#I admire that specifically because it’s Fluttershy

[rottenlittlefink]

When Harry the bear sliced through Fluttershy’s cutie mark… that shit hurted

[mayflowers515]

Smiling Critters: Non Lore-Heavy Headcanons!

This is just what I personally think they'd be like in my AU, if you guys have different interpretations, that's fine!

(I could also do scenarios based on the headcanons too if you guys wish! )

Reference post for characters if needed: https://www.tumblr.com/mayflowers515/743811211445010432/smiling-critters-in-gacha-life-2?source=share

Kickin would 100% call his friends a specific nickname. It's his way of approving that they're cool to him. He barely calls them by their actual name unless the situation is serious. Here is what he'd call everyone:

Bubba = Nerd (in the most affectionate way possible here); Can also imagine Kickin calling him sir or mister sometimes

Bobby = Beary or BB (may or may not be based off of content I've seen with these nicknames for her-)

Hoppy = Hopscotch (calls her by last name because he thinks it's cool already; Hoppy would use that logic against him and call him Chicken occasionally); He also likes to call her Hops for short

CatNap = Sleepyhead, Sleeping Beauty

DogDay = Mr. Brightside, DD

Crafty = Princess (that would probably freak Crafty out since she thinks he knows of her status; in reality, he calls her this because of her vibes, especially after a certain scenario I have planned for her)

Picky = Piggy (doesn't really have any other idea for a nickname, but he wants to come up with one that sounds "more cool"; tried this by calling her PP, but didn't realize how bad it was until the first and only time he used it for her)

Kickin would call himself KC, since y'know, he wants everyone to know he's cool, too! (credits to mr. story for the idea)

2. Crafty has a very good singing voice. She doesn't show it off for a couple reasons though:

Because she's a little shy about showing it off in the first place

Doesn't want to overpower her friends if they sing together

She's worried her friends will find a way to link her voice to her background (will discuss more in a future post)

(Based off a voice canon video I saw for her where her singing voice was based off of Fluttershy's from "Filli Vanilli")

3. When Picky isn't cooking or eating, she likes to dance and tend to her personal garden. It's filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, but she also has some flowers and shrubs, too! She likes to use products from her garden for her cooking sometimes.

4. CatNap's house smells like all kinds of specific essential oils. He is the one who uses them the most of the Critters, which helps set the atmosphere for his calming home.

5. I already mentioned before that Crafty can never keep her clothes clean for the whole day. But she really likes her overall dresses, so she keeps a lot of the same ones just in case one of them gets too messy.

6. Kickin is great with comebacks and wordplay. Even in the toughest of situations, he usually pieces together slick phrases. The only exceptions are if he were to start like-liking someone or if he had an idol he admired. He'd get more nervous and fumble his words by that point.

7. Here is what I like to think the Critters want to be when they become adults (they're still children in this AU):

CatNap (counselor; something to do with aromatherapy too most likely)

DogDay (doesn't know; he hasn't thought about it)

Bobby (nurse or maybe a therapist)

Crafty (artist of course; may be more inclined to be a painter)

Kickin (journalist or reporter?; I can see him commentating on things like sports and current events lol)

Hoppy (soccer player or coach)

Bubba (professor, but not sure of which subject rn)

Picky (chef, no surprise there. She wishes to run her own restaurant someday)

8. Inspired by some comics, but CatNap's tail can extend to really long lengths. His friends use this as an advantage to drag him along or hold onto him when he's not aware of his surroundings or he's asleep. His tail can only extend to so long though (maybe four-five feet?) so eventually it can get pulled. He doesn't like that. His friends realize this the hard way, and from that point forward, they tend to drag him along their adventures in a wagon. Typically DogDay is the one to watch over the wagon.

9. In contrast to CatNap, DogDay is much more nervous during the nighttime. He tries to hide this to not worry his friends, but they can usually see through him. He doesn't exactly get the best sleep all the time, yet he still manages to operate smoothly for his friends (maybe through coffee? I can see him drinking that-)

10. Possible fears of all the Critters

Bobby (being alone and abandoned, canon; can also see her fearing bugs too, but she can't bring herself to kill them since she loves and values all life regardless)

Picky (sickness, a part of this plays into her need to stick to a healthy lifestyle, and she stresses out whenever she feels she made too many unhealthy choices; she also hates being sick because then she can't provide for her friends)

Kickin (sudden noise and heights; he would try to hide this to keep his cool image, so he brushes off his fears so others can't see it from the outside. However, on the inside and sometimes more obviously the outside, he is TERRIFIED)

Bubba (failing his friends and leading them down the wrong direction; tries to prevent this from happening by being as well-informed on as many topics as he can think)

DogDay (the dark; he always needs a nightlight in his room so he can go to sleep better)

CatNap (his second scent; more elaboration on that sometime soon but if you know what I'm referring to, you know...; can also seem him fearing water a little since y'know, cat behavior-)

Hoppy (needles; I just don't see her holding up well at the doctor's personally-)

Crafty (public audience; she can only handle so many people watching her at once until she feels she needs to get out)

11. People would expect Bubba and Crafty to constantly be at odds due to their different thinking approaches (left brain + right brain), but they actually get along quite well! They may have a couple disagreements, but otherwise they are usually open to what the other is saying. Basically, an "I want what you have" kind of situation but downplayed. Mainly since Bubba isn't as good with thinking outside of the box meanwhile Crafty isn't the most book smart. They would bounce off each other well. They would work well together when it comes to devising plans with their friends. Bubba would explain the plan while Crafty sketches the plan's details.

12. Crafty can draw at fast speeds, but she can't draw anything super detailed. Still, she is surprised herself that it doesn't look too bad when she rushed it.

13. Speaking of speed, Hoppy can, in addition to moving fast, speak fast and somehow still remember what she says. When others don't process what she says, she would be a bit more annoyed and say it slower. She doesn't speak fast often, only in situations where she is really enthusiastic or she's in a panic.

14. In terms of their more animal-like qualities, DogDay is the most expressive of the Critters. He wags his tail and raises his ears a lot depending on the circumstance.

15. Bobby can have very bad anxiety in stressful situations. Worse case scenario, she may even just ball up and become unresponsive to stimuli.

16. PB&Js are still Picky's favorite food, but she eats them in moderation when she's felt good on what she ate for the rest of the day. She will refuse to eat them when she's stressed or if she gets sick. She gets like this with any unhealthy food in general actually, just more inclined to do it with PB&Js.

