TailsIsNotAlone

You gotta love this fan club! Much like the beauty and excellence of Rarity, it just keeps on going.

That would be it for me. I had (and still have) a laundry list of complaints about just Twilight becoming an alicorn. Making the rest of her friends alicorns as well would turn me off of the show entirely. Lauren Faust's message has been compromised enough.

Seasons 1-3 (until finale): "We're six ponies (people) just like you, who are forging our own paths in life and learning the magic of friendship!"

Seasons 4 & 5 (until finale): "We're five ponies just like you and one demigod, who are still learning the magic of friendship but not really forging our own paths in life. Destiny, yo."

Season 6 with an alicorned Mane 6: "We're six demigods, elevated above you mere mortals by inescapable destiny! Oh, and, uh...something about friendship!"

How exited am I? Heck, I never entered. 

JK. They can do as many EQG movies as they want, I still won't be interested in that spinoff. But other bronies are and that's fine; I'm happy for them.

All the numbers mean is it was a shit idea to air S5 during the spring and summer when everyone is outside, as opposed to late fall and winter when they're trapped inside on Saturday mornings.

Agreed. And that cable is slowly dying, and that Discovery Family isn't marketing the show. I'm surprised ratings are still that good, TBH.

In any case, the numbers aren't all that important because they can't measure Internet viewing. If there were some way to include that, I'm sure it would show that viewership is as strong as ever. And let's not forget that five or six seasons is as long as most shows can possibly maintain their original quality, so if the falling ratings ensure that Season 6 and a movie is the last of G4, that's just as well IMO. I don't need the show to go on forever. Knowing that our fandom doubled the lifetime of the program and made it bigger than it would've been otherwise...that would be enough for me! 

I'm very disconnected from today's entertainment scene, so I never knew about this movie until I checked on Tim Brayton's site and read his great review. But it wasn't the critical reception that made me check this out, it was the concept. One person's distinct emotions being depicted as characters, living in the complex world of her mind? And in a "family-friendly" summer movie? Now that's ambitious. I wanted to see if Pixar could pull it off, so I walked into a theater today for the first time in years to find out.

I was blown away. Inside Out is an incredible film that has not only returned Pixar to creative prominence, but has the potential to change how people think about their own feelings and those of others. It absolutely should not be missed.

I will be looking into that merchandise as well. 

Well, they kinda have to ban it.

 

It killed nine people in that church.

Completely, absolutely, dead wrong.

A person killed nine other people in that church. He did it because he was a hateful bigot who chose to destroy others' lives rather than make something of his own.

The Confederate flag, like any other flag, like any other symbol, is subjective. It represents different ideas to different people. Far more wrongs have been committed, and more innocent blood shed, under the flag of a united America than that of a rebel faction that existed for four years. And yet, no one is saying we should ban the current American flag because of the South Carolina shooting and the hate it represents. Why?

Simple. Because the Confederate flag is an easy target. Some people simply pin all the disgraces and abuses of slavery and its legacy on that one symbol because it's easier to comprehend...and easier to destroy. They can't simply get rid of the ingrained potential for primal hatred in the still-evolving human mind, so they conjure up a scapegoat. I can see politicians and social justice warriors everywhere trampling each other to jump on that bandwagon: "let's just ban the Confederate flag!" Politicians love it because it can be done within an electoral term (as long as they can sidestep that pesky First Amendment), and people who still believe everything they were told in community college love it because they don't know any better.

But we all should know better. It's no solution at all. It's a band-aid. The flag isn't the real problem and it never was. Americans will never learn from our tragedies if we don't face them. And to do that, we must stop falling for politically correct charades and grapple with what's beneath the surface instead.

A new favorite doesn't have to replace an old favorite. You could just add the new favorite to all your previous favorites, building an ever-growing pile of favorites, unless having a "top ten favorites" list of your favorite things is a favorite activity of yours. 

My favorites so far from Season 5 are The Cutie Map and Bloom and Gloom.

Making eye contact and making small talk are not difficult. If you really can't do these basic things, you need therapy. Or at least some psychiatric medicine.

I don't think you understand what it is to have serious social anxiety, and you don't seem interested in reading about it either. Never mind.

if you have a job, you will learn how to comunicate with people and work with others. 

I't not that simple for all of us, unfortunately. I've been working for 14 years (I'm 29) and I still haven't learned.

