Community Post #140 Oh yeah! I'm going to make you wait for a week for the next bit of the story. Mu-ha-ha-ha-haa! And it's not because I don't know where to go next...Not at all! The sudden inclusion of Crystal Starchildfire, my new OC will be perfect for the narrative. I just need to figure out how much every character in the story thus far will fall in love with her. Anyway, I figured I'd ramble on about my holiday to Galacon last week! Yaaay! Well, at least, the most pressing things that came to mind about it. I mean, I've never been to Galacon before so it was pretty interesting to find that, well... Seriously, Dude: how expensive are these plushies?! Has fabric become hugely expensive suddenly? Or is it that everyone that wants a custom plushie has one and demand is dropping? Because man, oh man, were plushies expensive! I love a good plushie. Soft toys are one of my favourite things to buy at a convention along with computer games for any of the consoles I own, MLP:CCG stuff and t-shirts with stuff I like on them. Seeing as I only ever see the games at MCM London, I'm usually making a beeline for everything else. Now, an excellent choice are these really well done Japanese plushies that not only look great but are generally very well made as well. Usual cost? About £15. Excellent; both competitive and reasonable. So, let's say I wanted a Fluttershy. At MCM, I could get a perfectly good Fluttershy for about £15, nice and easily. What would it cost at Galacon? Oh...Upwards of £170, or about 250€. The worst offenders to this horrific spike in price was around 400€ or about £283. I didn't see many of the Plushie sellers buck these trends, pushing for very high sums for these toys. Now, I do get it: handmade isn't cheep these days. Fair enough. Something more unusual and bespoke takes time and some of these guys make a living off of their craft. My issue is...well, does it not make sense to at least be a little competitive? Remember, Japanese imports are your competition as well as other creators. Numbers this high for plushies are pretty staggering. And I'm reasonably sure it's not just that the Euro making the prices seem bigger is part of the issue. Mostly. At least, I hope not. Pretty sure...Everything else seemed to be decently priced and very worth your money, so that's something! What in Tartarus was that guy trying to say? While at the Voice Actor's panel starring Tabitha St. Germain, Daniel Ingram, Michelle Creber and Black Griffon, there was a time to ask questions of the group. However, there's always one, isn't there? Don't act coy: you what I mean. I mean that one person that walks up to the mic, says something and then suddenly realises that what they had in their head didn't translate very well into speech, confusing everyone. It's awkward when this happens as visible question marks appear above everyone's head in the ensuing awkward silence. This time round, we got a guy that walked up to the mic then asked Tabitha St. Germain to name the following train whistle. He then plays the sound effect from a Thomas the Tank Engine toy. She correctly guesses who it is then he says something about this having some significance to the show and Rarity in particular. Confused, the panel just sits and watches as they struggle to understand what was being implied. The rest of the hall struggle to wrap their minds around it. The Train Enthusiast attempts to salvage his...thing, by attempting to explain the idea. However, nerves strike. He garbled out something relating to an episode before bailing out and moving on. The event continued onwards. Now, after some thought, I've come to the conclusion that I don't know what in the world that guy was attempting to accomplish. But I can guess. So, if you'll indulge me... The Train Whistle was obviously Thomas the Tank Engine. If the connection is Rarity, then quite obviously we're supposed to find it mildly cute that he'd play such a noise because of Tom, Rarity's special rock/massive jewel when she was discorded to become greedy. You see, Tom is short for Thomas you see. Mmm... OK, I'm going to just leave this here: Three Golden Rules for Asking Questions at Voice Actor Panels Please, please, please run whatever you intend to do when you get to your turn by a few friends before you do go up to wait for your turn to speak. If you're not sure about what you plan to do, run it by a friend. Even a random stranger. If they are confused or unsure, then think of something else. Remember to rehearse or even write down what you want to say to ensure you can clearly speak without much stuttering if you don't do well in front of crowds. It is a new Pet Peeve of mine to address a Voice Actor by the name of a character