Samurai Equine

What's the point of celebrating birthdays?

Well, if others are celebrating it with you, it means they love and/or care about you deeply.

They are glad you were born. They cherish your existence.

The celebration of your birthday is practically proof that the world is a happier, better place just because you exist in it.

Isn't that enough of a reason to celebrate?

This is a tough one... I am sure there are better cartoon characters who look more like me, but they either aren't in a leading role or I don't know about them.

For now, I'd say I'm most like Sunny Bridges, the teacher from the cartoon "Class Of 3000", the one modeled after Andre 3000 himself. Yeah, I basically look like him; same fashion sense, facial hair, etc. Except, I have white skin...

And a stronger upper body build...

And deeper, more manly voice.

This topic is so horrible...

If the real me was a villain in Equestria? ... I'd probably be a lot like Evil Omi from Xiaolin Showdown. ...What?! I never said I'd make a GOOD villain.

I know, that sound like a cop out answer, but it's true! I never liked villains, so if I had to be one, I wouldn't know where to begin without being spastic and completely nonthreatening.

Furthermore, I have a go-to fan character named Samurai Equine. The samurai class is known for their loyalty to the emperor. In other words, my fan character would have to be given an order from Celestia to do evil things before he would even consider being evil. I guess that means Celestia would have to be evil first in order for my fan character to be evil...

...I think I once had a Scooby Doo Chia Pet? That might have been someone else. I can't remember...

Keep in mind, when I was a kid, I had TONS upon TONS of toys. Action figures, play sets, mini toys, vehicles, robots, lots of knock off toys from drug stores and stuff, etc. I can barely remember all of them now. If I remember any other weird ones that I definitely had, I'll come back and post again.

Also, keep in mind, I collected all those toys because I had a pretty toxic mindset when I was a kid. I had some socializing issues even though I really wanted some real friends. One time, I saw some other kid whipping a large Power Rangers figure from his backpack. This was when Mighty Morphin was new and still on Television. Everyone went NUTS! He was the talk of the playground! I wanted to do it too, but when I finally got some toys, I just couldn't do it. I was afraid the other kids would laugh at me, or maybe call me a copy cat. And so, I ended up in a self-destructive cycle. I'd collect toys with the hopes that maybe they'd help me make friends, but I was too shy to share them, so I'd keep collecting in hopes that I'd find the one toy that would change my life for the better. Never happened...

Thankfully, my mother snapped me out of it. At one point, my toy collection was so out of control, she made me throw away half of them. Yeah, as a kid, it was pretty painful parting with all that childhood swag. But I needed that wake up call. Now a days, if I collect a toy or anything similar, it's only just for me. And I did have fun with all those toys as a kid, I was a child who liked super heroes and stuff after all, but I am glad I grew out of that.

This topic makes me sad that none of my local theaters was playing that movie, and even with another one coming out, I still wouldn't be able to make the trip to see it or make some new brony friends afterwards...

Imma guess... Applejack's PSA on The Dangers Of Apples and Over Eating!

"This world is made of... LOVE AND PEACE!!!"

...If you bite me, will I become a bat or a pony?

Cheesy.

20 character limit.

My computer would crash from overload, and I'd wonder why the cartoon "My Little Pony" no longer has ponies in it.

Your friends aren't even here! Now get out of my bed, you nut burger!

Grew up in and LOVED the 90's! And some of the 80's too, because I was born in 1984. And I guess some of the early 2000's wasn't too bad.

Saberspark suspected of using pirated swag, as reported by Equestria Daily.

Eh. I can do better then that. Let me generate another.

Much to everyone's surprise, SMOR3S outbid Andy Price at BABS Con's charity auction to win a one of a kind Granny Smith body pillow.

.. *leaves* I'M SO DONE WITH THIS!!!

For the most part, I control my thoughts, they don't control me. Does stuff get stuck in my head? Plenty of times. Usually songs.

I actually like that one better than the one on DeviantArt.

Samurai was a little shaken from his stoic demeanor when two of his fellow competitors went to ask him if he was okay. However, it's funny how a double act of kindness was leading to a disagreement. "I'm fine, thank you both. It's nothing, really." Shelevan might indeed have trouble touching minds with Samurai, a least a little bit. Not that he was particularly skilled enough to prevent it, but being a unicorn clearly has it's benefits. If she knew his personal story, she would understand.

For now, Samurai watches with weighted breath as the battle intensifies! In fact, at one point, his eyes go wide and he practically stands up. "No! Can't be... Soul infusion? I thought it was just a legend..."

I've seen unicorns with artificial wings, but I don't often see pegasi with artificial horns. Has anyone seen this? From one Lauren to another...

I sort of select my friends, but I try not to be too picky.

More than anything, all I really want are some REAL friends. I don't have time for fake friends who only want to leech off you, make you their scapegoat, etc. And I've had PLENTY of people try that on me.

If you take a genuine interest in me, then I'll take a genuine interest in you. If I think you might make a good friend, I'll reach out. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, but I always try to treat people the way I want to be treated.

Most of us are here because we're fans of FiM, and the main characters in that show aren't just friends due to happenstance or because they can't do any better. They really are true friends to each other. I've seen how awesome friendship like that can be; I've lived it and I want even more friends like that. When it's true, then I honestly do believe in the magic of friendship, because I've seen the light of a true, true friend.

:comeatus:

*Not actually going to read the full article*

Based on what has been quoted and summarized, it sounds like Miyazaki is talking more about people in the industry and not so much the fanbase anime attracts. But I could be wrong...

Anime, like any fictional medium, will always have the challenge of balancing the realism with the fantasy. If you go too far into the fantasy side, you have something completely abstract and lacking any form of traditional or followable story telling. If you go too far into the realism side, you get a slice of life story that really doesn't challenge you, doesn't enrich your lives, and absolutely feels like the everyday boring life of average people. And it can be hard finding that right balance. Critics, over the ages, can get more and more critical. Even I can be surprised what will break my suspension of disbelief, even though I am watching something based in so much fantasy that it's ridiculous.

I really don't know how to comment on this. Though I do want some realism and I do want my fiction to follow the rules of its own canon, I watch stuff for the escapism. If it enriches my life in some way, makes life more bearable, gives me the feels, etc.; that's fine too! But I still want that escapism. If I want a slice of life story, if I want real drama from real people, then I'll go out into the real world and live my own life. But that's just me. :comeatus:

Oh wow! Heh... I always get nervous about talking about this kind of stuff in public or with others. I just feel like these should be private matters between you and your significant other, and no one else except for maybe a therapist if you need it. I'm not sure if I should answer this... Help?!

Well, I will say this, I'm not going to vote on the poll options. They are too black and white, and sometimes there isn't a straight forward answer when it comes to relationship issues. Especially not for me...

I'll just take a risk and ask... What do you mean by being intimate? There are many things that cover that. There is unprotected sex, but there is also protection, there is fooling around without actually doing the deed, there's... Oh my. I'm getting embarrassed again. *tries to hide in a blanket*

My point is, many couples don't have to have sex right away. They can just fool around and do other things until they are ready.

Me personally? I can wait. I'd prefer not to date a woman who is a complete prude, but I also want to wait until marriage to go all the way. I want to be a father some day, have kids, give them a better life than what their parents had, show them that the world isn't such a bad place after all, etc. You know, really live the dream. But it can be tough sometimes. Even when you're trying to so hard to do the right thing, things can go wrong or get out of hand. Relationships can be a challenging thing sometimes.

And yes, I do believe in true love, and true love should outweigh many other things. But people can have needs and urges too, despite how badly they are trying to maintain some self control. It's part of being human, just like how people can have standards about what kind of person they want to be in a relationship with. If a relationship isn't working out, then it's not working out. Doesn't mean there is anything wrong with either one of them (at least I hope there isn't), just mean they weren't compatible. I've been in many relationships in my nearly 30 years of life, I know what it's like to be in all kinds of relationships. Dead end, toxic, one-sided, young love; you name, I've been there. I'm just glad I haven't been reckless enough to accidentally ruin someone's life before either of us were ready.

I saw a brony once in college. The dude waited til the LAST DAY OF THE SEMESTER to wear his MLP shirt, and when the class ended, he was the FIRST one out! I wanted to try and make a new friend or at least give him a brohoof, but he must have been really insecure, because such was not my fate...

I'm guilty of using words like "luck" and "lucky", but even when I say it, I know better. I know most of it is coincidence, happenstance, random chance, etc.

Still, I think there is something to be said about the things that occur in your life, good or bad, that are so wild or amazing that you NEVER would have been able to predict it happening. And I also like to think we've all had, or will have, a "whatever happens, happens" moment in our life. You know, where chaos is just piling up all around us, we can't control any of it, so we just step back and let it happen.

The crowds cheered. Princesses Luna, cadence, and Celestia all stood from their terrace, above the crowd. Celestia then came forward to address the crowd.

 

 

 

Celestia: " welcome, everyone, and thank you all for helping us celebrate 1,000 years of peace with our friends, the griffon empire, japon, saddle Arabia, the Minotaur duchy, and many others! And a special thanks to our competitors, here to give us a beautiful show of skill and finesse!"

________

@magos ampharose

 

Celestia then gave a personal thank you for a special someone.

 

Celestia: " and most of all... I'd like to thank my special servant, agririon. You know who you are and what you do, both honorable. You are a credit to equestria!"

Samurai Equine was not expecting a speech from the princess of the sun. Hearing her mention Japon gives him reason to brighten up and smile, but when Agririon is only one who gets a special mention like that, Samurai returns to his stoic demeanor. "Of course... Why would the great Princess Celestia mention me? Loyal as I am, she probably doesn't even know I'm here. After all, I came here without orders, and normally I'd never leave my homeland without them. Does coming here to this tournament make me a traitor? What will I do if she or a delegate from Japon order me to return home? I came here for a reason, but I am nothing without my loyalty, to which I am honor bound. Perhaps I really am just a faceless soldier, no different than her own royal guard ponies..."

For now, Samurai shakes off his insecurities and continues watching the match. Syuren has great speed, and Agririon has an ever grander entrance. Still, Samurai sits, seemingly unphased. If he is affected in anyway by the back draft of heat or the speed generated wind, he is very good at hiding it.

I never understood the appeal behind Scooby Doo, ever. But just because I don't understand it, doesn't mean there aren't any fans of it. Back in the late 90's, or possibly early 2000's, Cartoon Network held a popularity contest. At the time, the Powerpuff Girls fandom thought for sure they'd win. But PpG came in second. They lost to Scooby Doo. Maybe Scooby Doo's fame precedes the quality of his shows. Maybe Scooby Doo reminds people of a simpler times in cartoon history. Like I said, I don't understand why Scooby Doo is popular, it just is.

Since those days, I've seen Scooby Doo go through many incarnations; live action and animated. I always found it weird that characters who are still teenagers, even in this modern age, still dress in 70's fashion. They always looked out of place to me. Very few incarnations actually tried to address or fix this, like "What's New Scooby Doo".

I don't think it's about how long Scooby Doo has been around, I think it's about the passion that goes into it. I don't think newer shows are made with the same fun and same spirit as some of the old school shows. They are too stuck in gimmicks and artificial means of attracting a crowd. The WrestleMania cross over movie was an interesting idea, but I wouldn't have dedicated an entire movie to it. So far, the best thing with the Scooby Doo title made recently was the Mystery Incorporated cartoon. Maybe one day, Scooby Doo will be better. But I think it needs to take another break for now.

So if i'm correct, this sums up as: it's okay for writers to not try their hardest because kids are too dumb to care about what they're watching. Because of this, you should never try to question or challenge the ideas in the show, or expect them to do better.

...

Wow. That is NOT at all what I said.

I never said it was okay for the creators to just phone it in. At most, I said it tends to come with the territory. If anything, I was trying to compliment the makers of MLP:FiM. If I ever said it wasn't a perfect show, if I ever said that it still has faults despite all the MANY things it does right, that's just because that's how things are. There's no such thing as a perfect anything. Perfection is not something that can be measured; it's only a matter of personal preference.

"You know the story well. I'm sure you also know that all legends are based in fact, though they may not all be accurate," Snowstorm said. He drew the blade from his back but kept it in its sheath. "In my quest to achieve greatness, I met many warriors of legend. Oniwakamaru was very real. The stories may have embellished his strength, but frankly I don't care. Our duel was a short one. As soon as he saw the Banshee Shriek's true form, he backed down from the fight. If you could call it a fight, that is."

@samurai equine

 

Lorec bowed his head and accepted the peach with both hands. He smiled, and bit into it. The peach was quite sweet, and juicy as well. While Lorec perferred the meat of the creatures he hunted in the woods, it was always great to have a change.

_____

Lorec:

" thank you for the gift.... I will remember. Tell me... For what reason in life... Was it that you chose a life of steel and honor?"

____________

 

Lorec waited for a response, but was then somewhat distracted by snowstorm's comment. Without looking at snowstorm, he addressed him.

 

@literally snails

 

_____

Lorec:

" hubris... Has often been a slayer of those with power."

___________

 

The announcer came back in. " alright everyone! Five minutes till the first showdown! Feel free to go grab your seats! Syuren will be coming in first, from the skies it appears. He's got it looking like its going to rain up there with all the clouds that he had pushed over to make his grand entrance. Agririon, this gives you a little extra time to plan yours! Good luck, and may the best pony win!"

 

The announcer went back up to the arena.

__________

 

Kazas:

" Lorec, looks like it's time. Lets go watch. Maybe we can spot alrahm and vorrin."

 

Lorec was somewhat displeased by the fact that he wouldn't get to hear samurai equine's answer.

 

@Samurai equine

Lorec looked at samurai equine, and bowed.

Lorec: " if we cross blades during the tournement... Tell me why you fight then." Lorec said with a smile. As he made his way to the competitors' observation spot, he spied a fellow Minotaur, and looked into his eyes. ".... Kin..." He said, as he then followed suit behind kazas.

This was an interesting event playing out between the two fellow competitors who could very well face either one of each other during this tournament. He really likes what Lorec has to say. "Such wise words deserve wise words in return... 'There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you still get the same soaking.' - Lord Yamamoto, from his book the Hagakure. Oh! Where are my manners? You may call me Samurai Equine. It's best for ponies of my status to keep our real names hidden. And you two?" Samurai asks.

They give him their names. (I am going to assume Snowstorm gave his name and also the name of the group since they were proud to declare it earlier. If not, let me know and I'll edit my response.)

"Snowstorm? My, what a name. How fitting then that I should quote Yamamoto like that... I am surprised you managed to visit my country and leave with such ease. I sincerely hope we face each other in battle. I would love to put that Yokai title to the test. And Lorec, you'll come to know me better as well, in time. To you and your friends, take care." These are Samurai's final parting words before he goes off to watch the first match.