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Dark Qiviut

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  1. Dark Qiviut
    Have you ever seen a half-assed excuse used so much, it drives you crazy? Way too many drive me nuts, and one of them is "it's for kids" — specifically "it's for little girls" in and out of the fandom — as an excuse for shortcomings. As far as FIM (and this message board) is concerned, when making an in-depth analysis or review of something, the most common response I get and see is the "FIM is for kids/little girls" excuse. Friendship Is Magic's show and IDW comics are for all ages, enjoyable by anyone. But even if it was simply "for kids," it doesn't change the fact how that STUPID argument should forever be quelled.
    Why should it never be used again? A few reasons:
    It goes against the foundation of Friendship Is Magic. Back when Lauren Faust helped lead the show, she wanted to create a feminine-looking television product with brand new archetypical standards. Instead of school, the mane ponies are adults, some of them with full-time jobs. (The first part of the pilot — Twilight being transported to Ponyville from Canterlot — is a response to this cliché.) Rather than focusing on crushes all the time, every single mane character is independent and free-willing with more important things to do. Faust tells its audience there are many ways to be a girl in media besides the stereotypes. For the most part (outside of A Canterlot Wedding, Twilicorn, and EQG), it succeeds in subverting those archetypes and create new, feminist rules of intelligent, hardworking, independent females in media.
     
    By using the "it's for little girls" excuse, you're spitting on those foundations. You're telling everyone these foundations have no merit; they're pointless. It talks down to Faust and any single person who actually comprehends the standards they — DHX and Faust — instilled on the product as well as the standards they (the people behind the scenes) are responsible for helping build and raise. It's very ageist. By throwing around the "it's for kids" excuse, you're saying kids are inherently stupid and will eat up any shit they see. This mindset is dangerous, because kids are like magnets. They observe their surroundings and respond accordingly, sometimes acting like their idols. Yes, including fictional characters. Quality family-friendly television is important because you want high-quality protagonists to be well-written and suitable for kids to love and idolize. Three-dimensional characters who stay in character, mature along the way, and properly learn their morals through the right context are vital in family-friendly entertainment. If adding to that, intelligent conflicts, intelligent humor with multi-layered referencing to appeal to a wide audience, intelligent graphic design, great music scoring, and so on. Writing that respects multi-demographical audiences regardless of age, sex, or culture. The excuse patronizes kids. By patronizing kids, you're embracing mediocrity. Even if you claim you don't, dishing out the "it's for kids" excuse shows otherwise. Do you know the basis of why this fandom grew and sustained it? Because the quality of the storytelling reaches out to people young and old. Objectively good writing doesn't segregate demographics. The embrace of mediocrity does. Whenever you use "it's just a kids'/little girls' show/*whoever audience*," then you're passively calling Friendship Is Magic — and every single product with an audience in mind — inherently weak. Any product worth our time and money respects demographics across the board. Including periphery demographics! Products that do use this excuse are often to be complete garbage.
     
    You want examples of the latter? Fine.
     
    a. My Little Pony: Equestria Girls. You already know how much how I hate this overrated, idiotic, antifeminist piece of shit (along with its sexist toyline), so I'll move on.
     
    (But some don't know this, and I'm not joking, either. I actually respect Tales, G3, and G3.5 more than Equestria Girls. While they're all garbage, EQG tries and fails to mask its bold-faced lie that it's FIM-related [when it genuinely isn't]; but the other three actually show it's MLP, minus the audiences they're pandering to.)
     
    b. My Little Pony Tales, G3, G3.5. Just like Equestria Girls, obnoxious toyetic pandering to little girls at its worst. Tales also deserves the scorn for making the characters unlikeable, stupid, and overly cynical for the sake of "realism."
     
    c. Modern Spongebob. Watch A Pal for Gary, One Coarse Meal, Are You Happy Now?, The Splinter, Pet Sitter Pat, any modern episode that tortures Squidward, and so on. The writers for Spongebob today don't know nor care what made classic Spongebob successful, and Nickelodeon itself doesn't care.
     
    d. Nickelodeon's Breadwinners. There are reviews (both video and otherwise) bashing the show apart on sites like YouTube or TV.com. Or at the very least, you can read my rant. How the FUCK did this insulting piece of trash become the #1 cartoon on Nickelodeon for a bit? I don't get how anyone can enjoy it unless they want kids to enjoy quality equivalent to JERSEY SHORE! (And, yes, I compared that "reality" monstrosity to a Nick cartoon "for kids." I won't take it back.)
     
    e. Series 8-16 of Thomas & Friends. The stories are far too generic. Several of the newer characters show up once and never again (something that's been rectified with the CGI era). A bunch of trains and other vehicles to pander to young kids and third-party companies that produce their toys. Massive flanderization and derailment of the characters with complete disregard for the Laws of the Railway. Fortunately, the new team from Series 17, KotR, and 18 are apparently pushing the series in the right direction; and I suggest you watch them.
     
    f. Approximately every single anime 4Kids dubbed and mangled. One Piece, I'm looking at you!
     
    g. Many of the Disney animated movies in the late-1990s through mid-2000s like Chicken Little, Pocahontas II, Belle's Magical World, Home on the Range, Hunchback of Notre Dame II, and Cinderella II.
     
    h. Star Wars's prequels, especially The Phantom Menace and Battle of the Clones. Jar Jar Binks, a character with the purpose of pandering to children, was slammed for this along with being a racial stereotype. (There's a reason why he's basically nonexistent nowadays.)
     
    i. As a big Gargoyles fan, The Goliath Chronicles is full of flanderization, lapses of logic, poor animation, and also out of characterization. This product spits on those who watched the first two seasons along with the newcomers.
     
    And this is only the shit marketed "to kids." I can go out and bash horrific entertainment aimed at adults, too. It's an outrageous double standard that demeans the fandom, its growth, and its sustainment. Since points go through one ear and out the other, I'll repeat it: Do you know or remember why the fandom sustained in its size? Because the show has a quality that bridges demographics together. The characters are relatable. Several high-quality episodes emotionally connect with people on a very deep level, like Suited for Success; Hurricane Fluttershy; Testing Testing 1, 2, 3; Pinkie Pride; Winter Wrap Up; and Sleepless in Ponyville.
     
    You can't say plenty of the content bridges beyond the base demographic, yet simultaneously claim this is a product "for five-year-olds" and that the older voices don't matter one bit. Like what Tommy Oliver lambasted in his Equestria Girls review, these statements are incongruent, and "it's for kids" is inherently hypocritical. It's either for all ages (which it is, and anyone who claims otherwise is lying) or "for little girls" (who, by the excuse, you imply that they deserve the pandering schlock that nearly killed the franchise in the first place). The people you're talking to doesn't determine the quality of the product. The execution of the content determines the overall quality of your product. The audiences you're trying to attract only determines the content rating — what is allowed or not by law. Friendship Is Magic, for example, is rated TV-Y in the US, by far the strictest rating. Hasbro and DHX can't afford to put in more graphic content in hopes of not having the FCC or standard-and-practices lawyers being sicced on.
     
    A few decades ago (notably the 1990s), several cartoons weren't afraid to step across the boundaries and deliver quality entertainment. Sure, some of them were misses (Powerpuff Girls's Mime for a Change for its out-of-character ending; Collect Her for its mean-spirited commentary towards older fans), but plenty were hits. Hey Arnold! (not one of my favorites) is a great cartoon that took its audience seriously and portrayed many city and child problems tactfully, thus expanding the characters' dimensions. Courage the Cowardly Dog is unbelievably creepy with plenty of great slapstick, but it wasn't afraid to tackle real problems and portray them seriously; check out The Mask for its commentary on domestic abuse, sexism, and homosexuality. Or another Hasbro product: Beast Wars's "Code of Hero." Heck, even pre-movie Spongebob is still remembered because most of the time, it didn't fall into the traps that factually bad animations make.
     
    Then again, if Nickelodeon can get away with close-up shots of ripped toenails, portraying suicide realistically to mock it (twice), blatant animal cruelty, racist stereotypes, and rape jokes in cartoons rated TV-Y7, then— I don't wanna think about that idea anymore! NEXT! Kids are never a target audience. A target audience is the idea of selling a product to someone. Do you think kids are going to be buying those products? No. So how do they get? By their guardian's approval. The guardians (particularly ones with common sense) decide if the product is suitable in both content and quality for his or her kid(s), not the kids themselves. And what "children's" television works best? Ones where kids and adults are treated with equal respect. MLP:FIM, in terms of the comics and animation, is suitable for all ages. Young kids, teens, parents, and any adult who enjoys quality animation. It's the same audience as the Disney classics, Pixar, several classic children's books, and other current products of today that know what they're doing. If people love and enjoy factually bad shows as kids, there's a chance they'll enjoy factually bad shows as adults, too; that's intolerable. Kids should be directed to quality family entertainment so they can create sets of standards.
    Because kids are easily influenced by the voices and sights surrounding them, family entertainment should be enforced with STRICTER and HIGHER standards, not lower. If the quality is good, it should be recommended. On the other hand, if it's bad, it should be called out and criticized sternly — if it's abominable, very harshly. "It's for kids" is no excuse for bad concepts, bad executions, bad animation, bad writing, and bad products in general. The more various sections of the brony fandom and people in general use it to bypass quality flaws that make or break the story; episode; comic; or movie, the more they'll accept any kind of quality, including the really bad kind that Spongebob's going through now and Thomas until last year. The less the lazy "it's for kids" handwave is used and the more the excuse is called out, the better.
  2. Dark Qiviut
    The Internet can be a really great or really dangerous place. The trolling that Chris-Chan has had to face for the past seven to eight years highlights the dangers of the Internet. "Autism," a clinical diagnosis, has been used as the new and so-called "cute" ableist slur, and apparently 4chan appropriated it as a result of Chris-chan's naivety and use of his condition as why he behaves the way he does.
     
