Friendship is Card Games: The Day Shift and Friends Forever #10 · 5:45pm Jan 29th, 2017
My apologies for the delay, everyone. Still, better late than never, and if I haven’t missed a Sunday for more than three years, I’m not starting now. Let’s get to it.
(Incidentally, I semi-seriously considered streaming this. Would anyone actually want to watch me read comics and cogitate? I can't guarantee it'd be all that interesting, but I'm not the best at gauging popular appeal.)
Micro-Series #10: The Day Shift
I guess it’s characters voiced by Tabitha St. Germain who get proper titles on their side comics. Seems legit.
And so we have the first appearance of Tiberius, Luna’s marsupial answer to Philomena. An element of the comics I wish could cross over to the show; Luna could use more companions in general.
Also, I love how the average Monster Manual acts as a reliable field guide to Equestrian wildlife.
I also love how Luna is the only one insisting on the challenge for most of it. Pride goeth before a fall, o Princess of the Night.
(And it’s neat to see how the duties of day and night are demarcated: Celestia deals with the inner workings of the kingdom. Luna ensures the outer threats don’t trouble it. I can only imagine how hard-pressed Celestia was while working both shifts for a millennium. Hopefully the Guard was able to help battle the darkness outside Equestria’s circle of firelight.)
Oh, and Tiberius climbing about the gutters is a very cute touch. I kind of want him to run into Pinkie.
And now we’re introduced to Kibitz, he who has the thankless task of keeping the diarchs in line and on schedule. Poor guy.
Does Celestia’s “I hate Mondays” mug strike anyone else as kind of insensitive?
Happy, pronking Luna is unfairly adorable.
Personally, I like bran muffins, but they can certainly be a letdown when one has higher expectations.
Also, if that telescope can see Manehattan from Canterlot, then either it is intensely magical ot the country is a lot smaller than it looks. I’m leaning towards the former; I’m pretty sure there’s a mountain in the way.
Heh. Luna having issues with what to call the commoners will always amuse me.
… Ah. I guess the Guard hasn’t been very helpful with keeping Equestria secure from without. And within, what with the Everfree and all. I really wish I could say I were surprised.
Also, hi Flash.
I was going ask why Celestia’s favored spa is in Conspiracy Alley, but it does make sense. If it were more public, imagine how many Canterlotters would flock to the princess’s preferred spa. Even the ones who aren’t pegasi.
Can alicorns even get diabetes? Granted, Luna going through a sugar crash won’t do anyone any favors, but I’m not sure whether the long-term health concerns even apply.
Nice to see Twilight already has a portrait in that conference room.
“The patience of a zebra”? Interesting statement, and an all-too-precious datum about zebras in general.
Solomon was wise, Luna, but that doesn’t mean you can solve all of your problems by cutting them in half. Also, you probably should’ve imprisoned the Flimflams while you had the chance.
Still, nice to see Luna enjoying some part of the day. Hopefully, she’ll set up the Night Court soon.
Aw, Tibbles wants to share.
Huh. Celestia has royal corgis. Wasn’t expecting that.
So… What exactly is Luna doing with the friendship reports? I definitely saw a Twilicorn portrait earlier in this comic. Is she just cross-indexing them or something?
Any schedule that puts the princess on the opposite side of the castle from the dining room at lunchtime needs work. I’m sure Kibitz is very good at his job, but that definitely shows room for improvement in terms of sheer efficiency. Also, I definitely want to kick him a little.
Celestia’s are the most elegant snores.
Honestly, mentioning that you used to be the Boogeypony doesn’t seem to be the best way to reassure someone.
I have to admire Fancy Pants’s ability to take Luna in stride.
Also, I have to wonder how they’re keeping track of which pony is which piece on the life-size chessboard. I recommend hats.
Wow, Kibitz. You’re lucky Luna didn’t send you to her patron satellite there.
“Thine” blue-haired enemy? Either the writer’s shaky on archaic pronouns or there’s history between Fancy Pants and Kibitz.
Heh. Call back to “Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair.”
If the dress fitting is for Celestia, why would anyone insist on it? She and Luna are rather obviously different sizes. This is why blind adherence to anything doesn’t go well.
And thus Kibitz hopefully learned an important lesson: Luna isn’t Celestia. In many ways, they’re polar opposites, and that means that what works for one won’t work for the other.
Or he’s just passive-aggressive. That could also be the case.
Zihuatanejo… is apparently a Mexican city, though the name may originate from the Nahuatl term for the western paradise where goddess women led the setting sun to the realm of the dead to give them a dim light. Appropriate for Luna, though I was hoping for some kind of eldritch entity. Possibly one Daring Do’s faced in the past.
Luna Gets a Pet
Another enjoyably adorable Katie Cook companion short. Though given how Hasbro owns Wizards of the Coast, I don’t think the owlbear copyright issues are that bad, though I’m admittedly not sure how that interacts with IDW.
Also, always nice to see more batponies. There was a brief glimpse of one in the main comic, but still.
