Ask Lyra

1) I think I just didn’t like the battle system, though to be honest it’s been so long I can’t even remember why.

2) Lyra: CC:GG!

Bon-Bon: Ennn… Ponyville is a smaller market. Black licorice is a little too niche. I mean, I could produce some upon order, but it’s not something I’d just stock. I’ve never heard of those jelly beans before. Frankly, it sounds like a pretty terrible idea. But then again I hate buttered popcorn jelly beans and I swear regular variety packs are full of them.

3) Oh certainly! I’ve been working on a pen and paper system of my own on and off for a little while now. Haven’t physically touched it much lately but I’m still rolling around ideas.

Also, if you were wondering why, I still consider that slang to be a swear.

4) B: If the idea is that no one will ever see them again, then there’s no reason not to destroy the copies and the originals, unless you want them intact so that someone can come along for them later. If that someone doesn’t wind up just being you.

B: Alternately, if you turned them in they could be researched, categorized, and stored in a much more secure location. Should the day arise that the contents are ever needed, as authorized by the royal family, they would be intact and easily located amongst the vast, restricted, royal libraries.

1) Bon-Bon: Haha! Well, I don’t know if anypony is eating the stuff, but candy corn is a pretty reliable seller around Nightmare Night.

Lyra: I like candy corn!

2) Well, there isn’t really that much to maintain. I’ve never had to replace anything on any of my lyres other than the strings, and I don’t physically touch them so even then only rarely.

I saw Battle Network being played quite a bit when it first came out. The combat style was completely uninteresting to me. The whole reason I played Network Transmission was because it didn’t play at all like Battle Network.

3) B: How very illegal for you to possess. Also convenient that you’ve no desire to share what you shouldn’t have in the first place. Though I suppose if you were responsible enough to realize that you wouldn’t be attempting to justify it. In vain, if you were wondering.

Strawberry, I thought these were just old spell books. B’s right; that stuff is outlawed and illegal to own. You have to get rid of them. Turn them in, destroy them, whatever you have to do.

4) I’m sorry, but I already know how to bowl! I’m not pro or anything, but I almost got a 150 last time I played. And that was after not playing for a lo~ng time.

1) Oh, I’m far from great; as things could certainly be better. I said I was close to spectacular.

2) B: The public doesn’t really know much about us. To be honest, I haven’t the foggiest what they think. PR had never been a concern in the past. I also wouldn’t call it fair to say we work outside the law.

3) Not that I know of, but ponies don’t talk about it much. I doubt anypony that was ever involved wants to be reminded of it. I certainly don’t.

If you live in Canterlot you’re either rich or you aren’t. I don’t know what hives in 40k were, but lower Canterlot is a notch above a slum. Narrow streets, closely-nit buildings that further obscure the sunlight, alleyways crowded with stuff their owners have no place to store but no pony would care enough to take. It’s pretty safe these days, but it’s never looked as good as upper Canterlot.

4) Sure! Ponies love theater and acting!

5) Not really, because that’s still reading. While it might hold my attention better, I just prefer things that I can directly interact with.

Trying to play the new Neverwinter Online game right now. It’s got some story stuff in it but I still get to smack things and jump around. Really hard to get immersed into the world, though. D&D proper is… pretty intimidating in size.

6) Bon-Bon: All kinds! You should drop by sometime and see what I’ve got! I can do special orders to! Just let me know what you’d like!

Bon-Bon: I’m not the best, but I’ve heard of a Bon-Bon that’s really gifted!

1) Historically? Hair. Easy to replace, abundant, and cost efficient! Mine are metal, though. Not too expensive and very durable, but Luna help you if it breaks and flings the wrong way. Cut my foreleg once. No scar or anything, but a lot of blood and it hurt like crazy! Whole thing scared the crap out of me!

Megaman Legends is my favorite series. I loved it. Loved it. I gave up on there ever being a sequel, though.

