Having stuff picked apart has helped me, but I knew they were right and it didn't involve pony dresses. You can't always be right just because you're creative.

The issue is that Rarity was trusting five ponies that seldom wore clothes in the first place to revise her dresses. Which is actually a decent metaphor for MLP: FIM in particular (dealing with a toy company). Got to get those intimate details/ even if she's more concerned with sales."

edited 22nd Sep '11 8:51:00 PM by RhymeBeat

Yo Bronies.

Ponies have begun invading Japan.

Those of you who don't have Nico Nico Douga accounts can view the videos here

They actually have some of the episodes up there... Subtitled in Japanese.

PONIES HAVE INVADED EVERYWHERE.

Even if you really got to fudge it, It's gotta stay within our budget.

That line fails because it doesn't make sense in context of the actual show. Rarity was giving them the dresses for free after all.

It could also be taken as a criticism of Executive Meddling. The dresses are beautiful from the start, but the others insist they know better and nitpick it to their specifications, then they come out looking horrible until they actually wear the dresses Rarity made first.

@Boobustuber: I'm well aware of that, and in fact I wish it were easier to get good criticism. "Good" being the operative word there. There's a world of difference between getting criticism that's intended to make the story better and getting criticism that's based purely on personal preference. Like the difference between "the flow of the story could be improved if you focused less on the description" and "this story should have vampires in it because if you don't it's boring". Basically one is telling you "this is how you can make your story better" and the other is telling you "you shouldn't write what you want because I don't like it".

Basically, it's when the critic tries to wrest creative control of the story from the author entirely; a sort of "you should write about what I want you to write about, not what you want to write about". And I understand that that's difficult; I have trouble keeping that straight as well. But some people don't even bother to make that distinction at all.

And yeah, it's also obviously about executive meddling. One of the reasons I didn't go into professional writing was because I cannot stand the thought of having to tailor it according to somebody else's tastes. It would take all the fun out of it.

edited 22nd Sep '11 9:34:54 PM by JapaneseTeeth

That's what we were talking about yes. But the line about "budget" made no sense in the episode proper.

Maybe they meant budgets as in how much money the material would cost? I don't think Rarity has all the stuff necessary to make the dresses in the Boutique in some kind of store cupboard; she'd have to ship them in from somewhere, I think.

But it was their behavior that caused her to run out of materials in the first place.

The last stanza of the song is pretty clearly a swipe at Executive Meddling, I must say. It doesn't fit with the facts about the circumstances as we know them, and none of the lines really have anything to do with the girls - 'All we really want is indecision/All we really like is what we know'?

Pinkie was very indecisive( MORE CANDY! LESS CANDY)as well as the one who sang that line while Applejack(throwing in more farm stuff), Fluttershy(insisting on her very specific fashions based on her own tastes) , and Twilight (forcing science into what should have been a simple dress) were all rejecting them because it didn't match the fields they excelled in.

edited 22nd Sep '11 10:11:27 PM by RhymeBeat

I'm a left-brained engineer-style geek, and even I have had my "Suited for Success" stories.

—R.J.

I don't do anything professional but I sometimes grow tired of SPDUDE (my DA buddy) being dogmatic on how I execute his design concepts.

Starscream vs Rainbow Dash

G1 Starscream is a total wuss. Dashie might have had trouble with the other more competent incarnations of Starscream, like the Animated or Movie or Prime versions.

Definitely Prime version. What about Armada?

That was surprisingly well done. I wasn't really expecting them to go that in depth with Dash's skill set. Also, Derpy cameo!

I come bearing Fluttershy sketch.

That Screw Attack video refuses to load for me.

What'd they say specifically? And what happened in the fight?

G1 Starscream nearly destroyed both Earth and Cybertron. Let's not forget him dumping Megatron into deep space in The Movie!

Well, Rainbow Dash is still at least 20% more competent.

Detailed history of G1 Starscream, semi-detailed history of FIM Rainbow Dash, knock-down drag-out fight with Dash's speed, agility, and sonic rainboom making a hash of 'Screamer.

—R.J.

edited 22nd Sep '11 11:16:04 PM by rjung

Apparently Starscream's targeting software is only good enough to track vehicle-sized Cybertronians, and his Null Ray only works on 'mechs.

Granted I haven't watched much Transformers, but has Starscream's ability to aim ever been good? I'd be surprised if he's managed to hit more than a handful of redshirts in the entire series.