Friends Forever #10: Fluttershy & Iron Will
Is it too much to ask that this provides any kind of concrete data on minotaurs in this world? Probably.
Huh. Wasn’t expecting to see the Palace-Tree. I didn’t realize this one came out after Season 4.
Trying to hide a character’s identity doesn’t work well when he’s on the cover. Also, I see pony xenophobia is still strongly in place. More strongly than the last time Iron Will showed up, actually. “Oh no! Run! It’s a motivational speaker!” Seriously, what the crap?
That being said, I love Rarity’s stylish pose as she stands guard over Fluttershy’s front door.
Seriously, I’m getting the impression that the writer for this episode never even saw “Putting Your Hoof Down.” Iron Will left peacefully after Fluttershy enforced his own satisfaction guarantee. Pinkie’s question about his nose ring is the most pertinent and accurate statement in the bunch.
Okay, right page, second panel. What exactly is going through Pinkie’s head right now? Do I even want to know?
Oh. I really like the idea of minotaurs choosing to live in labyrinths. (Actually, there’s one idea from a Writeoff I need to flesh out that explores the minotaur capital.) That said, not sure where Mrs. Will is coming from. Different species, different expectations, no?
Oh, and Iron Will is apparently married. Didn’t see that one coming. If anything, you’d think she’d be mad about him never even being home, though I suppose his ruining those few precious moments with excess aggression might have been the tipping point.
Very mature, Dash.
Iron Will treated Fluttershy no differently than any other customer. She was the one who took his teachings to an excessive extreme. I really don’t get what this writer has against him. What, just because he was a non-equinoid in an episode, that automatically makes him the bad guy? He just wanted payment for services rendered.
Wait, Fluttershy really isn’t getting paid? That raises all kinds of questions… though given how this story seems to be taking place in an alternate timeline where Iron Will was something much worse than a reasonable businessbull, I think it’s safe to disregard that. Also, if we’re being technical, she never actually denied getting reimbursed. She said why she looks after animals, not how much she makes for doing it.
I wouldn’t look that smug, Angel. As a gourmet chef, Iron Will may have a recipe on hand that calls for rabbit.
… Yeah, at this point, I’m convinced that the most the writer got was a brief summary of that episode. Iron Will demonstrated far greater restraint there than here.
I hope Iron Will realizes that he’s paying for that robe.
Ah. I was largely right about the trouble at home… though the blame is misplaced. I can understand Iron Will’s pride, but the fact that someone else needed to point out that his wife deserves respect from their son feels horribly contrived.
AJ’s pie purism amuses me.
… Wait, where’s Will going? Does he live in the Everfree or what?
I do appreciate the last panel. Kindness and patience are definitely a must when dealing with Rainbow Dash.
So… yeah. That issue utterly failed to understand one of its principal characters or what he’d done. Thankfully, the Luna issue was a delight, and offered far more idea fodder to boot.
It also marks the end of the Micro-Series. Fortunately, I have another side series to explore. In two weeks, we begin our look at FIENDship is Magic. For now, here are the cards:
Peacetime Patrol 2W
Creature — Pegasus Soldier
Defender, flying
Peacetime Patrol can’t block alone.
When a creature deals combat damage to you, transform Peacetime Patrol.
2/4
Mobilized Platoon
(W) Creature — Pegasus Soldier
Flying, vigilance
”We failed once. Never again.”
—Flash Sentry, Royal Guard veteran
4/4
Ceremonial Doves 2WW
Creature — Bird
Flash
Flying
When Ceremonial Doves enters the battlefield, target player skips his or her next combat phase.
Some symbols are Multiversally recognized.
2/2
Kibitz, Princess Wrangler 3W
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Advisor
Spells you cast with alicorn cost 2 less to cast.
As long as you control a creature with alicorn, spells you cast without alicorn cost 1 less to cast.
He is the mainspring that powers the clockwork of Equestria’s governance.
2/3
Lorikeet Nectar 3W
Sorcery
Create a number of 1/1 white Bird creature tokens with flying equal to your devotion to white. (Each W in the mana costs of permanents you control counts towards your devotion to white.)
They flock to sweetness in both flavor and attitude.
Enticing Distraction 1U
Instant
Target creature gets -2/-0 until end of turn.
Draw a card.
”Well, maybe just one strawberry.”
—Princess Celestia
Berry Snatch 1B
Sorcery
Target player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
Morbid — At the beginning of each end step, if Berry Snatch is in your graveyard and a creature died this turn, return Berry Snatch to your hand.
Opossums are inveterate scavengers.
Lunar Opossum 1B
Creature — Beast
Whenever you cast a black spell, you may return Lunar Opossum from your graveyard to your hand.
”Don’t mind him; he’s only playing.”
—Princess Luna
2/1
Luna’s Displeasure 3B
Instant
Destroy target creature.
Revolt — If a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn, exile that creature instead.
Luna may be free of the Nightmare, but her temper can still be dangerously short.
Luna’s Edict 3BB
Sorcery
Each player sacrifices half the creatures he or she controls, rounded up.
