#i just like that starlight glimmer has to take lessons on how to be normal in the show. i think thats real good.

[punkitt-is-here]

you gotta believe her

[lemon-sugarcoats-nothing]

🐝 TMI Tuesday: What inspired you to create your OCs?

🐝 - alright so this is a bit of a history lesson but not a super long one hopefully.

Lets start with the oldest of the characters, both in actual age and in creation date.

Kai - He started as a love interest for Mocha in the RP, he was a charming, wolf bad boy with a fresh face, pale skin and dark hair. Mocha wanted him to be edgy, some of that will be explained later in Shade's section. For the pony Kai, his inspiration is simply the current day version of his character; Our tall older brother, who looks after his siblings, partners and kids, and wants only the best for them, inspiration for such is taken from general older siblings in cartoons and anime that take care of their siblings when parents are out.

Shade - So for context, Mocha ( Mod for @cinnavanillamelody ) and I have a separate, non-pony rp world; Thats where most of our pony characters have their roots. In this world, Kai started as a werewolf vampire mix, then later just werewolf; He appeared more like your standard anime wolf boy but certain things with were more werewolfy than they are now. So his species changed to just Wolf. This is important for Shade's history, because Kai used to be a lot more violent as a character when full moon came around and he went all wolfy. Kai's violent wolfy side was later separated out into a separate state of consciousness (an alter but NOT in the DID or OSDD sense) and later got his own body. He was first named wolfy but later got renamed Shadowclaw, with Shade as his main nickname everyone used for him, after he got married. I later renamed him to Nightshade because I think it sounds better.

TL;DR: he started as a more violent version of Kai that later branched out into his own person and in a later reboot, a separate character altogether.

He still has some of his roots of being "wolfy" though, in that he can get violent when his family is being threatened. Like Kai, his and Lucious's pony forms are basically just inserts of their current day characters in the other rp! His design specifically though might change to look more like him in the normal rp, with a lighter coat, so that i can actually give him the eyeshadow looks he has normally. Some inspirations for him are Kpop and anime edgy boys in general, and manhwa's eyes.

Lucious: This one has a more straightforward answer, thank goodness. He again started as a love interest for Mocha, and doubles as Cinna's love interest in the pony world. His species in the normal world is inspired off of succubi/incubi and are considered a distant subspecies of Lust demon known as Love Bat. Mocha also requested he have a little Yandere to him, which is a side of him that only ever shows up when his lover(s) are directly put in harms way, or in an extreme case in AUs ONLY, during a messy break up. This translates pretty directly into his pony form, except instead of being a subspecies of demon, its just a different species of Bat.

Inspirations for his character are:

-Succubi/incubi -concepts of love and heartbreak and what happens when you pull them to extremes -Demons and the seven deadly sins -Yandere characters like Ayano (from the cursed simulator game), and more directly, Monika. -Boy bands (appearance and hobbies)

Last we havvee

Al - This one is the only one of the bunch to have started in the pony rp world! Also was Mocha's first, and the pony inspired the normal world version this time. Im not sure what her initial inspirations were, I think he started as a scary looking unicorn studying advanced magic and was either mistaken as a villain, or was the villain and kidnapped someone. If he WAS the villain, that concept has since been turned into mistaken for a criminal when he's innocent.

My contribution inspirations: -Twilight, starlight glimmer and sunset shimmer a little bit -Stories of the culture inside prison and how that can really mess a person up -personal research into the affects of abuse, neglect and abandonment, in part how that can lead to issues with substance abuse and addiction. -Personal family history of addiction and my older brother -And stories, both real and fictional, about how making the right connections can set someone on a brighter path in life and help them battle addiction and mental health issues. -For visuals of his usual design, japanese and korean webcomics.

I hope this is the type of thing you were looking for! 🐝

[gelatinocomics]

"The Maud Couple” Is Good, Actually

[ID: Pinkie Pie, Maud, and Mudbriar stand outside in the daytime, looking at each other. Pinkie is smiling and talking with her hoof raised, while Maud and Mudbriar stare back blankly.]

In my experience, The Maud Couple (S8E3) is generally an unpopular episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic due to the introduction of the contentious character Mudbriar. It's understandably unpopular among the queer fans, who hate to see a shoehorned-in hetero relationship, and some neurodivergent fans who might take issue with Mudbriar's portrayal of autism.

These are legitimate grievances, but I think people don't give this episode a fair shake. I've put some thought into it, and I ended up taking a positive message away from this episode, even if it wasn’t the one intended by the writers. I'd like to delve into my feelings on the episode, which might help you better appreciate an underappreciated character.

[ID: Starlight Glimmer, wearing a mining helmet, smiles and looks behind her. In front of her there are large yellow, blue, and green gemstones embedded in a cave wall. Maud and Starlight’s reflection appears in every facet of the gemstones. Maud looks down as she talks.]

