Rosewind

I think the bigger issue here is that the way Hasbro reacted was unprecedented, especially since (they might) have responded to the screaming minority in this case. I'm hoping very much this won't mean that future episodes (and the series as a whole) end up sanitized by this ridiculousness, as well as Hasbro's policy on handling its "bonus" audience. This post was recently put up on EqD that highlights some of the facts surrounding this situation.

Cupcakes...

Here's a bit more chimney think: Isn't the perceived stereotype that developmentally disabled act that way worse than the perception that Derpy's behavior/voice was insulting it? Think about it. The very thing people are up in arms defending is actually perpetuating that very attitude. I've worked with developmentally disabled people of different age ranges for over a decade, and I can say with absolute certainty that Derpy didn't give me even an inkling that she was mentally disabled, or making fun of anyone with any condition, period. I think there was a lot of mob-like bandwagoning with this situation too, and a lot of folks sent complaints before understanding the rhyme or reason behind what people found offensive about it. For some perspective: "I'm going to mail Disney and tell them that Goofy offends me because the way he walks reminds me of someone with cerebral palsy."

I know we've had a bit of discussion about this topic in this thread, but I think recent developments really need some discussion. Long story short: apparently Hasbro asked WeLoveFine to remove all "Derpy" merchandise. I checked and, instead of yoinking it all down, they simply removed all instances of the word "derpy" in their products. This more or less confirms that Hasbro has contacted them regarding this matter -- and it probably gave them a little increased business on the side as some folks might snap up some Derpy merch. Personally I'm trying to figure out where to angle my thoughts on this. My first reaction is to be absolutely livid with the people that thought it was okay to respond to Derpy's inclusion in The Last Roundup the way they did, with hatemail, petitions, and a loud and clear message that they were very offended by Studio B's treatment and presentation of the character. My first fear was that Hasbro would react in some way, though I was hoping it would just blow over. Without trying to appear like an alarmist, I'm scared that this event with WeLoveFine could be the first set of many things that could happen to Derpy. To be fair, people are entitled to their opinions regarding matters such as ableism and whatnot, but nothing is worse than a vocalized opinion made in pure ignorance, which I think has happened in this situation. If Hasbro is moving so far to ask WeLoveFine to rename or pull their Derpy merch, it could mean her future exclusion from FiM itself. If so, I'm very disappointed, and I really hope it does not come to this. The poor choices/reactions of the few will cause consequences for the many, and possibly the removal of a character that was, more or less, our hand in the series itself. I think this negative precedent is alienating the fandom from the company that provides FiM, and the fandom is 100% to blame. Please, discuss.

No way! I'd say "That's the cutie mark of Luna, Princess of the Night!"

Keep it small, keep it simple. FB is a good spot to look, there are a lot of regional brony groups that collaborate there for meetup purposes -- one might already exist in your area.

When I said "long fiber material," I was referring to that fact. Long colored dolly hair is the way to go for pony tails. I also said that "this should give you an idea of what's required," and meant it only as a point of reference to the general material and labor needed to make a tail -- I never said anything about style.

It depends on what sort of quality you're looking for, as well as look. Tails can be tricky since you're structurally attaching it to something that doesn't really stick out that much (your backside). Some fursuiters actually attach their tails to a belt and wear that beneath their fursuit so it will get some proper structural support. Thankfully, tails aren't difficult to make -- the most expensive material you'll buy will probably be long-fiber material. This guide should give you an idea of what's required, though the creativity and hoofwork is up to you. As for the mane and ears, you're probably looking for a partial headpiece of some kind.

Celestia obviously can tell the letters apart by scent. Applejack is apple-scented, Pinkie smells like frosting, Rainbow smells like um...clouds...Rarity like fancy perfume, Fluttershy like animals (lol), and of course Twi's letter will have lots of glitter on it. Also, Celestia will know her hoof-writing (even though Spike writes all the letters). Mystery solved.

Maybe it takes a loyal and true friend to be (sometimes brutally) honest.

Speaking of anime opening parodies, this is one of my favs:

Hasbro would be releasing a real cash pony (haha) if they would make a season set geared toward the brony crowd. It can be done in a way that a parent buying it for their kids would get a good value out of it, and everyone else would be able to support the show and get some cool extras out of it. I know the producer who runs Shout Factory (the distributor of this DVD that's being talked about) posted a letter to the brony community highlighting the reasons why a season set will never happen -- most of them revolving around the fact that parents will only drop X number of dollars on a kids' DVD, and it's more lucrative to release episodes in chunks. Unfortunately, that's a really outdated (and I might say ignorant) way of doing business. The demand is there to make a very strong release to a larger audience, but I don't think it will happen with Shout Factory at the reins.

