Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Week-The First Turnabout

    Hello there everypony! And welcome to my first theme week! This week is one of my favorite games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and today we’ll look at the first case, The First Turnabout.\

    First off, in a little just for fans trivia silliness, here are the stats of the case: State v. Larry Butz. August 3rd, 2016. Phoenix Wright Record: 1-0.

    Basically, it all goes down like this: Cindy Stone is found dead in her apartment by passerby Frank Sahwit, who notices her ex-boyfriend Larry Butz leaving the scene before he got there. Larry is arrested on charges of second degree murder. His best friend, and our protagonist, Phoenix Wright has just passed the bar exam and believes that Larry is innocent. His mentor, the famous defense attorney for whom Phoenix works, Mia Fey helps him along throughout the trial. Facing the greenhorn is Winston Payne, a man once known as the “Rookie Killer”, but now laughed at since he was defeated by Mia Fey more than four years previous.

    The case is very good. Sahwit is a decently memorable character, it gives you a good impression of Phoenix, Mia, and the Judge as characters, and has some memorable dialogue. I would say it’s only flaw is that it is by far the easiest case in the whole franchise. However, considering it is the first and therefore the mechanics will feel new, this doesn’t seem like much of a flaw. It definitely isn’t my favorite beginning case of the series, but it is above average.

Avatar: The Legend of Korra-The Spirit of Competition

     Mixed episode. On the one hoof, it was an entire episode about pro-bending, which I love. The action rocked and it really showed off how awesome the sport is. On the other hoof, it was all about romance as well. I'm not usually adverse to romance in my cartoons, but here is seemed a tad forced and boring. However, it did cement Bolin as my favorite character in the show. Also, the stuff with "Water Tribe food" was really funny. All in all, a good episode, but probably my least favorite of all those out now.

Young Justice: Invasion Episode 2-Earthlings

     Very good episode. Some expanding on what has happened in the time skip, but not so much there isn't any mystery left. The action was good, the dialogue great, it actually made me interested in the Adam Strange story. I've decided I like the direction this is going.

In Front of the Silver Screen-The Avengers

      Now, unlike several of my friends, I wasn't that excited about Marvel's The Avengers. I'm not that big a Marvel fan, and of the Avengers themselves I'm not a big fan of any of them. What I was excited for was Joss Whedon's The Avengers. I am a huge Whedonite, and this movie was just another example of that man's genius. This film was tense, exciting, action-packed, and hilarious. I laughed my ass of at least a dozen times sitting in that movie theater. This isn't just the best Marvel film. It is, in my opinion, tied for the best comic book or superhero film of all time. (With The Dark Knight.) Personally, I like the latter a tad more, but I say they tie in quality because in my estimation, neither movie could be made better by adding or removing a single scene or line of dialogue. That is a rare quality for a film, and to me it's as close to perfect as I've ever seen. This gets a huge recommendation from me. Laters.

     (NOTE: Seeing it in 3D is not any better than 2D. Just Saiyan.)

Retrospective-Seasons 1 and 2 of MLP:FiM

     Well guys, we've entered the long wait between seasons two and three of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, so the question going around many brony sites right now is which season is better, one of two. I though I'd chirp in with my opinion, by scoring each individual episode with a whole number from 1 to 5, 5 obviously being the best. Which season will take home the gold? I have no idea. (Note, this is liking, not quality. Just Saiyan.)

Season 1
Mare in the Moon-3
Elements of Harmony-4
Ticket Master-3
Applebuck Season-3
Griffon the Brush Off-3
Boast Busters-4
Dragonshy-3
Look Before You Sleep-3
Bridle Gossip-4
Swarm of the Century-4
Winter Wrap Up-4
Call of the Cutie-3
Fall Weather Friends-3
Suited for Success-4
Feeling Pinkie Keen-3
Sonic Rainboom-5
Stare Master-3
The Show Stoppers-4
A Dog and Pony Show-4
Green Isn't Your Color-3
Over a Barrel-3
A Bird in the Hoof-3
Cutie Mark Chronicles-4
Owl's Well That Ends Well-4
Party of One-5
Best Night Ever-4
Total=93 Average=3.6

