ZephyrBurst

So many new faces, I can't keep up.

Welcome to Canterlot though.

Always great to see new ponies around. Hope you enjoy your stay here for more than just the contest.

Yay, more new ponies. Welcome to the herd and join us in irc sometime.

I know you said not to post any more of these, but I have been meaning to get an answer to you ever since you mentioned it in irc... which btw, feel free to RAWR at me in irc for posting despite what you said above.

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1. When you first heard about ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’, how did you feel? What were your reactions (if any) to the title?

I was recommended the show by an online friend, who periodically recommends me movies or games. Nearly all of his recommendations have agreed with my tastes. But when he recommended I check out the new My Little Pony, I was immediately skeptical. I had never heard of it and my skeptisism rose from my previous experiences with My Little Pony. To me, it has always been a less than mediocre franchise not worth anyone's time, so to hear about yet, another generation of it, I was willing to just say no outright. Which I did, though I took a mental note of the name of the show for later. He hadn't let me down before so I decided to go on youtube to see if there were clips of the show. You know the rest from there.

2. Though originally meant for young girls, the show has expanded to a wider audience of differing age and gender. Explain, in your own words, why you believe this to be so.

There's a lot of reasons for this. The first thing people see when they watch it is the quality and effort put into it. The style and design is appealing, the animation is great as is the voice acting. Best of all are the diverse and interesting characters that lead the show. Each with believable and well rounded personalities. The stories are interesting due to not feeling so contrived and more driven from the characters being themselves with their perks and flaws. This makes it more believable and more importantly, relatable to the audience.

A big reason, I think, is the studio acknowledging and interacting with the fans quite often. This creates a more personal connection with the show that isn't seen a lot with other media.

3. a) What themes/aspects of the show resonate with you the most?

The relatable characters and how their differing personalities together get them through hardships and create them as well. The conflicts are typically created by the characters themselves. There's really no set villain and instead, the lead characters act as antagonists for the others depending on the situation. It's done in a great way without feeling forced.

^_^ What themes/aspects of the show do you dislike?

While it doesn't really bug me and I understand why it's done, I don't really care for the 'moral of the day' aspect that comes from Twilight at the end of the show. Though sometimes, it's handled really well.

4. a) Which character(s) do you admire the most? Why?

While my favorite character is Rainbow Dash, I admire Rarity's character the most. A lot of times in media, her character archetype is rather shallow. They are typically single-minded shop-a-holics with no real goals other than to look the best in a shallow way. I expected this from Rarity and I figured she would be my least favored character of the main cast, but to my surprise, she completely shatters this. She still portrays a few of those very feminine traits, but does so with care and charm. She's seen as a hard working pony and in many moments, she's shown to have a lot of responsibility in that she has to give up something so she can make a dead line for a client. She displays passion and effort for her work and understands that hard work is how to get to where she wants. This, to me, makes her an exceptional role model for viewers.

B) Which character(s) do you dislike the most? Why?

This is a hard one and I'm not sure how to answer it properly.

5. a) How has being a fan of this show changed you? Has it changed your personality/emotions/thoughts?

I'm a closed person in that I don't typically share how I really feel with others. This show has honestly gotten me to be more vocal about what's going on in my head. [see 5b for the rest of the answer]

B) How has being a fan of this show changed the way others view you?

Not at all, most people already know my taste in media can be odd for what would be expected of me, except for one person. I'm a very hard person to get passionate about anything and it's something my roommate has picked up on. I like a lot of stuff, but he's noted that I don't really involve myself in a lot of media out there. He described it once as being emotionally distant from everything around me. It wasn't an insult, it was just an observation he made and he's quite observant of other people's emotions.

I've been fairly active about following the artists and people behind the show as well as pretty much every other aspect of it. While he doesn't care for the show, (though he hasn't watched it himself, with the excuse of 'he knows he'll like it too' (Though he did say he'd watch it when I buy the DVD)) he said he really liked it that I was so into the show because it was relieving for him to see that I was actually passionate about something for once.

6. a) Do you identify more with female lead characters? Would you watch this show if the lead characters were male rather than female?

I'm not sure if I identify with female leads or not, but if the lead characters were male, I'd still watch it if they portrayed the depth and complexity that they do now. I think they're relatable to both genders, not because of their gender, but because of their strong personalities. Which on a side note, it is great to see a female led cast of well rounded characters.

B) How might the show be affected if the lead characters were male?

This is a hard one. Though if the characters personalities were kept intact, I say it would be just as successful since, as I said above, it's not the gender, but the characters themselves that are appealing.

((OOC: Tempest said to go ahead and reply before him))

Zephyr rolled his eyes at Bonfire's comment, he wished he could rest, but he still had the flight back to Cloudsdale after this. Though he liked the trips, as they were relaxing, especially at night. He didn't want to deal with these guards and glared at Bonfire about his statement for finding a cell.

'Of course, he figures he can just make threats like that since he's some 'royal' guard. Now he's being nosy about my work, this package is none of his business.'

