Ginger Mint

hi hi

I'm not very familiar with new versions of photoshop, but the "connecting lines" problem sounds like you've got some kind of "snap" setting on. Try turning snap off. (in Photoshop 7.0 anyway, its under the view menu) The other possibility is to make sure your shift key isn't stuck or something, since holding down shift will connect the beginning and end of each brush stroke together.

hi hi

Maybe it just wasn't all the way done in the middle and needed a bit of toasting?

This may sound strange, but one of the things that really stood out for me was the background, the whimsical splat of the floor underneath her is great.

hi hi

Thanks, I don't mind people quoting me at all. I'm just trying to further the discussion.

How do they make glue? Since its sort of a tangent, I'll condense the information.

There are several different types of glues. Animal glues which is what everyone talks about when they're joking about this and originally was the only adhesive considered glue, up until it became common practice to call any liquid adhesive a glue.

Plant-based glues are usually based around various types of resins that are naturally occurring in plants, such as Gum Arabic or starch based glues that are basically just starch and water.

Solvent glues such as polystyrene cement or butanone actually weld the two objects together.

Synthetic polymers like Polyurethane or Polyvinyl Acetate are very common. White glue (Elmer's glue) is the latter of those two examples and was originally made by adding acetic acid to acetylene with mercury salts, but these days the addition is usually catalyzed by palladium oxidation.

Synthetic monomers like Cyanoacrylate, ie "superglue" also don't require any animal parts. Cyanoacrylate is made by placing ethyl cyanoacetate in a glass lined mixing kettle then mixed with formaldehyde. The two chemicals trigger condensation and through heating, the water is evaporated. The kettle is then heated to roughly 305ºF which causes the polymer to crack to form reactive monomers that will recombine to form a bond when the glue is applied. Because the monomers are lighter than the polymer, they work their way to the top and are syphoned off.

hi hi

The length of the Bible is dependent on which translation you're using, but their word counts tend to be around 774,000 words, give or take. (page count isn't a very reliable measure, since pages tend to vary in size wildly.)

hi hi

I don't know how well this works for anyone else, or if it holds up in the presence of other types of magic from different creatures like spirits or the possible "zebra sense." In my own mind, pony magic is sort of a triad of balanced components and goes kind of like this.

• Unicorn Pony Magic comes from the mind, it is performed with concentration and thought, made effective with study and knowledge.

• Pegasus Pony Magic comes from the body, it is performed with physical action. Flying, moving, bucking clouds, whirling into tornadoes.

• Earth Pony Magic comes from the heart, it is performed through relationships. A connection with the Earth, with plants and animals that they nurture over time like a friendship.

hi hi

It is split up into chapters, which I'm pretty sure still count as a single story. (Lord of the Rings is separated into 6 books and still counts as one story anyway.)

Personally, I think it is rather amazing how well the story fits together considering how little editing went into the thing as a whole. Even though I'm a fan, I think there are parts where it probably could benefit from some revisions. Of course, that is the case with most fan fiction I guess.

Also... I'm pretty sure Hollow is talking about a different "R" word.

hi hi

I got my sister to watch Feeling Pinkie Keen a little while back. Inconceivably, she didn't have any comment one way or the other on it. Its usually such a polarizing episode, I was expecting her to either say she enjoyed it or hated but nope, nothing. It was the first episode I ever watched, and I still think its amazing. The moral of the story is a nice interplay between fact and faith that, in the end, doesn't really diminish either. (I've written pages about that particular fact by now, I could probably write a thesis paper about that episode.)

Pinkie Pie: Explain again. Why is there a colander on my head?

Twilight Sparkle: Oh, I wouldn't worry about that Pinkie, I wouldn't want you to strain your noodle.

Pinkie Pie: ...

Rarity: I hope you can see because I am rolling my eyes as hard as I possibly can.

