Rosewind

I think death might be outside the scope of the series, important as it is. I'm sure there might be some way to learn a lesson about loss, though.

I believe the bigger issue is how many more lessons can you cover -- specifically about friendship -- now that we are nearly 40 episodes deep into FiM, with another unreleased season and a half on Hasbro's desk?

A few of the episodes have sort of staggered on the take home lesson lately; the big standout for me was Sweet and Elite. Rarity spent most of the episode lying to her friends, and pretty much lucked out and got away with it because her friends were so understanding/awesome -- and she stayed by them in the end (which I suppose was the lesson, but I still felt like she should have had some sort of consequence for all the lying she did).

I think we might see more of the morale and less concrete lesson Celestia-letter-writing in future episodes, if the episode from last week (Family Appreciation) was any indication.

I think that's a pretty big over generalization there. Sadly it takes one bad apple to flavor the barrel, and -- like others have pointed out -- you'll find this degree of "negative fanaticism" within any fandom.

Of interest is how you're pulling furries into your argument. I suppose this could be an entire debate by itself, but I think it's important to define what exactly a furry is. If by that definition, a brony is a furry; someone who enjoys fantastic or funny animals that share human characteristics. Does that mean that bronies like to dress up in carpet suits and have sex? The FiM movement inside furry culture is growing, and you'll find a lot of artists that enjoy pony also enjoy furry too, but the actions of the few should not define the many.

As far as the NSFW stuff floating around, it's a matter of anything else on the internet -- if you don't want to see it, you can pretty easily avoid it -- and if you're someplace where you might find it, you're probably looking for something else anyway. You'll find many members of this forum do not mind the NSFW side of pony fandom (if you're over 18, you can see there's a thread about this in the mature forum), and I don't think it should make a difference to anyone regardless.

Finally, I think a lot of the negativity you see is a basis of fact about where FiM culture originally spawned: chan boards. It won't take a rocket scientist to tell you that those places in particular spawn just as many trolls as people who like the series. That section of the internet is pretty vocal, and I see you're mentioning it, so you probably see more of the flames and trolling than someone who doesn't bother with chans.

My take away message for you -- since you mentioned that this issue has been bothering you -- is to enjoy what you like, hang out with other people that enjoy it too, and pay no mind to the people that would love to ruin what you enjoy, as there are plenty of them out there.

Try this site.

I've been thinking about this issue for a while, and my theory is Hasbro wants to tap its surprise market, they just have no real idea how to do it properly and with a light touch. I think they want to avoid any "brand confusion" for their target audience, so the only real solution is to "outsource" the production and marketing of Brony-centric merchandise to companies like WeLoveFine and Hot Topic for the older folks.

This is to avoid making purchasing parents of the toys and stuff designed for little girls to stop and go "What the heck is Hasbro selling THAT for?"

I would like to see an increase in the quality of the toys, but I also think that a keystone of any popular toy brand (to attract parents, at least), is to make the products affordable. Upping the design and quality of goods would increase costs, something Hasbro probably wants to avoid. They might rather sell several cheaper toys than one big expensive toy, because the cheaper ones would yield more profit over time.

I think they should keep the show exactly how it is. The nods they've given to the older audience have been more than enough. Don't fix what isn't broken, yanno?

My two bits.

[Equestria Crossovers RP]

Manifest of the Blanks

The shadowy creatures that go bump in the night, that every pony parent threatens their young foal with to get them to bed. The Manifest of the Blanks is a set of creatures shrouded in absolute mystery.

Blanks have two unique forms: Wraith - Their true appearance, a Blank will only reveal itself as a Wraith to another creature who is alone, and usually in darkness. Gestalt - A Blank in its Gestalt form takes the shape of a normal pony, though it could be a pegasi or unicorn -- however, it will always lack a cutie mark, even as an adult, and it will always act overtly friendly to any other creature it meets in this form.

Sex

Since Blanks are numerous, they can be of either gender, though the Wraith form of the Blank is usually considered to be genderless. Blanks in their Gestalt form can appear as either mares or stallions.

Age

Blanks can appear as any age, though Gestalt Blanks prefer appearing as adults.