I didn’t care for Battle Network, but I don’t know anything about Star Force. I played Network Transmission. It wasn’t bad; it was just… More like okay in spite of it’s mechanics instead of because of them.

2) The gang lifestyle arose from the emergence of a now extinguished drug trade. Upper class has always existed in Canterlot, as far as I know. In fact, some families were ruined from the break-ins.

But there’s an upper Canterlot and a lower Canterlot. Lower Canterlot isn’t visible from the skyline. That’s where ponies with less bits lived and that’s where gangs festered until the source was tracked and eliminated.

3) I don’t mean for a public library. I mean colleges! Scholars! Historians! Why are you being so difficult about this?

4) Hello! Fantastically well I am; certainly not fine by far, but you could say I’m close to spectacular.

You seem to have caught Fluttershy since last we spoke. Is it contagious?

5) You gotta remember that unicorn magic beyond the basics is, for the most part, pretty rare anyway. Most of what I know came as secondary education.

Amplification won’t make any noticeable changes to a body’s natural healing process. At least, nothing that’s yet been accomplished has. It’s just not focused enough. There are healing magics, though.

Well me, Bon-Bon, and Krastos all went out to look for the planetary alignment tonight, but it was too cloudy to see anything. We saw an older pony out there looking too, but we didn’t disturb him.

Krastos was pretty disappointed.

1) Lyra: That’s fantastic! I’ve always been interested in floorplans and layouts but I’m not very good at designing them.

Bon-Bon: I think he was talking to me.

2) Too many to count. Some I knew; some I didn’t.

The assailants were thugs, criminals. Insensitive and hateful. Not incapable of being civilized, but they found instant gratification and had no desire to change. As the gang tides rose and fell many would wind up died at the hooves of one another.

Not a very bright point in Canterlot’s history, but it’s changed since then.

3) Strawberry, if you copied all the [omitted] books for yourself, then why can’t you just copy all the copies?

4) I do not. Pianos are large, heavy, and expensive.

5) Both. Manipulation subtly alters string density and amplification shifts the sound traveling in the air before it reaches your ear (or a recording device). What you don’t want to do is rapidly shift the lyre’s pitch by it’s tuning pin or by applying improper pressure. That’s damaging to the strings.

1) Bon-Bon: Infamous? Like… bad? I don’t think so.

2) Afraid? Afraid?! I ain’t scared for [omitted]! But I’ve seen it happening and I-…

I don’t… I don’t know…

3) Ah yes; self-defense applications. Amplification to boost muscle mass and manipulation to shield your body from the adverse effects.

There is a certain level of control required, but you’d start to feel pain if you pushed yourself beyond what you’re capable of. If that’s not a good incentive to stop, it’s hard to maintain a spell when your concentration is compromised.

As for casting it on somepony else, yes it’s possible. And I imagine the results could be fairly gruesome. But amplification spells become weaker the further away they’re projected. Substantially weaker. You’d pretty much have to be touching the subject for about a full second for it to even start taking effect. For that matter, amplification spells would be considered a lot more expensive than most other options. It’s just not terribly efficient.

I’ll get to the lyre part later.

4) Bon-Bon: I’ve seen that one too! I like what he does! Just the act of going around and fixing fraudulent or inept work is fantastic!

Bon-Bon: Hey! Have you heard about this new show that’s starting soon? It’s called Renovation Raiders. They do huge renovations, like the ones that take a few days or more, but they do it in only a few hours while the homeowner is out. I can’t wait!

5) Unless you plan to give copies of those books away, that doesn’t amount to anything. Knowledge you possess doesn’t help anypony else.

And while I’m sure you were only joking, a spell like that would require knowledge of the subject’s presence. B is effectively invisible to scrying, even to seers. You’ve never even met.

B: Well… He’s never been aware of it.

1) Bon-Bon: Squid ink? Really? I’ll have to look that one up. I didn’t know squid ink was edible!