"Another reason I like rocks – they don't exclude you if you're... different than other ponies." (S7E4 Rock Solid Friendship)

Maud Pie is undeniably neurodivergent. Since her introduction, fans on the autism spectrum found lots of things to relate to: her lack of tone regulation in speech, her special interest, and her general difficulty in following the social rules that neurotypical people take for granted. In her first appearance, the Mane 6 found Maud difficult to understand, and none of them could get along well with her. The one thing they could agree upon was their love for Pinkie Pie. Pinkie grew up with Maud and they have an unbreakable bond. It’s a running joke in the show that while other characters struggle with Maud’s oddities, Pinkie finds nothing unusual about her.

The Maud Couple saw the introduction of Mudbriar, Maud’s boyfriend who she met offscreen. However, in his first scene, we don’t know his relation to Maud; he’s just an abrasive character that Pinkie can’t stand. Pinkie is shocked to discover that Maud would fall “in like” (Maud’s words describing her relationship with Mudbriar) with someone like him.

The irony of the situation is that Mudbriar is shown to be just like Maud. Maud says they have a lot in common, and they’re happiest when discussing their special interests. Later, Starlight (already established to be good friends with Maud) points out that Mudbriar sounds just like Maud, and Pinkie has trouble accepting that. The rest of the episode is about Pinkie learning to respect her sister’s love for Mudbriar, even if she can’t personally understand it.

[ID: Pinkie Pie wraps Maud and Mudbriar in a hug as they all sit together on a clifftop. The sun is setting behind them. Maud looks at Pinkie and smiles, while Mudbriar looks blankly at Pinkie.]

“Technically?! You’re right!”

Those are the facts of the episode. If Maud is such a popular character, why do so many fans have a bad reaction to Mudbriar? Is the episode wrong in portraying them as the same?

For starters, I think it’s notable that Mudbriar was not initially a sympathetic character in this episode. His first appearance has him severely aggravating Pinkie Pie, and the audience can easily sympathize with her. It’s a clever bit of writing that gives the audience the same exact struggle as Pinkie throughout the episode. The trouble is that many fans don’t feel satisfied by the end, and they can’t embrace Mudbriar the way Pinkie does.

Let’s take a look at Mudbriar’s behavior. Unlike Maud, he has a habit of correcting people over any little technicality. He brings the conversation to a halt when someone speaks with any ambiguity or inaccuracy, even something mundane that most would overlook as a normal and expected part of conversation. In fact, it seems to be his primary mode of communication. Like Maud, he doesn’t follow the typical rules of social interaction, which can make his conversations awkward and unpleasant.

Mudbriar’s behavior can be particularly off-putting to anyone who has experienced something like it. People who engage with internet communities have probably seen their fair share of pedantry-- an obsession with details that's frustrating to anyone trying to carry on a genuine conversation. I’ve seen Mudbriar’s behavior compared to “mansplaining” and Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory, a character often cited as poor autistic representation (I can’t comment on this since I haven’t seen the show). The neurodivergent audience might not appreciate seeing an autistic character portrayed as annoying and abrasive, since that’s not how autistic people want to be seen.

[ID: Mudbriar and Pinkie Pie are standing in Pinkie’s party cave, with piles and shelves of party supplies in the background. Pinkie aggressively pushes her snout in Mudbriar’s face and scowls at him. Mudbriar looks down at her with a slight grimace.]

Mudbriar isn’t easy to get along with.

I’ve been very careful to avoid describing Mudbriar’s behavior as arrogant or rude, as it might initially seem. There’s a reason for this: Mudbriar is well-intentioned and never does anything mean. Despite the way his correction habit might come across, he never says anything to imply that he thinks he’s superior. He doesn’t look down on anypony. He genuinely tries to be helpful. He never even reveals any dislike for Pinkie Pie. Whether you would describe him as polite or rude is pretty subjective, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any real evidence that he’s condescending. Watch the episode again with this in mind, and you may find that Mudbriar is a much more pleasant character than you thought.

It’s pretty clear that his conversational habit has nothing to do with a sense of superiority. It could be better described as a simple quirk. He might genuinely have difficulty reading ambiguity in conversation, so he needs to find clarity before proceeding. It’s unfortunate that this quirk makes him come across as unpleasant, not only to neurotypical people, but also to other neurodivergent people who can’t vibe with this style of communication. But at least he found somepony who understands.

[ID: Maud and Mudbriar are standing outside in the daytime. Maud smiles at Mudbriar, who is talking happily with his eyes closed.]

Maud has no issue with Mudbriar’s constant corrections. In fact, they’re happiest when correcting each other.

