piece5

Surely something intense happened to you. Your mti not put the fear of god in you?

I joined the Air Force. They're not allowed to do that. They can only reprimand harshly. My parents did that for my whole life XD

I told a girl I loved her once.

Played some video games all night. Jumped off a cliff. Got in a fight. Joined the military Air Force. That's about it.

Please, please - the sagittarus just arrived in town.

My man! How's it feel to be part of the MasterRace zodiac fam? I think it feels great. Born in winter, check. Got that birthday right next to Christmas, aww yiss.

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta Sagittarius

Like the title says. This here's a thread dedicated to all those secret/open crushes you have on someone. It's always nice to be able to say all the things you love about someone and not have to worry about anyone thinking you're weird.

Note: Don't call anyone out by name. Call them "X" or something like that, we don't want anyone coming across this thread and feeling awkward around someone.

Note part two: Don't be overtly sexual. Physical attraction is one thing, but no 50 Shades bullshit

Note part three: Fictional characters are allowed

Note part four: Your mom is not a fictional character

Note part five: Celebrities are acceptable crushes

Note part six: If you don't have a crush, don't post here

Note part seven: This is not a thread to 'brag' about your successful crushes, this is a thread to release those pent-up feelings you could never say to someone's face

Note part eight: Never, EVER miss an opportunity to tell your crush you like them

Note part nine: If it's questionably sexual, maybe don't post it

Note part ten: Have fun in this thread

I'll start this bad boy (or girl, I don't discriminate ) off:

She's 17, she's Canadian, and she's f*cking fanTASTIC. Straight up, every time we talk I almost shit a brick because I'm so damn lucky she even wants to talk to me. Butterflies in the tum-tum? Check. Big ass smile on my face? Check. Blushing when she turns on that flirt switch? CHECK.

I get to wake up every morning and turn that phone on and get that morning text and those little texts throughout the whole day that put just a bit more of a spring in my step. And then I get off 'work' and get to spend even more time with her and I can't ever get enough.

Smart, clever, funny, AND she likes MLP. She's an Applejack fan, but I'm willing to overlook one flaw considering how many she puts up with in me.

Met her online (>inb4 catfishing/she's a 75 year old man) in a pun battle and slowly but surely fell harder and harder for her until I finally worked up the courage to spill my guts for her the night before I went to BMT (3MAR15) and the time since then has been the literal best of my life.

I love you, 'X'. You're the best.

What about you?

I am an American Airman

I am a warrior

I have answered my nation's call

I am an American Airman

My mission is to fly, fight, and win.

I am faithful to a proud heritage

A tradition of honor, and a legacy of valor

I am an American Airman

Guardian of Freedom and Justice

My nation's sword and shield, it's sentry and avenger

I defend my country with my life

I am an American Airman, Wingman, Leader, Warrior

I will never leave an Airman behind

I will never falter

And I will not fail

>inb4 moved to "Debate Pit"

Best firearm (Pistol) has to go to a Colt 1911 (.45 ACP, otherwise it's not a 1911) and the Berretta M9 (9MM MasterRace, love me some of that action.

Best firearm (Rifle) is a bit different, depending on whether you're talking about hunting or self defense. IMO, best all around gun has to go to the AR15, M4A1, and AK47 (Gotta love that 7.62). Hunting rifles are so numerous and plentiful (Redundancy, I know, I did that on purpose) that I don't have a favorite one of those.

Shotguns are fun too I guess. Not my jam, tho.

I have three:

Become USAF Special Forces

Become an Aerospace Engineer

Get my boyfriend ungrounded so I can keep talking to him before someone else comes along and snatches him up

I don't have one. Will be getting one eventually. I suppose I have a "style accessory" that I'm never without that makes me easily recognizable. Black hat (with or w/o the Excision logo) and two necklaces: school ring and excision pendant.

Is also an Android compatible game. Hell of a gem/bit grind, but pretty fun for just a casual "I have nothing better to do, how are my lovelies doing" kind of game.

Bruh

CRASH
BANDICOOT

Gawd I loved those games, but they've disappeared off the face of the planet.

Ahaaaa top kek, good sir/madam. I'm not a fan of country, but this is one of the few songs that I actually like.

"I ain't no high class broad"

Ayy lmao XD

To be fair, EQG is an alternate univers, not a parallel one. Therefore, there are always going to be little things that don't quite line up. I think EQG was as good as anyone could have possibly made it. There wasn't a whole lot of the stereotypes, beyond that of the cliques never getting along with each other. I loved EQG, and I've been re-watching it ever since I got it. 

Was it the best thing I've ever seen? No. Was it the worst thing I've ever seen? No.

Nor was it a guilty pleasure. I felt that they really were able to show what happens when you don't have all the elements of magic together. And I really hope they make Sunset the new element of magic in the next one. I think that would be great, we can totally drop Mane 6 (Pony) from the next movie. Make it a true stand-alone

>Crossover confirmed as cannon

^^mfw

My great grandpa was  B1 Gunner in WWII, I think. My uncle was an Army grunt in Afghanistan, great-uncle was Navy, some other distant relative was Air National Guard. I am currently US Air Force. 

>Profit

QUICK! MAKE MORE! I need moar XD

Can Fluttershy get some love?

Rarity is incredibly pretty, and I would love to run my fingers through her mane.

Rule 30: There are no girls on the internet.

Rule 31: All women are men and all children are undercover FBI Agents.

Rule 32: (This one isn't allowed on the forums, but it involves timestamped evidence of genitalia to prove/disprove your claim to gender)

I'll begin by saying that you raise interesting points; it gives me an opportunity to explore the subject in ways I ordinarily wouldn't have.  Even if I don't wholly agree with you, you're taking the time to effectively express your thoughts and opinions.  Know that my strong distaste for Grimdark colors my responses (though perhaps you assumed that from the start lol).

 

Warning: Frankenstein's monster approaches.  Cut and pastes and rewrites aplenty.

 

Here I'm seizing upon your choice of words: "Dark and edgy."  Not everything has to be - nor should be - those things.  Dark and edgy has been so overdone and exaggerated that it's, well...  Lost its edge. xD  Why can't art be different?  Seek to become known through its uniqueness rather than its expected broader appeal?  I'm not saying that's a realistic expectation, but it would be the preferable outcome.  I could not enjoy my success and would surely regret the journey if my rise to the top was littered with the likes of pony corpses.  The willingness to repeatedly depict such things is even suggestive of...  Apathy.  Or the pursuit of relative fame, whatever the cost.  I think you should possess enough of an emotional connection to the characters that it hurts YOU when they come to harm.  If the emotional connection isn't there, they're simply meat.  And an unimaginative means to an end.

 

I believe the artists opt for violence (against ponywomen) while there exist any number of alternatives.  Possibly for the very reasons you stated: Exposure.  Popularity.  Am I painting all MLP Grimdark artists with the same brush?  Yes.  Why?  Because I can.  Because they have made it possible (easy, even) by honing in on precisely what it is that most disgusts me about it.  The end result is the same no matter their personal motivations; therefore the motivations do not really concern me.  I might even be convinced that pursuing your break out moment in the art community at the expense of mutilated ponywomen is even more reprehensible than simply doing it because you enjoy making dark art. :/  Grimdark artists should damn well expect negative opinions to come stampeding their way.  What they do is inherently negative, and it is reliant upon preexisting emotions that aid them in eliciting desired - and bigger - reactions (the latter is perhaps truer of written works).

 

And there's another thing about exposure: You're purposely representing yourself with what art you choose to create.  "This is me, and this is what I do."  Even if the artist doesn't intend to promote this type of violence, they are still deliberately and knowingly putting it out there.  There's no little tag attached that says, "Oh, by the way, even though I gained notice by drawing horrific scenes involving, specifically, female ponies, I do not endorse the committal of violent acts against women."  And that nonexistent tag would be BS anyway.  Because the creation and utilization of that art - for the purposes of personal success - is, in and of itself, a silent endorsement of violence against women.  Why?  Because you're missing an essential balancing component:

 

Condemnation.

 

Instead, it's meant to be "cool."  Cooler than colorful equines might normally be viewed as being.  Dark.  Edgy.  Cool.  Who wants to see cute ponies when you can see dead ponies?  And I don't begin to understand how you can see the appeal of both; not if you care at all about the characters.  I generally prefer to see those I care bout, you know, physically intact and relatively unharmed.  That's not a moral judgment: It's a genuine lack of comprehension.  It does not compute for me.

I'm going to break this up to a few points.

Starting first with dark and edgy, I agree with you that not everything has to be dark and edgy. But when it is tastefully (There has never been a word so loosely used before XD) done, then it grows from simple shock value into something more. More often than not, however, the edge becomes what is desired in the art. And the artist will most likely feel an obligation to fulfill that desire, whether he/she believes in it or not. Much the same way that many shows give in to the popular plot lines rather than stay true to their original "Uniqueness" (The Walking Dead, anyone?). 

Many of the grimdark artists can (and have) branched off and away from Grimdark, and while they may have lost a few of their followers, they have gained other followers. Sometimes, if you want to get to the top, you've got to get your hands dirty. And while I can see you point about regretting the journey, would you not also feel some satisfaction that people were enjoying your art? That is, of course, ignoring the fact that you would have been able to see yourself grow as an artist from your beginning works to your end results. 

Some grimdark artists also create their works in order TO elicit an emotional reaction. They place these ponies in depictions of harm and pain to draw you closer to the show, and to the characters as well. When you see someone you care about in harm's way (Whether it be gorily detailed or otherwise), the emotional response should be to want to protect them, to want to come to their aid. These artists have my upmost respect, because they strengthen the emotional connection I have for the characters. 

Suggesting that the artists are apathetic towards the characters of the show is, in my opinion, a bit of a stretch. The artist obviously has some emotional connection with them, otherwise they would not be creating the art that they are creating. Even if they are just using the ponies for that little bit of a fame boost, there is still something there. Is it the emotional connection you and I share with the ponies? No. Does that mean there is nothing? No.

---

I'm glad you recognize you're painting all artists with the same brush (Art puns!), because I don't have to waste my time explaining that you are doing that. I will say that generalizations are the downfall of any argument, regardless of how intelligent they are. I've said it before, I am dead set against the assumption the grimdark artists want to see women mutilated. If they reall did, they would step their art up a bit more. Not only would they draw and write about it, they would do it. And I have yet to have heard anything about a grimdark artist (Of ANY kind) being caught up actively engaging in harmful activities. Could it have happened and maybe I just live in a nice bubble? Possibly. But the few that actively endorse violence against other people do not set a trend with which to lump all artists into. It simply would not compute.

Perhaps grimdark is inherently negative. But I like to believe that it exists to take the negative, and use it to reinforce the positive. I, for one, have seen many grimdark works that have made me want to go and fiercely protect the victims. These artists have made my love for the characters even stronger. Had I not come across Grimdark, I would most likely not feel the same way towards the colorful and majestic ponies as I do today.  And this is the end result that I personally believe most grimdark artists strive to reach with their audiences.

"There's no little tag attached that says, "Oh, by the way, even though I gained notice by drawing horrific scenes involving, specifically, female ponies, I do not endorse the committal of violent acts against women."  And that nonexistent tag would be BS anyway."

While there is no tag there, I do not believe in the necessity of one. Much the same way that video games don't come with a "This is stupid, don't try this at home" tag. Anyone who believes that grimdark is how they should be living their life is one of two things: Deranged, or idiotic. Possibly both. Humanity is born with a knowledge that there are certain things YOU JUST DON'T DO. And while we know that we can't do them, that doesn't stop us from imagining what would happen if we could do it. Thus, grimdark, movies, video games, and the like are born. It is a nice creative outlet that allows us to indulge ourselves in the darker aspects of life, while still remaining in our nice little bubble of safety. Calling the nonexistent tag BS is something that I must whole-heartedly reject. Why would an artist take so much time to try and elicit their followers into committing acts of senseless violence? There are much more effective ways to do that.

Who wants to see colorful ponies when you can see dead ones? I do. I want to see both. 

Decidedly an excuse; and a poor one, in my opinion.  I think the very fact that the show is comprised mainly of female characters would be reason enough for anyone who didn't find violence against women acceptable to steer clear of it altogether when intent on concocting this manner of "art."  No earnest member of this fandom is under any obligation to produce Grimdark to being with; it flies in the face of the inherent and most appealing qualities of the show.  And while the series may be dominated by females, male characters DO exist.  This ultimately makes it a matter of personal choice and even deliberate selection.  Soarin, Cheese Sandwich, Bulk Biceps, Flash Sentry, Soarin, Dr. Hooves, Soarin, Discord, Big Mac, Snips, Snails, Soarin, and Soarin are all males.  Here's a more comprehensive list: http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Male_characters

 

Seemingly more often than not, it is the females that are chosen for egregious mistreatment; were violent pieces involving ponywomen less popular - and therefore encountered less frequently - I might not be in the position to characterize MLP Grimdark and its contributors / supporters as I have.

 

But that's not the case.  Is it?

It seems to me that you believe that the artists want violence (Against women, men, fillies, colts) to happen all the time. I can't accept that as reason to not like grimdark. Many of the artists simply feel like being a bit dark and edgy. I know a couple, and I asked them if they were doing okay, and they said that they just enjoy flexing their talents in a darker manner. 

There are many bro characters, but how many more lady characters are there? I like to think upwards of infinity +1. Simple statistics would show that the more of one type (PonyLadies) of thing is going to be selected for use (Grimdark). When bros are outnumbered ten-to-one (Exaggeration, I know, I don't feel like getting the actual statistic), then there is going to be less grimdark with the bros than there is with the ladies. As an artist, would you rather choose a lesser-known bro character, or a well-known lady character? Many of the artists want exposure, and utilizing popular characters in their art is an effective way to do that. Are there those who actually are advocating for violence? Absolutely. Is it enough to justify a stereotype that all GrimDark artists are advocating violence? Absolutely not.

And I think MLP Grimdark generally advocates violence against women, as the harm being depicted is frequently against female characters.  Arguable hypocrisy incoming: I don't particularly care what happens to stallions. :/

Are you sure you used "advocating" correctly? Because, to be fair, when the entire show is comprised mainly of lady characters (I don't like using male/female), then much of the fandom artstuffs is going to revolve around ladies. Advocating? No. Over-indulgence? That's a bit better.

Depends on what kind of Grimdark. I really like mutation/muatlist type stuff (Think Flood from Halo or Zombies), but I'm not really into murder/harm.

I really like these two pics

Those are allowed, right? They should be. If not, then- nevermind. Not gonna finish that thought XD

His name is piece5

He's a member of the Royal Guard Air Force (Special Forces - Pararescue)

His cutie mark is for Luna's Royal Guard (Aunt Woona is best princess, but Momlestia holds a special place in our heart)

Whatcha think? I like this guy (Might be a tad bit biased tho XD)

Mine OC is boring as all hell. Simple Royal Guard Member, Pegasi Branch. Chill childhood. Born, grew up, not much to report. Loyal member of the New Lunar Republic. Idk if that's real or not, but he's Luna's Royal Guard. And yes, there are Celestia Royal Guards and Luna Royal Guards.

I like to imagine that one day he (we?) will be transferred to Twilight Sparkle's Royal Guard. That would be pretty chill.

Cannon: maybe? Definitely worthy of background pone status.

Ugh, I have a love/hate relationship with weight lifting. While I'm doing it, I want to die and stop and just let my poor body just take a minute to realize that it isn't dying. But I can't, because my instructor is a sadist XD. I prefer cardio (Freaking love cardio, 3 miles everyday), but cardio just doesn't give you that look that drives people crazy.

TL;DR: Cardio MasterRace.