17. (Based on that road trip image of them) They're all kids, but in their world, they're able to drive. Still, there are some Critters you should trust behind the wheel more than others:

Bubba (not only would he be safe on the road, but his great memory basically makes him a walking GPS, assuring an instant trip to their destination without getting lost; despite this, it's usually #2 who drives more because he's usually tasked as the voice of reason to make sure no one riots while someone is behind the wheel; he also slightly manages his memory better when he isn't multitasking)

DogDay (is usually the one that drives everyone when they're out on road trips. He is generally very calm behind the wheel and will encourage others on the way to wherever they're going, so he's also considered fun to have as the driver by his friends)

Picky and Bobby (tied; both would do just fine behind the wheel and would both be careful of the cars around them and the passengers in the car; would give Picky the edge here though since she doesn't have to raise her seat as much just to drive compared to Bobby)

Kickin (would care more about looking cool on the road than actually driving well. When he isn't focused on his ego, he doesn't drive too badly. He may have a slight bit of road rage, though)

CatNap (he would be better during night time trips as he is more active then, but even then it wouldn't happen often since driving can get stressful. Also, at any other time besides night, he runs the risk of sleeping on the spot even while driving, so no, please don't let him drive…) (ngl, him and #7 could be interchangeable here; both have drawbacks whenever they're behind the wheel-)

Crafty (she's pretty mediocre when it comes to driving. Her mind usually spirals in a panic whenever she's behind the wheel, and she'd focus more on the panic of driving at all than actually driving, so for her sanity, don't let her drive...)

Hoppy (never, EVER have her behind the wheel. The car will crash and burn in seconds... She can get really impulsive when it comes to driving and I can imagine her having some bad road rage; the Critters let her drive once after she pleaded with them so many times; probably in a situation where for some reason DogDay and/or Bubba couldn't do it. She led them in a ditch, crashing into someone's party down below, unintentionally of course. Everyone was okay, but they never let her drive again after that)

18. In addition to wanting to be the cool friend, I can also imagine Kickin wanting to joke around and make his friends laugh from time to time. He also pulls harmless pranks sometimes (sometimes he is unaware how his pranks potentially hurt others until it's too late though-)

19. Bobby has a really big sweet tooth. Especially when it comes to chocolate. Also, if anyone were to give her a chocolate heart, she would melt in their arms on the spot (doesn't matter if the intention is platonic or romantic, she just loves receiving chocolates, especially the hearts)

20. Hoppy would have the most game equipment of her friends. She has equipment that ranges across all kinds of sports as well as other physical activities.

21. If Crafty was given sidewalk chalk and there was pavement outside of her friends' houses (though I don't think this is the case in canon sadly), she would use it to draw something outside her friends' houses as a way to show appreciation.

22. Bubba would have his own mini library inside his house will all different genres of books. The books of this library are books he collected that were from his family's or from what he found when they were out and about. He occasionally lets his friends borrow books from him if they need to.

23. The Critters are vegan. Things like burgers and milk come from other sources for them. So no worries, in this version, the burger Picky was about to eat in the intro was sourced from plants (she wouldn't actually eat animals... right? *cough cough* canon version... *cough)

24. CatNap would be the best at telling spooky stories. He already has a naturally quiet voice. All he'd need to do to make it sound more spoopy for his friends is give it a creepy tone, and already that makes him a good scary storyteller...

25. DogDay doesn't really make his own food often, but he actually does like baking more than people give him credit for. His favorite thing to bake is cookies (especially ones that look like dog treats!)

26. This meme explained for Critters:

"We have food at home" - Bubba, Picky

"MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS!" - Hoppy, DogDay, Kickin, Bobby

In between these two sections: Crafty (depends on her mood)

*Pulls into the drive through as children cheer* *Orders a single black coffee and leaves* - CatNap (not meaning to be rude, but just doesn't want to put up with ordering for everyone so he orders for him; he's too tired for that ok?*

27. CatNap has the worst reaction time and is the most clumsy of the Critters. It's literally canon that the guy trips on his own tail. That HAS to be a thing here. It just has to.

28. This may come as a surprise, but CatNap actually does like drinking coffee, except he mainly has it at nighttime so he can stay up and help people in need of assistance at nighttime; he puts a lot of creamer and milk in his coffee, though- He doesn't like black cofffee (I imagine in the McDonalds meme he takes the coffee home with him and prepares it with his usual creamer and milk)

Welp, this is pretty long and scrambled. Sorry if some characters have more headcanons than others. If I think of other hcs I can update this! I do actually have more I'd like to share sometime, but the ones I'm thinking about are more lore-heavy for the characters so I'll put that in a separate post :)

[yourmotherismylover]

i need a comprehensive list of each bat and pony bff pair

IM SO GLAD YOU ASKED!!

I want to say Dick and Applejack because they’re both my favorites, but honestly I think Dick and Twighlight have all the same problems so they would really get each other. Like that episode where Twighlight gets so stressed she hasn’t learned anything, so she makes problems that she can then solve?? Dick is the only one who understands the insane anxiety and need to please the parental figure. (Not that he would do the same thing though, he’s driven by being as unproblematic as possible.) He sees himself as the glue that holds the family together, even though that’s not always true. He’s known for putting undue pressure on himself and has great advice to give everyone else, just absolutely cannot take it himself. (He’s so emotionally intelligent and mature except when it comes to him and Bruce, what a dumpster fire) (literally Twighlight and Celestia)

I think Jason and Rarity would hangout together and gossip at galas, but also, Rarity is the paragon of generosity. It makes me think of how Jason treats the kids in crime alley, always kind and gentle with them when he’s so gruesome with everything else. I think that Rarity would also admire his violence a little bit, as she’s known to snap and get dirty when she really has to. Rarity cares for other people more than anything, which she has repeatedly displayed in the show. I think Jason is also a very empathetic person, though he is extremely jaded. He hides that part of himself, but I think Rarity would be able to see it in him.

I saw an argument being made for Tim and Applejack, but I think Tim and Luna would go really well together. They both work extremely hard and are often under appreciated. Citing specifically that episode where Luna creates a creature that haunts her dreams, then takes on the guilt of it escaping and tries to stop it all by herself. It reminds me of Tim basically forcing himself onto Bruce as Robin, choosing to take on a huge responsibility, and for a long time, not getting any kind of thank you. Luna talks a lot about not being seen for all the hard work she does and always being overshadowed by Celestia, but also harboring guilt about being Nightmare Moon. Tim was the only Robin who really chose to take up the mantle, but that also means inheriting the name of Dick Grayson, the Boy Wonder, and Jason Todd, the dead kid. He tries equally to live up to those names, but also exist outside of them, neither of which is possible for him.

I initially said Damian and Rainbowdash would be a good pair because they’re both outwardly arrogant as a defense, but someone said Damian and Flutteryshy would bond over animals. I absolutely agree with that. There are things that don’t make sense to Damian, like how to act in certain social situations, how to make friends, etc, but animals do make sense to him. I think the same goes for Fluttershy, and being around animals is the best opportunity for them to come out of their shells, even though those shells look so different. For Damian, that’s being aggressive and intimidating, and Fluttershy is completely the opposite. However, she sees his softness with animals and gains a great appreciation for his fierce protectiveness of the things he loves. She understands he’s a complex and good person, and doesn’t just treat him like a kid. She was able to see the same qualities in Discord, and knows better than to dismiss a person based on surface level interactions.

