S06E01-02: The Crystalling

Episode, movie, and comic book discussion threads are kept here once they have been released.

Moderators: Perrydotto, Dexanth, Venusy, Wayoshi

Re: S06E01-02: The Crystalling

Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:14 am

Angel Beat wrote:Wasn't Cadance a pegasus before she became an alicorn? :ponder: I'm pretty sure that was in one of the books.

They're talking about the thousand+ years Celestia and Luna spent as the only alicorns around.
SlateSlabrock
User avatar
The information's unavailable to the mortal man.
Celestia's Champions
Joined: Feb 14, 2011

Postby The Doctor (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:16 am

Angel Beat wrote:Wasn't Cadance a pegasus before she became an alicorn? :ponder: I'm pretty sure that was in one of the books.


The official background for her now is that she was a Pegasus first, however Canterlot Wedding one of the last (might be THE last) episode Lauren Faust worked on, and she commented that Cadance was originally going to be a Unicorn. The Pegasus story was created a few years later, in the first GM Berrow chapter book.
The Doctor
User avatar
Turner of all things timey wimey
Celestia's Champions
Joined: May 05, 2011
Location: Time & Space
Gender: Male

Postby PaulloDEC (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:21 am

Angel Beat wrote:Wasn't Cadance a pegasus before she became an alicorn? :ponder: I'm pretty sure that was in one of the books.


SlateSlabrock wrote:They're talking about the thousand+ years Celestia and Luna spent as the only alicorns around.


Yup. It basically goes:

• No known Alicorns
• Starswirl rocks up with Celestia and Luna, "Hey these guys should rule us". Everyone: "Okay".
• Well over a thousand years of Celestia and Luna running the show.
• Like 10 or 15 years before FiM begins, Celestia is like "This Pegasus "Cadance" has potential", boom, Alicorn ray.

You know the rest.

SlateSlabrock wrote:I was wondering the same thing. Haber hasn't written enough episodes yet to really pin down his philosophy, but he did write the last season finale, which was a big, serious, complicated, reference-filled episode. He also wrote Applebloom's nightmare episode. Maybe he's approaching it as a writer reading through the show bible and trying to piece together something consistent.

On one hand, I enjoy shows that feels like they've at least thought through the basic questions their world raises, even if they don't come out and tell us. Like, what's the deal with the Tree of Harmony sprouting jewelry and castles and stuff?

But on the other hand, this has never really been a serious show about fighting evil, and I hope they can stay lighthearted through this season and leading into the movie.


I think we're absolutely guaranteed the usual mix of adventure and slice stories between our premiere and finale. They've held to that template for five years now, so I'm sure they're aware that it works fine as-is.
PaulloDEC
User avatar
Gah!
Joined: Jun 13, 2014
Location: Queensland, Australia
Gender: Male

Postby Bremen (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:26 am

The Doctor wrote:I'd be interested to know if the character was always an Alicorn, or if, just like Cadance herself, she was an original creation that someone later said "slap some wings onto that unicorn!"

For me, I think it just cheapens the lore to keep altering it every few seasons. Would be like Fellowship of the Rings doing the cool ring speech.

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

Then coming to The Two Towers and learning there's this tenth ring for Man that Aragorn found.


I understand why it's done, and why it has to be done, but I still think it brings down the work, even with the crew doing their best to work it all in together.


This is deeply ironic since LotR totally retcons a lot of stuff from the Hobbit.
Bremen
User avatar
Joined: Oct 09, 2011
Gender: Male

Postby The Doctor (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:27 am

SlateSlabrock wrote:I was wondering the same thing. Haber hasn't written enough episodes yet to really pin down his philosophy, but he did write the last season finale, which was a big, serious, complicated, reference-filled episode. He also wrote Applebloom's nightmare episode. Maybe he's approaching it as a writer reading through the show bible and trying to piece together something consistent.

On one hand, I enjoy shows that feels like they've at least thought through the basic questions their world raises, even if they don't come out and tell us. Like, what's the deal with the Tree of Harmony sprouting jewelry and castles and stuff?

But on the other hand, this has never really been a serious show about fighting evil, and I hope they can stay lighthearted through this season and leading into the movie.


Given that the movie is pretty assuredly going to be a big action adventure piece, a more mellow tone this season, assuming this is the last season before the movie, would work well.