Bon-Bon: A lot of the shows I watch do both. Seems to be more popular than the simple redecorating shows from not long ago. There’s this one called Love It or List it? That one’s pretty cool. You get to see a lot of houses and they renovate the owner’s house. Then they choose if they want to stay in their newly renovated house or move to a new house.

2) Strawberry! There could be important, valuable information you’re locking away! B, help me out here!

B: I deal with immediate threats to Equestria. What some selfish waste does with his ill-gotten gain is none of my concern.

U~gh!

3) Yeah. I guess. I always found their flavor to be subtle, though.

Well, I’ve mentioned them on more than a few occasions. Might have even explained it. But if I did, I never tagged the posts.

Amplification is a collection of spells loosely grouped around the notion of taking something in it’s current state, and boosting it to a greater degree without sacrificing it’s form. I got into amplification when studying music; same reason why most non-combatants would. In particular a lyre, which has very few strings, can have it’s frequency amplified or reduced using magic to gain access to a wider range of available notes. However, for a unicorn of my limited magical ability, it’s a very difficult process to do rapid-fire beyond just shifting octaves.

Manipulation is more of a catchall than a legitimate pool of magic. Pretty much anything that doesn’t fit anywhere else winds up being classified as some form of manipulation. I mean, technically all magic is manipulation so it’s really a misnomer, but eh. I began studying a little bit of manipulation in order to learn how to change the sounds notes make. Unlike amplification, which maneuvers best off of set intervals (like a 4C to a 5C), manipulation works best by traveling to adjacent notes (4C, 4C♯ 4D, and so forth). The closer the desired note is to the source, the better.

I play by weaving the two concepts together; using whichever method more easily reaches the note I need.

1) I’m not “lots of people in your world.” I’m just… I’m not strong enough for that. I’ve been through a lot; but that’s too much.

2) Bon-Bon: Great! Yeah, I don’t really make any effort to watch all the episodes of any of those shows. Add in the home decorating shows and there’s just so many. I’ve seen Chopped too! I don’t see Bizarre Foods too much, but that’s probably because I don’t normally watch the Travel Channel. It’s interesting, though!

3) Oh… Well, and this might sound crazy, what if you contacted Canterlot instead and informed them of the location so they can transport and take care of the books? Wouldn’t want some vandal to come along at a later date and steal/destroy them.

4) I got commissioned once and made a little money, but he doesn’t even have an account anymore. Everything else I’ve just done to do them. At one point I considered it the x-factor for my tumblr, but I don’t even do them enough anymore for it to matter.

I’ll answer the second part of your ask in another post. It’s getting kind of late for me to be working tomorrow.

1) Bon-Bon: Oh! It’s no trouble! Just wasn’t expecting so many questions all in one message. The only reason I didn’t mention a few of the shows I watch is that they’re Equestrian shows.

Lyra: Drama shows. You know, the ones with the two-hour season premiers? Who has time for that?

Bon-Bon: Anyway. I watch entertainment-style cooking shows. I already know what I’m doing; I don’t need anypony teaching me. Sounds like it would be a good instructional tool though!

Lyra: I watched Iron Chef with Bon-Bon a few hours ago, and they forced the contestants to put peanut butter and jelly in their dishes. It was so stupid I couldn’t look away.

Bon-Bon: You were invested because it was interesting. They came up with some really creative stuff! I plan to try making strawberry jelly noodles myself sometime soon. It could be the next big thing!

2) A library? That’s interesting. Certainly not what I would have expected. What are you going to do with it?

3) A little. Applejack dated him for a while. Not sure what happened but I haven’t seen him around lately.

4) That’s probably why I like it. I don’t care for Friendship is Witchcraft. I do have to admit to not liking the new updated art-style, though. It’s a case of artistic direction perverting the environment. You can obviously tell she’s a robot now. Regardless of her not knowing she’s a robot, how has she not been arrested by the robot police if that’s what she really looked like?

5) Once again.

I don’t want to think about the latter, but it ran a sizable gambit.

