I'm at least going to be involved enough in this community to have a public journal. Not only a public journal, but a journal where I smack that devil on my shoulder telling me I should reword something for artistry or restructure a paragraph for better flow. And also preclude myself from verbosity for the sake of verbosity. I find that as a writer, learning and remembering new words is can be achieved for me through using more complex words in my writing for the sake of word flow and artistry...but not here. This right here this my journal. I'm STILL fighting sobriety...I'm closest to being sober than I have since almost a year ago. I feel as though I'm overdramatic. I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and I've at least tended to my fitness somewhat, but I feel like my heart truly gave up in so many ways, and I feel like I lost everything. A collection nearing $3000 in value (Including my MLP collection, but at least I've built that back up). My enrollment in grad school (I'm supposed to return next fall, but that's a whole year and I'm afraid of between now and then). And I've had issues with immediate family with reached a boiling a couple months ago, and these issues had been building up for years. I made a decision...and now I'm having to not go back on but tweak that decision...I have to get better. I'm clearly neurodivergent and most likely mildly autistic, but I've also been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. That really sucks. I wasn't allowed to explore myself in high school because of problems at home, and it created a very dysfunctional problems. I've become self-aware about so many things these past few months as a result of selling my collection and coming to terms with the person I have to deal with when I have nothing to turn to. So much of that collection were things which truly didn't represent me, I didn't use them, and I simply wasted space. So much of it though...you've heard it before, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I'm 6'0," and I weigh 160-165 pounds. I've said its a problem before that I'm this height and weight. "I'm six foot tall and I wear a small! That's a problem!" No, I'm clearly proud of how small I've become. I both recognize how impossible it is stay at a calorie deficit like I do (often by replacing food with substances), as well as recognize I can't go gaining weight to get off of substances...well, I'll just say alcohol. That's my only substance vice right now, and has been for a couple months. Alcohol, and I've used the experience of alcohol hitting harder when my stomach's empty as a motivation to not eat many days. I've become self-aware of how atypical of a young man I truly am, and you know this "male loneliness epidemic" we hear so much about? Well, it sucks, but its even more isolating when you can't relate to those men. I don't resent society for allegedly (and it doesn't) disparaging men. I resent being a man, and feeling like I have to "be a man." I like ponies, Buffy, Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, I like being small, I like being silly. Women don't make me feel insecure. Even if a woman puts me down, it just makes sense to me? I don't know how to explain it, but I've always been more comfortable around women than men. Men make me feel insecure and unsafe. And while I'm not denying being gay, I don't feel gay? I've dabbled with it, sure, but all-in-all, being in a relationship (and things which would be inappropriate to discuss on this forum which obviously accompanies relationships) just feels icky. I feel totally isolated from other "lonely men" because it seems like my issues come from a totally different place. Which I guess is a segue into the next stressor I know most of us are feeling... The sociopolitical climate. I'm American. It's getting worse. International affairs are worsening. The economy is worsening, and everyone is losing their rights. The common worker is losing rights. Women are losing rights. And as someone who has left a digital and social footprint of being both left-wing and queer, I'm constantly scared of suddenly becoming a target. It doesn't matter I don't date (and haven't in ages) or sleep with anyone at all. It doesn't matter if my left-wing politics are absolutely sequestered by a lack of courage to express or act on them. I'm afraid of being a target. When I say things are looking up...it doesn't feel like I'm saying much, and to be able to return to a life where I have good days, I'm going to have to chin up and face some music. I want to become more involved in this community SO BADLY. I want to be seen for the person I believe I would have become if I had have been allowed to explore myself when I was growing up. Eh. Signing off for now.

It’s sad, but it’s unfortunately natural for people to deny the validity of so many minorities. Hence why pride is SO important right now.