    But you know what? I don't care if Chris has been sexist or doesn't understand the concept of transgender. There's no good reason to be a troll, period! It takes a special dose of scumbag to troll him. And it takes an ever bigger dose of scumbag on top of it to claim he deserves to be trolled. How do you feel if you were stalked for hundreds of hours, lured to reveal a lot about your life, researched you even more, and then posted every single thing about your life on websites dedicated to mocking you and doxxing you? Not fun now, is it? That's what happened to Chris-chan; hundreds of hours were spent to not give him any privacy. Why? To borrow one of the most pathetic excuses to troll (and one of the worst online memes of all-time): "for the lulz."
     
    Trolling isn't cute or funny. It's sadistic. The cyberbullying of Chris-Chan and the victim-blaming to go along with it proves Mr. Enter's point about how modern online trolling shouldn't be celebrated, condoned, ignored, or tolerated. The whole saga is one of the saddest cases of online trolling I've ever seen and is one reason why I wouldn't mind if modern trolling becomes a felony.
  3. Dark Qiviut
    MLB is in a lockout, but the Hall of Fame ballot isn't.
    To repeat from my past blog, every year, a select group from the BBWAA has the privilege to vote for a select number of players approved by the Screening Committee. In order for a former player to qualify for the ballot, they had to have played for at least ten years and not play for five afterwards.
    This year, thirty players qualified for the ballot, and residential ballot tracker Ryan Thibodaux re-created its layout for online tracking purposes.

    Here's one filled out:
    Any writer with the privilege to vote for the Hall of Fame can vote anywhere from zero to ten players and pick whoever they choose. In other words, they can vote for a player now after not voting for him last year, and vice-versa. Also, pay attention to the date bolded on top. All ballots must be postmarked by December 31 and mailed back to the Hall of Fame to count. Over the years, some ballots got lost in the mail.
    There are three main ways for anyone to get knocked off are if they get elected, don't get elected after ten years, or get less than five percent of the electorate. If they don't get elected, they'll be eligible to be reviewed and potentially elected via one of the four Veterans Committees.
    If you look at Thibodaux's re-creation of that ballot, four former players are in the last year of eligibility on the writers' ballots. If Bonds, Clemens, Schilling, and/or Sosa don't make it, they'll likely become part of the Today's Game Committee ballots, which rendezvous next December.
    I don't have a ballot, but if I did, this was my ballot from last cycle:
    Abreu Bonds Buehrle Clemens Tim Hudson Andruw Jones Rolen Sheffield Sammy Sosa (+1) Billy Wagner The "+1" means I'm voting for him this cycle after not doing so last year. Also… (copied from the last blog):
    These are my ten, much of this C&P'd:
     Bobby Abreu: One of the most underrated hitting outfielders. While he doesn't wow the crowd, he was a very consistent, high-quality hitter. While he has a career .291 average, his 128 OPS+ (On-base plus slugging while adjusting to the era and parks they played in; a number of "100" is league-average), 1476 walks, 574 doubles, and .395 on-base percentage explain why he averaged a 5.2 WAR from 1999-2006 and finished his career with a 60.2 WAR. He also stole bases in high quantity, stealing 400 over his career. At 5.5% last offseason, he barely survived his first cycle. Thankfully, he's getting some more support and may have a shot to be on a few more years.
      Barry Bonds: Nothing needs to be said about the greatest hitter since Hank Aaron retired. #1 all-time in homers, walks, and intentional walks. Career 182 OPS+ and 173 wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus: a measure of the quality of the player on offense, weighed in by the era and ballpark environment; "100" is league-average). Steroid-aided or not, his stretch from 2001-'04 (where he won the NL MVP each time; he has a record seven altogether) is one of the most dominant of all time.
      Mark Buehrle: One of the most underrated, quiet pitchers. While he may not scream "Hall of Fame" on the surface, he has credentials. A workhorse who pitched to soft contact, the only years he didn't log in 200 innings were 2000 (his rookie season, where he was a reliever) and 2015 (his last, missing the mark by 1.1 innings). He was also extremely quick on the mound, often spending no less than ten seconds per pitch. Since 1990, he's only the eleventh pitcher to win 200 or more games, winning 214. Was the ace of the White Sox when they won their first World Series in 88 years in 2005. He has four Gold Gloves and is an excellent defender; this play from Opening Day 2010 being his best play of his career and best play of the season.
    Here's more about Buehrle's credentials that I recommend reading: https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/white-sox/why-white-sox-legend-mark-buehrle-belongs-hall-fame
      Roger Clemens: Making his debut in 1984, the most consistently dominant pitcher in the last forty years. Steroid-aided or not, his 354 wins is third-most all-time in the live-ball era (behind Maddux's 355 and Warren Spahn's 363). Pitched 220+ innings in a season 11 times, 230+ nine times (and led his league or the majors twice). He holds the record for the most Cy Young Awards with seven, getting his last in 2004 (his first and only one in the NL). His 138.7 pitching WAR and 4916.2 innings are most and second, respectively, for a pitcher not in the Hall.
      Tim Hudson: This dude will likely fall off the ballot, but Tim Hudson was a really good pitcher for a really long time. Received votes for the Cy Young four times (including finishing the runner-up to the hyper-dominant Pedro in 2000). 2014 World Champ pitching for the Giants. Was part of a dominant trio of pitchers during the first part of his career with the A's (along with Zito & Mulder). While w/ the Braves, he was their anchor at the top of the rotation. Finished with 222 career wins, a 3.49 ERA, 120 ERA+. Four-time All-Star.
      David Ortíz: Edgar Martínez is the greatest DH. Who's #2? Big Papi. I can talk about his 541 career home runs, his 55.4 career WAR while spending most of his career as the DH, his legendary age-40 season in 2016 that put him in the MVP debate, and his historic 2013 World Series MVP run. Instead, here's a video of some of his clutchest moments (most of them while leading Boston to three World Championships): Scott Rolen: The most underrated position player on the ballot, and one who barely survived his first ballot could crack at least 45% this year. A third-baseman with some of the best range in the history of the game, he won 8 GGs and had at least 11 DRSs in every year he played when the stat was born except 2003 and 2012. Best year is 2004: .314 average, 31 homers, 124 RBIs, 158 OPS+, finished 4th in the NL MVP voting. While he finished with only 2077 hits, his 517 doubles are 52nd all time, and he has a career 70.1 WAR, above the 68.4 average among the 17 third-basemen elected.
      Jimmy Rollins: A cornerstone at shortstop for the Phillies, he was one of the leaders in their most successful run in franchise history. During his career, he led the NL in triples three times, stole 30 or more bases ten times, won four gold gloves, doubled 36+ times in eight seasons, and was a three-time All Star. During his six-season peak of 2004-'09, he averaged 5.1 WAR. He also has the longest hitting streak in Phillies history with 38, surpassing Hall-of-Famer Ed Delahanty. In 2007, he had one of the greatest seasons as a hitting shortstop: En route to his lone NL Silver Slugger, he led the NL or MLB in games played, plate appearances, at bats, triples, and tied for second in the NL in hits (tied with Hanley Ramirez, only four behind Matt Holliday) and total bases (again, behind Holliday). In 2007, he became the seventh player to enter the 20-20-20 club (20 homers, 20 doubles, 20 triples), leading his Phillies to come back from a seven-game deficit over the Mets with 17 games left and win the NL MVP.
      Sammy Sosa: I can talk about his monster peak from 1998-'02, his three 60+ home-run seasons, how he dazzled in three straight Home Run Derbies (2000-'02), his 1998 NL MVP, his corked bat, alleged steroid-aided career, etc. Don't care. It's called the Hall of Fame for a reason: After the 19994 strike, fans stopped caring about the game. The home race to 62 homers between him and Mark McGwire was one of the most exhilarating chases in baseball history. It brought fans back into the game and saved Major League Baseball.
      Billy Wagner: The three drawbacks against Wagner are his low innings total (only 903, no HoFer pitcher has an inning total below 1,000), his poor playoff performances, and lower Win Probability Added (WPA) — 29.1 — than closers in the Hall like Hoffman, Gossage, and Wilhelm. But among those with at least 900 innings on their résumé, he's #1 in strikeouts per 9 (11.9), Batting Average Against (.187); and #2 in ERA+ (187, behind Rivera's 205) & K/BB% (24.9%). During this growing era of reliever reliance, relievers dominate for a few years and then flame out due to injury or inability to miss bats. (LaTroy Hawkins's consistency and perseverance over his 21-year career despite his transition from starter to reliever is why he's on the ballot.) Billy Wagner was a consistent, dominant closer for almost his entire career, including his last year in 2010 (his first full year after coming back from Tommy John surgery). Also, despite an excellent 2010, he retired to spend more time w/ his family, sacrificing padding his counting stats. At the time of retirement, his 422 saves were fifth all-time (now sixth with Francisco Rodriguez since passing him). He's the greatest left-handed reliever of all time, only Aroldis Chapman comes close. Both Andruw Jones and Sheffield are temporary drops. Because Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa are guaranteed to leave the ballot after this cycle, they'll be back.
    Vizquel was a temporary drop after he was accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife. A few months ago, a more disturbing story came out, as he was accused of sexually harassing an autistic batboy while coaching in the White Sox's minor-league system. For now, he remains a drop.
    Schilling remains a "no." Due to the "no politics" rule, I won't fully explain why, but needless to say, his conspiracy-driven behavior has completely overshadowed his on-the-field accomplishments over his career.
    Manny Ramírez remains a "no" for one simple reason: He tested positive for PEDs twice after testing was implemented in 2005, the second directly resulting in his retirement. Álex Rodríguez also remains a "no" after being suspended the entire 2014 season for his role in the Biogenesis scandal.
    If my ballot actually mattered, I might've dropped Rolen temporarily to vote for Joe Nathan, too.
    David Ortíz is the only one with the best chance to make it to Cooperstown. Hope he does. Fingers crossed!
  4. Dark Qiviut
    With MLB knee-deep in the offseason, that means it's not just free agency, but Hall of Fame season!
    Every year, a select number of writers from the BBWAA have the privilege to vote for a group of players approved by the Screening Committee. In order to potentially qualify to be on the ballot, you must've played at least ten years and not play at least five after that. While there were about 35 players approved in each of the last few years, only twenty-five were on the ballot this year.
    Residential ballot tracker Ryan Thibodaux re-created the columns for the computer screen and his ballot tracker.