1) It could. The only reason I stopped was from inactivity. Things were about to get more complicated (psychologically), so I waited for more messages. Only ever got a second one four months later. Took that as a sign there wasn’t enough activity to continue, and no pony would want to go back and read through all the updates. I could write a summery, but there would be a lot of subtle nuances left out that would impact things later on.

But yeah, I could pick it back up again, if I had a reason to believe anypony would care.

2) Huh? Why would you have been talking about me?

… Meta powers says, “No apology necessary.”

3) Playing by ear is a really hard skill. It’s not as common as some think. But I do several recordings of parts or sections, timing and counting out beats if it’s really hard, then overlay them. Factor in my field of magic and in theory, I could record just about anything as long as I had the sheets for it. Takes a lo~ng time, though. Lot of prep work.

4) I can understand that position; I’ve thought it myself for others before. Trouble is, I can just play simple things on my lyre and enjoy it. But the stuff I upload is work. I don’t enjoy doing them. I can enjoy the finished product. I can enjoy others enjoying it! But it’s work. Work is work. It’s exacerbating and exhausting and if nopony is going to listen to it, I’d rather just screw around and enjoy myself.

5) Bon-Bon: Goodness, you ask a lot at once! Well, I like Big Bang Theory and-

Lyra: That show sucks.

Bon-Bon: Hush. I watch Equestria’s Got Talent and Equestrian Idol. There’s all sorts of really great home decorating shows. Cooking shows like Bizarre Foods and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I’ve watched a few cooking competition shows too. A few other shows here and there but nothing you’d recognize.

Lyra: We used to watch Stable MD together before it ended. A few CSI-style shows too.

Bon-Bon: I work professionally on candy; like I said I own my own business. But I find it’s helpful to the creative process to experiment with all types of food. The Cakes and I collaborate a little. Share a few secrets, combine a few things; you know.

1) Do I even need to explain how strange a question like this is?

I don’t know. Crystal ponies? I guess crystal ponies.

2) [omited] nutz.

3) Humans are perfectly capable of being adorable. You just intentionally resist doing so in order to keep up some sort of tough image.

And humans can wear bright colors.

4) And if that had some sort of impact on the rest of the game, I’d call that more than noteworthy. If it’s just a thing, then it’s just a thing. It does help with immersion, though, so you get the nod.

5) I could argue in more detail, but I’m just going to reinforce my preference against silent protagonists and leave it there. It doesn’t ultimately matter and this isn’t going anywhere.

B: Why do I keep getting questions about movies?

Lyra: Just answer the [omitted] thing.

B: … Yes, alright? I’ve seen a few.

Lyra: So what’s your favorite?

B: What?

Lyra: You didn’t always have a stick shoved knee-deep up your butt, so what did you watch? What was your favorite?

B: Ugh, fine. … The Terminal, alright? That’s it. Question ov-

Bon-Bon: What?! The Terminal?

Lyra: I don’t- What is that?

B: Is there a problem?

Bon-Bon: Ponyfeathers. There is no way.

B: I beg your pardon?

Bon-Bon: The Terminal? Tom Hanks?

B: Yes.

Bon-Bon: Ponyfeathers.

B: I like Tom Hanks! Cast Away, Toy Story, Money Pit-

Lyra: I’ve seen those!

Bon-Bon: You are so full of ponyfeathers.

B: [omitted]- Apollo 13!

Bon-Bon: All great movies, but you’re full of ponyfeathers.

B: Why?

Bon-Bon: Prove it.

B: What?

Bon-Bon: Prove it. What did you like about The Terminal.

B: I liked the characters!

Bon-Bon: And I like candy but I can’t have too much before bed. Explain.

