My Little Pony: Spring Equinox Show

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Because i am straight male and i get turned on by girls/women ever animated ones. On one hand they are basically high-school girls, on the other they are anthropomorphised ponies and don´t have breasts for some reason. So i feel weird and guilty watching that.

Wait, like, are you implying that being turned on by high school girls is the comfortable, normal thing? o.0

[Independent George]

Yeah that was awesome, There is another major crossover fic "My Little Denarians" that involves Nicci going to Equestria to try and talk Discord into coming and spreading a bit of chaos on Earth. While TDF is written more in Butcher's style, MLD just takes everything awesome about the two series, tosses it in a blender with a bunch of other stuff and hits 'frappe' leading to pure, epic win. Hell one scene has Harry trying to work out the logistics of how to field a team of lightsaber wielding ponies, and includes the phrase "Lash, do we have an duct tape?" It's technically a sequel to a short little one shot called FOREVER! Where Pinkie Pie just shows up in Harry's apartment and proceeds to be Pinkie Pie.

"My Little Denarians" was a fun crossover, but "The Dresden Fillies" was so impressive because of how well the author was able to (1) fit the stories into both sets of canon, and (2) capture the tone and feel of two wildly different series, without compromising on either. There's a lot of fun to be had in taking something like MLP and making it dark, but managing to merge its lore so seamlessly with the eldritch abominations of the Dresdenverse.... That really felt like Jim Butcher writing a MLP story.

And now I have to try my hand at writing a MLP/Black Company fic . "In those days, the Black Company was in service to the Queen, Nightmare Moon..."

Those fics got me into the shear raw epic AWESOME that is Dresden.
As to Butcher, he knows full well about the fics, he's even tweeted about at least the Dresden Fillies a few times... while in the process of writing Skin Game..... in which we find out Maggie is into the show, or at least the Dresdenverse version of it

Huh. That's almost reason enough to start following twitter. Almost.

[Serapham]

"My Little Denarians" was a fun crossover, but "The Dresden Fillies" was so impressive because of how well the author was able to (1) fit the stories into both sets of canon, and (2) capture the tone and feel of two wildly different series, without compromising on either. There's a lot of fun to be had in taking something like MLP and making it dark, but managing to merge its lore so seamlessly with the eldritch abominations of the Dresdenverse.... That really felt like Jim Butcher writing a MLP story.

Do agree, TDF is the better written of the two, it feels very much like a Dresden book. Two comparisons here, one, TDF feels like a Dresden Files novel that takes place in Equestria. MLD is an MLP story the stars Harry Dresden. As far as tone, feel, etc... The other, to go Starcraft, to me, TDF has Purity of Form, MLD Purity of Essence.

Both are amazing, just in different ways. TDF for how well written it is, how everything fits together, the characters reactions, how well it bridges the two worlds, uses both sides. And for one hell of a lot of twists that work so well. MLD, for just being balls out, non stop, shut up and enjoy the ride FUN, just taking the premises and getting every last scrap of fun and epicness out if it can, without being to silly and absurd to still hit you with the feels when it needed to.

Plus... MLD has Littlepip in it, that gives it massive bonus points.

[ScreamingDoom]

Well, as long as we're giving fanfiction recommendations, I highly recommend Stardust. It's an XCOM/MLP crossover that is really quite good. The paranoid reports of the XCOM staff to the Council regarding the stuff that they're told about Equestria are absolute gold.

It also has a sequel, but I really can't recommend that, unfortunately. It's not that its bad, exactly, just... unfocused.

[Serapham]

Well, as long as we're giving fanfiction recommendations, I highly recommend Stardust. It's an XCOM/MLP crossover that is really quite good. The paranoid reports of the XCOM staff to the Council regarding the stuff that they're told about Equestria are absolute gold.

It also has a sequel, but I really can't recommend that, unfortunately. It's not that its bad, exactly, just... unfocused.

Funny you should mention that, just did a rather exhaustive review of it last week.

