Re: [Official!] Project Horizons Comment Crew Chat thread.

[Frost]

'tis a magical time of blind optimism 

2015, year of the lesbian.

I believe.

I don't. Lesbians are a myth, like presidency of Grover Cleveland.

[Vinylshadow]

Robobait, and goddamn, it's gorgeous. ..
https://derpiboo.ru/797108

[RoboRed]

Happy New Year, guys!

Happy New Year, gentlemen. Make out with the person next to you and post pics plz.

Yeeeahhh no...he and I are friends, but we're not that friendly....

'tis a magical time of blind optimism

2015, year of the lesbian.

Yus.

[Guest]

Hmm. Dunno what I'll resolve to do. Won't be posting facepics, though, I'm buzzed from the 'nog but not THAT buzzed. :P (It's good stuff - got a consistency somewhere between foam and whipped cream, and it's not sweet, but almost buttery and bitter. Has a lot of cognac and rum in it.)

I'm more a liquor man when I drink (I really don't enjoy beer; my current drink of choice in its place is vodka & tonic with a splash of vanilla) but I can't say I've ever had The 'Nog

It's WAY different from the stuff you buy in stores, which is just a thick liquid and also doesn't contain any alcohol (until you add some, I suppose). I dunno, I think I'm a bigger fan of the store-bought stuff rather than the traditional kind we're having, to be honest - this stuff's more like airy pudding than a drink, really, it's eaten with a spoon - but I'd still have it again. Normal eggnog is one of my favorite parts about the holidays.

Reminds me of a story. I once bought off season eggnog in a can, just because it was there. A whole bunch of my friends had never tried it, and their first experience with it was this weird, canned ooze that looked and tasted like yellow paint. I ended up drinking 90% of it, constantly maintaining that it was actually really good and this stuff was just sub-par. Strange how it really doesn't seem to be a USA-wide thing, though. Even convenience stores around these parts sell it, come the holidays.

[Frost]

Noted, then. I might try some of The 'Nog if I see it in stores (it'll likely be on-sale or something anydick)

[Vinylshadow]

Why do I even bother

[Guest]

I noted and 'preciated the effort, dude, I just didn't have anything much to say about any of it. /shrug

[Tytan]

Embrace the Hype Swicked.

Embrace it hard.

[Frost]

I foresee some bizarre, sitcom-style mixup resulting from this. 

Odin: "Who's that weird red monster rampaging around?"
Gil: "I don't know, just grab suddenly-blue Ava and let's get out of--hey, Ava, did you get a lot prettier since the last time we met?"

[Frost]

I will gladly strangle the Hype and ceremonially desecrate its cold, bloated corpse.

Why would you wait that long? Desecration is sweetest on a newly-made, still-warm corpse. That's when it's the freshest, too.

[Frost]

For my part, I share the bounties of a good Hype-steak with my tribe to break the winter's chill. The pelt of the Hype shall go to the greatest of us, who shall wield the cloak as a symbol of his authority.

Our Chief:

[Tytan]

I foresee some bizarre, sitcom-style mixup resulting from this. 

Odin: "Who's that weird red monster rampaging around?"
Gil: "I don't know, just grab suddenly-blue Ava and let's get out of--hey, Ava, did you get a lot prettier since the last time we met?"

I'm pretty sure Other Ava has been cooked at this point.

[Frost]

Ye of little faith.

TITAN saves.

[Frost]

Man, I loved this show growing up:

[Vinylshadow]

Sasha:

...why is it that I can create an exhaustive backstory to a character, yet can't hold down a solid plotline?

*snarls*

-

That explains so much, Frosty

[Guest]

Exhaustive by social media standards? That's like two tweets worth of characters there. Far be it from me to throw stones knowing my own art is below subpar but I think you could go a bit more in depth than that.

[Guest]

Listening to the latest Anaal Nathrakh. Hard to believe they started out as seriously lo-fi (almost basement) black metal with an industrial touch way back in the day. They've sort of fallen into a rut with their last few albums of wall-of-sound industrial grind-y death metal, but they usually find something cool to do while they're there. So, the new album's not a revelation like In the Constellation of the Black Widow or Total Fucking Necro, but it's definitely not bad. Intro was pretty cool, especially. Anyway, here's the classic Shatter the Empyrean. It's easy listening for them, very melodic and not particularly crazy. It's also about Warhammer, I've been told (there are a couple of Warhammer-related songs on that album, IIRC - Sanction Extremis, Virus Bomb)

@Writing
I've often been told that the best way to do characterization is to start in on the story before doing any in-depth background work, and see how your image of the character shapes out first. You can go back and change things as necessary once you've got the idea of them fixated properly in your head. I think it makes sense, especially from the position of at least half of writing being re-writing. Get the story down on paper (or... .docx format, or whatever), and then figure out what the story is, or something like that.