So what does this say about his autistic rep? Well, every autistic person will feel differently. We certainly won’t all be able to relate to Mudbriar’s specific portrayal. But I’m sure a lot of autistic people can relate to being misunderstood for the way we talk or emote, for people reading extra meaning into our manner of communication that just isn’t there. I won’t say MLP:FIM is the most progressive show when it comes to autistic rep; there’s plenty to be said about its neurotypical perspective, consistently treating its autistic characters as a narrative “other”. But there’s plenty to appreciate as well.

This is the message I took away from this episode: at times in your life, you’re always going to meet someone with an experience you can’t quite understand or relate to. You may even be unable to get along with them for whatever reason, and that’s fine. Just give them a fair chance to be themselves without assuming the worst. This is a message I’ve taken with me everywhere, not just for neurodivergence, but for every way that people can be different from one another.

Is this the message that the episode writers intended? It’s hard to say. Pinkie Pie gets a lesson from her sisters about how people can be like geodes, and where Pinkie only sees a crusty exterior, Maud might see a glittering gem. It could be as simple as that. And you could argue that the writers failed to endear the audience to Mudbriar by the end. If they did, would that serve the message better or undermine it?

The Maud Couple can be a challenging episode to enjoy, but I like a good challenge, and I ended up enjoying it more once I took the time to think about it. And if you’ve read this far, I’m hoping that even if you can’t enjoy Mudbriar that much, you can at least appreciate what he stands for.

[ID: Pinkie Pie and Mudbriar are standing over a table in Ponyville. There’s a log wrapped up in gift wrap between them. They are smiling and shaking hooves with each other.]

[shadowcipher17]

Best Redemptions Of Friendship is Magic (Major Villains)

So today, in light of Season 9 approaching I’m going to give my ranking of reformed or redeemed major villains in Friendship is Magic and Equestria Girls because Friendship is Magic! However, this is going to be divided into four different categories:

Major Villians (Friendship Is Magic)

Secondary Antagonists

Equestria Girls Villains

Overall

So this can give insight on how many villains have been reformed/redeemed (because there’s too damn many) and who’s still left in play for Season 9 and the rest of Equestria Girls. So with that let’s start with major villains which are:

Luna/Nightmare Moon (Season 1 Premire)

Discord (Season 2 Premire) (technically Season 4 Premire because he spread the plundervines in the first place)

Chrysalis is still at large (Season 2 Finale) (Season 6 Finale)

Sombra is currently shattered into pieces (I’m not counting the comics show only) (Season 3 Premire)

Tirek is imprisoned at Tartarus (Season 4 Finale)

Starlight Glimmer (Season 5 Premire and Season 5 Finale)

Stygian/Pony Of Shadows (Season 7 Finale)

The Storm King is shattered into pieces (My Little Pony Movie)

Tempest Shadow (My Little Pony The Movie)

Chancellor Neighsay (Season 8 Premire)

Cozy Glow is imprisoned at Tartarus (Season 8 Finale)

So out of eight seasons and a movie we’ve had a total of 11 villains and 6/11 got redeemed or reformed, or take out those who are imprisoned or shattered and you still get 6/11 so Friendship Is Magic for the win! Ok onto the rankings!

6. Starlight Glimmer

Reformation: Her. Reformation. Sucked. Easily at the bottom and this is not because I don’t like Starlight as a character but even if I did like her, he reformation was rushed. SHE even has constant doubts about herself and what a suitable punishment for herself is. But let’s remember she has what she did from The Cutie Map also. But her reformation consisted of a song montage, hanging out with each of the Mane 6 for like a second, moving to Ponyville, and getting easily forgiven by the members of Our Town.

Redemption: Now Season 6, was obviously Starlight’s Arc of Redemption and...sure she learned how to not steal ponies cutie marks anymore...but that’s it. Other than that she still does the same mistakes and hasn’t really learned from them and it goes on past Season 6 too. In fact the thing that’s funny is that Celestial Advice showcased Starlight graduating and one of Twilight’s characteristics that she mentioned of Starlight is honest...then in the very next episode she decides not to tell Twilight about what happened with the map table. Graduating student, everyone. But she makes the same mistakes after she learns from them as everyone else in the show does but at least they tend to break out of it, Starlight so far hasn’t and I honestly don’t think she will.

5. Chancellor Neighsay

Reformation: Once again, it was quick and in a dire situation but it was alright. Neighsay learned not do judge different creatures...I guess. The Student 6 helped him escape the chains of Cozy Glow while he thought that The Student 6 were behind the stolen magic. Pretty solid lesson.

Redemption: He resigned the EEA medallion and that’s it. Nothing else is known.

4. Stygian

Reformation: The thing is...Stygian didn’t really get to do anything as the Pony Of Shadows...and that it wasn’t entirely his fault for being the Pony Of Shadows. However to be fair, if Stygian would’ve talked to the Pillars before hand about his having his own weight to the team then things would’ve possibly gone differently. But he only appeared in the second half as The Pony Of Shadow’s and the only thing he really did was destroy Ponehenge. *coughs* WASTEDPOTENTIAL *coughs*

Redemption: He wrote three books about his past that are hits. Currently in the comics helping Luna out.