Wow, at this alcohol debate. Didn't you ponies hear? Hasbro is releasing its My Little Cider Press. The mugs are playing up the whole alcohol concept, but it's really innocent enough. Does it matter? I don't foresee any kids taking up a life of hard cider drinking after watching this episode. Why do the fans of this series seem so up in arms lately? Last week it was Derpy, this week it's alcohol. Do we need to question how the series presents itself? Hasbro inspects every episode, and would not approve it if they picked up any negatives that might hurt the property. We should be the ones enjoying the fact that it's presenting itself in a way we can enjoy it without patronizing us with a "kids only" mentality (e.g. turning those big awesome cider mugs into sippy cups. Yeeeeah!). Hold on, I'm doing some chimney think. Here goes: Some of us are afraid that FiM is starting to cater to our tastes as older fans, which might fundamentally change one of our reasons for liking it. Now discuss.

I think what makes FiM so popular is the message is relevant to anyone, not just the target audience, and it shares it in a very unique way that doesn't patronize the viewer. As for adults acting that way...good question. I think the only real solution is to set an example yourself and choose to not act the way that others think is fine. Be honest. Be generous. Be loyal. Be kind. Be joyous. Combine those things and you'll find more magic in your life.

I have to agree about Sweet Apple Acres probably being expensive to run and not being under any sort of mortgage. The Apple Family has quite a few animals to feed, as well as themselves, not to mention AJ just built a new barn (Lesson Zero). I think that might be expecting too much from the canon we've gleaned from past episodes, but running a farm is pretty expensive, even though the Apples do all of the labor themselves. Also that dance the group of ponies did during the Flim Flam opening seemed weird to me -- their knees looked weirdly disjointed, and it was disconcerting to see them "dancing" around with the wobbly knees. I don't know if it could even be called a dance, maybe they were just grooving along to the Flim Flams' tune. Also have an alternate ending:

Oh yeah Dunes, Sunshine and Celery Stalks is one of my favorite songs. I'm hoping PinkiePieSwear has more music to share soon!

Does that mean you love me?!

So this begs the question...if you dislike most of the fans, why do you post here, exactly? But no, I totally get what you're saying. I think it's unfortunate that you feel that way, though. I could spend the next few paragraphs trying to change your perspective in some enlightened way, but I'm just not feeling it tonight. I'll just fling cake at you instead! Everyone likes cake!

That letter to Celestia felt like more than just a satire of the idea to me. It made two very important points (besides making all of us double-take): 1. You can be proud of keeping to your values. 2. Learning something virtueous (or not) doesn't always have to come off the heels of a negative or a consequence, something we've grown used to for 40 episodes. I think it was very well done. I like how the other Mane Five considered themselves part of the Apple family, it was a real touching moment. I know that AJ seems like she hasn't had "her turn" since Applebuck Season, but I'm just fine with the "AJ episodes" revolving around the dynamic and trials of her family as a whole. Also RD willingly eating cider-dirt was great.

Cupcakes. Sorry, no link to share. If you want to find it, you probably already have!

Not my most favorite episode ever, but it was entertaining all the same. I think AJ's "letter" to Celestia at the end was great, it caught me off guard.

Sorry if I misunderstood what you were trying to say -- your writing is a bit hard to follow. I'm just going to drop this here: Annnnnd... *runs*

There's another flaw to your argument though -- not everyone can be defined as a "hater" or a "brony." Some people might like the show, but does that make them a brony? I think it's important to define what, exactly, a brony truly is. Maybe there are different degrees of bronyism. There are the hardcore bronies -- the ones who collect the toys, wake up early on Saturday morning to watch the show, make PMVs, listen to remixes, wear pony shirts, post on forums like this, go to meetups, and check EqD every five minutes. Then there's the "casual" brony -- they watch the series, they might put a pony wallpaper on their phone or PC and watch some videos on YouTube, but that's about it. After that, I think we're getting into the territory of someone who might have seen a few episodes, and liked what they saw, but not enough to really follow the series. This is the baseline where we move away from brony and more into the term of maybe "show supporter." After that, we'll say the person knows what the series is, and doesn't like or dislike it. They're neutral and could care less. After that, we're getting into the territory of trolls and whatnot -- the ignorant folks that probably never saw an episode, and dislike it simply because they love to hate what others enjoy. Maybe it's against their personal values that a bunch of guys should like a show designed for little girls. Those are your haters. Not everyone is black and white on this like you're describing. There's a whole spectrum of thoughts, likes, and dislikes for this series, so to truly understand your own argument, you'll have to understand the audience itself first.

Vermin's existence in the political system is democracy in action. Even if you're a crazy person with a boot on your head, you still get your chance to stand up and have your say. Whether or not he does that on purpose...I have no idea!

I'm sorry to say that I don't remember where I got that Dash room image, sorry! I'd like to see her parents too -- I wonder what sort of ponies they'd be?