And it's fine by me. I think them one-upping themselves for threats to Equestria resulted in too many style over substance stories. This episode was a nice mix of having a threat, while not being over the top with it.

Bremen wrote:
This is deeply ironic since LotR totally retcons a lot of stuff from the Hobbit.


Didn't retcon that much, since it was a minor tale (in the grand scheme of things) 50 years prior to LotR. Closer to 80 years if you take into account that in the book has something like 30 years pass between when Bilbo leaves The Shire and when Frodo sets out himself. Basically just made the Necromancer Sauron and the Ring a big deal.
The Doctor
User avatar
Turner of all things timey wimey
Celestia's Champions
Joined: May 05, 2011
Location: Time & Space
Gender: Male

Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:50 am

Screenshots? Screenshots.

Did Twilight's castle always have those heart columns?
Image

"My favorite fanart."
Image

Story urn time!
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

Starlight has trouble with tea.
Image
Image

:munch:
Image

Pony therapy
Image

The weather turns so cold her watering can freezes.
Image

Always wear personal protective equipment when raising children.
Image

heeeeeelp meeeee
Image

OPTIC BLAST
Image

My Little Falcon
Image

By your powers combined...
Image
SlateSlabrock
User avatar
The information's unavailable to the mortal man.
Celestia's Champions
Joined: Feb 14, 2011

Postby Angel Beat (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:54 am


Urnicorn. :lol:
ImageImage
Avatar by Karzahnii, image used with permission.
Angel Beat
User avatar
~Thanks for the love!~
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Jul 11, 2013
Location: Harlingen, the Netherlands
Gender: Male

Postby Durandal (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:57 am

I'm definitely going to need an avatar of frazzled Shining Armor in about a month or so when our second baby shows up
ImageImageImageImage
Durandal
User avatar
dunkification in progress
Faithful Students
Joined: Jun 05, 2011
Location: Issaquah
Gender: Male

Postby Mr. Big (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:00 am

Something I noticed in the flashback of Starlight and Sunburst's childhood. Whenever Sunburst showed Starlight how to do a spell, Starlight always did it bigger and better than Sunburst did, which was a nice foreshadowing on how things are going to come. Sunburst KNOWS magic, but he can only perform a simple version of it at best.
Mr. Big
User avatar
A batty bat
Scootaloo's Pro Scooters
Joined: Mar 27, 2011
Location: TN
Gender: Male

Postby Minty (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:02 am

I like that the urn ponies kind of look like g1 ponies.
Minty
User avatar
Joined: Jul 20, 2013
Gender: Genderless

Postby Bremen (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:10 am

Minty wrote:I like that the urn ponies kind of look like g1 ponies.


I was just thinking that it seems odd that the urn seems to be specifically portraying Cadence and Shining Armor.

Did the ancient crystal empire have a lot of unicorns married to alicorn princesses having foals?
Bremen
User avatar
Joined: Oct 09, 2011
Gender: Male

Postby Angel Beat (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:15 am

The other ponies on the urn look a lot like the crystal versions of the Mane 6. They even have their CMs. :v:
ImageImage
Avatar by Karzahnii, image used with permission.
Angel Beat
User avatar
~Thanks for the love!~
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Jul 11, 2013
Location: Harlingen, the Netherlands
Gender: Male

Postby Highbrow Dash (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:16 am

Haha man Trixie must be beating herself up right now.

She was a bit of a fraud and maybe got possessed by an ancient artifact, she gets to lose her job and work at a rock farm.

Meanwhile Starlight builds a cult, steals ponies' cutie marks and tries to break time itself, then she gets to become BFFs with the Mane 6.
Image
Highbrow Dash
User avatar
but why would you post such a thing??
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Oct 15, 2011
Location: Spain
Gender: Male

Postby Bremen (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:18 am

Angel Beat wrote:The other ponies on the urn look a lot like the crystal versions of the Mane 6. They even have their CMs. :v:


Ok, yeah, that isn't weird at all.

:starity: Is that an ancient Crystal Empire antique vase?

:here: No, Twilight had it commissioned as a Crystalling gift. I'm just using it for the illustrations.
Bremen
User avatar
Joined: Oct 09, 2011
Gender: Male

Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:21 am

Bremen wrote:
I was just thinking that it seems odd that the urn seems to be specifically portraying Cadence and Shining Armor.