3. Tempest Shadow

Reformation: She sees the meaning behind friendship and why it’s important as opposed to being alone and how she does that is by going off to the places where the Storm King liberated and tries to help out and correct her mistakes by thinking of others as opposed to thinking about herself and regaining something she lost.

Redemption: She shows it more in the comics where she meets her old friend Glitter Drops and the two make up with some time and an Ursa Minor cub. Currently helping Luna with a mission comic wise.

2. Princess Luna

Reformation: Her reformation lacks a bit only for the simple fact that she got blasted by The Elements and was turned back to normal.

Redemption: I’m not gonna lie, Luna is personally in my Top 5 Favorite characters in the series overall and the ways she’s trying to redeem herself are good. The best portrayal of this would have to be Luna Eclipsed where Luna was re-introduced and redesigned (still misses short mane Luna). Here the episode presents herself on how everybody feared her back as Nightmare Moon and she wants to redeem herself but she needs to adjust after being gone for a thousand years. (Season 8 tried and rushed it with the Pillars but I’m not really complaining). So Twilight helps her do just that and she wins back the hearts of Ponyville and...she has a few episodes about helping the CMC with their problems but the thing is that she’’s trusting again and not seen as Nightmare Moon but Princess Luna to everyone...except herself which is where Do Princesses Dream Of Magic Sleep comes in. Reformed villains tend to guilt trip about their actions and here’s why it works well for Luna in that episode, she doesn’t show up too often. She learned to overcome the guilt of her actions as Nightmare Moon to create the Tantabus in the first place and since then....has been pushed to the sidelines. And there was that one episode where her and Celestia were fighting over who has the worse duties and they both wanted attention form each other but...not getting into that.

1. Discord

Redemption: Admittedly, we still don’t know too much about Discord even after 8 seasons but I’ll say this. Discord has the best redemption arc in the whole series (not overall). Originally, Discord was faking the reform game just so that he could win Fluttershy’s trust so that she couldn’t use her Element Of Harmony against him so that he wouldn’t go back to stone and was playing her but he slowly began to see that she was genuinely being hospitable and kind when no one else would and he realized “after he was free” that in doing so would make him lose the one friend who genuinely cared about him and he didn’t want that and since then he’ll do anything for Fluttershy. He even nearly faded out of existence just so that he could make Fluttershy have a tea party that was suited to her liking.

Reformation: He still causes mischief pranks but it’s not like what he did in his debut episode. And he learned his lesson from Twilight’s Kingdom majorly to not trust bad guys and again your individual freedom isn’t worth losing a friend over...in Friendship is Magic’s case. Oh and...the Twilight and Discord dynamic is great honestly, if Fluttershy’s his favorite pony to be around, his second favorite pony to be around has to be Twilight, then Celestia. (I demand an episode with just those four)

But that’s my list on the best ranked reformations and redemptions in Friendship is Magic.

[princesssciset]

Hey everyone i’ll be answering your FAQ-ing questions

these are frequently asked and can't really be explained by sci-twi without it being a very out of character response.

SO I, shall explain myself as have done so many times on stream.

Why is sci-twi an alicorn when she didn’t earn em?

Earning the ability to be an alicorn (cause i can’t even consider it a right anymore because the show has bullshit reasons and the comic shows the actual spell to turn ponies into alicorns) is a load of horse shit. Not only are alicorns no stronger than a very skilled unicorn, they are no different than the queen of England and the whole royal family just sit there and look pretty while the actual government handles everything in the country. And another thing fuck all y'all who think twilight doesnt deserve her wings she had to cram 3 years of friendship lessons in like 2 weeks. fuck u too hasbro for not giving twilight her wings or ponytail! Like, i could’ve accepted her just being a unicorn but the up do is very important to her personality and just giving sci twi the basic twilight mane is cowardly and aggravates me to no end, SHE JUST LOOKS LIKE MOON DANCER! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED HASBRO ? WAS THIS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG ??

ok whew moving on.. 

Are Sunset shimmer and Sci-twi together?

Nope. they like each other duh but it takes a lot more than that to start a relationship. neither of them has the fuckin initiative to actually say “hey i think ur really cool i like hanging out with you will you be my girlfriend?” (cause fuckign same ajhfkldsfh) like sunset “asking her out” is more of a “will you accompany me tonight?” its not a date date but sunsets gay as hell and took a chance to just get closer to twi, its those darn lil nudges that get me all fuzzy.