Now hear me out… Bruce Wayne and Daring Do. There’s the obvious double life, but they seem to face a lot of similar problems with that life. A.K. Yearling is in the public eye and is hearing what people think of Daring Do. It’s not always positive. There’s an episode where Daring Do receives a lot of backlash over the destruction she causes in the name of the greater good, and A.K. Yearling takes on a lot of guilt and chooses to retire from Daring Do for a short time. Batman is of course, not always the good guy, but he makes those hard choices. A.K. doesn’t have that family aspect in her life, but I think we forget, Bruce had a long period of time when he was stoutly solo. They have the same drive to protect. For Bruce, it’s Gotham and his family, and for A.K., it’s history and artifacts. They are extremely driven people that has something in them that says they *can’t* give up. A.K. is quite gruff when we first meet her, and Rainbowdash has a hard time breaking her way into A.K.’s heart. They each become the personality that is needed to finish the job. The mission comes first. A.K. may be the only person who understands why Bruce needs to be Batman. Obviously he’s raised a bunch of little vigilantes, but they each take turns outgrowing Robin, and outgrowing him. There’s an episode of Young Justice where Dick says he just doesn’t have the same drive that Batman has, to sacrifice everything, to always complete the mission. Bruce will never fully let anyone in, which of course causes problems with him and his children. They want to understand him, but they can’t get all the insight they need. A.K. is the only person he doesn’t have to let in, because she’s gone down the same path he has all on her own.

I did not realize I would have so much to say because that is a HUGE wall of text, but they are so important to me. If anyone has any other thoughts/ideas or wants to hear about other bats/ponies, PLEASE TELL ME. I love to yap

[digikate813]

My Little Pony Re-Watch: Episode 29 Lesson Zero

* Now we’re officially in Season 2! And after the clusterheck that was “Return of Harmony”, I’m sure we’ll have a nice calm first step into the new season.

*So Twilight makes multiple overlong checklists of every single action she needs to take during the day. Yeah we’re still in the same show.

*I don’t see many people mention the slight upgrade in animation that took place from here on. Specifically the little auras of magic from the unicorns. They’re much bolder in their color now. And it’s easier to tell that the color a unicorn’s magic is determined by either the color of their eyes or their cutie mark. But most commonly the eyes. It’s a small thing I know, but it’s remained consistent. Which i really appreciate.

*Whoa! Whoa! What is with Spike’s tongue?! Has it always been that long? Is that a dragon thing they haven’t mentioned before?

* Twilight freaking out over being tardy. Getting her letter on a lesson in friendship to Princess Celestia. And she hits worrying about the worse case scenario territory, alarmingly quickly. 

*I know Fluttershy is much easier and a more obvious instance of coding a character with anxiety, but honestly episode makes me see quite a bit of that in Twilight. Just of a different kind. Twilight’s terrified of letting Celestia down, to the point of worrying over her every action towards and around her. And as far as we know, Celestia has done nothing to provoke these fears beyond just being the ruler of the land. So Twilight demands perfection of herself as the student of someone so important, and in the process sees the possibility of crewing that up as a proper cause for the ultimate punishment. It’s incredibly irrational, but that’s not how she sees it. And i can’t say I haven’t been in that mindset several times in my life.

*But even if this episode deals with what I consider a more intricate problem, it still has fun with it. Like playing up Rarity’s propensity for being dramatic. Her dramatic couch makes i believe it’s first appearance, and that running joke of her proclaiming things as “The. Worst. Possible.Thing!” is still an iconic gag.

*Twilight grabbing Rainbow by the tail with her magic is a very nifty trick. One that probably would ave come in very handy in the last episode! Just saying.

*And Flutterhsy’s aggressive “Massage” work! Yet another fun moment to see people’s reactions to.

*This is fun and all, but during all of it, Twilight is still worrying about trying ot find a friendship problem to report on. And just how much this obsessing is getting ot her is brilliantly built up by the more she gets panicked with each stop, and her mane slowly getting more and more disheveled. Leading to a subtle, yet very quick transformation by the end of the second act.

*When Twilight tells the others why she’s so upset, they brush it off as no big deal. Again, another very realistic depiction of this kind of situation. It’s easy to brush off anxious feelings as ridiculous, or no big deal. And yeah, the thing Twilight is freaking out about is not a big deal. But to Twilight it is, and at this moment, that’s what matters. Dismissing that and laughing it off is not goig ot make the problem go away, and with Twilight it only makes things so, so much worse.

*Yet again another moment I’m sure scarred many 7 year olds for life. Because it certainly freaked out many adults! Twilight’s meltdown and subsequent craziness isn’t as influential as Pinkie’s, but it certainly left it’s mark. The facial expressions are certainly more diverse and distinct in their insanity then with Pinkie. It really seemed like if they were going to tap this well again, they were going to really step it up 

*And what does Twilight do when she’s desperate for a quick solution? Mess with the minds of innocent creatures of course! And what exactly did she mean by this spell “works every time”?

*It’s funny and crazy sure, but it’s also a great demonstration of just how far things can go if you let your worries get the better of you. Impulsive actions could be taken and it could end up doing more harm then good if you don’t think your actions through. Something Twilight could definitely stand to learn.

*So does Big Mac still have the Smarty Pants doll? I’m surprised we’ve never seen it in the background or something.

*I love pretty much everything from Celestia’s entrance on. The girls realize why Twilight was so worried, and finally decide to take action and realize where they went wrong. Twilight realizes she had nothing to fear when Celestia reassures her that she’s a wonderful student. And both of the episodes messages are articulated perfectly.

*Celestia assigning all of the Mane Six to write letters to her on the magic of friendship. A clever way to make future episodes more focused. Keeping up the pace with the growing ensemble cast without having to find a way to stick Twilight in every episode.

*This is why Spike is truly a Number One Assistant! He saw how worried Twilight was, realized he couldn’t get through to her and calm her down, so he contacted the only pony he knew could ease her worry. That is the proper course of action Spike. Even if you don’t think someone who’s in that head space has anything to worry about, you still take their feelings seriously. Well done little dragon. I applaud you!

This is another episode that is widely regarded as one of the best in the series, and I can easily say I agree! The shift in tone, especially in terms of humor, could have seemed out of place, but they take the right steps to make this outrageous and hilarious, without losing the point they’re trying to get across. Which is even more admirable since this episode had two messages to juggle, and it’s handled with expert precision. It’s one of those episodes i feel is very important for both kinds and adults. Plus another pony completely lost it. So there’s that. It would be a while before w had another pony mental breakdown like this, but the fact that it’s not only happened so many times, but will happen again, makes me think the folks over at DHX might want to talk to someone. Next Time: Luna Eclipse!

