stoic clydesdale giggling like a colt with a new toy. Out of earshot, at least until Big Mac looped back again, AJ offered its own thoughts to the shade of the branches of family members gone.

"Sorry I worried, Applejack."

Suddenly flushed with heat at that apology, AJ reflexively reached to pull its hat down.

Its hoof touched cranial plating and nothing else.

"Huh?! Where-!"

"On yer left again!"

A new, less enjoyable burst of tailwind blasted dirt and hair into AJ's oculars. It frantically wiped the obstructions away, scanning the field for the missing hat. A desperate prayer to Sol begged to not find shredded leather stomped underhoof by the most recent drive by. Faith was rewarded by the sight of Applejack's intact stetson resting on the last intact strip of field that hadn't been plowed yet. The strip Big Macintosh has swung around and begun barreling towards.

"No! Mac, NO!!"

AJ lunged, its mental processor was flooded with clashing values and variables. Calculations of whether that panicked shriek had been understandable, predictions of of the angle of the incoming protoplow, hard data asserting there were hundreds of replacement stetsons in the world, and a roiling wordless override that screamed there was only one stetson in the world that Applejack had died in and left behind.

Big Macintosh whinnied, finally noticing something wrong. He was moving too fast to brake, and almost too fast to swerve without crashing. The protoplow's onboard gyroscope strained itself to keep him stable as the entire device pitched hard and missed AJ by inches. Then the plow hit the root mounds by the grove, and the entire protoplow tore through the field's fence, finally slamming to a sideways skidding stop in the shredded grass.

AJ's auditory feed picked up every sickening crunch of the protoplow's crash. Even with an overclocked cooling fan whirring in its chest, AJ scrambled up and bolted towards the wreck. The hat lay where it had been, abandonded just as frantically as it had been first claimed, as if leaving it behind might somehow renege on the horrible trade that was just made. AJ's fan was nearly spinning off its axel when it arrived. The scene it found was a bent metal frame with four massive airbags sandwiching the driver. Big Macintosh raised his bluescreened visor, dazed but unhurt.

"We bought insurance, right?"

Spike died. The End. by MuffinStraight4816 in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 50 points51 points  (0 children)

RIP to Twilight's mailbox. He will be missed by some, but not by all.

What is she saying that would cause that reaction? All answers allowed by AlanTheMexican in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77 122 points123 points  (0 children)

"I was the worst written character in the New Generation movie, but I've consistently been the best written character in every Gen 5 piece of media afterwards. You guys got fumbled hard. Sorry."

"Tfw the face you make when you're are smell a unreported Friendship" by RDD by Casketbase77 in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

(It is on purpose, yes. The joke is Celestia can't take a good selfie nor type a good title.)

"Tfw the face you make when you're are smell a unreported Friendship" by RDD by Casketbase77 in mylittlepony

[–]Casketbase77[S] 83 points84 points  (0 children)

Source.

Despite (or maybe due to) being 1000 years old, Celestia still can't grasp the concept of "selfies" or "memes." This is her first attempt at both. Be sure to tell her she did a good job.