Why are their cutie marks different?

b e c a u s e t h ey a r e n t ca r b o n c o p i es o f e a ch o th er. like i think my main issue with equestria girls designs is that they try too hard to keep everyone to look exactly like their pony counterparts but they all live different lives have different experiences which should lead to totally different personalities (which is why im pissed that sci twi’s look was just stripped from her as a pony AAAAA >:V) 

i even have an explanation as to why twilight doesn’t dress with her cutie mark, i have to keep writing around hasbros lame ass reasons AUHG 

im also really mad cause i love starlight glimmers outfit, she just LOOKS LIKe A NORMAL TEENAGER YO U COULDN’T DO THAT FOR EVERYONE ELSE ?!

i have a lot of anger...

Will they meet their counterparts?

Yes, though the majority of them aren’t plot driven so it’ll happen only if people ask like “how was visiting sugarcube corner?” or something like that.

why is this a sciset blog? theres already like a bunch out there.

Cause i like sciset and im willing to draw it through my entire college career, so sit ur entitled ass down and read the story. let me enjoy my science horse and bacon horse dammit.

Something else i wanted to bring up, please dont come into my inbox talking badly about other blogs. Im not here to start drama , i only look at it from a ten foot distance.

like sis if you got tea my im’s are open but don’t be spilling tea in my inbox if you aint gonna explain yourself. 

I’ll add more to this as the questions pile up again 

[tricks-up-my-sleeve]

((okay so spoilers for s8 ep 18 aka on the road to friendship under the cut w/ a bunch of spoiler tags just in case))

So uhhh this episode was everything I wanted? A lot of it’s subtle things, but, I’m ghkjlhgfd I’m not crying you are. I don’t do horse analysis or reviews or anything like that I grew tired of those types of things ages ago bc it personally gets to a point where it sucks out the fun for me but I’m just gonna make bullet points of all of my thoughts. Mainly involving Trixie and how this episode ties into my portrayal of her. Probably others too, though.

The little magic show at the beginning? Wonderful. I love these two performing together.. and together in general. Twi & Caddy even agree on how they’re such a good duo.

Speaking of which, Twi complimenting Trixie with a huge smile? HERE. FOR. IT.

Flurry Heart watching the show was adorable. Also the inclusion of Granny Smith was of course great.

“Doing a show with you is almost as much fun as counseling students at Twilight’s school.” Almost? I’m disappointed. It’s not the first time I’ll be disappointed in Glim this episode, but we’ll get there. She’s still loved.. but it gets rough.

Loved how Hoo’far called Trixie “Miss Powerful” and her reaction to it. Just cute and silly.

TRIXIE’S. LOVE. FOR. HER. WAGON. I didn’t expect this to be a big plot point in the ep or really ever brought up, but I was so thrilled because that’s always been a small part of my Trixie. She loves her wagon. It may be small and cramped (and also, it apparently has a pretty fucked up doorknob) but it has sentimental value. It means a lot to her. I loved this so much. Not once did she stop and consider trading it for something that a lot would look at and assume was superior.

Moonwalking Trixie.

Trixie bringing up how traveling gets pretty lonely a few times in this ep. Pretty much something that’s easy to guess or assume, but that’s also something my Trixie hasn’t been too shy of admitting, either.

Trixie!!! Levitating!!! Herself!!! She obviously learned that from Starlight. Although we didn’t see it much, I’m so fucking thrilled that we see that Trixie’s been improving her magic. An issue I had with To Change A Changeling (which is just a nitpick) is that they really don’t bring that up. Personally, ever since All Bottled Up, I’ve definitely been convinced that Trixie actually has strong potential for magic, given the right teacher. Glim Glam succeeds there. I could go more into detail to why I think this is but I’ll spare you.

Trixie on the couch in Starlight’s office. I don’t even have to say anything. Just perfect.

I love how Trixie painstakingly made room for the both of them in the wagon. To it’s credit, looking at it paused, it at least isn’t as small on the inside as it is the outside. It has an entire cannon in there. It seemed like she set up two beds for them? Perhaps at least one of them was makeshift? It’s hard to tell, since Star brought stuff and then she set up hammocks. It did look slightly cozier in there before the extra luggage, though. What I guess I’m getting at, is that although it’s a tight squeeze, it’s good to see that it can at least fit two ponies, although it’s not entirely ideal. 

Seeing the inside of the wagon’s been a thing I’ve wanted for ages. I could sit and look at every little thing in there and just smile for a while. Super cute.

Trixie really is sweet and considerate, you know. Seriously. Asking if Starlight is sure she doesn’t want to ride instead of walking with her, and giving her more than one chance to back out on the trip if she wants to.

THE SONG. Tell me I’m biased, I don’t care. This is my favorite horse song. I’ve waited patiently for pony Trix to sing... and it’s just.. all so fucking cute. Too much to take in.

More of Trixie’s magic shown in her shielding Starlight. Love it.

“For untold seasons yet to come, our friendship will be here!” “For nine, at least.” FUCKING. WOW. That’s clever but it also hurt my heart. Especially since my favorite friendship duo has only known each other for three of those seasons thus far, and ultimately it’ll only be four. Too soon, Glimmy.