🦄🏳️‍🌈😊🖤

Pride Month Has Never Been More Important Right now, I genuinely fear for transpeople in this country. For ages, they've been invisible. Who they are is known, and an alarmingly large patchwork of different creeds and perspectives have evolved to particularly take issue with any progress with regards to gender as anything but a synonym for sex. I believe in a future where there's no need for giving the component of human experience known as "gender" a word. I dream of a future where a someone would be genuinely confused if someone made fun of a man wearing a dress. Like, "Okay. And I'm wearing a shirt? Are you saying it;s an ugly dress?" We rise above. We end it. Right now, pride in who we are is important, and its important to hold onto it. While my closest friends no its a total facade, I present as a "straight white male." I mean, I assume people wonder because of various personality traits and my general atypicality, but that's as far as it goes. Am I straight? I don't identify as anything regarding my sexual orientation, but you don't still bitterly dream about a life with a man you thought you would be with and say, "I was just confused, lol." That dropped out of nowhere. Sorry. My point is, I present this way because honestly? Even though I scoff at the, "You're not allowed to be a straight white male these days" sentiment. As though being a straight white male doesn't give you insurmountable advantages, but then again, these days? I fear it won't be enough. You're a straight white male? Well, are you transphobic? No? Might as well be a social justice warrior. I also perpetually stay frustrated about my own gender. As a cismale, I'm closeted genderfluid. I'm thankful I don't suffer from gender issues to the extent my brothers and sisters who genuinely feel debilitated by the extent to which they both have to put on and respond in a way which would hide who they really are. I can deal with people assuming I'm a "normal man." I can deal with remaining anonymous in my vigorous and unflinching support for LGBTQIA+, and I'm fine with going along to get along, even though there is an array of feminine-gendered fashion and lifestyle choices I would enjoy. So, have you recently come out of the closet and now you got a partner with the same genitals as you? Be proud. Are you in the closet and you're staying there to survive in your current life circumstances? You're strong, and you should be proud of that. You're a transwoman, and now you're fully feminine-presenting? Be proud. Are you a transman but you're staying closeted for the same reason as they aforementioned gay person? That takes strength as well. You should be proud. Are you like me, and you keep the fact you struggle with gender problems you don't understand, you've been with both men and women, maybe you're pan, maybe you're asexual, so all you can claim is queer? You should be proud, because I'm proud. I've been posting MLP, Owl House, and Hazbin pride content all over the internet, I've been getting abhorrently hateful comments, and I continue to assert, celebrate, relish, shove it in their faces. I don't have to feel anything about being queer, but if you try and make me feel a certain way? It's gonna be pride. Sorry. Once again, Happy Pride Month. I may post more about pride month, but I had to post something as soon as possible.

There isn’t a new Helluva Boss season yet. It’s an only been announced it’s coming to Prime where Hazbin already is. When new Helluva Boss episodes finally come out, they will be released on Prime, and then be released on YouTube a month later.

