How's My Driving Meme!

[ponymeisters]

HOW'S MY DRIVING? Hello, Equestrians! Its time for a game-wide HMD! Here's how it works: Post your name, along with what character(s) you play. If you want, specify particular areas you would like feedback on! (It's okay to ask for just general feedback!) Indicate whether or not you're okay with anonymous feedback. (It's totally cool if you don't.) You can also post links to your character's personal HMD if you'd prefer comments there. Reply to other people telling them how you think they are doing. Be polite and objective! If someone says they're cool with anonymous crit, that is not an invitation to be unfriendly. No one likes a Diamond Tiara! If you have something negative to say about somebody else's playing, make your points politely and suggest ways to improve. To give an example: X - Unhelpful Diamond Tiara - "Jeez, Terri, can you learn to type? You've got about a billion typos in your posts!" O - Helpful Not Diamond Tiara - "Hi, Terri, I noticed you have a number of typos in your posts. Something you might want to do is give your posts that one last look-over before hitting submit. It would really help with readability!" ????? PROFIT You don't have to post your own characters to give other people feedback! You don't have to post your characters at all if you don't want to. It is 100% OPTIONAL. If you do post, we would encourage you to give feedback to at least one other person! Flattery is welcome just as much as concrit!

Comments

THE MODS

[ponymeisters]

How can we improve your MLJ experience?

[stormbroken]

I want to start off by saying that I enjoy how approachable you guys are with concerns, and that you've actually been trying to balance the heavy modplot stuff with the lighter slice-of-life more as time went on. It's still not 100%, but I can see you guys have been making an effort at it.

I've spoken with Ni in private about some tonal things, but I figure it bears repeating here: While I personally don't mind the tone of the game, keep in mind that the way it's presented will turn off some people, even if - especially if - you use "what cartoons can get away with" as your upper limit.

Remember: Death may be frowned upon by censors, but the replacements are a million times more unpleasant/horrifying/potentially problematic. (For good examples, see The Princess and the Frog, or pretty much anything at all by Don Bluth)

TERRI

[tinkertytonk]

Bertie Wooster | tinkertytonk
Donna Noble | thedoctorsmate

I feel like I've been focusing more on NPCing lately, but with that winding down, I think I'll have more time to throw in with everybody. If there's something I can do to improve your Wooster or Noble experience, please let me know!

Scott

[foolish_seal]

Minato Arisato | Persona 3 FES + Gargleblasted || foolish_seal
Patchouli Knowledge | Touhou Project + Gargleblasted || weekwizard
Captain Celestia | MLP: FiM + AU || pirateponyprincess

Not sure if there's anything I want feedback on, so feel free to let me know of anything and everything I could be improving.

[neighfeni]

Honestly, I think you're doing well! All three muses have their distinct voices, which is impressive considering you play Minato and Patchouli, neither of whom I rate as very emotional |D

Hm...the only thing I can think of is I don't see Patchy as much as I'd like, but I also understand she's a bit...well, she's Patchouli XD

Sword

[stormbroken]

Flare Star | MLP OC | stormbroken

I keep debating whether I should bring someone else in, but with my lack of focus and stressful home life, I think I'm gonna focus on Flare alone for a while.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

That honestly seems like it would be best. Your enthusiasm and focus really increased when you dropped down to just Flare, and I think it's showed in your tags as well.

Kaitou

[humanesqueheartstrings]

Lyra | humanesqueheartstrings
Woona | blamemysister
Kamala | ms_perfection
Yayoi Kise | pikapikapikarin
Pinkie Pie | usedpartycannon

I realize I have had a rough few months, stuff happened and I'm trying to improve on the direction of my characters. If there's anything I can do, let me know.

[stormbroken]

I'm admittedly in a kind of awkward place, responding here, since I'm so divided.

Let's start with the positives: Pinkie Pie has remained consistently upbeat and perky as expected, everything I've seen about Kamala is great, and Woona is doing a lot better now that we got that post-Nemesis/Antithesis blowup out of the way.