they voice, not their actual name. I know it likely causes no real harm but it does bug me. It's an odd mentality to do this, when you're me, as you seem to wish to address the character, not the Voice Actor who is the one that's actually in front of you. If you forget their real name, it's usually a good idea to ask. Or even look it up in your con guide, all of them have one. It seems disrespectful. Again, likely just me. Dunno, what do you think? Try to refrain from ever asking a Voice Actor to explain something that happened in an episode, especially a mistake of some kind. Generally I have found, after attending a few of these VA Panels and such, that most Voice Actors don't often remember or have much of an idea how to answer anything that relates to plots or stories. They might be able to remember lines, as that's part of their job, but asking them to explain some discrepancy between characterizations of some character from two seasons ago is likely to be far beyond them. If you want to know about how performing the characters you enjoy works or how to attempt to utilise your vocal skills better, talk to a voice actor. If you want to ask something specific about the show and it's details, ask a writer. There: I hope that helps. Tabitha St. Germain seems to love her Granny Smith voice If it seems like Tabitha St. Germain is dominating this post; it's because she stole the show whenever she turned up. She was funny, loose and very entertaining to listen to. She had a few good stories in her but, best of all, she didn't hold back with her voices. Michelle and Black Griffon did a surprise performance from their album and St. Germain still takes centre stage when I think of the weekend. The one that she seemed to keep coming back to though was that of Granny Smith. She's known for voicing Rarity and Princess Luna but Granny Smith kept coming back over and over. Why? Well, there were a few jokes about her age here and there so that makes sense. Even so, I just figured she found the voice the most fun to do. And why not? I've spent the past week trying to emulate it to capture a little of the magic. I'm not quite there yet but darn tootin', I'll get there! Still, my favourite part was meeting her for the signing later, handing over a Granny Smith CCG Card to be signed and being pleasantly surprised to find that it seemed to peak her interest a bit. Foxytail had handed over a Pony Charm card that prominently featured Rarity on the front. It was signed with a smile. The Jar Judger got her to say "Now that's what I call a card" in Granny Smith's voice. That was pleasing. Do I figure she prefers Granny Smith? Maybe. I have no reason to say for sure but I get the suspicion of it. As well as a signed Ultra Rare so... Pictured: Poise, Grace and Maturity Daniel Ingram does a half-decent Pinkie Pie For reasons too awesome to be known, the guests decided to write and then give a reading of a special episode. Can I show you it? No. Not at all as all recording devices where prohibited just incase these guys reading out a script for the crowd got them in trouble with almighty Hasbro. Because Hasbro ruins everything. Anyway, the episode was about Princess Luna breaking a tooth and becoming frightened of dentists after learning about them from a book on parallel universes. The end result is a trippy dream sequence with an Elvis-style singing dentist, Luna turning into an elephant and dancing teeth. If it actually is an episode, it sounds like a good one. If it's not, then it ought to be. Still, Daniel Ingram took up the role of Pinkie Pie. And was really good. Sure, being male, it's hard to reach that specific pitch with a voice several octaves lower than required. However, the mannerisms of his voice were spot on. Hyperactive, talkative and able to jump in at a moment's notice. Pretty much spot on. Some people turn up with a small fortune in their pocket A hat went for over £200 at the Charity Auction. A normal, unsigned hat. If you've ever been to a Brony Charity Auction ever, you know that's no surprise. And that's all I remember. Would I go again? Maybe. I do live in England. While it's not exactly hard to get to Germany once a year, it's not really all that cheap. Still, I'd have to think about balancing it with BUCK next year too... So many cons...So many cons. Cons, cons, cons. As soon as one of my friends suggests we try going to one of the American cons, then I can kiss my sanity good bye. It won't have a brain, I'll have a cavity that still has a little bit of the milkshake my brain melted into. - Site News Would you like to help write Community Posts? Well, we've always suggested that you can come and ask but now, we're trying something else. OK, the