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Guest90210

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  1. Guest90210
    When did MLP reach its "peak"? Some in the fandom would say that peak was the end of season 2, in several different ways. From the first episode to the end of season 2, FiM went from a simple cartoon about ponies to a cultural phenomenon.
     
    Why did MLP:FiM experience a massive response from a teenage/adult audience? What is it about the first 2 seasons that caused such an explosion in popularity over a relatively short period of time? Here I list 3 scenes which I feel represent everything that made those seasons an instant hit.
     
    Scene 1: Train Scene - Season 1 Episode 21, "Over a Barrel"
     

     
    When I think of why I like FiM, I think of this scene. What makes it so interesting and representative of Season 1? It's simple, funny, and hints at an adventure to come. Why are they on the train? Where are they going? To put it simply, it gets you curious for the episode ahead while still being entertaining on its own. A lot of episodes from season 1 and 2 had great openings like this. The setup and subsequent pacing hooks the viewer from the start. The ponies' personalities all compliment each other. You could tell the writers put significant effort into making these characters likable and relateable. The train scene is a situation everyday people could see themselves in. It's representative of one of those nostalgic moments you and your friends recall years later.
     
    Scene 2: Derpy & Rainbow Dash (Original Version) - Season 2 Episode 14, "The Last Roundup"
     

     
    This scene to me represents the connection the fandom established with the show and its creators.
     
    The recut, edited version essentially ruins the appeal, but the original cut is one of the most memorable moments in the show's history. Anyone who's familiar with the show's history knows about Derpy. She started off as a background character with a slight animation error. Usually this wouldn't even have been noticed. But the fans saw this and imagined an entire character with backstory, a name, personality, and purpose. That was merely the beginning, however. Essentially every background character in the show was given a name (and usually, a personality) by the fans. The creative potential of all of this new material was endless. The fandom took the idea and ran with it.
     
    In response to this outpouring of enthusiasm, the gray mare known to the fans as "Derpy" was written into an episode. The scene manages to mirror the many interpretations of her personality perfectly. Her voice is clumsy and curious. Her unintended destruction of city hall is hilarious, and Rainbow's reaction just tops the whole thing off. To this day, people still talk about this scene, and the controversy that surrounded its portrayal of the Derpy character.
     
    Scene 3: At the Gala - Season 1 Episode 26, "The Best Night Ever"
     

     
    I considered putting "Winter Wrap Up" here, but I chose "At the Gala" because it represents a plethora of elements that made the first season such an instant success.
     
    "The Best Night Ever" was the culmination of an entire seasons worth of buildup towards a specific event. From as early as episode 3, we're told about the Grand Galloping Gala, an event of monumental proportions, an event of mystery, an event that would be unforgettable. Throughout season 1, the Mane 6 prepare for the Gala over the series of several episodes.
     
    Season 1 struck a harmonious balance between journey, slice of life, side-stories, and continuity. The majority of the season deals with character development, small stories, and bonding between the cast. However, spread between are mentions of the Gala, the continuous event which the viewer increasingly anticipates. We learn just enough about the Gala, and see the preparation for it by the ponies, enough to get excited about the arc's progression & conclusion, but not so much that we grow tired of the concept before it even happens.
     
    Instead of the stereotypical "fairy tale" ending one may expect, we're treated with the complete opposite. Nothing went to plan. All of the splendor the ponies imagined was nothing more than wishful thinking. Everything doesn't always go the way you imagine it will. But that doesn't mean the experience you do get isn't memorable.
     
    Beyond that, "At the Gala" is a nice song on its own right. Musical cues in FiM are important to the flow of things.
     
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    There are many more scenes I could have chosen. These are but a few. To summarize, what made seasons 1 and 2 of FiM such a captivating experience which caught the intrigue of a diverse audience was its balance, consistency, and continuity. The balance between slice of life and adventure made the world feel dynamic, not static. The consistency in its background characters makes the world feel populated by actual people and not nameless, soulless bodies. The visual & audio design was top-notch. Catchy, good on the eye, and easy to interpret in your own way via music, art, and so on. And finally, the continuous evolution of the ponie's development, and the progression of its story arcs made it something you wanted to keep watching.
     
    Seasons 1 and 2 are not without their faults and bad episodes. But overall, it's easy to see why they appealed to so many people.
     
