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Misty Shadow

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Blog Entries posted by Misty Shadow

  1. Misty Shadow
    Doing a video game-related essay for the first time, this one tackles a popular misconception about a beloved video game team. If you have an interest in Silent Hill...this should fascinate you...
    https://www.deviantart.com/mistybrightshadow/art/The-Truth-About-Team-Silent-971702169
  2. Misty Shadow

    Possibly Retiring the CloudMistDragon Name

    By Misty Shadow,


    Future of Removed Content
    This is something I've posted about on FiMFiction.net too, a consideration of potentially retiring the CloudMistDragon name. 
    https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/1018245/possibly-retiring-the-cloudmistdragon-name
    MistyBrightShadow is now permitted to start uploading my removed art and stories, but I have considered changing my name on all social media platforms with the exception of Youtube. The reason is because CloudMistDragon was initially something I wanted to use as a name people could recognize as encompassing all of my creative content, but DeviantArt's removal of my account has ruined what I originally planned. The only response I've gotten from DeviantArt in regards to the unjust ban is that they "won't discuss anything with an email not associated with my account". The original email I used with the account is long gone, I tried explaining this, they haven't replied. Regardless of what happens, I've already changed my penname on FiMFiction to "SombraReborn", a working title for my potential "rebranded" name. 
  3. Misty Shadow

    Unfair DeviantArt Ban

    By Misty Shadow,


    Vent (Sort of)
    I was permanently banned from DeviantArt today just for using an image for a cover for my stories. The image is from an artist who allows for alteration of their work so long as they are credited. 
    https://www.deviantart.com/ejfirelightningarts

    And guess what they did? They didn't even message me asking me to take the cover down, they straight-up DMCA'd me and got my account permanently banned. The artist has recently apologized to me in a message on another site, telling me this was the result of a misunderstanding, but still, this is an absolute nightmare. All that hard work for an account I had for over ten years, GONE. This is ABSOLUTELY WRONG, I am so beyond upset with DA. 
     
  4. Misty Shadow

    The DeviantArt Content Removal Situation

    By Misty Shadow,


    Future of Removed Content
    By far the greatest casualty of the unfair DeviantArt ban was the removal of all of my content. Thankfully, most of my DA-exclusive stuff is backed up, and after talking with a friend who is a very active DA user, we've decided that this user will be given my express permission to upload my removed and unreleased content. 
    https://www.deviantart.com/mistybrightshadow
    It would mean a lot to me if you could show Misty some support with follows and faves. As for the guy who got my account DMCA'd, he released a public apology. 
    https://www.deviantart.com/ejfirelightningarts
    Please hold nothing against him, the greatest issue of you guys not being able to read my content on DA anymore is being resolved.
  5. Misty Shadow
    I wrote a G5 comedy story around this time last year, and now, I've done another this summer. This one isn't about summer specifically though, this is a sketch compilation story with a plot about Sunny and her friends telling stories to each other at a diner as a wraparound. 
    Hope you find it entertaining! 
  6. Misty Shadow
    Unemployment finally mailed me my Certificate of Understanding after I was able to get on a video call with them. I should finally be getting some benefits before I get a job, which could be very soon with Goodwill calling me back Tuesday about whether or not I got the job when I interviewed with them Thursday. Very happy I have something good to report this time. 
  9. Misty Shadow
    Some very unfortunate news that I've already made a status update on and will elucidate more on here as promised. I was called in for a meeting at the start of my night shift and informed that my department would be hit with a mass furloughing, impacting at least seventy-one people. This confounded a lot of people, myself included, seeing how these past few days have been very busy. However, according to upper management, the workload is actually lacking, so they've decided to furlough full-timers based on seniority. Since I've not worked with the company long enough, I got hit. I'm very shocked and very displeased right now, especially after I found out I was recognized as a top performer not that long ago. It's also awful given the timing of this, since I really want to be in my best mindset for reviewing those Make Your Mark episodes, but I don't want to play the victim. I'm at least able to collect unemployment and look for temporary work. I will also be doing my best work with giving my thoughts on those new MYM episodes no matter what. 
  10. Misty Shadow
    Twilight Sparkle (moderator) told me that it's better to link to forum threads for these essay posts with blogs instead of posting my whole essay in a blog, so here's my new thread showcasing this essay I did for an amazing character like Izzy Moonbow for my birthday. 
  11. Misty Shadow

    Got a Steam Deck!

    By Misty Shadow,


    Games
    I recently finally got myself a Steam Deck! 
     
    Yeah, that's Devil May Cry 4 on there. It's funny how the console told me the game was unsupported on Steam Deck when it actually plays fine for me. That's the only thing I really don't like about the console, that confusion for some of these games that will actually play fine with some minor tinkering, if you even need to do that at all. Other than that, it's awesome. 
  12. Misty Shadow
    I mentioned in my last blog that I was potentially getting a raise, and now, I officially am getting one. 