Luna is a big believer in middle-of-the-road policies.
Rebellious Calf 1R
Creature — Minotaur Rogue
Rebellious Calf attacks each turn if able.
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, Rebellious Calf gains first strike until end of turn.
Some young minotaurs see any slight as an excuse to charge.
2/2
Antagonize 2R
Instant
Kicker 2R (You may pay an additional 2R as you cast this spell.)
Creatures target player controls attack this turn if able. If Antagonize was kicked, whenever a creature attacks you this turn, Antagonize deals 2 damage to that creature.
Minotaur Hospitality 2RR
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, goad target creature an opponent controls. (Until your next turn, that creature attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than you if able.)
Getting lost in a minotaur’s home is as easy as finding a fight in one.
Shadowmane Manticore 4R
Creature — Manticore
Flying, first strike
6B: Monstrosity 3. (If this creature isn’t monstrous, put three +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes monstrous.)
As long as Shadowmane Manticore is monstrous, it has deathtouch.
3/3
Survey the Land 2G
Sorcery
Choose one —
• Scry X, where X is the number of lands you control.
• Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a noncreature card, then put all cards revealed this way into your hand.
Entwine 2G (Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)
Marauding Owlbear 3G
Creature — Chimera
5G: Monstrosity 2.
As long as Marauding Owlbear is monstrous, each nonmonstrous creature you control has “X: Monstrosity 2,” where X is that creature’s converted mana cost plus 2.
3/3
Faceless Peril 4GG
Enchantment
Whenever a creature attacks you, reveal the top card of your library. If it’s a creature card, put it onto the battlefield blocking that creature. Otherwise, put it in your graveyard.
”What a lovely night for a stroll.”
—Princess Luna
Cloaked Figure 1GU
Creature — Rogue
Hexproof
Whenever Cloaked Figure deals combat damage to a player, you may return it to your hand. If you do, you may put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield.
A mystery best left unsolved.
2/2
Steamhorn Minotaur 3UR
Creature — Minotaur Warrior
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, Steamhorn Minotaur gains trample until end of turn.
Whenever Steamhorn Minotaur deals combat damage to a player, you may return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.
4/3
Total Pandemonium 4UBR
Sorcery
Cascade storm (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order. Then repeat this process for each spell cast before this one this turn.)
Your comments about how Iron Will is depicted in this comic reminds me of when my mom watched the episode with him in it. At the end, she called him a bully (somewhat appropriate, to be fair), and I had to restrain myself from explaining to her that he was just collecting his owed bits. It goes to show you that just watching the show, and not getting too deep into the analysis of it, leaves you with general impressions like that.
But yeah, that Luna micro was all sorts of awesome and adorable!
Tibbles
Okay, I take back what I said a few weeks ago about FF #8. The Luna issue must remain on top. Seeing Tibbles in the show would be amazing. Heck, what I wouldn't give for a straight-up animated adaptation of this issue.
As for the Friends Forever issue, I'm inclined to think Iron Will got the unfriendly welcome this time around because it seems like he's entering Ponyville in a furious rampage, charging and roaring, rather than because the locals have completely forgotten about the existence of minotaurs. If nothing else, this issue was written by another writer than the one who did "Siege of the Crystal Empire", which genuinely treats Iron Will like dirt
Looking forward to seeing the Fiendship is Magic posts.
Loved the Luna Microseries issue.
I figured I would hate the Iron Will comic when I read the synopsis, so I never read the issue. It sounds like I made a good call. I have problems with "Putting Your Hoof Down," too. I never cared for the "sweet character turns into a bully" plot. Plus IIRC, Rarity and Pinkie incorrectly place the blame for Fluttershy's bullying on Iron Will.
I would like to see more minotaurs portrayed positively in the show, though, but that's probably too much to ask at this point.
I liked the Iron Will comic well enough. It misunderstood his first appearance a lot, but he's a sympathetic character in the comic itself, and it does develop him and his background in interesting ways. Plus, yeah, it didn't misunderstand him nearly as bad as Siege did.
The Luna micro is god-tier. I don't think any more needs to be said on it.
For Friends Forever, I could at least understand at the beginning that the mane 5 were trying to protect Fluttershy (Even if they were being very rude) just in case but at the end of the story where they were all criticizing the food Iron Will made for them out of a kind gesture, they came off as very rude and disrespectful. Like I don't know if that was suppose to be funny but if it was it failed to make me laugh. Your right I think the writer just looked at the synopsis of the episode and wrote the story without ever seeing it. In all honesty, aside from that the story was really lackluster and forgettable for me personally.
Now the Luna micro, that was fucking amazing!!! :)))
Adding these to PonyMTG, I found that you've previously created an Utter Pandemonium for "The Best Night Ever". :)
4432954
Ah, frug nuggets. I usually catch these, but I guess this one slipped through the cracks. At least it wasn't the same name as an actual card. The cascade storm spell will henceforth be known as Total Pandemonium. Thanks for the catch.