    And here's an actual ballot filled out:
    Writers can vote anywhere from zero people at the minimum to the maximum of ten. Also, writers aren't stuck to voting for a specific candidate or specific number; for whatever reason, they can add or drop players every year. Plus, notice the deadline in De Luca's official ballot. Every ballot is mailed to eligible voters, and each ballot must by postmarked by December 31 and mailed back for them to count. There have been instances of ballots being lost in the mail over the years. XD
    The three main ways a player gets knocked off the ballot are if they get elected in, don't make it before the ten years of eligibility expire, or if they get less than five percent of the electorate. Those who don't make it to the Hall by the baseball writers will get reviewed by specific Veterans Committees. Over the years, many players knocked off the BBWAA ballot get elected in the future.
    I'm neither a member of the BBWAA nor a journalist, so I can't vote for them for real. But my hypothetical last year was this:
    Abreu Bonds Clemens Jeter Andruw Jones Rolen Sheffield (+1) Vizquel (+1) Billy Wagner Larry Walker (+1) The "+1" indicator means that I didn't vote for him last cycle. Per tradition, I'm submitting my own candidates on my hypothetical ballot before the New Year's Day deadline.
    Also, a guideline: I use Wins Above Replacement ("WAR") —  a complex sabermetric stat that calculates the approximate number of wins a player contributed to the team he played for — particularly from Baseball-Reference. Unless I use the versions from Fangraphs (fWar) or Baseball Prospectus (WARP), that's what I'll use when I refer to WAR.
    If I were a voter, I'm picking ten candidates, which are the following:
    Bobby Abreu: One of the most underrated hitting outfielders. While he doesn't wow the crowd, he was a very consistent, high-quality hitter. While he has a career .291 average, his 128 OPS+ (On-base plus slugging while adjusting to the era and parks they played in; a number of "100" is league-average), 1476 walks, 574 doubles, and .395 on-base percentage explain why he averaged a 5.2 WAR from 1999-2006 and finished his career with a 60.2 WAR. He also stole bases in high quantity, stealing 400 over his career. At 5.5% last offseason, he barely survived his first cycle. Thankfully, he's getting some more support and may have a shot to be on a few more years.
      Barry Bonds: Nothing needs to be said about the greatest hitter since Hank Aaron retired. #1 all-time in homers, walks, and intentional walks. Career 182 OPS+ and 173 wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus: a measure of the quality of the player on offense, weighed in by the era and ballpark environment; "100" is league-average). Steroid-aided or not, his stretch from 2001-'04 (where he won the NL MVP each time; he has a record seven altogether) is one of the most dominant of all time.
      Mark Buehrle: One of the most underrated, quiet pitchers. While he may not scream "Hall of Fame" on the surface, he has credentials. A workhorse who pitched to soft contact, the only years he didn't log in 200 innings were 2000 (his rookie season, where he was a reliever) and 2015 (his last, missing the mark by 1.1 innings). He was also extremely quick on the mound, often spending no less than ten seconds per pitch. Since 1990, he's only the eleventh pitcher to win 200 or more games, winning 214. Was the ace of the White Sox when they won their first World Series in 88 years in 2005. He has four Gold Gloves and is an excellent defender; this play from Opening Day 2010 being his best play of his career and best play of the season.
    Here's more about Buehrle's credentials that I recommend reading: https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/white-sox/why-white-sox-legend-mark-buehrle-belongs-hall-fame
      Roger Clemens: Making his debut in 1984, the most consistently dominant pitcher in the last forty years. Steroid-aided or not, his 354 wins is third-most all-time in the live-ball era (behind Maddux's 355 and Warren Spahn's 363). Pitched 220+ innings in a season 11 times, 230+ nine times (and led his league or the majors twice). He holds the record for the most Cy Young Awards with seven, getting his last in 2004 (his first and only one in the NL). His 138.7 pitching WAR and 4916.2 innings are most and second, respectively, for a pitcher not in the Hall.
      Tim Hudson: This dude will likely fall off the ballot, but Tim Hudson was a really good pitcher for a really long time. Received votes for the Cy Young four times (including finishing the runner-up to the hyper-dominant Pedro in 2000). 2014 World Champ pitching for the Giants. Was part of a dominant trio of pitchers during the first part of his career with the A's (along with Zito & Mulder). While w/ the Braves, he was their anchor at the top of the rotation. Finished with 222 career wins, a 3.49 ERA, 120 ERA+. Four-time All-Star.
      Andruw Jones: He may be the greatest defensive center-fielder in the history of the game. Ten-time Gold Glove winner. Five-time All-Star. Runner-up for the 2005 NL MVP behind Pujols. According to Baseball-Ref, his Defensive WAR (dWAR) is 24.4; and from 2003-'07 (2003: the year the Defensive Runs Saved [DRS] stat was born), he had season of 10 or more DRS in four of five seasons. Should he make the Hall of Fame, his .254 average — a result of his production falling off a cliff from 2007 to his end in 2012 — would be the lowest of any position player outside of catcher or pitcher. But his first ten seasons were historic.
      Scott Rolen: The most underrated position player on the ballot, and one who barely survived his first ballot could crack at least 45% this year. A third-baseman with some of the best range in the history of the game, he won 8 GGs and had at least 11 DRSs in every year he played when the stat was born except 2003 and 2012. Best year is 2004: .314 average, 31 homers, 124 RBIs, 158 OPS+, finished 4th in the NL MVP voting. While he finished with only 2077 hits, his 517 doubles is 52nd all time, and he has a career 70.1 WAR, above the 68.4 average among the 17 third-basemen elected.
      Gary Sheffield: One of the quickest swings in baseball; despite his waggle, never struck out more than 83 times per season and finished his career with 304 more walks than K's (1475 vs. 1171). Had an OBP of .380 or higher 12 times (10 if you discount the partial years of 1994 & 1995). During his 10-year peak of 1996-2005, he average 4.5 WAR, 5.6 Offensive WAR, 98 walks, 66 K's, a .313/.417/.552 slash line, an OPS of .969, and 154 OPS+. His two best offensive seasons are in 1992 and 1996, the latter in which he had 142 walks and led the NL with a .465 OBP, 1.089 OPS, and 189 OPS+.
      Sammy Sosa (+1): I can talk about his monster peak from 1998-'02, his three 60+ home-run seasons, how he dazzled in three straight Home Run Derbies (2000-'02), his 1998 NL MVP, his corked bat, alleged steroid-aided career, etc. Don't care. It's called the Hall of Fame for a reason: After the 19994 strike, fans stopped caring about the game. The home race to 62 homers between him and Mark McGwire was one of the most exhilarating chases in baseball history. It brought fans back into the game and saved Major League Baseball. My only "+1" on the ballot.
      Billy Wagner: The three drawbacks against Wagner are his low innings total (only 903, no HoFer pitcher has an inning total below 1,000), his poor playoff performances, and lower Win Probability Added (WPA) — 29.1 — than closers in the Hall like Hoffman, Gossage, and Wilhelm. But among those with at least 900 innings on their résumé, he's #1 in strikeouts per 9 (11.9), Batting Average Against (.187); and #2 in ERA+ (187, behind Rivera's 205) & K/BB% (24.9%). During this growing era of reliever reliance, relievers dominate for a few years and then flame out due to injury or inability to miss bats. (LaTroy Hawkins's consistency and perseverance over his 21-year career despite his transition from starter to reliever is why he's on the ballot.) Billy Wagner was a consistent, dominant closer for almost his entire career, including his last year in 2010 (his first full year after coming back from Tommy John surgery). Also, despite an excellent 2010, he retired to spend more time w/ his family, sacrificing padding his counting stats. At the time of retirement, his 422 saves were fifth all-time (now sixth with Francisco Rodriguez since passing him). He's the greatest left-handed reliever of all time, only Aroldis Chapman comes close. Omar Vizquel is a drop. Do I think he's a Hall of Famer? Absolutely. Even though I love and endorse advanced statistic and sabermetrics, Vizquel was one of the sweetest defenders in baseball despite the advanced stats like OPS+ and WAR not being so kind to him. But Vizquel is going to be on the ballot for a while, while Buehrle and Abreu may not survive this one, and Vizquel's current domestic abuse investigation also makes things a bit easier to temporarily kick him off for at least one ballot. That said, should there be room next year, he goes back on my ballot.
    Curt Schilling (despite being one of the greatest playoff pitchers ever) remains a "no." I won't specify the reasons on here due to the MLPF's "no politics" rule, but let me make my point loud and clear. His reprehensible behavior crosses beyond politics and into pure hate speech. It's impossible to separate Schilling's accomplishments throughout his career from his in-your-face, post-career, conspiracy-driven lunacy, because he depends on a platform and microphone to blare what he writes and says without consequence. (I won't be arguing this in the comments; you're not changing my mind.)
    Manny Ramírez is a "no" for one simple reason: He violated MLB's steroid policy twice, the latter directly resulting in his abrupt retirement in 2011.
    Others like Torii Hunter (a really good player, but not great), Andy Pettitte (a really good, consistent pitcher throughout his career and the second-highest win total of any pitcher who debuted in the 1990s, but ballot too crowded), Helton (too crowded), and Jeff Kent (too crowded) are why they're off.
    So to make it simple:
    Abreu Bonds Buehrle Clemens Hudson A. Jones Rolen Sheffield Sosa (+1) B. Wagner
  5. Dark Qiviut