    Although it's not that much extra money, it's certainly going to add up, and I am grateful to have any raise in pay. I was also extremely happy to see that I am now officially recognized as a top performer. My supervisor told me that I'm one of the top performers out of seven. Honestly, the boon this has been to my feeling of self-worth is more valuable to me than the money. 
  13. Misty Shadow
    Yeah, I had another weird pony dream, another dream where I was a younger version of myself, and another dream where Rikifive's name came up. This time, he wasn't "Rikifiveguy". I was watching this episode of MLP: FiM with my sister that was titled "Rikifive" for some reason. The only things I remember while watching it were this weird opening sequence where Discord turns Shaggy from Scooby-Doo into a plant and this scene where a 3D-animated Twilight was talking to this robot shark with a full set of gold teeth. The shark made a joke about its teeth that I don't remember and then I heard music blasting from my little brother's room. I had to tell him to stop and put him in bed and I don't remember what happened after that. 
  14. Misty Shadow

    Nontroversies

    By Misty Shadow,


    Vent (Sort of)
    This is my first ever blog on this site that is going to be somewhat of a vent. Who here is tired of nontroversies? Who here is tired of everything needing to be "controversial"? I know, this is absolutely nothing new. But it's something that continues to grow ever more baffling. The world sucks right now, worse than it ever has in modern history, yet as it continues to get worse, people continue to get better at creating non-issues. Look at all the real ones we have. It's growing ever more difficult for people to pay their bills. The economy is a wreck and continuing to worsen. An entire town of people is suffering from the fallout of an environmental disaster. Tens of thousands people died in a natural disaster not too long ago. I can think of five things right off the top of my head that I don't care about. People daring to have fun playing a Harry Potter game. M&M's. What two of the world's most spoiled and filthy rich, overprivileged elites are doing or their complaints about how "bad" they have it. People daring to have fun playing Atomic Heart because we all know that the money a video game makes goes straight to funding military efforts (sarcasm). A toilet joke in My Little Pony, which is totally a new low for the franchise despite being nothing new for the franchise (again, sarcasm). 
    There's a reason why this is my first vent (sort of) blog. I'm the kind of guy who normally doesn't like to complain. However, my patience has limits. I'm tired of saying, "It's just a video game/just candy/just a cartoon/whatever.". We don't need made-up problems. Made-up problems have no solutions. They're just temporary distractions people come up with so that they can have something to talk about before they find something else to complain about. It's a waste of time. I like to say that the opposite of love isn't hate, it's apathy. Complaints can be valid, sure. There's a time and place for criticism. But what problem has ever been solved by creating a "controversy" out of nothing? Just live and let live. Let people be controversial/"controversial". Because seriously, what can these so-called "controversial" things and people actually do to you? If they bother you, why would you want to give them more attention, influence, and notoriety? Focus on your own life and let it be. 
  15. Misty Shadow

    Sinus Infection

    By Misty Shadow,


    Life
    Last week, I felt I was finally getting over a prolonged sickness I was tired of having, something akin to a cold. However, early Monday morning, I came down with some severe congestion in my nose and ears. Part of me worried it was COVID initially, considering how stupidly long I had been sick, but a negative test combined with no other symptoms besides sinus symptoms confirmed it was not. I have a sinus infection, I've been having to blow my nose very often, and I've been blowing out both yellow mucus and blood. Yeah, not fun despite it not being as bad any day since Monday. This is definitely the worst flu season I've ever had.
  16. Misty Shadow
    From my last yearly retrospect on 2021...
    "Fairly adequate year for me I believe, despite the miring of my work and moderate miring of my family relationships, discounting the improvement with my sister. Absolutely awful for the world, again, however. I truly do hope 2022 does something to finally break the mold of this dark age."
    As much as I'd like to start with something optimistic, I don't want to jinx 2023 for you guys. Moving straight to recounting what this year was like for me personally, it was very...mid. 
    I spent the entire first half of this year in quite the slog with my work, unable to get back to working full-time until July. With gas prices and food prices getting worse and worse, I did worry about not being able to break even with my finances at times during the first half of this year. However, once I did return to being full-time again, building up my savings again was no trouble. I met my goal again, which was slightly higher than last year's goal. Made five grand, an improvement over four grand. My job was disturbingly dead though during what should've been the busiest time of the year this year. Concerning as that was, I'm certainly not getting worn out making my money. 
    When it came to personal relations, oh boy, did this year start off rough. Had a big falling out with someone who was my friend for years. I am not going to go into explicit detail about what happened, but it was certainly a trial. I don't hold anything against this person anymore, however, I was just very shocked and hurt by the way I was so abruptly shut out at the time. Still awful what this person did to another friend of mine, but that other friend is long over what happened and even invited me to a server with some really cool, positive people. Seeing family for the holidays this year left me with a lot of mixed emotions. My younger brother didn't get sick this time and talked to me a lot, I was honestly, pleasantly surprised by how many interests we share. Unfortunately, I learned that my sister's involved with someone sponging off of her and that my grandmother is likely going to pass away soon. Had to go out to Wisconsin last week in the freezing cold after that huge storm hit to see her. It was a lot of stress, but it was worth it. 
    Petty achievements were very easy to obtain this year. Got twelve games done, took care of the entire Soulsborne library. Felt I made even more noticeable improvements with my art, finally drew a picture of an MLP:FiM character matching the style of the show. Didn't do too much with my writing in regards to stories, only released one, but I did do much with MLP fan theories this year. The theories I did this year all got more attention than I expected, one is even the second most viewed theory I've ever written. That doesn't mean I'm done with stories though, not by a long shot. I literally just finished one that I'm going to post when an old friend of mine finishes the cover art I've commissioned. 
    Middle of the road year to me. I had some good stuff happen to me while getting hit by some demoralizing tribulations. Even as I don't foresee the worsening storm hitting the world blowing over any time soon, I'll always wish the best for you all. You guys are a good influence on me. I still don't want to jinx anything, but I do hope I influence you to stay positive during these brutal times.  
  17. Misty Shadow

    Strange MLP Site Dream

    By Misty Shadow,


    Dreams
    Yeah, I had a strange dream about an MLP site last night rather than MLP characters. In it, I was looking at my notifications on Derpibooru and saw that Rikifive (calling himself Rikifiveguy) had given this image of Princess Luna art with her wearing a shower cap and squeezing a rubber duck in a bathtub three dislikes. I was about to hit Rikifive up asking how and why he gave the image so many dislikes before I found I could give images as many likes or dislikes as I wanted. Mass downvoting images made them bigger and mass upvoting them made them smaller. I only remember waking up after that. 
  18. Misty Shadow
    I made a top 10 list of the fallacious G5 criticisms I'm most tired of reading. 
    https://www.deviantart.com/cloudmistdragon/art/Top-10-Bunk-Criticisms-of-MLP-G5-931961860
    I am no stranger to the fact that G5 gets a good amount of criticism. If you’ve read my re-assessment of Make Your Mark’s pilot, you’ve probably already inferred this. I know this generation receives some valid points of criticism that I do understand. However, it also receives a lot of invalid points of criticism. Invalid points of criticism, often called bunk criticisms, I’m sure you know are points of criticism founded on false information and misunderstandings.
    I’m well-aware that there are plenty of terrible things that receive bunk criticism. Even Star Wars’ The Last Jedi, something I’ve seen this generation be inappropriately compared to, has been subject to bunk criticism. It’s been beaten into the ground constantly why that movie doesn’t work. But facts are facts. Even with a terrible movie like that, if you, for example, complain how it doesn’t explain something that it actually does, that is an example of a bunk criticism.
    Just because something receives critical remarks not validated by facts doesn’t mean it’s good. I’m not trying to frame G5 as a perfect masterpiece with this list, this is just me going over the points of ill-founded criticism I’m most tired of coming across.
    10. “G5 ignores G4’s lore.”
    How people come to the conclusion that a generation continuing the story of the generation before it is “ignoring its lore” over supposed “continuity errors” (which I’ll discuss later), I have no idea. However, more important is pointing out the fact that lore has never been crucial to MLP. This is the same franchise that had all sorts of conflicting information across books made to expand Friendship is Magic’s lore and a comic series with a canon that would get conflicted by the show canon and then go on to “become the primary canon”. G4’s lore was always obviously made up along the way, I never remember a time where contradictions in the lore were something to lose sleep over.
    9. “Tell Your Tale is shallow and only good for cheap laughs.”
    Tell Your Tale provides both the world and the cast of G5 with more depth. It explains how the Royal Sisters came to live in Maretime Bay while delivering heartwarming moments building their bond, starts the Detective Zipp plot line, a major part of Zipp’s character arc, while explaining how she got her special visor, and even shows us that the Mane 5’s friendship is part of a prophecy foretold by Argyle, revealing to us the level of faith he had in his daughter.  
    8. “The stories of the Mane 5 in Make Your Mark’s pilot don’t come together and the dragon egg plot is unnecessary.”
    You saw this one coming if you read my re-assessment of MYM’s pilot, the Mane 5’s stories do come together and the dragon egg plot is absolutely essential. The pilot’s plot is about the ponies learning about how their magic works and why they have to unite together to stabilize it and create new magic, and all of the main characters do something to aid in that cause. Sparky is a huge part of MYM Chapter 2’s plot, making this old line of criticism about the dragon egg plot look even worse in retrospect. However, even back then, this point came from a complete lack of understanding of the fact that everything in this pilot was meant to affect the series as a whole, even what might not have appeared important at first. Even in just the special’s context, it’s important character development for Hitch as he begins his journey as a father figure.  
    7. “Sparky is just Flurry Heart but with no destiny.”
    A grain of truth to this criticism is that Sparky does act like Flurry Heart. However, pretty much all infant characters that serve the role Flurry Heart does, playing the character of a “cute baby being cute”, are going to feel like the same character because they’re babies. We’re not talking Stewie Griffin or the cast of Rugrats here, infant characters that can talk and display clear signs of personality. And how does Sparky have no destiny? He has magic that is being sought after by the show’s main antagonist, an ancient alicorn that drove the world of Equestria to become what it is now. I get why someone wouldn’t like Sparky, but this is by far the most illegitimate criticism I’ve seen of him.
    6. “G5’s story being tied to G4 is lazy writing.”
    Too many people do not look at the conception of this generation from the G5 crew’s perspective, and to an extent, Hasbro’s perspective. G4 was MLP’s most successful generation by far. So successful, that they originally wanted to make G5 an alternate version of G4. However, even as so many fans still couldn’t get enough of G4, proven by their clamoring for the story of FiM to keep going even after nine seasons (an incredible feat for a children’s show) and expressing immense disappointment at only getting a tenth season in the form of a comic arc, the G5 creators still opted to not go through with the original idea of essentially giving us G4 in another form. Probably because doing so would’ve felt like a lazy rehash, so instead they gave us something original that continued the story of FiM. They tried to give us the best of both worlds, and of course, because you can’t please everyone, scrapping that potential lazy rehash in favor of something new in a world where people love to tell you how much they’re sick and tired of cash grab reboots and remakes means they “got lazy”. This world makes so much sense.
    5. “G5 is filled with inconsistencies pertaining to G4’s lore, like how there’s no explanation for the sun and moon moving on their own and the lack of the Windigos appearing because of the ponies hating each other and being separated.”
