TailsIsNotAlone

What a close race! Rarity sure is hanging in there. Then again, how could 135+ people NOT vote for this??

^ What I wish I were doing right now. Here's hoping Rarity wakes up on Monday morning to find herself voted the Most Attractive Pony. We all know she is already, but there is a certain satisfaction in making it official.

Lucky for me all games aren't on one system, or I wouldn't have been able to play. I think my parents got my brother and I our first console just so we would stop monopolizing Dad's PC. If all games were only on one machine, they could charge us anything they wanted! Money, indeed. There aren't enough console choices as it is. It hasn't been the same since Atari and Sega went down. Sega had some really creative minds and brought originality to gaming that we haven't seen since, and Atari was cool to have around just for entertainment (that Jaguar controller xD). The console wars were always dumb, but at least in the 90s they were kind of interesting and people were fighting over real differences. You would meet not only the Nintendo and Sony kids, but the Sega kids (who were VERY devoted), the Atari loyalists, the "entertainment system" folks who had a 3DO, the arcade devotee with a NEO-GEO, and that one really weird kid down the block who had to settle for an Apple Pippin. Now it's just the same three companies with the same three philosophies and the same three systems made over again with the same old game series going on forever. It's boring. Boring and expensive.

The guy who made the videos you posted. He's quite a popular commentator on Youtube.

Interesting points by Blunty! I shall also say no to the console wars. It's odd how people wrap up their choice of console in their whole identity. I do think it's silly, but most of us have our preferences. It doesn't really bother me unless you're one of the really hardcore fans who is pushy and won't admit there's anything good about the other companies and machines. Me, I played all Nintendo machines at first--NES, SNES, Game Boy Color, N64--but I wasn't a "fanboy" and I had no problem branching out to Sega and Sony later on. I don't see any big differences between the Xbox One and the PS4 for that matter; they're both basically computers, they both cost too much, you can play Blu-Rays on both machines now, and they have most of the same games! Where does the war come in? So I don't participate and in fact I don't own any of the new consoles. I won't buy one from Microsoft on principle, Nintendo's new gimmicky systems don't interest me, and I got the best that Sony had to offer when I bought the PlayStation 2. It was the perfect system with a library you could explore for years and years. Why trade up?? So I stick with the PS2, Dreamcast, Genesis, and sometimes the GameCube, and I'm very happy with all of them.

You make good points Toaster Bot, but ultimately I think this site has the right idea about things. Before I joined here, I was on a different forum with just as many members (if not more) and all anyone ever did was argue. One of the things I learned from the experience was that "actual discussion" on a large Internet community, if even possible, is a very mixed blessing. Discussion in the name of honesty is also a good philosophy on paper, but on the screen the final product is just a lot of overwritten opinions bouncing off each other. I played that game for 7 years before I grew up a little and realized none of it had amounted to anything. For me, MLPF strikes the perfect balance between group mentality and individuality. The sense of community and general optimism here, along with MLP itself being a cute show about ponies, is the reason I'm still in this fandom today.

Hmm...well, I don't like FIMfiction.net. That's the only thing I can think of. Don't get me wrong, I love writing and reading, especially MLP fics. I just don't like the site. On the technical side they've made great improvements (the filter actually works now xD), but I've had nothing but bad experiences trying to write for them myself, and the overall mood of the place is kind of weird and negative...not like this site at all. And FIMfiction is undoubtedly the fanfiction place for bronies all over the world, so basically that's a whole segment of the fandom I don't feel connected to. It sucks. -_- Not at all! I think you are interesting.

That sounds like a great idea. Sandy Parchment, please!