[RoboRed]

swickedbait:

http://ultrateecee.tumblr.com/post/106638965010/have-some-sunbutt-just-before-the-new-year-before

[Vinylshadow]

Exhaustive by social media standards? That's like two tweets worth of characters there. Far be it from me to throw stones knowing my own art is below subpar but I think you could go a bit more in depth than that.

I didn't want to bore people

[Harmony Ltd.]

You know, reflecting on it, I'm starting to think that post-reformation Sunset Shimmer may actually be the best -overall- role model in MLP FiM.

What makes me think so:
- First and obviously, while she's done bad things, she's really trying to atone for them and grow as a better person.
- She isn't naive, and is the first to recognize when something is amiss in Rainbow Rocks; and while the others are getting lost in their petty squabbles, she's the one keeping her eyes on the goal and bringing them back on track.
- She's clearly more mature than the Mane 6.
- She is confident in herself and her capacities, and is powerful in her own right, but is humble about it; as she got learned pretty hard on that score in the previous movie, and actually took the lesson to heart. Take that, Rainbow Dash!

And probably a number of other things I'm not thinking about right now. But yeah, overall, as a role model for little girls I think Sunset Shimmer as of RR might be the most well-rounded character of the franchise.

[Frost]

I'd have to concur with that analysis. Also she's 'totes adorbes' as the kids nowadays say.

'kids' being my fifty-something aunt.

[RoboRed]

I like this analysis.

[Scienza]

She also has a great stripper name.

[Frost]

She also has a great stripper name.

A good rule of thumb for pony names seems to be that it should also be a good stripper name. Read: Aria Blaze, Adiago Dazzle, Rarity, Celestia, or Flash Sentry for the male side of things.

[RoboRed]

"Thunderlane"?

[Harmony Ltd.]

Also, I think you could argue that while the kids watching the show are supposed to identify with the Mane 6, as people who are still learning all about life, and who are still bound to do a lot of stupid shit you'd think they'd know better not to do (too many examples to list); Sunset Shimmer is, outside of the Princesses, the only character in my opinion that has "grown up", who has enough experience of the world at large to be considered an "adult", while the Mane 6 would be best compared to "adolescents".

It's particularly interesting to compare and contrast Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle in that respect, as their names themselves suggest how similar they are supposed to be:

While Twilight, now Princess of Friendship, keeps learning her lessons and compile everything she learns into a book (and then seems content to forget said lessons as the plot demand...); Sunset, her, isn't content to just sit on her knowledge but puts it into practice in the world - what originally led to her demise, and finally proves to be one of her greatest strength.

[Valikdu]

She also has a great stripper name.

Now that you've mentioned it...

[Harmony Ltd.]

@Swicked: True, and I'll admit I'm painting this with really broad strokes. But still, even if you transposed her into Equestria proper, I have little difficulties believing she'd still be more mature (*) than many of the established "adults" of the setting.


(*): for what measure of maturity you consider. I'll be the first to admit the notion in itself is quite vague. But yet again: broad strokes.

[Harmony Ltd.]

But overall, I think her biggest selling point is that she used to be a power-hungry monster, who literally turned into, quote "a she-demon out of Hell" end-quote; but is now genuinely trying to amend for her past and do better.

And I think that's maybe one of the most valuable lesson you can teach to a kid, or anyone really:

Everyone makes mistakes, sometimes terrible ones, things we'll regret, things that'll hurt us and / or others. It is a fact of life, and we will all be confronted to such a thing at least once in your life. What is important is to work in order to correct the mistakes made, and if it isn't possible, to grow as a better person in order to not repeat them.

Repent, make amend, learn, grow and avoid repeating your past mistakes.

This is perhaps, more than all the shows' lessons about friendship, one of the most important lesson to be learned in order to grow as a better person.

[Harmony Ltd.]

I've always wanted to try smithing / metal-working

This guy makes it look easy

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