    Happy anniversary, FIM!
    Time really flies, doesn't it? On July 22, 2011, I began watching Season 1 for the first time, starting with the pilot and plowing through to The Best Night Ever. The show got me hooked. Fluttershy became my instant favorite of the entire series, a spot no one else took. Not only did I stick with FIM for the rest of its run, but also its successor.
    Seth over at EQD posted a nice question celebrating this occasion, and I have something to say:
    Hell, no! You wouldn't produce nine seasons without feeling confident folks would watch it, stick to it, and buy merch (either for themselves or for their kids). Nine seasons is nothing to sneeze at, especially when consistently maintaining good quality. Bronydom itself made a gigantic impact on ANG and the introduction of both Izzy and Sunny.
    In addition, FIM is vital to the growth of WildBrain (previously DHX) and western animation altogether. This show and Adventure Time began western animation's equivalent of the Revival Era, and that impact spread to several other shows, such as Thomas & Friends for a five-year span, Owl House, the DuckTales reboot, Gravity Falls, She-Ra, Hilda, Steven U, and so many more. ANG demonstrates its willfulness to enter that plethora.
    Each of the Mane Eight (the Mane Six, Spike, and Starlight) left a magical impact on the show and its growth. G4 proves that making a proudly feminine and feminist show is worthwhile to multiple demographics, leaving G5 open to future success of its own.
    Thank you, FIM. Thanks to you, I can't wait for what G5 has in store.
  6. Dark Qiviut
    Way too many people don't understand why people say "Black Lives Matter." Since the start of the slave trade, Black people have been treated as worse than second-class citizens. Today, lots of people, especially whites, see Black people as less of a human and more of a commodity. This is especially the case when it comes to policing. Some of the first policing were slave patrols. While slave patrols don't exist anymore, the mentality remains. Police brutality has been an ENORMOUS problem for centuries. Unfortunately, no real change takes place. Black Lives Matter was created in response and why it still has a massive force.
    When folks say "All lives matter," they literally warp and handwave why people say "Black Lives Matter." "Black Lives Matter" means "Black Lives Matter, too." "All lives matter" isn't grounded into reality and gaslights to people that Black people are on an equal level as white people. Black people are fucking tired of being ignored, pushed aside, tokenized, and treated as sub-human, and especially tired of an injustice system that systemically enjoys punishing people of color more than whites.
  7. Dark Qiviut
    After I failed Fake It 'Til You Make It, I decided to put all 28 failed episodes in order from worst F- minus to least worst F+. That list eventually expanded into a complete list of episodes I graded, from the best letter-plus episode to the worst letter-minus, .
    The statuses can be found here: A episodes, B episodes, C episodes, D episodes, and F episodes. With each list compiled, I'm taking every episode in the show and arranged it in order from the best to the worst. The list is always subject to change; episodes could be upgraded or downgraded at anytime.
    S9 episodes are in bold underline. Those aired early are under "spoiler" tags.
    To see every piece of FIM media I graded (and how I graded each episode for each season), click here. That gets updated during each season and possibly in between or during the offseason, if I changed one.
    And for readability purposes, I sectioned each list with "— — —" in between. Let's begin!
    The Perfect Pear: A+ The Best Night Ever: A+ Crusaders of the Lost Mark: A+ Amending Fences: A+ Shadow Play: A+ The Big Mac Question: A+ The Last Crusade: A+ Sparkle's Seven: A+ Sisterhooves Social: A+ The Cutie Map: A+ A Rockhoof and a Hard Place: A+ Parental Glideance: A+ The Break Up Break Down: A+ Party of One: A+
    — — — The Last Problem: A Testing Testing 1, 2, 3: A Pinkie Pride: A The Hearth's Warming Club: A Slice of Life: A Dragon Dropped: A Suited for Success: A Road to Friendship: A The Summer Sun Setback: A The Washouts: A Lesson Zero: A Sleepless in Ponyville: A Hurricane Fluttershy: A Between Dark and Dawn: A The Times They Are A Changeling: A Flight to the Finish: A The Mean 6: A Common Ground: A Frenemies: A A Hearth's Warming Tail: A The Saddle Row Review: A Surf and/or Turf: A Marks and Recreation: A Grannies Gone Wild: A Cutie Re-Mark: A
    — — — Castle Sweet Castle: A- The Cutie Mark Chronicles: A- Once Upon a Zeppelin: A- The Fault in Our Cutie Marks: A- Sounds of Silence: A- Discordant Harmony: A- Wonderbolts Academy: A- She's All Yak: A- The Mane Attraction: A- Uncommon Bond: A- The Return of Harmony: A- Horse Play: A- For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils: A- Gauntlet of Fire: A- Bloom & Gloom: A- Molt Down: A- What Lies Beneath: A- The Last Laugh: A- It Isn't the Mane Thing About You: A- All Bottled Up: A- The Point of No Return: A- Winter Wrap Up: A-
    — — — A Flurry of Emotions: B+ The Beginning of the End: B+ Rarity Takes Manehattan: B+ She Talks to Angel: B+ Luna Eclipsed: B+ Scare Master: B+ Friendship University: B+ A Horse Shoe-In: B+ Call of the Cutie: B+ Student Counsel: B+ Marks for Effort: B+ Magic Duel: B+ Pinkie Apple Pie: B+ Viva Las Pegasus: B+ The Parent Map: B+ Uprooted: B+ To Change a Changeling: B+ On Your Marks: B+
    — — — Daring Doubt: B Apple Family Reunion: B Family Appreciation Day: B The Crystalling: B Green Isn't Your Color: B Hearth's Warming Eve: B Secret of My Excess: B Top Bolt: B Rainbow Roadtrip: B The Last Roundup: B The End in Friend: B Inspiration Manifestation: B A Health of Information: B Sweet and Smoky: B Fall Weather Friends: B School Raze: B Look Before You Sleep: B Twilight Time: B Rarity Investigates!: B The Maud Couple: B Dungeons & Discords: B Sonic Rainboom: B A Friend in Deed: B
    — — — Sweet and Elite: B- Triple Threat: B- School Daze: B- Applebuck Season: B- Read It and Weep: B- It's About Time: B- Castle Mane-ia: B- Celestial Advice: B- Going to Seed: B- Canterlot Boutique: B- Stranger Than Fan Fiction: B- Hearthbreakers: B- Twilight's Kingdom: B- A Trivial Pursuit: B- Dragonshy: B- Swarm of the Century: B- Not Asking for Trouble: B- Father Knows Beast: B- Where the Apple Lies: B-
    — — — Forever Filly: C+ Campfire Tales: C+ Rock Solid Friendship: C+ Maud Pie: C+ Made in Manehattan: C+ Too Many Pinkie Pies: C+ The Best Gift Ever: C+ Make New Friends but Keep Discord: C+ Daring Done?: C+ The Gift of Maud Pie: C+ Three's a Crowd: C+ Baby Cakes: C+
    — — — Power Ponies: C A Dog and Pony Show: C The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone: C Friendship Is Magic: C Leap of Faith: C Applejack's "Day" Off: C The One Where Pinkie Knows: C The Cutie Pox: C The Ending of the End: C Fluttershy Leans In: C
    — — — Buckball Season: C- Magical Mystery Cure: C- Princess Twilight Sparkle: C- Simple Ways: C- Stare Master: C- Party Pooped: C- A Canterlot Wedding: C- Spice Up Your Life: C- Growing Up Is Hard to Do: C- The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000: C- A Royal Problem: C- The Ticket Master: C- A Matter of Principals: C-
    — — — Over a Barrel: D+ Equestria Games: D+ Griffon the Brush Off: D+ Brotherhooves Social: D+ Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?: D+ Tanks for the Memories: D+ The Hooffields and McColts: D+ Keep Calm and Flutter On: D+
    — — — Filly Vanilli: D A Bird in the Hoof: D Hearts and Hooves Day: D 2, 4, 6, Greaaat: D Just for Sidekicks: D Every Little Thing She Does: D Daring Don't: D Secrets and Pies: D Yakity-Sax: D
    — — — Feeling Pinkie Keen: D- Spike at Your Service: D- Ponyville Confidential: D- MMMystery on the Friendship Express: D- Non-Compete Clause: D- It Ain't Easy Being Breezies: D-
    — — — Flutter Brutter: F+ Games Ponies Play: F+ Bats!: F+ The Crystal Empire: F+
    — — — No Second Prances: F Honest Apple: F May the Best Pet Win!: F What About Discord?: F Fake It 'Til You Make It: F To Where and Back Again: F Hard to Say Anything: F The Cart Before the Ponies: F Trade Ya!: F Appleoosa's Most Wanted: F The Show Stoppers: F Putting Your Hoof Down: F Somepony to Watch Over Me: F Boast Busters: F P.P.O.V.: F The Mysterious Mare Do Well: F Owl's Well That Ends Well: F Princess Spike: F
    — — — 28 Pranks Later: F- Rainbow Falls: F- Dragon Quest: F- Bridle Gossip: F- Fame and Misfortune: F- Newbie Dash: F- One Bad Apple: F-
