(though it is distracting me from my work somewhat.).
You're the second person to mention that I've managed to induce at least a minor case of JOMT, which I take as a high compliment.
Missy seems to be able to reconstruct quite a lot of technology entirely from memory, which stretches my suspension of disbelief somewhat. This may be a case of generalising from a single example but while I understand radios in theory I doubt I could build one (the amplifier idea is interesting though, nice to see a difference emerging in the physics of the world). I could probably build a very basic firearm with time and materials, but not the complex one Missy seems to have produced quickly.
I probably over-did it with getting a firearm manufactured so quickly. I'd recently read a news article about some 3D printers now being capable of creating most parts of a firearm; I decided that Missy is more into the Maker subculture than I am, and not only looked into the mechanics of how an automatic pistol worked, but remembered enough about specific details to be able to put together plans for Royal-sponsored workshops to build from.
The most implausible part about Missy's wireless device... is, actually, the earphones; unamplified crystal radios output a signal requiring earphones with a different resistance from standard ones.
A minor spoiler for the chapter I plan on finishing writing today: Missy is about to try to grab a new revenue stream, independent of her previous sources of funding, by 'inventing' a whole series of easily-manufactured Earthly items... a set which is much more plausible to put together than even a radio.
I'm enjoying the musical interludes, the general theme of mid-century vocalists is nice, gives some thematic unity.
I've been discussing with some of the other authors about switching musical channels after chapter 60, going to They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Coulton, Weird Al, and their ilk. Haven't firmly decided one way or the other, yet.
Missy as a character seems a little under-defined other than her rationalism. We don't really hear much about his life on earth and what background they have. Is that deliberate? Possibly some fleshing out of their past would make their rationalism and encyclopaedic knowledge of science more plausible.
Now this... is both a good point, and something that I can try working on.
I've been using the excuse that Missy has been trying to hide her Earthly origins entirely, to avoid going into that; but it's entirely possible I've been pushing too far with that. I'll see what I can come up with that helps the story.
The pony world seems a lot darker than in canon or most fan works.
It is. Several other stories have pointed this out, and the conceit is that the cartoon we see has been framed to exclude any of the aspects of the setting which don't fit into its TV rating.
Once one of the founding stories established in one of its first chapters that one of Equestria's neighboring countries had a great many slave mines, which the Princesses weren't doing anything about... the floodgates were opened. I actually wrote a short chapter specifically to point out that despite all the bad things going on, there were still lots of places which were as pleasant and peaceful as implied in the cartoon - they just tend to get skipped over in favor of describing more exciting locales.
Having them as a cow is a really cool idea, not just in physical limitations but the situation of being transferred into the body of an oppressed minority makes for some interesting situations.
Thank you - I tried. :)
Making firearms is not actually that easy. The 3D-printed one was actually just part of a firearm, and not the part that takes the highest stresses.
Missy should, in practice, have had at least the following problems:
For a breech-loading firearm, you need high-grade steel of a particular and uniform formulation. Up until quite recently, humanity did not understand the chemistry of steel well enough to do that. Ponyland is unlikely to. The alternative, unfortunately, may be the firearm blowing up in your face.
Very particular chemistries are required for
For the past two months, I've been writing, and posting, roughly two thousand words a day of "Myou've Gotta be Kidding Me", a story set in a "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" fanfic universe, "Chess Game of the Gods". Outside of the sheer NaNoWriMo-like exercise of pushing out near-daily chapters, I've also been trying to keep in mind the various principles I've learned from Yudkowsky and LessWrong, and to try to present them in a way that people who like reading MLP fanfics might be able to appreciate.
I've just come to something of a minor climax with chapter 60, and while I'll definitely be continuing the story, this seems like a good time to mention it here, for whatever feedback and constructive criticism anyone cares to offer.