I'm a Seasons 1-5 Kind of Fan As for the apparently long-discussed "golden seasons" since the show's end in 2019 (I didn't get into the show until last year), I understand the general consensus is that seasons 1-4 are generally considered to the the golden age. After that, I've seen an array of opinion on seasons 5-7, and most agree season 8 and 9 are the weakest. I'm a season 1-5 kind of person. Basically, I thought seasons 1-4 orchestrated an excellent execution in character and lore development with an overarching story slowly integrating itself, season 4's story arc leading to the confrontation of the ever-imposing Tirek and the succeeding erection of Twilight's castle. Season 5? I feel season 5 showed signs of actually choosing to continue on rather than maintain the status quo. First of all, the obvious villain was introduced in the opening, "The Cutie Map," except this time, we didn't haven an imposing or slithery villain, and that villain happened to be...a delightful unicorn. There was something different. Starlight emanated with, "I'm different." There was ambiguity. Ominousness. Complex moves. No reasonable intention can be inferred as opposed to pre-reformed Discord's desire for total chaos, Sombre's fascist desire for power, Chrysallis's obsession with terrorism against Equestria, and, of course, Tirek's unholy cryptid of desire for terror, power, and suffering. Remember in part one of season 5's finale? There was a subtle pan where Starlight wasn't even intended to be obviously seen or the subject. Starlight's mysterious but looming threat was genuinely unsettling. What did she want, and just how powerful is she? The (initially) indescribable personal feel to the battle between Twilight and Starlight was harrowing. Sure, the stakes were high in the war against Tirek, but Twilight vs. Starlight was a face-off. Now that we know Starlight, in hindsight, the face-off holds more weight. Two immensely powerful, complex, and passionate unicorns doing battle over the fate of Equestria, but this face-off was held through a time-loop above the cutie map. A map. The map, the cultivation of the mane six's role in Equestria's evolution beyond Twilight's destiny as a princess (and eventual princess of Equestria). Above that map, unlike the battle with Tirek in which Twilight saw Equestria at its knees, this face-off showed newly-ish Princess Twilight every harrowing potential timeline without Dash's sonic rainboom forcing her to confront just how arbitrary Equestria's fate is in the wake of an approaching new era for the land. What was that back story? Seriously? All imposition, ominousness, mystery, and seemingly deep layers to this new, truly challenging villain is reduced to losing a friend to a cutie mark manifestation? This leads into why I say I'm a seasons 1-5 kind of fan. Starlight Glimmer could have changed the status quo for the show's themes. In hindsight, I see why season 5 is seen as the rocky start to the show's decline, but up until the total waste of an interesting villain's backstory (who went on to be a great character), season 5's end could have been the perfect transition to a new theme. Reformation. Starlight's change of heart should have been extended, she should have had a stronger backstory, and we should have seen those feelings of love and friendship slowly grow and not manifest in a handshake with Twilight just because of an apocalyptic vision of Equestria. So, Seeing as how the changeling's return and Chrysallis's second, more exact and calculated attempt to take Equestria is the culmination of season six in To Where and Back Again, remember when Starlight extended her hand in an attempt at friendship with Chrysallis and Chrysallis turned her away? Imagine how much more power that would have had if Starlight's agreement to stop upsetting the timeline wasn't conditional on friendship. As if she was still hesitant to this "friendship" idea when Twilight extended her hand, and then when Chrysallis, a representation of the absence of love, turned Starlight's offer away, Starlight would then beautifully and tragically see the power of friendship. After all, there's an implied rivalry between Starlight and Chrysallis all the way until the end. We could have gotten more from that. Because season 5 seemed to be changing the status quo, in hindsight, season 5 simply shows signs of seasons 1-4's formula, adventures, and themes rusting, and it could have used this new villain and story arc to use old formula for a new era, but instead, we learned season 5 showed no intention of changing things up much. How could this have happened after season 4, a brilliant, seamless amalgamation of standalone episodes, story episodes, and a climactic, bone-chilling finale? I actually have more to say about what I would change about Starlight's villainy, but I'll share that in a later post. I've just been wanting to share my gripes with this particular story beat, and how disappointing it was despite such excellent buildup.

That being said, the complete and total lack of sobriety since around September has brought me to my knees. Forgive the extreme sporadicness and honestly crude sentence structure and lack of verbosity. This is just a "I'm back and I've been hurting" update, and I'm still not all clear in the head. My entire pony collection was sold for money, and I had to take a leave of absence from school. First five seasons, all the equestria girls movies, the 8-book collection including Princess Celestia and the Summer of Royal Waves, all mane-six cheap plushies and a Symbiote Fluttershy plushie, two video games based on G5, and various figurines. All gone along with basically my entire collection of other things such as Breaking Bad, Buffy, and over $1000 of Zelda games. There is a silver-lining. I am as close to being sober as I can be and I've almost quit (only THC 3-4 times a week, just can't cold turkey after also kicking alcohol and other crap), I've bought my way back into returning to law school this fall, I'm gainfully employed, AND My pony collection is now bigger than it was. Both the show and rebuilding that collection have grounded me and reconnected me with who I am. I went through a rouuuggghhhh patch. I was still seeing-ish a woman I should not have been with. I was constantly drinking, smoking, cross-faded 2/3 of the day. I lived on my own, and I told myself I couldn't be who I was anymore. I became (and still am) skin-and-bone, but now that I've went through this horror, I've come out knowing myself better. Turns out, and I'm not surprised, I'm high-functioning autistic, and the majority of my mental issues come from this after I finally broke down and vocalized struggles I had which I did not know how to articulate. I have everything from my collection besides some cheapo plushies I don't care to buy again (the company put wings on Rarity. I forgot Rarity was an alicorn, apparently, lol). I also have season 7, and season 6 and EQ Magical Movie Night are on their way to me. My Little Pony is SOOO special and its helped me explore myself as well as the Hellaverse, which I'm also obsessed with. I just wanted to post an update since I don't think I've visited this site since January, I think? So, I don't know when, how often, etc, but I'm returning to the forums, and it feels very good to be back in Equestria, because no joke, from September to around February, my life was Klugetown. It feels so good to reconnect with who I am and this show, which has actually become one of my favorite "things." When people ask me my favorite show, I always begin, "Well, My Little Pony, but that's just one of my all time favorite "things," and I'll say Breaking Bad, Owl House, Gravity Falls...and last and most certainly not least...Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel, which, if they maintain their current quality or better through the end, will also become one of my favorite "things" (It already is, right now, lol). It's so good to be back. I love you all. I will become 100% sober (about 20% soberer than I am now), and I could use all the encouragement, love, and support available. Thank you for your time.

