thedriveintheatre

Hellooo nurse! I mean, everyone. I’m back (for the mo). Lots of things have happened since my last appearance:

- I got a job with the biggest print organisation in Singapore. If you wanna look it up, it’s called ‘SPH’. I’m employed as a ‘journalist’, but I’m really a sub-editor. So the kinda tasks I do is proofread and tweak the reporter’s stories, do a little paragraph arranging, and basically be the last ‘line of defense’ to keep any mistakes out of the paper. The paper I work for is really a ‘mosquito press’ free tabloid that they give out at train stations and various distribution points, but hopefully I’ll be able to work my way up to the main broadsheet, ‘The Straits Times’. As an interesting note, this is one of only two media companies that publish newspapers (the other is Mediacorp). So really, we don’t have much in terms of media diversitfication or press liberties, and the hours (2 pm to 11 pm) are kinda odd, but I’m not complaining!

- I’ve resigned from my previous graphic designer job and said farewell to all my friends in Sydney. I also had the opportunity to meet up with Phileas aka Gabe in the city before my departure. Yes folks, he’s a truly remarkable person in real-life and every bit as cheerful and good-natured as you imagine him. We went to watch the (headache-inducing) battleship and hung out for coffee afterwards, so it was good to finally see him in-person. I also went for a family trip to Melbourne and with my friends to the Kiama Blowholes. I will miss the friends I made Down Under, but my siblings are still there, so hopefully I can catch up wtih them again in the future.

- I’ve moved back to Singapore, the country where I’ve spent my high-school years and half my life in. It’s kinda weird to be back in the same apartment from five years ago (although it’s a different unit) and basically play house-sitter for my parents (they’re moving back to our homeland, Malaysia), but hey, at least there’s no rent!

- I’ve got an iPad last Christmas, and an iPhone two months before that, both of which I’ve been eagerly downloading apps onto. These devices may not have the best specs (You should really go with Samsung or Acer for better value), but man, are there so many awesome games and apps to try! And nothing beats reading My Little Pony fanfiction on iBook!

- Speaking of which, I’ve been actively participating in the Brony community both in New South Wales and Singapore (the latter during my annual trip back). I’ve also appeared on EQD a couple of times (mostly cos’ I’ve been bugging Seth/pre-readers with my pony cameos in my former company’s magazine) and I hope to write some fanfiction or do some fanvideos over the next few months. Tonight I’ll watch Season 2’s finale, and then it’s many months of agony until the next season.

- My grandmother of 70+ years passed away on Monday in the presence of my parents. This is the wonderful lady who I will always remember giving me those cheek-sucking kisses and bone-crushing hugs as a kid and attempting to speak to us in Hokkien and broken Malay. She will be dearly missed, rest her soul.

So that’s pretty much it, a lot of things have changed, yet much of it has remained the same. I have big plans in the coming months - a relaunch of my Youtube channel (Prepare for a REALLY BIG REVEAL), some new video-editing programs I’ve been playing with, a couple of fanfics and fanart in the pipeline, and hopefully enough time and courage to pursue them. Here’s to a great summer ahead! :)

Those of you who follow my blog would’ve read my previous post on my spoof of The Incredibles in my magazine company’s publication. Now I’m proud to present to you my take on John Carter, which I successfully pitched to my boss as a new theme for that district.

As the movie was directed by Andrew Stanton, I couldn’t resist to throw in a few Wall-E references, which you can see below.

Also, I made a flash animation on the site where Rainbow does her epic Sonic Rainboom. You can see it in the link I’ve given below.

Cover - http://i44.tinypic.com/htfaxy.jpg

Rainbow Dash Closeup - http://i42.tinypic.com/mj1w8g.jpg

Eve Closeup - http://i39.tinypic.com/vrzmm0.jpg

Wall-E Closeup - http://i40.tinypic.com/npl4ps.jpg

Centrespread - http://i40.tinypic.com/144h1e.jpg

Axiom Closeup - http://i44.tinypic.com/rhtzcw.jpg

Web animation - http://www.nmags.com/fn/index.php

Equestria Daily Nightly Roundup #271

Halfway there, guys! Also, do check out my review of the movie itself!

I’m part of a design team for an advertising magazine, and I’ve managed to convince my boss to do a Pixar spoof for the district magazine I’m in charge of. Being a longtime Pixar fan, this was a great opportunity for me to finally parody one of their movies in a published magazine in wide circulation within the Sydney area.