    The story of Hearth’s Warming Eve in Friendship is Magic explains that before Celestia's rule, ordinary unicorns brought forth night and day. In Between Dark and Dawn, Celestia and Luna only had to put a small amount of their power in an amulet to give Twilight the ability to control the sun and moon. It does not take special magic to control the sun and moon, and since the magic was only sealed away, it's easy to imagine Twilight establishing a measure of some kind. As for the Windigos, this was something a prominent analyst explained long ago and something I touched on long ago myself. What causes Windigos to manifest in Equestria is not separation or just the ponies’ hate, it’s the ponies arguing with each other in a display of hate. This is proven by how in Hearth’s Warming Eve, they were already ruled by hatred, and what preceded the Windigos appearing was the ponies lashing out at each other. They do argue in G5, but not at the level that would trigger the Windigos returning.
    4. “Make Your Mark’s pilot leaves a question unanswered about why the weather was normal while the ponies had full racial segregation.”  
    I’m not the first one to refute this nonexistent plothole callout, I’ll tell you that much. You could skip over what I just wrote about the Windigos and still understand why this point is bunk. Even if we’re not to apply the same “it’s arguing, not separation” point, the MYM pilot’s plot does not involve the weather becoming abnormal purely because the ponies are arguing. The issues with the weather are caused because now that the Unity Crystals have been brought back together, the magic that has been restored requires the ponies to trust and work with each other in order to stabilize it. Their fighting putting the Unity Crystals at the risk of being destroyed was the cause of the abnormal weather, and back when the ponies had full segregation, the Unity Crystals were separated and there was no magic to sustain.
    3. “G5 is taking MLP back to the girly mushiness from the earlier generations.”
    How in the world is G5 adding a male main character to the cast and attempting to make the series more plot-centric a return to the girly mushiness from the older MLP cartoons? Even before the innovation MYM Chapter 2 made with plot-heavy storytelling and doing away with filler, an ambitious shift from G4, Tell Your Tale and Make Your Mark’s pilot were certainly not a return to “girly mushiness”. I already debunked what people say about TYT being “shallow”, but MYM’s pilot put the world at risk of being sucked into a void. That is a dark kind of peril for a “little girls show”. Hate on the pilot all you want, it’s your opinion. But it’s a fact that MYM still continued the new trend of intricate character-building and world-building in MLP right from the start. A plot where the fate of the world is always on the main cast’s shoulders is not a return to “mushy tea parties”.
    2. “G5 undid all of the Mane 6’s progress in Friendship is Magic.”
    Again, I’m not the first to tackle this fallacious line of criticism. The commonality in the rebuff I see for why the Mane 6’s progress of uniting all the ponies and different creatures being supposedly undone is actually plausible is because the ponies of Equestria are very easily swayed. This is true, these are the same ponies that all turned against each other over a fake unicorn spreading rumors. However, I feel like this otherwise good point misses the big picture. Getting the ponies of Equestria to not be racist jerks was only a small part of the Mane 6’s greatest accomplishment. When Celestia and Luna announced their retirement, what did they commend the Mane 6 for? Bringing Equestria into its longest period of harmony in recent years. Despite this being their greatest accomplishment, it wasn't intended to be the immutable status quo of Equestria's entire history there forth. What happens in the same season where Celestia and Luna praise the Mane 6 for this? The Windigos return. And although Equestria in G5 became segregated...was it at the cost of peace? No, the world of G5, despite being segregated, was still in a state of peace with ponies living good lives and better lives too considering all the technological conveniences they now have. Nothing in G5 actually overrides the work the Mane 6 did to make Equestria a better place.
    1. “G5 assassinated Twilight Sparkle’s character by having her steal the magic from the ponies of Equestria, making her a despot in creating the Unity Crystals.”
    This is by far the most detrimental bunk criticism G5 has been given, thus why it takes the Number 1 spot. I still remember the discord (no pun intended) that resulted among fans when the origins of the Unity Crystals were first revealed in Issue #2 of the G5 comics. And to be fair, the way Discord tells the story seems to portray Twilight as overstepping her boundaries at first glance. However, too many people immediately jumped to conclusions, comparing this generation to The Last Jedi over this plot twist. Not considering for a second that there might have been more context to what was going on that Discord simply didn’t explain in this part of the story. No, just like that, the story being circulated everywhere was that Twilight saw the ponies of Equestria not getting along, thus she forced them to get along by appropriating their magic and sealing it in crystals. This story that led so many fans to lose hope in G5…was not even true.
    The real reason Twilight did this is made clear as day in the second episode of Make Your Mark’s second chapter, Growing Pains. Her recorded message explains that there are evil forces that want to exploit the magic and that Opaline tried to steal all of the magic in Equestria for herself. Twilight sealed the magic away because her subjects having to live life without magic if they choose to be divided is the much lesser of two evils compared to Opaline stealing it and using it to rule over her subjects with an iron fist (hoof). She didn’t do this out of tyranny, it’s the exact opposite. She did this to protect her subjects from a tyrant.
    It’s true that magic is important to Equestria, even as its role is to enhance the quality of life for the ponies rather than make life livable in the first place, and Twilight knows this. However, if you had to choose between sealing away magic and allowing your people to lose access to it if they choose to be divided and allowing it to be stolen and used against your people, which would you choose? The former option, because either way, the magic is lost, and at least with the first way, your people are protected from evil’s wrath. Yet everyone immediately assumed the worst while we only had Discord’s side of the story.
    In addition, the magic becoming lost was not Twilight's fault. Look again at the panel in the second issue of the G5 comics that directly follows Discord explaining that Twilight put all of the world's magic in the crystals. What does it show?

    It shows Discord explaining that so long as the crystals were protected and all the ponies lived in harmony, magic would be kept alive and well in Equestria, accompanied by an image of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi living together. Not only that, but we also see pegasi flying and a unicorn using magic. This proves that magic disappearing was not Twilight's fault. It was the fault of the ponies not wanting to live together in harmony anymore. And although I am aware that the way the canon of the comics coincides with the canon of the show has always been subject to debate, there are no grounds for condemning Twilight Sparkle for what happened in either the show or the comics of G5.

    The fact that the explanation we got in the series came three months after everyone saw the origin story of the Unity Crystals is no excuse, especially since the proof that Twilight was not to blame for the magic vanishing was right there all along. The overreaction it sparked still wasn’t justified. Why? Because it’s reflective of the biggest flaw with G5 criticism from reactionary reviewers and commentators as a whole. A complete lack of self-awareness of the fact that they are criticizing a story in progress. Furthermore, a major part of G5’s storytelling that they fail to acknowledge is the fact that G5’s story involves the slow unraveling of a mystery. It needs to build suspense. If every single one of their questions was answered in one big exposition dump, that would make for terrible storytelling.
    That’s all for my list. You may now continue your regularly scheduled horse show critiques. Seriously, feel however you want to feel about this new generation. But know that no matter how bad something might be, saying things about it that are untrue or easily refutable will make you look bad. The School of Friendship from FiM, for example, is still a widely controversial plot point. But if you cite one of your reasons for disliking it as a misquote from Celestia, something that character did not even say, does that make The School of Friendship look worse, or you?
    It's easy to fall into the trap of forgetting that even really good analysts and reviewers can make mistakes, I know. I make mistakes too, and when I find out about them, I correct them. It doesn’t matter whether you’re getting criticism of G5 from an analyst, reviewer, or even someone simply commentating on G5 news. Criticism of entertainment is just another form of journalism, it’s meant to guide you, not make up your mind for you. Criticism stands the test of time when it’s rooted in facts. It’s okay to get something wrong so long as you own up to it. I only get annoyed when these mistakes aren’t even acknowledged and people just move on to making the next illegitimate claim. Don’t follow that bad example, always fact-check everything, always own your mistakes, and always keep everything legit.
  19. Misty Shadow
    For the first time in my life last night, I had a dream about Halloween just in time for the holiday. I dreamed that I was in this apartment playing this Yu-Gi-Oh! game where I was rebuilding this AI partner's deck that had 80 cards for some reason. Jazz was there decorating the place for a Halloween party when I noticed that there was something behind this room. It led me to where my older brother and Sora were fighting this demon. We made it disappear somehow and Sora cried something out, leading me to comment on his "girly yell". My older brother started chastising me, and for some bizarre reason, started saying something about "buttsex". And I yelled, "What does Sora's voice being shrill have to do with buttsex?", leading us to fall to the ground laughing. Later, back with Jazz, she volunteered to get everyone in the apartment a Halloween costume after stressing how important it was for everyone to dress up. These two ponies had ghost costumes made for them, and then when the party began, I saw Sunny Starscout (as she appears in Make Your Mark) not wearing her Nightmare Moon costume, but this cardboard sign explaining why she wasn't in her costume with this cute joke that I wish I could remember. Unfortunately, I don't remember anything else after that. 
  20. Misty Shadow
    Guess I'm making a blog series out of these horrific nightmares since they just keep coming. I was fully expecting one for the Halloween season though. This time, I dreamed last night that I met the ghost of a girl in an elevator. I had to solve some kind of puzzle that led to me bending nails with my teeth. I went to another floor and came back in the elevator, where the ghost told me I was going to die. She used a telekinetic power to try and stab the nails I had in my mouth through my throat and I spat them out along with a tooth. Eventually, she used her powers to start choking me to death and then I woke up.  
  21. Misty Shadow
    I had a dream last night about Hunter X Hunter coming back. It was about me reading this volume where Kurapika was having to deal with this crazy, evil cannibal family (shockingly, it was the kind of thing I could imagine actually happening in the series considering) and then going on to read this author's note at the end by Yoshihiro Togashi explaining about why the series had been on its longest hiatus yet. Boy, was I PO'd when I woke up and realized the dream wasn't real. Then later, I found this out...
    Yeah, pretty freaky. Even freakier was how the morning before, I felt an intense vibration come over me and the feeling of something coming over to my bed and tapping on one of my toes. Just in time for Halloween... 
  22. Misty Shadow
    So after re-watching the entire series of Tell Your Tale in celebration of Make Your Mark’s second chapter premiering soon, I decided to make a Bottom 5/Top 10 list of every episode so far, as well as a ranking of every episode. The reason I’m only doing five for the bottom is because no episode of the show is actually bad, just weak in comparison to the good-quality episodes we normally get. To ensure the fairest judgment I could, I made sure to re-assess every episode, and lo and behold, my opinions on some of the episodes changed. Starting from the bottom…
    Bottom 5
    5. Sunny-Day Dinners
    The only episode I have ranked as a “good episode” to make this list. It’s really only weak for a Sunny episode, but with a plot that’s essentially just a G5-ified Castle Mane-ia and the most memorable jokes being pancake drool and “earth ponies not cleaning their underwear” when they don’t even wear clothes, you would’ve expected something better even before Sunny episodes made a name for themselves.
    4. The Unboxing of Izzy
    I used to really like this episode, but my feelings changed for it. It’s still moderately good, but the somewhat childish nature of the plot and the main characters’ actions does not particularly appeal to me anymore. Ha ha, destruction of other ponies’ property, swinging on a rope, and “I’m in a box, so I am a box!”…uh, ha ha? I love me some Hitch, but when Hitch is the only character in the episode acting like a grown-up, it’s not so much fun to watch.
    3. It’s T.U.E.S. Day
    No change of opinion on this one, the me from the past is still correct. It’s just a standard episode. The most vanilla episode of the entire series. A typical “character is lonely so they make their own friend out of stuff” kids show plot with no real spin. The comedy and storytelling are both incredibly mid with nothing standing out besides the scene where Izzy actually goes to watch Trotformers. Can’t think of any better episode to describe as, “…Well, it’s an episode.”
    2/1. Mane Melody/Clip Trot
    Everyone knows I’m much more of a Hitchhiker than a Pippsqueak…but I know good-quality Pipp episodes when I see them. And while there are things I enjoy about these two episodes, I have a very good reason to have them both tied for the number one spot on the Bottom 5. Both of these two episodes have the same giant flaw…they’re too commercial.
    Mane Melody is too much about promoting the show’s “theme song” and Clip Trot is too much about promoting MLP fans who like TikTok to give MLP free advertising on everyone’s favorite degeneracy-endorsing app. Mane Melody suffers from the worst pacing I’ve seen in the entire series. The episode is about Pipp trying to give Phyllis a good makeover at a salon, thus, the episode spends almost two minutes on a song that builds to a scene with Posey. Posey has nothing to do with the actual conflict, what were they thinking? There’s hardly any humor in this episode too, with Phyllis being made the primary source of amusement. Most of her dialogue is just rambling about the businesses she got shut down, you know, the lives and dreams she destroyed, while only receiving comeuppance in the form of getting a bald spot. At least there’s a heartwarming moment with Pipp and Zipp, but even that isn’t unique, done better in Making a Foal of Me. Nostalgia for the song is not a strong reason for revering this one either, especially when the song is something we hear very often in the show.
    Clip Trot has better humor…but is still marred terribly by its stupid premise, having what is still easily the stupidest plot of the entire show so far. “Yay, we’re trending #1 on Clip Trot…..yay, I’m sure someone out there cares?” It tries hard to do its best for what it’s worth, but it’s unfortunately doomed from the start to not amount to much. At least the song in this one builds to scenes that actually have to do with the “conflict”, but the song still serves as a way to pad out the story. And of course, the way Pipp just conveniently solves everything by remixing her friends’ silly dance moves to a slightly altered version of the song…it’s so corny, and more “bad corny” than “good corny”. But hey, at least there’s a clear silver lining. Not only did this show get the weakest Pipp episodes so far out of the way early, it also got the weakest episodes period so far out of the way early.  
    I’m also glad to finally get the negative stuff out of the way, let’s move onto the positive stuff with the Top 10.
    Top 10
    10. Pony Partay
    I used to only find this one to be an adequate episode, but my feelings changed for it for the better. I criticized it in the past for having less-than-original storytelling with its predictable conclusion and repetitive music, but even Friendship is Magic gave us great episodes with predictable conclusions and the music definitely did not feel repetitive to me once I caught that the song would change to a different character singing depending on who was partying with Sunny. Even the lyrics change at one point with Zipp. The best way to enjoy this episode is to enjoy it like you would a party, relish it in the moment. With something fun always going on, whether it’s a good joke or an interesting new way for Sunny to suffer for our entertainment, this episode is truly fitting for its theme.
    9. Neighfever
    I still can’t believe they actually made a catchy song out of sneezes…but more importantly, I still love how this episode’s plot not only did a good job of putting a background character in the spotlight, but also did a good job addressing a problem that would inevitably result from a crucial development in the G5 series’ lore. Another pleasant surprise this episode provides is some well-done gross humor that tied in perfectly with both the song and the plot. Who would’ve expected mucus to solve the problem, only for us to get a twist at the very end about how it won’t be solving the problem for long?
    8. Dumpster Diving
    The only “divisive” episode to make this list. We all seem to agree that Izzy’s trash song is a national treasure, yet another pleasant surprise with G5 making the best out of the gross, but some are actually very critical of this one, citing Izzy’s “sociopathic” behavior as the reason they don’t like it. Interestingly, this episode takes place right after Zipp wrongly accuses all of her friends of larceny over something easily explainable and we all find that funny. Yet Izzy is a “sociopath” because she acted like a jerk wanting to do something to help a friend. No, Izzy is just supposed to be like a kid, lacking a mature understanding of how others have a personal space. Not to mention that Posey is an unlikable character we’re supposed to enjoy seeing receive torment, which only comes in the form of cartoonish hijinks where she doesn’t actually get hurt. Izzy is a lovable jerk here the same way Zipp can be a lovable jerk, consistently providing us with hilarious antics, and with an important development to her unicycling habit, this truly is a misunderstood gem of an episode.
    7. Another Pony’s Trash
    Now this one is the biggest pleasant surprise of G5 making the best out of the gross, everything about this episode just seems to click right into place despite the fact that the plot is about cleaning up trash. This is the kind of plot that anyone can relate to, however, since towns turning into trash heaps is a real issue that plagues us in real life. Not only is the story very relatable, it’s also very heartwarming how everyone gets together to solve the problem at the end, even causing Sunny’s alicorn powers to develop. Count the fact that this episode is also consistently funny from start to finish, my favorite jokes still coming from Rufus, and what is there not to love?
    6. Maretime Bay Day 2.0
    My absolute favorite Pipp episode, this one towers over the first two centered around her. Every part of the first minute and a half of it had me chuckling, with my favorite joke still being that surprisingly dark one with Posey being eaten by a flower, then it had me actually feeling for Pipp as a character on an emotional level. From plots about trending on social media to plots about real emotion, the evolution is stunning. It’s also stunning how this episode doesn’t try to piggyback off of the Make Your Mark opener it serves as a sequel to at all, it does such a good job doing its own thing with its own combination of emotional moments and jokes, even using a reprise of Let Out Your Light to great effect.
    5. Alicorn Issues
    Believe it or not, I used to only look at this one as a good episode, not a great episode. Strong plot with some excellent character development for Sunny, not so strong in the humor department. Or so I thought until I re-watched it and realized that this episode is actually pretty funny. Every scene of character interaction leading up to the moment with Hitch gives me something to laugh at now (MAYBE IF I ADD FIRE), and that moment with Hitch is honestly one of my favorite moments of the entire show. And the way we get to see Sunny perform a deed of heroism at the end on top of everything, it’s very easy for me to see now why this one is not only good, but great and deserving of being considered one of the best.
    4. My Bananas
    Once again, would you believe that I didn’t see this one’s greatness at first either? Again, it was good to me, but I didn’t see why it was one of the show’s most popular episodes. Now, however, I do. Relatability is a major selling point of it. As is the message. We all screw up like Sunny does at some point, we all need to learn how to own our fails. Especially in this day and age where our fails can go viral and easily become memes. Even as G5 bringing MLP into a modern setting will never appeal to some people, this episode is definitely the shining example of why G5’s modernized take works. It’s not trying to pander to “the modern audience”, it’s just showing us what we do, and it does it in the most entertaining way possible in this episode. Every character’s reaction to Sunny’s slip-up (no pun intended) is brilliant, Pipp fills her role of being the one to step up and help Sunny beautifully, even the ending is perfect. Just talking about this one makes me want to go back and watch it again.
    3/2. Foal Me Once/The Game is Ahoof
    That’s right, we have another tie. This time though, I’m glad to have a lot to say, since this time, we have a contest between two things I love to laud to high heaven. As you already know, I’m much more of a Hitchhiker than a Pippsqueak, and still a good lot more of a Hitchhiker than a Zippster. Regardless, however, it’s a battle for the silver between the best Hitch episode to me and the best Zipp episode to me. Both of these episodes are the best “mystery” episodes of the entire MLP franchise to me, better than the “mystery” episodes in Friendship is Magic (and Pony Life, but I digress).
    Foal Me Once showcases why Hitch exemplifies a “good cop” so well. He honestly cares about justice, will even go so far as to lock himself up if he believes he’s committed a crime, and even if that crime were to benefit him, he’d still bring justice to the perpetrator while understanding things from their perspective. The Game is Ahoof, by contrast, shows off why Zipp makes for the perfect “bad cop”. She’s quick to jump the gun with accusations, looks at the evidence with a bias, and acts before she thinks. What makes Foal Me Once such a joy to watch is the humor in Hitch being a lovable doofus. What makes The Game is Ahoof such a joy to watch is the humor in Zipp being, you guessed it, a lovable jerk. My favorite part of Foal Me Once is the ending with its hilarious twist, while my favorite part of The Game is Ahoof is how the build-up to what seems like the culprit being uncovered is actually the build-up to an iconic series staple.  
    In the end, I simply could not make a choice. Even disregarding my Hitch bias, I’d still find it incredible how Hitch was the only character who did not have to wait for a stellar episode focused solely on him and one showing off the best of his character at that, unlike all the other main characters who had to wait to get a fantastic episode (even as I think Nightmare Roommate is a really good episode, it’s not top-tier), but The Game is Ahoof was even more enjoyable to me when I re-watched it and caught more things to appreciate. Zipp actually gives her own friends mugshots like they’re criminals over missing sunglasses…it gets even better when you let it sink in how hilariously terrible that is. Comedy-wise, I prefer The Game is Ahoof, and plot-wise, I prefer Foal Me Once. And since Tell Your Tale is a comedy series, this is where I reach an impasse, especially with Foal Me Once’s story only being slightly superior to me. I can’t disregard the importance of humor in a comedy show, nor can I disregard the importance of a strong plot. Especially when the number one spot is reserved for the episode with my absolute favorite plot…
    1. Starscout Code
    Oh yeah. This one’s still a masterpiece. This one still makes me go, “That right there is why you’re the best, boss!”. I’ve praised so many episodes for good character writing, good humor, good storytelling, and heartwarming moments. How about an episode that has all of that and showcases exactly not just what G5 should be about, but what the entire MLP franchise should be about? A group of friends going on adventures to try and learn more about the mysteries of their world. Yeah, I really don’t feel that it’s a coincidence how all three of my favorite episodes of this show are “mystery” episodes. This one, however, is not about detectives on a case. The mystery of this episode gives you every reason to be fully engrossed in it, since it’s a mystery that sheds light on what happened in the world of G5’s past. Yes, on top of everything, it also develops the show’s lore. What more can you ask for?
    Well, some ask for this episode’s plot to be done in a longer format. Understandable, since this kind of story is admittedly not easy to tell in five minutes. But that’s another strength of it. How well it tells a story like this in just five minutes, even bringing a character who’s passed away into the plot. And while the plot is still this episode’s strong point, I was able to find more humor to be amused by too, like how Hitch tries to lift up the throne with his animals at first when he can use magic. The way it ends too with every pony together with Argyle’s hopes being fully realized is a beautiful moment I appreciate even more now too, and it’s another one of my favorite moments of the entire show. It’s the perfect ending to what is so far the show’s magnum opus.  
    That's it for the Top 10, here are the rankings now. If you've read my initial thoughts on every episode, have fun looking at some of the things that have changed...
     