B: Viktor was a good character! He travels across the world to get a signature in memorial for his father! He spends months just waiting for the chance, but he’s not willing to sacrifice his ideals or anyone else to do it. He has dedication, but it hasn’t blinded him. A-Amelia is realistic. She has some flaws, but she has a good heart. When she cheated she did so to help Viktor by getting that day pass. The whole love arc between the two is realistic. And in the end it doesn’t work out; there is no forced resolution, because it’s not a love story. The old man who was distrustful at first- and then the scene at the end where he charges the taxiing plane like a soldier marching into battle! The entire movie is about doing what’s right! Dedication to a cause greater than ourselves! It spoke to me! It was an incredible experience!

Bon-Bon: … Wow.

Lyra: Cels, I have never heard you talk like that.

B: … Make me explain myself…

1) Bon-Bon: Sure! I do spend a lot of time at home working on recipes, but I also watch television and keep in contact with high school friends! Plus, Lyra and I still go out a lot.

2) I looked at it, but it just seems so… I mean the limited motions were fine for a snes game, but trying to imitate that on higher graphics just makes things look choppy. And you move wa~y too fast. Looks unnatural. It’s just not right seeing Michelangelo book like he’s Megaman X.

As for the music, if I had the sheet music then… Well technically. I’m really not sure how many more musical things I’m even going to upload. It’s a lot of work recording and nopony even listens anymore. I spent two-three hours on thirty seconds of music and nopony had the time to listen to even that.

3) I follow you. I have a number of comments to reply with, but I certainly understand your point of view.

Firstly is the watched pot phenomenon. Maybe things are changing, but they’re moving too subtly for you to notice.
Secondly, maybe things are moving behind the scenes that the audience can’t see at the moment. After all, that’s how the world works. Things are always changing, but we’ll never see them all at the moment they’re happening; we find out after the fact.
Thirdly, if it’s a page that requires audience participation, maybe the audience hasn’t been pushing the plot along. See, sometimes authors can get stuck on a certain subject if the audience seems interested in it. If the viewers seem to be enjoying “slice of life”, then why force them on a journey they didn’t ask for?

Again, though, completely understand. If possible, my advise would be to push for what you want out of the story. But understand that if you’re interacting with the character and not the author, you’ll sometimes be met with realistic resistance that you may need to push through or find some other way around. Remember that a good character is flawed. They make mistakes and they can be caught in lies.

4) Depends on the developer. Lion Break is the big one. They’ve been doing the “official” localization for the GTA series since 3. And it’s pretty much a completely different game when they’re through with it.

As for being secretive, I feel the aliens issue would be at the heart of it. You humans really make a big deal out of whether or not you’re alone.

5) Zelda/Sheik. Malon is cool too. I also liked the mask seller.

1) Eh neh neh neh ne~h! Look at me! I made dookie in the to~ilet!

2) You can’t, because there is no guarantee. It can happen anywhere, while doing anything, by anypony. That’s not to say that everypony is capable of such an act, but that you can’t just pick out an attacker from a crowd. You’d have an easier time arguing that you’ve no greater chance going out anywhere else than a convention.

Though, it probably has more to do with being away from home for an extended duration than specifically where you’re going. Social creatures are afraid of loved ones leaving and never coming back. It happens more than we’d like…

3) Bon-Bon: Ah… I don’t know what you’re talking about. Is this that camping thing?

Lyra: Campy, Bon-Bon. It’s campy.

4) Deez [omitted].

5) There’s that word again…

I don’t think your world has any room to talk.

1) Might have something to do with them not being ROM hacks. They’re legal file alterations preformed by Equestrian publishers hired by the original developers. At least at this point it is. I don’t know exactly how any sort of monetary… whatever crosses dimensions, but it’s all legit these days.

Never heard of Side Saddle, Lion Break, or Manehattan East?

2) Those things have nothing to do with the character, expect for the interpretations part, which is nothing more than lazy, non-committal storytelling. Compare with something like Red Dead Redemption. You can see a character grow and change through real decisions.

Does Gorden Freemen ever clench his fists? What about Chell? Do either ever show sadness, happiness, regret, anger, what-have-you? No, because they aren’t characters. They’re just projections of you. Only you can never be an accurate character in a story because you’re not really there. You’re not in any danger. And you can turn the game off and walk away. A character can’t.

As for being mute, I direct you to answer 4.

3) No harm done! I’ve just tried enough to know it’s not happening.

I’m aware of it, but I’ve only heard a track or two; haven’t seen the game. Music doesn’t sound too hot.

4) WW Link is sort of bending the rule, like Luigi. No, he doesn’t ever really talk but he is expressive. He’s effectively mute, but he’s at least believable to the medium. However, I don’t consider that a best-of-both-worlds scenario. More of a why-did-you-do-this-are-you-afraid-of-protagonist-dialog?

5) It was alright. Again, not huge on history myself, but the kids were fairly behaved. And I’m okay. Feels weak; like I can’t put very much pressure on it. But it’s better now than it was yesterday.

6) Thank you! I’m getting there!

1) You’re thinking like a gamer. Bon-Bon is more of the Farmville/Monopony type. Games that are distractions, not experiences. As far as I can see it, it’s a doomed dynamic. When she’s willing to give a game a chance, she plays slow-paced games that don’t have a lot to them. Then eventually she gets bored with them, because they’re slow-paced games that don’t have a lot to them.

Best to leave well enough alone. No reason to try and make a gamer out of somepony who’s not. Still, outstanding choice. This my jam.

2) Bon-Bon: I believe we’ve been formally introduced in the past, York. And 50 First Dates.

3) Well like I said before, that XCOM remake was made in Equestria. In our version you could play as earth, pegasus, or unicorn ponies. Made for a more diverse experience. Was pretty homogenized when all the ponies were turned human, but I don’t guess most humans would want to play as ponies.

Gee, doesn’t that sound familiar?

4) If you’re talking about Half-Life and Portal, then no, they don’t. It’s the environment and supporting cast that make the immersion decent. The characters themselves only detract from the experience.

Ponies- People don’t just stand there silently and emotionlessly take [omitted] forever, just because they don’t know if you as the player would be sad, angry, or happy from the outcome of an event. When you have a real character, you won’t always feel the same way as the one you’re playing. But that’s because you aren’t playing them, you’re witnessing a story take place. You’re not reading a book, you’re playing a book.

5) I wouldn’t know anything about that. I’m a pastel-colored equine in a world full of sentient creatures big and small. For all I know some distant world’s horses might view us ponies are catering to foalphiles.

I like the Amani, though.

“Grin like you just won a fight!”

Went on a field trip today with a first grade class to a farm museum. Then when I got home I slipped in the kitchen and was too tired to catch myself. I fell on my foreleg and back.

Yes, I was standing on my hindlegs. Shut up; that’s why.

Anyway I’m tired and sore and I’m goin’ to bed. I’ll catch up with you ponies sometime tomorrow.

1) Bon-Bon: Nope. At least, not really. I’ve tried a number of times, but I just can’t get into it. The last game I played was… What was it called?

Lyra: Life is Magic. I didn’t even play it and I knew that.

Bon-Bon: Right. Lyra’s friend told me about it. It was fun for a while, but she owned, like, all of Ponyville. She even owned my shop! Anyway, it got boring.

2) Well, it’s been a while since you sent this message. How’d it turn out?

3) Nah. I’m awful at fighting games. Just bad at inputting combinations. Don’t really have much to say about OoT or WW. I already hate silent protagonists. It’s not so bad in older games, because there’s very little to emote at anyway (or you’re Chrono Trigger where there’s enough emotion from other playable characters). But this modern day stuff is garbage. When you’re a stoic, plastered-on-face while everypony around you are portraying sentient emotions, it’s just completely ridiculous.

And I hate it even more that Link is often considered the best video game character. Best at what? Being bland enough to serve your self-insert need to be important and appreciated without endangering your social standing in anyway? LAME!