Trixie talking about how she learned the hard way about life on the road and saving bits and all that. I like that. It shows her more mature side, and that she’s a little street smart from experience. Usually she’s kinda shown as less mature than Starlight, and this episode shows the flip side, which I really like.

I love how she’s adamant on buying hay cakes (Haycakes? They’ve used the word pancake before, though. What’s the difference?) from her preferred stand. Like.. me too, Trix. Clearly there’s a higher quality in the line that’s actually got ponies in it.

This is where Trixie and Starlight really start to argue like a married couple. Here I thought Applejack and Rainbow Dash took the prize for that. This is so domestic tho.

The first argument, at least, is short lived. I really liked that. Trixie sighs, presumably not wanting to push farther to where she hurts Starlight’s feelings. Love how she says “No, of course not.” and continues to apologize for getting snippy. She’s really improved on being.. to put it lightly, less bitchy. It’s what I love about watching her, and while To Change A Changeling was hilarious, that was my other nitpick. She had an attitude almost the entire time.. but it was funny, and I wouldn’t go as far as to call it OOC, so I wasn’t mad. The reason Trixie appeals to me so much is that she’s definitely a much nicer pony, but she’s still her. She hasn’t seemingly changed overnight from the first time we saw her, but she’s definitely made an effort. She’s quite the sweetheart when she wants to be.

I love how Trixie states that it’s taken her years to collect all of her magical items. I just think it’s neat. Also, rightfully getting offended when her stuff is called junk.

Coward Trixie returns. This is definitely me looking too deep into it but personally I’d like to think that yeah, after the Ursa event, I’d be scared of animals outside, too.

Starlight snoring and Trixie outright performing in her sleep. Lmfao. I’ve said this like fifteen times already about other things but I love it.

I relate to these tired and grumpy girls, but even I would have made sure to save some food / juice for my pal. Well.. maybe the juice was definitely out of spite. Wish I could scold her, but I would’ve done the same thing.

The grouchy magic show hurt me to watch. It was still funny though. Again, definitely arguing like a married couple. Two tired, angry friends trying to work together is just never gonna turn out right.

I love their voices in the “Practice makes perfect.” “Not today it didn’t.” exchange. So sassy. So higher pitched. Those faces, too. Lol.

Starlight throwing all of Trixie’s shit out followed by Trix yelling “You can HAVE IT ALL!” Oof. Almost like I’m watching a breakup right before my very eyes. Also the way she runs off. These poor hopeless gays.

STARLIGHT GLIMMER CONFIRMED WORST GIRLFRIEND. I’mjustkidding. Naturally I saw this coming from a mile away, but still. Wow. Ouch. I do like though how it seems to be consistent that she can be defensive of her bad decisions. Not really realizing that what she’s doing is wrong.

TRIXIE FREAKING OUT, THEN BEING BROUGHT TO TEARS BECAUSE STARLIGHT TRADED HER WAGON. This hurt me more than you could imagine, but what hurt me even more is that Starlight didn’t even flinch, and was completely insensitive about it for a while. Yikes. I already went into how much I love Trixie’s attachment to her wagon, but this killed me.

Also, pretty sure that selling or trading somebody else’s stuff is illegal, Star. Trixie shouldn’t have beef with Hoo’far. She should just be planning a lawsuit against Glimmer instead.

Am I just crazy or stupid? When Trixie tells Starlight that at least the wagon wouldn’t have traded her away, I was like, yEAH, you’re valid. Tell her. It made total sense to me. Then Starlight just responds with “That’s ridiculous.” Like?? It wasn’t to me? I sound silly now bc I get the joke, it’s an inanimate object, but what I’m trying to get at is that Trixie was pretty much trying to say that if Starlight really was her best friend she wouldn’t have done that.

I love how Trixie doesn’t accept the flattery from Hoo’far like she normally would bc she’s real pissed. To be fair, though, it’s really not his fault. I mean.. okay, a little, considering he should have known that it didn’t belong to Starlight, and that the trade needed to be given the okay by Trixie. He’s not a bad guy, though.

TRIXIE LYING IN FRONT OF THE CART FOR HOURS BC NO WAY IN HELL IS SHE LETTING THIS GUY TAKE IT. AMAZING. Give it up for his patience, too.

Starlight finds out that you win some and you lose some with the bigger caravan. Also, I love how she didn’t realize how fucked up stuff was when she was with Trixie and having a good time. Her regret sinking in seems about right. You can see her start to miss her.

“Sometimes travelling together is hard.” “But you reminded us that you can also make it fun!” Definite lesson that these two needed. Obviously Starlight was breaking before hearing that, but those big sad eyes she gets after. Regret.

“What are you two doing?” “Taking a stand! By lying down!” Lmao. Never change, Trixie.

“Best friends who share a deep bond but weren’t prepared for the emotional challenges of traveling.” Oh, definitely. Really feel like their first trip should have been a short one. Possibly with more planning ahead of time.