[kindestegg]

ok i actually REALLY LIKE those new eps so MAJOR mlp season 8 spoilers under the cut

the first ep i watched was the one about the cmc helping a hypogriff/seapony who couldnt decide between one or the other. it was very very sweet n i loved how it was all handled, i love the idea of hypogriffs n seaponies splitting into diff cultures, which is not only a nice way of mlp showing how diff ethnicities n cultures can germinate, but also it made for a nice biracial metaphor with the teen hypogriff/seapony the cmc were helping n how he felt divided initially. also that was a KILLER song, damn

second ep i watched was the hearts n hooves one n oh my god. i was SO scared about it at first bc like. hearts n hooves?? with discord in it?? PLEASE NO, not to mention it was also a spike n big mac ep n i wasnt rly all too impressed with dungeons n discords so i had my hopes in the low for discords characterization but i RLY loved it. making discord a cynical ass gay who constantly criticizes *cough* heterosexual *cough* love n hearts n hooves day (specifically as a commercialized holiday god i loved that line) was super good, n the only thing that irked me a little bit was spike going ‘ay cmon discord what about you n fluttershy’ but even that wasnt much of a problem bc it was handled as discord basically being like ‘... i dont know what youre talking about i just like having tea’ n then it wasnt touched upon again so i guess?? were all safe for now. also lyra/bonbon still canon. only other thing that disappointed me was how the cmc seemed so bent on only considering stallions as secret admirers, but the ending with them was sweet so idc.

third was the chrysalis one (n i was shocked it wasnt a two parter season openeder n actually at the middle) n honestly, im glad this one didnt have the bg music because it just made it more hilarious n lost most of the dramatic tone. if you want a basic summary its literally just: chrysalis creates 6 awful daughters who cannot n will not stay put or listen to her to terrorize the mane 6 but instead theyre so uncooperative they all get split up, also some weird body horror at the end like oh my god?? tree of harmony is fucking metal with its defenses jfc. overall rly sweet ep, i liked how the mane 6 didnt even have to figure out they were dealing with some magic copy bullshit to apologize to each other n solve their problems, they all recognized where they went wrong n decided they should still be friends. also chrysalis being tormented by how the mean 6 behave was hilarious to watch.

fourth was the one w applejack n rainbow dash wanting to be teachers n imo the weakest one, but i LOVED seeing all the students, i overall just rly love the concept of the friendship school, its actually one of the season themes thats rly gotten me in love with it, i cant remember being this excited for a season theme since season 4 n the keys theme. that being said, i was kinda rolling my eyes at applejack n rainbow dash the whole ep, i mean, even twilight said it, they already learned that lesson. its one of those eps that gave me a lot of second hand embarrassment, but it was worth it just for seeing more of the friendship school. also yona is rly cute, i might kin her, specially since i think the yaks might be russian? but im not sure

[exotahu]

The Bronycon 2017 big text post!

This is the longest thing I ever write but here is my of the 2017 Bronycon.

Lets get to it. 

Thursday:

We met at Bill's house so we could travel down in two groups, since we had too many people to fit in one car. (8 of us, Me, Andrew, Justin and Ethan in one car, Kyle, Bill, Nick and Josh in another.) We managed to pretty much stay together and stopped at the same gas station together. It was the good-hot dog speedway. They only had two left and everyone looked at me like I was crazy for wanting gas station hot dogs. I ate those two and asked if they had any more. They totally did. I intended to eat a couple more but NOPE. Everybody else decided to try the gas station hotdogs and doubled up. Oh well, it was kinda funny. The next stop was Baltimore. There was crazy construction in the city, atleast around our hotel. Slowed us down a bit. Justin really had to use the bathroom, so he jumped out of the car in still traffic and went into a nearby subway rather than waiting until we got to the hotel. As soon as he did, traffic moved, like we thought it would. It was easy to direct him from there to the hotel though. They had the special keys, but there wasn't a wifi password this year. I'm a Marriott member so I got free wifi anyway though. We hung around for a bit and went to get our badges. Went pretty quick for us basic pass holders, only like 45 minutes. Not bad at all. Deposited our con things at the hotel. Went to Dick's Last Resort. Nick decided he wanted to arm wrestle me for some reason. I won. Of course the waiter saw this so he challenged me. I lost pretty quick, he was large. Might have been better had I not planted my elbow on the goddamn laminated menu, but what can you do? The funniest part was when he brought our drinks, he brought one. Left the others at the station thingy. I got up and got just mine. Then everyone else slowly did it. It was funny. Managed to place a Pokemon on the gym there too. Didn't last that long but was nice anyway. Then we went to Fells Point. Everybody went to a ramen shop but I decided to go to the bar trot early. I was the only one to actually sign up for it in our group. The original company running the bar trot apparently closed. I didn't know there wasn't to be one until a month before, and then I noticed a new company doing it but it was definitely very last minute for them. There were only two bars participating, neither of them being the admiral, which seemed kinda lame. However the Admiral, being awesome as it as, participated ANYWAY. They had the themed drink including the Great and Powerful Trixie. Drank a fuckton of it. They also had a Pinkie Pie and Applejack themed drink that I saw. Then the bartender made a Rainbow Dash drink by combining them all. It was fuckin' awesome. We then went to the Soundgarden because apparently it's just right there and back to the hotel for bed.

 Friday:

 I got up relatively early, think I actually got almost 8 hours of sleep. Decided to bring my bad Derpy cosplay. Product of a 3$ costume store clearance wing/ear/tail set and a shirt photo transfer. I actually went to opening ceremonies because A. I woke up for it on time, B. I didn't want to just book it to the vendor hall.  It was neat, maybe I'll try to do opening ceremonies again. After that, I got to meet up with a group of people from a Scisetdaily (a really cute Sciset tumblr askblog thingy) discord server I joined, which was really cool. We hung out and ate some con food before we split off to do other things. I went to the vendor hall at this point and wandered. Bought one of the cool engraved lighters. It has Princess Luna on it. I also got some 4de plushies (Specifically Fluttershy and Trixie), a fantastic JoJo shirt and some a couple Cutie Corral plushies. Specifically the comic universe reverse world princesses. Apparently its their last year doing cons : (. Comics hadn't been set up yet so I held off on that. Then I bought an absolutely adorable Derpy playmat. Also I got to see something neat. The MyLittleTies booth had A VR demo for the occulus rift where you could wander around Ponyville. It was really cool, even though I had to take my glasses off I could still see well enough for it to be cool. And yes I totally want an occulus rift for this reason.... Sad my computer won't support it. It was sort of disorienting, but I'm sure if I used VR more, I'd get used to it. After this I went to the hotel and deposited my things and headed to the Fursuit photoshoot with a couple friends. Next was the CMC VA panel which was cool. I like the VA panels. I kinda just wandered around again after that before going back to the main hall. I was going to watch the comic creators panel, but the adjacent room had a tesla coil set up and i really wanted to watch them go. Ultimately ended up watching the tesla coils go cause I needed to charge my phone and that is where an outlet was. Caught the end of the comic panel though. I hate when two panels I want to see conflict. Ate some more con food and did a bunch of wandering. Went back to the hotel and switched to a normal shirt and prepped for bronypalooza. Hung out in the other room and played some splatoon2. Really wanted to see Vylet. His set was fuckin awesome. Other acts were really cool too. A lot more electronic music than usual for that early in the night. Then I did something different. Rather than stay at the palooza, I met up with everyone and went to the Anthology 6 panel. Fuckin hysterical. Everyone else went back to the hotel and I went back to the palooza to catch Silva Hound's set. Then went back to the hotel and went to sleep.