I have had social anxiety for a long time, and it has gotten worse, not better. It was hard enough in school where nothing I said ever seemed to be the right thing, unless I was telling a joke. That usually worked, so I became a class clown for a while but then I got tired of it and just tried not to speak much at all. Now it drains the life out of me just to make small talk, and a negative encounter with someone else ruins my entire day. I hate talking to people in person, especially strangers. When I lived alone, a phone call or a knock on the door would actually frighten me.

Other people can communicate on a much higher level than me; they can "recognize social cues" and "anticipate needs" and all this other unspoken stuff that I've never understood in the least. I just don't have those abilities. All of my talents manifest themselves inward. Most of who I really am is hidden from the rest of the world, and that's how I like it. I don't trust the rest of the world much anyway.

I used to have social anxiety, but I guess I grew out of it. It's not hard to break the ice guys, just start with small talk and proceed from there. Say hi when you make eye contact, it's not difficult, people.

People do not just grow out of social anxiety, and anyone who has had a serious case would know better than to say that. Breaking the ice, making small talk, and maintaining eye contact are all very difficult things.

Real social anxiety is not simply being nervous. It's about having no idea what to say, no idea how to say it, no real desire to say it--and even if you're lucky and your meaning gets across, you take little pleasure in it.

I can communicate online and sometimes do all right at public speaking, because those are structured events, things I can prepare for. If I make a mistake or am unsatisfied with my original message, I can go back and change it. Interpersonal, face-to-face encounters are a totally different story.

Explain then, so that I might.

Right on.  I think what it means to me is that we are way past the whole thing of "This is a show for little girls, and a few marginal types with self-image issues."  We are on the table with this as a show for everybody who loves it, and we hear you, fandom, Bronies, and let's do this!  Come on in, little girls, come on in, adults who appreciate good animation, good writing and good fun, and let's party! 

 

It's now acknowledged beyond a shadow of a doubt that the fandom affects the show, just as the show affects the fandom.  It's a symbiosis, and I for one see that as a good thing.

Exactly. That's what separates this from previous episodes. 'Slice of Life' is the culmination of a subtle change in direction that's been going on since around Season 3, from targeting little girls to recognizing teens and adults as well. It's one big shout-out from M.A. Larson to the bronies, maybe even a "thank you" for making the show as popular and long-lived as it is, and that's a groundbreaking moment no matter how you look at it.   They wouldn't even have thought of doing something like this in the early seasons, and now that it's been done I think many of us will look back on it as a milestone, especially if they do more episodes like it in the future.

The question I've been asking myself for the last few years and especially now is, how do I feel about this change? Is the difference important to me, and did I actually enjoy MLP more when it was just "a show for little girls and a few marginal types with self-image issues"? 

I disagree vehemently. Just because they gave us this doesn't mean it will change what comes next. You think the Mane Six will mention the events of this episode or it will come into play later? I severely doubt it.

 

The show has always been great because it can appeal to almost everyone, that has not and WILL NOT change. Come next episode, it will be back to business as usual and that's not a bad thing in the slightest. 

You don't understand what I'm saying at all.

Yes, I do find the ponies attractive. That's not the reason I watch the show, but it sure doesn't hurt. I don't think there's anything wrong with it either.

My feelings on 'Slice of Life'...

It's a hell of a ride. There's so much to take in it's almost overwhelming. Every minute brought something else I never thought I'd see in canon:

On the other hand, this is way more than a simple slice-of-life thing featuring the side characters; it's a 25-minute brohoof from the studio to the teen and adult fandom. I think it's safe to say this is the first episode of MLP that was created solely for the bronies from beginning to end, and they can't go back from that. It confirms once and for all that the show has changed. It will never be what it used to be.

What that means and whether it's important to you is for each of us to decide individually.

Dammit. He went too soon. -_-  I know that sounds crazy. He was 93 after all, and had such an amazing lifetime and career...but he always left you wanting more. And after all that, it seemed like he'd earned the right to live forever.

I'll miss him.

I think the reason people are focusing more on the stereotypical hippie stuff is that Tree Hugger wasn't given much else to do or say. We're just used to seeing a little more inspiration in our side characters, that's all.

I'm sure it won't stop the fandom from doing some good things with her and improving on a weak start. (There were some stories about her on FIMfiction when I looked her up yesterday. Hell, I might write something about her.)