THE PATH Two ponies entered the clearing. One was pearl-colored with an impeccably styled pearl mane. She moved with a kind of grace that was calculated, yet natural, and her already spotless coat shimmered brilliantly in the snow. The pony beside her did not possess the same heavenly sheen, and yet she was no stranger to beauty herself; if the earth itself had a heartbeat, it was captured in the strong and steady thud of her hooves. "Say, Rarity," said the second pony in her distinctive accent. "Where are we goin' anyway?" "Oh, Applejack," her friend tittered as though she'd just heard a particularly amusing joke. "Where are we going? That is simply too funny!" The farmpony gave her a searching look. "...I haven't the slightest idea," Rarity admitted. She paused and watched the snowflakes as they drifted through the woods. "To our destiny, perhaps." Applejack did not seem convinced, but she continued to follow the other pony through the woods. "Destiny, huh?" "There's something I've wanted to tell you. I just never felt that the time was right--and we spend so little of it together. We're so different, you and I! And yet...don't you think we're cut from the same cloth?" "Er...this isn't about fashion, is it?" "Our friends--dear Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash--have you noticed that they don't understand us quite like we understand each other? It's natural, I suppose. You and I already know exactly what we want to do with our lives, and the four of them are still...dreaming." Rarity's overly dramatic sigh could not obscure the truth in her words. Applejack nodded slowly. "Well, I s'pose so. Never thought of it that way, but I guess we do both have careers of our own." "Exactly, darling. Though we've had our disagreements now and then, we are on the same path after all," Rarity gestured to the road before them. "And I do hope we end up at the same destination." "That could be halfway across Equestria for all we know," her friend chuckled. "...I do want to succeed," Rarity said after a silence. "Very badly." "Oh heck, Rarity. We know that." "That's just it, Applejack--do they truly know? Do you think they could ever understand? Sometimes even I don't understand. Do I want this for my family, or despite my family? Am I trying to honor my roots or simply rise above them? Can I stay true to my friends and still be all that I dream of?" Applejack turned and saw tears in her eyes. The flashy drama queen was gone. She saw the real Rarity now: ambitious, conflicted, and somewhat lonely. She put a reassuring roof across the beauty's shoulders. "I know one thing, sugarcube. You couldn't abandon your roots, even if ya tried. Ask any tree in the orchard. The seasons change, but what you are, that stays just the same. Take it from me. Even after all that time in Manehattan, I was still an Apple--and no matter where you end up, you'll still be a Rarity." Rarity's eyes danced as she looked up. "Your friends will always be there for you." "You, too?" " 'Specially me," Applejack nodded firmly. "Now that that's settled, can we stop freezin' our tails off in the middle of nowhere?" Rarity beamed and quickly regained her composure. "After you, darling." The ponies turned and trotted back the way they had come, their hoofprints crossing each other in the snow.

I started out with PC, but I own very PC games now and they're all very old. Like, late 90s-early 2000s. I'm far more experienced with consoles and own several of them. although my actual skill in gaming is solidly average. And mobile gaming, I know nothing about. My phone is too old for that stuff.

Banned for instigating a flame war.

Squash it. I have no reservations about that. Although sometimes I feel guilty about my squeamishness because they really don't pose any threat to me. Moths are even scarier. I once battled this huge moth with a rolled-up newspaper in the lobby of my workplace because it was going crazy and all efforts to let it out had failed. It took me 15 minutes to kill that thing.

No idea, really. Maybe I'm more afraid of dying than I am of living. And I'd hate to miss my next meal.

I like most kinds of music but especially extreme metal, techno, and some hard rock. I don't so much follow entire genres as I do specific singers and bands. I like pony music about as much as the rest if it's well-made. And I own several MLP t-shirts (1 Dash, 2 Lyra, 1 Apple Bloom, 2 Maud Pie), a Rainbow Dash wristband that I never take off, a Silver Spoon necklace, the DVDs (seasons 1, 2, 4), and a small Dash plushie my mom got me for Christmas.

I've heard speculation left and right about why (if any particular reason) Carroll didn't have Marshawn run the ball on the first snap. From "he didn't like Marshawn snubbing the media" to "he wanted to give the moment of glory to his faithful QB, not the RB who might be leaving this spring." I take it all with a grain of salt. It was just a questionable play call that backfired. There doesn't have to be some sinister reason behind it.

I only knew about Monty from the 'Dead Fantasy' series, but that alone spoke volumes about his talent and the amount of effort he put into his animations. The guy could practically work magic. It's a shame to lose such a creative mind, but I think he'll be remembered as one of the first and greatest full-blown Internet artists.