 Saturday: Decided last minute to bring my Chrysalis cosplay. Ran into the guy I met at an Otakon a few years back, which was cool. I went to the vendor hall first. The comic booth had a box of variant covers for 5$ each. I dropped 60$ on comics. Then I found a Madoka playmat. I also got Bill to grab a movie playmat for me when they went to the vendor hall day 1. I got like 3 mats. I mostly just wandered and observed. Saw a dakimakura that was real funny bud I didn't want to drop 100 at that time. It was a cartoon-y chrysalis laying on a fuzzy pink background and that fuzzy pink background was Fluffllepuff. Next I got to meet up with the cool people from the internet again and we went to the Kelly Sheridan and Kyle Rideout panel as one big group. I thought of a q&a question but by that point the line was to infinity and I knew there was no way, perhaps another time. Once that ended I grabbed some food and went to the crystal arena. Bill and Josh wanted to see how the game had changed and see what the game was like now. They were running a novice tournament that was 10$ you got a deck to play with and two packs and at the end. It was neat learning the game again. It sounds like it really became good. They streamlined it a lot. Went to another fursuit photoshoot. Then we went back and got ready for palooza. I stayed the entire time this time. Really liked Michelle Creber and BlackGryph0n’s set. Chilled out and sat for one of the acts with Andrew and Ethan, needed to save my legs which were super sore. It was fantastic. Got to see Garnika, he's probably my favorite of all the regular artists there. I bought one of his shirts. Although I heard this might have been his last Bronycon? Infinite sadness if thats true. This is about when Kyle and Josh showed up. I also got a message that the fire alarm went off at the hotel. Everybody there had a clusterfuck, Justin slept through it. Turns out someone was vaping or smoking or some nonsense. then Andrew and Ethan returned in time for the end of Garnika's set and Alex S. Was a great time.

 Sunday: Waking up was a bit rough since I hadnt gotten to bed until like 330-4. I wanted to go the VA panel but it was at 10 am (Goddamn who DOES that) but I was way to tired to get out of bed on time. I caught the end of it though! Then I went to the vendor hall. I was trying to avoid buying prints, but guess what. Bought so many goddamn prints. Again. Fuck. Oh well. I've tetris'd my walls before and I can totes do it again. Was trying to buy other neat things. I did too. I got a lazer etched geode slice and an edge lit acrylic pane. I really just hung out in the vendor hall with various people and looked at things. Also Nick got me a commission from an artist named Baron Engle. It's Lapis and Peridot as ponies in his style. Really fucking cool. Also bought another glass. Fluttershy this time. Was hoping one of the bands was gonna be at the Bronypalooza table but they weren't. Also had a print ordered to be shipped to me cause one of the print places printer broke. (There are certain booths that will sell art on behalf of the artists that can't be there.) Also bought a little digital nametag thing. It's pretty cool. I gotta get a cord to hook it up to the computer though. Wandered the con a little bit then deposited stuff at the hotel. We went to closing ceremonies after that. Ran into Garnika on the way there which was neat. Before it started we were playing music and everyone was just kinda goofing around. Closing ceremonies were cool. They said they were short 219 from their 33000 charity goal. So they asked the crowd if they could do that and SO MANY people got up to give them money (myself included). Turns out they made like 1200 $ They were then 10 short from 34k, and someone gave them 10$ We got our annual group photo and then headed to the Inner Harbor for some food and to play some Pokemon Go. Went to Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. Place remains to be fucking fanstastic. Shrimpers Heaven is the best. While we waited for a table we managed to find a whole bunch of cool pokemon, Even did a Machamp raid. Found a fuckin Sandshew, Totodile and Mantine as well. Those are all things I've never seen around here ever. The Bronycon gym was blue so we couldn't do it yet decided to try later. I also evolved my first Gyrados. I decided to do it down there because that's where I essentially started my game. Went around an played some more Pokemon after dinner. The bronycon gym had changed but unfortunately the game broke real hard, we managed to get it down after a half hour of error-ing out a game crashes. Then we should have had it but it turned yellow in the clusterfuck. And no one had it in them to stand there for another half hour of broken game to beat one Blissey. We went back the next day but it had once again turned blue so we never got on it. Then we all went back to the hotel and watched the newest Rick and Morty while packing. Got our shit together and slept.

 Monday: We got up and hung out before loading vehicles. Checkout and hotel exiting was pretty easy. Decided to hang around in the inner harbor for a bit. Got lunch at an Irish pub in the pavilion. Yay for pub burgers and vodka cranberries! Then went to do a raid. A bunch of us went to get ice cream, but I went to the bigass Barnes and Noble instead. I had been looking for the Daring Do books at the con but no one had them. Barnes and Noble had one of the ones I was missing. After all that we walked back and headed out. We tried to stay together but traffic was nonsensical so it was hard. Unfortunately a rock flew up and cracked Kyle's windshield. Minor but still annoying. We  met up one last time in Wilkes-Barre at a Sheetz. I got some 2 for a dollar hot dogs and they were not good. After hanging out some they left about 15 minutes before us. We thought it'd be funny if we managed to pass them since they had such a ridiculously long head start and guess what? We totally did. It was funny. Got home after that.

 Overall:

             It was a good fucking time. Usually is. Bought some neat stuff. Got to meet some cool people from the internet. (Honestly, if any of y'all are reading this, even though it wasn't for that long at any given point you were all cool to meet and hang out with. I hope we get to again sometime.) It's honestly been a while since I've done that. It's funny, despite having done this the last 5 years, I don't feel at all burned out. Though next year, I think I'm going to do something different for my usual con photography. I'm going to shoot everything in black and white. (I accidentally left my camera in black and white mode for my first shot) I want to see how that makes things different.  

 (Also as always my memory is pretty butthole, and I essentially wrote this twice, so there might be errors and things I missed or got in the wrong order.)

[lightningflash55]

Thoughts Dump on Season 7 Episodes 10-13

Shall we do this little read more thing here cause this is going to get long? Probably. Def open for talking about them if you decide to read all the way through! I’m up for some good MLP discussion.

A Royal Problem

Can I just start by saying how much I LOVE that we got an episode that actually has more in depth on the Princesses? I’ve been aching for one for forever, and honestly it feels like we’ve gotten more Luna over time cause she’s the one who’s had bigger problems that she’s needed to sort out. 

CELESTIA THOUGH, you cannot tell me she’s the boring blob that being the princess she is demands her to be all the time. This is why I need moreeeee. Give me Celestia’s wild side PLEASE.