Onto the less-than-positives: Yayoi seems... kind of redundant, I guess? I mean, she fills the "I want a precure" niche, I suppose, but she basically seems like a second Pinkie Pie, except less hyper and more random. Of course, I say this being utterly canonblind to anything and everything Precure, as well as to her time in DDD. Maybe this is "working as intended".

Finally, the most awkward part: I'm not sure what to make of Lyra's personal narrative, and I think that partially fueled my decision to drop Bon. It's possibly progress that you've got her out of town ICly, I think, but I just can't shake the feeling that you wrote her into a corner with the whole Helheim thing and can't bear to either break character canon (by making Lyra do something she wouldn't normally) or crossover canon (by retconning/deus exing away the problem), leaving you just kind of twiddling your thumbs about something that you can't really resolve.

Dragon

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Overlord Zetta | badassfreakingoverlord
Rainbow Dash (AU)| elementofloyalty
Dust | mithrarin
Morgan Knight | morganknight
Zecora | zebrarhyme_everytime

Anon is fine. There's not much I could say here regarding what kind of feedback I'd like that wouldn't get super passive-aggressive, so about all I can say is that if you have concerns, raise them here.

[(Anonymous)]

I think it would help a lot if you were a little more open with trying to get people outside your close CR involved in big plots at the start and avoid trying to keep things too secret. It can come off as really insular, otherwise, and when you have characters who are major movers and shakers in the plot, it can start to feel a little bit like there's some sort of exclusive club atmosphere going on.

Zetta's alicorn plot was handled pretty well, but it's something I've noticed generally. When you have big plot ideas, maybe try OOC posts to drum up interest outside the usual suspects that you'd turn to immediately. It can be hard since there are certain people that you work best with, but even just making the effort would greatly improve the image that, for better or worse, you've managed to get for yourself.

Nikil

[ponymechanic]

Miles "Tails" Prower (DDD!Tails) | Sonic the Hedgehog | ponymechanic

Coco Pommel (AU) | My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | shyformerassistant


Anything I should improve on? Anon's okay.

[neighfeni]

You're doing a lot better in regards to how you come off OOCly, and I think you've toned back the 'torturing' the muse bit. For that, I think you deserve a lot of credit.

Just remember you need to watch your wording, though. Like using inflammatory language in the HMD of a muse - 4G!Dash in this case. There didn't seem to be much call for tossing the term 'bitch' in there, when other terms can work and aren't nearly as offputting to people.

I know it's hard, but you've been getting better, and I know you're capable of getting even more so. Despite the above, I genuinely believe that, and enjoy playing off you, even if I'm not the speediest of taggers. I want to see you do well, and not push others away, and that's why I bring the above up, my dear.

Dent

[bigsoftie]

Leatherhead | bigsoftie
Cameron Frye | poolicide

I know I need to tag more, but is there anything else I can improve on?

Ash Blaze

[ponycure_dream]

Nozomi Yumehara | ponycure_dream
Derpy Hooves | muffin_lover
Q | punched_by_sisko
Sasami Masaki Jurai | saint_sami
Lyrical Twilight Sparkle | friendshipxfriendship

Please tell me what I'm doing wrong. I know Derpy and Sasami tend to suffer in terms of CR and AC compared to the other three and I'm trying to fix Nozomi from her Whinezomi time, so... Yeah.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

I think you have a good perception of what your biggest problems are already. I really don't know that I agree with the idea of 'Whinezomi', but tagging for Derpy and Sasami is definitely your biggest challenge right now.

Miki

[needsteaplz]

Saori Nakagawa - oc (needsteaplz)

[neighfeni]

Still love watching Saori do her tea goddess thing! She's a lot of fun to watch, and I'm a little sad I've not seen her own as much lately, but I know that may be real life getting in the way. I hope to see you around more <3

Callie

[raging_she_demon]

Sunset Shimmer | raging_she_demon
Donatello Hamato (AU) | brain_behind_purple
Weiss Schnee | dust_heiress

James

[caneattheseapples]

Jappleack | caneattheseapples
Surprise | surpriserainbows
Pokey Minch - Mayfield AU | ceasetoexist
Lucifer | firstofthefallen

[badassfreakingoverlord]

I've said this on plurk, but I absolutely don't think you should worry about anything like 'hogging the plot' or the like. You've been doing well.