    Great Episodes
    Foal Me Once
    Maretime Bay Day 2.0
    The Game is Ahoof
    Alicorn Issues
    My Bananas
    Starscout Code
    Very Good Episodes
    Nightmare Roommate
    Dumpster Diving
    Making a Foal of Me
    Neighfever
    Another Pony’s Trash
    On Your Cutie Marks
    Pony Partay
    Good Episodes
    A Home to Share
    Sisters Take Flight
    Zipp’s Flight School
    Sunny-Day Dinners
    Queens for a Day
    Lost in Translation
    One Trick Pony
    Zipp’s Yes Day
    Puphunt
    All That Jazz
    Moderately Good Episodes
    The Unboxing of Izzy
    It’s T.U.E.S. Day
    Decent Episodes/Guilty Pleasures
    Mane Melody
    Clip Trot
  23. Misty Shadow
    Had a nightmare last night that I think might have been worse than the one with my mother and the guns. I dreamt that I was a kid again and my dad was still with my mom. A war had erupted in my country and my parents had to pack everyone in the car to drive us to a "safe place". We drove through this warzone filled with snow, fire, and explosions to this "safe place" that turned out to be a prison. I started screaming at the top of my lungs at my parents as the prison guards restrained me and then I woke up. 
    I have no idea why I keep having nightmares this terrible. I'm not sure why repressed childhood trauma would be resurfacing now. 
  24. Misty Shadow

    Strange MLP G5 Dream

    By Misty Shadow,


    Dreams
    I had another strange pony-related dream last night. This time, it took place in the realm of G5 with everything animated Tell Your Tale style. Hitch had Sunny come up to him and tell him she needed him to call out for work for something she wanted all of her friends to do. For some reason, Hitch had a boss he needed to call to explain a situation to, and because he's a workaholic who had never called out of work before in this dream apparently, he stood by the phone the entire day hesitating nervously (yeah, the dream was trying to be a sitcom gag at first). When he finally plucked up the courage to make the callout, the boss, an old blue pony with white hair, started berating him, getting Hitch angry. And then for no reason, out of nowhere, Naruto was on the line yelling in this robotic voice, "I'M CALLING OUT! I FEEL NO EVIL!". Curious as I was to see what in the world was going to happen next, right then is when my phone alarm woke me up. 
  25. Misty Shadow
    Back in 2017, my mom went completely nuts and came up to my room with a gun, talking about killing her boss. Last night, I had a nightmare where something similar happened. She came up to me pointing a gun and I pointed a gun back. Then she pulled out another gun, and all of a sudden, she gave me both guns and told me to shoot her. Short nightmare, but easily the scariest one I've had in my life. 
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