Did the ancient crystal empire have a lot of unicorns married to alicorn princesses having foals?

Not only that, but it's featuring the Mane Six and Flurry Heart as well, something I didn't catch in the initial stream. Clearly decorative urns are what the crystal ponies favor for commemorating special events, just like Celestia seems to favor stained-glass windows for her castle.
Image
Fizzbuzz
User avatar
Stare Masters
Joined: Mar 02, 2013
Location: TN
Gender: Male

Postby Wayoshi (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:43 am

Dead exhausted, but let's get some freeze frames. Most of the :faces: in this were from Starlight.

Image

Too lewd dude

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Baby ponies have how many designs now? :-P

Image

:-I "This is fine"

Image

Image

Image


Breaking this out of hidden...

Image

Mind blown - he got his cutie mark for [sorting] MAGIC BOOKS, not magic.

Image

Image

Snowflake Express delivery

Image

Image

Image

Starlight: Really Twi, really? :-I

Image

:fatherhood:

Image


Image

I have to say, Flurry Heart makes unique sounds.

That ends Act II, more soon but I don't think I'm finishing tonight.
Wayoshi
User avatar
Paper Fluttershy
Stare Masters
Joined: Oct 26, 2011
Location: Boston, MA
Gender: Male

Postby Wayoshi (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 4:52 am

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

That angle on the statue lol

Image

Image

Image

boop

Image

Laser soccer!

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Flurry: comfy.


Alright, that concludes the first half and I'll pick this up tomorrow night. :)
Wayoshi
User avatar
Paper Fluttershy
Stare Masters
Joined: Oct 26, 2011
Location: Boston, MA
Gender: Male

Postby Sailor Yue (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 4:56 am

I'm glad, but somewhat weirded out that Flurry doesn't have baby doll eyes like every other baby pony on the show had
Image
PayPal for stuff sailoryue@me.com
Sailor Yue
User avatar
Pttttl
Joined: Nov 12, 2012
Location: Nowhere. Certainly not in that tree.
Gender: Female

Postby die Fledermaus (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:06 am

Sailor Yue wrote:I'm glad, but somewhat weirded out that Flurry doesn't have baby doll eyes like every other baby pony on the show had


She has her mom's eyes.

literally
ImageImageImageImage
3DS code: 4811-8169-5683
die Fledermaus
User avatar
Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, crashing through your door.
Diamond Dusters
Joined: Feb 14, 2011
Gender: Male

Postby PictishBeast (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:40 am

Wayoshi wrote:
Image

Image


This was a cool visual effect.
PictishBeast
User avatar
Character Select: Winter Nickel
Abilities: Cynicism lv1, Ennui lv1
Inventory: Turnip
Diamond Dusters
Joined: Aug 12, 2012
Gender: Male

Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:42 am

Image Image Image Image Image

Image Image Image Image Image

Image Image

Image Image

Image
SlateSlabrock
User avatar
The information's unavailable to the mortal man.
Celestia's Champions
Joined: Feb 14, 2011

Postby Niels Olof (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:12 am

The Doctor wrote:
Given that the movie is pretty assuredly going to be a big action adventure piece, a more mellow tone this season, assuming this is the last season before the movie, would work well.

And it's fine by me. I think them one-upping themselves for threats to Equestria resulted in too many style over substance stories. This episode was a nice mix of having a threat, while not being over the top with it.



Didn't retcon that much, since it was a minor tale (in the grand scheme of things) 50 years prior to LotR. Closer to 80 years if you take into account that in the book has something like 30 years pass between when Bilbo leaves The Shire and when Frodo sets out himself. Basically just made the Necromancer Sauron and the Ring a big deal.


Considering that the title of the series is The Lord of the Rings, changing the nature of the Ring (and the riddle game around it in the bowels of the Misty Mountains, and thus Gollum, a character as crucial as Frodo to the narrative) and the nature of the Necromancer seems to be rather substantial. Tolkien was an amazing author with a staggering creation, but Middle-earth did not spring fully formed from his head (e.g., IIRC, he had no idea who this Strider fellow was, when the hobbits encountered him in Bree). Tolkien needed what was to become LotR to be about hobbits by the publisher's request, hence the second and third editions of The Hobbit. I can’t recommend sloughing through the History of Middle-earth (Christopher Tolkien must at this stage have published every scrap of paper his father ever wrote) for anyone but the highly dedicated fan, but a lot of world building and back story was created ad-hoc as he went along with writing LotR. (And there is nothing wrong with that—if there are inconsistencies, we can just blame the compilers of The Red Book of Westmarch for having imperfect source material).

The easiest way to handle to the inconsistencies of the MLP:FiM oeuvre would be a hierarchy of canon: The show, (the eventual movie), the books, the comic books, and the tweets and posts by the various authors and creators. As well as recognising that Equestria is a multivalent world with more than one truth: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”, or possibly more current, “It’s just a show; I should really just relax”. The character arcs are the important ones, whether the ponies change and mature over time in a believable fashion; I’ll let the fimfiction authors worry about the exact nature of the backstory for everything, accepting that props and backdrops are parts of stagecraft that serve to tell a story, even if I can sometimes tell they are made of paint and plaster.
In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro
Niels Olof
User avatar
Wide-ruled paper is for foals.
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Nov 20, 2013
Location: Denmark
Gender: Male

Postby Captain Rufus (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 8:35 am




Is it wrong that I keep calling her Snowflame? That comic character Atop the 4th Wall spotlighted that is like a villain whose powers come from Cocaine?

It's so wrong but feels so right! :smirk:
My hobby games blog: http://wargamedork.blogspot.com
Captain Rufus
User avatar
The derpin rolls, and the lightning strikes!
Another muffin grows cold on an Equestrian night!
As the storm goes on out of control,
deep in her heart the derpin rolls!
Faithful Students
Joined: Feb 14, 2011

Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:01 am

Oh. Huh. The new episodes are up on iTunes (along with season pass) already. Normally they wait until Monday morning (and halfway through the season for the pass option).
SlateSlabrock
User avatar
The information's unavailable to the mortal man.
Celestia's Champions
Joined: Feb 14, 2011

Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 12:04 pm

Today was a kid tweets kinda day.

Image
Image
SlateSlabrock
User avatar
The information's unavailable to the mortal man.
Celestia's Champions
Joined: Feb 14, 2011

Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 12:09 pm

For that matter, I wonder who got to name her Flurry Heart. Obviously a new character's name has to jump through tons of legal hoops before it's approved, but still, someone must've been the first to come up with it. Was it Josh Haber?
Image
Fizzbuzz
User avatar
Stare Masters
Joined: Mar 02, 2013
Location: TN
Gender: Male

Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 12:15 pm

By the way, I appreciated the clear allusions to this:

Image

Image
Headless Horse
User avatar
The yoke is strictly ornamental
Faithful Students
Joined: May 23, 2011

Postby PonyHag714 (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 12:23 pm

Image

Gotta watch those jalapenos.
Image You can't deny the prize, it may never fulfill you.
PonyHag714
User avatar
Now let's go round again!
Joined: Mar 18, 2013
Location: Oromareocto, Canterda
Gender: Male

Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 12:24 pm

SlateSlabrock wrote:Pony therapy
Image


brushie brushie

Shining Armor is the MVP of the episode TBQH. Between this and the last time we saw him (in The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows), he's actually managed to grow some personality.
Headless Horse
User avatar
The yoke is strictly ornamental
Faithful Students
Joined: May 23, 2011

Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:10 pm

Sailor Yue wrote:I'm glad, but somewhat weirded out that Flurry doesn't have baby doll eyes like every other baby pony on the show had

The show's never been very consistent with the eyes of baby ponies. At first their eyes were colored dots (the Cake twins and that one baby in MMDW), then black dots (the photo of baby Apple Bloom in Family Appreciation Day and baby Applejack in the Apple Family Reunion flashback), then more detailed eyes like what we've been seeing lately (Flurry Heart and the photo of baby Applejack in The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows). If I ever make it to a big enough con then this is something I'd like to ask the animators about.
Image
Fizzbuzz
User avatar
Stare Masters
Joined: Mar 02, 2013
Location: TN
Gender: Male

Postby The Doctor (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:16 pm

SlateSlabrock wrote:Pony therapy
Image


Rarity has now styled both Cadance and Shining Armor's manes.