Sorry, I think I got sidetracked. Wanted to name drop a few more, though. B.O.B., Earthworm Jim, Alisia Dragoon, Cool Spot, and Perfect Dark were all incredible.

4) I’d stay away from Mystic unless you’ve got a static player or two to hang with. They’re terribly slow to level with how pitiful their damage is. On the other hoof, if you liked Red Mage you should like Priest a lot. And their damage is pretty big. The listings I’ve seen for soloing BAMs rank dps Priest as third most efficient, one slot ahead of Slayer. At what level they become that, I couldn’t say.

5) I don’t know of any foalphile MMO, but Scarlet Blade is the softcore MMO. My online friend has played it. She says it’s not bad, from a mechanical perspective, and that the limit break-esque system is very well done. Just that it gets a little monotonous.

Then again, she’s quit Tera and is playing Ragnarok 2. I never thought I’d see the day…

Lyra and I talked it over for a bit, and she likes me answering questions with her. So we decided that you can ask me questions too.

It’s still her blog, but I’ll be around a little now.

1) Sure. I know her very well. We were very close back in Canterlot.

Sometimes I get messages on here asking how I didn’t turn out to be mean and/or hateful. Suffice to say not everypony that walked away from those dark times carry as sunny a disposition.

2) I haven’t, sorry.

3) Nothing recent. That’s already out anyway. Plenty of things I missed, but usually if I miss it, I just let it go.

I was interested in LittleBigPlanet for years, but I’m finally over it for now. Mario Galaxy was another one I thought was cool, but I let it pass by. I had intended to get New Vegas after all the DLC came out, but after seeing it in action it didn’t really look all that interesting anyway.

As tight as money can get, it’s not just price tags; it’s time.

4) Oh wow. First game I ever played was TMNT 3. First game I ever beat was Kirby’s Dreamland. First RPG I ever beat was Chrono Trigger. I didn’t know it at the time, but the first roguelike I ever played was Toejam & Earl (followed by Zombies Ate My Neighbors). First tactical game was Ogre Battle. First MMO was Everquest: Online Adventure. I’ve beat Contra and Megaman X2 without dying. I was super proud when I beat Starfox 64. Megaman Legends was such a great two games and I was so sad the series never had an ending.

To just start dropping names: Final Fantasy 1, 6, and Tactics. Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening. Super Metroid. Mario Tennis was, like, the best sports game ever (and next to Blades of Steel and Super Baseball 2020, that’s a tall order to fill). Front Mission 3. Megaman X3. Disgaea. GoldenEye 007. Timesplitters. Tetris Attack. Despite the blind hype, Super Smash Bros really has been an incredible series from the very start. Dynasty Warriors, obviously. Donkey Kong Country; can’t believe I almost forgot that. Sonic 3 and Knuckles. Pokemon. Gitaroo Man! Way more, but it’s getting late. Plus there’s so many others that I really liked but wouldn’t consider favorites, like Joe and Mac or Stunt Race FX.

—

Also, I’m sorry Named. I completely forgot to answer the second half of your message last time. I edited the post and added in more.

1) That certainly does count for something! My online buddy is pretty good at most games, but she’s sort of a… Well she’s not very nice. Really impatient. Complains a lot. Gets mad a lot.

Edit: Warriors and Lancers can both block, but they both still require timing/rapid counter attack or you’ll eventually run out of resolve. Berserkers are the ones that can block indefinitely. They’re a lot slower, but as long as you’re facing the right direction they can block an attack just as well as lancer/warrior. They wear heavy armor like a lancer. They can be glyphed to regen mana when they successfully block an attack. Their vampiric strike can even let you heal a respectable amount.

They are strictly dps as they have no aggro generation abilities, but in a situation where you can’t spam attacks, like soloing a bam, their fewer but harder-hitting attacks are pretty useful.

2) B: Hm.

Lyra: I’m gonna be honest, Strawberry. Just the way in which you’re describing these things is starting to get really weird.