On a different note, you do a great job of making me like characters that from their descriptions alone I'd be sure I couldn't stand.

Goldude

[shy_kindness]

The Flutters | Pony POV | shy_kindness/cruel_kindness
Littlepip | Fallout: Equestria | mostcolorfulepithets
Trixie Lulamoon | My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | cape_and_wizard_hat

I'm really, REALLY not sure on how I'm doing with Littlepip, so those that know her canon are more than welcome to pipe in on how I'm doing with her.

[stormbroken]

I really don't know where I can start with this, so I'll start with telling you that, from what I remember of FO:E, you've got that blend of awkwardness and WASTELAND JUSTICE almost down pat in Littlepip, though I think you've about reached as far as you can go when it comes to making her second-guess herself on her actions against Tirek. She's gonna worry about consequences, sure, but not enough so that it'll stop her from doing what needs to be done.

As for why I actually wanted to reply to this, though, well. Your IC voice is great. You play characters well, and manage to keep the Flutters active and not overwhelming like some CRAU gets.

I just have a real problem with your OOC demeanor, to the point where yes, I unfriended you on Plurk a month or two ago. When you get excited about things, or even just work yourself into a niche on a joke, you seem to shut out the rest of the world and just push forward, full-bore, no matter how uncomfortable everyone else in the room (or plurk, as the case may be) is. I'm not entirely sure to what degree you can fix this, but I'm pretty sure that acknowledging people when they say "stop" is... a good start. If you can actually pick up when people are uncomfortable, back off then, too, but I know that not everyone is as quick to pick up on unspoken cues like that.

Ami

[topgun_textiles]

Kanji Tatsumi | Persona 4 | topgun_textiles

I plan on busting loose! I'll quit being shy and toss Kanji at entries and open logs that feel appropriate for him to reply to or be around in, rather than holding back. Dude needs friends! He figures if friendship is magic, then he'll try and make a hell of a lot of magic!

However, before I begin, I would love to hear some feedback.

Re: Ami

[mistweaver]

I look forward to our CR like burning, and from what I've seen of Kanji in the past he seems pretty spot on? So no worries there!!

Dassa

[neighfeni]

Nephenee - Fire Emblem: Tellius Duology (Rakuen and World of Pokemon AUs) - neighfeni

Reimi Hanamori - Pokemon X & Y (Rakuen AU) - rafflesia_neighponi

General comments are always appreciated, but I'd definitely love sugggestions on getting more organized on tags, and more organized on what to tag into.
Also, I'd love suggestions of what to do to keep my girls rolling. Reimi's voice is still a little rough, but for both of them, I sometimes worry they're coming off as boring.

Re: Dassa

[appletastic]

Being boring's something I worry about a lot too, but here's what I'm thinking to try to fight that for myself---maybe it'll help you too. Is there a way to spotlight and share their other hobbies, the ones that aren't in the limelight as often?

I'm thinking underwater basket weaving club.

Riki

[bornofhope]

Twilight "Maytwi" Sparkle | magicalrealist
Dante | strawberryredgrave
Princess Cadence | loveisabattlefield
Madoka Kaname | bornofhope

Gimme whatever feedback you have! Also I'm starting to worry that Madoka's subplot (the whole memory thing with Homura) may be upsetting or annoying people and if that's the case, please let me know right away.

[ponycure_dream]

Though I'm not part of the whole Madoka subplot, I feel that if people are being upset or annoyed by it, it's probably because:

1) It's skeevy as all hell
2) To some it MIGHT be triggering
3) Not a lot of people actually liked the ending to Rebellion.

That being said, I think you should try to come to some sort of compromise if you feel that it's getting to others.