  8. Dark Qiviut
    One of my biggest peeves in reviewing is giving something a calculated score, because it's very difficult if not impossible to reduce the quality to such a mark. Plus, whenever many people see a score, they tend to not read the review at all and rely on the score/grade itself as proof for purchase.
    Nonetheless, if I were to grade the following based on the following items below, they would be the followings below the first rule. The grades are respective and separated to the following categories:
    Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Season 7 Season 8 Season 9 MLP: The Movie & Specials Equestria Girls series, RR animated shorts, specials, and IDW comic/annual Main Comic Series* Micro-Series Friends Forever If you want to see my order of every FIM episode from best to worst (with grades), click here.
    Be warned: There are no reasons given for any of the grades, and they're all subject to change. Let's begin!
    Season 1:
    Friendship Is Magic: C The Ticket Master: C- Applebuck Season: B- Griffon the Brush Off: D+ Boast Busters: F Dragonshy: B- Look Before You Sleep: B Bridle Gossip: F- Swarm of the Century: B- Winter Wrap Up: A- Call of the Cutie: B+ Fall Weather Friends: B Suited for Success: A Feeling Pinkie Keen: D- Sonic Rainboom: B Stare Master: C- The Show Stoppers: F A Dog and Pony Show: C Green Isn't Your Color: B Over a Barrel: D+ A Bird in the Hoof: D The Cutie Mark Chronicles: A- Owl's Well that Ends Well: F Party of One: A+ The Best Night Ever: A+ ———
    Season 2:
    The Return of Harmony: A- Lesson Zero: A Luna Eclipsed: B+ Sisterhooves Social: A+ The Cutie Pox: C May the Best Pet Win!: F The Mysterious Mare Do Well: F Sweet and Elite: B- Secret of My Excess: B Hearth's Warming Eve: B Family Appreciation Day: B Baby Cakes: C+ The Last Roundup: B
    The Last Roundup (edited): F The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000: C- Read It and Weep: B- Hearts and Hooves Day: D A Friend in Deed: B Putting Your Hoof Down: F It's About Time: B- Dragon Quest: F- Hurricane Fluttershy: A Ponyville Confidential: D- MMMystery on the Friendship Express: D- A Canterlot Wedding: C- ———
    Season 3:
    The Crystal Empire: F+ Too Many Pinkie Pies: C+ One Bad Apple: F- Magic Duel: B+ Sleepless in Ponyville: A Wonderbolts Academy: A- Apple Family Reunion: B Spike at Your Service: D- Keep Calm and Flutter On: D+ Just for Sidekicks: D Games Ponies Play: F+ Magical Mystery Cure: C- ———
    Season 4:
    Princess Twilight Sparkle: C- Castle Mane-ia: B- Daring Don't: D Flight to the Finish: A Power Ponies: C Bats!: F+ Rarity Takes Manehattan: B+ Pinkie Apple Pie: B+ Rainbow Falls: F- Three's a Crowd: C+ Pinkie Pride: A Simple Ways: C- Filli Vanilli: D Twilight Time: B It Ain't Easy Being Breezies: D- Somepony to Watch Over Me: F Maud Pie: C+ For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils: A- Leap of Faith: C Testing Testing 1, 2, 3: A Trade Ya!: F Inspiration Manifestation: B Equestria Games: D+ Twilight's Kingdom: B- ———
    Season 5:
    The Cutie Map: A+ Castle Sweet Castle: A- Bloom & Gloom: A- Tanks for the Memories: D+ Appleoosa's Most Wanted: F Make Friends but Keep Discord: C+ The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone: C Slice of Life: A Princess Spike: F Party Pooped: C- Amending Fences: A+ Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?: D+ Canterlot Boutique: B- Rarity Investigates!: B Made in Manehattan: C+ Brotherhooves Social: D+ Crusaders of the Lost Mark: A+ The One Where Pinkie Knows: C Hearthbreakers: B- Scare Master: B+ What About Discord: F The Hooffields and McColts: D+ The Mane Attraction: A- The Cutie Re-Mark: A ———
    Season 6:
    The Crystalling: B The Gift of Maud Pie: C+ On Your Marks: B+ Gauntlet of Fire: A- No Second Prances: F Newbie Dash: F- A Hearth's Warming Tail: A The Saddle Row Review: A Applejack's "Day" Off: C Flutter Brutter: F+ Spice Up Your Life: C- Stranger Than Fan Fiction: B- The Cart Before the Ponies: F 28 Pranks Later: F- The Times They Are a Changeling: A Dungeons & Discords: B Buckball Season: C- The Fault in Our Cutie Marks: A- Viva Las Pegasus: B+ Every Little Thing She Does: D P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View): F Where the Apple Lies: B- Top Bolt: B To Where and Back Again: F ———
    Season 7:
    Celestial Advice: B- All Bottled Up: A- A Flurry of Emotions: B+ Rock Solid Friendship: C+ Fluttershy Leans In: C Forever Filly: C+ Parental Glideance: A+ Hard to Say Anything: F Honest Apple: F A Royal Problem: C- Not Asking for Trouble: B- Discordant Harmony: A- The Perfect Pear: A+ Fame and Misfortune: F- Triple Threat: B- Campfire Tales: C+ To Change a Changeling: B+ Daring Done: C+ It Isn't the Mane Thing About You: A- A Health of Information: B Marks and Recreation: A Once Upon a Zeppelin: A- Secrets and Pies: D Uncommon Bond: A- Shadow Play: A+ ———
    Season 8:
    School Daze: B- The Maud Couple: B Fake It 'Til You Make It: F Grannies Gone Wild: A Surf and/or Turf: A Horse Play: A- The Parent Map: B+ Non-Compete Clause: D- The Break Up Break Down: A+ Molt Down: A- Marks for Effort: B+ The Mean 6: A A Matter of Principals: C- The Hearth's Warming Club: A Friendship University: B+ The End in Friend: B Yakity-Sax: D On the Road to Friendship: A The Washouts: A A Rockhoof and a Hard Place: A+ What Lies Beneath: A- Sounds of Silence: A- Father Knows Beast: B- School Raze: B ———
    Season 9:
    The Beginning of the End: B+ Uprooted: B+ Sparkle's Seven: A+ The Point of No Return: A- Common Ground: A She's All Yak: A- Frenemies: A Sweet and Smoky: B Going to Seed: B- Student Counsel: B+ The Last Crusade: A+ Between Dark and Dawn: A The Last Laugh: A- 2, 4, 6, Greaaat: D A Trivial Pursuit: B- The Summer Sun Setback: A She Talks to Angel: B+ Dragon Dropped: A A Horse Shoe-In: B+ Daring Doubt: B Growing Up is Hard to Do: C- The Big Mac Question: A+ The Ending of the End: C The Last Problem: A ———
    Specials/Movies:
    My Little Pony: The Movie: C Best Gift Ever: C+ Rainbow Roadtrip: B  
    Equestria Girls:
    My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: F- The Fall of Sunset Shimmer: A- MLP Annual #1: C- My Little Pony: Equestria Girls — Rainbow Rocks: D Equestria Girls Holiday Special: F- My Little Pony: Equestria Girls — Friendship Games: F+ My Little Pony: Equestria Girls — Legend of Everfree: C-  
    Dance Magic: C Movie Magic: C- Mirror Magic: D- Forgotten Friendship: C ———
    Rainbow Rocks Shorts:
    Music to My Ears: A Guitar Centered: C Hamstocalypse Now: C Pinkie on the One: D+ Player Piano: C- A Case for the Bass: B- Shake Your Tail!: C- Perfect Day for Fun: D  
    Life Is a Runway: A My Past Is Not Today: A Friendship Through the Ages: A  
    Main Comic Series:
    (Individual issues and overall arc are graded separately.)
    The Return of Queen Chrysalis: B
    a. Part 1: B+
    b. Part 2: C-
    c. Part 3: B
    d. Part 4: B Nightmare Rarity: F
    a. Part 1: D-
    b. Part 2: D
    c. Part 3: D-
    d. Part 4: F Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair: B+
    a. Part 1: B+
    b. Part 2: A- Neigh Anything: B
    a. Part 1: B-
    b. Part 2: B My Little Pirate: Friendship Ahoy: D
    a. Part 1: C
    b. Part 2: D+ The Bookworm: C-
    a. Part 1: D
    b. Part 2: C Reflections: F
    a. Part 1: D+
    b. Part 2: D-
    c. Part 3: F
    d. Part 4: F Manehattan Mysteries: A-
    a. Part 1: A-
    b. Part 2: A- The Good, the Bad, and the Ponies: F-
    a. Part 1: F-
    b. Part 2: F- Siege of The Crystal Empire: F-
    a. Part 1: D
    b. Part 2: F
    c. Part 3: F-
    d. Part 4: F- *The main comics have been so bad, until they clean up, I refuse to read them again.
    ———
    Micro-Series:
    Twilight Sparkle: F+ Rainbow Dash: F- Rarity: B+ Fluttershy: F- Pinkie Pie: A Applejack: D+ Cutie Mark Crusaders: A- Princess Celestia: B- Spike: C- Princess Luna: C ———
    Friends Forever:
    Pinkie Pie & Applejack: F Cutie Mark Crusaders & Discord: B Spike & Princess Celestia: C- Twilight Sparkle & Shining Armor: B Fluttershy & Zecora: A Rainbow Dash & Trixie: C+ Pinkie Pie & Princess Luna: A- Rarity & Applejack: D+ Rarity & Babs Seed: B Rainbow Dash & Soarin': A I wound up growing uninterested in reading Friends Forever, hence the short list.
  9. Dark Qiviut
    Twenty years ago yesterday, famed Peanuts comic illustrator and writer Charles Schulz passed away from cancer at 77 years of age. The following day, his last strip (created well in advance) circulated the papers.


    Now twenty years since his last comic strip, Schulz’s lasting legacy remains firm, and Peanuts remains iconic for both young and old.
  10. Dark Qiviut
    Note: A chunk of this analysis is credited to a YouTube comment from Plume from the featured video.

    Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of the most nostalgic and memorable live-action musical films in the Americas. The wonders (and frights) of the chocolate factory, the songs, the large array of characters, and sets are fantastic. But one set that resonates so well is the climax.
    Early in the film, Grandpa Joe and he snuck a sip of fizzy-lifting drinks, which caused them to fly above the ground, almost causing them to get maimed by the ceiling fan. Because of this mistake, Willy Wonka (who smoked a cigar as they walked into his office) disqualified Charlie in the angriest, most heartwrenching way imaginable. Yelled at to the point of tears, where Grandpa Joe (who lived in the same poor household as Charlie) and who so wanted his grandson to grow into a man away from poverty grew angry and vengeful, vowing to give Slugworth that everlasting gobstopper.
    Immediately, Charlie Bucket is hit with a moral dilemma. Out of all the children, he's the kindest, most selfless, and humblest. In his years of poverty, he grew into someone who cared less for himself and more for those around him. He has his mother's kindness, grandpa's selflessness, and family's humble (yet ragged) life. Willy Wonka has the life that he doesn't: a great factory with a marvelous population of Oompa-Loopas that were free from a gluttonous life. His reputation is spotless and will remain so once the tour ends. Throughout the whole tour, he cared for their well-beings despite not seeing them for a long time, such as Augustus. Once he steps out of Wonka's office, he and his family will successfully leave their cabin and poverty behind. And with how Wonka shut them out, who can blame him?
    Instead, he does something much more worthy than money: not stick to revenge or a selfish sense of justice. He walks back to the bitter man and gives him back his gobstopper, sacrificing every bit of fortune he could've had seconds ago. He lost his lifetime supply of chocolate and fortune, but didn't cave to something greater: his kindness. He didn't want to earn a fortune bitter and angry and hoped Mr. Wonka wouldn't feel the same back to Charlie.
    The end result?
    Wonka revealing the whole yelling exchange to be a setup for one last test: whether Charlie will be bitter and vengeful once he leaves the factory or not. "Slugworth" was a close Wonka confidant. Not just the chocolate, but the whole factory. The factory is his new home. Willy Wonka looked for the "perfect" child to trust once he retires. Charlie Bucket succeeded every test, including the ones that looked easy on the surface yet difficult to solve.
    This line is extraordinarily powerful.
    *gives crowd a box of tissues*
    This was the line that changed the movie's whole direction and tone, but also signifies what Wonka was looking for. He lived and worked in his factory throughout his entire life. As great as it is to make a chocolate empire, he can't live such a life forever. Someone will have to succeed, and who better than, in his words, a very honest, loving child who he can trust once he leaves. The golden tickets were an invitation to see who can pass his tests, and if you observe, every room and artifact is a test for each kid.
    The chocolate room, edible from the top on down. Augustus's gluttony caused him to fail his test. The three-course gum that was still in development. Violet's obsession with gum caused her to have an emergency operation. The golden-egg room, home of the finest geese and eggs around the world. Veruca's lust for an exclusive animal and spoiled behavior when Wonka rejected Mr. Salt's offer caused her to fail hers. The Wonkavision room is the home of new TV-to-product technology. Mike's greed for fame meant needing to be stretched. Everything in Wonka's office is cut in half, closely relating to Charlie's half-empty, incomplete life. Charlie passed his test, the only one to do so. For how dark the world can be, sparkles of joy live throughout the world. Charlie represents that joy.
  11. Dark Qiviut
    Digimon Adventure/02's American dubs infamously inserted jokes that aged so poorly that they soured before they aired on Fox Kids. But whenever it got serious, nine out of ten times did they not pull punches. When the partner of the former Digimon Emperor (Ken Ichijouji) disintegrated, it brought back horrifying memories of Ken watching his older brother getting fatally run over. Two episodes later, he got his own introspective, as he finally returned home after running away.
    Genesis of Evil was equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. Despite getting the welcomed news that Wormmon and all other digimon don't technically die, the fact that Ken abused him and so many other Digimon over the years made him worry that Wormmon won't want him back or give him a second chance. His visit to the Primary Village is his first since abandoning his villainous alter ego.
    This is where it gets to my top moment of the whole season in the season's best episode: reminiscing the time where he visited the DigiWorld for the first time, he promises to be the kind and gentle Ken that Wormmon likes and wants back.
     
  12. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Taken from here and edited. A second, fuller review/analysis of how it's the perfect FIM finale is on the way.
    - A nitpick, but the adults are looking a little older than what they show. They're all at least in their mid-thirties if not closer to 40, but the giant bags under their eyes make them look like they're older than Bow Hothoof or Windy Whistles. Lighter, smaller, subtler lines under their eyes may work more to better match that range.
    - Twilight apparently had a little too much trouble relocating sheep away from the line, and her animation as Future Twi isn't very polished.
    +/- Twilight looking like a Celestia recolor was a major surprise (and I can see why some don't like it), but over time, I've become more and more used to her. Her hair's beautiful, but the lack of strap over her crest makes it look like it's floating over her chest instead of being hooked around.
    + The new interior of the Throne Room is absolutely breathtaking. Beautiful color palette pleasing to the eye, excellent callbacks via the stained-glass windows (including updates since the finale, like Flurry Heart officially becoming princess and the Y6 saving the School), and the lighter pastel making the bolder-colored characters pop out.
    + Spike really shows how much he's evolved since becoming the ambassador, and I don't mean physically or vocally. He's part-royalty, Twilight's equal, and has done a spectacular job maintaining harmony throughout the world. Recall the very beginning of the episode, which he states to Twilight how he mediates peace between the Diamond Dogs and Abyssinians, a reference to one of the comics where Capper's originally from). Also, he's more mature despite maintaining a kid-like attitude, too.
    + What Twilight prophesied during the final battle before the last friendship laser comes true. Fifteen or twenty years into the future, several races are now at harmony with each other. Dragons, griffons, kirin, hippogriffs, yaks, changelings, and ponies are all in harmony together. There's no infighting; everyone's communicating with each other happily and without prejudice. Not only did everyone come to embrace the Magic of Friendship. But their own lives improved, too. (You got to see some of this affect the ReMane Six later, as Ocellus, Silversteam and Smolder teach at the School of Friendship, and Rarity lives and sells fashion at her boutique in Yakyakistan.)
    + Luster Dawn has that same naivety as Twilight, but at a very different angle. Twilight thought making friends was a waste of time, period, though was apparently never really taught friendship at any point. Sure, Twilight had friends in Canterlot, but never reciprocated those feelings. Here, Twilight teaches her best and most faithful student how friendship's the most powerful and most important magic in the School for Gifted Unicorns, but due to their time separated over the years, Luster wonders if friendship is worth it if the friendships fade away. Unlike Twilight back then, Luster's more outgoing, but doesn't embrace friendship as a result of seeing Twilight spend most of her time ruling alone.
    + As a result, Twilight tells and explains very intricately about how it can be easy to make friends, but it's much, much harder to maintain them. They may be separate more now, but they always stay connected so they have each others' backs whenever something bad happens or catch up on things. Back in her days, Celestia mostly had Twilight learn to make friends and understand friendship on her own. Here, she shows Luster that friends always matter in the most proactive, teaching way possible. Arranging a meeting with Luster on the day all gather.
    + The flashback itself is emotional.
    Twilight was absolutely justified to feel super upset and scared what happens next. The big baddies are in stone sleep, but all of them have lives. Despite the promise of ruling together, we don't know how they're gonna rule together, budget their time to do so, and if they'll remain together at all. She's moving away to Canterlot, and the day of the coronation may be her goodbye. It was also very subtle and impactful for the RM5 to use their preparation to admit they're grieving, too. They're so unnaturally happy and casual to see Twilight head off to Canterlot, but their conversation at the Castle of Friendship shows how that happiness is truly everything but. They don't know if Twilight will be able to communicate with them ever again.

    Also, the criticism of Twilight not moving the capital of Equestria to Ponyville's nonsense. Canterlot has been Equestria's capital for well over a millennium, if not before Celestia and Luna were princesses. In addition to Canterlot having a firmer legacy than Ponyville, moving an entire capital would be a task of epic proportions. To be able to share their sadness, fright, and despair reminds he audience how close they are, no matter what trials they face. They were scared, and it's okay for them to be scared. Their cries felt very real, and it's heartbreaking to see them all slowly break down, especially ones like Pinkie (her words just got me crying, literally). Everyone was so obsessed and focused on the "perfect" coronation that everything went terribly wrong so quickly when things got complicated. The hilarious screwups were a very refreshing break from the drama. With the coronation over, they can laugh it off knowing it's over. They had their hardships today, and to have this break means they can relax. Because of this, Twilight has a clear head now and can use that knowledge over the years to come up with a great idea: every moon, they meet once under the Council of Friendship. It was a challenge they had to face, and they found a way to conquer it. The ending really marks the end of a long era, mirroring FIM's, too. Celestia and Luna are no longer ruling, and they felt confident in letting Twilight and her friends rule Equestria on their own. Yes, they'll be more happy to help her whenever they need it, but the RM7 are confident and can be trusted in helping Equestria move on to its next chapter. + The moral is excellent in concept and better than excellent in execution. I already talked about that extensively.
    + The episode took another bold, daring direction by giving everyone definitive lives with both occupations and sometimes love lives. not only on what they're doing. CheesePie, SugarMac, YonaBar, and LyraBon are more than confirmed, but ones like FlutterCord and AppleDash are hinted with subtle clues (i.e., Fluttershy's lunch bag and bluebells, AJ/RD's banter). It's DHX's story, but their lives also have a purpose: no matter how much your lives change, your friendships keep you connected. Everyone's extremely busy now, but they always manage to meet together. When they don't, they see them. Starlight and Sunburst still lead the thriving School of Friendship. Look closely, and you see all of the confidence from the Young Six. (For example, Smolder openly has tea with Ocellus, a hobby she once derided and hid until What Lies Beneath.)
    + Not everything ends happily. Granny Smith and Goldie Delicious are gone now, and AJ and AB are wearing their scarves in their honor.
    + The Magic of Friendship Grows. All of it. It's emotional, hopeful, and beautiful. This song got me crying at times. The background shots during the final chorus are extremely moving and very well-done. But there are two things to mention:
    The final shot of all seven watching Luster walk away with new friends is absolutely fantastic. Even more beautiful is the sunset glow, a literal twilight sparkle as one YouTuber wrote. The final shot: the book to open FIM closes, indicating the end of an era. (Pay attention to the "fin" on the left page, a great piece of detail in a show that doesn't always show the English alphabet so clearly.) This is an EXCELLENT episode! A magnificent cap to a great, successful show!
  13. Dark Qiviut
    FIM has had that magic touch that personally gets to bronies. Very often, you see, hear, or read stories of how this show has helped people become better, if not saved their lives. A few years ago, one user here gave $630 to the Forums as a way to show how much this show saved his life.
    Some of you might be familiar with Ashley H, a YouTuber who has posted voice-acting and editing work on her channel, particularly her magnificent series called "Remembrance." Last week, she posted a vlog of how this show saved her life and how the brony fandom both welcomed her and revived her confidence. I highly recommend having some tissues around when you listen to what she says, because this story gets really heartbreaking.
     
  14. Dark Qiviut
    Because Season 9 was its last, FIM was likely going to go out and try to deliver the best episodes possible. Out of the gate, Dubuc and Haber co-wrote Sparkle's Seven, one of the best comedic, animated, and written episodes of the series. Taking ideas from the lead voice actors, they blended together a tremendous script that never let up, delivered an excellent allegory of how well-made predictability transcends poorly-made unpredictability, and used that allegory to create an excellent plot twist. If you wanna read my review, it's right here.
    Unfortunately, no episode review for The Last Crusade, but my love for it from the minute it debuted early never wavered. While Sparkle's Seven doesn't take itself too seriously, this was an emotional roller coaster from the minute Scoot realized her parents were coming home. Mane Allgood and Snap Shutter were, to put it bluntly, very bad parents for not being able to spend time with Scootaloo, and the parents (and episode itself) know it. Therefore, they come up with a solution that allows them to do the job that Equestria depends them upon while simultaneously taking care of Scootaloo. Unfortunately, it completely overlooked the fact that Scootaloo has hundreds of close relations back in Ponyville and all over Equestria. In trying to resolve a dilemma, they made Scootaloo even more upset and put her at greater odds with them. The only way they were going to let her stay is to show them that the CMCs truly changed their lives for the better; with help from Aunt Holiday, Auntie Lofty, and every resident they knew, they successfully convinced Mane Allgood and Snap Shutter that separating the CMCs would only hurt Equestria over the long haul. Letting her stay in Ponyville and promising to spend more time with her when the train let them was the right solution for the story, lessons, and characters.
    Both TLC and Seven are outstanding and extremely close in quality, but by the skin of its teeth, Last Crusade overthrew it. No other episode came close to toppling it…until The Big Mac Question.
    Line 'Em Up!
    I long repeated this, and to write it again, the dialogue since Shadow Play has really improved, the verbal comedy especially. Since Dubuc relinquished her role as co-editor, the comedic dialogue has, sadly, been somewhat of a step down. Thankfully, I'm reminded through BMQ that the same wit never really left, and that when it's on, it's great.
    Discord, for that matter, was the king of these great lines. Here are just a few:
    The first line wasn't quite true, but the second completely was, historically speaking.
    (The line is doubly important for adding context to the episode's central lesson of how keeping things simple are what really makes things special, but I'll get back to that later.) Not a bad callback. Once more, Discord has a point. Every time someone hopes for the better, something goes wrong. But Discord's the Lord of Chaos with a childish, immature streak, too. Since he wasn't alerted of Big Mac's proposal plan, he became giddy and impatient (with a great mariachi reference [taking a page from Star Trek: TNG]). As he read a message on a painted apple, he quickly realized something was awry in his own way. Big Mac's riddles were clumsily written, sometimes confusing, and easily gave away the second location. In trying to come up with the "perfect idea," Big Mac created a major flaw in his plan.
    However, Discord still isn't completely accustomed to the "friendship" aspect of Equestria, and given his long, immortal, antagonistic history, he maintains a defiant, devious streak. After he uses his magic to lay every single wooden apple around Ponyville without fully looking at the riddles, he soon caved in to Spike's glares and doubt, agreeing to double-check. From the beginning, Discord believed this game was overblown and instead should give it to Sugar Belle instead, only to have it rejected for "not being romantic" and breaking BM's rule of discovery. Afterwards, when he missed his chance to actually get Sugar Belle to see an apple, he went about spreading "the love" in, once more, his own way: giving the wooden apples life and instructing them to their own posts.
    Unfortunately, like Big Mac, his instructions and direction were also not quite clear, so the apples popped up whenever another pony passed by, leading to delicious, entertaining chaos. Without it, Discord's involvement in the episode would be out of character and as bland as Cart Before the Ponies. Chaos drives Discord, and his ability to create havoc and mayhem makes for a more entertaining conflict and story, especially around Big Mac and Spike. On the other hand, it puts him into fault. Instead of thoroughly double-checking and making sure everything goes right, he cuts corners and tries to be cute and creative (tho I don't mind ), leading him to become responsible for the spider-looking apple monster.
    Also, I disagree with the criticism of Discord regressing. Sure, he may not have developed like D&D and TBUBD, but he understands how much Sugar Belle means to Big Mac. Despite his severe disagreement with the plan and Spike's commitment to it, he regrets worsening things and helps rectify the errors with everyone else offscreen as BM and Sugar proposed to each other. Furthermore, this episode shows some subtle growth from Break Down: After a lot of complaining over the lovey-dovey stuff and wanting to play O&O instead, he doesn't let his opinions interfere with Big Mac's proposal and tries to simultaneously help her solve the riddles and respect Spike's pleas.
    The Time Is Right
    Michael Vogel's among the best writers of the current crop. The Big Mac Question adds to his résumé, and with Hader co-writing, they co-created well-done, well-timed comedy.
    Discord's spilling of littler, more innocent secrets works as a joke for a big reason. As written already, Discord still hasn't fully accustomed to friendship, notably keeping a secret. FS's fright of clowns, Twilight's sleepwalking, and Octavia's date have a more innocuous, lighthearted zephyr; yes, he's spilling them to Spike and Big Mac, but not maliciously.

    This joke leads to the punchline right before the intro: shouting excitedly that Big Mac plans to propose to Sugar Belle. Everyone's curious reaction to the echo is really hilarious, and even better as one of them — Shoeshine — hears it and shrugs it off. Even better, they repeated the very same joke while keeping it fresh. It's 100% understandable that Apple Bloom's family will soon expand with Sugar Belle becoming her soon-to-be sister-in-law. Her giddy face sells her excitement well, so when she shouts out loud and everyone's as confused as before, you still laugh. Every single "shocking" misadventure by the CMCs: Scoot heads to the bowling alley and accidentally causes a Lebowski stallion to throw a bowling ball into a lamp, breaking the wooden panels below. When AB heads to the sanctuary, she shocks a monkey into a sleeping canopy of Smoky and family. SB opens a sauna, where a relaxing mare throws a body towel over her head when she finds out her privacy's invaded. Spike has a point. Discord's poor directions made the apples believe that the next pony to come close will receive the poem, and it followed each pony wherever they went. In trying to make Sugar Belle see an apple, he — surprise surprise! — helped unleash a boatload of chaos at the Ponyville market. Relocating them back to Sweet Apple Acres was another unwise decision, as they merged into THIS monstrosity!

    However, instead of actually going on a rampage to find Sugar Belle, the apple monster with its six, spidery eyes successfully delivered the assigned message in its grossest, yet most sincere, message of marriage right onto Discord. Yes, all the apple spit's gross, but not done with any ill intentions, and Discord didn't do a lot to make the problem better.

    Secondly, notice how the large apple's voice is very similar to Big Macintosh's? A nice, little way to get Peter New to talk in his Big Mac voice while making it sound as garbled, menacing, and childlike as possible. Whenever Granny Smith spoke, she was "spaced out," giving DHX plenty of leeway to pluck some great Star Trek references. Beyond "where nopony has gone before," she said this: >References Q
    >Inspiration for Discord

    …cheeky cheeky! Yet, the timing of the humor alone wasn't just right. As the apples chased Ponyville in Act 1, the animation crew snuck in this tender moment:

    Ever since FIM started, Lyra and Bon Bon have always been side by side, and the brony fandom established a long-time ship out of it. In Slice of Life, they teased the possibility despite hammering in the "best friends" line with the cheek caressing, couple-like arguing late, and the bedroom eyes. Over the last few seasons, their "friendship" began to really evolve, especially since S8 when DHX knew the finish line. Just a few examples:
    Grannies Gone Wild: Everywhere they went in Las Pegasus. Break Down: Exchanging Hearts & Hooves Day gifts. Marks for Effort: Bon Bon buying a green cactus, presumably for Lyra. End in Friend: Having lunch together. Dragon Dropped: Sharing a milkshake together, ala Buttercup and Bright Mac. After what happened in DD, you knew that the animators were just going to do something with Lyra and Bon Bon. From Season 5 onward, their evolving relationship was clearly no accident. While the main stories developed in front of us, their arc developed from the background. I guarantee you someone in this fandom will go back, find all the foreshadowing over the seasons, and build their story.
    Why is their proposal so significant?
    Representation matters. The TV debut to Auntie Lofty and Aunt Holiday introduced a same-sex couple for the first time in the show's history. While they're secondary characters, their presence in Scootaloo's life mattered, and they helped lead the CMCs' idea for a CMC Appreciation Day. It demonstrates how significant the brony fandom truly was to the growth of this show. In the beginning, everyone was surprised by how good Friendship Is Magic truly was. Although viewership and overall size of bronydom has dropped over the years, it still has its viewers and dedicated bronies. The brony fandom created this popular fanon ship all the way back to season one…and animator Morgan Shandro made it canon.
      Lofty/Holiday and LyraBon are special in their own rights. The former gave the LGBTQ+ community well-needed representation in a very popular family show and directly impacted the story. The latter came after years and years of development, and the animators decided that this was the right time to make it official.
    BTW, how apropos for Lyra to propose by dropping on one knee like a human?
    Drawing to a Close
    A giant reason why Shadow Play's one of the greatest episodes of FIM is how it blended so many arcs into one. Changes of editors + writers = changes of direction. The team turnover means new people post and publish episodes that match their own vision of FIM, so you have a wide array of stories that sometimes go nowhere. This two-parter blended so many arcs (the Pony of Shadows, Star Swirl's lack of understanding friendship, the Pillars, Starlight's redemption) so seamlessly that it looks like the creators intentionally left them vague so that they can be completed at the right time. It's one of the most impressive feats this show has ever done. Big Mac Question blends so many arcs in a smaller scale and closes them.
    Back in The Cutie Map, Spike explains his preference to be with Big Mac as the reason for skipping the Mane Six's first friendship quest. More than a season later, Nick Confalone expanded this little gag into its own story by including Discord in the Guys' Night Out duo. Two seasons later, they all acted like they knew each other since Spike hatched. BMQ added another chapter into this arc with one central goal. Once Hard to Say Anything concluded, Sugar Belle and Big Mac became an item. Over this and the next few seasons, the writers and animators sprinkled in romance between 'em, solidifying their unity. This episode called back to how they became an item in the first place: Big Mac renovating her shelf to add more space for her desserts, and Scoot recognized the blueprint for it inside SAA.

    Also, great call by Vogel and Haber to have Sugar Belle plan to propose to him, too. Usually, the male proposes to her, and Big Mac planned to pop the question at some point today. However, Plot 1B had Sugar Belle plan her own with Mrs. Cake's and the CMCs's help, showing that Sugar Belle had some ideas and offer of her own to prove her own commitment as his wife. Speaking of the CMCs… As the episode lampshaded, they earned a reputation of concocting schemes, either with success or failure, since they first met. After multiple tries, they finally got Big Mac to become an item with Sugar. Here, they felt guilty for accidentally contributing to the confusion that almost caused them to break up. (In Break Down, the delivery ponies mistook Sugar Belle for Sweetie Belle after smudging the address, leading them to believe she had a secret admirer.) For the first time all series, they're aware of the consequences. By working with Sugar and helping her to find Big Mac, they feel like they can make up for at least some of it. Yet, as what the episode showed, even their good intentions sometimes don't go according to plan. All series long, Spike's romanticism has had an impact on everyone and himself. In Break Down, he hinted his romantic "expertise" by reciting a poem of his unrequited crush on Rarity, only to be hilariously interrupted when Discord ignored him. XD Here, he brags to an offscreen character how he's so romantic and tries to help Mrs. Cake deliver all the proposal messages to the desserts…only to have his idea burn to a crisp. Lyra's and Bon Bon's series-long, evolving relationship, as explained before. Plus, notice how Bon Bon popped the question just after Lyra? Their dual proposal and rings subtly foreshadow Sugar's and BM's later on. Sugar Belle was one of the four ponies the Mane Six met when they first arrived in Our Town, and led them into an underground rebellion so they can regain their magical talent and break free from Starlight's tyranny. At season's end, she forgave her, and later helped invite Starlight to return to the village for the festival. After To Where, DHX slowly incorporated her into the secondary cast. The time she became super-heartbroken over losing her boyfriend and then became super-happy when they reunited was the moment I permanently bought into their romance. When Big Mac talked about how he loves her snorty chuckle, you can tell they really love each other. When they were going to marry was only a matter of time. Aside from being part of the timeline of Dungeons & Discord, Hard to Say Anything, and The Break Up Break Down, it is the perfect sequel to the franchise's greatest episode — The Perfect Pear — and references it in so many ways.
    Decades ago, Buttercup suspected that Mrs. Cake — Chiffon Swirl back in the day — enjoyed baking, so she gave her ingredients and challenged her to be creative. Her instincts were proven right, as she got her cutie mark and became lifelong, close friends with BC, which continues long after her passing. Here, she's essential to the story by agreeing to take part in Sugar Belle's 21-dessert surprise proposal. When the Pears were about to relocate to Vanhoover, their parents married in secret at the rock that borders the Pear and Apple orchards. (Notice how Bright and BC planted seeds in their opposing orchards, which directly contributed to the growth of the intertwining apple-and-pear tree around the rock in which they declared their love for each other. During their walk together, they find themselves at that tree, and as they talked, the sun sets perfectly within the iconic heart, spiritually indicating their support for Sugar Belle and their romance. Knowing who his father was like means a lot to Big Macintosh. Here, he envisioned proposing to Sugar Belle at a similar desk like the one he built for her a few seasons ago, calling back to Bright Mac's own declaration of love to Buttercup at the rock, only to teasingly falter. Through this episode and his heart-to-heart chat with his girlfriend, we see he knows more about him now and how much his understanding of his parents matters so much. Now that he's older and wiser, he wants to respect their legacy. Sugar Belle’s poignant wisdom and subsequent glow also suggest agreement by them with her, too. The first time Mayor Mare officiated a wedding, she worked with Bright Mac to rush one in before they relocated far away. That wedding was set up quickly and in secret from the feuding families with no certainty if they were going to be together. Bright Mac wasn't lucky just to get her to witness their surprise, but also complete the vows before the Pears moved. This doesn’t happen here. The wedding at the now-grown tree was well-planned and included the wanted decorations, guests, streamers, and so forth. From the start, Sugar and BM know they want to spend the rest of their lives together, a massive contrast from the pressure Pear Butter and Bright Macintosh felt then. One of the two twists within the episode: everyone explaining to Applejack, the unknown narrator. (The other being the wedding, which I'll get to later.) She was the one who agreed to go on that expedition to find out about why the Pears and Apples feuded for so long, which introduced their parents’ pasts to them, brought them closer to them, and helped them forgive Grand Pear. Her tears show how touched she was of not only the story they told her, but her brother's marriage.

    Speaking of… Grand Pear only had a couple of cameos here, but his biggest one was his appearance at his grandson’s wedding. The last time one took place there, he abandoned his own daughter and never saw her alive again. Several decades later, he returned to Ponyville. Their forgiveness and witnessing of the beautiful intertwined tree together began the long-awaited healing process. This time, he (and Granny) returns to the very same site, stands beside the other Apples and Burnt Oak, and gives Big Mac his unconditional blessings, closing another gap that caused a massive, increasingly bitter divide between himself and his mother-in-law. How poetic is this sequel to have another marriage take place at their tree. Two seasons ago, the Apple kin rediscovered their parents’ legacy, how they introduced each other, and fell in love thru very bitter times. Come to the end of the episode, and that long-standing bitterness that divided the Pear and Apple families for so long is healed. Well, BMQ breaks a second, not-so-talked-about barrier: Sugar Belle’s the first non-Earth Pony to be part of the Apple family. (Also, recall AJ scolding Twilight for using magic unsolicitedly on her farm in S1? Intentional or otherwise, this episode implicates that the Apples welcome unicorn magic full-time on the property now.) A Lesson in Execution
    BMQ's primary lesson — "When you tend to make things complicated and make mistakes, the simplest things are the most desired and cherished" — is magnificent, but the way it's taught brings that home.
    Before he takes out his ring, Big Mac wants to show Sugar Belle his commitment to being her husband matters by helping her find him. How? By using those painted apples with attached clues, she travels from one location to the next before meeting him at the hilltop near Sweet Apple Acres. Unfortunately, his plan never properly flourished. Not only did she miss the first apple, but he had to go back to his barn to pick up the screwdriver he left behind. When he realizes she wasn't coming, he walks to Sugar Cube Corner to find her. Discord tries to help Sugar Belle find the first apple, but she misses it twice, resulting in his poor strategy of having the apples follow whoever sees them first. When he cleaned it all up, Sugar Belle still never saw it! Deciding to cut to the chase, he brought her to that same hilltop, only to realize he left. He blindfolded her and then brought her back to SCC.

    He may believe in romance now, but doesn't quite understand it still. Instead of helping each other out, Spike and Mrs. Cake were so sworn to their own party's secrets that they created an imaginary buffer that prevented helping each other out. When Spike tried to help Mrs. Cake, he found out that Mrs. Cake messed up her desserts and later accidentally burned every one of Sugar Belle's messages. Spike isn't always the politest dragon, and BMQ's no exception. In order to make Sugar's search for BM as perfect as possible, he got a little too worried over the arrangement, placement, and visibility of each apple, glared hard at Discord for not checking carefully, and refused to ease the game's difficulty. Why did he blow his magical fire on the remaining notes? Because he believed they would be able to get into the desserts quickly and easily, only to screw up badly. However, he didn't accept all of the blame, bluntly criticizing Mrs. Cake's terrible desserts. Mrs. Cake accepted a very difficult challenge of baking twenty-one desserts. Immediately, things went terribly wrong. During the rush, she had absolutely no idea what ingredients she was using and whether she used them at all. Poignantly observed by Scootaloo: Fortunately, no pony tasted them. Sugar Belle orchestrated her entire twenty-one-dessert proposal with Mrs. Cake and added another one with its own message to call Big Mac down to the shop. The purpose of having just one word in each dessert was to help Big Mac solve the proposal puzzle after he eats each once, but to bake that many meant Mrs. Cake's margin for error significantly decreased and must work harder than usual to finish on time. On her end, discovering Discord and Spike at the doorstep meant overlooking the apple on the step and running off as quick as they can to find Big Mac. The Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to find Big Mac to give him the dessert as promised. But when they couldn't find him at the barn, Apple Bloom called back Granny's advice and took it a little too literally, causing trouble of their own and annoying her friends in the process. The fact that everyone's plans were too complicated is kind of the point. Every single pony's so focused in trying to create the perfect proposal, they overlook serious flaws. What everyone had to figure out was that by messing things up, they discovered the true worth of commitment and dedication. They never had to go over the top in order to fix it, either. Pairing it down the essentials was all they needed, something Discord comprehended well beforehand.
    Sugar Belle was the first outside of Discord to truly figure it out after Big Mac felt upset for screwing up his own proposal and feeling that he let the legacy of his parents down. Because he doesn't talk much, his words matter a lot, so when he expresses his sadness, you really feel it. However, despite problems of her own, she understood that this was nothing compared to what they (and when she was controlled by Starlight) endured. To her, this was merely a blip. Mistakes happen; they can use 'em to grow closer and really show their love for each other.
    I read a few comments on Derpibooru calling their dual proposal cute, and it really is. <3 Their solid chemistry sells the warmheartedness!
    But I won't end my review until I call out two other things in this episode:
    All episode long, Spike wore nothing. For all we know, the fourth wall or a character we had no idea existed until then interviewed all of them. What slowly began to change, though, was when he wore a suit and tie for the first time. As a result, the wedding surprise was kept under wraps from the audience; showing him wearing his suit and putting on his bow tie really makes their marriage all the more impactful. Had we knew they were eloping at episode's end, this whole journey would've felt completely pointless. After a lot of great humor, chaos, and a little bit of drama, Discord alerting the apples to drop and sing "happy marriage, happy apples!" was perfect, heartwarming cuteness on top of already perfect cuteness! He might've added to the problems, but he respects their wedding ceremony and uses a subtle, Discord-y twist to show it. Consider this his own, special way to appreciate his friendship with everyone, their marriage, and their future lives.   Conclusion
    What else can I say about this one? The Big Mac Question is really funny, really cute, and really heartwarming. Vogel and Haber tackled all of the emotions at exactly the right time and provided a magnificent cap to several arcs, some of which date back to the first season. This is the new-best Season 9 episode and one of the ten best of the series.
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