I did like it over all, but the 'unfocused' thing.. yeah it's the big problem with that fic, especially with regards to Twilight. By the end, she's little more then a plot device. The story sidelines her, forces her to not use her brain to figure out what is going on when she should, and cranks up the 'naive, innocent little girl' stuff way to far. She is more a Macguffin then a character as far as any major plot developments matter. It just, even with the humans, characterization was it's weakest point, and mostly because it seems unfocused on what it's trying to be.

It's very much more an XCOM fic then an MLP fic. But in that regards, do have to say... Celestia's fiery taint... does that fic do some freaking GOOD combat scenes, those, and seeing the humans trying to analyze and pull out all the theories and ideas they can about Equestria from what Twilight tells them.. yeah those were amazing. (So loved just how utterly scared shitless they were about Cadance of all ponies.)

Also, I know she seemed to be a rather divisive character that gets a lot of hate.. but I freaking loved Lana, she was my favorite character in the whole thing.

[ScreamingDoom]

I did like it over all, but the 'unfocused' thing.. yeah it's the big problem with that fic, especially with regards to Twilight. By the end, she's little more then a plot device. The story sidelines her, forces her to not use her brain to figure out what is going on when she should, and cranks up the 'naive, innocent little girl' stuff way to far. She is more a Macguffin then a character as far as any major plot developments matter.

Well, it is Early Season 3 Twilight here.

It's very much more an XCOM fic then an MLP fic. But in that regards, do have to say... Celestia's fiery taint... does that fic do some freaking GOOD combat scenes, those, and seeing the humans trying to analyze and pull out all the theories and ideas they can about Equestria from what Twilight tells them.. yeah those were amazing. (So loved just how utterly scared shitless they were about Cadance of all ponies.)

Ha! Yes, their paranoid horror at the wide-area mind control they thought Cadence was able to do was quite amusing. As was their flippant disregard as religious claptrap for the Princess' powers.

And then they discover that Twilight wasn't exaggerating or blinded by religious fervor when she was describing beings literally capable of moving stellar objects.

Also, I know she seemed to be a rather divisive character that gets a lot of hate.. but I freaking loved Lana, she was my favorite character in the whole thing.

I did like Lana, though I can completely understand where a lot of the hate for the character comes from.

As a side note, it's rather amusing that almost every single person involved in the Stardust project has a Tragic Backstory. The only ones who don't are Dr. Mills (the xenobiologist) and that's only because we learn so little about him and Dr. McCormick (the psychologist), who still has a Tragic Backstory By Proxy since everyone at the base comes to him to talk about their Tragic Backstories.

[Serapham]

Well, it is Early Season 3 Twilight here.

Mid Season 3, meaning just a few weeks/months/moons away from ascending to become the Princess of Friendship. Hell Pilot Twilight wouldn't have dealt with this like this, she was just far, far to passive, far to.. not Twilight in any way the story does not want her to be. She is there to serve as a plot device.

No she was written more like this was Gen 3 Twilight. Not Season 3 Twi.

Best thing to sum it up short of just linking my massive review, is a quote from Arrow 18 (Note, Arrow 18 mission logs: Lone Ranger even better first contact story then Stardust, and Stardust clearly took quite a number of cues from it) that I've found perfectly sums up Twilight.... and yet was utterly missing here.

"It's like she's used to having a certain amount of unquestioned authority, without even realizing she has it."

Lana... yeah what she did was freaking stupid... but you could understand her reasons, and the story never made it out to be right. It was clear this was a dumb idea that she did not think through, but she was never trying to hurt anyone. Hell one of the reasons I love Lana is she's the first, and really the only human to see Twi as a friend. Just, nothing else, just to accept her as a freind and treat her no different then she does anyone else. The rest, even once they come around, still have some other aspect to them, see her as a source of knowledge, a mystery, an alien, or a surrogate young female relative. There is just, some aspect to their relationship to Twilight beyond just being friends. But with Lana.... that is all it is. She's basically a mix of Pinkie Pie and RD. Pinkie's desire to have fun and make other's laugh, to try and pick her friends up and make them smile. But combined with RD's bullheaded inability to admit when she's wrong and back down, as well as inability to think shit through before doing it.