Zephyr waited till the mare guardspony was done talking. Wow, did these two guards talk a lot of nonsense.

Zephyr sneered at Radiant Steel. "Affronted?! You practically cornered her, how fair is that?"

Zephyr quickly looked at Bonfire and sighed angrily. "And I don't know what's in this package! I'm just a delivery pony from Cloudsdale! I don't go rummaging through other pony's orders! I'm just lost is all. I can't find the address labeled on here. And I'm sure you'll ask so... it's being delivered to... " Zephyr adjusted the package so he could see the name and address.

"Somepony named Mal, err... Mal-e-diction. Here's the address." Zephyr tilted the package's written content in Bonfire's direction so he could see it.

"If you know where that street is, it would be very helpful." He glared at Bonfire again. "Now I've done what you asked me to do, so can you help me out so I can be on my way or are you going to harass me longer like you're doing to this mare over here." Zephyr pointed to Malediction.

"She's probably saying those things because you two keep accusing her of wrongdoing!"

I actually went with Bridle Gossip and Applebuck Season for this one. Not sure why I didn't go with Cutie Mark Chronicles, but I'm not changing my vote.

RAWR!! Enjoy your stay, seems like you will.

Welcome to the herd, it's good to see so many new ponies showing up.

Yeah, don't be scared about joining RPs or posting up an app for a character to RP with. Everyone here is really awesome.

Also, welcome to the herd.

RAWR!! Welcome to the herd!

Why hello there. Yes, there's a contest here.

Once you get 5 posts, you can run a muck through the board. Enjoy your stay and hop into the irc room with us sometime.

Yay, can't wait to see how this round turns out, and wow, so many Rainbow Dashs flying in a loop.

My vote was definitely the Owl episode and wow it's way up there, but not surprising.

Starting with that weird horse-drawn train

"Ok, nopony move unless I say so!" ... "You! In the bushes! Come out where I can see you!"

'I knew it, they always want to order everypony around like they're in charge.' Zephyr thought this and many other things to himself, he hesitated and didn't come out of the bushes at first. During his hesitation, the mare they seemed to be apprehending expelled a fairly cold statement to the guards. Zephyr didn't want to do what the guard said, the guard was edgy, that much was certain. He didn't like authority. They were a figure of fear and oppression in Zephyr's eyes during his youth. He understood now why they were essential, but these self-conditioned thoughts were hard to forget.

He finally stepped forward in full view of everypony in the area. Zephyr had a sealed unlabeled package strapped to him that rested firmly on his back. His expression displayed a bit of irritation and disgust. It was late, he wanted to be home, yet he still needed to find this elusive address, and now he was being held up by these guards. 'I hate my curiosity sometimes.'

Before he spoke, he looked at Mal. It wasn't what he had expected to see. She didn't look harmful at all, in fact, she was the rare build that Zephyr actually showed a bit of restraint to when his past antics resorted to violence. This poor pony would break easily with his strength. She did have a rather cold, menacing stare and aura though, and her words were sharp. Despite this, Zephyr was pretty sure she was just upset with the guards like he was.

He didn't bother looking at Radiant Steel, he had already gotten a good look at her, she seemed like any typical guardpony. He turned his gaze to Bonfire...

"What do you want? I'm busy and I don't want to be held up any longer than necessary!" Zephyr didn't speak kindly to Bonfire.

I definitely agree with that 90%ly. I was surprised with this movie, it was really well done. I don't like a lot of comic book movies, but this one is one of the exceptions. My roommate dragged me along with him to see it. I resisted enough to where he even paid for my ticket. Works for me.

It's been awhile since I said hello in here. So... hi there!

Looks like you will get along just fine here and I'm sure your husband will too.

This mare gave off some strange vibes... familiar ones at that. Seems she was trying to figure out how to even talk to Zephyr. He knew that feeling and simply waited. The other mare inside suddenly came to the door, said her goodbyes and left promptly. How... odd. Guess she had somewhere to be.

Foxglove invited Zephyr in and caught on to his hunger. She cleared off a spot for him to eat with her magic and Zephyr followed the unspoken invite to that spot.

"You're quite right, I am fairly hungry. I just got done delivering some mail to Hoofington and haven't eaten anything the entire trip. Um, I could smell your pizza outside and it smelled quite tasty."

Zephyr smiled, he had hoped that didn't come out the wrong way. When glancing around the mare's house, he noticed all sorts of unfamiliar objects about the house. She sure had some interesting and exotic stuff around. And was this her shop and her home? Curiously, Zephyr asked...

"Do you live out here all alone?"

Her first real gig and Zephyr was there to witness it. He knew where the south auditorium was too. As Madden left, he looked at Starlight, who was glowing with excitement from the news. He was happy for her and watched her as she displayed her excitement.