We usually recycle titles that’s been run in other districts before, so I dug ‘The Edibles’ from the archives and gave it a 2012 revamp! Yeah, the title doesn’t make sense; this was made when they used to do themes according to businesses featured in the centrespread, so for the past edition, they had an F&B theme going on.

I’ve snuck in a real-life Remy from another Brad Bird masterpiece (Ratatouille) and the Pixar Planet logo onto a real-life recreation of the Pizza Planet Truck (the body is a Toyota Hilux, while the rocket is actually TinTin’s rocket).

And of course, being a massive My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fan, I couldn’t resist sneaking in another of the Mane Six - this time it’s Drama Queen Rarity! It’s really the same horse I used for Twilight in the December issue for another district, but with a different mane (now it’s all wavy!). It was a rush job as I added her in at the last-minute, but again it managed to pass editorial checks because I doubt anyone in my office has seen The Incredibles besides my design team colleagues. Also, I made a flash animation on the site where Rarity explodes (once though, not twice).

Enjoy the following images of the cover and centrespread.

Cover - http://i41.tinypic.com/rc52qq.jpg

Centrespread - http://i43.tinypic.com/s6uq29.jpg

Remy Closeup - http://i42.tinypic.com/rtewbp.jpg

Pixar Planet Closeup - http://i42.tinypic.com/1rw8l4.jpg

Rarity Closeup - http://i39.tinypic.com/a9wi8j.jpg

Web animation - http://www.nmags.com/cn/index.php

Oh, and I made Equestria Daily’s Nightly Roundup again! I have plans to include the rest of the Mane Six in future editions. ;)

Equestria Daily Nightly Roundup 266

P.S. I’ve hidden myself on the cover, see if you can spot me!

A bit late here (especially considering the ep was prematurely released), but seeing it’s Valentine’s Day, I might as well put in my few cents on the recent ep.

Usually I enjoy the CMC eps, it’s sort of the ‘beta’ group of friends to the Mane Six, and this episode’s no exception. I thought it would be incredibly annoying to watch them basically try to force two ponies into a relationship, but their reactions somehow come off so precious and earnest that it ended up being adorable for me. Of course, the road to hay is paved with good intentions, and we eventually see the meddlesome trio get their comeuppance in the end. ;)

And of course, it was fun watching Big Mac and Cherilee going googly-eyed at each other. It’s also astounding how easy it is to make a ‘roofie’ in the pony universe, not to mention how ripped Mac is pulling an entire house (and one pony) with ease.

I half-expected the trio to fail the attempt to keep them apart and try something else, but when it succeeded, I realised the episode was ending already and that [i]was[/i] the climax! Just goes to show time flies when you’re watching ponies.

“Also did anyone catch that Twist and the chubby male pony were hugging? And that a female classmate gave Diamond Tiara a card and DT approved in the same short shot? Nice little details there. Plus Caramel has a girl friend! And “Doctor Whooves” was with a certain crossed eyed pegasus on a bridge too.”
- Quote by a Planeteer

I caught Twist pinning the tail on Cherilee, but all the rest… HNNNGGG :shock: I must keep my eyes peeled, perfect excuse for a rewatch!

This is the best day of my LIIIFEEE…!!!

Part of the reason why I enjoy being part of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom is that the creators frequently acknowledge and interact with the fanbase. I don’t mean this in the patronising ‘sell merchandise and flog spin-offs’, although MLP: FIM does the former to an extent. I mean it in the honest sense of engaging with the fans on an equal level, as demonstrated by creator Lauren Faust’s replies to comments on her deviantART page, or current season 2 director Jayson Thiessen entertaining an interview by fan site Equestira Daily. Even amongst each other, we collaborate with our own fanartist-celebrities (I recently communicated with the legendary artist ‘Pixelkitties’ to ask her permission to use one of her characters in my fanfic).

The opening of this episode is the culmination of that auteur-audience relationship. What was once a vector error in the pilot episode has been shaped by the collective observation and imagination of Bronies (fans of the show) into a lovable mailmare who has a penchant for muffins and being endlessly accident-prone. Aptly dubbed ‘Derpy Hooves’, the dopey pony with bubbles for her cutie mark has been the subject of countless fanfics and fanart, but her canon name and voice have remained a mystery.

Until now.

For the benefit of those who haven’t seen the episode, I won’t spoil on what she does or how she sounds like - just that the result of her actions provide the ‘driving force’ for much of Applejack’s plot, and that she’s voiced by Tabitha St. Germain, voice of Rarity and a few other characters.