@Crypty Scribbles Of course! I've shared this appreciation for the character across other platforms, and I get similar gratitude for highlighting the character, and how I feel many of us can relate to her and how she initially seems snide or disinterested, but this is simply her personality, and she doesn't know any other way to be. I just love the show didn't have Pinkie and/or the rest of the Mane Six "teach" her how to liven up, how to be more interesting, etc. I love they simply come to accept her, and her mannerisms cease to be acknowledged, and instead, she's explored as a pony and not a fixer-upper. @Dawnshine Wonder What you said at the end of your comment is the denouement of my argument for Maud Pie as a strong character and strong exploration of such a character's qualities and dynamics. This is my point, and good comparison to Mandy from Grim Adventures. The Mandy caricature is what I thought Maud was going to be, but she wasn't, and I don't think she accepts her sister out of annoyance. She simply accepts her. Both ponies accept each other to a point where other ponies obviously notice the contrast in personalities, but the sisters seem to be best friends who love each other. This is why Maud Pie is so important to me and others such as @Crypty Scribbles. What we see on the surface creates an unfair assumption there's something to be "fixed" about the character, and that was intentional. Instead, there's nothing to be "fixed" about Maud Pie, it's other ponies who need to "fix" themselves and accept Maud Pie's personality type. Simply allow her to exist in their space and trust and connect with her despite a uniquely resolved personality. @Rafa Stary For the longest time, and I think she's still listed on my profile, Starlight was my favorite secondary character. Now, I'm thinking it might just be Maud Pie for these reasons explained in the post...Fluttershy still takes number 1 overall though, lol.

I wish I had this when I first joined MLPF. This is very thorough. Thank you so much!

I have to express my appreciation for Maud Pie. While Pinkie Pie is a constant ball of energy and expressiveness, all of the mane six have expressive and unique personalities. Even reserved Fluttershy is expressive with her face and her adorably low-volume voice, but when Maud was introduced I was concerned, and initially, my eyes rolled. I thought, “Let me guess. We have a problem pony. Low-energy, disinterested, introverted (and presented as though introversion is inherently a bad thing), and I predicted a negative attitude and general mean-spiritedness. I thought her introductory episode was going to be a matter of Maud learning the error of her ways and becoming more expressive and extroverted because that’s the only way you’ll make friends. Instead, it’s only her expressivity which distinguishes her from Pinkie and the others. She comes across as low-energy and disinterested, but she’s powerfully passionate about geology, she’s kind and even verbally expresses a fondness for ponies. She loves her sister and has no problems or annoyance with her opposing personality. When it comes to acceptance and tolerance, the show chose to include those whose reservation, introversion, and ways of expressivity as acceptable. Worthy of friendship without changing a thing. Being a kind and genuine pony (who we even learn later feels ousted as a result of her behavior and mannerisms when she says to Pinkie, and I’m paraphrasing, “It’s best I live alone like I’ve always been”) despite her personality being a caricature which one, including myself, would unfairly assume of a callous teenager with an attitude is very heart-warming. The show really does exemplify not only friendship but true connection and acceptance of various personalities. Sometimes, I’m unfairly assumed to be disinterested, unapproachable, etc because I often have a low-energy personality at work and school, and I also love to be alone and am very introverted. Someone gets to know me and they like me and find me interesting, but still ask “Why don’t you show this part of yourself more? Why do you hide who you are?” I don’t? If I did, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now. Being reserved and introverted is a part of myself, and attempting to be expressive and extroverted (which I used to do) would be the version of me that hides my true nature. Such a lovely secondary character, and such brilliant dynamic between her and the others in terms of friendship and someone I and I’m sure plenty others in the fandom and in this group can relate to.