On that note, I love how good she is at covering it up compared to Luna. Issues? Don’t fret my little ponies, they are being solved and I assure you, everything is alright. She’s just so GOOD at her role in being the one that takes everything just to make everyone else’s lives easier and brighter. Dang Celestia, how do you do it. Also the personality contrast between she and Luna is still great and it also shows their age/experience difference. 

The Twilight music box was a good example of how wonderfully odd this show can be and how, after 7 seasons, it continues to catch me off guard. I LOVE IT.

CELESTIA MAKES PANCAKES FOR EVERYPONY IN THE MORNING. I DIED. She is far too good and I highly appreciate the fact that she enjoys cooking, especially such silly yet comforting things?? Lmao

Not that I didn’t see it coming (I mean duh, but it’s just been awhile), but also holy heck is she a morning person. This is definitely where I connect to Luna more, and I love her snark.

Both the Princesses are just too good tbh, they both try so hard and do so much good in their own ways. LIKE HOW CONCERNED LUNA WAS ABOUT THE FUNDRAISER EVEN THOUGH IT WASN’T HER USUAL DUTY. She tried and immediately failed and felt super bad about it. All because she can’t hold a smile sjflksdjfjhdfj

Was telling my sister the whole time that nobody would ever, ever be as bold as Starlight Glimmer and that’s why this episode worked, and so I was glad Luna said nearly the exact same thing at the end. Applause for Starlight tbh.

Daybreaker’s design tho. On a more personal note, I was admiring her snarly face the whole time cause it’s definitely the closest design i’ve seen in the show so far that would work for Kelpie shape-wise. Putting that note aside if I ever try to do canon style stuff with my OC’s!

Luna’s dream was legitimately creepy for a show that seems to tone stuff down so much. There are like, magic battles and villains and stuff, but rarely does something strike me as dark? Maybe it’s just me. 

THAT’S IT FOR THIS ONE, I probs give it a 9/10

Not Asking For Trouble 

I don’t want to get too into this one, but for quite awhile Pinkie’s characterization has bothered me. Compared to the first few seasons, it seems recently she’s been over the top to the point of making others upset, but not even in a silly Pinkie way. It almost came across as less annoying others, but using her silly personality as a cover to let her freely say mean things? I’m not sure what happened there, but it sorta rubbed me the wrong way and this was just a good example of Pinkie being Pinkie. 

She went with everything the Yaks said and tried to understand them and fix the issue without being too much of a bother to them! That’s the Pinkie I know! I was honestly waiting for disppointment and was relieved when it didn’t happen. 

Not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or a lot of people thought this too, but what can I say, some episodes just seem more consistent than others

7/10?

Discordant Harmony

I FLIPPIN LOVE DISCORD

HE’S SUCH A BABY AND A PROTECTIVE GRUMP, DEFINITELY THE UNCARING OUTSIDE MUSHY INSIDE CHARACTER THAT I LOVE 

HE’S SOOOOOO ODD IN THE BEST WAY 

I reminded my little sister of this 50 times during the episode. I just feel the need to emphasize how much I love my dumb noodle horse dragon at all times. 

I don’t specifically like or dislike Fluttercord but you gotta admit there’s some good cheesy content here. THEY’RE CUTE FRIENDS AAAAA

Sometimes I wonder what the inside of Discord’s head looks like if he appears that crazy on the outside. Just, his mind must work in a very different way lol

THE SINGING GINSENG IS CUTE I WANT 100

I still marvel that the Discord we first saw is so taken by Fluttershy in such a legitimate way, but I am starting to get it. I suppose that his thing was always just chaos and messing with others and not necessarily being evil, and that’s probably what got me. He iiiiis kind of an attention hog so honestly, making friends that allow him to be his chaotic self around them is probably a fair compromise. Still, sometimes.

Explain to me though why he needed to go to 5 different stores to get things he could’ve just conjured up himself. Smh he likes to make things difficult and it pains me!! Stop being such a drama queen, but also don’t xD

Did u see the part where he hyperventilated into the bag but his neck expanded instead. Okay top wacky cartoon humor LOL

“Do something chaotic Fluttershy” “Oh no, I tipped over that cup!” MY SISTER AND I HAD A GOOD LAUGH AT THAT FLUTTERS PLS

There was probably an even mix of me expressing my love for discord and shaking my head actually. They go together hand in hadn though, no?

Hmm this one was also probably 9/10

The Perfect Pear

WHAT CAN I EVEN SAY ABOUT THIS EPISODE 

IT JUST GOT ME GOOD

IT WAS NICE TO GET BACKSTORY ON APPLEJACK’S PARENTS AND EQUAL PARTS HAPPY AND SAD

I MEAN THEY DEF AREN’T AROUND ANYMORE, DON’T THINK THERE WS ANY OTHER WAY TO READ THE IMPLICATIONS 

SO MANY GOOD FEELS

Just story and writing wise though this episode was so well done. There are always the funny episodes and everyone has their own favorite for reasons or because of their favorite characters, but sometimes some are just GOOD. Like classics, or everybody’s favorite, the ones that continue to stick out from the 100+ episodes the show has.

I’m rewatching these as I type this out and you know an episode’s good when you finish it and rewatch and things make more sense the second time around. Like how Grand Pear comes across as just a nice old pony the first time you watch it and if you rewatch it you’re like “Ohhh that look and being nice specifically towards Apple Bloom wasn’t just a random kind gesture”

Applejack’s over-reacting to everything: “PEAR JAM??? IN MY KITCHEN??” *DRAMATIC GASP*

“The food smells great Applejack i’ll brb for dinner” You mean the pancakes that are scattered all over the floor???

“And her cutie mark was a preserved jar, but pear butter don’t look too different from apple butter, so you know...” LMAO (true??)

The “the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree” moments got me, THESE KIDS TAKE AFTER THEIR PARENTS IN THE BEST WAYS. The sibling bonding was adorable in this ep.

Also I have to note, Pear Butter with her little bit of sassiness and curly ginger hair gave me Puck Connolly vibes the whole episode, which is always a good thing

DAMN THESE APPLES THAT STRIKE ME RIGHT IN THE FEELS EVERY TIME ONE OF THEM GOES INTO SONG

Def the part that got me the hardest right there. Like trying not to tear up, even

Ship goals tbh

What happened to them though honestly

GAH THE ENDING’S GIVING ME FEELS AGAIN I’LL END HERE 

10/10 EASILY

[fragiilexa]

1 - 10

identity ask………oh shit           ACCEPTING

1. if someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to?

Hm, well I guess this is three questions omg but I’ll just go down the line. If they wanted to really understand me they’d have to read the Bible, which I know is saying a lot in one thing. But the reason I am the way I am is because of the things I’ve learned from that book and I would not be who I am without it. Of course I actually haven’t been able to read the whole thing yet but I take a lot of who I am from it & it’s just something that’s shaped me as a person? Oh but also I really don’t read books much anymore, but if I had to give another one it would be The Last Song? Maybe? ( The book is better than the movie, even tho I like the movie, the books better ) It just talks a lot about forgiveness & stuff and it was a lesson I really needed to learn at the time I read it & also am still learning. OH and also Crazy Love by Francis Chan, which is like a christian book, but it’s also had a huge impact on me, okay but onto watchin’.