Hurricane Fluttershy - The act of watching it did not cause ten cheerleaders to magically appear in my room and serve me pizza. That's about the only bad thing I can say about it.

Yep. It feels like the Patriots have been winning forever, but many forget that they were a pretty mediocre team for their first 35 years. They might make the playoffs here and there, and they had the honor of being blown out in Super Bowl XX by the '85 Bears, but they were never consistently successful until they were coached by Bill Parcells in the mid-90s, Pete Carroll (who now coaches Seattle) and later Parcells' protege Bill Belichick. 2001 was when they really took off and won their first Super Bowl; I remember it like yesterday too. Since that year they have missed the playoffs only twice ('02 and '08) and have never lost three regular-season games in a row. That's a dynasty, my friends. Crazy when you think about it.

Oh, I agree that they were at least hinting at it. What I meant is that I never thought making her a princess (and/or an alicorn) was right for her character. At all. Shining and Cadence were okay with me (except for going against Lauren's plans and making Cadence an alicorn), but a permanent change to one of the show's most loved main characters that doesn't make sense is something else again.

I couldn't believe it. I'm sitting there watching a vaguely irritating commercial, and all of a sudden: PONIES. Best Super Bowl ever! xD

One word: HUBRIS. If you're Pete Carroll and your receiver makes a miracle catch like that, how can you not feel invincible? And the man is a gambler to begin with. He took another crazy risk because that's what got his team in a position to win this thing. But it was one risk too many, and their greatest victory slipped from their fingers. I'm not gloating because the Seawhawks deserve respect for getting this far, but I rooted for the Patriots all the way and was overjoyed when they won. Had my Maud Pie shirt and Silver Spoon necklace on for good luck. New England will not go away. No matter how many people despise them and try to implicate them in scandal, they just keep on winning. "You can't stop God's team," a fan said of Seattle on a football forum I post in. But I guess the Patriots just beat God, too. What a win. What a game.

Excellent points. Furthermore, if the writers really could think of a good way to make Twilight an alicorn, and if they had any meaningful things to say with this episode...why wouldn't they have ensured it was a two-parter to begin with instead of a single episode with 10-15 minutes of songs? It's damage control. The reason they don't leave any time to explain what's going on, is because they can't explain what's going on, because the premise wasn't even their idea. This is less an example of a rushed TV episode than an example of why marketing needs to stay out of the writers' room. Clearly a lot of other bronies enjoy this episode on an emotional level and that's great, just don't try to tell me that the whole Twilicorn concept makes any sense. (Old King Q explains in great detail why it didn't.) I'll tell you one thing, the transformation suggests that Celestia has had all of this planned for a long time. From the moment she saw Twilight's magic exam on the grounds of Canterlot Castle, she decided that kind of power had to be controlled. They can dress it up all they want by calling Celestia a "mentor," but she's not so much teaching Twi as keeping her on a leash and making sure she moves in the direction she wants. That's not my idea of destiny. Everything I saw from Twilight Sparkle in the first three seasons told me: "highly intelligent, good heart, somewhat introverted, kind of a nerd, makes order out of chaos, can't handle uncertainty...figurehead yes, catalyst yes, most powerful of the Mane 6 yes, just not a complete leader." Nothing I saw told me, "future ruler." That's a leap the size of Ghastly Gorge.

Maud looking joyful?? I think the universe just broke! ^ My first Maud shirt arrives in the mail soon. When people ask me, "what's all about rocks?", I shall say "my poems. I've written thousands."

Eartha Kitt died in 2008. But I loved her as Yzma. There are some actors I would love to hear on MLP--not celebrities, but people who really understand the art of voice acting and have put years into it, like Tara Strong. Tress MacNeille is one. Her resume is a laundry list of cartoon awesomeness: Gadget from Rescue Rangers, Agnes Skinner and many other characters from The Simpsons, Mom from Futurama, Babs Bunny from Tiny Toon Adventures, Dot from Animaniacs. She's an excellent, energetic VA with good range and she can sing to boot. Crispin Freeman would be great too, especially as a villain.