I was contemplating how My Little Pony has quickly become one of my all-time favorite television shows despite watching the show last year. In fact, I threw out "favorite show of all time" when discussing media in general during the early seasons. Amongst all-time favorites, it's rare for me to love a long-running show such as MLP. Amongst my all-time favorites are Breaking Bad (62 episodes), Better Call Saul (63 episodes), Gravity Falls (40 episodes), The Owl House (43 episodes), and so forth. Of course, quantity does not equal quality. When it comes to shows like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, you can't really just pick out an episode which begins and ends, and when it comes to the stand-alone (or mostly stand-alone) episodes of shows like Gravity Falls and The Owl House, you can only watch them so many times . Of course, amongst my all-time favorites of considerable longevity are shows such as X-Files or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which have plenty of standalone episodes, but then again, those can be mood shows, right? Whether it's the occasionally depraved and unsettling horror of the best X-Files episodes or the difficult and challenging emotions of Buffy (or vice versa, depending on the episode), I do have to be in a certain kind of mood to watch those shows. I don't have "go-to" Buffy or X-Files episodes to watch when I just want to watch something. But, wait, Futurama is easily amongst my favorite shows of all time, and there's rarely dour themes, mostly standalone episodes, and I'm sure the label "comfort show" has been applied times over. There's no dissection or mental process in terms of arriving at an "accurate" or "valid" favorite show, but I'm just walking myself through the thought process of what sets MLP apart from the rest. Well, what do I love about MLP? The setting, the design and style, the writing, the music, the story, the humor, the lore, and, most importantly, the character. The character is the crux of MLP'S qualities. Its not the exclusive standout quality. The other qualities I mentioned are also incredible, but the characters, management thereof, and dynamics between are truly the perfect bow. The Element of Magic amongst the show's Tree of Harmony is character, especially between the Mane Six, and ultimately, I find character is the most important quality amongst any piece of fiction. The narrative, the themes, the style, the storytelling, pacing, all falls apart if you have poor character, and all these elements are improved by good character. MLP, both through effort and thought as well as chance, created a Mane 6 of perfectly characterized ponies who have interesting and energetic dynamics between each other and lives/backgrounds which organically intertwine with the rest of the series' setting and characters to energize the lore. Other shows like Breaking Bad and Gravity Falls also have incredible casts, but My Little Pony's cast and how that cast serves as individual stakes to the series' lore and setting, is what creates the potential for quality longevity (for the most part), and it was executed well. Still, these conceptual positions, these comparisons, these distinctions, even though I'm just scratching the surface, mean next-to-nothing when it comes to the final question, what sets My Little Pony apart from the rest? Does anyone else arrive, in a way distinct from other favorites, at the conclusion, I love the way it makes me feel. I understand the function of specifying, "guilty pleasure," when discussing something one perceives as low quality, but the thing is seemingly tailored to them in a particularized way, but I hate for one to feel as though they must specify its a "guilty pleasure" when they find genuine charm and quality to the thing despite the general consensus. But, what's "This is my guilty pleasure" in a declarative form? Image Source: A.I. Generations I love the way it makes me feel. Something about the show/movie/etc, stimulates you in a way you enjoy despite recognized quality shortcomings. As much as I love these other shows I've mentioned to the extent of rewatching certain scenes over and over, MLP has a unique, "I love the way it makes me feel." All those qualities I mentioned? Style? Writing? Animation? Story? Character? All those elements are presently and consistently of high quality, yet they're all amalgamated into a swift wind blowing over me as an episode begins, and the residual soft breeze overwhelms me as I watch the show. I love it in the way a person loves a "guilty pleasure." The way it makes me feel. I think this is what we're all celebrating. Wow. We've found this show with all the wholesomeness, heart, emotion, and warmth we crave from less challenging media, yet MLP is both engaging and stimulating as well as worthy of genuine praise. So, the distinction between this show and other shows, even in the greatest shows like Breaking Bad or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is I can pick apart qualities and discuss them as components. My Little Pony? I can't remove one element from the rest. I can look at them individually for moments at a time, and I can force myself to pick apart shot composition, dialogue, etc, but there's the distinction. It all coagulates into one great show, and I say, "I can go into detail, but I love the way it makes me feel." And that, every pony. That is magic.