After the spectacular opening, the rest of the episode is equally breathtaking. Unlike ‘Find a Pet’ and ‘Baby Cakes’, in which I saw the moral and ending a mile away, this one actually has a pretty good mystery. Seasoned viewers might still be able to figure out what’s going on with Applejack, but I’ll admit I was thrown for a loop halfway with the introduction of Cherry Jubilee (who shares the name of a G1 pony). There’s lies, there’s deception, there’s cherry-changa and kumquat, and there’s a thrilling stagecoach chase before the tearjerking and heartwarming ending.

Oh, and taking a leak is now canon. But don’t worry, it happens off-screen.

Thank you, FIM creators, for making this one of the most rewarding and delightful all-ages show in recent memory, and giving us the canon-birth of Derpy.

Equestria Daily: Nightly Roundup #182

Surprise!!! Today I made the headelines for the ‘Nightly Roundup’ on Equestria Daily. I’ll let my email to ED from Monday explain it all:

“Dear Equestria Daily,

I’m a recent university graduate from Down Under and a self-professed Brony. Two months ago, I started my first job as a graphic designer at a Sydney-based coupon magazine company. Its Unique Selling Point is that its issues are thematic parodies of movie and TV show titles. Last week, I assembled my first magazine (the theme is the recent movie ‘Arthur Christmas’, which I successfully pitched), and I was in charge of the cover and centrespread of the clients as well as the spoof synopsis on the content page.

I was creatng the centrespread when I realised that there was some negative space between two of the clients. I had already used a reindeer, so just for the heck of it, I decided to insert a live-action version of one of the Mane SIx. I chose Twilight (although my favourite is Fluttershy) and rewrote the synopsis to reflect her impromptu introduction. I haven’t watched Arthur Christmas yet, but to my knowledge, there’s no magical teleporting unicorn in the film. Coincidentally, one of the main characters was conveniently named Bryony, which just begged the removal of one letter for her spoof name.

To my surprise (and utter delight), Twilight’s cameo in the content page synopsis and centrespread somehow passed the two editorial checks and the issue went to print! So right now, there’s 50,000 copies of this advertising magazine being distributed in the Fairfield district in Sydney with T. Sparkle waiting to surprise any observant Aussie Bronies! I’ve included a few links to pictures I’ve taken of the printed copy; I think I can safely avoid copyright issues as I didn’t actually refer to her by name, and I’ve made my version of the stars on Twilight’s cutie mark have five spokes, while the canon version has six.

Oh, and the magazine is also available for download online, where I also created a brief animation of Twilight at the end of the banner clip which plays on the homepage. The print and online versions will be available till the end of January, in case any Fairfield Bronies ask.

Do send me a link if you post this on ED, so I can share it with my fellow Bronies here and overseas. Thanks for reading this, and bringing such a great community fan site to life every day.

Your faithful reader,
Andre”

ED replied:

“Haha nice! Sneaky Twi. To the roundup.”

So I eagerly came back from work the next day to see if my story made the roundup, but it wasn’t there. Two more days passed before I decided to send them a reminder on Friday.

“Greetings Equestria Daily,

It’s been three roundups, did I miss it somewhere or are you saving this for the weekend? ;)

Yours derpfully,
Andre”

And they responded:

“Looks like it just got.lost! Added again..”

So I checked in a few hours later and there was a heading there, but no images or description.

http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/12/nightly-roundup-181.html

ED said that “for some odd reason none of these links work anymore”, but it was still working on my end. Eventually though, after a reupload to my Flickr account, it finally showed up in the Saturday edition as you see above. Unfortunately, they didn’t link to a spoof synopsis I wrote that referenced Twilight in the contents page, but you can read it on the online version of the mag in the ilnk they provided, Or you can check it out below.

(references in 3rd and 6th paragraph)

Cover - http://flic.kr/p/aSLX5n (no Twilight in here, just to show y’all the magazine title)

Contents page - http://flic.kr/p/aSLXz8

Spoof synopsis closeup - http://flic.kr/p/aSLYaa (references in 3rd and 6th paragraph)

Centrespread - http://flic.kr/p/aSLYDK

Page of centrespread - http://flic.kr/p/aSLZbr

Twilight closeup - http://flic.kr/p/aSM3EF

Twilight closeup 2 - http://flic.kr/p/aSLZzk

Online version with web animation - http://www.nmags.com/fn/index.php (watch the animated banner till the end, after the speech bubble fades away)

If you live in Fairfield, Sydney, you can find copies of the magazine right now in shopping malls, local businesses, and maybe even your mailbox! Just follow the web animation link above and there’s an ‘Out of Mags’ button you can click to check out distribution points. And thanks to ED for publishing my story! ;)

~ Discord: The Biggest Troll of All. ~

I’ve been a Brony since I started watching this wonderful animated series in March, so it is with great anticipation that I finally saw the first episode of the new season about an hour ago. If you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you check it out on Youtube or a rerun on Hub first. There will be SPOILERS ahead.