Without any warning she gave him a hug. He had never been embraced like this. To any on-lookers, it was just a normal hug, but to Zephyr, it was something more and special. Everything paused for him, he didn't hug back, he wasn't even sure what to do, he just lifted his wings and froze. It seemed to last much longer than it did. Unfortunately not long enough, when he finally thought to embrace her back and brought his hoof up to do so, she was not there and was walking back to their original table. His hoof just stayed in the air for a moment before realizing what was going on. Zephyr wanted another hug, it removed the annoying feeling in his stomach and gave him a nice feeling that made his fur stand up.

When he finally brought himself back to reality, he trotted over to the table with Starlight.

"What song do you think you're going to sing? I wonder if it'll be a song you've never sung before."

Zephyr took a sip of his drink and just thought of something he had heard about.

"Oh, um! I'll pay for your food. It's no big deal."

He was happy he remembered reading about how stallions should pay for a mare's meal when they were eating out together. He couldn't remember what book it was though. Maybe it wasn't a book and just something he had overheard...

Zephyr only watched and listened as the large red unicorn arrived. He definitely commanded a higher authority than this pegasus. The discussion was interesting, but was a bit too serious for Zephyr's taste and he felt the tension between them. Even if one of the guards or the pony he couldn't see was able to point him in the right direction, he didn't want to be part of this.

Leaving was definitely the right choice and Zephyr began to back away. As he did, he stepped on a twig, which made a rather loud *snap*, and at this angle, he was in clear view of the red unicorn. Oh good going Zephyr, he thought to himself and stopped where he was. He contemplated casually walking off, but it probably wouldn't help him any, not with how tense the two guards were. He thought about flying away quickly, he was pretty sure he could out fly the pegasus guard, but Zephyr still had business in Canterlot and the trouble wasn't worth it, he waited...

This was so annoying. Zephyr wondered again why he chose to deliver this package to Canterlot at night. He was already very unfamiliar with Canterlot, being at night only made things worse. There were very few ponies out and those that were did very little to point him in the right direction. He had to take to the roads so he could see which streets he was on easier, which led to even more annoyances. He didn't even like this city, it was full of unicorns, they still made him somewhat nervous. And then the royal guards... Ugh, authority.

Where is this stupid shop! Zephyr's thoughts raced and his annoyances grew as time passed. He was searching close to the castle walls now, maybe the shop was around there, if he could just find the right street...

"Halt! Who's there!"

Something caught his attention. There were sounds of a situation escalating. He couldn't tell what was being said except for the loud "Halt!", but the direction it came from was clear. Curious, he followed the voices. He hadn't seen another pony in some time at this hour and maybe whoever these were could give him clear directions.

It didn't take long to find where the voices were coming from. Zephyr kept himself hidden as close as he could and watched. It appeared there was a guard hassling another pony. Figures, authority always liked to push others around. He couldn't see the other pony very well from his angle. From the sound of her voice, she didn't seem to have much respect for this guard, Zephyr didn't blame her.

I went with Winter Wrap Up because... I don't know actually. The episode starts off with an awesome song. My favorite of season 1. It showed how working together works out.

I was already very interested in the show by Dragonshy, but it was the episode that truly made me love the series.

Best Night Ever definitely comes after that. I thought it ended great. The last scene shows all the characters enjoying their time together and really that's the best way they could have ended the season in my opinion.

Zephyr was waiting around for awhile. He had almost thought that no one would come until the door slid open and a pink mare stood behind it. She smiled at Zephyr, but it didn't feel genuine, and her stare gave Zephyr a slight chill through his back. The way she spoke only added to the creepy vibe she was giving Zephyr. He nervously replied...

"Uh... help me? I don't think so, err... you run a shop out here in the woods? What sort of stuff do you sell out here?"

The pizza's aroma grew when she opened the door. She may be creepy, but she sure did know how to make a good pizza. Zephyr's stomach grumbled after he asked the unicorn about her shop.

Zephyr caught wind of Starlight's nervous moment. She had always displayed unwavering confidence, and while he didn't know her that well, it still felt weird to him at first thought.

"There's no need to be nervous."

Zephyr smiled somewhat nervously at Starlight.

"Just... sing for them like you did in here. Everypony is going to love you and your singing! I've no doubt in my mind that you'll... knock'em, um... off their hooves."

The other thought was racing through Zephyr's head nonstop and making it hard to focus. Zephyr didn't even know her that well... The feeling it made in his stomach was agitating and annoying. He wanted to make it go away, but every time Starlight spoke, it came back.

Wow was that singing wonderful. Everypony in the cafe was enjoying her singing, including Madden himself. Another thought was etched in Zephyr's mind as he listened to Starlight's song, but that would have to wait.

Tension lifted as Madden offered Starlight a chance to sing at an event later that evening. In fact, Zephyr was excited to hear that and looked to Starlight to see her expression, which he was sure she would be filled with far more excitement than himself. The tension in Zephyr's stomach lifted more when Madden offered to teach Zephyr something about managing. He stood up, placing his hooves on the table and leaned forward just a little.

"Oh of course! Anything you can share with me, I would be happy to know!"

His wings lifting a little with his excitement at the offer.

"I won't let anypony down."

Well I'll be looking forward to that if you do decide to finish it. :heart: