Simeon Leonard

We have a new Scoot-fil-A in town but I haven't tried it yet. 

I think Lauren once said that Dash's one true love is herself, lol.

yes many peeve me lol... PinkieDash, FlutterDash, and AppleDash more than others

Ok, but what about DashDash?     

I have a question 

How did you Big Apple Pony Tumblr come to be? It's so silly, I love it. There has to be a story there

I know you said movies, but for me it's all about nostalgia and my favorite TV specials from when I was a kid. Garfield's Halloween Special will always be my favorite.

As for movies, I like Earnest Scared Stupid. It's just so silly   I guess I prefer the lighthearted side of Halloween to actual horror when it comes to movies and TV. 

Oh! I almost forgot! ​Invader Zim's Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom!

Since we're buddies, I feel like I can ask a hardball question I know one thing you get asked a lot is "why are plushies so expensive?" Can you talk a little about why a hand-made plush costs hundreds of dollars and why so many people are willing, even happy to pay that much when mass-produced alternatives are available?

Also, how does the future look for craft plush makers?

Pony pony pony, pony?

I wonder if people realize how accurate and comprehensive that description is    

Ok, I has a question   You're two artists working together under one name. Do you each take on different roles or do you both work on all aspects of a project? For example, does one of you draw the characters and the other do the backgrounds? If you both work on all parts of a project together, how do you maintain a consistent style?

Can you imagine how physically exhausted you would be by the end of the day if you had to constantly be sitting down and standing up?

I thought Andrea Libman handled this problem perfectly when it came to photos. Unlike the other VIPs who stood up for everyone wanting a photo, Andrea had an empty chair next to her so anyone who paid for a photo could simply sit down beside her rather than her have to stand up a bazillion times. So smart.

Another little thing Tara Strong's line attendant did was write down your name on a post-it note so if you wanted your autograph personalized, you didn't have to waste time spelling out your name when you finally got to the table. Such a good idea! Little details like that must do a lot to help keep the lines moving. That said, they were still super long 

Another thing to consider is the time it would take to give scores, maybe even hundreds of hugs. Autograph lines are long enough with people getting signatures and photos; if VIPs start hugging everyone in line, it will take even longer.

I'm not really a fan of glow-in-the-dark ponies, glitter variants, or those black "mystery" ponies Funko makes. Can we just have ponies that look like ponies, please? The mold they used for their vinyl collectibles was one of the best ones out there, but then they had to get all crazy with these variants. The Pop figures don't appeal to me, either. I hope I'm in the minority and lots of people go out and buy these because I worry about unappealing merch not selling, thus making it look like the MLP brand is dying. I would buy those mystery boxes all day long if I knew there was a normal-looking, full-color pony inside each one.

Sparklebutt is my favorite because she has traits I admire, namely her courage and love of knowledge. There are times when I relate to her personality but her status as my favorite pony is based more on admiration. It's not a perfect fit but I guess I'd have to say it's because we're different. That's not to say that I consider myself a coward or an ignorant person, but I do strive to be more like our favorite purple protagonist in some ways.

A lot of what I listen to is available for free online but when it comes to stuff from major labels, I'll usually check it out on Youtube or Spotify and if I like it enough, I'll go buy the CD. I figure that supports the artist and the local record store. I've never liked iTunes or any platform that tries to manage my whole media collection for that matter. 

Welcome to MLP forums! 

Now... to dance!

Yes! ^^ this! 

Welcome to MLP Forums! 

Celestia is best pony? That's certainly an opinion I can respect. I've always admired Celestia for her wisdom and grace. All hail the Princess of the Sun! 

I like hiking, stargazing (with and without a telescope) and I'm learning about photography a little. I wish I had more time for hobbies but I never seem to find it. 

I've been bronying since 2011 and I do remember the meteoric rise of pony very fondly, but I think the best time to be in this fandom is right now! It's true that the fandom has become less cohesive as it's grown. That was inevitable. In the early days, it felt more like everyone was moving in the same direction. Now there are factions, but there's also something for everyone, which is great! There's still tons of content being produced, the convention scene is stable and worldwide, and probably of the greatest significance is that pony isn't fringe anymore. It's a thing. We did it! We built a fandom! The most important thing we can do now is keep having fun, keep creating, and keep looking forward to what's next

Ain't nobody got time for that. 

Don't make a big deal about it, because it's not, you just like a show.

I think you're right in the sense that it shouldn't be a big deal, but there are definitely people who would react with real hostility if they found out their child/friend/whatever is a brony. It's unfortunate but it's definitely a thing in some cases. But you're right, most people are just over-thinking it.

I was in the closet during my first year or bronying, but now I only keep it from certain people. It's less a question of me being shy about it now than "do I really want to deal with this person pestering me about it?" Sometimes the answer to that question is no, so I just don't bring it up. I can imagine it being much harder for younger folks and teens to be open about liking MLP because those age groups place a lot of emphasis on the importance of what they like and how it supposedly defines them. As they get older, I think most people realize that what a person likes is just a part of who they are and it's ok to have different interests. Basically, it gets better.

My blood type is O...OH BEHAVE

No, it's O+

Does anyone have this poster? I recently bought one on eBay but unfortunately, I'm 99% sure it's a fake, a reproduction. For starters, the URL below the QR code near the bottom is completely illegible. It's basically just a gray smudge. I can't imagine Hasbro would accept such poor print quality, even for an item that was given away free at Comic Con. In addition to that, the colors don't seem as vibrant as they should and there are some grainy pixels around the borders of the images, making me think the poster was reproduced from a scan of the genuine article, like from a jpeg file or something.

A friend of mine has the same poster and says the URL on his is readable and he doesn't see any stray pixels, but I wanted to see if anyone else has a copy of the poster they know is authentic and can confirm that mine is a fake based on my description. The good news is that I'm pretty sure I can get my money back. Thanks in advance for any help! 

I hope you don't mind me addressing this, but I help out at a plush maker's booth at conventions and we hear people ask why the plushies are in the $400-$450 range all the time.

The reason craft plushies are so expensive is because of the considerable amount of time and effort that goes into making them, as well as materials and equipment costs.

Most plush makers must initially invest in a sewing machine ($200ish) and sometimes a separate embroidery machine (also expensive) in addition to fabric, thread, stuffing, etc. Minky fabric is the standard material for custom plushies and is almost always mail-ordered, which means buying in bulk and paying for shipping. 

Once an artist has everything they need, they usually go through a long trial-and-error period as they work on their pattern. This can take weeks/months/years and is an ongoing thing as they continue to make improvements to their patterns and techniques over the course of their hobby.

Once the pattern is finally presentable, they can begin work on making ponies. An embroidery machine takes hours to embroider eyes and cutie marks and must be monitored while it's working; you can't just "set it and forget it." Complicated parts of patterns must be hand-sewn and stuffing the plushies takes hours. You can't just cram the stuffing in, you have to carefully put it in a little bit at a time, usually with a tool like a dowel. If you get the firmness wrong or it ends up lumpy, you have to pull it all out and start over. 

After the initial investment of equipment and materials, and after all the work that goes into creating the pattern, it still takes the artist I work for about 30 hours to make a single plushie. If you buy that plushie at a convention, you also have to consider the travel expenses and booth fees he had to pay. But more than anything, it's the time that goes into making a plushie - both in making the pattern and actual production - that you're paying for.

It's unfortunate that custom crafted plushies are out of many people's price range, but thankfully there are lots of mass-produced items available now for people to cuddle. So if you happen to see a plush going for what seems like a sky-high asking price, please consider how much work probably went into it in addition to the fact that it's a unique, hand-made item. And if you're a new plush maker, do everyone a favor (especially yourself) and don't let your buyers decide what your work is worth. Consider what your time and effort is worth to YOU, and ask that. If you make a good, quality item, people will appreciate that and eventually you'll make a name for yourself. But don't under-value your work.

"Hello Seattle" - Owl City 

( edit, edit, edit... I am having a lot of trouble today)

Stargazing and observing with my telescope, hiking, photo-taking, a little video editing, and some occasional drawing. I like activities that are visually engaging.