The episode starts off nicely with the Cutie Mark Crusaders on a field trip to Celestia’s garden maze. Unwittingly, the trio will be responsible for unleashing a great terror upon Equestria, in the form of a mystical Frankenstein pastiche-of-creatures monster aptly named Discord. After a series of freak natural disasters involving chocolate rain (Probably an unintended reference to an infamous Internet meme), popcorn, and bunnies with stilt-legs, the Main Cast is summoned to Princess Celestia’s Canterlot castle for an emergency meeting.

Here, she gives the ponies and the viewer some background info of her history with Discord, and how they are to stop this diabolical villain. Unfortunately, Discord has removed their only means of defeating him (leading some Livestream viewers to remark “Trollestia just got trolled”). After a great introductory sequence and much taunting of our protagonists, he invites them to play a game. No points for guessing that he will eventually lead each pony into a trap and ultimately triumph in time for a cliffhanger ending.

This episode has definitely taken a darker turn, and it remains to be seen if this tone will be kept throughout the rest of the series (although since this is a children’s show, I highly doubt it). But it is one kicker of a season debut - Discord is a much better antagonist than Nightmare Moon, because although he makes the rules, he doesn’t follow them. Whereas N.M. passively sets up a series of (relatively) easy challenges to test our heroes, Discord proactively and systematically breaks each pony’s spirit and inner strength. There is a mood of despair throughout, and it is chillingly played out with surrealistic Dali-esque landscapes and the MC Escher-like labyrinth.

There were a few unbelievable moments - Pinkie being casually flippant about the gravity of the situation (“Eternal darkness… but chocolate rain!”), Applejack and Rarity giving in so easily, and of course, the untouchable and ever-lovely Fluttershy still cracking under Discord’s powers (He essentially ‘cheated’). Perhaps this is what so terrifying about this series’ opening antagonist - that he doesn’t play by the rules so much as ignores them. I sometimes felt he was too good a villain; he basically has unlimited power - from removing the ponies’ wings and horns, to mind-control, to even changing the weather. There just doesn’t seem to be any way to beat him. His nihilistic streak reminds me a lot of the Joker from The Dark Knight (right down to his pranks and attempts at sadistic humour, although not as violent). Speaking of Batman, Discord is voiced with sardonic relish by John de Lancie of ‘Batman: The Animated Series’, ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Stargate’ fame.

This season opener is a game-changer. For once, Twilight will have to face her foe alone and without the help of her friends. I’m pretty sure she will triumph in Part 2… unless they want Discord to be a permanent feature, in which case he will probably escape with an “I’ll get you later, Twilliiiight!” But I’m really excited to see how she gets out of this jam. A job well done, and here’s to an amazing new season of one of the best all-ages show around.

NOTE: It was an interesting experience watching the premiere on a Livestream and seeing fans on the Internet’s reactions to the live broadcast. There’s the typical complaints about Hub’s ads (“This is whiiiniiing…”), but there were some very funny remarks that I wish I wrote down, and it was great to be a part of the event. Even more curiously, some of the ads were even appropriate to the show - such as Tru Moo’s chocolate milk and Applejack Cereal. What beautiful occurrences of unexpected serendipity.

Guess who’s TDIT?

So I crashed at one of my best friend’s place yesterday after a night out in the town (we had a steamboat dinner and sang karaoke to celebrate the Mooncake Festival). Another good pal of mine stayed over, and I thought it would be a nice occassion to introduce them to the fandom. The first friend, who I’ll call J, had already seen the first part of the pilot, but not the second, while my second friend, W, is a newbie and has a strong prejudice against it despite not seeing a single episode (He’s the typical macho-man who thinks the show’s for “little girls”).

So while J was cleaning his room, I forced them against their will to watch ‘Fall Weather Friends’, since this guide said it would be a good introductory episode for reluctant newcomers. They watched for awhile and ask rhetorical questions (“Can the orange one fly?”, “Why is the blue one’s wings tied up?”, “How can the purple one beat the other two?”).