Species

Wraith-like Pony Apparitions

Eye Color

Wraith Blanks lack any eyes whatsoever, their orifices sport glowering, hellish crimson flames that gleam like blood-red glitter in the darkness. Gestalt Blanks may appear to have any eye color, depending on the Blank.

Coat Color

Wraith Blank coats are always pitch black. Gestalt Blank coat color can be any color.

Mane, Tail, etc.

Wraith Blanks have shaggy, tattered manes, tails that lack fur or have singed clumps of hair. Gestalt Blanks can have any sort of varied mane or appearance; they usually appear well-kept, groomed, and have a homely, friendly atmosphere about them.

Physique

Wraith Blanks appear as skeletal ponies from absolute nightmare. Their bodies are scrawny and scraggly looking; their joints are disjointed, and they walk with sharp, jangling movements. Their fur and coat seem to hang off their bodies like a misty black cape; their rib cages (and sometimes ribs) appear to the open air. Their hooves and joints look sharpened and quite dangerous. Gestalt Blanks lack all of the features that make Wraith Blanks so terrifying. They can appear with the physique of any normal pony, except they will always lack a cutie mark.

Cutie Mark

Blanks are called thus, because they lack any sort of cutie mark. A Gestalt Blank is easy to spot (and sometimes a confusing affair for a pony not-in-the-know) to meet an older pony that never found their special talent.

Origin

Blanks are mysterious creatures; their full purpose or even existence is up for debate, story, or legend to tell. Many ponies of scholarly pursuits or exploration have documented the possible existence of a pony-like sentience found within Everfree Forest. Word has it that a town of ponies exists within Everfree, east of the Old Kingdom, though nothing has ever been found, from land or air. Some stories suggest that Blanks may be the remains of the pony denizens from the Old Kingdom, or maybe from a long-forgotten war, famine, or plaque.

Occupation

Blanks may appear to a solitary pony lost within Everfree or the surrounding regions. They usually introduce themselves in their wholesome Gestalt forms, and act extremely friendly and helpful to the lost explorer. They lack any sort of cutie mark, and may appear to talk to themselves about certain things; past regrets, fears, hates, or wants. When alone and in the dark, the Wrath Blank will take form, and feed upon the fear and terror of the unsuspecting victim.

Motivation

Blanks feed off the fear of Ponykind. They revel in getting a good scare for the deserving (or undeserving). Blanks are naturally attracted to fear and bad thoughts, and may start to cluster if the feeding is good.

Likes

Blanks may be sentient beings, but they do not have any express likes outside of their (super)natural behavior.

Dislike

Blanks dislike light, warmth, love, and most certainly friendship -- hence the reason a Blank may only reveal itself to a lone pony. Gestalt Blanks may exist in sunlight, though they will naturally try to herd their query to a darker place, such as a mysterious cabin in the woods of Everfree, or a cave, where they may show themselves true.

In Summary

How Manifest of the Blanks can serve your RP needs:

1. You need a disposable villain in your RP story. I'm more than happy to serve in this role.

2. You need some creepiness or a shadowy figure in your story.

3. You want your characters to experience terror beyond terror, and perhaps work together, learn and grow from the experience.

4. You want to flood your RP with a bunch of nightmarish zombie ponies.

5. You like "Story of the Blanks" and want to expand on the lore.

The problem with that is that the darker shades aren't available to me. I have a limited budget and can't always find the right paint colors at my local craft store. It took a while just to find these colors.

I do agree about adding the spot of white on the pupil, I'll try that.

Have you tried mixing the colors you have already? That might give you the color you need!

The only races in My Little Pony are Earth Pony' date=' Pegasus and Unicorn, and they are all treated equally, ruled by a leader who embodies the traits of all three This leader is white only to signify day, and she co-rules with her sister, who is purple to signify night.[/quote']

Thought I'd drop this quote here, just for a little insight from the Grand Creator herself regarding this discussion.

I'd personally love to see more alicorn love and back story, and I think we may soon enough get it!

My greatest fear is of something happening to one of my daughters. It is ever present in my mind as a parent. Other than that I worry about whether we are getting season 3 of MLP or not after the scary meme on my little brony today.

That latter fear you don't have to fear! There's been enough leaking from animators/composers/VA people that Season 3 is probably almost done now, with Season 4 on the way!