    Thanks for reading. What are your thoughts on the matter? Which scenes (or even full episodes) from the first couple seasons made the biggest impact on you? What made the show appealing to you initially?
  2. Guest90210
    When somebody says “home”, what do you imagine? What set of particular visions illuminates in your mind? Do you perceive a physical place? Or an object? Or something entirely different?
     
    “Castle Sweet Castle” explores these interesting questions through a series of thought-provoking concepts.
     
    “Twilight's Kingdom” saw Twilight's home, the Golden Oak Library, which Twilight resided in during her life in Ponyville, destroyed in a monumental explosion. Perhaps we didn't realize it at the time, but a part of Twilight's world was shattered at that moment. Initially, the sight of falling debris and wreckage was a shock to her, but Twilight managed to hurdle those feelings of loss by channeling excitement about her new home which sprouted out of the box – with it came new opportunities for adventure and exploration. But time doesn't heal all wounds, and the wound inflicted by the loss of her home – the home that sheltered some of her most precious memories – was deeply stricken. Experience shows that the truth is, sometimes you simply don't know what you had until it's gone. The sense of loss and discomfort inevitably resurfaced, this time rendering Twilight incapable of feeling comfortable in her current residence. Her shiny new Castle only served as a reminder of what used to be. A shallow, empty collection of beautiful but dull corridors, a place that served as a house, but not a home. A roof, but not a shelter. In the same way that a clock does not create time but merely represents it, a house does not create a home, it merely tries to represent one.
     
    The ReMane 5 quickly take note of Twilight's bizarre change in behavior, and realize that something feels seriously off. Twilight does not like her new place, so much so that she'd prefer anything over having to spend time inside. The 5 have to figure out why. After sending her off with Spike, the cast of friends get to work making the Castle feel as welcoming and comfortable as possible.
     
    The fatal flaw in their plan is that they understand the issue, but are self-centered in their solution. While Twilight certainly loves and appreciates her friends, a collection of things that her friends enjoy is not necessarily going to make her feel at home. They created what appeared to be the perfect home – but the reality of the situation is that what makes a “home” is different for each individual. Instead of formulating Twilight's vision of a home, they subconsciously channeled their own vision.
     
    After stalling for more time, the friends rethink their approach. They realize that cramming in a bunch of objects, even if they were objects Twilight would appreciate, won't work. It's not about quantity, it's about quality. What Twilight misses most from the Library isn't necessarily the size and shape of the rooms & corridors, or the objects inside, but rather, the memories ingrained in those rooms. Some things in life are priceless. Memories are one of such things. They cannot be bought, sold, or traded. They simply are, and where they reside depends on where they were made.
     
    After a super catchy song and its reprise, Twilight's Castle breathes new life with the addition of a chandelier made out of the roots of the Golden Oak Library, with gems immortalizing the Libraries memories attached. No longer was the Castle seen as a burden. It was now an addition to the memories, and not just a sore reminder. It may only be a fraction of the old Library, but it's enough to make a dramatic difference for Twilight. My only complaint about the tail end of the episode, however, is the removal of the picture of the Mane 6. That would have been a nice touch.
     
     
     
     
    The old saying rings true – home is where the heart is. With the help of her friends, Twilight found her home once again. It was no longer a place to be avoided, but rather a place to confide in. A true “home”.
     
    This episode works on many different levels. The humor works (Twilight's crazy salon mane style, Spike's one-liners). Spike's role is welcomed, and executed well. I appreciate the notion that not only did Twilight lose a home, but so did Spike. He and his feelings mattered too, and its good to see the episode bring it up. The truth behind what makes a “home” is one of the most interesting, mature, and important morals in FiM. “Home” can be whatever you make it out to be, and whatever matters to you, whether its a physical place or not. I can relate whole-heartedly to Twilight's inner feeling of homesickness. I've bounced around from home to home throughout my life. Two out of the many houses I've lived in I've considered comfortable, real homes. The rest, like the one I currently reside in, felt more like roofs than shelters. The feeling of loss that occurs when you lose a home can feel like everything is falling apart. You lose a sense of safety and identity. It makes you question who you really are, and what you aspire for in life, and what you feel you're missing, what kind of spark you need to feel welcome again. Re-finding a home is like regaining that spark.
     
    To conclude this review/discussion/introspection of Castle Sweet Castle and its core message and concepts, and how its relatable, I'll say that I find the episode to be notably underrated. It's one of FiM's best and most mature episodes, one that can be appreciated by a lot of people.
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