After the first episode finished, W was still unconvinced. J suggested we start from the beginning, so we played the first part of the pilot ‘Friendship is Magic’. They chuckled at some parts and made more comments (“So many Apples in the family!”, “Who’s the dragon?”). We went on the second part since the first ended on a cliffhanger. Tough-guy W was actually rooting for Nightmare Moon (since he usually loves the villains) but was disappointed that the ponies defeated her and her challenges pretty easily.

Finally, I played ‘Dragonshy’, but by that time they were getting bored and distracted, only occasionally glancing at the screen and asking the odd question (“Why is the yellow one afraid of the dragon when she likes the baby one?”). At the end of the exercise, they declared themselves still-skeptical and promptly high-fived each other. I dejectedly played the ‘Know Your Meme’ episode to explain the phenomenon and they humoured me by watching most of it.

While I was disappointed I didn’t manage to win two of my best friends over to ‘joining the herd’, I consoled myself that I at least gave it a shot. I have no qualms about ‘coming out of the colt-set’ regarding my viewing of this series - I’ve been posting links on my Facebook and telling as many people I know how great the show is without coming off as too obsessed. A few of my RL friends have ‘Liked’ the official FB page, but otherwise, I haven’t really found anyone to discuss the show with in RL.

Tis’ a pity, but I know in my heart that there’s no shame in being a Brony, and that I can take comfort and solace that there are many like me who feel the same way.

Where’s Derpy?

I finished the series about a month ago, and although the season finale was somewhat anticlimatic, it was a good run. I’m already looking forward to the second season, even though Lauren Faust won’t be on board. I’m sure the new successors will handle it nicely.

My favourite episode is a toss between ‘Griffon the Brush-Off’ and ‘Dragonshy’, although ‘Over a Barrel’ deserves praise for touching on a contentious topic and being a great Western tribute/homage. My least has to be ‘A Dog and Pony Show’, because it was somewhat disturbing to see Rarity being abducted and made a slave, not to mention the villains are just plain weird-looking and unconvincing baddies.

But yes, it’s a truly refreshing show. As I mentioned before, not a single fistfight or mock-gun battle scene in sight (but this is. after all, primarily targeted to young girls). Too many cartoons nowadays resort to fighting-based plots in their storylines like Ben 10, Danny Phantom, Jake Long, Juniper Lee… MLP: FIM instead offers inspiring and life-affirming messages without the angst or ‘realism’ that pervades movies and contemporary shows nowadays (not that I have anything wrong with that, but like I said, MLP is so refreshing amidst all the mind-numbing violence). It really is reminiscent of good ol’-fashioned adventure cartoons from the 80s and 90s, or more contemporary ones like Spongebob (when it was good), Foster’s (incidentally produced by Craig McCracken, Faust’s husband), and The Regular Show. Or a ‘five/six-buddies’ sitcom like ‘Friends’ or ‘How I Met Your Mother’ minus the adult themes and swearing and plus a few musical numbers.

And the characters are just adorable. You can guess who’s my favourite pony, (It’s Fluttershy) but all of them are equally charming. If I had to pick a least-favourite, it’s Rarity, but only because I didn’t connect with her passion for fashion (and I thought she would be a snob, but it turns out she’s one of the kindest ponies, especially in one particular episode). The supporting cast are great too; Spike and his cross-species crush on Rarity, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their never-ending quest to discover their life’s purpose, Princess Celestia benevolence as the monarch of Equesteria… Even the villains are often misunderstood, or defeated by words or evasion, instead of being killed by aggressive tactics. And none of the characters possess that try-hard-coolness or teen-speak-lingo that other contemporary shows have - their dialogue and culture are timeless and appeal to all ages. No American elementary or high-school setting (Ponyville reminds me more of university campus life), making the locale more universal and easier to identify with. And monsters, magic, and mystery galore!

I’ve been raving about this show to my friends for the last few months and most of them think I’m crazy, but once or twice, I encountered a fellow brony and know I’m not alone. This has to be one of the best TV shows in a long time, and I’m probably the last guy you’d catch dead watching this, but here I am. Even my jock of a brother looks forward to the next episode when we were viewing ‘em together.

Watch this show, preferably with a large group of open-minded friends. It’s almost impossible not to fall in love with something this well-meaning and endearing.

NOTE: For some reason, I find a few of the ponies’ upset expressions look hilarious, like Twilight’s guilty expression at 13:05 and Fluttershy’s tears welling-up at 18:05 in ‘Bird in the Hoof’, or Twilight’s terrified look at 16:34 in ‘Boast Busters’. And of course, ‘emo’ Pinkie Pie for the third act of ‘Party of One’. I should get ahold of the entire series, they’re a practical goldmine for funny avatars and sigs!