Season 2
Return of Harmony Pt. 1-4
Return of Harmony Pt. 2-5
Lesson Zero-5
Luna Eclipsed-4
Sisterhooves Special-4
The Cutie Pox-3
May the Best Pet Win-4
The Mysterious Mare Do Well-3
Sweet and Elite-3
Secret of my Excesses-4
Hearth's Warming Eve-4
Family Appreciation Day-3
Baby Cakes-4
The Last Roundup-4
The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000-4 (So close to a 5 for me)
Read it and Weep-4
Hearts and Hooves Day-4
A Friend in Deed-3
Putting Your Hoof Down-3
It's About Time-4
Dragon Quest-3
Hurricane Fluttershy-3
Ponyville Confidential-3
MMMystery on the Friendship Express-4
A Canterlot Wedding Pt. 1-4
A Canterlot Wedding Pt. 2-5
Total=98 Average=3.8

    Huh, looks like I enjoy Season 2 slightly more. Laters.

Stop Rolling Your Eyes and Try It-Stange Friends

     Strange Friends is a crossover fanfiction between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and The Dresden Files written by psychicscubadiver. Now, I do not quite recall if I’ve ever been able to put into words on here how much I love The Dresden Files. It is easily my favorite book series, and Jim Butcher is easily my favorite author. Taking that into account it seems odd that I haven’t reviewed any fan fiction concerning the series. The answer is quite simple: it is very, very hard to write fanfiction for The Dresden Files. The problem is the entire series is done if first person, and the main character has a very distinctive style in which he narrates which is very hard to replicate effectively. However, in this case, I honestly am not sure if the author of this story is not actually Jim Butcher in disguise, because it fits the world and the main character like a glove. And the pony side of things is just as good.

    The story take place between Death Masks and Blood Rights in the Dresden timeline and between Season 1 and Season 2 of Friendship is Magic. Harry is going through the Nevernever to go the White Council capital in Edinburgh, when he’s attacked by over sixty magical evil monkey things. They drive him far off the Way, and he is forced to rip open a whole out of the Nevernever, despite having no idea what world he’ll end up in. He jumps through right in front of Twilight Sparkle on her way to see Fluttershy, and they Soulgaze each other right away.

    The writing is really great here. All the characters from both series work incredibly well together, and Dresden is so in-character my previous suspicion grows by the sentence. It’s very, very funny, and made me laugh in both the ways both source materials do. The action and story are both great, and I was staring intently at my screen, scanning the page to find out what happens next. It’s complete as well, unlike my fic from yesterday. There’s even a sequel, which I’m going to start on the second I’m done typing this up. Overall, this is easily the best Dresden fanfiction I’ve ever read, and high up there on the Pony side as well. Laters.

Stop Rolling Your Eyes and Try It-Sweetie's Mansion

    
     Sweetie’s Mansion by Moon Shooter is a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fan fiction, and is kinda a crossover with the Gamecube game Luigi’s Mansion. (One of my personal favorite GC games.) It has approximately the same premise as the game, but it’s all done in the MLP universe and with its characters, and the story is expanded several dozen fold. Basically everypony (And dragon and gryphon.) from Ponyville plus the Princesses are turned into ghosts by somepony named Specter Yield, and confined to his mansion. The only ones not turned are the Cutie Mark Crusaders who were flying a giant paper airplane (Don’t ask.) and landed in the forest. They got separated, and poor Sweetie Belle find herself in the mansion, and discovers what’s going on. With the help of an aged to an old-mare Twilight, Sweetie has to capture her friends and save Equestria.

     For those who don’t know, Sweetie Belle is my favorite member of the CMC. She makes a great substitute for Luigi, and she grows over the course of the fic into an even cooler character than she is in the show. This fic is very dark, but it all feels right. I never read something and thought how this is something the show would never do. In retrospect much of it wouldn’t be done, but while reading it all feels organic, which is something that makes or breaks dark stories for me. The character writing is spot on, and the ghost versions of each of the Mane 6 are scary and sad. Sweetie goes through so much terrible stuff in this, but her inner determination and quick thinking really helps her. I’m really enjoying the plot and can’t wait to see where it goes, cause I have no idea how it’ll turn out. (Yeah, it’s not done yet.) The only con with it is that the spelling and grammar need some work, but it never was too bad a problem for me. This is one of my favorite fics I’ve read in a while, and I encourage everypony to read it here! Laters.