Best. Friendship. Chant.

“Only true friends would be willing to act so ridiculous for one another.” Aww. True.

“At a certain point, I don’t even like travelling with myself.” Line I really liked. Also Starlight saying that it’s harder than she thought.

Despite their exchange about knowing not to do it again, eh, still not wanting to completely rule out the thought of them travelling together in the future. Like I said, with more precautions taken, pretty sure they could’ve been just fine. Mainly reserving a room at an inn, since the big issue really just seemed to be them getting crabby sleeping in the wagon. Would’ve preferred it if it kinda gave that lesson and had Trixie say that they’ll know how to handle it next time, with both of them saying yeah, but let’s not make that anytime soon.

Trixie and Starlight almost killed an old man.

That’s it, if anyone even read through all of that. Can’t really say much more. This may or may not be my favorite Trixie episode. I’ll have to give it some time, but I loved almost everything about it. (No Second Prances is my current favorite I suppose, due to it also validating a lot of how I viewed Trixie at the time, and still do.)

Like I said.. it’s just really refreshing to see her take on a more mature stance than Starlight for the most part, since other episodes usually show the exact opposite. Not that Starlight is incredibly mature in her own right, but she does usually take that role when it comes to her dynamic with Trixie. I love any chance we get to see Trixie, but in episodes like To Change A Changeling, sometimes I worry that they don’t give her enough credit. She’s not a complete incompetent bitch, and to be fair, I don’t think she ever really has been. I won’t go into how I personally view her flaws, though. Guess that could be another post.

Until next time. Hopefully there is another next time. Starlight’s line in the song about nine seasons still has me all fucked up and I need help. Maybe one day I could go back and do these for past Trix episodes.

[opallene]

10 fandoms, 10 characters

Aka apparently laying my soul bare, and if you read this you’ll probably get to know me quiite well. ._.

Rules: Choose 10 different fandoms and pinpoint your favorite character from each one. Then tag 10 more. I was tagged by @citrus-cactus !!

1. Digimon: Koushiro Izumi (Izzy).  It is certainly a close call between him and Taichi, but when I “got back into” Digimon early in high school (and found all of the glorious Japanese content, including and especially the character image songs), I found that Koushiro/Izzy was my spirit guide in a way no other character could be.  Always value the truth-seekers and “explainers” in your world, and be one if that’s your nature (=me, or so I’ve always figured), but that nature is not without its difficulties.  Koushiro was an inspiration to me as he learned to open up; enjoy experiences, the world, and other people more; to not be so serious and insular all the time.  Thank you, Toei, for this beautiful and pure child who helped me learn life lessons and stuff.

2. Pokemon: Clem-onnnntt!  Right back atcha, my fangirl bff!  Our shared obsession with Clemont (and really, all of XY(Z) but especially Clemont) nurtured a great friendship that I am truly thankful for! （*＾3＾）/    But of course, there are GOOD REASONS why Clemont is so worthy of being the object of obsession.  Okay, so there is a theme going so far, I guess.  Socially kind of awkward nerd who focuses on the stuff he already understands well and needs a kick in the pants to get out into the world and Experience Real Stuff.  It’s so relatable how Clemont always really, really wants to do the right thing and gives himself a really hard time when he thinks he’s failed.  Kid has a heart of gold.  His friends don’t appreciate him enough, and as much as I ship Diode, even Ash doesn’t quite deserve him. tbh!!

3. Yuri!!! On Ice: Yuri Plisetsky.  Hmmkay, so this kitty cat doesn’t go out of his way to make anyone like him, but that’s probably what is so good about him.  I like characters who focus on themselves, because I believe I will never have that ”mom” instinct to put others first, and I guess I probably find validation watching characters with a tendency toward self-preservation find their groove and find success.  Yuri(o) is an underdog(cat?) because of his young age.  He fights relentlessly, but crucially, he is playing by the rules - He understands early on that you have to improve your own self in order to win.  It’s not about taking anyone else down a peg.  This is important.  His words can be sharp, but I think he and everyone else know that they’re just a blunt knife for little more than show.  What’s a tsundere to do when the world is full of annoying people?  Oh yeah, cuddle the cat and flaunt that leopard-print luggage with no apologies.  And be as beautiful and as deadly as possible.  l love this rough-edged but ultimately very clean Ice Tiger so much.

4. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Starlight Glimmer.  I don’t talk about MLP much here.  Or, I guess, anywhere?  I’m not really “involved” in the fandom (Bronies: meh), but I’ve seen every episode and am close to catching up on every issue of the comic book.  Twilight Sparkle (nerdy, friendless, insular protagonist - gee, pattern) was always my favorite for a long time, but she eventually got kind of stagnant.  (There’s only so much you can do when she’s “learned all of her lessons” and become an “expert” in the subject of Friendship by the end of the third season...)  Starlight Glimmer is a LOT like Twilight, but she comes with a darker past and a sassier edge (and very specific avoidant tendencies when she’s experiencing anxiety).  She’s very sharp, and maybe a bit more intuitive than book-reliant Twilight.  It’s as if she’s older and wiser than the other ponies in some ways, but far behind them developmentally in others.  Relatable again, I think?  Anyway, everything she does gets my attention.  I look forward to her continued development.