3) I guess I’d… Well, I mean I’d try to help her. Can’t imagine such a transformation being very comfortable.

1) Ah hahaha!

They’re… not that good. Sounds too much like somepony trying to do a voice, instead of something natural. Funny though!

2) This was from a conversation she and I were having and I thought I’d answer it publicly!

Unbridled doesn’t technically mean anything in Unified Equestrian; there’s no verb form of the word. A bridle is just a loose-fitting piece of ceremonial head clothing, usually more associated with horses than ponies. It’d be about like if you said, “She’s ungloved.” It could mean that she’s not wearing gloves, but not much else. Any other usage comes directly from influence by your human language.

In more recent times there have been variations with reins, called a cross-under, but those aren’t generally for public show. I’ve heard reports that diamond dogs have tried to use the design to control ponies, but with mixed results.

Anyway, no harm done!

3) No, but from watching a little of the videos you’re talking about; she’s good, but nothing special. Any experienced slayer can do that.

Lancer might take a while longer, but would be a lot more forgiving if you make a mistake or two. Plus you can more easily get into instance runs on a tank than dps. You might also look into warrior as sort of a mid-ground. Faster than a lancer, more survivable than a slayer, plus still being able to queue as a tank. They can be pretty complicated, though.

4) Sweetie moved back home with her parents.

Boscov is Krastos. He’s been busy studying for his master’s. We were going to spend today alone together, but Pinkie sort of broke into the house and we were invi-told to her birthday party. It was fun though!

1) I’ve admitted to having depression in the past. I suppose it’s possible I might have PTSD, but I’ve never been diagnosed. I don’t much care to find out either.

2) I never played it. Much like Left 4 Dead I’d probably like it, but I just never got around to it. And at this stage, I don’t see a reason to play it. As far as arena shooters go, the HRV from Blacklight: Retribution is pretty game changing. Plus, compared to TF2’s class customization, BL:R has class creation where you individually control each aspect of your character.

3) Did… Did I tell anypony I was playing TERA again?

I’ve fought BAMs, sure. Plenty. I’ve never soloed one, but my online buddy that I’m playing with has on her slayer.

My primaries are a Mystic and a Warrior.

4) Lyra: Yes.

Bon-Bon: Don’t tell them that!

Lyra: You can’t silence the truth! Your day of reckoning shall come!

Bon-Bon: Oh for pony’s sake…

5) Well, that was the inspiration for the idea. Mostly I was making fun of “hardcore gamers” because I don’t like them.

Seriously. Sit your [omitted] down and let the humble pie stop your mouth. Nopony cares about your K/D ratio.

1) There was an inside joke?

2) Life would carry on. Princess’s Cadance and Twilight would likely take over, gradually. They would eventually pass, so I imagine a plan would be set up to transition leadership from one to the next in line over time.

The limitations of mortal rule.

3) No, it’s a USB dongle. I’m a robot and that’s how I connect to the central processing mainframe.

Now please return to your home. A mandatory curfew is in place.

4) Oh, it wouldn’t be my place to choose. Wouldn’t want to endanger myself.

6) Well of course it’s just a lyre! Why couldn’t I see that before? Now I feel dumb.

5) I feel stupid. It’s still cool, but how could I not see that? It’s like the bat-signal with a decal blocking the light to form an image.

Lyra: I don’t know. What are the repercussions of altering the events of a book? I guess I wouldn’t know the answer to that before being thrust into the situation, though…

Bon-Bon: Probably nothing. I mean, I don’t have any special skills for that situation.

Lyra: Then why do you own your own whip and fedora?

Bon-Bon: Oh Lyra… If I was ever going to answer that I would have by now.

B: Assuming I was able to identify anything in this situation, I suppose I would act.

Bon-Bon: Act…?

B: Act.

Lyra: I got it! I would Blue Skidoo back out of the book!

Bon-Bon: W… What?

Lyra: Hey! If Blue Skidoo; we can too!