I wont make no bones about it, i didnt care for her either, this was the most contrived characters this show has ever created. They could used the space to fleash out any number of known background characters and it would have worked just as well

I'm not a huge fan of her myself. A hippie pony with depth would work just fine on MLP, but Tree Hugger didn't have much of that. She was sort of a caricature who was just there to make Discord jealous. Smooze, in his own way, was actually a better-developed character than TH because we saw different sides of his "personality," even though he can't talk.

MAUD! She reappeared in 'Make New Friends But Keep Discord' and I didn't even know about it! I would've watched that episode much sooner otherwise. 

And a neat appearance at that. A lovely dress AND she burned Discord. Oh Maud, you're a card.

I predict we will descend on Studio DHX in an angry mob with torches and pitchforks.

Just kidding, that will only happen if FlashLight becomes canon on the regular show. 

Oh, I don't like Rainbow Dash at all.

I love her!  She's fun, adorable, talented, and loves to read. There's nothing to dislike, unless she goes overboard with the competitiveness. I think a lot of the negative opinions come from people falsely equating her with brainless jocks who gave them a hard time in school. I've been there, but I also knew athletic kids who stood up for me and made me laugh. Rainbow Dash is like that. Truly selfish people don't have loyalty, they just blindly go wherever the audience is, leaving hurt feelings and bad impressions in their wake. (See Lightning Dust, Gilda, and Trixie).

Motorcycles roaring by the house. Such a horrible, ugly noise. I have nothing against motorcycles except that.

Fingernails on a chalkboard. Babies crying are the worst; it hurts so bad I'll run away to escape from it.

And one more thing: women crying. Not so much painful as really annoying. The women in my family are always in control of themselves, not at all like some who come to the hotel where I work at 2AM blubbering, "*sniff* do you *sob* have any *sniff* rooms available?!" No. No we don't, please go away, I don't know what situation you're bringing in here with you but we don't want any part of it. I don't actually say that to them, but I want to. (And anyone who thinks that sounds cruel is welcome to cover for me one of these nights. -_- )

High-functioning autism for me, plus depression and anxiety. I went undiagnosed until I was 29. I knew something was off as a kid but I had no idea what, and neither did anyone else. It sucked. I'm still not good with people and I'm a much better communicator online than I am in person. For a while there, ponies were just about the only thing that made me happy. Things aren't quite as rough now, though.

Oysters. I had never had them, much less smelled them, until my landlady cooked them for her and her boyfriend a while back. UGH! How can they eat that? Really bad smell and it takes forever to disappear.

Marijuana smoke. Really, really gross. I won't smoke that stuff or hang around with anyone who does, just because of the smell.

And cat urine. Bleah.

Based on our limited information about how Equestria works...the only logical conclusion is that their world is flat. Celestia and Luna wouldn't call it "raising the sun/moon" if it was really something else. But we've seen globes of Equestria, and in most other ways it seems to work like a round planet does, so what gives? I think the answer is: it's just a show, we should really just relax. (Sound familiar?  )

I think the sun and moon were there before the sisters, but it was the sisters who perfected their use and stabilized Equestria into a comfortable place to live. And the unicorns for stepping in when needed, and the pegasi for taming the volatile atmosphere, and the earth ponies for making the most of their efforts on the ground. Everypony works together, really.

Twilight Sparkle: I was a good student with a lot of loyalty to my teachers.

Fluttershy: Almost everything, but especially social phobia.

Pinkie Pie: A sweet tooth.

Rainbow Dash: I love to read.

Applejack: A strong work ethic. We both dislike slackers and liars.

Rarity: I have a great appreciation for aesthetics and I am meticulous in my work. Wait, that's two things. 

I like Starlight a lot as a character, and she had some interesting ideas. Her methods were aggressive and manipulative, but effective. If you "liberate" everyone of their special talents, and nopony has more of anything than anypony else, equality becomes not just a convenient political idea, but a reality. The question is whether that reality is worth the price you have to pay for it. I'm sure Starlight thought so; after all, she retained her cutie mark and was the de facto leader. But the other ponies in town had to sacrifice their individual potential for a life that was dull, empty, and scary if they got on Starlight's bad side.

To me Starlight's philosophy had merit, and for a while she made it work. But it wasn't worth the price because it did not bring about true happiness. If there was a way to do that, Starlight didn't care to find it. The Mane Six's interference and her own negative, deceptive leadership ensured that the experiment would fail.