[Independent George]

It's been a while since I read 'Stardust' (at the recommendation of somebody here on the previous incarnation of the 'SF Debris' forums) - was Lana 'Jenkins'?j

I didn't like her. I thought she was obnoxious - and while the story doesn't try to justify her, she also never shows much genuine remorse or self-reflection. As others said, I thought the battle scenes were exquisitely done, but the tragic backstories were overdone (partly justifiable given that XCOM is more or less in the middle of the apocalypse, but Vahlens having an audio recording of her family being killed is just a bit much). Overall, I thought it was a good story from someone with talent (it goes without saying that it's far beyond my own skills), but in need of a good editor to restrain some of the author's impulses.

Wow, I just realized that the majority of my posts here are now about pony fanfiction.

ETA: The more I think about it, the more a Black Company/MLP crossover makes sense. We know that:

1. Equestria wasn't always the Utopian society under a benevolent God-Emperor that it is today. There was once war between the tribes, and a company of mercenary misfits from each caste would fit right in with those days.
2. Even today, they are beset by some rather creepy and powerful enemies; one can only assume it was worse in the 'old days'.
3. The Black Company has traveled to other dimensions in the past, and as of Soldiers Live, is allied with the guardian of the pathways between worlds.
4. The Company always takes on members of whatever race is living where it serves. Ponies (and, likely, gryphons and buffalo) are no stretch.
5. The Company relies on guile over brute force, and honors its contracts to the letter.
6. Thanks to Lady, the Company has experience working with magical, sapient horses.

[Serapham]

It's been a while since I read 'Stardust' (at the recommendation of somebody here on the previous incarnation of the 'SF Debris' forums) - was Lana 'Jenkins'?j

I didn't like her. I thought she was obnoxious - and while the story doesn't try to justify her, she also never shows much genuine remorse or self-reflection. As others said, I thought the battle scenes were exquisitely done, but the tragic backstories were overdone (partly justifiable given that XCOM is more or less in the middle of the apocalypse, but Vahlens having an audio recording of her family being killed is just a bit much). Overall, I thought it was a good story from someone with talent (it goes without saying that it's far beyond my own skills), but in need of a good editor to restrain some of the author's impulses.

Wow, I just realized that the majority of my posts here are now about pony fanfiction.

Yeah Jenkins. And I do agree that the story really needed to have her come to some self realization. That is the one problem I did have with her characterization was it's lack, it feels like this was where it was going, but when she got so much derision and hate for that part, rather then work to make her see she was wrong, using it as a chance to grow the character and improve on her flaws... the author just axed the whole plot line quickly with little resolution and pushed Lana into the background, avoiding the issue rather then dealing with it.

And yeah Arad does have some good talent, but also yes, needs some help, a good overall editor to keep the story more focused, to, as you said, reign in some of the ideas and tone them down, cuase a lot of the problems I had were good ideas overall, just taken way to far or overdone, the everyone's backstory sucks bits, or Twi's PTSD issues, and maybe give him some help in characterization. That is the fics biggest weakness. showing characterization, the ideas are solid for the most part, but the showing it and displaying those ideas tends to be overly simplistic, or over exaggerating things and ruining the underlying ideas.

But, at this point, be easier just to https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/723782/ ... st-by-aradlink my review then keep discussing it in bits.

Also, well no talk of great MLP fics is complete without bringing in Fallout: Equestria... damn is that things amazing...

[TGLS]

Because i am straight male and i get turned on by girls/women ever animated ones. On one hand they are basically high-school girls, on the other they are anthropomorphised ponies and don´t have breasts for some reason. So i feel weird and guilty watching that.

Wait, like, are you implying that being turned on by high school girls is the comfortable, normal thing? o.0

Tarn could be in high school now/very recently graduated.