plan is simple: if you'd like to submit an article for the Communty Post, just send it in a Conversation to me. Very simple. We'd like you to only write the top bit though. Don't worry about the Site News and the Recommended Reading areas because, well, they change from week to week so they can be added in later. On top of getting your work headlined on the site, you'll get a Trophy. Yeah, a tiny 'thank you' I guess but we appreciate it. I've also considered awarding a banner under your name if you write enough of them. Maybe something like "Seasoned Community Scribe". Sound good? Remember, we only want the top bit, nothing else. So, the 'fun bit' essentially. All submissions are subject to editing to make sure they're all super, golden, awesome, fantastically chocolate coated for the reading pleasure of all. Or at least don't contain swear words instead of punctuation and have at least 75% of the words spelt correctly. So, have fun! Remember, I barely ever stick to the topic of Ponies so I don't expect you to either. Go wild, guys! - Recommended Reading Right! See this? It's a review of Afterburner on 3DS. It's pretty good. How do I know? Apart from reading the article? I have the Sonic 1 3DS game. And that's pretty decent too so...It's written by Morphin' so you know it's good. More reviews? How about a little carnage thrown in? Then Tommy of the Spud Variety has you covered with some Battlebots stuff. That random hiatus making you itch for pony? Maybe we can make it itch a little more in this thread, all about your plans for when the next episode aires. Me? I'll likely watch it a week after it's out, because I'm just that sort of daft. Here's a debate that I'm enjoying: try and see if you can explain to Dulset Tarn why Rainbow Rocks is better than the first movie. It's heating up to be a good little debate. I love picking things apart, as I'm sure you all know. Right! Ready for your next hug target? Here. No matter where she is, Poisonous Nightmare needs to be hugged, OK? So...Jewel of Rarity announced that they own a GMod Server right here. It's a Cinema Gamemode too so, you can essentially simulate the cinema experience in your own home using Youtube. It's actually a lot better than it sounds. Seriously! It's like sitting in a room with friends, passing the tablet connected to Youtube around, trying to think of good videos to show everyone. Huh...Two for Poisonous. Anyway, ol' Nightmare is all enraged over the rage about drug references in a Disturbed song. Yeah, um... 'Because I got High' by Afroman is awesome and it's the most blatant drug song ever. What's the problem with it? It's a subject of countless songs! Don't get why this one is a problem. Lastly, I just found this funny. So, that's that. Sorry this post is so late. Have a good one folks!
Firstly, I appreciate the consurn Tyro. As an update: No, this said friend has STILL not come home. So I think he'll be gone most of the month. Secondly, I'm mad about the ponies who are getting butt hurt about the drug references mostly due to it being a good few fans of Disturbed just out of nowhere automatically saying 'Fire It Up' is a horrible song only for a weed reference~ It boggles my mind too. You make a good point though with the Afroman song. It's the most blatant song to have drug references. No one bats an eye. As soon as their fave band does it... Oh no! It's a travesty!
RD9K and Tyro entered the kitchen without saying a word. They were there for a reason, and they both knew what that reason was. While Tyro gathered the ingredients, RD set the oven to 350°F, and set a medium saucepan on the stove. Tyro handed her a cup of sugar, which she poured into the pan and began melting on medium-low heat. Before long, the sugar had liquified and taken on a golden hue. Tyro set a nine inch round baking dish on the counter beside her, and she poured the liquid sugar in, turning the pan to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Her first task finished, she set the pan aside. While RD coated the pan, Tyro beat three eggs in a large mixing bowl. When they were thoroughly beaten, RD brought him a measuring cup containing 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk, twelve ounces of evaporated milk, and one tablespoon of vanilla extract. The good vanilla extract, not the cheap artificial stuff. Tyro poured the contents of the cup into the mixing bowl with the eggs, and beat it until it was smooth. RD took the bowl and poured it into the baking dish,then placed a sheet of aluminum foil over the dish. Tyro opened the oven, and the dish was placed inside. The timer was set for one hour. RD9K and Tyro left the kitchen. They had done all they could do for now. TO BE CONTINUED...