My fears? Erm, spiders. My personal policy is that anything that naturally lives outside deserves to be left alone. Inside, however...IT. IS. ON.

I think it looks darling, and I love the design, though it looks a tish unfinished.

It might benefit from darkening the outline to give it some contrast -- I would use a darker pink for outlining her mane and tail, and a darker-shaded yellow for her body and for outlining her ear, body, face, and hooves. The bunny could be outlined with a light gray. Also try putting a little circle of white in her eyes or two to give them some reflectivity and depth.

I did a quick, rough doodle over the image so you can see what I'm talking about. Hope this helps! (I forgot the bunny too, oops!)

How about Gilda?

I'd try the tried-and-true of sticking together a noun with a verb of some kind. Or you could name her Hilda.

That's very...strange.

Welcome! I'm surprised you haven't been jumped by Spiderman yet. He's been crawling around this forum lately...

Welcome! If you like to write, you're in the "write" place. Ha ha!

Furry/Brony/Pegasister hybrids like us are by far the best, because we don't live in denial! Actually, most of the FiM fans I've met have been at furry gatherings, and the following inside that fandom is growing rapidly.

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

What a lovely and uplifting post. Thanks for sharing that!

My advice? Celebrate what you enjoy. People can and will judge you, and that's perfectly okay -- it doesn't make you any less of a person.

If people see you as a dark person, throw them for a loop one day and they won't know what to think about you, except that you are unique and you have more to offer than just the exterior.

Hay there, welcome! I like your OC -- the colors remind me of G1, but in a totally good way!

Howzabout Disney Afternoon? It was all about Gummi Bears, Talespin, Darkwing Duck, Ducktales, and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers!

I think Cartoon Network -- as well as the other popular networks -- have definitely hit a decline. But...as long as the Hub isn't going anywhere, I suppose all is right in the world.

I like it, it looks nice.

Their hairstyles are interesting. If they are related, the curls on the mare remind me of Sweetiebelle, and the stallion's mane reminds me of Big Mac/Applejack. So maybe Sweetiebelle/Rarity are related to the Apple family in some way? Maybe distant cousins?

I think Ms. Faust said she originally wanted to portray the Apple parents as having passed on (In her recent DA FAQ, iirc), but she knew that the idea would never get approved. This is an interesting discussion though, it will be fun to see how it pans out.

Oh hi...what games are you playing right now? I was working on Skyrim but it keeps freezing.

Woooow, great thread! Thanks for posting all that awesome stuff, Riverhippo!

I caught some of the livestream. What a fun event it was! It's a shame it was only a day, I could see something like this easily turning into a longer sort of convention.

If you think this episode gap was "blerg," wait until Season 2 wraps up and we'll be waiting several months for Season 3 to start.

I think the word play with everypony is harmless. There's nothing ridiculous about it; it's an acknowledgment of the heavy puns FiM uses, and it is one more way for everypony to be passionate about it. Even "brony" is a portmanteau. What're they calling dubstep now? Dubtrot. It's funny. Haha.

You're not required to like it, but there are those us who think it's cute and do talk that way for fun. (I mean this in a sarcastic playful way, I know it's hard to come across like that in words on a forum.)

That said, sometimes you do need a break from the fandom to appreciate it, as with anything else.

I'm sure when Rainbow's mother was pregnant with her, she ate a lot of Zap apples. It's the only explanation!

As for the map thing ... it was written by an old, forgetful mare -- I suppose you could game the canon map to be inaccurate by means of senior dementia. It's also a bit crammed together or it wouldn't have fit on the screen.

So um, anyone find Derpy yet? Also that's some crazy fast fan art.

How much money have I invested in MLP? Not enough. I saw a custom Berry Punch at a convention for $40 -- she was absolutely gorgeous. I'm still kicking myself for not getting her.

I think Hasbro would make a lot more money if they intelligently tapped their surprise audience. Granted they must do this carefully, as they don't want to alienate their target audience (of money-spending parents). I still think they would make a killing if they upped the quality of their toys and figures with respect to the canon of the cartoon series itself (I'm lookin' at you, pink Celestia!) I know that will never happen as there is a rhyme and reason for how the toys are -- probably more to do with cost and production and Hasbro's intent to sell it to its intended audience.

A disc box set of the first season crammed with extras would be an instant hit.