Okay this is hard because there isn’t one full thing you could watch where the whole thing has impacted me. But there are a lot of movies I’ve learned from, ( and also since this doesn’t say specifically movies ) there are also a few speeches that I’ve really learned from ( and people would probably be able to understand me better if they watched them. But I can’t name those right now? But, I’d have to say, like, not as a whole, but Dr. Who, at least some specific episodes. Uh, Captain America?? The Help? There are more but I have a hard time naming movies/shows.

Okay and then music, fricken music, okay I could put so so so so many songs down, songs are like the soul of my life & help make me, me BUT I’m just going to give you ONE because if I didn’t this would go on forever and TWO it’s kind of my theme song but I Was Here, by the queen Beyonce. Is like, hands down my favorite *what makes me, me* song. I could name a lot more. I could make a 24 hour long playlist. But I won’t bc that would take forever. 

2. have you ever found a writer who thinks just like you? if so, who?

Yes, There have been a few and most of them are not on anymore but, Kae I think I can solidly say we think very similarly on just, like, how to develop muses, how to work out characters and how REAL they’re supposed to be, you know? Characters can, and should have flaws and no one has tons of perfect relationships. Real life is messy & writing should reflect that & I think we are just hella synced with that message & feeling and she’s just lovely so yeah @spookylip is bae & we think alike ( obviously bc we took those selfies that matched wITHOUT EVEN KNOWING ) we are #one

3. list your fandoms and one character from each that you identify with.

Girl Meets World: Riley Matthews.Glee: Tina Cohen - Chang.Marvel: Captain America, Steve Rogers.Hamilton: Eliza or Peggy SchyulerDisney: HeiHei ( no just kidding ) Moana, Princess Anna, Rapunzel,Harry Potter: Newt ScamanderStar Wars: FinnMy Little Pony: ( don’t u dare judge ) FlutterShyTwilight: Alice Cullen

4. do you like your name?  is there another name you think would fit you better?

Okay so I used to not like my name so much ‘cause it was really bland & there were a lot of other girls named rebecca when I was in school, then people started calling me rachel so it was like ‘my name is totally forgettable’ ( or i was i dunno ) but over the past few years I’ve started to love it, though someone ruINED the meaning of it for me *side eyes that kinky anon* but I don’t really care & I love my name now, just, never ever call me becky or I will murder u in ur sleep. :))))

5. do you think of yourself as a human being or a human doing? do you identify yourself by the things you do?

I was slightly confused reading this but I re-read it & now I get it. I think at the moment, or for the longest time I’ve been a human being, like, there are just no opportunities right now for me to be doing what others my age are, or even younger than me. Not only that but I have to work on a lot of anxieties of mine, but that being said I don’t think I’m doing nothing. What I’m doing is small, yeah, but I try to do the best I can with what I have & I have a lot of faith that things happen for a reason & right now I’m keeping things going in my family & trying to better myself, no matter how many downsides that has, sort of. & I do Identify myself by the things I do, mostly because in doing something you have the opportunity to help someone. I try to do the right things, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t but it’s a daily thing, y’know?

6. are you religious/spiritual?

Yah. You can see that with some of my answers but I am, though I know right now a lot of people assume that if you’re religious ( especially christian, on this site at least ) that it automatically means you’re this, this & this *insert any form of ism or phobic term* but that’s really not how it works. We’re all sinners & no matter what that still doesn’t change the way God feels about us ( no matter what, we, as humans think is sin, or sinful ) I could go on a lot about this topic, honestly it’s a big part of who I am. But personally, I love God, I have a personal relationship with him that I try to work on daily & grow with him daily, my God is all loving and I just wished more people my age, or at least people on here knew that?? I dunno, there’s just so much rhetoric surrounding Christianity & most of it is wrong & I just??? Mmmm I’m getting off topic but yes! I am! It’s like a huge part of what keeps me going, I love Jesus.

7. do you care about your ethnicity?

YES. Oh my Gosh yeah, okay well I’m white, lmao, but where I come from is still like, really important to me. It used to not be. I actually used to be kind of… not ashamed but embarrassed when my Mom did really dutch things. Like, ok backing up, My grandpa moved here from the Netherlands when he was in his early teens around the time that the holocaust happened, though I couldn’t give you the exact date because I’m hella forgetful but he came with his parents and he met my Grandma and u know the deal it goes down the line. But anyways I used to like, not like the things that came with being dutch, like, I just thought it was all stupid & silly, like clogs & doilies & stupid little things like my great grandma & grandpa always used to use forks & knives with everything because it was a custom where they came from & like, it’s all small things but over the years I’ve just learned to be really proud of where my family came from? My Grandpa went through a lot to come here, he saw a lot of things he never talked about and I didn’t know him well because I was young when he died but I just really love embracing my heritage there & stuff. 

Like I’m white yes, and I’m basically a ‘mystery white’ ‘cause my dad is a mutt  & my mom isn’t fully dutch either. I’m one of those 10% Irish 25% Hungarian 50% Dutch & 15% other type of whites, but??? I’m still proud of all of it?? Like I love learning about where I came from & who I am & I think everyone should be proud of all parts of their ethnicity. As Matthew Montgomery said: “ Love all your percentages. “  

8. what musical artists have you most felt connected to over your lifetime?

shiT fam, this is getting so long & it’s gonna get longer, okay let me just do like… two, tha two tops…

Demi Lovato: Obviously, I mean… obviously She is one of the people I look up to most and I don’t know where I would be if I never had her & her music in my life. She’s taught me so much about strength and confidence and overcoming something when it looks like it will be impossible. She’s helpped me grow into someone who cares & wants to learn & help others and I just admire her so much for what she’s done, for herself, for others and for never giving up when she could have. Not to mention the ballads that have helped me through really hard times, or the speeches she’s given that remind me I’m strong & capable 

Taylor Swift: *que everyone groaning who’s reading* anYWAYS I can’t even honestly write down or explain how many times that Taylor and her music has helped me when I felt like I wanted to give up, or how many times I have cried listening to songs that should not have resonated with me but did. She’s helped me to realize not only that I am important but that no matter what, despite what people may do to me, or make me feel that I’m still important and worth working on. She’s also shown me what goofing off can do to make you feel better, how not giving a shit has helped me move on from past relationships and how being unapologetically ME is okay

In fact, I feel like Demi’s taught me those things too. But they’ve both done it in different ways, which I think shows how beautiful loving yourself can be. Because you don’t have to love yourself how another person loves themselves. You have to figure out your own, unique way to view yourself & believe in yourself & love yourself & I think that’s just really beautiful. Now, they both hate each other ( or at least severely dislike one another ) but I just feel like they’ve both done so much for me and I don’t think I could thank either of them enough for showing me strength, beauty, confidence and love in the way they have. It’s insane how much of an impact people can have but they have. I could go on but I woont I promise.