So, in an offhand interaction between Fluttershy and Hummingway, a bird, I was racking my brain for a minute. "Hm. In what way is a pony pun produced by naming a bird after Ernest Hemmingway?" It took me just a little too long to realize--birds "hum." That's my confession for the day. A good deed. In Furry Friends Fair, Fluttershy's signature pet bunny, Angel, is ostracized and humiliated by Flim and Flam at a show case for pet talents. Flim and Flam basically call Angel unremarkable, so after Angel witnesses Applejack and her furry friend, Winona, herding sheep, Angel wants to develop the necessary skills for herding to compete in the Fine Furry Friends Fair, and prove to himself he is quite the remarkable bunny. After a rough start, Fluttershy's friends join in, problems arise, and, of course, we all learn a lesson about friendship--and the importance of self-worth. @Fluttershutter recommended these chapter books to me months ago because they "read like episodes." I purchased a newer version of the books suggested and let them sit on my shelf for a while, but I've decided to pick them up and begin reading. I began with my favorite pony, Fluttershy's, protagonist book and read through it. Obviously not a long read, but Fluttershutter was right! It reads like an episode, and a good one at that! Rock solid. That's the best I can say about this particular chapter book. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the language and verbosity wasn't quite as sophomoric as I thought they would be considering the target audience being elementary students. Obviously, it didn't infuse the rich but quiet haunt of Cormac McCarthy or the linguistically clinical mayhem of H.P. Lovecraft, but it didn't necessarily read as a "baby book," for lack of a better word, which says something, because as an avid fan of the show, I already knew who these characters were and where these settings were, so the imagery and sounds were already there, yet I was still implored to use my imagination to visualize these scenes and hear these voices and sounds in my head. My favorite line which legitimately made me chuckle was spoken by Pinkie Pie, who says, "We brought you ewes to use!" But then she turns to Rainbow Dash and says, "Or was it, use these ewes so you don't lose?" Not only is that clever and humorous, but it's perfectly in character with Pinkie Pie. Not to mention, I particularly took note of a vividly descriptive sentence: "Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs across her chest like she was personally offended that her great idea didn't pan out." That is a succinct yet vivid sentence evolving the visual image the language creates for the reader to generate in their imagination rather than simply focusing on the conversation at hand, and, yet again, not only in dialogue but in behavior in mannerisms did the author manage to capture these characters. So, bravo to G.M. Berrow because it's actually something I'd love to write! I mean, if you write literature using characters from an established IP, it's still technically fan fiction if you're being paid. The pacing was genuinely great. It reads like an episode, and it's markedly divided into a three-act story, but there was never a point where I was wondering how this or that would be resolved in any time frame. This really goes into the potential for new appreciation reading these books could have on an MLP fanatic. Although the font is clearly larger than other books, it's still a hundred-and-something pages, and while it reads like an episode, it really puts a pony fan in their place when they realize just how much work goes into these episodes. Sure, we relish and rejoice and gush and spring ourselves at the show's, design, the lore, the characterization, and general effervescence. When reading this book, I realized and thought to myself, "Wow. This much thought goes into this show, and this is just in plain text format." So all that relishing and rejoicing and gushing I do was enhanced by reading this book and realizing how much effort and work goes into this stuff. Friendship is Magic! Friendship is work! And Friendship is Magic is a lot of work. Lastly, I'll mention the resolution. Spoilers ahead. When Fluttershy and Angel finally perform at the Fury Friends Fair, first of all, I'm glad the win still went to Applejack. There was no reason for any competition between Fluttershy and Applejack to be delved into. The book mentioned Rainbow Dash and Applejack's friendly rivalry by mentioning "those two loved to challenge each other over every little thing." I don't remember the context, but I believe the line was mentioned to affirm there's no competitive element between Fluttershy and Applejack in the story at hand. Also, while Fluttershy and Angel won second place, it was still with the help of her friends going to unconventional measures to pull it off, and ultimately, the author managed to infuse a satisfying victory for Fluttershy and her fuzzy bunny while also maintaining the crux of the most important themes, self-worth and self-confidence. The friendship themes are always stronger when it's neatly tied in with a message for the individual. Fun. Heartwarming. Adorable. Fuzzy. Well-written. I don't do ratings of any kind, so all I'll say is I can't compare it to the rest yet, but I definitely recommend it, and there's also a wonderful bonus for Fluttershy fans since it's a Flutter-focused story!