Applejack: Actually Rarity, yer kinda facing the other way there... just so's ya know.

hi hi

Wow, usually I don't think sea ponies look cute, but I think you managed to pull it off here.

hi hi

Ooh, I remember seeing Celestia in Last Unicorn style somewhere before. I think I probably saved a copy to my hard drive. However, I'd never seen the MLP hockey image before, that's pretty epic.

hi hi

Okay... apparently I live under a rock or something cause I don't recall ever seeing something like this before. Is it from anything in particular?

That said, they're pretty fun. I could make a template in adobe illustrator, but I have no idea if anyone else would be able to use such a thing.

hi hi

Triple post?! Madness I say! I'm not sure if you were going for greek, given the sandals. But the neck piece (whatever its called) reminds me of ancient egyptian art. I think its the way the glyphs are separated into vertical stacks.

hi hi

This is amazing! I'm going to have to save these photos to use for guidance if I ever get some time and materials to make one myself.

hi hi

I know if you browse the web for a little while, you can find photos of real ponies that are about that size, though the proportions can be wildly different. Sometimes they have really stubby legs and sometimes not. One thing is certain though, no matter how you slice it, their eyes are huge.

hi hi

Thanks, though its really not finished yet. 3d modeling can be awful frustrating to learn, especially without a guidebook or anything like that. Frustration is part of why I'm leaving it there for a little while, probably until I no longer have the urge to throw my keyboard out the window. Still have to finish the mane and tail, then texture and rig it into a pose.

Tutorials are perhaps necessary for 3d modeling, unless you're willing to spend months with trial and error.

hi hi

On the contrary SuperWriter, Blue-Purple, Yellow-Orange is a perfect complementary color scheme. I suppose everyone is entitled to their personal opinions, but from a formal artistic point of view, Rarity with dark skin is a fantastic color scheme.

Brown and Blues is such a great color scheme it boggles my mind, but don't take my word for it.

Mark Rothko, a master of modern art and color for color's sake made this, "No. 61"

John Singer Sargent, no doubt a famous painter if ever there was one, made "Madame Paul Escudier" back in 1882, getting a little bit tetradic with red/yellow, blue/cyan.

You may be familiar with Grant Wood's "American Gothic," which is primarily a blue/brown color scheme, though it has a few green/red accents in the background.

Johannes Vermeer made the famous "Girl With The Pearl Earring" in a blue/orange accented analogous scheme.

Pablo Picasso, another rather famous painter, used a blue/brown scheme to paint "Three Musicians."

...I guess its a pet peeve of mine when people complain about the skin color on humanized ponies. Especially when they try to pass it off as some kind of objective truth.

hi hi

I wanted to get this finished today, but I guess I'm a bit more rusty at 3d modeling than I thought. Good thing I decided to work on this though, cause the best way to shake off rust is to practice. This is in wings3d. Its a pretty amazing free modeling program, its only weakness is that it doesn't handle planes very well, and that is killing me on the mane, since I'm trying to make it out of planes.

hi hi

I think perhaps that line is between respecting vs disrespecting the source material. You can take the themes of the show and use them in wildly different settings and contexts without ruining the message, but its easier for some people to tear them down and mock them instead I guess.

People who don't like something talk about it at length, most likely, because anger is a very powerful and attention grabbing emotion.

(Also, why do people think that Fluttershy isn't opinionated or doesn't get excited about things? The anonymity of the internet allows recluses to freely express themselves just the same as it does for jerk faces.)

hi hi

RD#10 is Rainbow "Stuck in the Hospital Cause I Broke my Wing" Dash, from Read it and Weep.

The next one took a little while for me to figure out, but I'm sure someone else will get it.

hi hi

I think there might also be a little bit of "may the best pet win" and "hurricane fluttershy" in RD#4. In both of those episodes (and maybe some others that I'm missing) Rainbow Dash uses the same hat and red whistle when she's in coach mode.