9. are you an artist?

YES I am, though my skill can be debated I love drawing when I’m in the mood & painting & jst everything that has to do with art. 

10. do you have a creed?

I don’t know if this means religious, or… otherwise… but I mean, technically I’m a baptist christian ( i think? not sure anymore ) but like, I am Christian, I feel like, sadly, the beliefs I hold are a bit left leaning & less erm, strict? When it comes to how I interpret the bible, where as a my family is different, I think? I don’t know, but I just try to follow the teachings of Jesus & his disciples. “ Love others as I have loved you - John 15:12 “ I do go by other teachings but I think that’s the top of my list. Jesus loves us unconditionally, he died for us, lived for us, and rose again so we didn’t have to burn up in hell for eternity. The least I can do is show everyone the same kind of unconditional love he’s showed me throughout my life & make sure people know that though we do sin & are inherently bad at heart, he still loves us despite our downfalls and doubt. I don’t know if that really answers this question but I had to look up creed & this is the best answer I came up with SO, thank u for sending this in and I love u

[digikate813]

My Little Pony Re-Watch: Episode 47 Dragon Quest

*I know this is a pretty divisive episode, but it’s always cool to see the world expanded on. Which we see here with the introduction of the dragon migration.

*Also two bits of continuity with best pony. Fluttershy is still afraid of dragons, showing that one instance of bravery doesn’t immediately conquer a fear that big, and she was assertive in refusing to go with the others to watch the migration. I thought we also learned that being assertive meant not assaulting your friends, but like i said that episode didn’t present a great middle ground.

*So last time i said that an episode focused on Rainbow Dash and Spike could be fun, but I might have to take that back with how rude she’s being towards him here. I know this kind of teasing is on par with Rainbow’s attitude, but there is a point where you should realize you’re hurting someone’s feelings.

*Plus Spike made you baked goods. How about thanking him instead of making fun of his apron?! Screw what Rainbow says, Spike continues to be a great Number One Assistant.

*But the comments form his friends gives Spike a full on existential crisis. Wondering who he is and where he came from. What a coincidence! So do we. Twilight got Spike as an egg. We all know that and it’s fine that that’s all she knows. But who got the egg before then?! It was given to Twilight as a test subject to get into Celestia’s School, so no one on the school board, o even Celestia herself, knows how they got a dragon’s egg??? This is a question that is at the front of my mind with almost every Spike episode, and at this rate, it looks like we’ll never know.

*And apparently dragons are too rare and too scary to study. Well that explains why no doctor knew what was wrong with Spike in “Secret of My Excess”, and we have seen how difficult dragons are to approach, and will continue to throughout the series. I’m not as bothered by this explanation as most others are. It sounds fair to me. But again, they should have at least tries to contact who ever was in charge of Spike’s egg before Twilight’s test!! I’m just saying.

*And i like that after some debate and resistance from Rarity and Rainbow Dash, Twilight lets Spike go on his quest for answers. It’s kind of like letting an adopted kid try to find his birth parents. You don’t have the answers they want, so if they think they have a way to find them, you shouldn’t stand in their way.

*That doesn’t stop Twilight and the others from following them though. Which is probably for the best since as much as you want to be supportive towards the little guy, you also don’t him to get burned to a crisp or beaten to a pulp. 

*Love the score during the epic quest montage. It feels so much grander then it probably should.

*Cranky? What are you doing out here? With your old wig? Did they screw up the episode order again? That would have been a fun Easter Egg if this aired first.

*At first I thought Spike wound up in the Dragon Lands, but in hindsight it seems to just be a pit stop on the migration.

*I probably shouldn’t find the girls dragon disguise as funny as I do, but I do. There’s a reason Crackle was a really popular character for a while. Come to think of it, have we seen that dragon since?

*Spike runs into a group of teenage dragons who are the worst. I don’t really have anything constructive to say here. I know there’s this whole debate about how it just validates the ponies prejudices, and I admit I wouldn’t have minded if those views on dragons were challenged a bit, especially after what happened with Zecora, but I just don’t have it in me to raise a big stink about it. These guys aren’t worth it. They’re loud and obnoxious and the worst and I hate them. Not a fan of the designs either, but they get points for being as varied as they are. It’s not just a group of recolors. 

*Apparently dragons are impervious to lava. I hope Twilight is writing this down. This could be essential research. Plus it could have been a fun running joke of cutting back to Twi taking notes or something.

*So one thing that’s a common problem is Spike episodes is that Spike inevitably becomes the problem, that somepony else fixes. One way this episode stands out is that that’s not the case here. Spike is tempted to stay with the dragons, but who wouldn’t be? After his friends saying how much he wasn’t like other dragons, I buy that Spike would really value their acceptance, even if he probably shouldn’t but he’s a kid. 

*Cool! A wild group of Phoenix! And little baby phoenixes and little phoenix eggs. Awww!!

*So before the teenage dragons were just kind of annoying, but this is where I officially knew I hated them. They want to smash a phoenix egg, for fun!! I realize this is a thing adolescents do from time to time (like burning ants on an anthill) but it doesn’t make it any less horrifying.

*And this si why this isn’t a “Spike becomes the problem” episode. Because he stands his ground. He won’t let being a “true dragon” come at the cost of his morality. This is a line he won’t cross. And he states that clearly. And even if he’s afraid, he won’t give in even when these punks threaten him. That’s pretty brave and it’s one of Spike’s most admirable moments in the early seasons.

*Plus Spike gets a moment to remember who his real friends are. Standing up for him as he stood his ground. It’s kind of a shame they ran away form that fight though. I wanted to see these specific ponies beat the snot out of these jerks.

*Whoa. Twilight was able to teleport them all away at once. I don’t think we’ve ever seen her do that before. And this si a small thing i know, but I like the detail that they make Twilight looks tired for a minute after performing such difficult magic.

*Personally I think the message comes across well in this episode. That real family will love you for who you are, and raise you to be the best you can be. And Rainbow Dash’s teasing aside, they all showed how much they liked Spike even if he wasn’t like other dragons. And now, Spike’s okay with that. Because now he likes himself as much as they do and accepts that he’s different proudly. It’s a sweet conclusion. At least I think so.

*Oh wow! Spike gets his own pet? And it’s a phoenix?! That sounds awesome. I can’t wait to see Pee Wee pop up as regularly as the other pets and the trials and tribulations Spike will go through by raising such a unique creature. Let Pee Wee’s many many future appearances commence!!                      What?

In the end this episode is kind of a mixed bag. There are parts I really like and parts I can’t stand. It was definitely one of the better Spike episodes for a while for me. I get where it’s critics are coming from, and a lot of their points i can’t really dispute, but I just can’t seem to summon the same kinds of feelings towards this episode. To me, it’s pretty good, but not great. Next Time: Hurricane Fluttershy!