Mew

[nailed_it]

Yang Xiao Long | nailed_it

I am always looking for feedback on Yang, and any feedback at all is welcome. Anon is fine if you must and I do have a personal HMD for Yang with comments screened, anon enabled and IP tracking off.

Payton

[freeasthewind]

Feena | freeasthewind

Any type of crit is appreciated, good or otherwise! I'm fine with anonymous feedback, as well. Just let me know if you think I'm not good with staying in character with Feena, or whatever your concerns are.

[twotailedgenius]

I'm still largely canonblind to Feena, still being so early into Grandia, but so far I think you have her down pat. I also enjoy threading with her a lot.

Keep rockin' it, Payton.

Zoki

[4thdimensional]

Applejack | appletastic
Emmett "Doc" Brown | 4thdimensional
Strong Bad | crapfully

I want to be good and fun for y'all, so let me know what to do! Or what not to do, as the case may be.

VG

[pishirogane]

Naomi Kimishima | chatwithdeath | Trauma Team CRAU Post-DRRP Round 2
Naoto Shirogane | pishirogane | Persona 4 Golden

Sorry Naoto's a particular grump right now, and I need to get Naomi out there more. So, some feedback before that happens?

Re: VG

[mistweaver]

I know I am not terribly open? I think? (It's more because I'm shy, but...) Anything Jou has open for Kanji is 200% open for Naoto as well. I didn't watch enough Persona to see the couple interaction, but that's on me. And I think they're cute. So...PLEASE BUTT IN? :D

Lu

[soulofblue]

Pinkie Pie | sailorlaughter
Harvey Finevoice | millionbitpipes
Pollo | soulofblue
Discord | discorderly

Chinchilla

[adandyinspace]

Teddie | kingofthetvworld
Dandy | adandyinspace
Kafei | keaton_mask

Kathryn

[bluesuit_hoofy]

Andrew Noble / Meta-Crisis Doctor | bluesuit_hoofy


I'll take anon crit. The issues I see in myself are the same ones that have been there -- I don't get him involved enough in day to day happenings to get him hooked into relationships and plots, and I need to canon review again for general voice stuff. I'm trying to give him more 'wins,' but that hasn't been as active of an effort on my part as it needs to be.

Elly

[mistweaver]

Only mistweaver, Jou Shan Aleflower.


I know my biggest problem seems to be...consistency? I can be a flaky, flaky croissant, but I'm usually open to a swift kick in the seat, and I'll backtag forever if you need me to. I don't mind the kick in the butt, I promise!

I know Jou is kind of a one trick pony with her food things, but that's mostly working as intended. Anything else, though?

Re: Elly

[topgun_textiles]

Lemme just say, as I've said before, that I adore Jou. If anybody wagers she's one-note because of the food thing, I personally offer Mists of Pandaria and point at it. Good food boosts positive social culture and good vibes, and that's what Pandaren are all about. It keeps them from getting chomped up by the Sha!

But if you'd like to add a dash of different textures to the overall dish, I repeat my offer of a little Monk training.

Usami

[strengthinkindness]

Fluttershy | strengthinkindness
Pyrrha Nikos | aura_spear
Tadashi Hamada | notgivinguponyou
Violet Parr | ultra_vi

Anon or not, either is fine with me. I'm not sure if I'm looking for any specific kind of feedback, so I guess anything you'd like to tell me!

[stormbroken]

Once again I'm not sure how to approach this, since going on hiatus with Fluttershy was a natural thing to do in your situation, but it seemed to me like once someone mentioned how awful it would be for something to happen to her in order to justify her disappearance, you went running to that conclusion, cackling in mad scientist glee at the idea of bringing that much unrest to the game.

Was that my imagination, or did you embrace the idea of causing emotional harm to your muse and a whole slew of others that readily? Because if you did you... miiiight want to dial that back a bit. I know we all make jokes about being horrible to our muses, and as far as I know there was no lasting harm, but, well.

It almost felt like "all these players like me around so much, so I'm gonna enjoy torturing them when I'm gone!" which I know is 100% not your actual intent.