Speaking of May the Best Pet Win, RD#5 is photo op with the owl Rainbow Dash, with a little prop from Read it and Weep.

hi hi

If you like meat that might be a problem, but I think the real problem would be if you don't like apples. Anyone who hates apples would probably have a rough time living in Equestria.

hi hi

I'm sure I could speculate for 6 paragraphs and cite sources too. However, this is actually something I'm not very confident about my reasoning. Sometimes I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that in cinema, the audience is given a window into the private lives of the characters which might make people feel like they have an intimate connection with them, but that doesn't explain why people grab signs and shout at strangers. I can't say I've ever wondered what type of people random strangers are attracted to. I don't really know or care about the preferences of my co-workers or even some of the people I game with on a regular basis. I guess sometimes it makes a difference when someone is telling a story and its required for context, but even then I can't imagine having a debate about it. I guess I'm just curious as to why it needs to be definitive outside of the context of the show.

hi hi

I've never quite understood why people make such a big deal about the sexual preferences of others.

hi hi

Rainbow Dash #3 is the Hearths Warming Eve pageant Dash, playing the role of Commander Hurricane.

hi hi

I've got lots of ideas for how the message could have been changed for the better. I mean, having a little humility is a good thing, so its not like the episode wasn't at least aiming for the right target. I don't know how or where it happened, but somewhere along the line, someone missed the mark.

Possibility 1: The Mysterious Mare Do Well saves the day instead of Rainbow Dash then vanishes without anyone else seeing. One of the other five congratulates Rainbow Dash for saving the day and everyone cheers. Rainbow Dash is suddenly faced with the realization that she is receiving praise that she does not deserve. By the end of the episode, the town throws a "Rainbow Dash" celebration for her, but when she takes the stage, her sense of responsibility (which is what caused her to start saving the day in the first place) obliges her to turn down the reward and credit the MMDW.

Possibility 2: The MMDW pretends to need Rainbow Dash's help to save the day, then, during the "Twin Heroes of Ponyville Day" celebration, Rainbow Dash has to admit that there are others out there who deserve praise too and she shouldn't try to hog the spotlight herself.

Possibility 3: The MMDW puts herself in a position at some point where Rainbow Dash needs to save her. When Dash tries to gloat, the MMDW bows humbly and respectfully before disappearing, leaving Dash to contemplate the stark contrast in their behavior and perhaps showing a shred of remorse for her hostility.

Possibility 4: When Rainbow Dash was sulking and brooding during lunch, clearly not seeing the error of her ways as planned, rather than gloating and boasting themselves, that would have been a more appropriate time to reveal the truth and give the lecture they saved for the end of the show.

Possibility 5: When Rainbow Dash was sulking and brooding during lunch, clearly not seeing the error of her ways as planned, rather than gloating and boasting themselves, her friends could have said something like "We know you're doing your best, and we still think you're pretty amazing. You're a pony who wouldn't abandon her friends, not even to fulfill her own heart's desires." at which point she would say something like, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just lost track of what was important."

Possibility 6: Rainbow Dash's five friends play on her ego by requesting her help for various situations where she has to performing tasks that average ordinary ponies do on a daily basis, like cooking, researching, caring for small animals, etc. By the end of the ordeal, she not only realizes that other ponies do amazing things that she's not very good at and gains a respect for the things she used to take for granted, but she also tempers her boasting because she learns that while she is still awesome, everypony is good at something and she shouldn't let it get to her head.

hi hi

I'm sorry, but trying to teach someone a lesson is a placebo justification for the behavior. Its an excuse that I see used a lot, from the police in Jackson Mississippi circa 1961, to a fellow who took a gal's laptop out of her dorm room to teach her a lesson about leaving her door unlocked. It turns out that "trying to teach them a lesson," isn't a valid defense against criminal charges.

"Giving someone a taste of their own medicine," has another name, retribution. Its not friendly, its passive-aggressive (or aggressive in some cases), its hypocritical and far from being effective, in reality it usually just causes the other party to justify their behavior and reciprocate and worsen the matter, or withdraw, weakening any friendship you might have.

When you are turning the tables like that, you are not forcing anyone to step into your shoes, you are stepping into their shoes. And if in your shoes, the response to their actions is to return it in kind, there is absolutely no reason to believe that were the situation reversed, they would do anything differently. If you want someone to change, you need to show them how you feel, not how they're acting.

"You must be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi