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Dark Qiviut

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  2. Dark Qiviut
    The article and her tweet: http://crooksandliars.com/2015/11/judy-millers-despicable-paris-attack-tweet
     
    In case she deletes it, here's her tweet:
     

    …Okay, so let me get this straight. Because terrorists are trying to rip away freedom for oppression, college students (including places like Mizzou, the school she references) demanding freedom from oppression should stop demanding freedom from oppression.
     
    And she tweeted this as the terrorist attacks were ongoing.
     
    …
     
    …
     
    …
     
    Congratulations. You turned the terrorist attacks into an ad for white supremacy back in the United States. It's one of the most disrespectful responses to tragedy that I've ever seen. How does it feel exploiting every single victim of last night's terrorist attacks?
     
    Then again, since you were one of the propaganda mouthpieces responsible for influencing support of the Iraq invasion, it doesn't surprise me that this attack will influence your ability to show yourself off as a racist bastard.
     
    Excuse me while I throw up.
  4. Dark Qiviut
    http://www.twitch.tv/bobross
     
    October 29, 1942 was the date Bob Ross was born, and he died from cancer on July 4, 1995 from cancer. In honor of what would be the late Bob Ross's 73rd birthday, there's a stream to show all 403 episodes right now; just click the link above. At the time I submit this blog, the first episode of Series 2 is airing.
     
    The stream will end on November 6.
  5. Dark Qiviut
    There's activism and there's performing the very same evil you claim to be against. What happened with a Steven Universe fanartist named Zamii070 falls into the latter.
     
    I may not know the full story, but from the evidence I gathered, Zamii070 was being constantly trolled, bullied, and terrorized by Social Justice Warriors on Tumblr for several reasons, from posting fanart of characters drawn by a person she didn't know was a sex offender, posting ignorant language about people who were trans or fat, and drawing a supposedly chubby Steven Universe character a little skinny. Whatever the case is, I don't know. But for the past year, SJWs, especially ones in the SU fandom, stalked and bullied her. In fact, several hate-blogs (called "receipt" blogs or callout journals) chronicled her posts. Consider the fact that she was online to get away from the abuse she suffered in real life.
     
    Lately, because of a fanart that SU SJWs got into a tizzy and shredded her with hate, Zamii couldn't handle it anymore and attempted to take her life. Three days later, she posted this video telling everyone she survived and was getting help. You can find a lot of the drama covering why she attempted suicide here.
     
    For the past few months, I've seen some really sick stuff.
    Recently, trolls bullied a two-year-old boy because his father build for him a kitchen playset. The bullying was sexist, transphobic, and homophobic (trolls called the boy a "faggot"). Garbage like this is why "don't feed the troll" doesn't work: There should be no tolerance for trolling, period. For the past month, there's been a rise of a very demonizing anti-Lauren Faust conspiracy theory here. The claim is that Faust joined Mane6, felt the fandom didn't cherish her inspiration and creative wealth while she worked on the show, and responded to a ten-year-old girl whose letter was destroyed by a Hasbro office as a way to be a greedy, profit-seeking, passive-aggressive, whiny bitch to Hasbro and Friendship Is Magic. How anyone can believe such bullshit is beyond common sense. There's a way to be critical of Faust without looking like a dick! But this isn't criticism of her. This is character assassination. A perverted vendetta. Nobody deserves it! During the summer, a transwoman in Michigan was slandered by a woman who claimed a man was in the Planet Fitness locker room. Because PF refused to do anything about it because the woman identified as such, the ciswoman spewed BS around claiming they allowed men in the locker room. What do you guess? The ciswoman was banned from the Planet Fitness. A website called GenderTrender posted transmisogynist crap all over it, from the post itself to the comments. A TERF named Roslyn Holcomb (an African-American romance author and vocal activist in the black community) wrote in a comment that if she saw the transwoman in the locker room, she'd immediately kill her. Transwomen aren't going into the women's locker room to get into your pants. They go into the locker room because they don't identify with the opposite gender. Locker room privacy for trans* people is an imperative civil rights issue, and Planet Fitness understands this. Public shaming of kids, notably a depressed girl who committed suicide soon after her father shamed her by cutting off her hair and making the school announce that she wouldn't run for a very important student body. Only a sicko would think of humiliating a child as punishment, and only a sicko would think of applauding such garbage.

    As far as Tumblr "justice" is concerned, this crosses the line into one of the sickest displays of evil that I've ever seen. This is far beyond being a "gatekeeper" to prevent bronies from being a fan of the show (including one SU SJW who "rallied" to commit cyberterrorism against them, only to run after getting chewed out) or chasing a writer of the show from Tumblr. This is 2000% worse.
     

    SU SJWs, I don't give a fuck what your grudges are towards this girl. I don't care if she said some stupid things in the past. This girl is as much a human as you and I. She was clinically depressed and went online as a way to escape from the abuse her family gave her in real life. The Internet provided a gate to share her talents and be happy.
     
    There's ZERO excuse to bully anyone, period! Your grudges don't entitle your privileged asses to stalking her, threatening her, chronologically recording every single damn thing she wrote and drew in her blog, and telling her to kill herself! Let me repeat it again, you have no right whatsoever to tell anyone to kill themselves. To tell them this is the same as sending a death threat. To send a death threat is terrible enough; to send one who was mentally ill is beyond demented!
     
    And over what? Fanart of a Steven Universe character?! I normally don't like saying this, but Steven Universe is just a show! There's a major difference between taking a show seriously and taking one obsessively to the point of being personal. Guess where this falls. SU SJWs, you don't exclusively own the show. It belongs to everyone! Yes, including incoming fans.
     
    Now that she tried to take her life, you had the gall to gloat over it, save face by wiping out your accounts, and put the blame on her?
     
    Y'know, this reminds me of what happened with Chris-chan. Trolls/bullies/terrorists from 4chan stalked him, posted every single thing about him online, and doxxed him. He actually spent some time offline because it was too much for him to deal with. To make it worse, there are people who literally say he deserved to be trolled. To blame Chris-chan for any of the trolling regardless of the crap he says is to blame the victim, and you have to be a complete sicko to think of blaming him.
     
    HOW DARE YOU ATTEMPT TO BLAME ZAMII FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS YOUR OWN DOING!!!!!
     
    Thank you, Social Justice Warriors, you've achieved a low equivalent to the 4chan trolls on Chris-chan.
     
    Now look what happened:
    The Steven Universe fandom's reputation is now damaged, and possibly beyond repair. The show is great, but no one will want to venture into a fandom with a solid portion being so verbally violent. Tumblr's already terrible reputation is now worse. One of the earlier great things about the website is the ability to spread messages of good, bad, and ugly, and being proactive about it. But over the past few years, Tumblr's been infested with disgusting displays of Social Justice Warriorism. You claim to fight for social justice, yet you're no less sexist, racist, and homophobic than the people you claim to be against.
     

    And seriously, who in the hell would want to be a part of a website that's so toxic and mob-like, they fear that their lives will be ruined if they write something stupid? You claim to be gatekeepers to prevent bronies from "infesting" the fandom with R34. Guess what? Too fucking bad!! Bronies have been SU fans and vice-versa long before you started pulling such shit! Thousands of SU fans have already uploaded porn, and there's a good chance several of them aren't even bronies. You won't stop bronies from becoming a part of the SU fandom. You won't prevent Steven Universe fans from drawing or writing R34. You created a very disgusting stereotype of how every SU fan is an overly sensitive bigot. Do you know who this will hurt the most? Upcoming fans of the show. Fans who have no idea this drama even existed. Fans who will be bashed the second they proudly admit they love the show. The passersby will be big targets to a lot of bullying because the Tumblr SJWs in the SU fandom helped drag the fun out of sharing to the fandom in the first place. Now imagine if the upcoming fan being bullied is a kid who doesn't go deep into the fandom.

    Seriously, do you have any idea what you just did? You and your evil made someone consider taking her own life. Now, imagine if she succeeded. You'd be on the news because you thugs murdered her.
     
    I can see the comments now:
    "Don't feed the troll." "If she ignored the bullies, none of this would've happened." "Grow a thicker skin." "She's weak for attempting suicide."

    Don't! Even! DARE!
    What happened to Zamii is far beyond a pest annoying her. Zamii was being bullied for a year by hundreds of people, many from the very fandom of the show she loved, before she tried taking her own life. It's one thing for an experienced adult in a profession trying to ignore it. It's another for a fan, one much younger than many of us here. Imagine having to go online every day and try to ignore abuse by hundreds of people who mock you every day of the week, harass you, and stalk you beyond the Internet. All the while trying to not think about the abuse you endured in real life and battling mental illnesses that affect you every day. Do you have any idea how tough it is to ignore it? How tough it is to think that one comment with unfortunate implications could cause a mob to harass and maybe doxx you? Anytime you say "grow a thicker skin," you're not being mature. You're saying, "It's your fault you're being abused." Much like the other two above, this is classic victim-blaming. You don't look cool, tough, and adult when you say it. You look pathetic. Instead, why not be an actual adult show actual empathy?!
     

    Often, when we think of abuse, including domestic violence, we think of physical violence. Verbal violence exists, too. Words are weapons. Words can hurt. Words kill. They're not empty. Think about it. No. Just…no. Do you know why many people attempt suicide? Because they feel trapped. Many targets try to take their own lives because they see it as the only way out of their bubble of horror. Depression is an illness; we don't talk about it without exploiting it. It's a very serious issue, and we take it for granted.
     

    Do you know how many comments it takes for someone to attempt suicide?
     
    One.
     
    Zamii had to sift and ignore hundreds of shitposts and hate-blogs dedicated to her, and she attempted suicide because she felt it was the only way out. She has to live through their sociopathy online every day for at least a year, and there are still plenty of people verbally abusing her after she posted her suicide note and vlog from the hospital. Everyone has a breaking point, and we don't know where or when it is.

    I've seen so much fandom drama over the past ten years. Alongside the terrible infestation of sockpuppets flaming young authors on Fanfiction.net because they wrote poor-quality fanfiction and the 4chan trolls stalking Chris-chan for eight years, this easily ranks as one of the worst. This isn't cute or funny. This is a hivemind that went completely out of control, and now Tumblr and the Steven Universe fandom as a whole may be paying a steep price.
     
    There are no words to accurately describe how heinous this whole thing was. Nobody deserves abuse, much less a twenty-year-old.
  6. Dark Qiviut
    https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/them-s-fightin-herds
     
    All aboard the hype train!
     
    If you wish to pitch in some more to get to the stretch goals (including Mac/Linux access and a new character), feel free to do so. If you can't, feel free to spread the message so others can help donate.
     
    In the meantime, to the people, bronies and non-, who donated to make this game happen:
     

  7. Dark Qiviut
    One very big pet peeve in candies is the artificial favoring of fruit, especially cherries.
     
    Cherries have a very bold, fruity flavor. Best when firm and really juicy. The ones I prefer tend to have the sharp tartness once you bite in it. This morning, I ate a bag of cherries as my breakfast.
     
    But I didn't grow up on cherries. The only "cherry" flavor I ever got was through candy or soda.
     
    Most of the time, when I eat candy and have a bite of the cherry flavor, I don't get this:
     

     
    Instead, I taste something like this:
     

     
    These candies painted a very negative picture on me ever eating cherries until I decided to try them a few months ago.
     
    IMO, only Pepto Bismol and NyQuil taste worse than "cherry-flavored" candy.
  9. Dark Qiviut
    Author’s Note: This is Part 2 (#6-3) of DQ's list of best and worst FIM episodes (#6-3). Click here for Part 1 (#10-7). Click here for Part 3 (#2-1).
     

    Sixth-worst: Putting Your Hoof Down
     
    Is it one of the best episodes? Not even close.
     
    Is it bad? Damn right it’s bad.
     
    Is it the worst Fluttershy episode? Hell, yeah!
     
    But is it actually among the three worst episodes in the series? Don’t even try me, because it’s not. There are five worse episodes than this.
     
    So what did it do correctly?
     
    The episode was intentionally unpleasant. Angel abusing Fluttershy wasn’t comedy-centric; it was written to be disgusting, and the angry reaction to Angel was what DHX looked for. The whole episode was about cringing at the actions of others in Ponyville. We know what they’re doing was wrong. We know they were taking advantage of Fluttershy. We know anyone who dared to be a jerk following the seminar deserved the consequences for their actions. The humor post-seminar was aimed mostly at those who deserved their just desserts. The gardener, Bon Bon and that other background pony, the rude blue mare, and the cabby passenger who stole Fluttershy’s ride deserved to have their plots kicked. I’ll get back to this later.
     
    But when Fluttershy was being this cruel, the episode wanted to show how much Fluttershy crossed the line, and it did. Instead of rooting for Fluttershy, we rooted against Fluttershy; Pinkie’s and Rarity’s anger and horror were understandable. I’ll get back to this, too.
     
    Iron Will’s advice to Fluttershy was completely ridiculous, and DHX wants you to know it.
     
    The references and visuals are very well done and convey the mood of the scenes accurately.
     
    Unfortunately, this is where all the positives end. Here’s what went really wrong.
     
    Almost every single pony up to Act 3 was a major jackass, and most of them either made their debuts here or only appeared here. By having them appear so suddenly when they didn’t previously show up, you not only make the whole conflict both predictable and convenient, but also write Ponyville (a very happy town to a fault) out of character. But the ones up to the seminar were especially bad, because they got away with it. To make the plot minutely less artificial, Fluttershy would see them again with the same ol’ attitudes and antics, and the script would punished them for their actions. Hell, maybe if Fluttershy was truly in character, she would’ve told off Pinkie and Rarity for their behavior towards the nerd and tomato vendor.
     
    It isn’t just the background ponies, either. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were very big assholes, too.
    Rarity wooed a nerd stereotype to retrieve asparagus for Fluttershy. Keep in mind, he bought the asparagus fair and square and wasn’t an asshole at all. Although Rarity traded, she performed it underhandedly. This wasn’t generosity, and those who claim so are kidding themselves.
    Pinkie Pie scammed a tomato vendor out of one extra bit. Just because it’s a classic Looney Toons gag doesn't a good joke make. It turned Pinkie into a character she’s not: someone who wanted to make others’ lives miserable. Hell, it contradicts The Smile Song’s core message of being happy when others are happy!

    As for Angel? He may be rude, but he’s not this spoiled nor ABUSIVE! Of the three, he was undoubtedly the worst characterized. First, he punts a salad onto her head. Secondly, he slaps Fluttershy across the muzzle and shoves the cookbook to her face. When it wasn't perfect, he punts Fluttershy — and the salad — out of the cottage. Like the pre-seminar ponies, Angel never gets properly punished. Having Discord torment him in Keep Calm and Flutter On isn’t good enough because his just desserts occur way too late.
     
    The Show Stoppers had the potential to ruin the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Putting Your Hoof Down ruined Fluttershy’s character so badly, it hasn’t recovered. Not the doormat part, but how she warped Iron Will’s advice without justification like a chess player developing his or her Queen in the opening phase of the game. There was no proper buildup. It just…happened, and she devolved into a psychopath.
     
    Her insults to Pinkie and Rarity are evil. DHX wants us to know it’s evil, and we receive that result. But here’s the whole problem, and it’s twofold:
    Her “assertiveness” is grossly sensationalized and makes her whole conflict artificially sadistic. Having Fluttershy call Pinkie’s and Rarity’s reasons to live meaningless is easily the cruelest thing she's ever said onscreen and one if the cruelest insults from ANYONE alive. It's even WORSE when you consider how close the trio is with each other, which makes you also consider whether she either harbored those feelings all this time or felt so insulted by Pinkie and Rarity’s warning that she wanted to hurt them where it hurt the most.
    The consequences of her cruelty got downplayed. When you’re calling their passions (and livelihoods) worthless, you’re cutting into them deeply. It’s psychological bullying. She became as big an abuser as Angel Bunny.
     
    But the next scene? Rarity and Pinkie return to Fluttershy’s cottage and quickly put the blame on Iron Will. The sudden jerks were bad enough; that dialogue exchange broke the whole episode. Rarity and Pinkie were jackasses earlier, but they’re not THIS stupid! Iron Will’s advice was terrible, but Fluttershy’s actions were hers and hers alone. It’s extremely out of character for Rarity and PP to absolve ’Shy of total fault and scapegoat Iron Will. The script suddenly treats Fluttershy’s bullying as a game.
     
    Despite intentionally treating Fluttershy’s actions as wrong, the episode still excuses her. It sympathizes with Fluttershy and cuts several corners to make the audience feel sorry for her. As a Fluttershy brony, why — the hell — should I?

    Like MDW, PYHD suffers from Boast Busters Syndrome. The final act treats Iron Will as the antagonist for the whole thing. He never suggested any of the advice Fluttershy skewed, but the ending acted like it was something Iron Will planned throughout.
     
    Three words: Don’t bullshit me!
     
    It’s a shame, too, because this is my third-favorite episode from season two and by far my biggest Guilty Pleasure. Unfortunately, the egregious errors prevent me from not giving Putting Your Hoof Down a pass.
     

    Sixth-best: Lesson Zero
     
    Thus far, the best Twilight-centric episode in the show. Back when I first watched it, I considered it rather overrated. Sure, it was fun and all of that, but the third act came off as way too random and over the top for me.
     
    But upon further viewings, my opinions (and overall quality viewpoint) of the episode changed. Not only is it much better than I thought. It’s genius in a bottle.
     
    One of the biggest things people talk about this episode is how insane Twilight Sparkle became. By observing past episodes (including Swarm of the Century, Winter Wrap Up, Green Isn’t Your Color, and Feeling Pinkie Keen), this was coming. Her insistence of being both on top of everything and picture-perfect culminated into the illusions she got and insistence of getting everything done on time. It was hilarious in a sympathetic sense. The dark comedy makes you feel sorry and heartbroken for Twilight, and her over-the-top insanity isn’t something out of the ordinary, either. You have plenty of people who insist on being this organized and flip out when something goes wrong or slips by them when you feel it shouldn’t. (Personally, Lesson Zero is where I actually identify Twilight the most because I focus on the nuances as meticulously as her — if not more so; and I like Winter Wrap Up more than this one.) For Twilight, missing out on the friendship report when she kept tabs of it throughout season one is the perfect bait for such an idea.
     
    I bet some people got creeped out or got their pants wet just by seeing this:
     
     
     
    This:
     
     
     
    This:
     
     
     
    Especially this:
     
     
     
    And this:
     
     
    Then there’s Spike, who was at his best and hasn’t been topped in an episode since (unless Equestria Girls counts). He played his role so well and brought forth a sense of maturity not seen in any other episode. Previously, he was simply the snarky, semi-sarcastic “baby” dragon with pride in his duties. Here, McCarthy added extra depth in his character by being the wingman, support plug for Twilight’s failing sense of sanity, and trump card for the fourth wall jokes.
     
    Most importantly, it mends the biggest sin of season one: Twilight being shoehorned. Far too many episodes there suffered quality drawbacks just by forcing her into episodes where they would’ve been so much better without her. Three obvious examples are Look Before You Sleep, Green Isn’t Your Color, and Stare Master.
     
    And it solves it very cleverly. Yeah, the ReMane-ing Five don’t truly do anything wrong, and their reaction to Twilight’s overreaction was justified. Nevertheless, their collective response was written as something in the wrong, because their ignorance to Twilight’s ordeal was the catalyst to LZ’s climax, and they felt very guilty over it, as they should. Celestia’s resolution to the conflict was great from a narrative and meta perspective.
     
    So how come this is only sixth? Because five others are just as great, if not minutely better, than this one.
     

    Fifth-worst: Rainbow Falls
     
    Easily the most thoroughly broken episode is the series and objectively— no, factually the worst of season four. Nearly every single thing doesn’t work.
     
    The comedy? Forced and stupid.
     
    The conflict? Implausible and contrived.
     
    The motives? Stupid and illogical.
     
    The continuity? Broken.
     
    The characters? What characters? You mean those puppets with flanderized or out-of-character personalities? That’s not developing characters. That’s developing caricatures.
     
    The antagonists? Contrived to the core, out of character, and completely forced.
     
    The plot contrivances? WAY too obvious.
     
    The resolution? Lazy rip off of Wonderbolts Academy.
     
    The overall plot? A soulless, predictable mess.
     
    You could write a 25,000-character essay or review breaking down all the flaws narratively and logically, something I did here. You can apply a Band-Aid in the form of Derpy, the griffons, and beautiful scenery, but it still doesn’t change the fact how poorly written it is. Like Somepony to Watch Over Me, it gets far too much praise than it rightfully deserves. The only difference is unlike Somepony, RF isn’t actually overrated.
     
    With how much I hate this episode, how is it only at #5? Well, despite the episode being so broken, the next four are broken not just narratively, but morally, too.
     
    But first…
     

    Fifth-best: Testing Testing 1, 2, 3
     
    My all-time favorite episode as of today. It easily competes with Pinkie Pride as best S4 episode; in fact, you can make an excellent case for TT123 being better than PiP.
     
    How well does it do? A few things.
    Great characterization all around. Every single character in the episode is in character. The pets, Mane Six, and Spike (despite not talking once) act very believable. And with the exception of the two-parters and Twilight Time, Twilight Sparkle isn’t a bore. She has emotions, personality, and justification to act the ways she did. Because she was so three-dimensional here, it made me realize how important those traits are. Does she need to grow and become more mature? Yes. But the direction season four gave Twilight robbed her of relatability by flanderizing her strengths and maturity, thereby turning her into a robot.
     
    More importantly, her foil, Rainbow Dash, was explored very well. Despite a lack of maturity, she was till very in character with an incredible balance of emotion through her multi-layered quirks: casualness to the test, laziness, cockiness, and then the huge cloud of self-doubt that’s been a huge part of her since Sonic Rainboom and referenced aplenty since then (especially Wonderbolts Academy). When reviewing her whole personality, you can tell her bravado is fifty percent genuine, fifty percent façade; you see all these clues realized here when Dash becomes vulnerable and has no strength to hide her despair. To see that vulnerable side revives one big reason what helps make Dash so well-liked: She may be a hotshot with plenty of ego, but her characterization has so much dimension that makes her so likable.
     
    The whole story is character-driven, a prominent trait that was often missing in the first forty percent or so in season four. Every single line of dialogue is extremely well written, witty, and organic. The message was important, but the riveting character-driven conflict honed it all in.
    Despite never properly explaining how every one of the ReMane-ing Five (minus AJ) knew about the history of the Wonderbolts and Dash’s test, it kind of makes sense. Think about it, Ponyville’s a small town, and the others know how big Dash’s test is. News isn’t self-contained. Critically consider the characters and the continuity in general — Dash not knowing the history behind the Wonderbolts while four of her friends do is kinda justified from a narrative perspective.
    Continuity is reinforced and used as a backdrop without being forceful. Episodes such as Sonic Rainboom, the pilot, Wonderbolts Academy, Rainbow Falls, The Crystal Empire, and Hurricane Fluttershy are referenced and used to TT123’s advantage.
    Each of their approaches to learning fit the characters. What’s even better is how despite being somewhat convenient, they vary enough. Because they drive the conflict and desire to help Dash in every possible way, their methods to learn blend better than Suited for Success.
     
    Twilight teaches and analyzes the traditional grind that most of us experience in public school. Flash cards, lectures, pop quizzes, highlighting, etc. As somepony keen to learn, she understands the formulas and progresses through her studies until she becomes one of the best while retaining her personality.
     
    Fluttershy has a very close relationship with her animals, so having the animals participate in a play is in character. Like Rarity, Fluttershy's study method is visual, but real-time and simple. Unlike Rarity’s visual approach, Fluttershy teaches us to learn through use of imagination. Atypical, but works very well for many people.
     
    One of Pinkie Pie’s unique traits is breaking into song in the most inopportune times (FIM2; Bridle Gossip; The Best Night Ever; A Friend in Deed; Dragonshy; Party of One, Pinkie Pride), many very hilarious. Music is a great method for some to focus and memorize. To put it short, it’s auditory learning, and many use this format because the catchiness of the rhythm and song allows them to dedicate their time to studying without becoming bored.
     
    Rarity comprehends topics through the creative design process (subtle continuity from several of her past episodes like Suited for Success, Sweet and Elite, and Rarity Takes Manehattan), hence the uniform treatment. Like Twilight, Rarity loves to invest in things, but does it her way by how they dressed, and it stuck. Like Fluttershy, it's a very visual form of studying, and you have plenty of people do well simply by focusing on the graphics.
     
    Like what she told Rainbow Dash, Applejack learns by working hard and through years of experience, hence the “labor of love.” To make her role less convenient, hilarious reinforcement of The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 is enacted, as she doesn’t know the history of the Wonderbolts, either, and couldn’t care less. Due to her love for working in the fields, it makes plenty of sense.
     
    Rainbow Dash really loves flying and devotes plenty of her life to flying. Unlike Twilight, she's much more adapt to the air and, thus, can really focus on the tiniest of details. When she doesn't have to think too hard on everything all the time, she concentrates better. Her being able to fly through a sustained stretch of time lets her focus on the test without even knowing.
    This episode is extremely hilarious and contains some of the best jokes in not just the season, but the show altogether. There are several cues where gags worked to perfection.
     
    i. “E.U.P.” Guard. A.k.a., the “Eeyup” joke.
     
    ii. Dash referencing The Failure Song in the prologue to Twilight.
     
    iii. Fluttershy’s play with the animals.
     
    iv. Spike, Dash, and Owlowiscious playing the Wonderbolts Academy fanfare as Twilight lectured the lesson of the Wonderbolts.
     
    iv-i: Spike not speaking once, yet was pivotal to the plot by helping everyone out.
     
    iv. Pinkie Pie’s rap.
     
    v. AJ’s brutal honesty like her thinly veiled insult to Rarity’s testing method.
     
    vi. “I’m not THAT tall!” Sure, Twilight.
    Despite its humor, it’s also one of the most mature and serious episodes in the entire show, and this is a big surprise because the title and initial synopsis hinted about the moral of “don’t cheat.” But previews clued in on what it was truly about. The actual episode confirms it. What makes it better is the approach; when it was time to be serious, Rogers doesn’t cut corners.
    The moral itself is fantastic. “One way of learning isn’t better than another. After all, everypony is unique and individual.” Even better is the story’s approach. It wasn’t told to Dash or Twilight. It was shown through the progress of the story along with a very great payoff at the end. Even better was Twilight writing the lesson, connecting the older viewers to the story. And considering the primary demographics FIM speaks to, it becomes even more potent.
     
    As an antithesis of Mare Do Well, Dash was able to learn the history of the Wonderbolts by unknowingly having her friends and all on Ponyville help her out. On a personal note, it’s my most favorite moment of season four and one of the biggest reasons why it’s my favorite episode today. To see Ponyville help one of their own reinforces the community feel from not just several episodes, but the overall root of Ponyville: When you live in a small town like Ponyville, people tend to know everyone. The townsfolk doesn’t become friends, but really family. Everypony knew Rainbow Dash was in trouble and believed she will fail. Thanks to Twilight, Ponyville planned Dash’s lesson by using her best skills to her advantage.
     
    As what Twilight said: It features some of the best animation and production of the season. The transitions are very creative, yet not intrusive in the slightest. And they don’t go overboard in this style, either. It’s only used when appropriate.


    Fourth-worst: The Crystal Empire
     
    This is the one that fell the hardest, dropping from B- on my list to D- all the way to F. Why? These reasons.
    King Sombra has the potential of Tirek or Discord, but the execution of Sunset Shimmer. We’re told he’s evil, but he isn’t shown he’s evil except in the background story and Door of Illusions. Seeing Twilight’s worst fear coming to life really proves how remorseless Sombra can be.
     
    But what else about present day? What would make him so menacing today? Whenever the ponies (Mane Six or otherwise) encountered him, would they be feared by what he does, his personality, and what he can do?
     
    We don't see it. His full personality is nonexistent, which means the exposition must rely to inform the audience and citizens of The Crystal Empire how evil he is. He's a power-hungry, controlling, brooding villain with no motive other than to be evil, a “personality” I see all too often in amateur and professional work. Moreover, Sombra had merely his past actions and presence to “appear” scary, a cliché in itself. The flashback of him holding the Crystal Ponies hostage ain’t cuttin’ it. Besides the door, there’s literally nothing to show how scary he is nor experience it fulfillingly. That’s bad writing and makes for a clichéd, boring villain.
     
    You can’t sacrifice one to emphasize the other; you’ll result in making the villain extremely implausible, unmemorable, and flat. Sombra exemplifies such a villain, and Sunset Shimmer screws that up worse in EQG.
    The pacing is inconsistent, sometimes crawling in Part 2. Part 1 flow from one scene to another quite well, starting and stopping occasionally for exploration, song, background explanation, and humor (when applicable). But Act 2 was very different. For most of the second half, Twilight was exploring how the castle (and going up/down stairs) to locate the Crystal Heart. This takes way too long and wastes time, which you can spend on the ReMane-ing Five and Sombra’s looming threat.
    Speaking of the ReMane-ing Five, the episode treats them as an afterthought. The whole episode was about Twilight protecting the Crystal Empire and defeating Sombra in order to pass her test. As she searches for the Heart, the others must preoccupy the Crystal Ponies. Unfortunately, Twilight’s search takes a bulk of the running time, relegating the ReMane-ing Five into the background and concentrating on MLP:FIM being MLP: Twilight Is Magic.
    The biggest problem, and the reason why this episode is one of the worst.
     
    The premise is immoral!
     
    To repeat the synopsis that I wrote: Princess Celestia assigns Twilight et al to go to The Crystal Empire to protect it in order for Twilight to pass her test.
     
    Here is the biggest problem: “assigned” and “pass her test.” The Crystal Empire was put under siege by King Sombra, and he enslaved all of the crystal ponies with no conscience. When push came to shove, Luna and Celestia defeated Sombra and reduced him to a mere soul. But with the defeat comes a consequence: Sombra takes The Crystal Empire and its inhabitants with him.
     
    Then, it inexplicably returned. What do you think would be the most viable option? Find out a way to protect The Crystal Empire from King Sombra. That’s what Cadance and Shining Armor did (although that plot point came out of thin air, too). The protection of the Empire was important, but that wasn’t the point of the episode or goals from Twilight, Luna, and Celestia.
     
    The whole episode was about Twilight facing a test and passing it. Storywise, protecting and saving the Crystal Empire was secondary compared to Celestia’s and Luna’s true intention: prove Twilight’s worthy of ascension.
     
    The Crystal Empire was a means to an end rather than an end in and of itself. Celestia and Luna intentionally put thousands of lives on the line to see if Twilight can help lead a kingdom. You DON’T play games with lives just to see if your protégé is capable of becoming an alicorn princess.
     
    What if Twilight genuinely failed? Once the common folk find out that the Royal Sisters knew about how much danger the revived kingdom was in and did nothing to personally protect it, they can kiss their reputations goodbye. To make it worse, Celestia and Luna treat their tactics like it’s a noble deed, when it’s not. Through this episode and tyrannical approach to protecting the Empire, Celestia and Luna appear very unlikeable.
     
    Also, the whole episode constantly hammers the test.
     
    Twilight’s assignment? To successfully protect The Crystal Empire.
     
    Twilight’s biggest fear? Failing her test and thus not continuing her studies.
     
    Twilight’s biggest goal? Passing her test despite telling Spike to bring the Crystal Heart back to its holster.
     
    What was Twilight most excited about? Passing her test.
     
    From the characters and story, passing the test was the primary and more important conflict than protecting the Empire. Even when Twilight decided to sacrifice passing it to save it, that focus never wavered, which is a damn shame because FIM should’ve presented itself in a more moral way.
     
    Someone is likely going to come by and claim that Celestia and Luna might not know Sombra returned.
     
    • How come Luna wanted to assist Twilight, her friends, Cadance, and SA?
     
    • When the guard told Celestia the Empire resurfaced, why did she tell another guard to find Wifehorse and Husbandhorse?
     
    Simple. To protect it. Sombra was defeated, but not destroyed. His presence lingered, and the Royal Sisters knew Sombra was waiting. Shining Armor admitted this very point in Part 1.
      The only thing Celestia and Luna didn’t know directly is how he was going to be defeated.

    There are other methods to make Twilight ascend into an alicorn princess, ones that make more sense, more morally sound, and more in character of the Royal Sisters and Twilight. Twilight’s ascension arc was self-contained to only TCE and Magical Mystery Cure.
     
    Just like Rainbow Falls with the Equestria Games arc, The Crystal Empire caused MMC to jump the shark before it even started due to Celestia’s, Luna’s, and the script’s dictatorial portrayal. Except MMC tried to fight back, only to really fall flat on its face and become one of the twenty-five worst episodes. In contrast, EG was absolutely lazy with the arc and didn’t put in any effort to redeem it as much as possible.
     

    Fourth-best: Pinkie Pride
     
    In a world like Equestria, special talent is not only defined, but also differentiated. The cutie mark simplifies what the character does, but they’re all very different. Pinkie Pride called out the sense of individuality and put forth a conflict you don’t see in family entertainment: To echo Tommy Oliver’s analysis of it, what if there’s someone else who not only specializes in what you do, but also is more renown, more refined and better than you?
     
    Pinkie and Cheese are great party planners, but Cheese’s skillset is better. It’s not a theme you commonly see in family entertainment. As he’s an excellent party planner with a ton of dimension (and thanks to Weird Al, Cheese IS Weird Al!), CS is a magnificent foil to Pinkie, allowing the story the ability to progress. Not to mention the twist of Cheese being inspired by Pinkie’s party planning is brilliant.
     
    Speaking of Cheese, albeit being voiced by Weird Al Yankovich, he wasn’t written exclusively to shove in a celebrity voice. He’s a brony with as much passion for this show as most of us here in this fandom. He belonged in the world of Equestria, and the setup via the intro was the perfect lead-up to a great payoff. It’s also fascinating by how Cheese was never the antagonist; instead, Pinkie’s pride was the antagonist.
     
    More importantly, Pinkie Pie is treated like a three-dimensional character and is IN character (one of the few times in season four, really). Sensitive, intelligent, sad, happy, and eager to please. This episode thoroughly explores her character and takes its time doing it. Even though the pace was quick, it still flowed swimmingly because the simplicity of the plot provided enough air for the episode to breathe. Despite being in the wrong, she had a reason to let her pride get into her head. Once she realized she got carried away, she immediately learned her lesson and felt very guilty for it.
     
    Because it’s a PP episode, you’re bound to see comedy and wonder if it works. Every single joke succeeded. The reference to the Pinkie Sense and passion for grandiose parties foreshadowed how much Pinkie inspired him to plan parties at the very end. Then you had all the gags throughout, including:
    Cheese Sandwich immersing himself into the storyboard.
    Pinkie trying to keep the constructed skyscraper — a Mare Do Well reference — afloat.
    Cheese and Pinkie literally breaking the fourth wall.
    The Goof-Off in general. (Cheese singing a polka version of The Smile Song and having Pinkie call him out for it was extremely clever and, in my opinion, is the funniest moment in Pinkie Pride.)
    The clever joke to conclude the episode when Pinkie forgot his name. It’s a great reference to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (and is a Western trope altogether, a setting established in the prologue and Cheese’s overall attire) as well as the constant use of Cheese’s name throughout.

    Lastly, the ambiguous moral is one of the best decisions throughout the season. Prior to this whole list, it was my most favorite moment in season four. (Now it’s second most behind TT123’s climax.) She wrote in the journal, but it wasn’t revealed because it was shown step by step and came full circle in the first song’s reprise. And by not telling the audience, the writers trust the audience into knowing the lesson and allow kids and their parents to discuss the lessons side by side.
     

    Third-worst: Dragon Quest
     
    Easily the worst episode in season two. It’s one where it deserves so much scorn, and I say this as someone who likes this episode.
    In the prologue, Rainbow Dash tried to force Fluttershy into watching the dragon migration despite her wanting nothing to do with the dragons… But what went wrong here was the fact that Rainbow Dash had an extremely good point when ’Shy forced Dash to watch the butterfly migration. The end result? Fluttershy assaulting Dashie and fleeing for the rest of the episode.
    Flanderization is extremely apparent, particularly Rarity when she rolled out the red carpet. Not only does this segment highly exaggerate her vanity and ego, but it also contradicts a lesson she learned in Sonic Rainboom — don’t let her vanity get into her head).
     
    To make it worse, the episode contains some really serious implications of endorsing racism, classism, and every other disgusting anti-feminine/anti-masculine stereotype. In what ways? Well, let’s look them over.
     
    Spike appears in Part 1 wearing a frilly pink apron as a joke. Rainbow Dash mocks him, and Spike asks if he’s not like other dragons. The answers?
     Then you had Rarity get in on the act, turning one of his biggest idols — and one of the best characters in the show — into a sexist jukebox. Not even five minutes into DQ, and this episode was guaranteed to be at least one of season two’s worst just by the sorry portrayals in the opener. You won’t gain fanbases if cruel and demeaning idiocy like this is the first thing they see in an FIM episode.
     
    *sigh* How I so wish Twilight called them out for this. Unfortunately, none of them suffered any consequences.
     
    But the stereotypes don’t end there. They worsen by presenting the dragons as stereotypical bullies and male teens.
     
    One-dimensional? Check.
     
    Stupid? Check.
     
    Incompetent? Check.
     
    Obnoxious? Check.
     
    Stereotypical accents and voices? Check.
     
    Greedy to the core? Check.
     
    Willing to steal? Check.
     
    Vandalize? Check.
     
    Mock the little one and force him to succumb to peer pressure? Check.
     
    A complete disregard for life? Double check.
     
    To make that worse, the episode actively teaches to the audience that these bully characters are like every single other dragon in Equestria. There’s a term for this: generalization! A theme you typically see in horrific entertainment. A theme the show aims against!
     
    In short, it treats one whole race as a collection of idiots while pushing the agenda of ponies as perfect godsends. To steal a quote from one of my all-time favorite cartoon series, Gargoyles:
      On a bit of a lesser scale, the buildup for the meat of the plot is extremely contrived. Twilight, a character who read about the dragon migration, couldn’t find anything about dragons throughout her whole library? After a really touching conversation between Twilight and Spike just a minute prior, talk about a major mood killer.
     
    (I mean, couldn’t Twilight ask Celestia or Zecora for info on Spike and his ancestry instead?)
     
    In fact, the majority of DQ spent time killing the mood. Besides the example above, two major mood killers exist:
     
    • After a scene where Spike migrates (with absolutely no talking), the episode veers from exploring the possible lore of dragons to presenting caricatures.
     
    • Dash, Rarity, and Twilight finally got out of their disguise to confront Garble and the rest of his gang. Instead of standing their ground, they ran away. Yeah, when you have a defenseless egg, you can argue this was the best option, but it makes the climax very anticlimactic.

    A few years ago, I said Dragon Quest was a big improvement of Williams’s writing from The Mysterious Mare Do Well*. Now I wonder what I was thinking, because DQ was a major downgrade. A shame, too, because there were many great ideas here, and Spike’s characterization is pretty solid. But thanks to its really abominable storytelling and rancid implications, the entire lore of dragons effectively dies.
     
    *Putting Your Hoof Down’s story is created by Charlotte Fullerton and written by Merriwether Williams.
     

    Third-best: Party of One
     
    Back when I marathoned season one in the summer of 2011, this was the one that stuck out the most. If there was an episode I loved more out of every one in the whole show at that point, it’s this. Until Magic Duel aired, it remained firmly as my all-time favorite episode. (Today, it’s now fifth behind Pinkie Pride, SiP, MD, and finally Testing Testing.)
     
    And so much was done right, starting with the story. The narrative in and of itself is paced beautifully. Every single bit in this episode made sense and treated the audience with plenty of respect. Characterization was good characterization.
     
    Speaking of really good characterization, Pinkie’s character and logic really shine through, especially when she forgets her birthday. The Bearer of Laughter is a gigantic workaholic, spending plenty of time working in Sugarcube Corner and preparing countless events, jokes, and parties for ponies throughout Ponyville to laugh and spend casual quality time. Gummy’s birthday is a big event in Pinkie's perspective because she loves him and desires to prepare as much as she can to make the gator happy. When you have such a tight, countless, erratic schedule, particularly for a character with such a bubbly, funny, energetic personality, you're bound to forget something, even your own birthday. This is what happened to Pinkie Pie. While it may be a cliché, it works within the story’s context, includes a magnificent payoff, and reinforces the season’s (and show’s) most important theme: subversion (which climaxed beautifully in The Best Night Ever). Frankly, if it was something else, you risk breaking PoO and ruining the story.
     
    One sloppy excuse was one thing. It’s another to see her collection of friends come up with a row of excuses that become sloppier than the one before. One important point about her party making is she parties not to make herself happy, but to make others happy. When she makes others happy, she is happy. So when the Remane Five (her closest friends) BS themselves from attending Gummy's after-birthday party, Pinkie gets suspicious. Then their sneaking around Ponyville, suspicious dialogue, and constant hiding reinforce her hypothesis of them not wanting anything to do with her anymore. It makes her feel worthless, causing her to mentally break down before Act 2 concludes.
     
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T22wxk1DSJY
    “Creepy” is the operative word to describe Pinkamena. Until Creepy City in Lesson Zero, Hurricane Fluttershy, and Somepony to Watch Over Me, this really defined “creepy” in the context of FIM. Despite being played as a semi-joke, it wasn’t done to mock Pinkie, but to exaggerate it and make the viewer feel sympathetic towards her. In response, the jokes work, and it only gets better once Pinkamena and Rainbow Dash argue.
     
    Another great strength in this episode is the comedy. There’s a ton of it, and none of the jokes failed. Each time one sprouted before the audience, it never stops being funny, and they never fall into the traps of being cheap. Each joke remains fresh, keeping the audience engaged. More importantly, when the joke is told, it makes the audience convey a mood. The excuses are stupid; McCarthy wanted us to realize how stupid the excuses are to make the viewer feel for Pinkie without making the ReMane-ing Five out of character or unlikeable; altogether, the jokes work.
     

    If you want to read Part 1 (#10-7), click here. Click here for Part 3 (#2-1).
  10. Dark Qiviut
    Author's Note: This analysis has been revised a second time — published on June 15, 2015 — with a new addition about the layout of the audience during the wedding ceremony and overall moral. Credit goes to Reflective Vagrant on YouTube for noticing it.
     



    This is what I wrote here, and I'll write a bit more. 
    If you're not into the core fandom, then chances are you won't get many of the in-fandom jokes.
    Bon Bon's "secret agent" angle is a very subtle joke at her two names: Bon Bon and Sweetie Drops, both of them official. Won't be surprised if it's a play on James Bond, too.
     
    @@Dolphanatic caught another reference to Bon Bon's "agent" work. One of the gags from the early seasons was how her voice was never the same. Sometimes it's very girly. Other times, it's very deep like "Mine's got rocks in it!" This solves the gag. Derpy's reference to "Muffins" is a reference to her love for them that began in the fandom and became canonized after her Comic-Con toy was released with the muffin vectors. Lyra sits like a P.O.'d human as both a callback to Swarm of the Century as well as a reference to a lot of the "Lyra likes human mythology" fanon. Octavia and Vinyl together is a reference to how they're often together in fanonical work and headcanon. The shark plushie that Octavia and Vinyl jumped over along the hill is a reference to "jump the shark." Button Mash's reappearance is a nod to the background pony's reemergence in the fanon thanks to JanAnimations. Derpy and The Doctor together is a nod to the popular DoctorDerpy ship and headcanon. Berry Punch's barrel of "fruit juice" is a reference to the meme of her liking alcohol/wine. Gummy's philosophical approach to the pony world is a hilarious meta reference to how he often looks like he couldn't care less. Derpy the mailmare a reference to the popular fanon (which later became canon in Rarity's Micro comic). Everypony not giving a buck about the monster attacks in Ponyville is a meta reference to the countless monsters that invaded the town. Plenty of Doctor Who references, from the accent to the scarf and "Allons-y." The horse heads that we see in many conventions. The "bug bear" is a self-reference "pandering" joke. Obviously, the Twilicane. Derpy locking out the Mane Six. Clearing up the friendship problem in "a half-hour or so" is possibly the best joke in the episode. It works so well because it's so matter-of-fact, doesn't feel like a joke, yet doesn't intrude in the story. Shining Armor crying before the wedding. Liquid pride, anypony?

    A question to everyone else: When Derpy looked through the vial of flameless fireworks, did it feel like a subtle reference to Derpy staring at the lava lamp? I don't know, but it somehow feels like it to me.
     
    If you're not into fandom jokes or never fully got the grasp of them, then a lot of the fandom humor won't make sense. What makes a reference solid is how you can find them funny without having to completely understand them. A ton of jokes are very tongue-in-cheek with the fandom while still keeping the content rating in mind. While the core fandom will laugh from many of the jokes, some will only be confused because they won't get it. Consequently, some of these jokes will either go through one ear and out the other or only bewilder them more.
     
    Sometimes the humor is there only for the sake of it. One of the worst is the random Twilicane. Good humor shouldn't be there "just because." They must have some level of in-story context. Otherwise, it's going to look like pandering. The Twilicane joke is plain pandering because it interferes with the rush of the climax. It would've been much better if Vinyl's bass cannon was tripped by a divot caused by the bugbear to give the chaotic battle some payoff or a big rock under the dirt. Bon Bon's "secret agent" is another, which I'll get to a little below.
     
    On the flipside, the interaction with Doctor Whooves and Derpy feels incredibly natural. Both characters really play off each other. Doctor Whooves's very analytical and relies on a ton of science to equate and solve problems. His goal for wanting to create some level of magic without needing a horn really drives him to getting the best results possible, but sometimes overthinks things. His demeanor resembles the popular Tenth Doctor, which is finalized by his "Allons-y." On the other hand, Derpy is a simpler pony who prefers to focus on a calmer, simpler slice of life. She doesn't care a ton about the deep, scientific approach. She simply wants to do her job and wants to do it well. Unlike The Last Roundup, Derpy's squeaky female voice doesn't have that artificial, sarcastic edge; it's innocent, cute, aloof, and genuine.
     
    Outside of Doctor and Derpy, the tandem of Octavia and Vinyl Scratch is magnificent. Octavia is the one who does all the talking, but she doesn't only make the scene. Vinyl Scratch's approach is more hands-on; while she's mute, her style of music does the talking. As a result, you can see how Vinyl feels, behaves, and reacts to the environment. The lack of dialogue forces Larson to show instead of tell, but Vinyl and Octavia really work like a team. Vinyl's dubstep/techno meshes with Octavia's classical standards and talents. Without just relying on the typical music, the two genres cooperate. Octavia wanted the wedding to be special; this was one way to make the episode special.
     
    The weakest tandem is Lyra and Bon Bon. Their voices are clichéd, and the "best friends" dialogue is hammered in way too much. Sure, it only enforces and teases the popular LyraBon ship, but they lack plenty of personality. Without the exposition, Bon Bon would remain a flat bore. Their conversation and vocality feel way too plain, especially Lyra; without her minty green fur, she'd be your stereotypical valley girl. Bon Bon's "secret agent" joke doesn't fit, either, because the joke feels way too out there and relies a lot on telling the audience rather than showing despite having some historic context with the bugbear.
     
    But you also dove into more of Cranky's history thanks to Steven Magnet. He and Matilda hit off (friendly-wise ) beautifully in the salon. Matilda was anxious, but Steven's suave, casual conversational attitude adds a bit of calm in between the storm. During all the chaos, it'd make the whole episode feel overwhelming. It's great to see them amicably talk for a stretch of time (and have SM grow back his mustache!). But he triggered those nerves when he told her the wedding meant everything, and with a very creepy closeup to boot.
     
    Thankfully, Steven's relationship with Cranky isn't dumped onto its audience and forgotten. The resolution gave it some context when he gave Cranky part of his 'stache willingly. It revived his classic look before Rarity "corrected" it in Part 2 of the pilot, but apparently, he either isn't as vain as he used to be or he just wants to do the trimming himself. Plus, it calls back to how subconscious he is over being bald, especially before a big crowd for a big wedding.
     
    The side plot of the bug bear makes the entire episode feel distracting. The main plot was to rush Cranky and Matilda's wedding because the invitation had the wrong date, but you're reminded of the constant battle. With it taking place only in the background, you don't get how the battle took place; his defeat is only mentioned via exposition. You want to see how the Mane Six fend off the bugbear as the rest of Ponyville is very busy preparing the wedding. In fact, the battle half is pointless: Remove it with another plot, and it would've made no difference. Wouldn't it make just as much sense for the Mane Six to suddenly leave due to a friendship problem abroad? That way, you fit the Council of Friendship's overall goal this season: to teach the Magic of Friendship while also learning it.
     
    Conversely, one piece of exposition isn't merely dumped onto its audience. The SSMB's Gato caught this reference when watching one of the teasers, so he gets the credit:
     

     
    Notice what Amethyst is wearing around the main part of her body and her left front leg. Each team has a captain. Amethyst was the animal team's captain, and the clothing style proves it. During the conversation, Amethyst claimed she hasn't done any organization since Twilight moved in. Winter Wrap Up is one of season one's earliest episodes, and the conflict was how Twilight could adapt to Ponyville without relying on magic all the time. The result: being the lead organizer of Winter Wrap Up. It's easily the cleverest reference of Slice of Life because it's a tiny detail with a lot of impact.
     
    In between the bustle, Celestia's and Luna's conversation is much more casual compared to years' past. The only times we got to see them talk as sisters were either via fanwork or IDW's comics. For the latter, Luna's out-of-character juvenile behavior often soils it. Here, both of them are in character with natural dialogue. Like Octavia, they treated the wedding with utmost importance. Who can blame Celly, especially? Cranky met Matilda at the Grand Galloping Gala, so it makes for Celestia to treat this ceremony personally. However, even though they'll argue occasionally, they're still very close, as they held hooves while in the audience during Mayor Mare's speech.
     
    But one detail stuck out to me personally:

     
    One of A Canterlot Wedding's biggest problems was the romance angle between Shining Armor and Cadance. Throughout the finale, the narrative keeps telling the audience they love each other, but how can the audience care for them if their personalities feel flat and their romance is confined to exposition? When they tried to show it, it was too late. Instead of feeling natural and awe-spiring, their romance was forced and cringeworthy. Here, they say nothing in the ceremony; she leaned towards him, and he wrapped his hoof around her. Their romance is more believable here in this scene than all of ACW combined.
     
    But it's not just the ponies who are there. One Changeling is in the crowd, and he or she just sits and watches as the other foals huddle away. @@ZOMG (which @@Jeric echoed in a post about the Changeling in this post from that topic) picked a really good name for him: Incognito, because he's in the background absorbing the love in the room.
     
    Larson said in a convention interview (in MLP-MSP, which aired this episode, IIRC) that he originally wrote a Changeling invasion at the end, but it was edited out for time. Honestly, it was better not to have it. The battle overwhelmed the town; adding a new battle would've severely overwhelmed the audience. One battle is enough. Letting the audience and fandom relax and enjoy the ceremony is a more satisfactory approach.
     
    Even better is the moral. Mayor Mare's speech to the background characters was more than simply that. It was also dialogue to the bronies without being extremely explicit despite referencing the main cast. Mayor Mare said that Ponyville isn't simply the mane characters, but everyone else out there. Connect the same thing to the relationship the bronies have with the cast. The cast help make the show, but it doesn't feel complete without all of us. Everyone in Ponyville matters. Everyone who watches the show matters. Without bronies (me, you, adults, kids, male, female, and everyone in between), how can the show's popularity spread?
     
    But the messages would feel really, really hollow if the moral's presentation was sloppy. As I listened to read Golden Fox's first impressions of the episode, I read the YouTube comments and came across
    by Reflective Vagrant. This brony makes a really great point: As you listen to the moral, notice how the positions of both the seating and the placement of each character remain the same regardless of the camera angles, vector layout, and timing. Sometimes the background in other episodes is very inconsistent, especially the popping of characters in and out of specific shots dpeending on the angle or Easter Egg the staff wants to throw at their audience. The animators really take their time making sure the characters stay in one location throughout Mayor Mare's speech. 
    Why is this important? If the characters don't stay in one spot, then you marginalize not only the importance of Cranky and Matilda's wedding, but the moral, too. Remember, even with all the fanservice, there's still a story. A sloppy background implies a lack of attention by the in-story audience, thus informing the audience watching the show not to care about the wedding or Mayor Mare's speech. Due to lazy animation and composition, the implications of the close relationship between DHX/Hasbro and the older brony fandom suddenly becomes pointless. The attention by the in-story audience tells us, the viewers, to pay attention, too. Consequently, we listen to her and understand the moral stated in the show and implied by the overall theme of Slice of Life. Little detail, tremendous impact.
     
    Finally, an open plot from season two is finally resolved. Following A Friend in Deed, you're left to open questions about Cranky and Matilda's relationship. For those who saw the animatic, you know it was being resolved this season. But we didn't know how it'd be resolved. Slice of Life answers those questions by focusing on the rest of society rather than just the Mane Six.
     
    So why did I critique this gift? The answer is simple: No one episode deserves special treatment. Just because it's a gift to the brony fanbase doesn't entitle Slice of Life to not get the same treatment as any other episode. Remember what Sugar Belle said to Starlight Glimmer in The Cutie Map, Part 2?

     
    This applies. I treat the other episodes with the same analytical, critical breakdown. Like the "It's for kids" excuse, there's no reason to give this episode a pass, either. To claim this as "ungrateful" or "spoiled" is immensely disrespectful to not just this episode, but the others, too, including what's coming up later on. What I critiqued both positively and negatively here would get the same level of respect as any other episode. It doesn't matter how big a milestone this is. The core of a good episode is the story. Without a good story, this episode is factory-laden junk food, and it's always better to eat a scratch-made, fresh meal. Fortunately, the foreground episode holds up nicely at this point. How well it'll age is up for debate.
     
    Is Slice of Life the best episode of the show? No. It has some flaws to work with, such as the background clutter and plain voices for both Bon Bon and Lyra. But depending on who you talk to, it may be one of the most personal, because it really connects with the core brony fandom. Some great characters shine through, particularly Octavia, Derpy, and Doctor Whooves. Plenty debate or look for fanon being crushed, when in actuality, plenty of fanon becomes canon, and whatever is left unsaid will only spark even fuller fanon and headcanon in the future. Slice of Life is pure fanon starter. The moral is appropriate for the show and relates very well to both the characters in the canon and the relationship between DHX and the bronies. Slice of Life keeps the bronies conneted thanks to the personal touches, themes, jokes, and overall moral. The moral itself is possibly one of the most important of the entire show. I don't know how long this series will last, but I'm sticking around for the ride!
     

     
    Source: S05:E09 - Slice of Life
  11. Dark Qiviut
    Delivery, presentation, and timing are everything in great comedy. Without them, your jokes won't work, which means your audience won't laugh. But if you succeed in making great comedy, then you can repeat the joke and still make your audience laugh hard.
     
    "Who's On First?", the Abbott & Costello skit from 1953 (and one that FIM parodied in Tanks for the Memories). is one such example. It's eight minutes of some fantastic comedy. If you haven't seen this skit, please watch it. If you have (and want to see it again), please re-watch it.
  12. Dark Qiviut
    Like almost all of the seasons, it's rather inconsistent. After three really good episodes in a row, the season got stuck in mediocrity with only Make New Friends and Slice of Life helping out the quality. But there's also been some hope, as Amending Fences is the best episode so far this season.

    My list from favorite to least:
    Amending Fences (all-time favorite) The Cutie Map Slice of Life Castle Sweet Castle Make New Friends, but Keep Discord Bloom & Gloom Party Pooped Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? Appleoosa's Most Wanted The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone Tanks for the Memories Princess Spike (the only one I hate)

    But if I were to grade them based on actual quality, the order would be as follows:
    Amending Fences: A+
     
    It's a type of episode children need desperately. What if one decision that looks inconsequential can be a terrible mistake with terrible consequences. Twilight's decision to skip MD's party only forced her to become reclusive. Moon Dancer had many great reasons to behave the way she did, and she bluntly called out Twilight. The moral is very mature and one Twilight had to learn. Not just the best episode of the season so far. It overtakes Sisterhooves Social as the second-best of the show and easily competes with The Best Night Ever. The Cutie Map: A+
     
    I rarely give out A-pluses. Season four is the first with two. The Cutie Map is the first, and was it REALLY written well. Starlight is the best villain of the show. The M6 are written great. The town is creepy, yet wonderful. The allegories to communist societies and cults are accurate and disturbing, including the use of genuine brainwashing techniques into FIM. This episode mandates analysis, because there are so many layers here. Easily the best two-parter of the show. Bloom & Gloom: A-
     
    It may be one on the boring side, but there's a purpose to the structure. Apple Bloom's worries over what type of cutie mark she'll get make plenty of sense. Not simply because she's a child. But also she still doesn't know her place in the Equestrian world. The one big downside is Babs got her cutie mark via exposition, and the episode never relented the idea that she's no longer a CMC now that she has one. Just because she has a mark doesn't mean her role as CMC is officially over. Slice of Life: B+
     
    To get the flaws out of the way. The story structure is rather weak because part of the story revolved around the bugbear in the background. Lyra's and Bon Bon's voices are stereotypical valley girls. Some of the reference humor doesn't work, like Bon Bon's secret agent spiel and the Twilicane. But there's a lot of nice characterization, especially Derpy, Dr. Whooves, Vinyl, Octavia, and Steven Magnet. Gummy's philosophy on life is absolutely hilarious. Luna and Celestia talk to each other like actual sisters. Many of the references blend in the canon, especially the Vinyl and Octavia duet. The sound moral fits both the story and relationship between the bronies and DHX. It's a lot better of a story than the detractors give credit for. Castle Sweet Castle: B
     
    Spike was nicely done here; despite being comic relief, it was brief, and he caught a break. Twilight's grief over the Golden Oak Library by staying away makes so much much sense for her character, and it addresses its empty, cold feeling. The roots of the Library above the roundtable is a very fitting tribute. Although her friends acted stupid, it made sense because they wanted to make the castle feel like home for her, and they figured out the problem themselves. One problem is the pacing: the middle goes by really slowly. Make New Friends, but Keep Discord: B- (may drop to C+ or C in the future)
     
    Discord was great. Fluttershy was great (at the end). The moral is one everyone understands, works with the context. Some of the more obscure pop culture references work really well with Discord and the narrative. But the best part was Maud's "You're the most basic of jokes." But it's also bogged down by very blatant pop culture references (which risk making the episode look corny in the future), using a clichéd jealousy story (the same structure as Owl's Well, although done better), placing no blame on Fluttershy for perpetuating the arc and ignoring him, and Tree Hugger being the stereotypical stoner hippie. The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone: C
     
    One of the episode's biggest strengths is its portrayal of Gilda. After being presented as a 90's stereotype, her vocabulary was toned down, yet she still retained that edge. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were also really nicely done, though Dash stereotyped. The problems, though, are severalfold.
     
    One: The entire griffon population was portrayed as greedy, when only one was (and his reaction was understandable). Griffonstone is apathetic, in complete poverty, and agriculturally bankrupt.
     
    Two: Twilight acted like a slave to the map; this is one such episode where a throwaway line or two or letter would've worked.
     
    Three: the episode paints friendship as the be-all end-all. Friendship can help rebuild your own community, but it can't repair a bankrupt government. In short, the worst moral this season. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?: C- (may upgrade to C in the future)
     
    Mature morals are very difficult to tackle while staying true to a general-audience content rating. Therefore, sometimes allegories are the most appropriate way to tackle dark themes. This episode has the guts to tackle self-harm. Princess Luna was able to be forgiven by her sister and the rest of society, but she never forgave herself. The Tantabus was a great way to portray physical punishment to repress her psychological torment. But sometimes it gets so addicting, you want more until it gets out of control and threaten lives.
     
    But there are several problems.
     
    One: the fan pandering in the middle really clogs up the story. Cut all of that out, and you can really expand the depth of Luna's self-punishment.
     
    Secondly, there's way too much exposition; no one needs to hear "Tantabus" and how much of a threat it is all the time.
     
    Lastly, the pacing is absolutely terrible. The middle is played a lot while the beginning and ending are really cut short. Secondly, do you really think Princess Luna will be able to immediately forgive herself and mentally heal in just one minute? No. People who have these problems take a really long time to completely heal; sometimes they don't at all.
     
    Self-harm is a really delicate subject, and it wasn't treated with any respect. Shameful. Party Pooped: C-
     
    There are episodes that play to specific character's strengths. Party Pooped played to two specifically to Pinkie: zany cartoon logic and her determination. She willed to make the party 100% authentic to Yakyakistan's culture by going up to their country…only to fail. The Mane Six deserve a lot of credit for keeping their composure during the yaks' visit, especially Twilight. TS's mini-freakout makes plenty of sense.
     
    But there are a few problems.
     
    One: The show remains inconsistent with Equestria's geography. It makes no sense for anyone to travel from Equestria to beyond The Crystal Empire in a short amount of time; at most, it'll take at least a day.
     
    Secondly, the yaks are one-dimensional stereotypes of primitive people. Based on DHX'ss location, you can assume the yaks are Native stereotypes thanks to their broken language, terrible temper, and warrior-first ideology. They can also be viking stereotypes for the same reasons plus their lack of knowledge of Equestrian culture.
     
    Thirdly, the yaks are portrayed as the antagonists when the Mane Six had no idea how to truly celebrate the yaks' culture. The yaks were promised of complete authenticity and felt lied to, hence their anger. However, they still had zero right to vandalize and get away with it. Tanks for the Memories: D+
     
    The first S5 episode I outwardly dislike. Granted, DHX has the guts to create an allegory of death, and the character makes sense. Rainbow Dash loves company; once Tank brumates (the reptilian version of hibernation), she'll be alone for several months. But the allegory is completely inappropriate because the stakes aren't high enough, but the audience is supposed to believe it is. Secondly, Rainbow Dash is very out of character; she understands how important hibernation is to not just the animals, but all of Ponyville/Equestria. She's the weather team captain. But what really hurts her portrayal the most is the fact that she understood the terrible consequences of her actions, yet doesn't care as long as Tank is still with her. What's worse is she never got called out and never got punished for vandalizing the Weather Factory. The moral of being okay to grieve is great, but it was bogged down by some terrible characterization of Dash and huge implications of her actions. Appleoosa's Most Wanted: F
     
    This episode showed how much poor comedy can really damage the integrity of an episode. Even after the CMCs were warned to not wander out into the forest alone out of fear that they'll be killed, they still ventured out in hope of finding their cutie marks. This is The Show Stoppers's version of the CMCs, which they grew from. But the biggest problems stem from the comedy and Trouble Shoes himself.
     
    One: TS is the constant victim of slapstick, and he resides himself to a fate of clumsiness and bad luck. But slapstick is supposed to make the audience laugh; slapstick is supposed to be used for characters who deserve comedic karma, but he doesn't deserve it. Come the climax, the audience is supposed to laugh at the jokes, but TS doesn't see it as funny; he just wants to be a part of the group at the rodeo, not be a clown. It's a major asspull for him to suddenly be okay in being a clown.
     
    Two: Trouble Shoes's clumsiness was initially written to be very dangerous. When he knocked down the hay pyramid, everyone panicked. But then later in the episode, the audience is supposed to not see it as a danger and laugh from it? Stay consistent to your own episode continuity. If we were supposed to laugh in the climax, then the beginning shouldn't have treated this episode as a danger. Princess Spike: F
     
    The worst episode of season five so far, and the second-worst written episode of the show. All of the citizens in Canterlot was a groveling suck-up to Twilight, while Spike was being ignored just because he's not a princess. The moral is supposed to be how he took advantage of others to make himself feel good, but it's a non-sequitur; the base of the conflict occurs when he takes Twilight's name out of good intentions and hopes that Twilight can move on with organizing the convention without all that backlog. Spike has good intentions, but his character development from past episodes is completely reset here. I really hate Princess Spike.

    What went right?
    The characterizations of many of the Mane Six are a hell of a lot better this season than last. Twilight's character, which was heavily reduced and flanderized for the most part, was brought back in ways that make sense: her adorkableness, intelligence, and figuring out problems without using a DEM. Pinkie Pie's characterization is completely on point with a balance of humor, seriousness, and Pinkie cartoon logic. Minus her portrayal in most of Make Friends, Fluttershy's behavior has significantly improved by being less shy and sticking with the lessons she learned. The morals are greyer, and most of the themes are very mature, all of which I highlighted here and here. For a show designed to be revolutionary, this is incredibly important. If going by the titles and animatics, we'll likely see more in the second half. Animation has improved via new facial expressions, lighting, etc. Mostly great background and secondary characters. Several are memorable like Double Diamond, Sugar Belle, and Moondancer. Starlight Glimmer. Best villain of the show so far. Some really good songs, especially In Our Town.

    What went wrong?
    Spike's characterization in his prominent episode is an absolute mess. To make it worse, the ending doesn't hide how much of a joke the staff treats him. This is a pro-feminist show; the treatment of his character questions the integrity of the whole show. If you can't write him correctly in his episodes, keep him as a secondary character. Once again, it's still very inconsistent. To make it worse, many episodes that should've been good — Do Princesses Dream…? — are lost because of bad writing choices. Way too many stereotypes. Tree Hugger (stoner hippie) and the yaks (primitive citizens) are lazily developed characters. As funny as the Barney parody was, it's also a stereotype of masculinity by flanderizing Dash's tomboyish portion of her character. Lyra and Bon Bon have stereotypical valley girl accents. Rainbow Dash's characterization is hit and miss, sometimes relying on the stereotype mentioned above or disregarding continuity to force the plot forward. Some episodes are poorly paced. Castle Sweet Castle and Dream poorly flow from one area to the next.

    In short, it did really well, but it can also do better.
     

     

    Source: What are your thoughts on the first half of Season 5 so far?
  14. Dark Qiviut
    http://www.abc15.com/news/local-news/water-cooler/valley-man-celebrates-114th-birthday-shares-his-longevity-secrets
     

     
    In the link and image above featured an Arizona man named Bernando LaPallo. Born on August 17th, 1901, he often shares several secrets to his longevity, from exercising every day to eating (and wearing) olive oil to staying stress-free.
     
    Yesterday was his 114th birthday, and his interview is located in the link above.
     
    Let's just say he's in pretty damn good shape. Happy birthday, Bernando! Hope you live another 114!
  15. Dark Qiviut
    So, let me get straight. In order to mock their critics, the writers use the Teen Titans characters and rating's trap to spew the "it's a kids' show" and "you're-wearing-nostalgia-goggles" strawmen in the form of making a clown — which is "supposedly" for kids — edgy. As if that's exactly what their older fans want. (Newsflash: They don't. They just want good work.)
     
    But in the beginning of the first scene, as Raven watches her little FIM parody, we see a close up of a pony's plot as she twerks, as if to say, "Ha ha, Raven's a clopper."
     
    …The irony burns into my brain.
  16. Dark Qiviut
    The man in the picture above is Irwin Corey, a Jewish-American comedian. No matter the age, he was always someone who likes to tell jokes. One of his most famous gimmicks is him as "Professor Irwin Corey."
     
    On July 29, The World's Foremost Authority turned 101 years old.
     
    Here's an NY Daily News article about him just before he turned 100. He also cracks a good joke.
     
    Happy birthday, Professor!
  18. Dark Qiviut
    I'll have to echo @@Wind Chaser here. The pacing of this episode was all over the place. It comes across as wanting to put in a lot of content, but it got squashed to fit the twenty-minute time slot. Unfortunately, this hurts the comedy quality. Pinkie's narrating joke was good the first time, but it started to get stupid midway, and it felt like a contrived reason to push the episode forward. The yaks are primitive, spoiled, clichéd jackasses. The second they didn't get one thing they want, they started destroying the entire landscape. It's one thing to be upset, it's another to vandalize. These two-dimensional vikings don't deserve to be tolerated, embraced, or celebrated. Instead, Twilight, Pinkie, or some other member of the Mane Six should stand up to them and call them out for their bullshit, not reward them for a party they clearly don't deserve. By rewarding them, the moral loses credibility. I was never a fan of this then, and I'm still not. The geography traveling wasn't given any level of respect here. It won't take an hour or two just to get to TCE or Yakyakistan. TCE is incredibly far north. It would take several hours to get that far. Be more consistent with your geography. Nonetheless, the Mane Six deserve plenty of credit for their patience. Twilight and Pinkie are quite a bit alike, especially their hyperventilating sides. It was great to see Twilight in Swarm of the Century mode again while still keeping mind of prior continuity. Pinkie's admirable actions to give the yaks the perfect party shows her dedication to her passion. Unlike last week, the moral actually connects with the rest of the conflict.

    In short, WAY better than last week's. But it still doesn't make it good. At most, it's average.
     

     

    Source: S05:E11 - Party Pooped
  20. Dark Qiviut
    "Weeaboo" is an insult people use to bash anime and manga fans, especially ones who behave rowdy. "Hasdrone" is an insult people use to bash bronies who still like the show post-season two or three. "Hasdrone" isn't so widely used anymore compared to the hiatus between seasons three and four, but "weeaboo" is still widely used online. Both of them are a byproduct of cyberbully culture and used by entitled, self-absorbed scumbags who feel it's a great idea to bully or troll others.
     
    Well, newsflash: There's no factually good reason to be a bigot and use either slur under ANY circumstance. The second you use either of them, you don't look better than them. Instead, you become one-hundred-percent more pathetic than the people you shoot down.
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