5. The Lion King/The Lion Guard: Fuli.  I guess I have to treat this all as one fandom since it’s the same universe.  Much as I’ve always loved Princess Kiara (and Nala, and, well, every lovely and fierce feline lady), Fuli ultimately gets to be Top Cat.  If you only ever watch one episode of The Lion Guard, make it “Fuli’s New Family.”  It kind of changed my life (errr, even though I’m a grown-up) because just knowing that a cartoon aimed at small children is explicitly sending the message that it’s okay to be a loner sometimes and enjoy your time apart from others is so_extremely_important to me.  I don’t think I ever saw anything close to this type of Validation of Introversion when I was actually a small child, but I’m sure I would’ve made good use of it in coming to understand myself better.  Young introverts of today will not want to miss Fuli.  She’s also got sass and confidence to spare.  A+ Role Model Cheetah.

6. Clarence: Jeff Randell.  This Cartoon Network show is such a gem.  Jeff seems like your basic Type A at first, but...Well, that’s basically what he is.  Jeff’s neuroses and self-destructive habits never fail to make me laugh at myself.  He’s really kind of a selfish character, too, and I think what this show gets right is how...real that is?  Several imperfect personality types are displayed in a forthright manner, while the show still manages to be very light-hearted and silly.  Jeff takes Serious Things (like gold stars in the classroom) Seriously.  He’s kind of a germophobe.  He detects slights easily, and overreacts to them.  He spends money he doesn’t have on collectible crap.  Yep, Jeff is pretty relatable.

7. Archie Comics/Riverdale: Jughead Jones.  All right.  I’m not gonna get into the What Even Is This Version rant about Riverdale, because I don’t think my followers care, but let’s just treat it all as more or less the same fandom since canon gets reinvented in comics all the time anyway.  I’m certainly not well versed in all of the Archie Comics history, but I’ve been reading the 2015 reboot comics faithfully, and scattered classic stories here and there.  Jughead does what Jughead feels like doing and doesn’t give a crap.  Whether it’s because he has a troubled home life and is cynical about humanity, or because he just really, really likes food, Jughead’s interests and point of view are always a little off-beat, and tbh, whatever he is up to is usually far more interesting than the relationship drama that surrounds him.  Plus, he’s kind of a cutie-pie, especially in D. Charm’s art style.

8. The X-Files: Dana Scully.  I mean.  Mulder and Scully both are the eternal best (and probably only fandom-worthy) law enforcement duo to ever exist.  But Scully (The Skeptic™) is a role model for girls and women everywhere.  She elevates science, speaks her mind and does not take shit, including and especially when that shit is coming from her male coworkers.  I am eternally grateful that they were able to cast her as a “normal” woman (pretty, but not a bombshell) in spite of the wishes of the Fox network when the show was being developed.  Scully is badass (but also vulnerable in ways that make her interesting as a character) and will always be one of my favorite fictional ladies ever.

9. Peanuts: Peppermint Patty.  Charles Schulz introduced Peppermint Patty in 1966, when “Women’s Lib” was a hot topic and being a tomboy was still not nearly as acceptable as it would become in later decades.  Peppermint Patty wears shorts and Birkenstocks, and is the best baseball player in town.  Popular fan consensus is that she is a lesbian, but that was never confirmed by the creator.  I think it’s super important that she has displayed all manner of thoughts and emotions, from the blunt “masculine” to the very insecure and emotional “feminine.”  She’s another character who just is who she is, without trying to conform to anything in particular.  I’m pretty sure I thought she was a boy for awhile when I was a kid, lol.  Whether or not they were meant to be read as a couple (heck though, I ship it), I adore her interplay with her constant companion, Marcie.  These two characters really made this comic strip shine above and beyond to me.

10. Hey Arnold!: Helga Pataki.  I’m sorry, but is it actually possible to have a different favorite character from this show?  Helga was Tsundere to the max, before I ever even knew that was a trope.  Maybe she helped define the trope, I don’t know.  In my world, she did.  Everything about Helga was so extreme, but so raw and genuine.  And hilarious, and kind of heartbreaking.  This show went so far as to depict her in therapy over her deeply repressed obsession and her borderline neglect-case home life.  Ballsy for a kids’ cartoon.  I will always be rooting for Helga, and can’t wait for the new TV movie.

Not tagging, but anyone who wants to do this (and say I tagged them), please do!!  You might just learn about yourself...Ahahaha.