:smirk: I want a sub plot this season to be Rarity obsessed with styling the baby's mane.
The Doctor
User avatar
Turner of all things timey wimey
Celestia's Champions
Joined: May 05, 2011
Location: Time & Space
Gender: Male

Postby Aramek (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:37 pm

Only global thread for the day? That's fine.
Aramek
User avatar
Your MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue.

"So you're saying..."

Your brain is about 20% tumor.
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Feb 25, 2011
Location: Chicago, IL.
Gender: Male

Postby Niels Olof (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:41 pm

SlateSlabrock wrote:Oh. Huh. The new episodes are up on iTunes (along with season pass) already. Normally they wait until Monday morning (and halfway through the season for the pass option).


Impressively fast—it took forever to get a proper Season Pass last season. Here’s hoping that this will be the season without any audio/video problems in the official releases.
In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro
Niels Olof
User avatar
Wide-ruled paper is for foals.
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Nov 20, 2013
Location: Denmark
Gender: Male

Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:47 pm

Niels Olof wrote:
Impressively fast—it took forever to get a proper Season Pass last season. Here’s hoping that this will be the season without any audio/video problems in the official releases.

Maybe there also won't be any leaks this year. We were so close to no leaks last year, too, but then Scare Master came out way too early...
Image
Fizzbuzz
User avatar
Stare Masters
Joined: Mar 02, 2013
Location: TN
Gender: Male

Postby Sidotsy (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:17 pm

Niels Olof wrote:
Impressively fast—it took forever to get a proper Season Pass last season. Here’s hoping that this will be the season without any audio/video problems in the official releases.

I managed to get a refund for the 5 seasons I had on Amazon because after a few months of owning them they just refused to play, said I wasn't connected to the internet, even though every other purchased movie/show I had on Amazon worked fine.
Image Image
Sidotsy
User avatar
I'm just a machine
full of moving parts
I got emptiness
where I used to have a heart
I'm still breathing but I'm synthetic

Nothing pony left in me
Nothing pony about me
Princesses of Soul
Joined: Feb 29, 2016
Location: The Moon
Gender: Genderqueer
Pronoun: They

Postby MurdER_weapOn '78 (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:24 pm

Not the greatest premiere, Spike and Starlight (and Sunburst) were the stars of the show.

My worry is that Starlight will appear every time Twilight does.
MurdER_weapOn '78
User avatar
Joined: Mar 18, 2015
Location: England
Gender: Male

Postby The Doctor (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:42 pm

MurdER_weapOn '78 wrote:Not the greatest premiere, Spike and Starlight (and Sunburst) were the stars of the show.

My worry is that Starlight will appear every time Twilight does.


I'm not. The bit at the end with her realizing that Starlight needs to learn on her own says to me that she's going to show up once and a while. Maybe have one or two focus episodes this season.
The Doctor
User avatar
Turner of all things timey wimey
Celestia's Champions
Joined: May 05, 2011
Location: Time & Space
Gender: Male

Postby MurdER_weapOn '78 (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 4:17 pm

The Doctor wrote:
I'm not. The bit at the end with her realizing that Starlight needs to learn on her own says to me that she's going to show up once and a while. Maybe have one or two focus episodes this season.

Hopefully so, lets see if she turns up in s605.
MurdER_weapOn '78
User avatar
Joined: Mar 18, 2015
Location: England
Gender: Male

Postby Aramek (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:24 pm

I hope we get a lot more Starlight because she owns bones.

Image
Aramek
User avatar
Your MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue.

"So you're saying..."

Your brain is about 20% tumor.
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Feb 25, 2011
Location: Chicago, IL.
Gender: Male

Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:31 pm

Aramek wrote:I hope we get a lot more Starlight because she owns bones.

Image

This reminds me, something I was glad to see was that this side of her wasn't instantly gone or anything. I mean, she's much nicer now than how she was acting in S5, but you could still see and hear bits of the old Starlight in moments like when she was encouraging Spike to keep telling his stories about how he saved the Crystal Empire. Kelly Sheridan has done a great job playing her.
Image
Fizzbuzz
User avatar
Stare Masters
Joined: Mar 02, 2013
Location: TN
Gender: Male

Previous Next

Return to Pony Media Release Threads

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 1 guest