@Bizarre Wizard That’s great! That’s all you need! Hoof to heart! @Starlight Serenade I love you 🥺 You’ve been one of my friends on here since day one and intense a kindred spirit. Happy Holidays, Happy Hearth’s Warming, and please let me know when you’ve finished your emotional piece!

Happy Holidays to all! It's been a difficult, tumultuous, and often unnerving year for everypony. I'm not in the Christmas spirit or a Christmasy person, but I genuinely hope through all the chaos and heartache, those of you who longed for the comfort, feelings of goodwill, and sense of home Christmas brings to you was attained. I hope you all love your gifts, and I hope everypony you've given gifts receive there's. I hope if nothing else, you can find surrender to another year completed and survived, and we can find some presence of peace and hope for the future. Personally, I've come to finally accept certain things about myself this year. I've come to maintain my weight through healthier methods, I'm currently at the thinnest. In fact, I got an early gift from my mother which was a perfectly fitted hoodie, and my eyes when I noticed it was a medium. A medium! I'm a 6'1" man, and I'm at a point where I need a medium shirt. That's a Christmas memory I probably won't forget. I also relapsed this year. Negative experience, but I refuse to allow its taint to wash over the accomplishments and strides I've taken this year. Also, my dad, a conservative baptist, gave me a fairly precious gift, and possibly my favorite gift this year...a copy of the first Equestria Girls movie on DVD! Is it available on YouTube? Yes. Do I already own it on bluray? Obviously. But did my conservative baptist father with whom I've had a troubled past purchase me a DVD after actually asking different stores about My Little Pony stuff, and even mentioned it was for his 26-year-old son? Yes, and that means a lot to me. My favorite gift was a used $5 DVD of a movie I already own, although I'll be honest, that old-fashioned white DVD box with a DVD case cover art? Yes, on a personal, aesthetic, and nostalgic level, I also loved that second part (I found Friendship Games on DVD for $2, and I bought that even though I had it on bluray). I actually began this Happy Holidays entry not sure where I would arrive, but in so writing, I feel I've arrived at an emotionally sensible point. I genuinely hope all your Christmases were precious, fulfilled, and comforting, but regardless, find that one thing. That one thing that meant something to you on a profound and complex level. Whether it was a gift, a gesture, a statement, a decision someone helped you make. That one thing the Christmas spirit brought you which no other spirit can. For me? Equestria Girls on DVD from a dad who accepts my interests, my alternative and quite subversive identity, and neurodivergent difficulties and benefits. I don't quite feel understood, but I feel closer than before. What's that one thing for anypony? I would love to know. I'm sure many of you got things you loved, but what's the one thing that just affected you on multiple levels and possibly even profoundly. Or, if we aren't feeling that deep, how was your Christmas or otherwise holiday celebrations? How are your families? Friends? How was your year? Well, Happy Holidays, and Happy Hearth's Warming!